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Russian President Vladimir Putin is coming to Delhi on a one day official visit on December 24. There are many economic irritants in the bilateral relationship between the two countries at the moment but the extent of political understanding on the global issues and the nature of long standing friendship of the two countries can act as a good facilitator in removing the irritants at this summit and set the stage for a higher relationship.

The sweeping victory of the Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the third time in the state assembly elections in Gujarat and the possibility of his emergence as the potential Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 have led the Left parties to take a fresh appraisal at its poll strategy for the coming general elections. There is a distinct possibility of the BJP creating a hype over Modi as the harbinger of a new India with full backing of some of the leading Indian business groups.

For ordinary investors, it proved to be a slow-killer, the much-hyped infrastructure mutual funds. This was at the beginning of the 11th Plan, or around 2007 when the economy was growing at close to nine per cent and the government projected a very glorious picture of India’s infrastructure sector. Entered mutual fund operators, domestic and foreign, with an array of infrastructure funds to tap the common man’s pocket, exploiting the bullish market sentiment and rising stock indices.

Delhi is the rape-capital of South Asia. No amount of regular manicuring of Lutyens lawns and New Delhi-Gurgaon-style ‘cosmopolitanism’ can take away that fact. The rape-capital epithet comes from simple numbers. Delhi is comparable in population size to Kolkata and Mumbai. If rape were to be considered a ‘natural’ human pathology, the number of rapes would be proportional to the number of humans. The thing is, when it comes to cities within the territory of the Indian Union, it is not.

As expected, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has done a hat-trick. The question is that whether he will become the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 polls? Will he be projected against the Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi? What happens to the other aspirants in the BJP and the NDA? Modi has become larger than life. In fact, the fight this time in Gujarat was Modi versus the rest. Modi has done well for himself by selling the brand Modi successfully.

The Canadian economy slowed in 2012, with the uncertain global environment weighing on exports and business investment. Economic growth is expected to pick up above its potential rate over the course of 2013, although downside risks from external headwinds continue to loom large.