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UPA-II has paid a heavy price – total loss of credibility – for its failures of governance on a wide front, political and economic, over the last two years. Indeed it has turned out to be an exceptional phase in post-independence history when large-scale corruption involving holders of public office has occurred while Government in pursuit of high growth virtually abdicated its responsibility to ensure even a modicum of price stability.

The roller-coaster ride of the government-civil society Joint Drafting Committee on the Lokpal (ombudsman) Bill has ended in a draw, but left both sides badly injured. Whether the tie will be broken when they present their separate recommendations to a proposed all-party committee in July remains an open question. Yet, this is a good time to draw up a balance-sheet of the government’s first-ever effort to take on board civil society concerns on fighting corruption.

In his latest blog, L.K. Advani has raked up the old Jana Sanghi charge about Jawaharlal Nehru having bartered away India’s claims on the whole of Kashmir.

Public utterances of politicians often betray the insecurity embedded in their sub-conscience mind. Fathered by a number of factors, the recent utterances of Punjab’s ruling Akali leaders have generated this perception. The latest factor is Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s statement that Akali Dal was willing to enter into an electoral alliance with other political parties to prevent the Congress from coming to power in the 2012 Assembly elections.

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party workers have launched a massive campaign in the districts of Uttar Pradesh against the Mayawati Government focusing on the total failure of the law and order in the state, especially the way, the women are becoming the victims of the criminals and the police personnel.

New York: The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today voiced deep regret after Thailand announced it would denounce the global convention aimed at preserving humankind's most outstanding shared cultural and natural heritage.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today exhorted States to take effective legislative, administrative and judicial measures to prevent torture, calling the practice a brutal attempt to destroy a victim's sense of dignity and sense of human worth that can never be justified.

New York: The historic section of the capital of Barbados today became the Caribbean country's first entry on the United Nations-managed World Heritage List after a committee of experts approved its inscription and that of two other sites.

In spite of bumper kharif crop and expectations of normal monsoons this year, the food inflation has gone up and the union finance minister has helplessly admitted that he has no magic hand to control it.

In the intense summer of Delhi, ministers and other important persons find better work in cooler climes. Invariably come May-June, the VIPs fly out to attend other very important tasks in Europe and America. Sharad Pawar is in France, Anand Sharma in USA and Pranab Mukherjee is about to leave for the same destination next week. Many other smaller functionaries are all hovering around in western capitals. But India-US relations appear to be the season’s flavor. Next month, the India-US Strategic Dialogue will take place, this time however in New Delhi.