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Neelam ‘Azad’ is 42 and a student forever. Armed with a string of educational qualifications, Neelam couldn’t land a job and may not ever land one now that a case under UAPA has been lodged against her and the five others who planned and carried out the attack on Parliament on the 22nd anniversary of the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack on December 13, 2023.

New Delhi: Buoyed by stunning win against the Netherlands in the Quarter-Final, two-time champion India is all geared up to take on formidable Germans in the Semi-Final of the Hockey Junior World Cup on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The impressive gains in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan could not blind the BJP leadership to the fact of its declining share of votes in all the states in November 2023 elections compared to Lok Sabha Election 2019, and hence it was compelled to bring new faces as Chief Ministers as a preventive measure to put a brake on its falling vote share and thereby its ultimate fall in the Lok Sabha Election 2024, when the BJP and PM Narendra Modi would be seeking for their third term. The Choice of CMs has never been aimed at gain in these states, since there is technically and otherwise no question of gain in terms of Lok Sabha seats in these states, or even elsewhere on account of caste or ST politics since the new CMs are just local leaders without any pan-India influence.

All indications available from the Congress and Trinamool Congress sources on the eve of the INDIA constituents meeting in New Delhi on December 19 suggest that the Congress high command is itching to form an electoral alliance with the Trinamool Congress in Bengal for fighting the BJP jointly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

It is no surprise that COP28 Dubai has proceeded the way it has. As member countries grappled with how to formalise and approach towards the most sensitive issue of fossil fuels, the climate summit had to be extended to try and work out a consensus. According to latest reports emerging the vibrant city, the COP28 presidency has released a proposed text for the final declaration, which would call upon nations to move away from fossil fuels as part of the global fight against climate change.

The question is no longer if but when the United States will support a ceasefire in the Gaza war. While the need for a ceasefire to halt Gaza’s human carnage is self-evident, some drivers of the Biden administration’s debate about the timing of a ceasefire raise questions about the moral underpinnings of Western democracies.

With widespread protests raging throughout the country, Bangladesh’s political atmosphere remains tense as it approaches the next general elections on January 7, 2024.

Nepal wants India to reduce the extent of mandatory use/purchase of 50% Indian goods as an aid- recipient country in bilateral road development projects to 30%. Government of Nepal (GON) authorities have voiced their demand some months ago, but India is yet to respond officially.

Is Kashmir now settled issue? The Supreme Court verdict says ‘Yes’ and National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah put his seal of approval to the Supreme Court verdict on the abrogation of Article 370. Nobody could have put it more succinctly than Farooq Abdullah, not even his son Omar Abdullah. In King’s language, when asked to sum up the top court’s verdict, Abdullah said, “To hell with Jammu and Kashmir”.

Inaccessibility and Arrogance marked BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao’s rule in Telangana in the last term. KCR hardly made a public appearance or met voters. This added to the perception that the government was becoming arrogant and taking voters for granted. Dissent of any kind was put down with iron hand. It worsened his image.