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If you can’t shut ‘em up, then shut them up! That’s the current day maxim in Modi-India. ‘Shut ‘em up’ is stifling the voice, spoken and written. ‘Shut them up’ is locking up the offending party behind bars, turning him from free bird to jailbird! The 'Why' of it doesn’t need rocket science! Suffice that the man is a clear and present danger to the powers that be.

Fierce attacks by Baloch rebels have shaken the Pakistani Army, while it was predominantly occupied on the Indian front. Balochistan's provincial capital, Quetta, saw six attacks on Pakistani forces in just one day. Pakistan mobilised its Army units from Balochistan and redeployed on the Eastern border with India because of a recent military confrontation with India.

Amit Shah’s direction to Nitish Kumar not to allow Rahul Gandhi to interact with the Dalit and OBC students at SC hostel in Darbhanga during the Congress leader’s visit to Bihar on Thursday, has proved to be counterproductive. Not only the dalit and OBC students, even the students from upper castes have deplored this action and expressed the view that since Rahul does not speak nonsense there was no need for obstructing him from entering into hostel.

KOLKATA: North Bengal has not been a happy hunting ground for All India Trinamool Congress even when it replaced CPI(M)-led Left Front government in 2011 and several years thereafter. The northern part of the state continued to be under BJP hegemony but the TMC inroads post 2019 Lok Sabha elections and last year's polls also, have breached the saffron fortress’s defence when former BJP MP and Union minister John Barla switched loyalty from BJP to the Trinamool Congress early this week.

Renowned Nobel laureate economist Robert Solow was once asked if having a trade deficit is bad for any economy. He answered by saying he would always have a trade deficit with his barber and would always run a trade surplus with his students. Such is the nature of the game in the realm of economic transactions. Some countries are always better at producing certain goods and services, which they export, and they gain by importing those they are not as good at producing. Arguing that the US should impose equal reciprocal tariffs is fundamentally flawed. It contradicts the principle of comparative advantage - the very foundation of international trade since the beginning of modern civilization.

The developments following the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam (Jammu & Kashmir), which claimed the lives of 26 civilians including tourists, have brought to fore a number of pressing concerns: national security, civil liberties, democratic accountability, regional peace and imperialist overreach. In the aftermath of the attack, Indian armed forces launched a targeted counter-offensive named Operation Sindoor, striking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The Supreme Court of India has deferred pleas against Waqf (Amendment) Act till May 20. Chief Justice of India BR Gavai did not waste time arguing. He said the top court will not permit anybody to challenge to the 1995 Waqf Act, “Lets argue the petitions challenging the 2025 amendments," he said in a massive jolt to the Hindu quarter, which was in high spirits after the resounding victory over Muslim Pakistan in ‘Operation Sindoor’.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 in India during the peak of COVID as reported by the Government of India were 3.3 lakh. As per the worldometers website the number of death due to COVID till 12 May 2025 is 533570. According to this information India stands at no.3 after USA with 1219487 deaths and Brazil 711380 deaths.

After years of criticism, PM Narendra Modi led Government has finally released its first ever monthly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) on May 15, 2025 for the month of April 2025, as per the revamped PLFS. Though it saved the government from the allegation of not producing timely data on labour, its data on the revamped PLFS still do not show the real picture of unemployment in India, as it exists on the ground. The difference can be seen in the fact that revamped PLFS shows unemployment rate at 5.1 per cent in April 2025(a rise from 4.9 per cent in 2024 under Old PLFS), while the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data found it at 7.73 per cent. Why such a great difference? And which data is more reliable?

On June 3, 2024, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced the demolition of Jai Bhim Nagar. Subsequently, on June 6, 2024, BMC officials, joined by bulldozers and numerous police personnel, commenced the demolition process, displacing approximately 600 families who had resided in the area for nearly thirty years. The affected residents approached the Bombay High Court, requesting compensation and prosecution of concerned officials. Unfortunately, no substantial relief has been granted yet and these individuals continue to suffer hardship in meeting even their basic needs and rights. The demolition has forced many residents to take refuge on the streets, depriving them of their right to a dignified life, shelter, and adequate health care, resulting in the violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.