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Why do the residents of Delhi experience pollution every year while the ruling class blames it on stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh? Can't they find a permanent solution instead of debating who will pay for the burning machines and other related expenses? The air pollution levels in Delhi are eight times higher than the WHO's prescribed limits. It has reached a level where the judiciary, executive, and parliament blame each other, and the severe pollution level continues.

KOLKATA: In Bangladesh, interim Chief adviser to the caretaker regime, Dr Mohammad Yunus has tasted success in an entirely unintended manner: He has succeeded remarkably in bringing about a political unity of sorts. Defying conventional wisdom and analysis, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have opposed the ban declared against the Awami League (AL) by the present rulers. Both parties have also strongly pressed for early elections in Bangladesh.

India is moving fast with its intention of implementing the next phase of labour reforms. Digital bases are being put in place, that may ultimately pave the way for smooth transition to new labour code regime, implementation of which is likely to be announced soon, though it is generally considered to be a minefield that would be very problematic to navigate by both workers and employers. Both the stakeholders are yet not ready to the occasion, though Centre and the majority of States and UTs are ready with their laws required for implementation.

Five Sambhal residents, alive and kicking till yesterday (November 24), are now dead, from bullet wounds, in violence that raged at Sambhal in western Uttar Pradesh over a mosque-over-mandir dispute. This mandir is said to be that of ‘Bhagwan Kalki’, the next god avatar of Lord Vishnu, and was called Shri Hari Har Mandir. But this violence wasn’t ‘danga’ as Hindi newsreaders are prone to christen all and sundry "clashes" in Muslim-dominated pockets of India that is Bharat.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Left Democratic Front (LDF) scored a morale-boosting victory in the Kerala by-elections by retaining its sitting Assembly seat, Chelakkara and increasing its vote share in Palakkad, a Congress stronghold.

Finally, it seems the developed world has realised its omissions and at COP29 meeting in Baku, most western nations agreed to a new Climate Fund to save the planet from catastrophic climate changes due to harmful emissions. However, India, Malawi, Bolivia, and Nigeria have rejected the deal, terming it as insufficient.

Even as India aspires for inclusive growth and development, the rising cost of higher education in the country threatens to undermine this wish. Once considered a key to upward mobility, higher education is increasingly becoming out of reach to many middle class and lower middle class youth.

The sweeping victory of the Trinamool Congress candidates in the by polls held to the six assembly constituencies in Bengal on November 20, has surpassed even the wildest expectations of the TMC leadership. Out of the six seats, one Madarihat seat was with the BJP while the other five seats were with the TMC in the 2021 assembly elections. In the by polls, the results of which were announced on November 23, the TMC not only retained its five seats with much bigger margins but also defeated the BJP candidate by more than 30,000 votes, thereby securing all the six seats. In 2021 polls, the BJP won Madarihat seat by trouncing TMC by 29,000 votes.

The US chargesheet against the Adani group and the arrest warrant issued against Gautam Adani are the strongest indictment yet of the crony capitalism that has been playing out on the sides under the Narendra Modi government. The new developments shed light on the group's rapid expansion, often facilitated by connections to influential political figures and government institutions.

COP29 came out with a new draft finance deal on the last day of the summit on November 22, but it frustrated the stakeholders so much that they dubbed it a ‘slap on the face’. It had proposed $250 billion yearly, but left out specifics on how these funds will be raised, such as grants, loans, government sector, public sector, or private sector. Such a level of criticism triggered a closed door talks that overran the scheduled time throughout the night, and the sources say that the COP29 summit has raised the finance target to $300 billion per year by 2035.