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Never before, an American presidential election evoked such widespread interest and concern across the world. This is because the presumptive president has given rise to fears and concerns about America’s policies which do not promise to follow the scripted lines. There is a sense of uncertainty all the way in the power circles in Beijing to the NATO headquarters in Europe and to the Middle East capitals.

RANCHI: Outfits of social activists in Jharkhand have been active in countering the highly divisive campaigns by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders for the impending Assembly elections as the partners of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition lagged behind the BJP-led Opposition in concluding seat-sharing deals for the 81-member House and selection of candidates. BJP was able to launch its campaign almost two weeks back and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already addressed meetings in two places. But, the ruling side has just managed to release its composite manifesto. Although the first of the two-phase election is scheduled for November 13, it is yet to start its campaign on a serious note.

It's happening and happening at a hare's pace — Gazwa-e-Hind Vs. Baghwa-e-Hind. The battle is for India's real-estate. The protagonists are the Waqf Board and the BJP-led Government of India, the battle spurred to significant pace by the hurry with which the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is being pushed through in Parliament and the panic with which the Waqf Board is laying claim to as many Waqf property as it is possible in the time given.

Belying predictions of pollsters that the US Presidential race is ending in a dead heat, Donald Trump has won a decisive victory, getting 312 of the 538 Electoral College votes and outstripping Kamala Harris in the popular vote by polling 51 per cent. Despite the liberal media’s favourable projection of the Kamala Harris campaign, it was clear to independent observers that Trump was gaining ground, particularly in the last one month, and his inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and rising crime and populist rants against the “elites” were evoking a good response among different sections of the voters. Popular discontent against the Biden administration for the rising cost of living and price rise also helped Trump.

A video doing the rounds of social media features Donald Trump and the 47th President-elect of the United States is heard saying, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a nice guy but threaten India and he's a killer, I am telling you that." Modi bhakts have picked it up and they are all over the Internet.

BHOPAL: While Congress and BJP are engaged in a bitter electoral fight in two Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, both parties are finding it difficult to explain inconvenient questions raised by their two powerful leaders. Laxman Singh, former M.P. and MLA has publicly said that Congress is not a private company. Laxman Singh, happens to be younger brother of Digvijay Singh. He has criticised the leadership over the manner in which party executive has been constituted without consultation, party president acted as if he is a managing director of a company.

It is as though the most controversial, at times even messy, part of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud has been reserved for the last few days of his tenure. The revelation about his prayer to the deity to help the Supreme Court come up with a solution in the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute has had its political undertones as the deity was in a way a party to the dispute. But luckily, the claim did not lead to any clumsy results, although it may have created some distrust in the minds of the aggrieved parties. The invitation to prime minister Narendra Modi for the CJI’s private Ganesh puja also had its share of doubts.

With passage of resolution for restoring Article 370 in the Legislative Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir on November 6, 2024, a tightrope has been stretched through national unity of the country and the legitimate aspirations of the people of the state on which India will have to walk now. The third day of its very fist session, the assembly passed the resolution with majority, and demanded restoration of special status of the erstwhile state of J&K.

Food prices remain a major concern for the Reserve Bank of India as it uses its monetary policy handle to bring inflation continuing to play truant within the desired ambit while supporting economic growth. Policymakers will, therefore, be drawing some comfort from the agriculture ministry’s first advance estimate of principal kharif crops, projecting production of rice, pulses and maize in the current 2024-25 crop season to stay ahead of last year. A favourable monsoon encouraging farmers to bring more land under cultivation helped in boosting production. They find a lot of inspiration from minimum support price (MSP), guaranteeing a minimum 50 per cent margin over cost of production, announced well ahead of sowing for kharif and rabi crops.

KOLKATA: Football and electoral politics make strange bedfellows though a few politicians have been in sports bodies and ran them almost as their fiefdom in West Bengal. But heads turned and eyes were raised in amazement when the men heading Mohan Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting endorsed the candidature of Sanat Dey, Trinamool Congress candidate for Naihati assembly bypoll scheduled on November 13.