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Barely out of the starting blocks, the Qatar World Cup has already produced a fair share of upsets as well as politically and personally sensitive situations and incidents.

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are all set to deepen their already warm relationship. The development is bound to have a beneficial bearing on India’s relations with the other countries of West Asia.

The West Bengal BJP is at crossroads over its interaction with new governor CV Anand Bose after leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari and state unit chief, Sukanta Majumdar boycotted the swearing in ceremony of the governor on November 23 claiming they were not given seats of honour in keeping with their position. The saffron camp leaders are in doubt whether Bose had taken exception to the "boycott" or taken it in his stride.

It couldn’t have been slip of tongue. Was it a boast, or a dare? Perhaps, a warning, a straightforward reminder, to vote-bank to stay put because you don’t do that, and communal rioting will follow. Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statements spelled out that Gujarat 2002 was the watershed that separated the years of communal rioting from permanent peaceful settlement since then.

The first phase of farmers agitation of India was called off on December 11, 2021 after the three controversial farm laws were repealed fulfilling the chief demand of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. However, the other demands including guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) remained unfulfilled even after one year. Farmers are feeling cheated by the false promises of the Modi government and therefore started the second phase of farmers’ agitation from November 26 by organizing their march to governors across the country. Farmers’ organisations would again meet on December 8 to decide the further course of their agitation.

The 61st Constitution amendment of 1988 that brought down voting age in India from 21 to 18 had reasoned that the present day youth were literate and enlightened and therefore deserved the opportunity to give vent to their feelings. It was also observed that ‘they were very much politically conscious’. The amendment was brought to include the unrepresented youth in the country’s political process.

The nomination of 57-year-old Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir Ahmad Shah, the senior-most officer among the nominees as the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army has put the erstwhile Prime Minister and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-Insaaf Imran Khan Niazi on pins and needles. The PTI supremo made a frantic attempt to prevent General Asim Munir’s nomination and even met the President of Pakistan Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi at a one-to-one meeting in Lahore to dissuade the latter from signing the summary on General Asim Munir’s appointment as the COAS, but in vain.

Not a single day passes without media reporting suicides committed by farmers in rural India. Crop failure due to drought, untimely and excessive rains and other weather calamities along with the acute deprivation and unpaid debts are some of the major causes forcing farmers to end their life. There is long history of kisan organizations waging struggles demanding payment of compensation for crop damages. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), it was widely welcomed. However, the implementation of the crop insurance scheme, instead of providing succour to the distressed farmers, benefited private insurance companies hugely.

Even a spell of sustained economic growth in recent years has not helped Bangladesh in resolving its problematic image-related issues effectively in the larger international arena. One indication of this according to observers, can be found in the gratuitous advice occasionally showered upon Dhaka by serving diplomats representing major countries.

With the Supreme Court questioning the Centre about resorting to unnecessary “haste” and "tearing hurry" in appointing Arun Goel as Election Commissioner, the saffron Think Tank and academician supporters of the Narendra Modi Government have turned belligerent and have indiscreetly alleged that it was trying to grab the power of the executive.