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Is Section 66A of the Information Technology Act making a comeback? This at a time when restrictions on Freedom of Expression are beginning to get the upper hand over free speech. The return of Section 66A is bound to lead to further restrictions and keep people from posting critical remarks on the workings of the government, speak truth to power. The Supreme Court had knocked out Section 66A from the IT Act seven years ago.

Religious extremism is never far from religious fundamentalism. For the question that has hardly any explanation today the distance is practically nil. From religious extremism to the point of communal hatred, there is no distance to traverse. Thoughts of racial pride in its rude and primitive manner plays the guiding role behind all the manifestations of religious fundamentalism. Once it is moved into action, it is almost impossible to fathom the ramifications. They become unpredictable. It can lead to ruthless communal violence or widespread diplomatic controversies. The RSS - BJP leadership is trying hard to cover up this role of their ideology that unleashed the ongoing political cyclone in India and abroad.

The BJP and the Narendra Modi government have been hoist on their own petard. After presiding over a systematic anti-Muslim campaign and whipping up Islamophobia, the government and the ruling party are faced with a strong diplomatic backlash from most of the Muslim countries, among them the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.

On May 25, a national Investigation Agency Court convicted Yasin Malik and sent him to two life terms. Malik is the leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which seeks independence for J & k from India and Gilgil-Baltistan from Pakistan. Apart from the two life sentences that will run concurrently, Malik has to pay a fine of Rs 10.65 lakhs for funding terrorist acts and violating the sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Horses are noble animals. And to taint their name with the slur of horse-trading is a disgrace. The political horse-trading currently going on in Rajasthan, and possibly Maharashtra, with tentacles spread out to Delhi and Bengaluru is the pits. Udaipur, Jaipur and Mumbai are also in the news. And the horses up for auction aren’t thoroughbreds.

Unfazed by fresh ‘revelations’ in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has demanded a probe into the conspiracy to discredit it.

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are confronting each other to poach vote bank to the advantage of BJP in next Lok Sabha polls. At a time Samajwadi Party is facing tough challenge from BJP in two crucial by-elections in Azamgargh and Rampur won by the party in 2019, BSP national President Mayawati is more keen to damage SP as against the BJP. That is why the party decided to contest these polls after long time.

United States of America and European acquiescence in Turkey's long-standing refusal to honour Kurdish ethnic, cultural, and political rights has come home to roost with Turkish opposition to Finnish and Swedish NATO membership. The opposition has sparked debates about Turkey's controversial place in the North Atlantic defence alliance.

The Narendra Modi government might in all probability be able to bring the friendly Arab governments round to softening their initial response to what they consider to be the most sacrilegious remark by BJP leaders against Prophet Mohammed. The government has already intensified the firefighting, with special efforts being made to explain the situation to the ruling dispensations in the Gulf and Arab world.

Reserve Bank of India has done a delicate pirouette in formulating its monetary policy in the context of extreme volatility and uncertain turn of events.