View Articles

KOLKATA: Current Chief Adviser to the Bangladesh Caretaker Government, Dr Mohammad Yunus as a Nobel-winning economist, is known to have many friends in high places, starting from Mrs Hilary Clinton. Unfortunately, he has not yet succeeded in influencing too many people in Bangladesh on present indications, four months after taking over in his new job as the top policymaker.

The ongoing wars in different parts of the world is a cause of serious concern. The recent Russia Ukraine war which began on 24th February 2022 is not coming to an end. The consequences are dire for civilians as well. According to a recent statement by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky some 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 370,000 injuries had been reported. According to United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) nearly 4 million people have been driven from their homes and are internally displaced and 6.8 million people have crossed into neighbouring countries in the region including Poland, Hungary, Moldova or other countries globally. Nearly 20 million people now require urgent humanitarian aid, many facing life-threatening shortages of essential medicines and food.

“Like Grandfather Nehru…” posted a Pakistani politician who was a minister in the Imran Khan regime. Fawad Hussain, clearly in awe of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, whose Palestine Tote bag and black & white check sari made an emphatic if controversial political statement, and will likely launch a fashion trend, too, if not anywhere else, at least in her parliamentary constituency Wayanad and places nearby where “All eyes On Rafa” has been trending for months since Hamas terrorists fled to Rafa and the Israel Defence Forces followed in hot pursuit.

China’s sudden change of mind to uphold peace and tranquility with India at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and work for early resolution of outstanding issues should not be read beyond these words as framed at the joint declaration at the end of the 30th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs in Delhi, earlier this month. China seems to be willing to make a careful compromise on the border issue after a gap of almost four-and-a-half years, when the Chinese troops tried to aggressively change the status quo on the LAC in eastern Ladakh without much success.

What does the crystal ball reveal about the upcoming year 2025? The predictions are a mixed bag. Nostradamus, the famous French astrologer and seer, has made significant predictions regarding global affairs and India's future for 2025.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address in the Lok Sabha during special discussion on the 75th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution of India is magnanimous glorification of the past as a sort of veil behind which he tried to conceal the present misdeeds under his rule for over a decade. His speech and his actions, his political clan’s and his government’s words and actions, all are just utter mismatch, that is an indication of impending danger.

The fall of Assad-regime in Syria has given birth to antagonisms amongst its earlier allies like Iran, Turkey, and Russia. On the other hand, the leverage gained by Israel, ostensibly on American support, does not augur well for the region.

KOLKATA: Now that Indian Foreign Secretary Mr. Vikram Misri's trip to Dhaka is done and dusted, it can be safely asserted that during the somewhat tense bilateral exchanges that followed , despite their poor governance in dealing with the recent anti-Hindu riots, there was no noticeable cringing on part of Bangladeshi officials.. Seven days have passed since December 9 meeting but the trends tell that the instead of restoring trade ties, Yunus regime is looking for Pakistan and other countries for replacing Indian goods imports.

Pre-poll ablutions for the Delhi assembly elections are in full swing with the Aam Aadmi Party first off the block along with Delhi's YouTubers and social media influencers who aren't consuming the aftermath of the Maharashtra assembly elections, the Winter Session of Parliament and the brouhaha over the Constitution and Soros-Adani, giving AAP convener and ousted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a clear field to showcase his election-winning prowess and fight from being reduced to an also-ran after spending time behind bars in Delhi’s high-security Tihar Jail.

India’s flagship Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 for decent job creation in the country did not take off even in mid-December 2024. Union Ministry of Finance is busy in making next Union Budget 2025-26, which will be tabled on February 1, 2025. India Inc is hesitant in joining the scheme, and Union Ministry of Labour and Employment is also not ready with the details of the scheme, which are likely to be notified in January 2025.