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Nothing will change and nobody in the Modi regime will act on his recommendation, but Justice (retd.) Rohinton Nariman is an optimist and he has given a call to junk the colonial sedition law. For him the “single-most important and cherished human right” is the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 (1) (a), which is routinely trampled upon by the application of the sedition law.

Continuation of the new wave of COVID-19 has dampened the prospects of labour market recovery across the world unless special programmes are devised to support workforce, particularly the daily wagers and those working in the informal sector. The 2022 level for those without jobs have been just estimated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at 207 million compared to 186 million in 2019. It is quite disheartening.

The manner in which the tableaux presented by certain states for the Republic Day parade on January 26 has been rejected by the centre reveals a lot about the mindset of the BJP rulers.

Goa, with 40 seats, is going for elections on February 14. Hectic campaigning is on and already submission of nominations by the candidates has started with the two major contending parties the ruling BJP and the Congress set to field the respective party candidates in most of the seats. Congress, as of now, has fielded nomination in majority of the seats, the remaining will be done within the remaining days. Trinamool Congress has also started fielding candidates.

One reason why Bangladesh has done better than its regional neighbours in improving its economy even during the raging Covid 19 pandemic is its determination to face the bitter facts of life and prepare for hard times well in advance. It has not been surprising to find Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reminding her countrymen of the serious challenges they face in the days ahead and the sacrifices that need to be made.

One of the salient features of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is that it builds on substantive equality and State obligation to eliminate the granular structural inequalities faced by women. The first thing to know about CEDAW is that it codifies women’s rights into one cohesive format and establishes the inter-relatedness of civil, political, social and economic rights. It entrenches the breadth of international protection of women’s rights and it is precisely this aspect of CEDAW that deserves our focus.

Come general budget, there will be demand for more tax sops and less economics as it is a case of nine blind men describing elephant and the Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is therefore saddled with a tough job to balance conflicting demands. Unlike in China and several other developed countries where the general budget is a mere statement of government account as they have a settled and stable tax structure, in India it is vastly different as general budget is not merely a statement of government accounts for the year but also it unveils the economic roadmap for the coming year. Also there are so many imponderables both in revenue mobilization efforts as well as in expenditure particularly when contingencies arise. That apart there are too many rent-seekers particularly from industries as their lobby is very powerful politically. This also leads to growing crony capitalism and ensures there is no level playing field in economic and regional development.

THIRUVANNTHAPURAM: A flaming row has erupted over CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s remark that the minorities are being sidelined by the Congress.

A small band of fanatics is attempting to build their strength in power political arena in society by exploiting religious sentiments of masses by dividing the Indians in religious segments. After tolerating the Muslim rule for 550 years and living together with them for 200 years under the alien rule and 70 years of the secular rule without even once raising their voice they have suddenly identified the Muslims to be their enemy. In process of earning their base they do not realize or even care the serious damage they are inflicting to the national fiber. They blame through their campaign the previous political force for accepting the divide of the sub continent in two nations but preparing or seeking to create grounds for one more divide. They out to know they cannot drive away 150 million Muslims to any other land nor can invite a permanent injury to their conscious by drowning them or burning them.

Animoca Brands is a Hong Kong-based company that develops blockchain-based gaming software. It also invests in NFT and metaverse projects like a venture capitalist and its investments span 150 companies including leading NFT marketplace OpenSea. On Monday, Animoca Brands announced that it has received $360 million in a fresh round of funding at a valuation of $5.5 billion. The company’s valuation doubled in 3 months flat from $2.2 billion in October 2021 when it raised $65 million. In May last year, the company was valued at $1 billion when it raised $88 million and $50 million in two tranches spread over May and July. From $1 billion in May 2021 to $5.5 billion in January 2021, Animoca Brands’ dramatic spike in value signifies the industry in which it is active. The company was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange from 2015 until March 2020 when it was delisted for being involved in crypto-related activities.