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Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra Chief Minister for a third term underscores the man’s importance to the Bharatiya Janata Party. But why is Fadnavis a greater pick than several others who could have staked claim for the top post? The answer must lie in the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was very, very pleased Fadnavis got his due. In 2019, Fadnavis had agreed to play second fiddle to Eknath Shinde for the BJP's sake and here was Shinde refusing to let go till the last few hours left.

France landed on Wednesday night once again into a deeper political crisis after a no-confidence vote brought down the government, ending the beleaguered minority coalition of the conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier propped up by the far right National Rally (RN) after only three months.

The continuous attacks on Hindus and other minorities like Buddhists in Bangladesh are causing widespread concern. Consequent to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in the first week of August after a mass movement, it was expected that the end of her authoritarian rule would usher in a more democratic system in Bangladesh. However, in the chaos of the first few days, reports of attacks on some Hindu temples and houses of the minority community emerged across the country. The chief advisor of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, had at that time assured that minorities would be protected. But incidents have occurred in the period since then. So far, there have been 2,000 documented acts of violence and at least nine members of minority community have been killed.

Villagers of Markadwadi, a small village in Solapur of Maharashtra holding a mock poll for “re-electing” their representative using ballot papers on December 3, apparently might be construed as expression of distrust over the functioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) but in reality this exercise exposed the dubious election exercise of Rajeev Kumar’s Election Commission, it also makes the Supreme Court to have a relook at its month old order justifying use of EVM.

KOLKATA: Uncertainties over receipt of proceeds are now being factored in by India’s exporters regularly servicing the Bangladesh market. India-Bangladesh trade, a very large chunk of which is carried through some half-a-dozen land ports, was not seriously affected even after the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina regime and the former Prime Minister fled to India on August 5 last. For about two weeks thereafter, bilateral trade saw some disruptions but thereafter, it has been generally okay. But, of late, pointers are no more as reassuring, export trade sources told IPA.

Unless paid and formal employment is guaranteed, a woman’s economic activity in India is associated with a higher risk of intimate partner violence(IPV).However, household and other characteristics, such as higher agency within the household, higher education of the husband, lower social acceptance of IPV, and normalization of reporting incidences of violence counter this association. At the state level, the presence of more female leaders, better reporting infrastructure for victims of IPV, and higher charge-sheeting rates are associated with a lower risk of IPV.

Who is afraid of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991? A parallel can be drawn with ‘Who is afraid of Islamophobia?’ which sounds like somebody with a genuine phobia of Islam. But ask a Muslim and as far as he is concerned, ‘Islamophobia’ is casting all sorts of accusations and slurs against the “peaceful religion”, therefore, genuinely anti-Islam and anti-Muslim.

Pollution from stubble burning from neighbouring areas visits Delhi every year. Health hazards apart, schools have to be closed, government organisations and private firms find little alternative but to ask their employees to work from home.

Much has been written about Sambhal, a town in Uttar Pradesh, where a week back, violence had erupted. A team had conducted a second survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, to establish that the Masjid was built on the debris of a temple. This is similar to the claim in Gyanwapi mosque in Varanasi, the Shahi Idgah in Mathura, and the Kamal-Maula Mosque at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. In Sambhal, it took hardly any time to flare up and soon situation turned explosive. Four persons were killed though police was firmly repeating that they used only tear gas and rubber pellets. According to reports, 31 persons have been arrested.

SEOUL: They said it wouldn’t happen again in South Korea — not after more than four decades during which hundreds of thousands of people were beaten, tortured, jailed, and killed while defending democracy against one strongman after another.