Switzerland is grappling with shock and grief after a devastating fire tore through Le Constellation nightclub in the alpine resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year’s Eve celebrations. The blaze, one of the deadliest civilian disasters in recent Swiss history, left 47 people dead and more than 115 injured, many with critical burns or smoke inhalation. What…
India and Bangladesh have reopened negotiations on the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty at a moment of consequence, as the landmark agreement signed in 1996 approaches its December 2026 expiry. Talks formally commenced on January 1, 2026, with joint hydrological measurements on the Ganga–Padma system at Farakka—an early technical step that signals intent, but also underscores the political…
A Historic Oath in New York City On January 1, 2026, New York City entered a new chapter in its political history when Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor, becoming the city’s first Muslim to hold the office. Taking the oath on the Quran, the 34-year-old leader symbolized both a personal milestone and a broader…
India closed 2025 with a notable advance in its missile capabilities when the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles off the Odisha coast. Fired in rapid succession from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, the missiles followed their intended flight paths and met all trial objectives. Multiple tracking systems—both…
A Symbolic Gesture at a Sensitive Moment Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s condolence message on the passing of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was more than a personal tribute—it was a carefully calibrated diplomatic signal. In his message, conveyed to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leadership and delivered during Zia’s funeral in Dhaka, Modi described her…
IMF Projections Signal a Historic Economic Shift The International Monetary Fund’s latest projections point to a defining milestone in the global economic order: India overtook Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy in 2025 to become the world’s fourth-largest economy and, if current trends persist, overtake Germany within the next three years. This anticipated reshuffling of rankings…
A Dramatic Claim Sparks Global Ripples Late in December 2025, Moscow jolted the international arena with a grave allegation: Ukraine had attempted a drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s private residence near Lake Valdai. According to Russian officials, dozens of long-range drones were intercepted before causing any damage. The claim, dramatic in both scale and symbolism, triggered…
The images were unsettling and hard to ignore. Eighteen teenage wrestlers from Odisha, travelling to a national-level championship, were forced to spend long hours sitting on the floor of a train corridor—right beside unhygienic toilets. Their journey to and from Supaul, Bihar, for the 69th National School Wrestling Championship between December 7 and 12, 2025, became a…
A Historic Lift-Off for India’s Space Programme On December 24, 2025, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scripted a defining chapter in its commercial space journey with the successful launch of the BlueBird Block-2 satellite aboard the LVM3-M6 mission. Weighing an unprecedented 6.5 tonnes, this was the heaviest commercial satellite ever placed in orbit by India. Precisely injected into…
Parva-2025: Culture as the Gateway to Change Parva-2025 unfolded in Koraput not merely as a celebration, but as a statement of intent. Against the scenic foothills of Sunabeda, the four-day festival once again brought together tribal communities, artists, administrators, and policymakers. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s presence at the concluding day signalled how Odisha is increasingly…
