Another Name Change in a Long Political Line India’s rural employment guarantee framework is poised for its most dramatic transformation in two decades. The Union government has introduced the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025—shortened to VB-G RAM G—seeking to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Presented in…
Over 58 Lakh Forms Declared Uncollectable, Voters Face Provisional Removal West Bengal’s electoral landscape is undergoing one of its most consequential churns in recent years. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has identified more than 58 lakh enumeration forms as “uncollectable,” triggering provisional deletions ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. While the Election Commission of…
India’s Export Recalibration Towards Russia India has identified close to 300 high-potential products to significantly expand exports to Russia, signalling a decisive shift in its trade strategy. The move is aimed at correcting a widening bilateral trade imbalance—currently estimated at USD 59–68 billion—while advancing the shared ambition of achieving USD 100 billion in two-way trade by…
A Nation Shaken by Its Deadliest Terror Attack in Decades Australia was plunged into shock on December 14, 2025, when a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach claimed 16 lives during a Hanukkah gathering attended by nearly 1,000 people. The attack—Australia’s deadliest terror incident in decades—targeted families celebrating “Hanukkah by the Sea,” killing men, women, and a…
Mexico Approves Steep Tariffs, India Scrambles to Respond Mexico’s Senate has approved sweeping tariff increases of up to 50 percent on 1,463 product categories, a move set to take effect from January 1, 2026. The decision targets imports from countries that do not have a free trade agreement with Mexico, placing India squarely in the firing…
LUMS Reintroduces Sanskrit Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has launched a four-credit elective in Sanskrit, marking the first time the classical language is formally taught at a Pakistani university since Partition in 1947. The initiative, spearheaded by Professor Shahid Rasheed, seeks to revive interest in South Asia’s shared linguistic and cultural heritage, bridging historical divides…
Hopes Fade for a 2025 Agreement Optimism surrounding a landmark EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) has dimmed, with negotiators now signaling that finalization by December 2025 is unlikely. Bloomberg reported on December 12 that talks have hit roadblocks over steel tariffs, automobile quotas, and carbon taxes. Earlier in 2025, high-level meetings—including Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s engagement with…
Lionel Messi’s much-hyped GOAT India Tour 2025 was meant to be a celebratory moment for Indian football fans. Instead, the opening event in Kolkata on December 13 descended into disorder, leaving behind damaged property, angry crowds, and uncomfortable questions about India’s preparedness to host global sporting icons. What should have been a landmark spectacle quickly…
A Sudden Escalation After the U.S. Tariff Wave Just weeks after the United States tightened duties on a range of Indian products, Mexico has followed with its own sweeping tariff hike—up to 50% on select imports from countries without a free-trade agreement. For Indian exporters already navigating a more protectionist North America, Mexico’s move signals a deeper…
The detention of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra in Thailand marks the latest chapter in a fast-escalating saga that began with a catastrophic nightclub fire in Goa. What started as a domestic criminal investigation has now evolved into an international chase involving suspended passports, Interpol coordination, diplomatic intervention and competing legal narratives about flight, intent and culpability….
