Setting the Stage in Bhubaneswar Odisha is preparing to place itself firmly on India’s artificial intelligence map with the Regional AI Impact Conference in Bhubaneswar. More than a technology event, the gathering reflects a strategic intent: to use AI as a tool of governance rather than merely an engine of private-sector growth. In doing so, the…
India’s decision to freeze consular operations in Dhaka and Pakistan’s continued closure of its airspace to Indian carriers point to a shared reality: New Delhi’s immediate neighborhood is becoming more brittle, more politicized, and increasingly hostile to Indian interests. Together, these developments underline how security anxieties, political churn, and unresolved rivalries are converging to shrink India’s…
A Symbolic Arrival That Set the Tone Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Ethiopia marked a moment of rare diplomatic symbolism and strategic intent. Beginning on December 17, 2025, the visit opened with an extraordinary personal gesture by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who himself drove Modi from Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport to his…
UNSC Flashpoint: Kashmir and Indus Waters At a United Nations Security Council open debate on “Leadership for Peace,” Pakistan once again raised the Kashmir dispute and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India responded forcefully. Its Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, categorically rejected Pakistan’s claims, asserting that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are…
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…
