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One doesn’t have to be empowered by knowledge of science to feel and see the deterioration of environment all round. The recent wildfires in California that once again destroyed properties worth in multiple of millions and caused untold miseries and the floods that periodically visit many parts of the world, including Bangladesh and India have got much to do with the irresponsible way that we continue to live. Natural disasters, the frequency and severity of which continue to rise, are a way our planet is taking its revenge.

The question looms, what to do with RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and his subtle form of dictatorship? The RSS Chief with the glowing cheeks is not a pest. Far from being that, Bhagwat is a persistent scratch under the collar, somebody who wants Indians, especially the Hindus, to bend to his will, change themselves to his way of leading life, thrust down their throats.

Despite political setback in Delhi Vidhan Sabha election and loss of power to BJP, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will remain a political force of reckoning. AAP’s huge voter support base is intact, and election result shows that the BJP could win by only about a small margin of about 2.26 per cent of votes, which will keep AAP’s local and national ambitions alive. The political analysts predicting uncertain political future of AAP and its supremo Arvind Kejriwal, loss of their political credibility among electorates and within INDIA bloc, and their national ambition shattered, are perhaps overstatements.

There was only one issue at play, only one man who was a fleck of dust in the eye, Arvind Kejriwal! Prime Minister Narendra Modi was never a player in the Delhi assembly elections. But who will tell that to the Prime Minister? There’s nobody in the BJP with independent charge of his thoughts. Everyone is at Modi's beck and call and everybody wants to be in Modi’s good books.

The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates a wee little bit by a quarter of one percent — from 6.50% to 6.25%. That is, neither here, nor there. It is not a significant reduction by any means. But it creates an expectation and a mindset. More so because this is the first cut in five years. Three immediate questions that cropped up were should it be followed by further reductions in interest rates, what course the prices should follow, and will the economy remain buoyant and growing at a robust pace.

The great Indian wedding has always been a spectacle of excess, but when it comes to the nuptials of billionaires, it takes on the proportions of an Olympic event—judged on the parameters of opulence, star power, and the number of private jets idling at the nearest tarmac.

LUCKNOW: With the victory of BJP in crucial by-election in Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh, the saffron brigade has avenged the humiliating defeat in Ayodhya Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections at the hands of Samajwadi Party.

From the icy frontiers of Ladakh to flood-stricken Gujarat, and from the earthquake-prone Kashmir to the remote villages of the Northeast, the Indian Army’s contributions extend far beyond national defence. Whether rescuing stranded civilians, educating the youth, developing critical infrastructure, or fostering national unity through sports, the Indian Army has become a key pillar in India’s development and disaster response efforts.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is on the ten day visit to Bengal beginning February 7 with the mission to find and project a "credible and charismatic face" who can pose a serious challenge to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and to prepare the state RSS leaders to spearhead the electoral battle of 2026 assembly election in the state.

Draft UGC Regulation 2025 seems to be caught into a rough weather. Six-opposition ruled states – Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka - have passed a joint resolution against it. Another opposition ruled state Jammu and Kashmir is also not happy with the draft, and West Bengal has already voiced its concern and had constituted an expert committee for studying the draft regulation for its final stand. The states ruled by NDA like Maharashtra, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh have also certain objections, which the BJP allies have already conveyed. It is in this backdrop, the UGC was obliged to extend the last date of submission of responses on Draft UGC Regulation 2025 from February 5, 2025 to February 28, 2025.