x-static.co.uk

(1) BJP-Mahayuti clinches BMC, major civic bodies in Maharashtra The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Mahayuti allies swept the Maharashtra civic elections, winning 25 of 29 municipal corporations, including the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This marks a significant power shift, ending the Thackeray family’s nearly three-decade dominance over the BMC. The Mahayuti alliance … Read more

Whenever voters hand a party or an alliance a big mandate, they also have very high expectations from the government. India’s electoral history shows that many parties or alliances have struggled to live up to that responsibility for long. Let us look at some of the examples where voters have given a party or an … Read more

The districts in Rajasthan, which host roughly 70% of the entire Aravalli range, are suffering from a disproportionately high volume of illegal mining, data show. While these Aravalli districts account for less than 45% of the State’s mining leases and contribute only 40% of its total mineral output, their share of illegal mining cases exceeds … Read more

On December 28th, traders in Tehran went on a strike following the Iranian rial crash, leading to sudden inflation and high commodity prices. In the two weeks since, the protests have spiralled into nationwide unrest–the largest demonstration Iran has seen since 2022–claiming more than 2,000 lives. While Iran has intensified its crackdown in its attempt … Read more

(1) Supreme Court denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam The Supreme Court on January 5 declined to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, notwithstanding their incarceration for nearly six years without the commencement of trial. A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, however, granted … Read more

While number of active loan accounts have decreased, there’s a steep rise in outstanding amount | Photo Credit: Andrii Yalanskyi Although students from Tamil Nadu remain the leading recipients of educational loans across India, there has been a significant decline in the number of active loans they hold. Given that this student group has been … Read more

The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoS&PI) captures spending pattern of Indian households across various consumption categories. Conducted every five years, the HCES provides granular estimates of Monthly Per Capita Expenditure (MPCE) for both rural and urban populations, covering a wide range of goods and services. The … Read more

China’s President Xi Jinping with Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in 2023 | Photo Credit: MIRAFLORES PALACE With close to 200 American troops entering Caracas on Saturday, the Trump administration’s invasion of Venezuela and the capture of its President Nicolas Maduro was the most dramatic U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion. The … Read more

Data shows that not all commodities exported to the U.S. were impacted by tariffs | Photo Credit: VIPIN CHANDRAN Last month, we noted that India’s trade data for November had shown a continued resilience in exports despite mounting U.S. tariffs. Not only did India’s overall exports grow, but shipments to the U.S. also rebounded. However, … Read more

As 2025 ends, Indians are consumed by two anxieties — whether artificial intelligence (AI) will take over their jobs, and whether the future belongs to 80-hour work weeks or the right to disconnect after office hours. But for millions of working women, a near 80-hour work week is already a lived reality, as their workday … Read more