Special

The President-elect has chosen a different criterion for selecting his cabinet than during his last term. Now, relevant experience or educational background appears unnecessary. His unwillingness to select people based on competence and reputation to manage departments that spend billions of taxpayer dollars and have tens of thousands of employees is a problem for politicians and those organizations focused on responsible government

An international conference on ending plastic pollution comes unglued after countries want curbs on plastic production. Hope lives on for another attempt, even with climate skeptic Donald Trump looming large on the horizon

The conflict in the state is a product of historical grievances, socio-economic inequalities and political mismanagement rather than a singular issue like religion or migration. Only through sustained and inclusive efforts can lasting peace be achieved in the state

The recent Maharashtra elections have raised concerns about the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines. With a significant mismatch between votes counted and votes polled, the electoral balance could have been compromised. Justice Kamaljit Singh Garewal highlights the importance of free and fair elections, a constitutional promise that remains unfulfilled

Kamala Harris has been taking some personal time after a four-month rushed campaign for the top spot. Her seven more weeks as vice-president end with Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. Harris won 60 percent of the votes in Hawaii, where she and husband Doug Emhoff have relaxed for a long week, no doubt asking themselves how could we have come so close and lost to that angry guy as well as losing control of the entire Congress? Some answers follow:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently said that the undertrials who have spent more than a third of the maximum prescribed sentence for the crime they are accused of committing should be released before Constitution Day on November 26. This is in light of the new relaxed provisions on bail for first-time offenders in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

In Kolkata a brilliant rendition by jail inmates of Tagore’s Valmiki Pratibha ends with its 100th show, but social reformer and danseuse Alokananda Roy, the brainchild of the show, has promised more reformative programmes ahead

The CJI’s observation on the exodus of young lawyers from litigation reveals a troubling trend. Can the legal community respond to this challenge by providing the support and structure necessary to retain fresh talent?

The people nominated for 15 key posts by President-elect Donald Trump shows that extreme loyalty to him is an absolute pre-requisite, with skill or experience a secondary consideration. Confirmations are probable as Republicans have a four-vote Senate majority. Any Republican senator who joins Democrats to oppose Trump will be shamed and hounded for demonstrating judgment and personal courage

In the state’s political landscape, change appears as a façade. For the ruling Trinamool Congress, nothing matters more than power and money