The social media takes advantage of the reward systems in the brain, especially the dopamine circuits within the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex. Using signals of micro-engagement, including the duration of time a user hovers over a video or the number of times a user rewatches a clip, algorithms develop a feedback loop that over time redirects the feed of a user to more intense or provocative content.
To step into the role of mediator in a conflict of this nature would inevitably test that balance. It would invite scrutiny, of intent, of tilt, of perceived bias. Even the most well-intentioned effort could be interpreted through the prism of existing relationships. In such a situation, neutrality is not merely a matter of policy; it becomes a matter of perception, and perceptions are notoriously difficult to manage.
One notable point is that Awami League (AL) supporters and minority community voters reportedly did not vote for any of the contesting parties. This narrative may have been constructed to justify inflated vote counts. It may also suggest that none of the contesting parties—including the BNP, Jamaat alliances, and others—command the level of public support often claimed. Additionally, it can be inferred that communal politics has not achieved the level of social penetration in Bangladesh as was talked about.
The loss of 403 young lives is a stark wake-up call for Bangladesh. Schools and colleges are meant to nurture dreams, not silently witness the suffering of students. A collaborative effort involving the government, educational institutions, and families is urgently needed. With empathy, awareness, and institutional support, many of these young lives can still be saved.
There is increasing evidence that Trump has offered Pakistan advanced military equipment and financial aid in exchange for strategic cooperation—particularly access to airbases and logistics. How this plays out remains to be seen. India, meanwhile, finds itself once again let down by the U.S. Trump appeared unable to tolerate that India succeeded in neutralising Pakistan’s military and terror assets without American help and refused to validate his false claims of mediation.
The optics of the lunch are certainly not to India’s liking, but its consequences may not turn out to be as unsettling as might be apprehended in certain quarters. It surely gives Pakistan a profile in Washington that it was craving to have.
India will soon need to focus on reducing relative poverty and inequality too since the spoils of high economic growth cannot be cornered by a small few at the top. The elimination of extreme poverty in the next five years is a good shot in the arm, but in the journey toward a developed nation India has much work to do.
While New Delhi was responding to Islamabad’s military provocation, Pakistan’s narrative machinery moved with sophistication, especially within Western media ecosystems. Coordinated messaging from Pakistani Foreign, Defence and Information Ministers, amplified by diaspora networks and international broadcasters, often outpaced India’s more formal communication approach. Moreover, several Western media outlets, operating on incomplete information, questioned the legitimacy and proportionality of India’s actions
On the streets of Dhaka, terror reigns, as well as across the country. Anti-establishment students are roughed up for speaking out. Extremist mobs roam with impunity. Police stations are besieged and overrun, as in the shocking Shahbag incident. Women are threatened into silence. Hindu families are forced to cancel weddings under threat of religious violence.
In a consumption-driven economy like India, expanding credit access—through microfinance NBFCs and fintech lenders—is crucial. However, regulators aInd policymakers must closely monitor this space to avoid large-scale defaults. While underserved consumer segments depend on such loans for upward mobility, repayment capacity must not be overlooked. Sustainable livelihoods and employment generation will be essential to ensuring both credit access and creditworthiness.
We are living in strange times where religion is being blatantly used in pursuit of a political agenda. The Buddha temple is being led on a Brahminical path; Sufi shrines are being Brahmanized. The agitation by Buddhist monks to restore their sacred place to their norms and beliefs is one such example of opposition to impose values that run counter to those of equality and non violence preached by Lord Gautam Buddha.
The Happiness Survey reveals mega cities have increased stress levels despite employment opportunities. Overcrowding, social disconnection, and environmental issues disturb the urbanites. Small cities and villages report higher happiness due to stronger social bonds and lower cost of living.
India should also explore other avenues to reduce crude oil imports. Ethanol production can be increased through alternate, non-food feedstock like algae. Algae can grow on wastelands or coastal areas, requires no freshwater, and thrives on sunlight and carbon dioxide. Algae species contain around 20% oil, making them ideal for biofuel.
The first “I” of the World Bank stands for investment, which India must increase to 40 percent of GDP. It must also increase labour force participation of women from 35 to 50 percent. The second “I” refers to infusion of new technologies, by linking with global value chains, by trade agreements, and reducing tariffs and barriers to foreign investment. The third “I” is innovation, meaning enabling greater investment in research and development
The real motive behind Sheikh Hasina’s removal, as widely suspected, lies in her steadfast refusal to allow a U.S. military base on St Martin’s Island—an outpost that would give America strategic leverage over Southeast and East Asia. Her resistance to such neocolonial imposition sealed her fate.
If Tharoor is indeed disciplined, the Congress Party would have confirmed the popular perceptions of its aversion to intra-party democracy. The extreme form of punishment, of course, would be his expulsion, something that the leadership is unlikely to risk given its electorally vulnerable position. With 99 parliamentary seats, the Congress Party cannot afford to lose any of its members no matter how some of them may step out of the line occasionally.
The path forward lies in returning to the principles espoused by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee—Insaniyat (humanism), Kashmiriyat (the unique cultural identity of Kashmir), and Jamhooriyat (democracy). As Vajpayee aptly said, “Friends can change, but not neighbours.” The vilification of Pakistan by the Hindu Right, amplified by a hate-spewing media, has real consequences for Indian Muslims. It poisons the domestic atmosphere and jeopardizes social cohesion.
So high military spending is inevitable. But it is clear that peace is not possible without economic prosperity at home. It is also clear that projecting power abroad is not possible without high, sustained and inclusive economic growth. It is clear that a conflict free, relatively peaceful India will attract the maximum foreign capital in the world. For this to happen, we have to invest in building peace, and reiterate to the world, that this is not an era of war.
Gender politics pervades security decisions. The war-mongering media chorus was mostly male; the decision-makers at the televised but closed-door meetings were mostly male; those who will go into battle and therefore, those killed or injured will be mostly male; and those whose words about security get read and quoted are mostly male. Women still play a minor role in all these areas but are largely the majority of those bereaved, displaced, assaulted sexually, left supporting families and without assets.
