Keir Starmer’s Labour government is facing growing unrest from both trade unions and within its own ranks as it navigates contentious policy decisions. As the Trade Union Congress convenes in Brighton, key flashpoints such as employment rights, the axing of winter fuel payments, and the party’s green transition strategy have come to the fore, creating a perfect storm of tension for Starmer’s leadership. TUC: A Mixed Bag of Celebration and Concern For the first time in 14 years, the political wing of the trade union movement has been elected to power, an event that many of the TUC delegates will…
Author: Swati Sakshi Mishra
Swati Sakshi Mishra
Journalism major, International Relations and Affairs masters. If that doesn't sum it up, I care about Feminism, Politics, Geopolitics and Fashion with heart full of love for storytelling through words and visuals.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is sounding the alarm over the unfolding health crisis in Gaza as the sensitive phase of vaccination against poliomyelitis gets underway. Following the diagnosis of a baby boy with polio last month—the first in the region in 25 years—UNRWA, in cooperation with the WHO and UNICEF, headed an emergency vaccination campaign as an attempt to contain the virus. Despite an 11-month-long conflict by Israel against Hamas, so far the campaign has been able to vaccinate close to 187,000 children in central Gaza during the first three days. Part of the blame for the…
With the Ministry of Defence setting aggressive targets, India now stands at the threshold of a defence revolution that is all set to take the country’s defence sector to global powerhouse status. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while leading an event in Thiruvananthapuram on August 30, 2024, ascribed the government’s aspiration to achieve Rs 3 lakh crore in defence production and Rs 50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029. The announcement, officially released through a press release by the Ministry of Defence, underlines the commitment of the government towards self-reliance and the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. Defence Corridors and Indigenisation Efforts These…
New Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh has afresh stirred a political hornet’s nest, pointing an accusing finger at sleeper cells linked to Pakistan for the recent spate of train derailments across India. The remark by Singh has heightened tensions between the ruling BJP and its opposition, particularly after he claimed that the attacks included members of a “particular community.” Singh then took to X, formerly Twitter, and accused opposition leaders of keeping mum as some of them had sleeper cells of these terror groups. “Sleeper cells of terrorists sitting in Pakistan are doing these train attacks,” Singh wrote. He further…
Oil markets have been on a wild ride this week as rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Africa collided with seesawing concerns over demand. Investors keenly follow the development as prices rebound from steep falls to reflect the fickle nature of supply and demand dynamics in global oil. Middle East Conflicts Drive Initial Price Surge The increase in the prices of oil is attributed directly to the growing conflicts in the Middle East. In fact, on August 26, 2024, Brent crude oil went up above $81 per barrel as the WTI neared $77. What is the immediate reason?…
In a strongly-worded rebuttal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected Congress party allegations that the proposals put out by the government on the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) is a “U-turn” in terms of policy. Her response underlines the rising political tensions as the government forges ahead with its agenda before elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand. The Unified Pension Scheme: Not a Rollback Sitharaman hit hard to defend UPS, saying the scheme was nowhere near reverting to the old pension scheme that was in force until the advent of NPS in 2004 but, however, signified a substantial upgrade…
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has refused to invite a prime minister from the left-wing New Popular Front alliance, further plunging the country into a political crisis. The NFP insists on being at the head of the government after this group won the most seats in last month’s legislative elections, while Macron remains stubborn and says he cannot risk the stability of the nation. Political Crisis Escalates This political deadlock has its roots in legislative elections in July, where all sides came out without a majority of seats in the National Assembly. North of 190 seats were registered by the…
Jerusalem/Beirut – Sunday rained down on Israel hundreds of Hezbollah-launched rockets and drones, elevating the specter of a wider regional conflict. The retaliatory attack by the IDF involved heavy air raids in southern Lebanon, firing some 100 jets in one of the fiercest confrontations since more than ten months of border fighting began. This is the latest round of violence, which erupted after the killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Though Hezbollah has sworn to avenge the killing, its retaliation threatens to flare up the entire region. That can only fan the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah into…
In recent years, China has been found to be enlisting the services of more and more “white hat” hackers—those cybersecurity experts tasked with discovering and patching software vulnerabilities—to improve its cyberattack capabilities. This is quite a shift for Beijing: using domestic talent to improve its offensive cyber operations. Cyber-attacks with suspected Chinese involvement have surged after 2021, when Beijing started mandating reporting on software vulnerabilities to the government. The development has worried cybersecurity experts worldwide, who now feel that China’s mix of state-mandated vulnerability disclosures and cyber offensives squarely places nations, especially the ones with critical infrastructure, at a heightened…
In a political dawn strictly viewed to rock the boats within the Bharatiya Janata Party, Kirodilal Meena—an ironman in Rajasthan—has openly put in question the policy of the central government over the applicability of the creamy layer concept in the context of reservations for SC and ST. Coming sounded off as an absolute no to the Modi brand of governance, the open difference of opinion being forced by senior leader Meena has become an apparent show of the widening divide between Meena and his party, particularly with the crucial state elections in tow. Background of the Controversy Kirodi Lal Meena…
