Gold has experienced a remarkable rise in 2024, reaching 40 new record highs year-to-date and appreciating by over 28%. According to the World Gold Council (WGC), this surge has made gold the best-performing asset class globally, surpassing US stocks, emerging market stocks, US bonds, and even US currency. In the third quarter of 2024, gold demand exceeded $100 billion for the first time, showcasing its robust market position. Looking ahead to 2025, the direction of the US Federal R

The long-debated concept of "One Nation, One Election" has taken a significant step forward as the central cabinet, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for simultaneous elections across India. The government plans to introduce a bill in the ongoing winter session of Parliament to implement the plan. The proposal has sparked differing opinions among political parties. While over 30 parties support the idea, Congress has raised concerns about the practi

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), led by Jagan Mohan Reddy, has been thrown into turmoil following a crushing defeat in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections, where the party secured only 11 out of 175 seats. This electoral setback, at the hands of the NDA coalition led by Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, has escalated into an existential crisis for the party, compounded by a series of defections. Two prominent former MLAs, Avanthi Srinivas and Grandhi Srinivas, resigned from the party

India's inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), moderated to 5.48% in November, down from 6.21% in October, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. This easing, however, is still above the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) target of 4%, with food prices continuing to drive inflationary pressure. The food inflation rate surged by 9.04%, continuing its trend of high costs. Economists had forecast a median inflation estimate of 5.5% fo

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh is set to make history in the World Chess Championship as he nears a potential victory over China's Ding Liren. The series is tied at 6-6 after 12 intense games, and with a dramatic Game 13 that ended in a draw, Gukesh now has a final chance to clinch the title. This pivotal game, scheduled for Thursday, marks the culmination of years of hard work and determination for the young chess prodigy. Born in Chennai on May 29, 2006, D Gukesh began playing ch

Venkatesh Iyer's Surprising Academic Pursuit Venkatesh Iyer, the talented all-rounder who made headlines with his hefty price tag of Rs 23.75 crore at the IPL 2024 mega auctions, is not just focused on his cricketing career. Despite his high-profile presence in the sport, Iyer is also pursuing a PhD and is on his way to becoming Dr. Venkatesh Iyer. His decision to continue his academic journey after his cricket career shows his commitment to education. Iyer even joked about his aca

Anoushka Kale's Election as President Anoushka Kale, a 20-year-old English Literature student at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, has been elected as the president of the prestigious Cambridge Union Society for the Easter 2025 term. Kale won the election uncontested, receiving 126 votes. As the current Debates Officer for the society, she is recognized for her commitment to pro

Sanjay Malhotra, a 1990-batch IAS officer from Rajasthan, has been appointed as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), succeeding Shaktikanta Das. The government announced that Malhotra will take charge from Wednesday for a term of three years. With a background in computer science from IIT Kanpur and a Master's in Public Policy from Princeton University, Malhotra has had a distinguished career spanning over three decades in various sectors, including finance, taxation, pow

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta is expected to release the provisional answer key for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 today. Once available, candidates can visit the official website, iimcat.ac.in, to download the answer key. The objection management window will be open from December 3 at 6 pm to December 5, 2024, at 11:55 pm, allowing candidates to raise any objections. After evaluating the objections, IIM Calcutta will announce the final results, expected by the secon

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed key concerns following the party's electoral defeats in Maharashtra and Haryana, urging leaders to make "tough decisions" to strengthen the party. In a meeting at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) headquarters, Kharge stressed the need for party unity, accountability, and a shift in strategy to tackle future elections effectively. Kharge criticized internal bickering, highlighting how public statements against fellow l

As of October 2024, the Union government's fiscal deficit for the financial year 2024-25 stands at 46.5% of the total budgetary target, amounting to Rs 7.5 lakh crore. This is in line with the government's fiscal consolidation strategy, which aims to bring down the fiscal deficit to 4.9% of GDP for the year, an improvement from the previous fiscal year's target of 5.6%. The fiscal deficit gap, which represents the difference between government expenditure and revenue, is

Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan cricket captain, has voiced his support for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in rejecting the hybrid model proposed for the 2024 Champions Trophy, which is set to be held in Pakistan. Afridi criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for mixing politics with sports, pointing out that Pakistan has toured India multiple times despite security concerns, including a white-ball series after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Afridi emphasized that t

The wait for Maharashtra's next Chief Minister is nearing its end as the three key leaders of the ruling alliance—Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar—met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. The meeting, which concluded late at night, is expected to be the final step before an official announcement. Sources suggest that the decision is now almost finalized and will only require a sign-off from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The developments come a

 The BJP has sharply criticized Congress for its repeated claims about faulty electronic voting machines (EVMs) following its losses in the Haryana and Maharashtra elections. The Congress party has often alleged that EVMs are tampered with to favor the BJP, but the BJP responded by pointing out that the same technology had delivered victories for Congress in Jharkhand and Priyanka Gandhi's Wayanad bypoll. In a pointed post on X (formerly Twitter), the BJP mocked Congress for blaming

Prithvi Shaw, the former U-19 World Cup-winning captain, recently shared the valuable advice he received from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar: "Discipline beats talent." Shaw, 25, had a difficult start to the week when he went unsold at the IPL mega auction despite a base price of Rs 75 lakh. Once seen as one of India’s brightest cricketing talents after his century on Test debut, Shaw now finds himself at a critical juncture in his career. His failure to attract int

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, known for his authoritative and strategic political approach, has faced criticism for his uncompromising decisions, especially in the aftermath of a party incident involving Revanth Reddy, the Telangana CM. Balineni Srinivas Reddy, a former MLA from YCP, recently shed light on an incident that revealed Jagan’s stringent nature. According to Balineni, when Revanth Reddy was elected as the CM of Telangana, he hosted a party in Delhi, inviting several MPs, i

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition filed by KA Paul, seeking to bring back ballot paper voting in elections instead of the current use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). During the hearing, the Court raised questions about the motivations behind Paul's petition, especially given his background as the president of an organization focused on humanitarian work, including rescuing orphans and widow

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tendered his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Tuesday following the results of the assembly elections. Despite a significant victory for the Mahayuti coalition, which includes the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, the decision on who will succeed Shinde as the new CM remains uncertain. Accompanied by Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Shinde visited the Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation

Prashant Kishor, the acclaimed political strategist known for his success in shaping electoral victories across India, faced a massive defeat in his home state of Bihar with the debut of his newly formed party, Jan Suraaj. Despite years of experience helping political parties succeed, Kishor’s party made no significant impact in the four constituencies it contested during the recent bypolls in Bihar. Kishor fielded candidates in Ramgarh, Tarari, Belaganj, and Imamganj, but all

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar playfully suggested to his nephew, Rohit Pawar, that had he campaigned in the Karjat Jamkhed constituency, where Rohit won by a narrow margin of 1,243 votes, it might have been difficult for him to retain the seat. Rohit, the grandnephew of NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, won against BJP's Ram Shinde in the just-concluded assembly polls. Ajit Pawar made the comment during a visit to the memorial of Y B Chavan, Maharashtra's first Ch