Prashant Shukla

I strongly and unequivocally condemn the barbaric terrorist attack that devastated the peaceful meadows of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025. In an act of unspeakable malice, 26 innocent civilians, including foreign nationals, were brutally gunned down. Dozens more were injured. This atrocity marks a tragic milestone in the global struggle against terrorism that increasingly targets civilians in cold blood. This was not merely an attack. It was a choreographed slaughter. Armed militants emerged from the forests and fired indiscriminately on unarmed people, families, tourists, and newlyweds gathered in Pahalgam. Among the victims was Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, a young naval officer from Haryana, whose life was extinguished not by the fate of war but by a bullet fueled by hatred. The group claiming responsibility, The Resistance Front (TRF), a known proxy of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, justified the massacre through divisive ideological rhetoric. However, the truth is chill...

Ireland is experiencing a profound demographic and economic transformation. As our population becomes increasingly diverse, the structures and cultures within our workplaces must evolve in tandem. Yet, while the moral and strategic imperatives of diversity and inclusion (D&I) are now widely acknowledged, the lived realities of ethnic minority professionals in Ireland tell a different story- one of persistent barriers, missed opportunities, and a gap between rhetoric and action. Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending the launch of the report Fostering Ethnic Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace , commissioned by the Bank of Ireland. This document offers a vital and timely assessment of the state of diversity in Irish workplaces. It pulls no punches in its analysis and offers a vision of what could—and must—be achieved if Ireland is to remain globally competitive and socially cohesive. The Data Behind the Narrative According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), o...

A New Reality for Countries Receiving US Support: The Risk of Compromised Sovereignty in the Age of Trump's Policies As the world navigates a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, countries traditionally relying on the United States for military, economic, and diplomatic support grapple with a new and unsettling reality, the risk of compromising their sovereignty in exchange for continued American aid. The case of Ukraine, caught in a high stakes negotiation with the Trump administration over a controversial minerals deal, offers a striking example of this dilemma. However, it is not alone. Across the globe, countries dependent on US support are now facing increasingly harsh terms, forcing them to weigh the immediate benefits of aid against the long-term erosion of their national autonomy. Under the Trump administration, US foreign policy has shifted from traditional alliances and mutual benefits towards a transactional approach driven by economic interests and geopolitical calc...