GOOD NEWS

1)Trump will not be the President of USA in the new year and beyond

2) Vaccine for COVID 19 is in the market and more on the way

3) COVID 19 has demonstrated that not possession of sophisticated arsenals nor resources and not well-trained army but empathising leadership and people-centric state capacity are key to guaranteeing safety and security of citizens

4) COVID 19 has also shown that people can live and get by with less and thus can easily be conserving and environmentally sustainable and be comfortable

5) COVID 19 has reinforced the importance and relevance of global institutions

6) China’s newly manufactured Giant Fusion Reactor which is hotter than the Sun is designed to provide unlimited clean energy without waste

7) Therapy for cancer and diabetes are within reach

8) Cacophony around Brexit is finally over, thank God for that

9) Worldwide BLM movement has revealed that racism is real and is with us that warrants urgent action to eradicate

10) Iran did not swallow the bait and restrained itself from retaliation against assassination of its top army general and murder of its top nuclear scientist by foreign agent, thus saving the world from another catastrophic war in the Middle East and beyond

BAD NEWS

1) COVID 19

2) Poor countries are likely to miss out on COVID 19 vaccine

3) COVID 19 has worsened conditions and increased the number of extreme poor worldwide, largest in India

4) 48% Americans still adore Trump – bad news for America and bad news for rest of the world

5) Thanks to Trump, all international institutions especially UN has been weakened

6) Victory of Biden does not guarantee remedy of America’s dysfunctional democracy nor its structural inequities and this is bad news for America and bad news for rest of the world

7) Deadly explosion in Beirut has revealed how colonial legacies of corruption and power-infights within government contribute to criminal neglect of basic safety and security needs of citizens

8) Under a new Law, rights of Kashmiris have been curtailed further and repression intensified and there has been sectarian violence against the protesting Muslims in Delhi in India

9) Social unrest and violent suppression of democracy protests in Hongkong by China

10) Israel discriminates against and delays access to COVID 19 vaccine to the Palestinians

The author is an academic and former UN Senior Policy Manager