Last week, Jim Yong Kim announced that he was stepping down from the World Bank presidency. His resignation is odd, to put it mildly, and I’m not sure what the reasons are. I am quite sure, however, that US President Donald Trump will not get full control of the multilateral institution, even though he will try to ensure that a person of his choice will succeed Kim.

Bangladesh's elections were neither free nor fair on 30 December. The Awami League (AL) of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed and its allies won 257 of 300 seats in parliament. Sheikh Hasina's rule has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years. Part of the problem, however, is that the opposition alliance lacks credibility as well.

Germany’s Christian Democrats elected a new leader earlier this month. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer prevailed narrowly over Friedrich Merz. The opinion pages of German and international newspapers interpreted her victory as an endorsement of Angela Merkel, her predecessor and federal Chancellor, and a repudiation of a “more conservative” course. I do not find that narrative convincing. It is not clear what “conservative” is supposed to mean.

Urjit Patel has resigned as governor of the Reserve Bank of India on Monday. He says he did so for personal reasons, but it is no secret that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lately been putting pressure on the central bank. I think Patel’s resignation should make international business media reconsider the distorted narrative they have been relying on for far too long.