'There are three pillars of concern: The expansion of Hindu majoritarianism, the concentration of executive power and decay of independent institutions, and curbs on free expression and dissent.'
India annually spends Rs 4.5 lakh crore on importing petroleum products, and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari feels methane is a cost-effective import substitution. But is it? Pallava Bagla examines the pros and cons.
"Now is the time for countries with room in their budgets to deploy -- or get ready to deploy -- fiscal firepower. In fact, low interest rates may give some policymakers additional money to spend," new IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said.
Pranab Mukherjee's stewardship of the economy will stand out as much for the manner in which he managed controversies as for creating quite a few of them, says A K Bhattacharya.
While the remainder of the IPL has been shifted to the United Arab Emirates between September 15 to October 15, the BCCI doesn't want to let go the opportunity of hosting the T20 World Cup in October-November.
The Chinese have only created limited defences for protection of their posts which are located well in depth and much away from the Line of Actual Control, notes Colonel S Dinny (retd).
For the current woes of the state to end, in city after city, town after town, village after village, unauthorised constructions have to be removed, no questions asked, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
In his address to the nation on the eve of 73rd Republic Day, President Kovind noted that democracy, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity form the bedrock of India and stressed that the observance of Fundamental Duties mentioned in the Constitution creates the proper environment for the enjoyment of Fundamental Rights.
Johnson also reiterated his plan to visit India ahead of the G7 summit, after a scheduled visit for Republic Day this month was called off due to the coronavirus crisis.
Biden, 'plotting an ambitious presidency that would begin amid twin health and economic crises, is leaning on veteran advisers with high-level governmental experience rather than outsiders and ideological rivals to help guide him on subjects including the coronavirus pandemic and the country's diminished standing in the world', a report in The New York Times said.
The Quad has come of age and its agenda covering areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies makes it a force for global good, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the first summit of the coalition. In his opening remarks, he also talked about shared values and promoting a secure, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Interestingly, in his entire remarks, Modi never once mentioned regional security, Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar points out.
UNICEF estimates that almost 16 million children and their families are in urgent need of life-saving support. Since mid-August, there have been at least 1,288 reported deaths.
Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, filmmaker Karan Johar and Suniel Shetty on Wednesday said citizens should focus on the government's efforts to resolve the ongoing farmer crisis rather than paying attention to "half truths" and those "creating differences."
As the UN marks 75 years of its existence, the 193-member UN General Assembly adopted a forward-looking political declaration that gave a clarion call for strengthening mechanism to combat terrorism, reformed multilateralism, inclusive development and better preparedness to deal with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday left for Italy to attend the G-8 summit in L'Aquila.Before his departure, Dr Singh said he would project India's views on major global issues related to the world economic and financial crisis."During my visit, I will discuss several issues relating to the world economic and financial crisis and its impact on development, food and energy security, climate change, international trade negotiations and reform with G-8 leaders," he said
Underlining that years of economic stagnation have given way to a "roaring geyser of opportunity", Trump said, "I knew that if we unleashed the potential of our people, cut taxes, slashed regulation, fixed broken trade deals and fully tapped American energy that prosperity would come thundering back ... and that is exactly what happened."
The report says, the emerging markets continue to have uneven performance but India recovers from decelerating growth. Narendra Modi government, it added, continues business-friendly growth reforms, the economy grows at 6 per cent and the market rises 20 per cent.
'India, by virtue of its gigantic population and geography, stands at the very front line of this climate catastrophe.' 'But this is a threat that our easily distracted national mind is ill-equipped to think about, let alone plan for,' says Rahul Jacob.
By jettisoning the vision of multilateral world in favour of a Han Empire, China has posed a major long term challenge to India. India must stand firm against Chinese expansionism but also keep a door open for future detente by making a clear distinction between Chinese people and the current Chinese leadership, observe Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (Retd) and Colonel Anil Athale (Retd).
A small British firm claimed to have developed a revolutionary new technology that can produce petrol using just air and electricity.
US President Barack Obama, on Friday, sought a new era of engagement with the world where power is no longer a "zero-sum game" as he asked them to share responsibility for tackling key challenges of security and prosperity.
'If every city had the strongest tools that are currently available only to a few, the world's climate prospects would glow far more brightly.'
Observing that the economic recovery was not yet fully entrenched, the RBI Governor said recovery is likely to be gradual.
Here's the full text of address to the nation by President Ram Nath Kovind on the eve of the Republic Day 2022.
Obama said US is leading the efforts to combat carbon pollution
The data, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), shows that 65 out of 75 countries studied significantly reduced their multidimensional poverty levels between 2000 and 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison in Washington, DC, ahead of the first in-person Quad meeting to be hosted by US President Joe Biden and discussed a broad range of issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, including the Indo-Pacific.
Neither Biden nor his successors can any longer ignore the threat China has come to pose to the US in both economic and military fields, observes Virendra Kapoor.
Amid Eurozone crisis and uncertain economic climate, emerging economies of India and Brazil have topped the business confidence index confirming their role as key drivers of the global economy, according to the global Regus Business Confidence Index.
During the first of the three presidential debates in Cleveland, Ohio, Trump and Biden clashed over each other's personality, past record, family and their visions.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in New Delhi today after a four-day trip to Italy where he attended a summit of G-8 and G-5 leaders.
India and Italy inked 15 pacts and finalised an ambitious action plan to further expand their ties following a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte that primarily focused on ramping up economic engagement.
"All corona warriors deserve high praise," Kovind said in his televised address.
'With the lockdown now in full force, we're mindful of the difficulties facing our cricket community.'
There should be one comprehensive and credible report on weather for India since a major part of the economy is dependent on it, says 'weather man' Angshujyoti Das.
'We are hoping the preparations we have made will not be needed.'
'First they will say Kashmiris are not good enough to be Indians, then it will be Muslims are not good enough to be Indians, then they will start a conflict within Hindus that Dalits are not Indians'
A lot of Indian cricketers have been doing their bit, ranging from making financial donations to helping people procure essential medical care.
As the world readies to welcome its seventh billion inhabitant on Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for "unity of purpose" among people across nations to address problems of climate change, economic crisis and inequality.
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