By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
Two of the three strikes are related to the gig economy, a centrepiece of the new labour Codes.
Yogi Adityanath champions national unity over caste divisions, asserting that 'casteism' weakens India's social fabric and hinders its progress on the global stage.
Eternal-owned quick-commerce firm Blinkit has dropped its '10-minute' delivery claim after intervention by the Labour Ministry amid growing concerns over the welfare and safety of delivery workers.
As the March 31 deadline arrives, a wave of Maoist surrenders suggests insurgency's end, but political and social concerns remain.
Arunachal Pradesh Women and Child Development Minister Dasanglu Pul launched a child rights awareness initiative to promote a safe, child-friendly environment across the state. The initiative includes pamphlets educating children, parents, and teachers on key child protection laws.
The Maharashtra government has announced a flexible work time initiative for women state government employees working in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The 'Come Early, Go Early' initiative will allow women employees flexible reporting times and earlier departure times.
'...yet struggles to convert that human capital into domestic productivity.'
'Grassroots-level corruption, which disrupts the last-mile work, cannot be ignored in your enthusiasm and drive to get going to complete the project.' 'Like it was in MGNREGA, in some states, it is the case with the Jal Jeevan mission.' 'The last minute levels of corruption can ruin the intent of the project itself.' 'When you see that people can game a particular well-intended and well-crafted project, you need to correct that.'
During this Ramzan, another religious practice was turned into an offence: Breaking the fast, or iftar.
A tragic fire in a Delhi residential building near Palam Metro Station claimed the lives of seven family members, including three children, prompting a large-scale rescue operation by the Delhi Fire Service.
Two more workers from Odisha who were stranded in Thailand have returned home after the state government intervened. This follows the return of four other workers last week. The workers had faced hardships including non-payment of wages.
Various reforms, including GST, labour codes, and quality control order, have been rolled out since August 15.
'As long as apps show impossible delivery times, delivery and packaging workers will be pressured to meet unsafe, unhealthy standards.'
Verma, who till recently was strongly opposed to any cut in EPF rates, however, appeared to have softened his stand as he cited the current lower interest rate regime in the country.\n\n\n\n
The Rajya Sabha currently has 19 government Bills pending, with the oldest dating back to 1992. These bills cover a range of issues including population control, rent control, seed quality, migrant workers, and tribal autonomy.
India should resist knee-jerk responses to tariff volatility in the US and instead use the current geopolitical churn to build manufacturing scale at home, former G20 Sherpa and former chief executive officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant said on Wednesday.
'Engaged in very fruitful discussions to expand our trade and economic partnership.'
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that an interim trade agreement between India and the US is likely to be signed in March and operationalised in April, with chief negotiators meeting in Washington to finalize the details.
Rahul Gandhi met with farm union leaders to discuss concerns about the India-US trade deal and its potential impact on farmers' livelihoods.
Israel has for more than two decades and several US presidencies worked to draw the United States into a full-scale war with Iran. Having finally achieved that, the last thing it wants is Trump declaring victory and going home, as he is prone to do. Ali Larijani was the figure most capable of handing Trump a negotiated exit with something to show for it. Without Larijani, the road to an exit gets considerably narrower. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The first-ever meeting of Labour Ministers from G-20 countries, including India, that began here on Wednesday has stressed on the need to create new jobs and preservation of the existing ones as the working class across the globe are among most hit by the current global economic crisis.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said Indian goods will have a competitive advantage in US markets compared to products from China and other competitor countries, which face higher levies, following the reduction in reciprocal tariffs to 18 per cent.
Amidst reports of a cut in interest rate on Employees Provident Fund, Labour Minister Sis Ram Ola on Thursday said he will meet Finance Minister P Chidambaram to decide on the returns for the over 32 million subscribers for this year.
'The trade deficit in some sectors is huge and that is an area of opportunity to localise.'
What we are watching is something different: A fog manufactured and maintained by the people who started the war, so that the question of why it was started never has to be answered, observes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the war in the Middle East.
New Delhi will substantially reduce tariffs on industrial and agricultural goods while continuing to protect sensitive sectors. Tariffs on some agricultural products that are not traditionally considered sensitive will be brought down to zero, while in the case of relatively sensitive items, duties will be reduced in a graded manner and quotas will be imposed.
Vij, who holds the energy, transport and labour portfolios, was chairing a district grievance redressal committee meeting in Kaithal.
Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate was shifted from the agriculture ministry to the sports and youth welfare department in a late-night reshuffle. Dattatrey Bharne will be the new agriculture minister. The reshuffle comes after Kokate faced controversy for playing online rummy during a legislative council session and allegedly equating farmers with beggars.
Delhi government suspends officials suspected of negligence after a motorcyclist died falling into a pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board in Janakpuri. An investigation is underway, and FIRs have been filed against the DJB and the contractor.
Funeral prayers were held for Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia amid tight security. Millions joined the namaz-e-janaza of Zia, a three-time Prime Minister and political icon of Bangladesh.
'Mr Minister, it has been more than five years for your government. There is no job creation. Whatever jobs were there, they have been snatched due to the economic slowdown brought by the government. You want to escape by insulting North Indians'
Several farmer organisations in India are protesting the proposed India-US trade deal, expressing concerns about its impact on the agriculture sector and demanding the resignation of the Commerce Minister.
The agreement addresses non-tariff barriers and promotes increased trade in technology products and cooperation between the two countries.
Newly-appointed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has been allocated the portfolios of State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Affairs and Minorities Development and Aukaf.
Based on preliminary information, the Borivali GRP have registered a murder case against an unidentified person. Efforts are being made to trace the attacker, the official added.
Following a Supreme Court setback, Donald Trump has announced an increase in global tariffs from 10% to 15%, impacting international trade relations and raising concerns about economic repercussions.
India and the US have entered a new phase in their relationship, marked by greater parity, point out Harsh V Pant and Vivek Mishra.
Banerjee is personally present in court room one along with her lawyers. A gate pass was issued in the chief minister's name on Tuesday.
From the 30-Sensex firms, Bharat Electronics surged nearly 9 per cent post its December quarter earnings. Eternal, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Trent, Mahindra & Mahindra and UltraTech Cement were the other major gainers. Maruti, Sun Pharma, Infosys and Bharti Airtel were among the other laggards.
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