Daily Archives: August 27, 2018

The Special Congress.

Mr. Syed Hasan Imam, president-elect of the special session of the Indian National Congress, arrived here [Bombay] this afternoon [August 26] and was given an enthusiastic reception at the station. Alighting from the train Mr. Imam was received by the members of the Reception Committee headed by the Hon’ble Mr. …

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Eliminating cognitive errors

It is flawed decision-making triggered by “social proof”-driven thinking that causes toxic bubbles in the stock market, points out Dobelli, noting that this tendency “exists in fashion, management techniques, hobbies, religion and diets. It can paralyse whole cultures, such as when sects commit collective suicide.” But “social proof”, or a …

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Until dams do us part

The tragedy in Kerala has highlighted the dangers of excess water accumulation in dams. More than 20 dams released water that cascaded down the hills, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The opening of the gates of the Idukki dam, for instance, caused the Periyar river to swell rapidly and …

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Council conundrum

If there was any real benefit in having a Legislative Council, all States in the country should, and arguably would, have a second chamber. The fact that there are only seven such Councils suggests the lack of any real advantage, apart from the absence of a broad political consensus on …

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Powell doctrine

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech last week at the conference for central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming was a strong defence of the current gradual approach to raising interest rates. With the American economy growing at a strong pace, inflation being close to the Fed’s 2% target and …

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Silence is not a virtue

It was heartening to read all the glowing tributes to veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar and his relentless fight for a free press. The irony is that some of those who do not value the importance of a free press are celebrating his resistance to the Emergency. In the mid-1970s, the …

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The larger picture on GDP numbers

The new data on GDP have raised a political storm, with the back series for GDP growth since 1993-94 becoming available. Its importance lies in the fact that in 2015, a new series was announced which showed India’s GDP growing faster than the earlier series had shown. This was politically …

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In pursuit of an art smuggler

In 2011, a celebrated New York-based art dealer, Subhash Kapoor, was detained in Germany for art theft, particularly of idols from temples in Suthamalli and Sripuranthan in Tamil Nadu. He was extradited the next year to India and now awaits trial in Chennai. After his arrest, the American authorities recovered …

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Article 35A and the basic structure

Can Article 35A of the Constitution be struck down? If yes, should it be? These questions — raised in a petition filed in the Supreme Court by a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation, “We the Citizens” — have already attracted widespread attention. The case, there’s little doubt, is freighted with political meaning. …

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Venice Film Festival courts controversy

Global superstars Lady Gaga, Ryan Gosling and Vanessa Redgrave descend on Venice this week as the annual film festival kicks off on Wednesday to controversy over the inclusion of Netflix productions and there being just one female director in competition. Some 21 features will be locking horns for the prized …

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TransportHub to foray into West Asia, Africa

TransportHub (TH), an online platform that provides technology ecosystem and a whole gamut of IoT and analytics solutions to transport and logistics businesses, has chalked out plans to foray into West Asia and Africa. “We have initiated talks with entities in Dubai and South Africa to expand our footprint in …

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‘Set up high-value textile-making units’

The textile industry can tap opportunities emerging globally in high-value manufacturing by converting fibre into fibre assemblies, according to Prasad Potluri, professor of robotics and textile composites and director of research at Northwest Composites Centre, University of Manchester. Mr. Potluri, who were here recently, told The Hindu that high-value manufacturing …

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PSU banks plan closure of 70 overseas offices in FY18

Public sector banks are in the process of closing or rationalising about 70 overseas operations as part of capital conservation exercise. Unviable foreign operations are being shut while multiple branches in same cities or nearby places are being rationalised with a view to achieving efficiency, sources said. As part of …

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‘Tech giants must reinvest in infra, jobs’

Global technology giants should reinvest part of their profits for development of infrastructure and job creation in revenue generating countries such as India, Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Speaking at the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial meeting in Argentina, the Minister said the largest and most …

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Mnangagwa sworn in as President

Emmerson Mnangagwa was officially sworn in as President of Zimbabwe on Sunday after winning a bitterly-contested election which was the country’s first since the ousting of strongman Robert Mugabe. Mr. Mnangagwa, whose victory in the July 30 polls was challenged by the main Opposition, pledged to “protect and promote the …

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