The Union Cabinet to-day [December 10, New Delhi] had a brief discussion on Mr. Nath Pai’s bill to restore to Parliament the right to amend any part of the Constitution. It is believed they took note of the divergence of opinion in the ruling party over the decision to support …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2018
When the phone buzzes at odd hours, you know it’s Trump
On the tweeting President who makes the very existence of journalists irrelevant I don’t tweet much. And not using Twitter today is probably equivalent to a reporter not learning shorthand a few decades ago. You can get by, but only barely. If smart mining of the platform can yield useful …
Read More »Opening shot
India wins its first maiden Test of a series in Australia, firing hopes of a larger turnaround When R. Ashwin dismissed Josh Hazlewood and Virat Kohli roared in delight at the Adelaide Oval on Monday evening, they firmly threw down the gauntlet to hosts Australia. India’s 31-run victory over Australia …
Read More »Shock resignation
Urjit Patel stepping down as RBI Governor is a major embarrassment for the government The Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel has cited personal reasons for resigning with immediate effect, but anyone who has followed the events of the last couple of months will know it was anything but …
Read More »The Congress’s experiments
Its electoral tactics have logic but its ideologicalstrategy does not On December 11 last year, Rahul Gandhi was elected as president of the Congress party. Four and a half years after the party’s debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Assembly election results of five States that will be …
Read More »Anchored in human rights
Instead of surveillance technologies, help TB patients by providing rights-based interventions Decades of global neglect have resulted in tuberculosis (TB) becoming the leading cause of adult deaths in most of the global south — it kills nearly two million people a year. This is shocking given that TB is curable …
Read More »Don’t believe the anti-GMO campaign
GM crops reduce pesticide use, increase yields and profits, and pose no health hazards A review article, “Modern technologies for sustainable food and nutrition security”, which appeared in the November 25 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Current Science, is deeply worrying. The article was authored by geneticist P.C. Kesavan and …
Read More »Ascent to the temple of democracy
The opposition to the Sabarimala order is reflective of a wider gender inequality in Malayali society Kerala’s reputation as a society that has evolved to an exceptional degree may have taken a bit of a beating. The reputation itself has been built on the strides made in the sphere of …
Read More »‘World must protect victims of wartime sexual violence’
Nobel laureates Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad called on the world to protect victims of wartime sexual violence in their Peace Prize acceptance speeches on Monday, slamming indifference to the plight of women and children in conflict. Congolese gynecologist Mukwege, whose work has made him a global expert on rape …
Read More »Market may turn jittery: Economists
Urjit Patel’s resignation as the RBI Governor will cause jitters in the stock market and uncertainty over the central bank’s policies regarding non-monetary policy issues such as Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) norms, and diluting the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code rules for power sector companies, economists have cautioned. “This [the resignation] …
Read More »Direct tax collections surge 15.7% in Apr.-Nov.
Gross direct tax collections surged 15.7% to Rs. 6.75 lakh crore for April-November, the finance ministry said in a statement on Monday. Refunds worth Rs. 1.23 lakh crore have been issued in the eight months of the current fiscal, which is 20.8% higher than refunds issued in the same period …
Read More »Patel strongly argued with govt. for RBI’s autonomy
Urjit Patel, who quit as the RBI Governor on Monday, had spoken strongly about the need for the central bank’s autonomy when he deposed in front of the Parliamentary Panel on Finance two weeks ago. The former Governor had also pointed out that non-performing assets had been reducing since their …
Read More »Sour notes in ties with Centre
The government had appointed Urjit Patel as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor after his predecessor Raghuram Rajan’s tenure ended. With Dr. Patel’s appointment in September 2016, it was believed that the ties between the Centre and the RBI would improve. However, the relationship showed signs of stress just after …
Read More »France to probe Russia-linked social media accounts over role in protests
Kremlin rejects accusations as ‘nothing but slander’ France is looking into claims that Russia-linked social media accounts are trying to stir up trouble by spreading misinformation designed to amplify the ‘yellow vest’ protests. A source close to the inquiry said that the Prime Minister’s Security and Defence Directorate was coordinating …
Read More »Capital crisis, as seen from Sri Lanka’s countryside
For Chandrani Mendis, the political crisis gripping Sri Lanka since October 26 has had a specific cost — her pension for November. “After my husband died, I had been receiving 250 rupees (roughly Rs. 100) a month as an allowance, but they stopped it last month,” said the 60-year-old, seated …
Read More »May postpones House vote on deal
A meaningful vote on the British government’s Brexit withdrawal deal is set to be postponed till as late as January as, faced with certain defeat, British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that she will be returning to emergency negotiations with Brussels in an attempt to wrestle new concessions. …
Read More »Indian diplomat walks out of SAARC meeting in Pakistan over PoK minister’s presence
An official of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan staged a walkout during a SAARC meeting in Islamabad over the presence of a Minister from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at the event, according to sources here. Diplomat Shubham Singh left the meeting to register India’s protest over the presence of PoK …
Read More »HC questions Maharashtra on job ads
The Bombay High Court on Monday questioned the Maharashtra government on the advertisements issued by the State to fill jobs under reservation granted to the Maratha community A Division Bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice MS Karnik was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations and petitions opposing …
Read More »Mekedatu: T.N. rejects Karnataka’s offer of talks
The Tamil Nadu government on Monday turned down Karnataka government’s offer of talks over the contentious proposal for a dam project across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, citing the proceedings in the Supreme Court over the issue and contending that it was sub judice. Affecting proceedings Referring to a letter of …
Read More »Land acquisition law challenged in court
The Supreme Court on Monday decided to examine a plea challenging the legality of amendments brought in by Tamil Nadu and four other States, which allow authorities to bypass the need to take farmers’ consent before their land is acquired for large infrastructure projects. A Bench of Justices Madan B. …
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