Yearly Archives: 2018

The algebra of Opposition unity

The Opposition should see in the Karnataka byelection results a goad for united action Karnataka has done it a second time in a year, this year. The coming together of the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular), post-poll in May 2018, and the inauguration of the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government was …

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Hashimpura’s long wait for justice

The conviction by the Delhi High Court of 16 personnel of the U.P. Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) for a massacre of Muslims committed 31 years ago was seen as bringing closure to one of India’s biggest custodial killings. Omar Rashid reports from Meerut and pieces together an account of the …

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Most child deaths due to pneumonia in India

India continues to have the highest burden of pneumonia and diarrhoea child deaths in the world, with 1,58,176 pneumonia and 1, 02,813 diarrhoea deaths in 2016. This was stated in the ‘Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report’ released on Friday by the International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins …

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Hawking auction raises astronomical sum

A copy of Stephen Hawking’s doctorate thesis signed in a shaky hand was the highlight of an auction of the British physicist’s personal items in London, which raised nearly £1.4 million. The copy, one of only five originals of the thesis entitled ‘Properties of expanding universes’, smashed pre-sale expectations four …

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Indonesia’s Toraja tribe live among the dead

Ethnic group has few qualms living in vicinity of corpses Martha Kande’s family lived with her greying, shrivelled corpse at their home in Indonesia for seven months, as they prepared an elaborate funeral that is central to the Toraja people’s centuries-old death rituals. “We keep the body in a coffin …

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RCEP trade ministers to meet on Nov 12-13 in Singapore

A crucial meeting of Trade Ministers of RCEP member- countries, including India and China, will take place in Singapore on November 12-13 amid pressure being mounted on New Delhi to conclude talks for the proposed mega trade deal at the earliest, sources said. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a …

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Plastics exports rise 31.6% in April-Sept.

India’s plastics exports grew 31.6% to $4.59 billion during April to September 2018 (H1 2018-19) as against $3.48 billion in the same period last year. This is a faster pace of growth than the overall merchandise export growth from India, according to the Plastics Export Promotion Council (Plexconcil). During H1 …

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SEBI halves HNI bid quantum in IPO to curb leverage

The capital markets regulator’s revised guidelines effectively cap such bids to 50% of the issue size A small but important amendment to the listing and disclosure regulations will soon see public issues reporting realistic subscription numbers especially in the segment reserved for high net worth individuals (HNIs) that is known …

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Credit growth at 5-year high

Demand from firms, NFBCs drive loan growth; however, deposits grow slower In what could be an indication of a pick-up in private investment, loan growth of commercial banks is at a five-year high on the back of strong demand, latest data released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed. According …

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British Minister quits over Brexit plan

Jo Johnson hits out at direction of government negotiations, calls for second referendum The British government was thrown into a fresh round of turbulence on Friday as Jo Johnson, the brother of Boris Johnson and the country’s Transport Minister, resigned unexpectedly and lashed out at the direction of government negotiations …

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Florida races heading for recount

Senate and governor elections are in focus, Georgia governor race remains open With the prospect of vote recounts looming, two of the high profile U.S. midterm races — for State governor and a Senator from the State — continue to stay in focus even after the voting day. On Thursday …

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Trump tightens U.S. asylum rules

Will deny it to migrants who enter country illegally; experts say move will face legal challenges President Donald Trump on Friday invoked extraordinary national security powers to deny asylum to migrants who enter the country illegally, tightening the border as caravans of Central Americans approach the U.S. Mr. Trump is …

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‘No move to seek Rs. 3.6 lakh cr. from RBI’

The rift between the two became public last month after a speech by RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya in which he cautioned that “governments that do not respect central bank independence will sooner or later incur the wrath of financial markets… ignite economic fire, and come to rue the day …

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