Yearly Archives: 2019

Heavy rain hits life in Mumbai again

Over 800 evacuated to safety Heavy rain in Mumbai and adjoining regions disrupted life for the second consecutive day on Sunday, throwing train services off the track, disrupting air traffic and causing power outages in neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts. Mumbai received 204 mm until Sunday morning, less than its …

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Satwik and Chirag breach the wall of China

They won India’s first-ever men’s doubles final at the Thailand Open badminton championship India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scripted a piece of history on Sunday by breaching the ‘Chinese Wall’ of reigning World champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen, with a 21-19, 18-21, 21-18 victory in the …

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J&K leaders placed under house arrest

Tension mounts as additional forces move in, occupy civilian installations and police stations An uneasy calm enveloped the Kashmir Valley on Sunday as additional security forces occupied civilian installations and police stations and were put in “standby mode.” Late in the night, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic …

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Space workshop to be put in orbit

The United States plans to put a space workshop into orbit in 1972, the Space Agency announced here [Houston] yesterday [July 22]. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said the third stage of the giant Saturn 5 rocket used to send Apollo spaceships to the moon would be used …

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What suits Trump

The U.S. President violated diplomatic protocols in talking of mediation on Kashmir Facing a furore in Parliament over the issue, the government has clarified in no uncertain terms that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not request U.S. President Donald Trump to “mediate or arbitrate” on the Kashmir issue, as Mr. …

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Caribbean cruise

India goes to the West Indies sensingmore cricketing opportunities than threats In the past, a tour of the West Indies was deemed the toughest endeavour for any cricketer. Reputations were either enhanced or lost and fractures seemed imminent in the battles against the fiery fast bowlers, while the crowds requested …

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Giving ties with Seoul a facelift

India-South Korea relations are yet to reach their full potential despite making significant strides Prime Minister Narendra Modi met South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the G20 summit last month in Osaka. Both agreed to find common ground between Seoul’s ‘New Southern Policy’ and New Delhi’s ‘Act …

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Faltering steps in the anti-AIDS march

The commitment to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030 needs strong and fearless leadership The Joint UN programme on AIDS, commonly known as UNAIDS, is facing one of the worst challenges afflicting the global AIDS response — this time an existential threat questioning its very relevance. The UN Secretary-General, António …

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The complexities of Naga identity

The Nagaland govt. will face many hurdles in its quest to compile a list of indigenous inhabitants The Nagaland government’s move to compile a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) opens up possibilities in the context of the decision to link the register to the Inner Line Permit (ILP) …

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A bridge across the India-Pakistan abyss

It would be a travesty to waste the opportunities made possible by the Kartarpur corridor plan Ties between India and Pakistan are at an ebb — their lowest in two decades. The thread from this phase, as a series of events — the Kargil war (1999), the Agra Summit (2001), …

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Post Acharya’s exit, RBI rejigs portfolios

With Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Viral Acharya demitting office on Tuesday, the central bank has allocated his portfolios to other Deputy Governors. Deputy Governor B.P. Kanungo gets the all-important monetary policy department, which means he will be a member of the six-member monetary policy committee …

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‘Data breaches cost firms dear’

Each employee lost Rs. 5,019 on lost data, stolen record: study Data breaches have cost Indian enterprises Rs. 12.8 crore on an average during the first half of calendar 2019, a 7.29% increase compared with a year ago. Each employee incurred a loss of Rs. 5,019 on account of lost …

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Recoveries help IOB narrow loss

Lender trims loss Rs. 342 crore from Rs. 919 crore, also aided by lower provisioning Public Sector Indian Overseas Bank’s (IOB) net loss for the first quarter ended June 2019 narrowed to Rs. 342 crore from the Rs. 919 crore reported during the corresponding quarter last year, on lower provisioning …

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IMF cuts India’s growth forecast for 2019-20 to 7%

Cites weaker-than-expected outlook for domestic demand The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut India’s growth forecast for 2019-20 to 7% from its forecast in April of 7.3% on poor demand conditions, it said on Tuesday. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook July update also cut India’s growth forecast in 2020-21 to …

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Trump attacks Mueller ahead of testimony

President Donald Trump attacked Robert Mueller on Monday, even as he insisted he would not watch the special counsel’s potentially damaging Congressional testimony this week about the two-year Russia investigation. Two days before Mr. Mueller testifies — answering questions for the first time about his high-stakes probe into Russian election …

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A legacy dominated by Brexit failure

May had promised stable leadership Theresa May had a mission to fight Britain’s “burning injustices” through strong and stable leadership — but her legacy as Prime Minister will be anything but. The Conservative premier’s turbulent time in office was swamped and ultimately sunk by her legacy-defining battle to secure a …

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Surprised by Indian stand, says Imran

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said he was “surprised” over India’s reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer of mediation for resolving the Kashmir issue which, according to him, had held the subcontinent hostage for 70 years. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since the attack on …

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