Elections

Business

The Hindenburg row: SC forms 6-member expert panel; Adani welcomes

March 2, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed market regulator SEBI to complete an investigation within two months into the allegations of the Hindenburg Research against the Adani Group companies and set up a high-level committee to review regulatory mechanisms and protect investor interests in the light of the US-based short-sellers’ January […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: The US reopens Covid origin issue, says it may have spread from a Chinese lab

February 28, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: As Sino-US relations deteriorate further and America goes to the presidential polls next year, the theory of the Covid-19 virus first circulating in Wuhan around November 2019 and spreading from a laboratory, has resurfaced. And, if she became US President in 2024, Indian-origin hopeful Nikki Haley has vowed to cut […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: As the wealthy frolic, broke Pakistan announces austerity for ministers, officers

February 23, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: A week after hundreds of wealthy Pakistanis thronged an upmarket mall in Lahore and queued up for hours to grab expensive branded coffees and pastries from Canadian food chain Tim Hortons, Islamabad announced on Wednesday some ‘austerity measures’ for ministers and officials to somehow impress the International Monetary Fund (IMF) […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: Vivek Ramaswamy also to contest against Donald Trump in 2024

February 22, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: Former US President Donald Trump, who is likely to run for the President’s office in 2024, now has two Indian-American challengers, both from within his own Republican Party—Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy. While Haley, 51, threw her hat in the ring last week, tech entrepreneur Ramaswamy, 37, launched his 2024 […]

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Business

‘Protect the poor, tax the rich,’ IMF asks broke and embattled Pakistan

February 20, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: After Defense Minister Khwaja Asif’s open admission last week that Pakistan is bankrupt and has already defaulted, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked the nearly cashless country to protect the poor and impose more taxes on the wealthy as the South Asian nation seeks to unlock funds from the […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: How is the anti-Modi global hate campaign fizzling out?

February 18, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: Coordinated, sponsored, and funded hate campaigns in India and overseas to somehow ‘discredit’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024 for a ‘regime change’ may be fizzling out. But more such hate campaigns and ‘conspiracies’ may surface ahead of elections, and meet the same fate. […]

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Business

Power: A year after, the Sri Lankans to gets back 24×7 light—at a higher cost, though

February 16, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: After Pakistan’s collapsing economy hogged the headlines in recent months, India’s yet another next-door neighbor Sri Lanka has brought some good news: the Sri Lankans, reeling under unprecedented economic hardships will now get 24×7 electricity, although at a higher cost. The media reported on Thursday that, after a year of […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: Pakistan to impose fresh PKR 170 billion in taxes, cries for IMF’s $1.1 billion installment

February 16, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: Reeling under a collapsing economy, severe hardships, and a massive foreign debt burden of over USD 130 billion, cash-strapped Pakistan late on Wednesday introduced a money bill in Parliament to raise PKR 170 billion in fresh taxes (“mini-Budget”) by June this year as part of the strictest terms and conditions of […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: Deadlock with IMF pushes Pakistan closer to Sri Lanka-type default

February 10, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: In a broke Pakistan, chickens may be coming home to roost as Islamabad stews in its own juice. And the country of 220 million poor people, ruled by the gangs of a few dozen billionaires with an iron hand, Islamist rhetoric, and terrorist mindset, may push itself into a dustbin […]

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Business

Hello, Hong Kong: With over 500k free air tickets, China tries to woo the world back

February 3, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: In what is billed as the “World’s Biggest Welcome”, Hong Kong has offered more than 500,000 free fights after a three-year-long Covid isolation, to woo tourists and investors back to China whose economy is facing severe recession. The government’s rebranding campaign, “Hello, Hong Kong,” bills itself as an effort to […]

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