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Pakistan: Nawaz to return in Oct, take on army bosses; polls in January 2024

September 21, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: With three-time Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, who has been in self-exile in London since 2019, announcing his return home next month and making the bosses in the army and judiciary “accountable”, the stage is being set for yet another stormy General Elections to the National Assembly in Pakistan in […]

Business

G-20: China has the option to be a “spoiler” to the Summit, remarks the US

September 6, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: True to its customary behavior to grab headlines, China is blowing hot and cold on the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit India is hosting in the national capital on September 9 and 10. While President Xi Jinping is not attending the Summit, and Beijing has questioned host India using a […]

Business

Invasion of Ukraine: With renewed ‘grain deal’ Russia tries a face-saver

September 4, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: After relentlessly bombing Ukraine for nearly 18 months, with no signs of victory or even a ceasefire, Russia now seems to be trying to save its face, increasingly isolated as the former superpower finds itself in the international arena and dependent on an unreliable China and even North Korea. That […]

Business

Microfinance: Obama, Hillary, and over 160 others urge Dhaka to acquit Nobel Laureate M. Yunus

September 1, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Former US President Barack Obama, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and over 160 other global leaders have urged Bangladesh to suspend ongoing legal action against Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and the Father of Microfinance. Concerned over a string of court cases against Professor Muhammad Yunus, 83, these global leaders, in […]

Business

Weather: The driest August since 1901 causes concern for Indian agriculture

August 31, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: The driest month of August since 1901 is causing worries in India’s agriculture sector, the backbone of the national economy, as many farmers have been forced to buy more seeds to sow them again as fresh monsoon rains are expected in September. These monsoon showers are vital for India’s nearly […]

Business

Fukushima: Chinese protest, abuse Japanese after release of ‘contaminated’ waters into the Pacific

August 28, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Water wars to control this elixir of life are common in several countries. But the Chinese are angry at their Japanese counterparts for releasing allegedly ‘contaminated’ waters from the ill-fated Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The Fukushima nuclear disaster was caused by a powerful earthquake and the […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Imprisoned, ex-Pak PM Imran now “satisfied” with jail facilities!

August 28, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Although they are multiple crisis-ridden, many people in Pakistan have never lost their sense of black humor. For example, when the Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 landed on the southern pole of the Moon last week, a Pakistani man told a TV news channel with a straight face that Pakistan need not […]

Business

Quick commerce: Zepto, India’s 1st unicorn in 2023, raises $200 mn in Series E

August 25, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two Mumbaikars, both just 19, dropped out of Stanford University and launched their startup, and now each of them has a net worth of over Rs. 1,000 crore. No wonder, their startup Zepto on Friday raised USD 200 million at an evaluation of USD 1.4 […]

Business

Inflation: FinMin cautions about price pressures amid uncertainties

August 22, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Recent inflationary trends in prices of essential commodities, including tomatoes and onions, have prompted the Finance Ministry to caution the people that these pressures may remain in the months ahead and require greater vigilance. In its monthly Economy Review report for July 2023, released on Tuesday, the ministry said the […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Dark days ahead as China’s real estate bubble bursts

August 19, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: And, the wolf has finally knocked on the Dragon’s doors! A year after China’s humongous real estate sector, which contributes as much as a third to the Asian nation’s GDP, came under a cloud, Evergrande, the biggest player in the property market has filed for bankruptcy, the media reported on […]