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Defense: After the US and China, India is the third-largest military spender

April 24, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: After the United States and China, India has emerged as the planet’s third-largest military spender at USD 76.6 billion this year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a global report on Monday. India (11 percent), Saudi Arabia (9.6 percent), and Qatar (6.4 percent) are the world’s largest […]

Business

Revanchism: To push its own Taiwan designs, China almost ‘justifies’ Russian invasion of Ukraine

April 24, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: After wooing France, a revanchist China, like Russia, is trying to turn the clock back. And to buttress its claims as ‘righteous’ on Taiwan, it has given a new twist to the Ukraine saga: Beijing has claimed that the former Soviet Union’s breakaway republics, including Ukraine, have “no actual status […]

Business

Monkey biz: After buying dogs and donkeys from Pakistan, China set to buy monkeys from Sri Lanka!

April 20, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Even after the world accused it of being the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, believed to have originated from the wet markets of Wuhan, China has refused to learn that it cannot fiddle with nature. After buying dogs and donkeys from Pakistan in 2022, it is now set to purchase […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Pak FM Bilawal to lead a ‘delegation’ to SCO meet in India

April 20, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the grandson of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who, in 1972, had vowed to fight the war against India for a “thousand years,” will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting at Goa next month. India and Pakistan became permanent members of the […]

Business

Trade: At over $128 bn, the US became India’s biggest trading partner in FY23

April 17, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: With increasing, strengthening, and deepening economic ties between the two countries, the USA emerged as India’s biggest trading partner in 2022-23, according to the provisional data of the Union Commerce Ministry. The bilateral trade between India and the US increased by 7.65 percent to USD 128.55 in 2022-23, compared to USD […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Pak turning into a ‘zombie state’, says its own top economist

April 17, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif, who has desperately been seeking financial bailouts from whoever would extend a lifeline, famously said “Beggars cannot be choosers.” His Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif openly declared a few weeks ago that Pakistan was already bankrupt. Now, Pakistan’s leading economist and former government […]

Business

Roving Periscope: As Pak economy sinks further, India, France & Japan to help Sri Lanka

April 12, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: While the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed Pakistan’s growth rate to 0.5 percent this year amid extremely high inflation, growing unemployment, and polycrises, India, France, and Japan are set to restructure Sri Lanka’s debts, the media reported on Wednesday. In its latest forecast, the IMF lowered Pakistan’s economic growth […]

Business

Myanmar: Military junta kills over 50 pro-democracy activists, say reports

April 11, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: The ruling military junta killed at least 50 pro-democracy activists in Central Myanmar, the media reported on Tuesday. The military launched an air strike on a rebels’ gathering, killing at least 50 people, who had gathered at an event attended by opponents of the junta, according to media and members […]

Business

Monsoon: Unlike Skymet, IMD predicts “normal rains” in India this year from June

April 11, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Amid widespread concerns about the impact of global warming, ‘shifting seasons’ and rising temperatures on world economies, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted a “normal monsoon” in the South Asian country this year—belying the Skymet forecast of a relatively drier spell in the coming rainy season, starting in June. […]

Business

Economy: Amid the US slowdown, McDonald’s to layoff many this month

April 3, 2023 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Weeks after its CEO said the global fast-food chain will cut jobs in April to cut costs and “free up capital” to invest in growth, McDonald’s has closed many of its US offices for a few days as the company prepares to inform employees about layoffs in April. McDonald’s has […]