Food

Business

Exports: India to export 1mt of rice, but extends ban on sugar outgo beyond Oct 31

October 18, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Following concerns expressed abroad over food insecurity in many countries in the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, India has allowed the export of 10.34 lakh tons of non-basmati white rice to seven countries on a government-to-government (G2G) basis but has extended the ban on sugar exports beyond October 3. […]

Business

Roving Periscope: President Biden to visit Israel, Jordan on Wednesday to contain Hamas inferno

October 17, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: With a grievously bruised Israel determined to annihilate Hamas, and level to the ground its stronghold Gaza Strip— and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s whirlwind shuttle diplomacy to prevent a conflagration in the Middle East yielding little, a worried US President Joe Biden is visiting the Jewish state on […]

Business

Food: Zomato, Big Mac fined Rs.1 lakh for delivering non-veg to a veg customer

October 13, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: As large parts of India prepare for the onset of Navaratri on Sunday and observe fast or stick to vegetarian food, a consumer court has imposed a fine of Rs. One lakh on online food ordering and delivering platform Zomato and its restaurant partner McDonald’s for allegedly delivering non-vegetarian food […]

Business

Conflict: If it widens, the Hamas-Israeli clash may leave ‘really big impact’ on trade, says WTO chief

October 13, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: After the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO) has also warned of a “really big impact” on already weak global trade flows if the Hamas-Israel conflict widens throughout the region. “Everybody is on eggshells and hoping for the best,” Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO’s Director-General, said as she […]

Business

Conflict: The Hamas-Israeli clash may spur inflation, hamper growth, says IMF

October 12, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Until now, the five-day war between Israel and Sunni terror outfit Hamas is limited to the Jewish state and Gaza Strip, but, if it widens, it may trigger a significant rise in oil prices and hamper growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday. The global lender’s First […]

Business

Good news: Joblessness lowest in one year, says CMIE

October 2, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Contrary to the Opposition’s claims of rising unemployment, India’s joblessness rate dropped to a one-year low in September as unemployment in rural areas fell despite weak monsoon rains this year, the media reported on Monday. The overall joblessness rate slid to 7.09 percent in September, from 8.10 percent in August, […]

Business

Roving Periscope: After terror and donkeys, Pakistan now ‘exports’ beggars!

September 29, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: In an acute embarrassment to Pakistan, its co-religionist nations like Saudi Arabia, and Iraq have asked the nearly bankrupt South Asian country to stop ‘exporting’ beggars! Not surprising though because, according to reports, a tenth of the Pakistani population—25 million in a country of nearly 250 million–resorts to begging either […]

Business

Obituary: India’s God of Farming, MSS, is yet to be honored with Bharat Ratna

September 28, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: “If God appears to poor and hungry in the form of bread, as Mahatma Gandhi said, that God is Dr. MS Swaminathan who should be worshipped by every citizen while taking daily meals,” Dr. AK Singh, Director, Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) said as he paid glowing tributes to the […]

Business

Disease X: The next pandemic, already on the way, could kill 50 million people

September 25, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: The next pandemic is ‘already on the way, and it could kill around 50 million people globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, according to the media reports on Monday. The global health monitor has dubbed the anticipated next pandemic as “Disease X”, stating that it might already be […]

Defence

Pakistan: Now, 40% of people under poverty, says World Bank

September 23, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: With poverty in Pakistan rising from 34.2 percent to 39.2 percent within a year, the World Bank has cautioned the nearly bankrupt South Asian country to take urgent steps to achieve financial stability as about 100 million people in a country of 240 million now live below the poverty line. […]