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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

Roving Periscope: Nearly 2 mn “excess deaths” in China in two months, says US study

August 26, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Has the Covid-19 pandemic really subsided or morphed into an endemic? Or it’s just going unreported? A new Covid variant called EG.5 or “Eris” has surfaced in the United Kingdom, and may have already killed two million in China, where it is dominant now, the reports said. Reports have now […]

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 […]

Business

Confidence: From fragile to foremost economy in 9 years, says Sitharaman

August 10, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Asserting that the Indian economy is currently the fastest-growing in the world, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that a global ranking company has moved its rating for India from fragile to foremost in the last 9 years of the Narendra Modi government. Addressing the Lok Sabha during the […]

Business

Contraction: As post-Covid recovery falters, China’s economy slips into deflation

August 9, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: The world’s second-largest economy, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), slipped into deflation in July for the first time in over two years as slowing domestic spending, and waning exports and imports, weigh heavily on the post-Covid economic recovery. The shock came a day after reports, quoting official data, emerged […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Ukraine sees the Jeddah peace talks as positive; but it’s negative for Russia

August 7, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: After nearly 18 months of relentless and destructive war, Ukraine has termed the fresh round of peace talks hosted by Saudi Arabia “productive” while Russia has called it a “doomed attempt.” On August 5, the Saudis hosted the National Security Advisors’ Meeting on this matter in their capital Jeddah. NSA […]

Business

Pakistan, again: PM Shehbaz Sharif to dissolve Parliament on August 9

August 4, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif will dissolve the National Assembly, the Lower House of the bicameral Parliament, on August 9, and seek fresh elections, the media reported on Friday. Next Wednesday, he will send formal advice to the President for the dissolution of the National Assembly. On Thursday, […]

Business

Economy: Services PMI jumps to 62.3 in July, the highest in over 13 years

August 3, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: India’s services activity shot up sharply from a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of 58.5 in June to 62.3 in July, a report from the S&P Global Market Intelligence said on Thursday. At 62.3, the July services PMI is the highest point in over 13 years, vis-à-vis the last time’s peak […]