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‘Friendly wars’: Pak airstrike kills 8 Afghans; Taliban condemns, vows revenge

March 18, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: A week after a new government was installed in Islamabad, at least eight Afghans were killed inside Afghanistan early on Monday in airstrikes carried out by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) targeting multiple suspected hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP), the media reported. According to early reports, eight people, including a wanted terrorist […]

Business

Roving Periscope: After his ‘big win,’ Putin and Xi heap praise on each other!

March 18, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: His victory was never in doubt. For the record, however, Vladimir Putin has just “won” the election as Russia’s President for the fifth term in a row, with an impressive vote margin of 87.33 percent. But he still fell short of many a dictator’s ‘victory margins.’ For example, Iraq’s last dictator […]

Business

David v/s Goliath: Tension soars as Taiwan warns off intruding Chinese boats

March 16, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Tension mounted on Saturday when Taiwan warned Chinese coast guard boats to “turn around immediately,” after they intruded the restricted Taiwan Straits waters, near the frontline islands near China for the second day in a row, the media reported. Despite Taiwan’s persistent protests, China claims the self-run and democratic island as […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Why single out one faith, India against all forms of ‘religiophobia’

March 16, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Calling on all member-states of the United Nations to consider the broader scope of religious discrimination persisting globally, India on Friday abstained in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on a draft resolution introduced by Pakistan and co-sponsored by China on “Islamophobia.” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj asserted that […]

Business

CAA: India rejects the US ‘concerns’, says it’s an internal matter

March 15, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Strongly defending the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 as India’s “internal matter,” New Delhi on Friday rejected the USA’s comments on its implementation as misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted. Those who have a limited understanding of India’s pluralistic traditions should not attempt to lecture us, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Randhir Jaiswal […]

Business

EVs: New policy to boost domestic manufacturing, bolsters Tesla’s entry plans

March 15, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: The Centre on Friday approved a new policy to boost domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs), envisaging a minimum investment of USD 500 million (Rs. 4,150 crores) and encouraging high-volume production, economies of scale, and lower costs of production. It also aims at reducing air pollution, lowering the trade deficit, and […]

Business

Tourism: Indians shun the pro-China Maldives, make it feel the pain

March 14, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Four months after electing Mohamed Muizzu as their President, the Maldivians are ruing the day they got carried away with his “India Go Back” slogan. The island nation, now firmly pro-China, is feeling the pinch as a large number of Indian tourists are shunning it. Amid the ongoing diplomatic row, the […]

Business

Recovery: Post-pandemic, poorer countries failed to bounce back, says UNDP

March 14, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: While many countries are bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, the poorest are not and a significant number are seeing their conditions deteriorate, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) chief has said. According to UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, the finding is a “very strong warning signal” that nations are now drifting apart. […]

Business

Roving Periscope: PLA is ailing, but Beijing flexes muscles!

March 14, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: China’s spirit is willing but its flesh is weak! Although President Xi Jinping, who has been purging officials left, right, and center to spruce up both the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and his government, to free them of “lethargy and corruption, things don’t seem to be working well for China. Worried […]

Business

America: It’s Biden v/s Trump, again, in the November 2024 polls

March 13, 2024 virendra pandit

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: As they did four years ago, US President Joe Biden, 81, will face his predecessor Donald Trump, 77, again in the November 2024 presidential election for which their respective parties—Democratic and Republican—renominated them as candidates on Super Tuesday. The two rivals secured renominations as presidential candidates for the polls, setting up […]