Political

Business

Defense: After Houthi attacks on vessels, the Indian Navy deploys 3 warships in the Arabian Sea

December 26, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: After the spate of recent attacks on merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy has deployed a P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance and three warships—INS Momugao, INS Kochi, and INS Kolkata equipped with guided missile destroyers—in the region to maintain “deterrent presence,” officials said on Tuesday. Earlier, […]

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Business

Money laundering: China to provide consular assistance to its Vivo staff arrested in India

December 25, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: China will provide consular protection and assistance to two Chinese employees of smartphone maker Vivo arrested in India on money laundering charges, as Beijing urged New Delhi not to discriminate against Chinese companies. “We are closely following what you mentioned. The Chinese government firmly supports Chinese companies to safeguard their […]

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Business

Rs. for oil: After paying the UAE in rupee for crude oil, India looks to globalize its currency

December 25, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: Enthused after paying the UAE in Indian rupees for importing crude, India is now looking to internationalize its currency and awaits more takers of its currency in global trade. With over 85 percent oil dependence on imports, India aims to cut transaction costs by settling trades in rupees instead of […]

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Business

Agriculture: Despite restrictions, exports may reach $53 billion in FY24

December 21, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: India’s exports from the agricultural sector are likely to reach USD 53 billion in FY24, the same as in the previous fiscal, 2022-23, despite restrictions imposed on shipments of certain key commodities like rice, wheat, sugar, and onions, among others. “We expect that we would reach that level despite a […]

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Business

The ‘forgotten war:’ Ukraine still hopes for US aid, worried over what next?

December 21, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: After Russia invaded it on February 24, 2022, Ukraine became the center of geopolitics with support, sympathy, weapons, and funds pouring in. With Hamas invading Israel on October 7, 2023, however, Palestine returned as the world’s foremost geopolitical hotspot. Both these wars continue unabated, with no end in sight. They […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: National interest is India’s foremost guiding principle in foreign policy, says PM Modi

December 21, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: National interest is the foremost guiding principle in India’s foreign policy, which follows a “mix-and-match diplomacy” focused on pragmatic engagement aligned with the country’s interests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. “The world is interconnected as well as interdependent,” he observed in an interview with the British daily Financial Times, […]

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Business

Payments: UPI transactions up 118% in rural and semi-urban retail stores in 2023

December 20, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: India’s financial miracle, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), being followed by around 50 countries worldwide, is unstoppable within the nation as well. It is not only a predominant mode of payment in cities and towns, but it has also percolated to semi-urban and rural areas, making it the driving force […]

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Business

Pannun case: Indo-US ties won’t be derailed, says PM Modi in first reaction

December 20, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that diplomatic ties between India and the United States would not be derailed by a “few incidents” and New Delhi will consider any information Washington shares on allegations of a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in New York. In an interview with British […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: Uncertainty grips the US over its next President in 2024

December 20, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: Who will be elected the next US President in November 2024? Nobody knows. Both the principal contenders are facing multiple controversies and health issues while the minor ones are what they are: minors learning to swim in tricky political splash pools. The Democrat incumbent, Joe Biden, is 81 and ailing. […]

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Business

Roving Periscope: As the Gaza War rages, the US may lose the plot in the Middle East—and NATO!

December 19, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit   New Delhi: When did we first, or the last, hear the Arab states ‘defying’ the US diktats? Today. As soon as Washington announced the formation of a 10-nation naval force to prevent the Yemen-based Houthis’ attacks on Israel and its supporters in the Red Sea, two key Arab countries—Saudi Arabia and the […]

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