India Narrative

The Economic Survey, tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday, has projected a growth rate of 9.2 per cent of the current financial year. The growth rate for the next financial year has been pegged between 8 and 8.5 per cent aided by overall macro economic stability along with aggressive vaccination programme and easing of supply side constraints. However, the survey underlined that the global environment continued to remain uncertain with supply side disruptions, possibility of resurgence of Covid 19 waves and rising inflation. The official report card of the government’s performance said that macro-economic stability indicators suggest that the Indian economy is well placed to take on the challenges of 2022-23 while the focus on vaccine coverage will continue. Also read:   World Bank pegs India’s economic growth at 8.3% for 2021-22, sees global growth slowing to 4.1% “Vaccination is not merely a health response but is critical for opening up the economy, particularly c

  US Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin said on Friday that conflict in Ukraine “is not inevitable as there is still time and space for diplomacy” with Russia. “The United States, in lockstep with our allies and partners, has offered Russia a path away from crisis and toward greater security, and the Department of Defense will continue to support those diplomatic efforts,” Austin said at a press conference which he addressed along with Chief of Defence Staff General Mark Milley.  Austin also said the United States remains committed to helping Ukraine defend itself through security assistance material, and since 2014, had committed more than $2.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. “That includes more security assistance to Ukraine in the past year, $650 million, than at any previous time. And so in December, President Biden authorized $200 million in assistance, which included additional Javelins and other anti-armor weapons, grenade launchers, large quantities of artillery and s

  Indian startup "Botlabs" will fly 1,000 Drones in the "Beating Retreat" ceremony on Saturday evening, as a part of the Light Show marking the conclusion of the week-long Republic Day programmes, Union Minister of State Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said on Friday. This will make India the fourth country, after China, Russia and UK, to carry out such a large-scale show with 1,000 drones, he informed. Botlabs, led by IIT Delhi alumni, is funded by Technology Development Board (TDB) under Union Ministry of Science & Technology At a demonstration of the Drone presentation on Friday, the Minister interacted with the "Botlabs" StartUp team members at his residence including Tanmay Bunkar and Sarita Ahlawat. Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Start-Up, Boatlab Dynamics was given an initial seed fund of Rs 1 crore rupees for R&D by the Department of Science & Technology and subsequently another Rs 2.5 crore to scale up and commercialise the

This year the traditional ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony is transforming to ‘Beating Advance’, as it heralds India’s advance into the next generation of high-tech warfare. A Thousand Drones Show lasting 10 minutes promises to be the showstopper of the ‘Beating Retreat Ceremony’ on 29th January. The centuries old military tradition of ‘Beating Retreat’, with the sounding of bugle call of ‘retreat’, accompanied by lowering of the flag, signalled troops to cease fight, disengage from battle, and sheath their arms, at last light (just after dusk).  The bugle call traditionally was accompanied by beating of drums signalling the soldiers to return to their billets. Even till this day, this custom is scrupulously followed in military cantonments, as soldiers stand still while the retreat is sounded, in honour of the flags being lowered, and colours & standards being cased. Many countries have ceremonies associated with ‘Beating Retreat’. In the UK, ‘Beating Retreat’ takes place on two success

A momentous step to significantly reinforce partnership between India and Central Asia was taken at the First India-Central Asia Summit hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, in a virtual format on January 27.   A highly ambitious and visionary Delhi Declaration was issued at the conclusion of the Summit. Some of the major areas identified for enhanced focus include trade and investment, connectivity, development cooperation, including capacity building, security and defence, culture and people to people contacts. The most consequential decision taken at the Summit is to institutionalise the framework for India-Central Asia cooperation at a regional level and to hold Summits every two years. The next Summit will hence be held in 2024. Such summit meetings in future are likely to take place in person and not through the virtual medium. This will provide opportunity to the leaders to have

  The fight for the chief minister’s post between Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Channi came to the centrestage during senior leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state on Thursday to kick off the party’s poll campaign. On the stage set in Jalandhar for the launching of the virtual campaign rally, in the presence of the senior leadership, the PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Channi urged Rahul to declare the CM candidate of the Congress before the elections. Rahul who had come to launch the campaign by outlining the party’s  programme if it comes to power in the state, ended up mostly talking about the need to unitedly fight the election. He was also made to announce that very soon the Congress will declare its Chief Ministerial candidate be it Sidhu or Channi. Sunil Jakhar's name was not mentioned although until now the party had been saying that the election will be fought under the joint leadership of Sidhu, Chan

What is the current global oil price? The global oil prices are high at this point. Two days ago, Brent crude price touched $90 a barrel—the highest in seven years. Prices are likely to remain high. According to some projections, oil prices could go beyond $100 per barrel. Why should the high global price worry India? India imports over 85 per cent of its oil requirements. If global prices increase, India’s import bill goes up. While high crude oil prices have always been a cause for concern for Indian policymakers, it is particularly worrisome amid the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. As India expanded its expenditure to support the economy, room to absorb such shocks has reduced. Higher global oil prices would make petrol and diesel more expensive, which in turn will have an impact on inflation, something India needs to be watchful about.   Read More

Pakistan is frustrated with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and it came out in the open on Thursday when the Pakistani National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said that Islamabad was "not completely optimistic" with the Taliban rulers. “Organised terrorist networks are still operating on the Afghan soil which is still being used against Pakistan,” Moeed Yusuf told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. Pakistan was hopeful that the Taliban leaders would address its major security concerns by reigning in the militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but the emboldened TTP had intensified its attacks on the Pakistani forces. Yusuf told the committee that Pakistan had approached the Afghan Taliban leadership after the group returned to power in August with a list of demands that included action against the TTP. However, the Afghan Taliban instead offered their good offices to broker a peace deal with the TTP. “We did talk to them (TTP) which was med

The first ever India Central Asia virtual summit took place on January 27. What was to have been an in-person summit -- the leaders of the five Central Asian countries were to have been the chief guests at India's 73 republic day celebrations yesterday—was cancelled apparently due to Covid 19 resurgence. However, what is more plausible is that the recent uprisings in Kazakhstan put a spanner in India's plans. Not only did it shake the Kazakh political elites but it also spooked neighbouring countries with the scale of the protests and the large-scale violence. But even a virtual summit is important and significant.  It not only accelerates India's Connect Central Asia policy, mooted first in 2012, but builds upon the India-Central Asia Dialogue initiated in 2019, and the recent regional security meeting of national security advisors of India, the five Central Asian Republics (CARS) - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, along with those of Iran

The decision of the Shiromani Akali Dal to field Bikramjit Singh Majithia against his arch foe and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Amritsar (East) assembly constituency has electrified the election campaign in the state. While Majithia will contest from the Amritsar (East) constituency, he is playing it safe also contesting from his pocket borough Majitha in the assembly election. Majithia is the brother-in-law of Sukhbir Singh Badal and there is no dearth of resources at his command for fighting the poll campaign.  The rivalry between Sidhu and the 45-year-old Majithia seems to go beyond politics as the personal animosity between the two young leaders surfaces very frequently. Apart from issuing public statements against each other, the duo have engaged in wordy duels on the floor of the Punjab assembly.  Sidhu has been accusing Majithia of being neck-deep in the drug trade and has openly been stating that he should be put behind bars for life. Sidhu has been criti

  While war clouds are apparently hovering over a segment of the Russia-Ukraine border, threatening a broader conflict, Dr. Valentin Yakushik, a Professor at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev tells geopolitical analyst Aditi Bhaduri that “there will be no war now between Russia and Ukraine”. In a freewheeling interview, exclusively with India Narrative, Dr. Yakushik also discusses the role of the United States in the crisis and prospects of peace. Excerpts of the interview: Walk us through what the current situation is like on the Russian-Ukrainian border.   The situation at the Russian-Ukrainian border now is “as usual” – quite peaceful. One can see a lot of people moving from one country to another. Trade is “as usual”; people, cars, buses, trucks and freight waggons go back and forth, though under some restrictive measures (on both sides) connected with the declared “COVID-19 pandemic”, and taking into account that the Ukrainian side has sto

 Amid the debate surrounding the changing global landscape and future of diplomacy in a Covid- and post-Covid world, a 2021 announcement by the United States, United Arab Emirates, India, and Israel offers a new template. This new grouping is expected to hold their first in-person meeting of foreign ministers in March 2022, which will focus on collaborating in technology and infrastructure projects, enhancing political and economic cooperation, and maritime security issues. While recent more tentative diplomatic templates in the region like the UAE’s and Saudi recalibration bids with Qatar, Turkey and Iran, are focused on tension management, the most promising is the ‘partnership for the future’ also referred to as the ‘new quad’. However, this nomenclature is misleading. This US-UAE-India-Israel bloc, unlike the original quad is rooted in increasing regional cooperation, rather than competition with China. The visit of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to Abu Dhabi and the impend

 Even though unlettered, 77-year-old Mahalinga Naik, through sheer girt and hard work has changed the look of a barren piece of land into a green farm located in Kepu village which is 50 kilometres from Mangaluru, Karnataka. Naik has been chosen for the third highest civilian award, Padma Shri this year and on being informed about it was happy and recalled Mahabala Bhat, from whom he had received this barren land in the 1970s. Naik worked as a labourer plucking coconuts and areca nuts in areas in and around Adyanadka, when he fell down and spent a lot of money on treatment. In 1978 he received this barren parcel of land but found that there was no water available nearby. Since digging a well was not possible for him, he resorted to the age-old method of digging tunnels which are horizontal in the hillocks and get supply of water much to the amusement of villagers. Known as the suranga method, the tunnels go deep into laterite rocks which are hard to reach groundwater, which then flows

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday host the first India-Central Asia Summit to take ties to "newer heights". The virtual event will see the participation of Presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The summit is symbolic of the importance attached by the leaders of both sides to a comprehensive and enduring India-Central Asia partnership. Apart from regional security and the Afghanistan issue, the key focus will be trade and connectivity, development partnership, culture, and people-to-people ties. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an earlier statement said this will be the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders. "The first India-Central Asia Summit is a reflection of India's growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India's "Extended Neighbourhood," the MEA said. Read More

 The Congress party has not been able to get rid of dynastic politics as is evident from the allotment of tickets for the forthcoming Punjab Assembly elections. Almost all the ruling political families which had found representation in the successive Congress governments have again managed to get party tickets for their relatives to contest the assembly elections. There is considerable heartburn over the issue among genuine party workers who toiled for the party all these years and were expecting to contest in the polls as Congress candidates. Be it Navjot Singh Sidhu Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president, Sunil Jakkhar former PPCC president, Lal Singh former minister, Ravneet Bittu sitting MP and grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister the late Beant Singh, or Rajinder Kaur Bhattal former Chief Minister, all have managed to get their relatives tickets to contest as Congress candidates. In violation of the much propagated one-family one-ticket norm, the party has allotted

  A political analyst while talking about the exodus of the Gen-next from Congress remarked "ideological fidelity is an oxymoron."  Over a period of time, a host of Congress leaders, who once strutted around flaunting the badge of "secularism" have switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which they once described as "the party which practises politics of hate."  After Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasad, another Gandhi loyalist, RPN Singh quit the Congress to join the BJP. Singh's shifting allegiance apparently was being viewed as a personal jolt to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi. Incidentally, RPN Singh's name also featured in the Congress' star campaigner list released 48 hours back.  If RPN's entry came as a major boost for the BJP, it has put a huge question mark on the style of functioning within the Congress. There are whispers and murmurs in the Congress corridor that the clan-Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka was "not letting th

  Known for celebrating India's diverse culture with his sartorial choices, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept up with the tradition by sporting a unique Uttarakhand traditional cap on the occasion of 73rd Republic Day. Ranging from bright Jamnagar Pagdi, Rajasthani safa, to a Kolhapuri style turban, the eye-catching choice of PM Modi's turban becomes a talking point every time he appears for special occasions. However, dropping the idea of donning a bright turban with a long trail, PM Modi opted to wear a unique traditional cap of Uttarakhand on the occasion of India's 73rd Republic Day. The cap was embellished with Brahmakamal inspired brooch. Brahmakamal is the state flower of Uttarakhand that PM uses whenever he visits Kedarnath for pooja. He also honoured the tradition of Northeastern India by wearing a stole which was gifted to him during his visit to Manipur and teamed it up with his statement kurta-churidar and the traditional sleeveless jacket with a V-neck, as he p

The first India-Central Asia Summit will take place in a virtual format on January 27. India is the only country to host such a Summit with Central Asia. It is a path-breaking initiative with potential to significantly enhance the vibrant partnership that India enjoys with the five Central Asian states. The virtual format was adopted as Plan-B as it was no longer possible to host a face-to-face summit with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, who were to be the joint chief guests during the January 26 Republic Day celebrations. However, the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus proved to be a formidable obstacle in the realisation of this plan. The Indian government needs to be warmly complimented that it is going ahead with this initiative to organise a virtual Summit rather than jettison the idea. India-Central Asia Relations The salience of Central Asian countries has grown significantly, for In

  Eastern Uttar Pradesh also called Purvanchal is like a chameleon. It keeps changing its colour. In 2007, Purvanchal changed to Mayawati's blue, in 2012 to Samajwdi's red and in 2017 it embraced BJP's saffron. " In 2017 of the 164 seats, BJP along with its ally Apna Dal and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) demolished the Opposition by winning 115 seats in the region. Even as the BJP looks poised to retain its grip in eastern UP, recent exodus of the OBC leaders from the party has somewhat shaken the saffron caste cauldron. A host of OBC leaders including Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chouhan (Nonia) and Dharam Singh Saini  and the SBSP joined hands with the Samajwadi Party. The SP also stitched up alliances with smaller backward outfits like Janvadi Party(Socialist) and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) led by Krishna Patel. The SBSP being viewed as the emerging Dalit brigade holds sway over nearly 18 per cent of the Rajbhar community in eastern UP. With Janvadi Party in i

  Two US aircraft carrier groups are conducting training drills in the South China Sea (SCS) even as the Chinese flew 39 aircraft into Taiwan's Air Defence Zone. US Navy's aircraft carriers—USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by other battleships began exercises in the SCS on Sunday. A statement by the US Navy said that the carrier groups “will engage in joint operations to include enhanced maritime communication operations, anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations, replenishments-at-sea, cross-deck flight operations and maritime interdiction operations to strengthen maritime integrated-at-sea operations and combat readiness". The statement by the Department of Defence said that the training will be conducted in accordance with international law in international waters. The two aircraft carrier groups had earlier conducted naval exercises in the Philippine Sea with the Japanese Navy. These exercises were conducted southeast of the Japanese

  NATO announced on Monday that it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets as the United States and United Kingdom ordered diplomats' families to withdraw from Ukraine amid concerns of a Russian invasion. "I welcome allies contributing additional forces to NATO," the Western military alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. "NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the alliance." United States said it was ordering diplomats' family members to leave Ukraine while Britain said it was withdrawing some staff and dependents from its embassy in Ukraine in response to "a growing threat from Russia." "Military action by Russia could come at any time. Officials "will not be in a position to evacuate American citizens in such a contingency, so US citizens currently present in Ukr

Villagers of Khampur in Delhi’s Alipur are keeping 24-hour strict vigil, not because they fear any harm to themselves but to a tree which they say is 120-year-old . This banyan tree was allegedly trimmed by some unidentified people, while the villagers were asleep. The local residents of the village informed that they have an emotional connection with the tree as it has been part of their life and is worshipped during festivals. Residents claim that the local mafia is responsible for this act. Ajay Kumar, a local resident whose family has lived in the area for generations, informed that the villagers have been guarding the tree ever since the incident and that police had told them not to take the law in their hands and report immediately any untoward activity concerning the tree. Villagers are also planning to meet the District Magistrate and other civic bodies. Also Read:  For the Indian Skimmer, the cursed Chambal is a boon Talking to the media, Kumar said: “My father had passed away

  The Bharatiya Janata Party, in this election season during the third wave of COVID-19 in the country, is fully prepared to reach out to a large number of voters in Uttar Pradesh virtually through social media, said state social media head Ankit Chandel. The Election Commission of India has imposed restrictions on holding physical rallies due to the ongoing third wave of COVID-19. However, the parties have been allowed to hold virtual rallies and door-to-door campaigns in the poll-bound states. Speaking to ANI, Chandel said, "We are preparing for the virtual rallies. Planning for the same is underway. The virtual rallies will begin at the end of this month." The social media head informed that the training for the virtual rallies had begun during the second wave in the country itself in 2021. "The training for the virtual rallies was given during the second wave of COVID-19. We had conducted three big rallies in which national president JP Nadda, Narendra Singh Tomar an

  Infrastructure and connectivity are important parameters that decide the economic weight of any state. Infrastructure initiatives in productive capacity building by bridging connectivity gaps and reducing logistics costs, ensure seamless flow of goods and services. Uttar Pradesh is positioning itself as a multi-modal logistics and transportation hub in northern India. The sheer number of infrastructure projects that have been recently completed and are on-going in the state is evidence of this fact. The diverse nature of infrastructure projects - a combination of road, rail, air and waterway initiatives - makes it more progressive. In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans to make Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh a multi-modal logistics and transportation hub, by investing Rs 3,883.80 crores. It is a suburban district in western Uttar Pradesh and a part of the Delhi National Capital Region. It is a part of three infrastructural proposals worth Rs 7,725 crores for the settin

  In the 'Revised Comprehensive Guidelines for Management of COVID-19 in Children and Adolescents (below 18 years)', the health ministry has said that masks are not recommended for children aged five years and below. Those aged 6-11 years may wear it depending on the ability of the child to use a mask safely and appropriately under direct supervision of parents, it said. Those aged 12 and above should wear a mask under the same conditions as adults, the ministry said. The guidelines were reviewed by a group of experts in view of the current surge that is mainly attributed to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is also a variant of concern. Which mask should you use? AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria has said on several occasions that N95 masks provide the best protection. There are the cloth masks, which are the least protective, owing to their larger pores and some offering only one layer of material for protection from particles of COVID-19. Then there are the readily

  The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims to have unearthed dubious transactions to the tune of Rs 68 crore between Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey and his associates. The investigative agency has also seized an unaccounted amount of Rs 10 crore in hard cash, gold worth Rs 21 lakh and a Rolex watch valued at Rs 12 lakh in the raid carried out on Honey’s premises. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken into possession papers and computers which show that the dubious transactions have taken place. Documents pertaining to investments in real estate are also being scrutinised. According to sources, in the coming days, ED may zero in on a cabinet minister who faced allegations of patronising the mining mafia when he held the mining portfolio in the Captain Amarinder Singh government. At least two sitting MLAs are also under the ED scanner. There is palpable tension in the Channi cabinet as ED is expanding its net every day. The mining co

  Unable to get recognition from any country, the Taliban are reaching out to Muslim countries to recognise their new government in Afghanistan. “I call on Muslim countries to take the lead and recognise us officially. Then I hope we will be able to develop quickly,” said  Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the regime’s Prime Minister. No country has yet recognised the Taliban, with most waiting  to see how the group - accused of human rights abuses during their first stint in power - performs. Despite the claims made by the Taliban that they have fulfilled all the conditions of the world to get the government recognised, the ground realities are totally different. Although Taliban leaders have pledged to govern the country differently, they have not yet allowed most women to return to public sector jobs. While schoolboys were allowed to resume classes in September, secondary schools for girls across Afghanistan have remained shuttered. The women have been staging almost daily protests to demand

  Punjab Pradesh Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu has failed in his attempt to keep out tainted leaders from getting tickets to contest  the state assembly elections as the names of several party candidates announced by the party in its first list are either facing charges of corruption or are allegedly involved in scams. However, all these tainted candidates deny the allegations levelled against them. Sham Sundar Arora, in the poll fray from Hoshiarpur, faced allegations of selling government land worth several crores to a private party at a throwaway price. He was at the time the Industries minister in the Captain Amarinder Singh government. He was dropped from the cabinet by the new incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi. Former minister Balbir Sidhu contesting from Mohali has been accused of grabbing government land in villages besides the tiles scandal. Navtej Cheema fielded from Sultanpur Lodhi, too, is a tainted name as he was accused of misappropriating the funds of a religious

  The Congress did not seem to have learnt any lesson from the humiliating results in the Bengal polls. The party along with the Left allied with a radical Muslim cleric, Abbas Siddiqui of the Indian Secular Front. The combination-Samyukt Morcha had managed to win only a seat in the West Bengal polls. Desperate to woo the Muslim vote bank, the Priyanka Gandhi led Congress in Uttar Pradesh yet again joined hands with a politician and Islamic cleric, Tauqeer Raza Khan, who was earlier booked for issuing threats against the Hindu community and derogatory remarks against the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Raza joined the party on Wednesday. This particular move has not gone down well with a section of senior Congress leaders. A senior Congress functionary said that the move would  "only provide more firepower to the BJP against the Congress." The Congress had been desperately trying to get a slice of vote of Muslims and backwards, particularly Dalits. Priyanka Gandhi has also bee

  Beautiful to look at as they don bright hues, the jumping spiders make a pretty sight yet there is one among them that despite being vividly colourful is unable to see and appreciate colour, according to an article in sciencedaiy.com It was Nathan Morehouse, who along with the Cynthia Tedore-led international team of researchers found this jumping spider. While Morehouse is an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, Tedore is research associate from the University of Hamburg. Examining the common jumping spider or Saitis barbipes which is found in Europe and North Africa Morehouse found that the males of the species have a furry red crown and legs. This seemed to be an addition to their complex courtship dances that they performed to romance females. David Outomuro the first co-author of the study observed: "We assumed they were using colour for communication. But we didn't know if their visual system even allowed them to see those colours.” Outomuro is a UC pos

  Sri Lanka on Wednesday faced a severe crisis after it had to shut down the Kelanitissa Power Plant during the night due to the lack of diesel. The power plant generates 300 megawatts of electricity on a daily basis. With a severe foreign exchange shortage that the country has been facing for the past many months, Sri Lanka has not been able to import oil. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) could not supply diesel to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), due to which the entire country is facing a power cut of 1.5 hours, reports the Daily Mirror. While the Kelanitissa Power Plant was shut down today, one of the generators of the Sapugaskanda Power Plant was shut down on Tuesday due to the lack of heavy furnace oil. Currently, only half of the plant is functioning after it received 900 metric tonnes of emergency furnace oil. Media reports indicate that more turbines are likely to be shut down by Wednesday afternoon due to the fuel shortage. The power shortage can go up to 2.5 hours.

 The Afghanistan-Pakistan dispute over the Durand Line has taken centre- stage yet again. Facing prospects of high-octane street protests Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has dropped his plans of leading a high-level inter-ministerial delegation to Kabul on January  18  for two-day  talks on the Durand Line dispute and the humanitarian crisis exploding in Afghanistan! In the last week of December 2021, videos showing Taliban fighters removing Pakistan’s border fencing appeared on social media. Taliban commanders were seen threatening Pakistani soldiers against pursuing construction of the border fence. Various spokespersons and Taliban Commanders described the Durand Line border fence as “illegal”, and resolved to “not allow the fencing anytime, in any form”. What is the Durand Line? Henry Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary of British India from 1884 to 1894 left behind two legacies in India and Pakistan. One, the popular Durand Cup Football Tournament in India that

 India handed over 1,000 houses to Tamils in Sri Lanka’s plantation areas on the occasion of Pongal. This is part of the 4,000 houses currently being built under a grant scheme from India. Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay; Sri Lankan Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa and the Minister of State for Estate Housing and Community Infrastructure Jeevan Thondaman handed over the keys to the beneficiaries from the plantation community. Baglay conveyed his greetings to the people on Pongal and Thiruvalluvar Day. In a tweet, the Indian High Commission highlighted the cultural and civilisational ties between India and Sri Lanka. The High Commission also reiterated India’s strong support to Sri Lanka for economic growth. The handover ceremony was attended by a number of Sri Lankan members of parliament. The Indian Housing Project in the island nation is a key development project being executed in a phased manner in which India plans to provide nearly 60,000 houses. In the first two

  The developing crisis over Ukraine and the uncertainties of conflict that lie ahead provide an occasion to reflect on the historical role of Europe in disturbing peace, engendering conflicts, violating human rights worldwide and building its prosperity on colonial and imperial excesses. European rivalries triggered two devastating world wars in the 20th century. Even before that, European history is full of conflicts within Europe and those generated by colonial rivalries abroad. Terrible atrocities were committed by the Europeans against other races, including slave trade. Aboriginal populations were destroyed in many continents. The process of burying European rivalries in structures of European unity exemplified by the European Union has been projected as an emblematic success in overcoming history and making Europe a haven of peace, with pooling of sovereignty and developing a new international vocation of promoting human rights and liberal values across the world as weapons of i

  Top leaders of Serbia have severely criticized Australia's decision to deport World No. 1 men's tennis player Novak Djokovic for not being vaccinated against Covid-19. Djokovic was deported from Australia as a court rejected his plea on Sunday to stay in the country to play in the Australian Open after the government canceled his visa. The top player was detained by Australian immigration authorities on January 6 for not being vaccinated against Covid-19. A court-ordered his release on January 10 before he was detained again on Saturday with the Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke using discretionary powers to cancel his visa. The tennis star was chasing a record 21st Grand Slam triumph by defending his title at the Australian Open. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic questioned the entire process by the Australian authorities leading to Djokovic's deportation. Vucic said: "He came to Australia with a medical exemption proposal and then you were mistreating him

  The Philippines has emerged as the maiden buyer of BrahMos supersonic missile systems, jointly produced by India and Russia, amid China's aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea (SCS) region. Both sides were in an advanced stage of negotiations for a number of years and would have struck the deal earlier had not the Covid-19 pandemic intervened and hit the Philippines exchequer. Manila has now agreed to buy BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles from India for US $375-million to shore up its defences in the disputed SCS. The acquisition is the newest of a number of similar capacity enhancements for the Philippine Army unveiled in contemporary weeks. In December, Philippine Protection Secretary Delfin Lorenzana made public the acquisition of six patrol ships from Austal for $600 million and two corvettes from Hyundai Heavy Industries for $550 million.  The acquisition of the BrahMos, said to be the world’s fastest cruise missile, “marks a breakthrough in efforts to upg

  Scotch whisky producers of the United Kingdom are in high spirits after India and UK launched negotiations on an ambitious Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Thursday. The deal between the two countries could bring huge benefits for Scotch whisky producers, as the Boris Johnson government is striving to slash duties of up to 150% on whisky exports, offering a boost to distilleries and the whole spirits industry. Already hoping that the new year will reduce the longstanding 150% tariff on Scotch Whisky in India, the producers raised a toast as Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and UK's International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan formally started talks on the deal in New Delhi yesterday. With India being one of the world's biggest and fastest-growing economies, the British government believes that the 'bold new deal' would put UK businesses at the front of the queue to supply India's growing middle class, with Scotch whisky set to benefit. "Launc

  The World Health Organization approved two new treatments for curing Covid-19 patients on Friday as Omicron cases continued to surge worldwide. WHO experts said arthritis drug baricitinib used with corticosteroids to treat severe or critical Covid patients led to better survival rates and reduced need for ventilators. Experts also recommended synthetic antibody treatment drug Sotrovimab for people with non-serious Covid at highest risk of hospitalization, such as the elderly, people with immunodeficiencies, or chronic diseases such as diabetes. Sotrovimab's benefits for people not at risk of hospitalization were deemed insignificant and the WHO said its effectiveness against new variants like Omicron was still uncertain. The recommendations have been published in British Medical Journal  BMJ. Only three other treatments for Covid-19 have received WHO approval, starting with corticosteroids for severely ill patients in September 2020. Read More

  “It’s raining unicorns,” – this will grab headlines in 2022, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s task is well cut out. Sitharaman in the forthcoming Union Budget, could come up with more incentives and policy measures keeping an eye on creating the right ecosystem for unicorns to come up, reliable sources told India Narrative. In her last budget, the finance minister announced extension of tax holidays for startups along with exemption of capital gains for investment till March 31, 2022. Access to credit and tax incentives are areas that would be looked into. “We will further focus on startups and unicorns. Expect more policy measures in the budget,” an insider told India Narrative . The Unicorns, which are startups valued over $1 billion, are expected to go in for large scale employment generation in the coming months as well. Notwithstanding the Covid pandemic, last year, more than 30 startups in India made it to the prestigious Unicorn list. Inaugurating the 25th National Yo

  It is indeed captivating to watch the mother kangaroo going around with her offspring, called joey, in the pouch. Even though there are other marsupials whose young ones are raised in pouches, like Tasmanian devils, koalas and opossums, the kangaroos as the ones who have caught the imagination of the humans, states a report in livescience.com. Describing rather aptly, Rick Schwartz, who is the national spokesperson at the San Diego Zoo and an animal care supervisor, called the pouch of the kangaroo a sweatshirt hoodie put on backwards. While the sweatshirt hood is the pouch, the muscles of the mother kangaroo are like the drawstrings which she uses to open and close the pouch. He told Live Science: "It does open up quite a bit if she wants it to.” The interior of the pouch is like that of a kangaroo's skin texture but without any hair while being soft. Schwartz said it can be compared with the skin on the inside of a human being’s wrist. To protect the joey, the pouch remain