Author: Mike Harrison

Shadow of bitter falling-out between JD(U) and LJP during Bihar polls looms large over NDA meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents that India needed to rise to the challenges posed by the new world order shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the shadow of the bitter falling-out between two of them — the Janata Dal (U) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) — during the Bihar Assembly elections loomed large over the grouping at its first meeting this parliamentary session. The JD(U), with whom the BJP is in alliance in Bihar, objected to the…

ICICI Bank reported a 19% rise in net profit grew to ₹4,940 crore in the third quarter ended December 31,from a year earlier, despite higher provisioning towards bad loans.Its core operating profit grew 15% to ₹8,054 crore. Net interest income (NII) increased 16% to ₹9,912 crore. Total deposits climbed 22% to ₹874,348 crore, domestic loans grew 13% and retail loans rose 15% year-on-year. “We see optimism in the economy,” said Sandeep Batra, executive director, ICICI Bank, in a conference call. “We are in a good position to capitalise. We are now more confident.” He said the continued pickup in economic…

A week ago, not many outside the world of investing would have even heard of a Reddit community called WallStreetBets. In the last few days, however, the community’s giant-killing act of almost toppling a successful hedge fund and subsequently disrupting normalcy in Wall Street has ensured that it can’t be that obscure any more. It is being talked about all over the Internet, and cheered by those who see it as a typical David Vs Goliath story, one in which the underdog takes on a strong and powerful rival and thrives. Others see true democracy in action. And those in…

Myanmar’s military on Saturday vowed to abide by the country’s Constitution, in an apparent backtracking after its commander-in-chief spurred fears of a coup when he suggested the junta-scripted charter could be repealed. The powerful Army has for weeks alleged widespread irregularities in November’s election, won in a landslide by Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). Tensions ramped up on Tuesday when a military spokesman refused to rule out the possibility of a coup. A day later, Army chief General Min Aung Hlaing — arguably the most powerful person in Myanmar — said revoking the 2008 Constitution…

Virat Kohli remained the highest-placed Indian batsman at fourth position even as Cheteshwar Pujara rose a rung to sixth in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Saturday. Apart from Kohli (862) and Pujara (760), Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (748) is the other Indian batsman in the top-10, hanging on to the eighth spot. Pujara moved up one place to sixth, while wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and star opener Rohit Sharma remained static on the 13th and 18th spots respectively. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (919) continued to lead the batting charts, with the Australian duo of Steve Smith (891) and…

The sanctuary is a transit place for about 350 species of birds but only pelicans were found dead. Some 750 pelicans found dead in a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Senegal last week have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, the head of the parks authority told Reuters on Friday.Rangers found the pelicans on January 23 in the Djoudj bird sanctuary, a remote pocket of wetland near the border with Mauritania and a resting place for birds that cross the Sahara Desert into West Africa each year.The birds were incinerated and the park is closed, said Bocar Thiam, Senegal’s…

A minor blast took place on January 29 evening in a high-security zone of the national capital. No one was injured. An investigation team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell on January 30 visited the blast site near the Israeli Embassy to collect more evidence as part of its ongoing probe, sources said.They said the forensic experts have also collected some samples from the crime scene that will ascertain the chemical composition used in the low-intensity improvised explosive device (IED).Official sources said ball bearings seized from the spot were found scattered on the ground and the impact of the explosion was…

25 new cases were registered in Puducherry region, 12 cases were recorded in Mahe and 6 in Karaikal The Union Territory on Saturday registered 43 new COVID-19 cases following 2,695 tests.The Health Department, in its update on the status of the COVID-19 situation, said while 25 new cases were registered in Puducherry region, 12 cases were recorded in Mahe and 6 in Karaikal.With 2,685 more people tested, the total number of people screened for the virus had gone up to 5,73,656.Currently, there are 306 active cases, including 116 under hospitalisation and the remaining under 190 home quarantine. In Puducherry, 29…

“Ganguly’s health condition is stable. He slept well on Friday night and had light food in the morning,” an official said BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly is stable and he is likely to be discharged from the hospital on January 30 if the results of the medical examinations to be conducted on him return normal, an official of the establishment where he is being treated said.“Ganguly’s health condition is stable. He slept well on Friday night and had light food in the morning,” the official told PTI.Doctors are scheduled to conduct a few medical examinations on the 48-year-old former India captain…

Bernie Sanders said the government needed to pump money into the economy to make sure “people are not working on starvation wages.”  The Democratic push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour has emerged as an early flashpoint in the fight for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, testing President Joe Biden’s ability to bridge Washington’s partisan divides as he pursues his first major legislative victory.Mr. Biden called for a $15 hourly minimum wage during his campaign and has followed through by hitching it to a measure that, among other things, calls for $1,400 stimulus checks and…