Author: Mike Harrison

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday presented the Economic Survey that details the state of the economy ahead of the government’s Budget for fiscal year beginning April 1, 2021. The Economic Survey 2020-21, authored by a team led by Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Venkata Subramanian, details the state of different sectors of the economy as well as reforms that should be undertaken to accelerate growth. The economy, which was battered by the coronavirus lockdown, is expected to see a strong recovery in the 2021-22 fiscal year. The gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by a record 23.9% in April-June and by…

The relocation plan a newly developed island in the Bay of Bengal is meant to offer better living conditions, says Bangla govt. Authorities in Bangladesh sent a third group of Rohingya refugees to a newly developed island in the Bay of Bengal on Friday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process.The government insists the relocation plan is meant to offer better living conditions while attempts to repatriate more than 1 million refugees to Myanmar would continue.Watch | To where is Bangladesh relocating Rohingya refugees?On Friday morning, 1,778 refugees started their journey to the island of…

He was part of the team that negotiated the nuclear accord with Iran and world powers, an agreement that Donald Trump abandoned in 2018 The Biden administration on Thursday named Robert Malley, a former top adviser in the Obama administration, as special envoy for Iran, a senior State Department official said, confirming an earlier Reuters report.Mr. Malley was a key member of former President Barack Obama’s team that negotiated the nuclear accord with Iran and world powers, an agreement that Donald Trump abandoned in 2018 despite strong opposition from Washington’s European allies.When Malley’s name first surfaced in news reports as…

It came from an “unknown sender” addressed to President Kais Saied, but went to the desk of his top aide, Nadia Akacha The office of Tunisian President Kais Saied said Thursday that he had been the victim of an “attempted poisoning” via a letter addressed to him and opened by an aide who fell ill.The announcement confirmed reports circulating for more than a day that someone had tried to poison the President.The statement said a letter received Monday from an “unknown sender” addressed to Mr. Saied went to the desk of his top aide, Nadia Akacha.“On opening it, she found…

The roadmap’s aim is to promote a safer, more equitable digital world, says Antonio Guterres The United Nations chief called Thursday for global rules to regulate powerful social media companies like Twitter and Facebook.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he believes it shouldn’t be a company that has the power to decide whether, for example, then president Donald Trump’s Twitter account should be closed, as a questioner asked. Rather, he said, a “mechanism” should be created “in which there is a regulatory framework with rules that allow for that to be done in line with law.” “I do not think that we…

In a strongly worded statement, Tony Blinken urges Pakistan to explore all legal options to ensure that the killers of The Wall Street Journal journalist are brought to justice The White House has expressed “outrage” over Pakistan S Supreme Court’s decision acquitting those involved in the sensational kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl in 2002 and said that the judgement is an “affront” to terrorism victims everywhere.Pearl, the 38-year-old South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story in 2002 on the links between the country’s powerful spy…

Prahlad Singh Patel says ASI has filed a police complaint. Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said on Thursday that two brass finials that “are as old as the Red Fort”, an interpretation centre that was under construction, and the Republic Day Parade tableaux that were stationed at the Red Fort were damaged in the violence that broke out during Tuesday’s farmers’ rally.Mr. Patel, who visited the Red Fort on Wednesday to take stock of the situation, said the gate of the monument was broken, six or seven blocks of the interpretation centre on the first floor were “destroyed” and…

The two groups have urged the government to ensure MSP and keep farm laws in abeyance. Two factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), neither of which are affiliated to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha joint front, have ended their protest against the farm laws.Leaders of the BKU-Ekta and BKU-Lok Shakti, which were protesting at the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida, met Agrciulture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday evening, and submitted letters saying that they had ended their agitation “in the national interest” in the view of the violence that took place on Republic Day “by some mischievous elements in…

Aidan Markram and Rassie van der Dussen produced patient half-centuries but Pakistan grabbed three late wickets as South Africa reached 187 for four in its second innings at the close on day three of a see-saw first Test in Karachi.The visitors lead by 29 runs and have wiped out a first-innings deficit after they trailed by 158 having bowled Pakistan out for 378 on Thursday.Captain Quinton de Kock has yet to score and will resume on the fourth morning with nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj (2 n.o.), the pair looking to push South Africa towards a total that will give it something…

Shahrukh Khan is a dyed-in-the-wool finisher and this breed comes rare in the game.“He is a game-changer and a match-winner,” says this big-built batsman’s Tamil Nadu coach D. Vasu. The other day in Ahmedabad, Shahrukh conjured a blinder, a 19-ball unbeaten 40 in the quarterfinal of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. Tamil Nadu, unbeaten so far in this year’s competition, was on the verge of being knocked out at 66 for five in the 13th over. The in-form openers N. Jagadeesan and Hari Nishaanth were back in the hut quickly. And skipper and batting mainstay Dinesh Karthik contributed just 2.…