Month: July 2023

‘Congress not interested in PM post,’ asserts Mallikarjun Kharge during Opposition meet

Manish Kumar

Congress on Day 2 of the Opposition meeting asserted that their sole motto is to protect democracy and that they are not eying the Prime Minister post.  The top leaders of 26 Opposition parties participated in the second day of their crucial deliberations today to chalk out a joint programme aimed at defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.  26 parties passed a resolution and our alliance will be called ‘INDIA’, earlier it was UPA, said Kharge  A committee of 11 members will hold another meeting in Mumbai…

Hollywood studios say they offered actors $1 billion in gains before the strike

Manish Kumar

Major film and television studios offered Hollywood actors more than $1 billion in higher compensation and enhanced benefits before the SAG-AFTRA union called a strike last week, a group that represents media companies said. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which negotiates on behalf of Netflix Inc, Walt Disney Co, Warner Bros Discovery, and others, said SAG-AFTRA “continues to mischaracterize the negotiations.” SAG-AFTRA called a strike last Thursday after union negotiators said they were unable to reach an agreement with studios on a new three-year contract with…

‘I-N-D-I-A’ New Name finalized for 26 party Opposition Coalition

Manish Kumar

The name I-N-D-I-A is being considered to band the 26 opposition parties that are meeting in Bengaluru.  The acronym I-N-D-I-A, or the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance has been suggested to name the mega opposition front that seeks to take on the ruling party.  former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is set to be named as the President of the Front, with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the Convenor.  “All parties having the will and guts to fight the BJP are welcome,” said Congress leader Pawan Khera.  The opposition meeting…

World Bank President Ajay Banga is more optimistic about India; said he is a “big fan” of India’s digital payments infrastructure

Manish Kumar

World Bank President Ajay Banga is bullish about India, and said he is more optimistic about the economy’s growth prospects now than he has been “in a long time”.  Banga said he is a “big fan” of India’s digital payments infrastructure.  He was more circumspect about the global economy, commenting that it is in a “difficult place”.  Meanwhile, the World Bank has estimated the global economy will grow by 2.1 percent in 2023.  World Bank President unveiled new plans to stretch the bank’s balance sheet and help countries tackle climate…

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong Warns US against ‘foolish act’ that risks security

Manish Kumar

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said that the United States should avoid any “foolish act” that could put its security at risk.   She rejected offers of talks as a ploy, state news agency KCNA reported.  She criticized U.S. plans for a nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to visit South Korea.  Kim, also rejected U.S. calls for unconditional talks and said that Washington was wrong if it believed North Korea’s disarmament was possible.  North Korea has in recent days accused American spy planes of flying over…

China is entering an era of much slower economic growth; it may never get rich: Experts

Manish Kumar

Whether the world’s second-largest economy chugs ahead at 3-4% annually or flirts, as some economists expect, with Japan-like “lost decades” of stagnation, it looks set to disappoint its leaders, its youth, and much of the world. Policymakers hoped to narrow China’s development gap with the United States. Young Chinese went to universities to study for advanced-economy jobs. Africa and Latin America count on China buying their commodities. “It is unlikely that the Chinese economy will surpass that of the United States within the next decade or two,” said Desmond Lachman,…

Hindenburg’s report an attempt to damage reputation says Gautam Adani

Manish Kumar

The Adani Group chairman described the US-based short-sellers report as a ‘combination of targeted misinformation and discredited allegations.’  In the report, Hindenburg accused the Adani Group of carrying out the ‘largest con in corporate history,’ a charge which the latter has repeatedly denied.  The issue is being probed separately by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and a Supreme Court-appointed expert committee.  Adani, who has seen a significant decline in his net worth, has since slipped behind countryman and Reliance Group chairman Mukesh Ambani, and China’s Zhong Shanshan,…

S Jaishankar, 2 other BJP candidates elected to Rajya Sabha ‘uncontested’

Manish Kumar

  Three BJP candidates including External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, were declared elected “uncontested” to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.   For S Jaishankar, diplomat-turned-politician, this will be the second term in the Rajya Sabha from the BJP-ruled state.  In Bengal, besides O’Brien, other TMC leaders were Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Dola Sen, who got elected to the Rajya Sabha.   Three candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, were on Monday declared elected “uncontested” to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, officials said. Apart from…

NTPC Wins ET HR World Future Skills Awards 2023

Manish Kumar

NTPC has received the prestigious Economic Times (ET) HR World Future Skills Awards 2023 for “Best use of AI/AR/VR in Learning and Upskilling” and “Best Advance in Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Programme”. Director (HR), NTPC, Shri Dillip Kumar Patel received the awards on behalf of NTPC at a programme held in Gurugram on 13th July, 2023. These awards bear testimony to NTPC’s focus on the adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality (VR) in Learning and Development (L&D). They reflect NTPC’s commitment to develop the competency level of…

Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates two National Highway projects with an investment of more than Rs 3,300 crore in Lucknow today

Manish Kumar

Increasing the pace of development of Uttar Pradesh, the Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated two National Highway projects with an investment of more than Rs 3,300 crore in Lucknow today. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath along with Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of State, Shri General V.K. Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Brajesh Pathak, Union Minister of State, Shri Kaushal Kishore, State Ministers Shri Jitin Prasad, Shri Aseem Arun, Member of Parliament, Shri Subrat Pathak, MP Dr. Ashok Bajpai and…