Day: September 18, 2023

An idea conceived in 2010 comes to fruition; Tagore’s Santiniketan to be on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Manish Kumar

Santiniketan, the town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district where Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore spent much of his life, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The inscription was awarded at the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee (2023) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.  India has been striving for a long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in the Birbhum district.  The heritage tag has been given to the core area of Santiniketan, which is made of three zones: Ashrama or Hermitage,…

Congress prods SEBI to act against Adani firms, demands probe by JPC

Manish Kumar

The Congress on Saturday questioned SEBI’s move of not acting on money laundering allegations against “Adani-linked entities”.  It called for the formation of a joint parliamentary committee to discuss the issue during the special session of Parliament.  Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wondered whether SEBI will act now that the Mauritius financial regulator has revoked the licenses of two such entities.  “Even as SEBI professes helplessness, ironically Mauritian regulators have taken stringent action against suspect Adani-linked entities,” the Congress leader said.  The Congress and several other opposition parties have been…

The five-day “Amrit Kaal” session of parliament begins; “Small in Duration, Big on Occasion”: PM

Manish Kumar

The five-day “Amrit Kaal” session of parliament begins today.  Monday’s discussion on 75 years of parliament will be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha and BJP’s senior leader Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha.  Earlier this week, the government announced the agenda, putting an end to days of speculation about the country’s name change or a bill on “One Nation One Election”.  After Tuesday’s function at the Central Hall, the sitting will be shifted to the new parliament building.  Calling the special session of parliament, a “diversionary…

UK to hike student visa fee by Rs 13000 from October 4

Manish Kumar

The Home Office indicated a 15 per cent increase in the cost of most work and visit visas, and an increase of at least 20 per cent in the cost of priority visas, study visas and certificates of sponsorship.  The British government has announced that a proposed hike in visa fees will become effective from October 4.   a visit visa for under six months will cost GBP 15 more and student visas will be GBP 127 more expensive for travellers from around the world, including Indians.  The hike in…

IMF to urge China to shift growth model toward consumption, address troubled realty sector

Manish Kumar

The IMF plans to tell China to boost weak domestic consumption, address its troubled real estate sector and rein in local government debt.  The Fund will strongly urge Beijing to shift its growth model away from debt-fuelled infrastructure investment and real estate.  China’s aging population and falling productivity are playing a ‘suppressing role’ in its growth rate, along with companies in the US and Europe shifting supply chains away from China.  The new forecasts are expected to reflect concerns about anaemic GDP growth around the world, as largest economies are…

Google Co-Founder Quietly Divorced Wife Over Her Alleged Affair with Elon Musk: Report

Manish Kumar

Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin has quietly finalized his divorce from Nicole Shanahan, after allegations that she had an affair with billionaire Elon Musk,  As per court documents, the couple’s divorce was confirmed on May 26.  Though Mr Shanahan did not contest the divorce, she asked the court to award her spousal support, the court papers said.  They will now split legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old daughter.   However, both Mr Musk and Ms. Shanahan denied their alleged affair.  Meanwhile, Ms. Shanahan called the scandal ‘utterly debilitating’. She insisted…

Being the fifth largest economy impressive, but per capita income must also rise, says Ex RBI Governor C Rangarajan

Manish Kumar

While India becoming the fifth largest economy in the world is an ‘impressive achievement,’ there is a need to grow fast to increase the per capita income of the country from the present levels- former Reserve Bank of India Governor C Rangarajan said.  ‘Employment enhancement without growth is not sustainable. That is why we must aim at least at a sustained growth of 7 per cent’-He said.  In 2020, India’s rank with respect to per capita income was 142 out of 197 countries.  if the country achieves a 7% rate…

Tata Steel, UK Sign 1.25 Billion-Pound Deal; “A big day for UK steel” – Rishi Sunak

Manish Kumar

UK, Tata Steel sign 1.25-million-pound deal; protest over potential job cuts.  Reacting to the development, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called it “a big day for UK steel”.  Tata will use the government subsidy to help convert the South Wales plant’s two coal coal-fired blast furnaces to electric arc versions.  Rishi Sunak government’s plan to pump in 500 million pounds into the country’s biggest steel plant in South Wales.  This comes as protests erupted owing to potential job risks to 3,000 workers.  It is being dubbed as one of the…

₹ 800 Crore Tax Evasion Suspected After 3 Days of Raids Against Azam Khan

Manish Kumar

The IT Department suspected tax evasion of more than Rs 800 crore by Azam Khan after it carried out raids on him and his associates.  Income tax sleuths reached Khan’s residence on Jail Road in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, and the search concluded on Friday evening.  On September 13, the Income Tax department conducted raids at more than 30 premises in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as part of a tax evasion probe against Khan.   The department conducted raids in Rampur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and…

Canada indefinitely postpones trade mission to India amid tensions

Manish Kumar

Canada trade minister is postponing a planned trade mission to India.  The trade mission was announced when Commerce and Industry Ministry Piyush Goyal was in Canada for a bilateral visit in May this year.  Canadian Trade Minister is postponing it, reflecting increasingly tense diplomatic relations just days after India’s prime minister scolded his Canadian counterpart at a G20 summit in New Delhi.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held formal bilateral meetings with many world leaders during the G20 summit, snubbed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, allowing only a short, informal…