By K Raveendran

By K Raveendran The declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 4.7 million as ‘excess’ Covid deaths over and above the officially acknowledged figure in India and the response of the Modi government to the report are both shocking, but not surprising. The WHO has resisted persistent opposition from the Indian government to finally […]

The post Modi Govt Arguments Against W.H.O ‘Excess’ Death Numbers Fall Flat first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran It is not a clamour yet, but there is growing awareness about the need for the judiciary to shed its elitist character. As both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Supreme Court chief justice NV Ramana pointed out last week at the joint conference of chief ministers and high court chief justices, there […]

The post It Is Time For Our Courts To Be Freed Of Elitist Tendencies first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The worst fears have come true about problems in coal availability developing into a full-blown energy crisis. As most parts of the country sizzles in heat wave conditions, there is unprecedented draw down on available power, leaving gaping gaps in supply. Some states are going through power cuts of up to 8 […]

The post India’s Power Crisis And Putin’s Weaponisation Of Energy first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The ‘freeze’ ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a response to the outbreak of Covid pandemic had gone terribly wrong in terms of its timing. Millions of lives and livelihoods were lost as everything ground to a halt, a mistake for which the nation continues to pay a heavy price. Now […]

The post Two Lockdowns In Asia’s Two Biggest Countries Offer Many Lessons first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran We have so many laws to be followed that it is virtually impossible to live for a moment without breaking one. It is a different matter that some of these laws had ceased to have any relevance ages ago, but these continue to fill the statute books for no rhyme or reason. […]

The post Flippant Laws Make Life Full Of Risks For Common Citizens first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran It has been a hop from crisis to crisis, each more disruptive and destructive than the other. The pain and sufferings endured by people to change their demonetised notes in the wake of Modi’s midnight demonetisation were unprecedented. Another midnight move, the introduction of half-baked GST regime took the steam out of […]

The post India Manages Hop From Crisis To Crisis Relatively Well first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran There is virtually a scramble for coal from non-Russian sources following a self-imposed ban by the European Union on coal imports from Putin’s sanctions-hit country. But as far as New Delhi is concerned, the opportunity will go abegging as India is by itself struggling to tie up enough supplies. The EU ban […]

The post India Has To Let Go Of Huge Coal Export Opportunity first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Attorney General K K Venugopal has been a strong advocate of raising the retirement of judges as he feels 65 years is too early an age for anyone to retire. Serving as India’s AG at the age of 90, there is no one else who can speak so authoritatively as Venugopal on […]

The post Strong Case For Raising Retirement Age, Not Lowering first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The Pakistan Supreme Court has virtually shown the door to another prime minister. Apparently, it might take longer for Imran Khan’s fate to be decided for good, but the action of a five-member bench of Pakistan’s apex court to strike down the controversial decision of deputy speaker of the national assembly to […]

The post Judicial Independence: An Area Where Pakistan Enjoys An Edge first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The emergence of Sri Lanka as a template for the fallout of infrastructure development with Chinese funding will save thousands of diplomatic man-hours for India in checkmating the Chinese ‘String of Pearls’ agenda. New Delhi has tried to counter the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative with its own ‘Look East’ policy, but […]

The post Sri Lanka A Template Of Risks In Chinese Debt Trap Diplomacy first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The proposed rupee-rouble trade for oil will be a key ingredient, along with Russian insistence on rouble payments from European gas customers, in Putin’s sanctions-busting programme. The Biden administration has obviously seen the implications of an India-Russia oil deal and it is no surprise, therefore, that Washington is trying to put pressure […]

The post Rupee-Rouble Oil Deal Could Be Key Plank Of Putin’s Sanctions-Busting first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The currency stand-off in the global gas market, triggered by Russian president Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russian gas will henceforth have to be paid in roubles instead of dollar and euro is keeping the market on tenterhooks. It has upset the calculations of all important stake holders, including India, which has been […]

The post Putin’s Gambit In Demanding Rouble Payments Takes Issues Beyond Pricing first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran As predicted, the ’synchronised’ fraud by the Modi government and the petroleum marketing companies has resumed even before the state assemblies which went to poll in the recent round have been officially constituted. The open market policy, which has been kept in ‘suspended animation’ has come alive and the results are already […]

The post ‘Synchronised’ Fraud By Government And Oil Companies Is Back first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The massive humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is engaging the attention of all concerned. The pain and suffering caused by the war to innocent people, manifesting in some three million seeking refuge in Ukraine’s European neighbour states provide unbearable visuals. But away from public gaze, vulnerable sections even far […]

The post Ukraine Aftermath To Hit Vulnerable Populations Around The World first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The impact of Russia’s Ukraine war on the energy sector, particularly oil and gas, as well as commodities, has been too dramatic to be missed by anyone, including consumers in the remotest part of the world. But what is causing new concern is how the war is pushing coal prices to unprecedented […]

The post Coal Prices Set To Double Under Impact Of Russia’s Ukraine War first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The ‘Z’ marking seen on Russian battle tanks and other military equipment as a coding for the Ukraine invasion is fast acquiring an evil meaning, similar to the evil that the Nazi symbol of Swastika denotes. In India, Swastika connotes exactly the opposite, as the Hindu symbol of auspiciousness. But for most […]

The post How ‘Z’ Has Come To Acquire An Evil Meaning Similar To Nazi Swastika first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Forgetfulness is bliss. Of all faculties, the ability to forget is the basis of human progress, whether for an individual, institution, or a nation. It is the fountainhead of forgiveness, perhaps the greatest of all virtues. And Indians are particularly endowed with it, whether it is due to their obsession with spirituality, […]

The post Narendra Modi Flourishes On Indian People’s Short Memory first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Making one of the worst fears come true, Brent crude, the benchmark oil price, has hit an intimidating $110 a barrel as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is showing no signs of a possible resolution. This is the highest price for oil in more than seven years, which by itself should send […]

The post Oil Prices Refuse To Be Tamed By Emergency Releases By IEA Members first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran The Russian invasion of Ukraine has provided yet another instance of gold proving its safe haven value. As Russian forces entered Ukraine and pressed towards Kiev, gold price surged to an intra-day high of US$1,974 per ounce on Thursday, corresponding to Rs 52,797 per 10 grams on India’s MCX. Hectic buying was […]

The post Gold Shines Again As Safe Haven As Ukraine War Intensifies first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran With the Russian invasion of Ukraine already playing out, it is clear that the war between US and allies on one side and Russia on the other would be fought not just at the military and economic levels, as already manifested by the western sanctions, but with another strategic weapon as well: […]

The post Energy Is A Strategic Weapon In Russia’s War Against Ukraine first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Tensions over Ukraine have combined with record-high gas prices to raise questions about the long-term security of gas imports through Russian-operated pipelines, giving coal a new place of importance in the energy mix. European countries have been gradually decommissioning coal infrastructure over recent years, as the power market moves towards a greener, […]

The post Ukraine Tensions Bring Coal A New Lease Of Life In Energy Mix first appeared on IPA Newspack.