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PRIME MINISTER MODI’S MAIDEN KERALA VISIT A MAHA FLOP

SNDP BOSS’S LOSS IS CHIEF MINISTER CHANDY’S GAIN

By P. Sreekumaran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is no mistaking it. Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to Kerala as the Prime Minister was a damp squib though the State BJP unit would have us believe that it was a roaring success.

Despite the strenuous efforts of the BJP to put a positive spin on the controversy-marred Modi visit, the stark reality is that it has defeated the very purpose for which Modi undertook the much-hyped visit.

The main purpose of the Modi mission was to unveil at Kollam the statue of former Congress Chief Minister R Shankar with the avowed objective of appropriating the legacy of Shankar like the way the BJP tried to hijack Sardar Vallabbhai Patel.  However the effort came a cropper in a most resounding manner. The most visible sign of the failure of the visit was the snu

Zuma protests: Indian family in the eye of storm

As South Africans endure their deepest economic crisis since 2009, it’s not just President Jacob Zuma they blame. There’s a family whose name is increasingly the target of protest: the Guptas. As tens of thousands marched in October in South Africa’s biggest wave of nationwide anti-government protests since the African National Congress came to power, one poster, broadcast on the nation’s television channels, captured the public anger: […]

NEW BILL TO EASE PROCESS OF COMMERCIAL LITIGATION

FOREIGN INVESTORS MAY GET SOME RELIEF

By G. Srinivasan

For the country’s corporate sector apprehensive of long pendency in courts and protracted litigation on commercial disputes for resolution, help is on hand at long last. The NDA government has set off a flurry of activities on this front to give a whiff of long-felt comfort to assuage investors’ enduring worries on this count. In the ongoing winter session of Parliament, the Law Commission of India’s report with its draft bill on Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts and Commercial Courts Bill, 2015 was tabled. Subsequently, the House Panel on Personnel, Public Grievances , Law and Justice   under the  chairmanship of Mr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan also submitted its report, which also took due note of the Ordinance promulgated  by the Government on October 23, 2015 making certain improve

DELHI’S CLEANLINESS AND THE MUCK IN OUR MINDS

WHERE’S YOUR COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM, MR MODI?

By Garga Chatterjee

Those of us who are not of Delhi and live far away from the inner chambers of power, some aspects of the new Union government’s initial pronouncements were indeed exciting. Firstly, in consonance with the tone set by its leader in the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, the Central government wanted to be an enabler and not a micro-manager in people’s lives and aspirations. Secondly, it talked about co-operative federalism, by which, real federalism would be ushered in, in a spirit of co-operation between the constituent states of the Indian Union. Right now, these feel like promises from a different planet.

It is true that the government of India increased the percentage of tax money that would be given by the Centre to the states. But that came with a serious catch. The Union governm

King dollar trend is down, but not out

|By Matein Khalid| The plunge in crude oil after OPEC’s Vienna conclave, Dr. Draghi’s failure to resist Bundesbank pressure not to fire another ECB easy money bazooka, Wall Street’s junk bond debacle and an imminent rise in the Fed Funds rate for the first time since 2006 will all shape the next big trades in Planet Forex. The Euro has risen to 1.10 on Draghi’s failure to […]

IFC finds Arab indebtedness serious challenge to microfinance

|By Arabian Post Staff| A new study from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has found that external risks, security concerns, and over-indebtedness are perceived as the most serious challenges facing the microfinance sector in the Arab World. The survey, conducted in conjunction with Sanabel, the Microfinance Network of Arab Countries, said tackling those problems will be key to spurring the development of the industry. […]

Alleged VTech Hacker Arrested in the U.K.

Alleged VTech Hacker Arrested in the U.K. Police in the United Kingdom believe they have caught the culprit behind a massive cyberattack against leading electronic toy maker VTech that compromised the information of nearly 5 million adults and over 6 million children. The South East Regional Organized Crime Unit, or SEROCU, in Bracknell, a town about 30 miles west of London, arrested a 21-year-old man yesterday for […]

Apple Opens ‘Secret’ Lab To Develop iPhone Screens

Engineers at a “secret” Apple lab in Taiwan are reportedly working to develop innovative new screen technologies for iPhones and iPads, according to unnamed sources “with knowledge of the facility.” A Bloomberg report today said the lab, which began operating sometime this year, is focused on new ways to make device displays thinner and better. The lab is located in the Longtan District in northern Taiwan and […]

Islamic Crowdfunding: Way to go

|By Umar Munshi| Islamic Crowdfunding has the potential to help us change our world for the better. When an online community unites and pools resources, this community has the financial and social clout and capability to create and re-create multiple aspects of the world and directly impact society. Crowdfunding itself started and blossomed in the West initially amongst groups of like-minded individuals wanting to create something. In […]

Low-grade oil already close to $20

As oil crashes through $35 a barrel in New York, some producers are already living with the reality of much lower prices. A mix of Mexican crudes is already valued at less than $28, an 11-year low, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Iraq is offering its heaviest variety of oil to buyers in Asia for about $25. In western Canada, some producers are selling for less […]

INDIA JAPAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION BEST FOR BOTH NATIONS

STRATEGICALLY TWO COUNTRIES NEED TO BE CLOSER

By Nantoo Banerjee

Trust is the key. Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe seems to have finally recognized that India could be fully trusted with technology transfer and large fund investments. It may have taken almost a quarter of a century since Osamo Suzuki chose India for small car production in equity collaboration with the government-owned Maruti Udyog for Japan to finally trust India to engage itself with the country for civil nuclear cooperation. But, Japan today is convinced that slow-and-steady-moving democratic India is probably the most trusted country for economic and technology cooperation outside the USA. The huge $12-billion Japanese long term soft credit commitment for a single project in India – the 550 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service – along with proposal of technology transfer in defence production among 14 other ec

JAPANESE PM ABE AS A TOKEN HINDU

MODI DESTROYING MULTICULTURAL INDIA

By Amulya Ganguli

Narendra Modi may have his own reasons for flaunting his Hindu background, but to rope in visiting dignitaries subscribing to other religions to his own displays of faith is odd, to say the least. The sight, therefore, of the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, participating in the Hindu ritual of offering aarti or obeisance to Mother Ganga in Modi’s company was without precedent in the world of diplomacy.

It is not known what was said in the tour schedule about this form of worship which must have been cleared by the Japanese before the visit. It is possible that Shinzo Abe presumed that he will merely be a witness to a puja like any other tourist. But to stand on the bank of the river as mantras are chanted and various invocations made was something which rarely constitutes a part of an official itinerar

Apple Music wins exclusive video deal with Taylor Swift

Recording artist Taylor Swift arrives at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, August 30, 2015. Reuters/Danny Moloshok/Files NEW YORK Apple Inc won a deal with pop star Taylor Swift to exclusively release a concert video of her recent world tour through its music streaming service, Apple Music, the company and singer said on Sunday. Swift, who celebrated her 26th birthday on Sunday, tweeted […]

Trump outbursts make US firms nervous

No topic has so dominated public discussion over the past week like Donald Trump’s call to indefinitely ban Muslims from entering the U.S. Editorial pages have raged, talk shows have engaged, even leaders of his Republican Party have forcefully rejected the proposal. One group of national leaders, however, has said little: corporate chiefs. A few, it is true, have spoken in broad terms, usually without mentioning Trump. […]

Oil hits post-2008 lowest

Oil declined to the lowest level since 2008 in London amid estimates that OPEC’s decision to scrap production limits will keep the market oversupplied. Brent futures capped the biggest weekly decline in more than a year. The global surplus will persist at least until late 2016 as demand growth slows and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries shows “renewed determination” to maximize production, the International Energy Agency said Friday. […]

Facebook at Work for Enterprises To Launch Next Year

Currently being tested by several hundred companies, including the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Club Med, Facebook at Work is expected to see a wider rollout next year. Available for desktop and mobile devices, the app will function much like the regular Facebook, except that posts, messages and other content will be visible only to users with company work accounts. “More than 300 companies are part […]

RURAL INDIA NOT HAPPY WITH MODI RULE

GUJARAT RESULT IS A RUDE JOLT TO BJP

By Arun Srivastava

There is one common element in the peoples’ mandates of Bihar and Gujarat. In Bihar elections were for the assembly while in Gujarat it was electing the peoples’ representatives for the local bodies and municipalities. The common element in both the elections was the rural people decisively rejected Narendra Modi and his government. After its battering in Bihar, BJP’s loss in rural local bodies in Gujarat comes a year after Narendra Modi, who ruled the state for 12 years, shifted to Delhi.

The rural Gujarat rejecting Modi is most glaring as he had been systematically boasting for launching the Gujarat model of growth. In Bihar elections Modi initially had juxtaposed his model to Nitish’s Bihar model and claimed that it was inclusive and superior. Intriguingly the rural poor of Gujarat outright r

Twitter looks to make money from ads aimed at logged-out users

The Twitter logo is shown at its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California April 28, 2015. Reuters/Robert Galbraith/Files Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) said it was testing a feature to show advertisements to people who read tweets without logging in, as it tries to make good on its long-time ambition to monetize non-active users. The company said the feature will help it cash in on an additional half a […]

BJP MAY BE SURELY AFTER POLITICAL RIVALS

BUT, CONGRESS CHIEF MUST EXPLAIN LAND GRAB CHARGES

By Nantoo Banerjee

One would expect a late Indira Gandhi’s daughter in law to show greater respect to her mother in law by respecting the democratic system and to judicial summons instead of loudly protesting against them in Parliament to stop its normal function. The massive land grab charges against the president and the vice-president of the party pending before the court need to be fought there legally and not in Parliament. Indira Gandhi fought her election perjury case in the Allahabad high court, which she lost in the end, instead of trying to stall Parliament proceedings using her party representatives. The Delhi high court has found substance in the massive land grab allegation against the Congress president, her son and associates. They were directed to appear before the trial court. Like good citizens, they should have

PRIYANKA MAY BE PROJECTED AS FUTURE CM CANDIDATE IN UTTAR PRADESH

By Nora Chopra

Priyanka Gandhi is likely to be the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh in 2017. The thinking in the Congress that unless the Congress returns to power in UP, it cannot revive nationally. Again there is consensus within the party that if the party goes without a face in the election, then it would be difficult to revive itself in the party particularly when you have a young sitting chief minister like Akhilesh Yadav and a former dalit CM like Mayawati. After losing the Bihar elections, the BJP too has started the exercise of shortlisting the candidates. But the Congress I party is once again at a loss. They don’t have a leader in Uttar Pradesh who can match up the stature of both these UP leaders nor does Rahul have the stature of Narendra Modi or Rajnath Singh who can canvass in any state. The Congress leaders feel that by projecting Priyanka Gandhi as the CM before assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress Party can be reviv

Why is gold price so depressed?

|By Lawrence Williams| The ‘Nobody Cares’ quote was the theme of Grant Williams’ polished performance at Mines & Money London last week.  Grant (no relation) is a Senior adviser to Vulpes Investment Management in Singapore – but is perhaps better known as the author of the always entertaining and enlightening Things that make you go hmm… newsletter.  This has been published since 2009 and has become one […]

SME SECTOR TO PLAY A BIG ROLE IN JOBS CREATION

MODI GOVERNMENT HAS TO BOOST SKILL DEVELOPMENT

By K.R. Sudhaman

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced from the ramparts of Red Fort on the Independence Day that the two mantras of his government’s economic strategy would be job creation and to tackle farmers’ woes. In a country, where 10-12 million enter job market every year, no government can ignore this fact and rightly Modi from the day he assumed office in May 2014, has been laying emphasis on job creation. This is all the more important as 65 per cent of the vast 1.25 billion population in the country are below the age of 35.

If India were to cash-in on this demographic dividend, it needed to give a fillip to labour intensive technology, infrastructure and micro, small and medium enterprises. The make-in-India campaign, the digital India coupled with Skill India launched by Modi is aimed at cr

FAST SHRINKING EXPORTS, LESS IMPACT ON IMPORTS

INDIA IS NOT MAKING ENOUGH FOR ITSELF

By Nantoo Banerjee

Notwithstanding the GDP growth projection of 7.5 per cent for the current fiscal, India’s $350-billion export manufacturing is fast shrinking. The export downtrend continued for 11 months in a row toll October. There is no immediate sign of improvement. Making in India does not seem to make much sense at least for Indian exporters at this moment. With export orders shrunk and prices falling in the global market, India’s export manufacturers are in a quandary. The loss of exports during this financial year could be close to $80-90billion. The export earnings could at best reach $270 billion. This could mean a massive loss of production and jobs in the export sector. The country would be lucky if it ends 2015-16 with a 20 per cent loss of export earnings compared to the last year.

Unfortunately, around 4

KERALA POLITICS IN TURMOIL OVER NEW PARTY

CONFUSION PREVAILS IN BOTH BJP AND LEFT

By P. Sreekumaran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Will the formation of a political party by the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SDNDP), the powerful organization of the dominant Ezhava community, catalyse the emergence of a third front in the State?

Political pundits are sharply divided on the issue. While there is one school which believes that the new party, christened Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), will speed up the emergence of the third front, there is another stream of thought which thinks otherwise.

The latter is of the firm view that the Hindus themselves are a divided lot. In support of their argument, they point to the ambivalence of the BJP itself. It is of great significance, they aver, that the BJP and the Hindu Aikya Vedi stayed away from the function which marked the launch of the BDJS.