By Amit Kapoor Logistics forms the backbone of domestic and international trade in any economy and is a critical factor for competitiveness. Besides providing employment and movement of goods, an efficient logistical network enables increases…
By Vikas Datta With her large, limpid brown eyes, statuesque figure, seductively deep voice, she was one of the world’s best-known actresses and sex symbols in the 1950s and 1960s – but Gina Lollobrigida, who…
By Himadri Ghosh In the prosperous district of Kannur in one of IndiaÂ’s most prosperous states, Kerala, Eramangalathu Chitralekha, 39, was the first Dalit woman to drive an autorickshaw in 2005. Her new profession immediately…
By Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd) On July 1, 2016, No.45 Squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF) became the proud recipient of IndiaÂ’s first indigenous 4th generation fighter; the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) dubbed Tejas….
By Vikas Datta Every poetic tradition has one great exponent, traditionally and popularly embodying and representing its identity and characteristics. Most are historic figures, though relatively new, or revived languages may see those from recent…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (File Photo: IANS) By Amulya Ganguli It has taken two years but, finally, Narendra Modi appears to have found his feet. In a recent interview, he demonstrated his grip on the…
By Himadri Ghosh Earlier this week, when upper-caste villagers in the western Uttar Pradesh district of Firozabad tried to prevent the funeral of a Dalit paramilitary trooper killed in a terrorist ambush, it was the…
By Nirendra Dev New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Left unity in Bengal seems to have taken a beating due to the “working relation” between the CPI-M and Congress in the eastern state. While Communist Party…
By Rajendra Shende A frightening but most authoritative report on the state of the environment released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in May 2016 was eclipsed in the bedlam of terrorist attacks, tsunami…
By Saeed Naqvi Could the terrorist attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport killing 43 and injuring hundreds be a blowback from the Fallujah operations concluded three days ago? Does Fallujah, in the end, indicate a more…
By Suraj Nair In October 2014 Karuppasamy (name changed), a farmer in Tamil NaduÂ’s western district of Pudukkottai, had no choice but to rent a pump-set to irrigate his farm when the rains were delayed…
By Devanik Saha Gujarat and Delhi are IndiaÂ’s most investment-friendly states. Bihar and Jharkhand are the worst. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the most corrupt states for doing business. West Bengal is the most…
By G.B.S.N.P. Varma CO2 concentration levels in the atmosphere have risen above 400 parts per million (ppm) for the second year in succession, but this time they will endure for our lifetimes, according to scientists…
By Amit Dasgupta British Prime Minister David Cameron’s exit speech, with his quivering lower lip, won praise from some in the social media. Very quickly, however, sentiments changed with the recognition that it was his…
By Subir Bhaumik Isak Chisi Swu, a veteran of many long marches to China with bands of Naga rebels, has died and left his comrade Thuingaleng Muivah in a bit of a legitimacy crisis. Those…
By Abhishek Waghmare Of 11 states ravaged by drought in 2016, seven – Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana – had less than average water in their reservoirs in June. Levels in…
By Amit Kapoor The Indian economy is at an interesting inflection point. With RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan announcing his plans to return to academia and the referendum in Britain voting to leave the EU, the…
By Chaitanya Mallapur The average deposit per account under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) – a financial inclusion programme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2014 – increased 118 per cent…
By Tarun Basu The difference is noticeable the moment one crosses the border from West Bengal into Sikkim. Colourful stone arches and wall panels embedded with Sikkimese tribal motifs greet a visitor and houses and…
By Vikas Datta Two days hence but in 1914 came possibly the most inept assassination in modern history, which may well have remained a farcical incident but for its consequences — not only a long…