I was “cooling off” (a bureaucratic term for spending a minimum period in the state after a central posting) in Ranchi in June 2006, hoping to be back in Delhi by October. One morning, I get a call from the establishment officer asking me to report as Secretary of Food and Public Distribution the next … Read more
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has defied calls to resign, pleading instead to form a new government after collapsing this week left eight violent people dead in an escalation of a monthslong crisis over food and fuel shortages. “I will give the opportunity for the new government and new PM to start a new … Read more
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has defied calls to resign. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has defied calls to resign, pleading instead to form a new government after violent conflict this week left eight people dead in an escalation of a months-long crisis over food and fuel shortages. “I will give the opportunity for the … Read more
NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has only deepened further in the past few months, stemming from mismanaged government finances and ill-timed tax cuts in addition to the impact of Covid. Diminishing forex reserves, huge piles of debt, devaluation of currency, rising inflation and a falling economy has compelled the people to struggle for items … Read more
NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka’s armed forces were ordered on Tuesday to shoot at any persons damaging public property or threatening lives, Defense Ministry spokesman Nalin Herath said. The island nation has been rocked by a bout of violence that has left at least eight people dead and 200 injured amid its worst economic crisis in … Read more
A devastating virus was laying waste to nations that lacked medicines available to Americans. The pills were patented and pricey. Poor countries lacked refrigeration to store them, the thinking went, and patients would not be able to follow the complex dosing regimen. The year was 2002, the virus was HIV, and the president, George W. … Read more
The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted its first statement on Ukraine since Russia’s military action began on February 24expressing “strong support” for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ efforts to find a peaceful solution to the 10-week “dispute.” The short presidential statement approved at a very brief council meeting Friday does not mention a “war,” “conflict” … Read more
NEW DELHI: Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, India has been under pressure from western nations to curtail its trading relations with Russia. One of the key issues in focus has been India’s energy purchases from Russia. Recently, when asked at a press conference in the US about India’s oil purchase from Russia, external … Read more