The possibility of a deal between Iran and the world on its nuclear programme has some perils but much promise for India

Uday Abhyankar: The potential of opening up Iran

Business Standard

Our prime minister recently described Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani as a &ldquo;man of peace&rdquo;. The prime minister may be justified in his assessment; after all he has met Mr Gilani rather more often than you or I. But it is not Mr Gilani&rsquo;s pacific nature that is important &mdash; but rather his will and capacity to deliver peace.

Uday Abhyankar: For India, a year of talking to Gilani, but with eyes on Kayani

The allocation of 2G spectrum in January 2008 has generated a great deal of heat. But it is less clear how much light the passionate recriminations have cast. There are two sets of issues involved in this matter. First, the policy framework for the allocation of spectrum and second, whether there was any impropriety or illegality by ministers and officials concerned in the way in which the policy was implemented.

Uday Abhyankar: The other side of the spectrum 

Climate change negotiations are with us again, this time in Durban following the high-level meetings in Cancun (2010) and Copenhagen (2009). The aim is to agree on a regime to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (particularly CO2) post-2012, when the present commitments under the Kyoto Protocol run out.

Uday Abhyankar: Climate change talks - Dilemma in Durban

A smiling Bali Bai from Rajasthan was shown in the media recently receiving Aadhaar card number 210,000,000 from the prime minister and the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, as part of an initiative to use cash transfers through bank accounts linked to the Unique Identity (UID) system to deliver welfare support more effectively. This is vital, but the scheme properly implemented could do far more &mdash; bring about a grassroots transformation that changes the lives of India&rsquo;s poorest people.

Uday Abhyankar: Aadhaar's transformation

The process of economic reforms in India has had a curious pattern, lethargy punctuated by occasional bursts of activity. After dramatic reforms in the 1990s, recent years have seen only occasional and limited economic reforms with no coherent framework. It&rsquo;s not for lack of ideas &mdash; proposals for reform flow in from all quarters. The usual explanation is to blame the UPA government for lack of political will and lack of courage.

Uday Abhyankar: Reforms, entitlements and poverty

Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry K Kailashnathan has hailed the "historic win" by D Gukesh in the World Chess Championship on Thursday.
He said that Gukesh, hailing from Tamil Nadu, has "scripted history" by becoming the youngest-ever World Chess Champion at 18, in a game played in Singapore.
Gukesh dethroned China's Ding Liren on his way to the historic triumph, sealing it in the 14th and last game of a see-saw battle.
The teenager became only the second Indian to clinch the title after five-time champion Anand, who played a pivotal role in shaping Gukesh's career at his chess academy in Chennai.
"He has done India proud, and his victory is the culmination of his sustained efforts and the coaching he has received. The victory is inspiring confidence and motivating the younger generation. I extend my greetings and felicitations to Gukesh on his record-breaking achievement," the Lt. Governor said in a release.

D Gukesh, Gukesh

Jason Gillespie stepped down from his role as Pakistan's Test team coach and former pacer Aaqib Javed has replaced the Australian for the upcoming two-match series against South Africa, PCB announced on Thursday.
Pakistan will play two Tests against the Proteas from December 26, and they are already in the Rainbow Nation for the white-ball leg of the tour.
Aaqib is currently the interim coach of Pakistan white ball outfits.
Gillespie, whose contract was set to expire in 2026, resigned after the Pakistan Cricket Board didn't review the contract of Tim Nielsen, who was brought in on the recommendation of the former Aussie quick, as the high performance coach of the team.
Gillespie was also peeved at the PCB's decision to absolve him of the powers of team selection and involvement in pitch preparation.
It may be recalled that Gary Kirsten, who joined as the white ball side's coach along with Gillespie, had resigned before Pakistan left for the series in Australia, Zimbabwe and South 

Jason Gillespie

Singh in his notice highlighted the 19-month-long ethnic violence in Manipur

Sanjay Singh, sanjay

While destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, and Bali have seen an 80-100% surge in flight bookings, the Maldives has dropped out of the top-searched destinations

thailand

Rasmus Hojlund scored twice after coming off the bench and Manchester United rallied to beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Europa League.
The Denmark striker netted in the 88th minute after collecting Bruno Fernandes' pass off a free kick to seal the victory and put United into the top eight of the standings.
Hojlund replaced Marcus Rashford in the 56th and scored an equalizer six minutes later after Amad Diallo's shot was deflected by goalkeeper Martin Jedlicka into his path for an easy finish.
The 21-year-old Hojlund also scored twice in the previous round, when United beat Norwegian team Bod/Glimt 3-2, and has five goals in his six appearances in the second-tier competition.
It feels good to have scored two goals but I am more happy with the win, Hojlund said. "My instructions? Go out there and score two goals! Just to use my qualities, run the channels and be assertive in front of goal.
United had come off two straight losses in the English Premier League, 2-0 away to Arsenal, and

Rasmus Hojlund

At just 18 years old, Gukesh's triumph marks a historic milestone in chess, making him the youngest player to ever claim the World Chess Championship title.

The new system will introduce dedicated PF withdrawal cards, functioning like regular bank ATM cards

ATM, Money, Transaction

Stocks to watch, Dec 13: From RIL to HDFC Bank, here is a list of stocks that will be in focus today

market, stocks, stock market trading, stock market

HDFC Bank said that it will take necessary steps to address the concerns and directives mentioned in the letter

HDFC Bank

Markets Crash Live: Benchmark Indian equity indices BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 were trading lower on Friday, tracking the weak performance in global markets

Dalal Street, Stock Market, Market, Crash, Funds, up, Stock, Gain, Lost, decline, statistic, Crisis, Capital, BSE, NSE

Bajaj Healthcare share rose after the company announced that it has entered into a definitive CDMO contract with UK/EU based companies for 15 new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

drugs, pharma sector

The RJD leader questioned the government's priorities, stating that billions of rupees are being spent on propaganda

Tejashwi Yadav,Tejashwi

Google claims its new Willow chip completed a task in under 5 minutes, a calculation the fastest supercomputer would take 10 septillion years to perform

Google Willow chip

A week after President-elect Donald Trump's victory, Elon Musk said his political action committee would play a significant role in primaries.
The following week, the billionaire responded to a report that he might fund challengers to GOP House members who don't support Trump's nominees. How else? There is no other way, Musk wrote on X, which he rebranded after purchasing Twitter and moving to boost conservative voices, including his own.
And during his recent visit to Capitol Hill, Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy delivered a warning to Republicans who don't go along with their plans to slash spending as part of Trump's proposed Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon and Vivek talked about having a naughty list and a nice list for members of Congress and senators and how we vote and how we're spending the American people's money," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Trump's second term comes with the specter of the world's richest man serving as his political enforcer.

Elon Musk, Musk

Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) has released the class 10th, 12th timetable at cgbse.nic.in. As per the officials, class 10 exam will start from Mar 3 and 12th from Mar 28, 2025

CGBSE Board Exam 2025.

Highlighting the historical presence of Hindus in Bangladesh, stating, "We are vanished from Afghanistan. We are vanished from Pakistan. This is the high time. If we are not saved now, we will be

Protest, Delhi Protest, Bangladesh Protest, Hindu Protest

Despite the growth slowdown, a rate cut-cycle is unlikely to start anytime soon

Policy

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology alleges that the essay, titled 'On Pacifism', could be interpreted as encouraging violent protests on campus

MIT University

In the absence of meaningful private investment and job creation, India is slipping back into its pre-Covid-19 rut, and its economic czars are once again publicly refusing to acknowledge the slowdown

Gold

Sitharaman said that intergenerational debt is mounting on countries, and it is important for the government and industry to work together to manage debt at the national and sub-national levels

Uday Abhyankar

Uday Abhyankar

Uday Abhyankar

Uday Abhyankar: The potential of opening up Iran

Uday Abhyankar: For India, a year of talking to Gilani, but with eyes on Kayani

Uday Abhyankar: The other side of the spectrum

Uday Abhyankar: Climate change talks - Dilemma in Durban

Uday Abhyankar: Aadhaar's transformation

Uday Abhyankar: Reforms, entitlements and poverty

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World Chess Championship: Puducherry Lt. Guv hails Gukesh's historic win

Jason Gillespie resigns as Pakistan red-ball coach; Aaqib Javed steps in

Sanjay Singh moves suspension of business notice to discuss Manipur issue

Winter getaway: Thailand leads despite 51% rise in flight fares from India

Hojlund's brace secures Man United win; Tottenham held 1-1 in Europa League

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