IPA Staff
16581 stories by IPA Staff
Trumpeting A US Annexation Of Canada, Greenland May Not Be A Wishful Thinking
By Nantoo Banerjee There seems to exist a method in US President-elect Donald Trump’s madness when he talks about his desire to annex Canada and Greenland, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico among others. A US annexation of Canada is possible through a treaty between the two countries involving...
Vatican Appointing Simona Brambilla As Prefect Is Of Historic Significance
By Kalyani Shankar Two dramatic announcements were made last month that could significantly advance women’s empowerment worldwide. The first was a historic decision from the Vatican, which saw Pope Francis appoint Sister Simona Brambilla as the Prefect for the first time. This 59-year-old Consolata Missionary, previously the second-in-command of...
Home Minister Amit Shah’s End Of ‘Politics Of Betrayal’ Reference Has Twin Targets
By Dr. Gyan Pathak It is only after a week of Uddhav Thackeray’s ‘Saamana’ praising its political adversary BJP leader and Chief Minister of the state Devendra Fadnavis and a reported reunion efforts between the NCP factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Home Amit...
Greenland Can Be Another Mara-A-Lago Of Donald Trump Family
By Sushil Kutty Is Donald Trump Jr behind President-elect Donald Trump’s wish to buy, occupy Greenland? Donald Trump, the real-estate hobo, probably got influenced by Trump Jr and wants to humour his eldest. Donald Trump Jr was recently in Greenland, what’s the hurry? Trump sought to buy Greenland in...
Latest U.S. Study Debunks MAGA Hawks Claims About US Youth Losing Jobs Due To Immigrants
By Kunal Bose What is brain waste? The term is used in reference to immigrants in developed countries whose educational achievements, professional distinction, language skills and legal status are often undervalued leading to their underemployment or unemployment. It is not that their native born peers are never victims of...
Growing High Tech Deepening The Divide Between Developed And Emerging Economies
By Satyaki Chakraborty The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 report released in Geneva on January 13 highlights the increasing complexity in the cyber landscape, which has significant implications for organizations and nations. This complexity arises from the rapid growth of emerging technologies, prevailing geopolitical uncertainty, the evolution...
India-Afghanistan Cordial Relations Is A Win-Win Situation For Both
By Asad Mirza The pragmatic Indian move to court Taliban 2.0 has sent ripples in the region, particularly in Pakistan, their common foe. This bold Indian move will definitely serve well to safeguard its regional security concerns besides helping boost its aim to emerge as a regional leader. Last...
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Surrenders To Trump By Doing Away With Fact Checking
By Chauncey K. Robinson NEW YORK: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a video this week announcing that all of his company’s platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, etc.) will do away with their fact-checking programs. Although the tech CEO framed his new policies as a defense of free speech against excessive...
Insurance Reforms To See 100 Per Cent FDI Ceiling, Composite Licence
NEW DELHI: The much-awaited Insurance (Amendment) Bill to allow 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector may see the light of the day in the Budget session of Parliament. The proposed major amendment follows the tweaking of the Insurance Act in 2021, when the FDI limit was raised...
India’s Inflation Likely To Stabilise Around 4.3-4.7 Per Cent In FY26: Report
NEW DELHI: The central government has given the RBI the target to maintain inflation between 2 to 6 per cent band. It is called the tolerance band, while the median target is 4 per cent. Inflation in the country is likely to stabilize at an average of 4.3-4.7 per...
Robust Rural Growth To Continue For FMCG Firms In Q3
MUMBAI: With the high inflation still straining urban wallets, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies see faster sales volume growth continuing in the rural areas versus the urban regions in the December quarter. Q3FY25 will be the fourth straight quarter of rural volume growth outpacing urban volume growth, NielsenIQ data...
VCs Betting On NBFCs For Stable Investments
BENGALURU: Venture capital (VC) investments in the non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) surged in 2024, marking a notable pivot towards safer, proven business models with clear exit opportunities. Amid a tepid growth in the overall VC funding, NBFCs raised approximately $1.2 billion across 50 equity rounds, a jump of 70%...
Budget 2025: Plan Afoot To Decarbonise Power, Steel
NEW DELHI: India is working on a national carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) mission to support decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as thermal power, iron and steel, and cement plants, people familiar with the matter told ET. The contours of the mission are being firmed up and an announcement...
Government Partially Restores Gas Supply To IGL, Adani-Total
NEW DELHI: The government has increased cheaper gas supply to city gas retailers IGL, Adani-Total, and Mahanagar Gas, restoring a major part of the allocation that was cut in 2024, according to regulatory filings by the companies. The government, in October and November last year, had cut supplies of...
FinMin To Meet Heads Of Banks To Review Financial Inclusion Schemes
NEW DELHI: Finance Ministry has called a meeting of heads of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on Wednesday to review progress of various financial inclusion schemes, including Jan Suraksha and Mudra Yojana. The meeting, which would see participation from representatives of private sector banks, is scheduled to be chaired by...
CII Suggests 10-Point Agenda On Ease Of Biz Reforms Ahead Of Budget
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the upcoming Budget, industry body CII on Sunday suggested a 10-point agenda to drive ease of doing business reforms, aimed at reducing compliance burden, simplifying regulatory frameworks, and improving transparency. Among the “urgent policy interventions”, the industry body has recommended that all regulatory approvals —...
India’s Coal Import Rises Two Per Cent To 182 MT In April-November Period
NEW DELHI: India’s coal import rose by two per cent to 182.02 million tonnes (MT) in the April-November period of the current fiscal year. The country’s coal import was at 178.17 MT in the year-ago period, according to data compiled by business-to-business e-commerce company mjunction services ltd. However, the...
Amnesty Scheme For Customs May Be Announced In Budget 2025-26 To Reduce Litigation: Experts
NEW DELHI: In a bid to reduce litigation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the upcoming Budget may announce an Amnesty Scheme for customs to foster ease of doing business. “The main asks of the industry would certainly be aligned with the objectives of the government and one objective of...
