Ukrainian and Russian officials met up in Istanbul, Türkiye, last week, their first direct meeting since March 2022, the year when Russia invaded Ukraine. Little was achieved except for one agreement on swapping 1,000 prisoners of war each. The Ukrainian delegation rightfully complained that Moscow had made “new and unacceptable demands”. Russia’s posturing, however, seems…
Last week, the Supreme Court of India finally struck down as “illegal” two notifications by the Union Environment Ministry that allowed industrial units to set up, expand operations or change their manufacturing practices without following the due process of taking government permission beforehand. Taking ‘prior’ approval is a sacrosanct principle at the heart of the…
For the fifth time in as many days the U.S. President has claimed credit for bringing India and Pakistan back from “nuclear conflict” by mediating the May 10 ceasefire agreement, a claim that is puzzling and problematic. The claim of mediation has been rebutted by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), unofficially and more formally…
The trade agreement between the U.S. and China, the two biggest economies in the world, serves as a breather in an otherwise tense global trade environment. The U.S. has agreed to temporarily lower, for 90 days, its overall tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China will cut its tariffs on American imports…
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the United Kingdom marks a strong step towards securing India’s bilateral ties in an increasingly fragmented global trade environment. The key highlight for India is that 99% of its exports will attract no duties. Apart from being hailed by business leaders, industry associations representing sectors such as…
The commissioning of the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) under a public-private partnership model with the Kerala government, marks a milestone in India’s maritime history. For a country such as India, which relies heavily on foreign ports for handling around 75% of its inbound…
The Supreme Court’s remark on April 23, asking Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V. Senthilbalaji, who has been out on bail since September 2024 in an alleged money laundering case, to choose between his post and freedom was expected. In the last four months, the Court used strong language against the Minister…
Colossal Biosciences is an American company with an unusual marketing line: combining genomics with conservation — not in its traditional form, but through de-extinction, which is resurrecting species extinct for thousands of years. Leading this project is Harvard geneticist George Church, a prominent promoter of the company, who aims to bring back the woolly mammoth,…
The 19th report of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is appropriately scathing in its criticism of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, introduced in July 2017 to simplify, unify and improve indirect tax compliance in India. At the outset, the PAC highlights a nearly 2% drop in indirect tax revenue between FY18 and FY20…
It was Donald Trump who sabotaged the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal. When Mr. Trump, in his first term as President (2017-21), unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the agreement in May 2018, Iran was fully compliant with the terms. Mr. Trump then adopted his ‘maximum pressure’…
