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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been distributing all sorts of “Modi’s Guarantees”, but perhaps without an iota of suspicion that farmers will come forward and demand “Legal Guarantees” for Minimum Support Price (MSP), and would not be satisfied with mere assurances, being committed to take their agitation to logical end. Two rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmers’ representatives have already failed since launch of the Delhi Chalo agitation on February 12. Modi government does not want to give “legal guarantee” while farmers refused to settle for any less.

The finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, in her interim budget speech announced the setting up of a high-powered committee “to study the challenges of fast population growth and demographic changes”. The announcement of such a committee in a budget speech was itself a curious one. If the government intended to frame a new population policy based on a committee to study population growth, it should have found a mention in the president’s address to parliament.

Suddenly, India is emerging as a favourable destination for western assemblers operating in manufacturing sector. Till now foreign investors were encouraged or asked to shift from China by Japan. Japan launched incentives for Japanese investors to shift from China. US-China conflict also discouraged the US investors from expanding their operations in China. The latest is the western assemblers are encouraging their Chinese supply chain units to shift to India.

It is a reflection of a keen conflict between black and white papers released by two prominent political parties, one that is the ruling one and then the other, in the opposition. One is the present, beginning from 2014 and the other, the immediate past. The Black Paper is from Congress, and in its 54 pages, the party has analysed the ‘Das Saalanyay Kaal’ focussing on issues like the crisis that pervades almost all dimensions of life where decay dominates. That includes horrific rise in unemployment, that impairs the health of living standards, leading to starvation, illness, and finally the end of life itself. Then there is subversion of institutions that had helped strengthen our composite culture, and also our scientific temper. Judiciary has also been at receiving end.

India's Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra, has described the relationship with the UAE as one of India's most comprehensive and expansive partnerships, spanning the full spectrum of economic activity.

Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, ex-general known for committing human rights atrocities in the past, who was once banned by the United States from entering for two decades for his human rights record, has claimed victory in Indonesia’s presidential election, getting more than 58 percent vote.

Finally, the Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz has shown some guts by taking strict measures against the far right including the neo fascists, following the massive demonstrations organized by the left parties, trade unions, the Social Democrats and other sections of the civil society. The huge participation of the common German people in the continuing demonstrations during week end in major cities of the country, surprised the political watchers.

Once top wrestlers, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat are back protesting the undue influence of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on the wrestling establishment. People will remember Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP. For a very long time, he was the Chief of the Wrestling Federation of India and his happens to be one of the never-ending stories linked to the Narendra Modi saga.

New Delhi: Ramkumar Ramanathan staged a fine comeback after losing the opening set to upset top seed Luca Nardi of Italy to reach the quarter-finals of the DafaNews Bengaluru at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

New Delhi: Led by rejuvenated PV Sindhu ,Indian women’s created a major upset as they stunned the mighty Chinese while the men got the better of Hong Kong to march into the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships at Selangor, Malaysia, on Wednesday.