View Articles

High global oil and gas prices seem to have put the government in a fix as it is unable to pass on the increasing import price burden immediately on the country’s retail consumers mainly due to the crucial assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s largest state having over 150 million registered voters this time. It is unlikely that the government will allow higher retail petrol prices before March 7, the last day of the UP assembly election. Four other Indian states — Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur — are also going into assembly election between February 10 and March 7.

India’s Economic Survey 2022 presented in Parliament on Monday somewhat lacks credibility when it comes to the GDP growth forecast of 8.0-8.5 for the coming financial year with certain riders. The projection is based on the assumption “that there will be no further debilitating pandemic related economic disruption, monsoon will be normal, withdrawal of global liquidity by major central banks will be broadly orderly, oil prices will be in the range of US$70-$75/bbl, and global supply chain disruptions will steadily ease over the course of the year.”

Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh may have increased steadily in recent times but transactions involving the northern areas of Bangladesh and Northeast Indian states have not really taken off. Progress remains slow despite recent official efforts on both sides to increase overall business turnover, by generating more trade between Bangladesh with Tripura and Meghalaya states.

Portugal's centre-left Socialists led by the Prime Minister Antonio Costa won an outright parliamentary majority in Sunday's snap general election defying all latest projections in the opinion poll. The slim majority in the 230 member Parliament is a big booster for the PM Costa who defeated both the ruling party’s main contender the centre-right Social Democrats and his earlier coalition partners the Left Bloc and the Communist Party.

The so-called ‘Spring Revolution’, the caption of the military coup on 1 February 2021 in Yangon shows signs of nervous disorder due to an increasing opposition from the global community. Neighbouring countries like Thailand and Bangladesh are uneasy at developments. Multinational oil companies, USA-based Chevron, France’s Total and Australia’s Woodside Energy, have begun exiting field operations in the Rakhine Basin. Woodside that entered into a production sharing contract with the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, revealed, “given the ongoing situation in Myanmar” it could no longer be involved in the drilling and exploration of the country’s offshore gas fields.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The controversy over the ordinance seeking to reduce the Lok Ayukta’s powers has deepened with Left-supported Independent MLA K T Jaleel leveling allegations against the Lok Ayukta.

Pune: Yuki Bhambri and Prajnesh Gunneswaran will kickstart Indian challenge taking on Jozef Kovalik and Daniel Altamaier. respectively at the 4th Tata Open Maharashtra at the Balewadi Stadium here on Monday.

New Delhi: Though the Asian Games are still 8 months away, All India Chess Federation (AICF) has shortlisted players for the continental extravaganza to be held in Hangzhou, China.

New Delhi: Lakshya Sen and Malvika Bansod will lead the new look Indian men’s and women’s teams in the Badminton Asia Team Championships to be played at Shah Alam, Malaysia from February 15-20.

Pune: With Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Arjun Kadhe getting wild card entries, there will be four Indians in the singles main draw at the Tata Open Tennis to be played at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune from January 31 to February 6.