January 2020

Iranian lawmaker offers $3 million reward ‘to anyone who kills Trump’: Report An Iranian lawmaker on Tuesday offered a USD 3-million reward to “anyone who kills” US President Donald Trump to avenge the assassination of a top general, semi-official news agency ISNA reported. Ahmad Hamzeh, a little-known member of the Majlis, made the offer on behalf of the people of Kerman, the hometown and final resting place of storied commander Major General Qasem Soleimani. “We will give USD 3 million to anyone who kills Trump,” Hamzeh, who represents Kahnouj county near the southeastern city of Kerman, was quoted as saying...

Before her IMF stint, a ‘neo-liberal’ Gita Gopinath ruffled feathers within Left’s old guard Earlier this week, International Monetary Fund’s chief economist Gita Gopinath raised a few eyebrows when she called India the biggest drag on global growth. IMF now expects the Indian economy to grow 4.8 percent this fiscal, a steep downgrade from the 7.5 percent it had forecast just a year ago. The Harvard economics professor, married to IAS officer Iqbal Dhaliwal, is the first-ever woman chief economist at IMF and is a renowned expert on international trade and finance. But long before her IMF stint, Gopinath has had a...

Spencer’s Retail share price climbs 11% after Radhakishan Damani picks stake in December quarter Shares of RPG Group company Spencer’s Retail rallied 11.5 percent intraday on January 21 after veteran investor and D-Mart promoter Radhakishan Damani’s name appeared in the December quarter shareholding pattern of the company. The stock has been one of the biggest gainers in last 15 days, rising more than 41 percent. It was quoting at Rs 82.60, up Rs 8, or 10.72 percent on the BSE at 1134 hours IST. The latest shareholding pattern of the company said ace investor Radhakishan Damani bought 16,61,324 equity shares (representing 2.09...

Realistic optimism: How McKinsey Asia chairman Oliver Tonby sees future of India growth story The Asia chairman of McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s biggest names in management consulting, feels the buzz around the India growth story is “realistic optimism”. At the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos summit, Oliver Tonby told India Today TV that he had “two opposing thoughts” on India. One one hand, he said, issues affecting both India and the rest of the world — such environmental sustainability, inequality, economic slowdown, and geopolitical tensions — were worrying. But Tonby said he and many McKinsey clients were optimistic...

Sri Lanka civil war: Missing persons are dead, says Gotabaya Thousands of personsreported missing since the time of Sri Lanka’s civil war are “actually dead”, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said. The President made the remark in a recent meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator, according to a statement from his office. Outlining his plans to address the issue of missing persons, “he explained that these missing persons are actually dead. Most of them had been taken by the LTTE or forcibly conscripted. The families of the missing attest to it. However, they do not know what has become of them...

Facebook apologises after vulgar translation of Xi Jinping’s name Facebook Inc said on Saturday it was working to find out how Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s name appeared as “Mr Shithole” in posts on its platform when translated into English from Burmese, apologising for any offence caused and saying the problem had been fixed. The error came to light on the second day of a visit by the president to the Southeast Asian country, where Xi and state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi signed dozens of agreements covering massive Beijing-backed infrastructure plans. A statement about the visit published on Suu Kyi’s...

Shinzo Abe says new unit will defend Japan from space tech threats TOKYO, JAPAN: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that Japan will form a space defense unit to protect itself from potential threats as rivals develop missiles and other technology and the new unit will work closely with its American counterpart recently launched by President Donald Trump. The Space Domain Mission Unit will start in April as part of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force, Abe said in a policy speech marking the start of the year’s parliamentary session. He said Japan must also defend itself from threats in cyberspace and...

Boris Johnson loses vote over post-Brexit citizens rights U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday suffered his first parliamentary defeat since the poll when peers voted to give EU citizens physical proof of their right to stay after Brexit. Members of the unelected upper House of Lords voted by 270 to 229 to amend the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which ratifies the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU on January 31. The Bill had passed without hindrance through the lower House of Commons. The EU citizens must apply to stay after Brexit, and if successful are given an electronic...

Who Really is Brazil’s ‘Sexist’ and ‘Homophobic’ Jair Bolsonaro, India’s Republic Day Chief Guest? India’s guest on its 71st Republic Day celebrations would be none other than the controversial President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro who has time and again been in the spotlight for controversial statements and policy decisions. With the annual celebration around the corner, India is geared toward welcoming Bolsonaro, the third Brazilian head of state to attend Republic Day celebrations in India. Unlike his former counterparts, however, the invitation to Bolsonaro, which was sent out in November itself after an informal meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi...

Celebrities laud Rajinikanth for taking a stand in Periyar row Rajinikanth’s refusal to apologise for his remarks against social reformer Periyar E V Ramasamy is getting all sorts of reactions on social media. While many are supporting Thalaivar for his stance, others are accusing him of levelling false allegations against Periyar. Actor Khushbu Sundar is among those who have lauded Rajinikanth for not being politically correct and taking a stand. “Right or wrong, it’s a personal perception n acceptance..but I am glad to see @rajinikanth Sir standing firm on his ground. What we need now is honesty..fear cannot be the rule. Speak..speak...