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In their approach to Muslim voters, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have exchanged places in the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam Singh Yadav's politics was well-known as M+Y, the Muslim and Yadav combination that did well. Mayawati's caste formula was Dalit plus anybody. In this election, she is clear about the D+M formula, Dalits and Muslims. But are the Muslims interested?
With last week's train derailment near Vizianagaram, this is turning into one of the deadliest years for rail travel in India in recent times. Over 180 people have died in rail accidents, the highest toll since 2010, and more people have died in derailments than in any of the last 17 years for which data is available.
Last year 21 people from different parts of Kerala disappeared, allegedly in the middle east to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Six months on, what do we know about them? Read the first two parts of Sangeetha Nair's investigation on radicalisation in Kerala here.
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10 Excuses We Are Guilty Of Making When It Comes To Health Resolutions
No matter how hard we try, health and fitness-related resolutions are nearly impossible to keep. The 'YES I CAN' quickly fades to 'DO I REALLY NEED TO?', the TODAY changes to TOMORROW, and the NOW to LATER. The worst part is that there's no dearth of excuses to shun exercise. Here's a look at some of the most common excuses.
In the eleven years between 2004-05 and 2014-15, political parties of all colours, including ones which swore by transparency, got contributions worth more than $1billion (₹6,800 crore) from unknown sources, a study by an independent think tank says. While the Congress got 89% of its funds through such channels, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 65% of theirs from unnamed sources.
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya is of the view that India simply does not have the necessary fiscal resources for a Universal Basic Income scheme, a proposal advocated by the Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, which he will explore in the Economic Survey. If accepted by the government, could be an unprecedented decision anywhere in the world.
The US considers India as "a true friend and a partner in addressing challenges around the world," the US President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The two discussed opportunities to strengthen the partnership between the United States and India in broad areas such as the economy and defence," a statement from the White House said.
Since the alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections has been fixed, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi are planning a joint campaign offensive against Narendra Modi's BJP. "Apne ladke banam bahri Modi" (our boys versus the outsider Modi) will be their war cry.
Snapdeal, run by Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd, has initiated discussions to raise fresh funds largely from existing investor SoftBank Group Corp. at a significantly lower valuation than the $6.5 billion peak it touched in its previous round, according to sources.
Starting March 1, traders in Tamil Nadu will not be selling popular soft drinks and mineral water brands of multinational companies. They will instead encourage Indian brands. The whole of February would be spent on educating traders and consumers about these foreign brands.
With reference to Meryl Streep's impassioned denunciation of Donald Trump's presidency at the Golden Globe Awards, Shah Rukh Khan speaks up against the media in India. "Why would Indian actors speak about a situation that does not exist?" he asked in The Indian Express. "Why don't journalists here behave the way their counterparts do in the West?"
On the occasion of his birth anniversary this week on January 23, an editorial in Mint looks back on the enduring legacy of the nationalist leader, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. "In the pantheon of nationalist freedom fighters, the name of Subhas Chandra Bose is among the most fondly remembered," it says, "The layer of intrigue to the circumstances of his death has added to his immortality."
The past is no longer a guide to the future. In the coming years, Indian foreign policy will need less red lines and greater agility and pragmatism as the country seeks to find its place in this Age of Uncertainty, writes Rakesh Sood in The Hindu.
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