Daily Current Affairs

The Global Economic Prospects 2017 report brought out by the World Bank has taken a very contrarian stand. Even as the Central Statistical Organisation and other indicators, including the lead indicators brought out by the OECD, point to a sharp deceleration in growth the World Bank reports says that growth in the Indian economy has bottomed out in 2016 with …

By ADAM SHATZJAN When Barack Obama entered office, the hopes that he raised in his own country were exceeded only by the hopes he raised abroad. Mr. Obama tapped into those hopes with his inspirational rhetoric about a “transformational” presidency, and his promises were scarcely less dramatic. America would be steered back on track, working with other countries to meet …

Benjamin M. Friedman ON March 4, 1933, at the bottom of the worst financial and economic crisis to afflict the United States since the Civil War, Franklin D. Roosevelt took office as president. Two days later, Roosevelt acted to stanch the collapse by suspending gold payments, imposing a four-day “bank holiday” and arranging emergency assistance for banks when they reopened. …

A.G. Noorani OVER 30 years ago, prime minister Indira Gandhi called off talks with Pakistan on a no-war pact because Pakistan’s representative to the UN Human Rights Commission, Agha Hilaly, had compared Indian Kashmir with Palestine. That was before the eruption of militancy in the former in 1989. Since then, the parallel has become even more apt. In both places, …

ISLAMABAD: Due to the scarcity of water and climate change, desertification of land is increasing across the country each year and the level of underground water is also dropping. Various stakeholders on Friday gathered at the Ministry of Climate Change to devise a strategy to stop desertification and make barren land fertile. Desertification is the process by which fertile land …

By: Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai On behalf of the ‘World Kashmir Awareness’ and its members, sincere congratulations to Mr President-elect on your election as the 45th President of the United States of America. As you settle down to your new responsibilities, I would like you to know that the best wishes of Americans of Kashmiri origin are with you. We …

By Mansoor Ahmad LAHORE: Planners in Pakistan must address the problem of poverty that is prevalent among the employed, and take heed of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) warning of marginal rise in global unemployment rates in 2017. In its report on trends in world employment and social outlook for 2017, the ILO states that working poverty remained a problem …

By Dr Ikramul Haq An extensive debate is going on in the media and elsewhere about the laws related to disqualification of elected members of parliament, especially in the wake of petitions admitted by the Supreme Court for alleged perjury and concealments of assets by the incumbent prime minister and references against Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen forwarded by the …

By Hussain H Zaidi The sun has set on the military courts instituted for the trials of civilians charged with terrorism related offences. It is likely, however, that the sun will soon rise again. Throughout their two-year term, which started in January 2015, the special military courts remained shrouded in controversy. The establishment of the military courts was part of …

The fall of Dhaka may have occurred on December 16, 1971, but factors leading to it date far back. The creation of Pakistan came about under extraneous circumstances. The departure of the British from the Indian subcontinent had become imminent after they suffered the economic ravages of WW II while the “Quit India” movement spearheaded by Hindus became louder reaching …