India is going through a rough patch. The common man knows it, foreign investors know it and so does our government. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also one of the contenders for the post of president, has been trying his best to clear the air and restore the confidence to get the economy back on track. In his recent Parliament speech, when he delayed the controversial GAAR norms, Mukherjee said new ‘austerity measures’ will be announced to aid the fiscal consolidation process. The government, however, still doesn’t seem to be frugal when it comes to spending. On Monday, newspapers in New Delhi were flooded with ads, some of them full page, on the 21st death anniversary of India’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Hindustan ... Continue reading →

By Ross Colvin and Manoj Kumar NEW DELHI | Fri May 18, 2012 7:23pm IST NEW DELHI (Reuters) - "Dear God," wrote economist Rajeev Malik as he called on the Almighty to help India's "rudderless" government in a biting critique that underscored a growing frustration at home and abroad with the stewardship of Asia's third-largest economy. Writing in the Business Standard newspaper, the well-respected Malik echoed the exasperation of Indian and foreign business groups pressing for the government to swiftly implement major economic reforms and formulate a coherent strategy to deal with its mounting problems.Another newspaper said India could be heading to a Greek-style crisis.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress Party blames unreliable allies in his coalition government for blocking major reforms aimed at opening up ... Continue reading →

MEXICO CITY | Wed May 16, 2012 10:19am EDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Two Mexican generals, including the former deputy minister of defense who helped lead the escalation of the country's war against drug gangs, are being investigated for ties to organized crime, an official at the attorney general's office said on Wednesday. Mexican soldiers on Tuesday detained Tomas Angeles Dauahare, who served as the army's second in command until 2008, and Roberto Dawe Gonzalez, who led an elite unit in the state of Colima, and turned them over for questioning to the country's organized crime unit, officials said."The generals are making a statement because they are allegedly tied to organized crime activities," the official at the attorney general's office said, on condition of anonymity.President ... Continue reading →

In spite of friendship and love in private spaces, the Delhi public literally stops and stares. It is harrowing to constantly have children and adults tease, taunt, pick, poke and peer at you from the corner of their eyes, denying their own humanity as well as mine. Their aggressive, crude curiosity threatens to dominate unless disarmed by kindness, or met with equal aggression. Once I stood gazing at the giraffes at the Lucknow Zoo only to turn and see 50-odd families gawking at me rather than the exhibit. On a visit to the Lucknow zoo, people gawked more at me than at the exhibits. Parents abruptly withdrew infants that inquisitively wandered towards me. I felt like an exotic African creature-cum-spectacle, stirring fear and awe. Even ... Continue reading →

By Matthias Williams and Frank Jack Daniel KOLKATA, India | Sun May 13, 2012 11:20pm IST KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - Kolkata's red-brick secretariat was built more than 200 years ago for Britain's East India Company, which used trade in opium, cloth and tea to colonise the subcontinent. Distrust of foreign merchants lingers still. For the past year, the sprawling building has been occupied by Mamata Banerjee, the diminutive chief minister of West Bengal who is perhaps the largest obstacle to economic reforms that would allow 21st-century traders free access to India's consumer markets.To supporters who affectionately call her "Didi", or "Big Sister", Banerjee is a hero who ended more than three decades of communist rule in West Bengal. They say she shelters farmers and shopkeepers ... Continue reading →

Champions! Manchester City win title with last minute goal City scored two goals in added time to snatch the Premier League title from Manchester United Madchester: Roberto Mancini goes crazy after seeing his side win the title with late dramaPA Manchester City wrote history by winning the Premier League title in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season.City scored two goals in extra-time against Queens Park rangers from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero to snatch the title from under United's noses - after Sir Alex Ferguson's side had beaten Sunderland 1-0 thanks to a goal by Wayne Rooney. Defender Pablo Zabaleta had put City ahead before QPR equalised through Djibril Cisse following a mistake by Joleon Lescott.Joey Barton was was at the heart ... Continue reading →