A story doing the rounds in New Delhi is that the Congress Party has commissioned a secret opinion poll for the coming state elections, which predicts that the BJP will be voted back to power in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, […]

The world is still marveling at the political revolution represented by Barack Obama becoming the first black US President. But while that celebration continues, some readers must be wondering about the next possibility—when will a person of Indian descent become

The US has always had two very different faces, one internal and one external. Internally, it has been a global beacon of democracy, empowerment, and equal rights for the powerful and powerless. Externally, it has used its military and economic

Should the government assist Indian banks and companies that have borrowed billions abroad, and suddenly find it difficult to repay maturing loans because the global financial crisis has frozen money markets? Russia and Mexico have thrown lifelines to their debt-laden

Barack Obama looks certain to beat John McCain and become the next US President. Most Indians will be delighted. An Obama victory will symbolize the vanquishing of racism and the dismal Bush legacy. Besides, McCain is a military hawk, especially

When oil cost $ 145/barrel in June and I predicted a price crash below $ 100/barrel, some jeered at my optimism. But oil crashed to just $ 65/barrel last week. Domestic prices of petrol and diesel are pegged to a

Big financial institutions of all sorts are in dire straits across the globe. But one category remains unaffected—micro-finance. Even as the global financial system freezes and giants like Lehman Brothers collapse, micro-finance institutions (MFIs) are expanding unfazed. Famous financiers face

I am not usually a pessimist. But I predict that India will suffer a lot of pain in the next 18 months, as the economy slows down along with the current global slowdown. The US, Europe and Japan are sinking