Author: ForumIAS

Will fight U.S. tariffs at any cost, warns China What has happened? China on Friday warned that it was digging in for a long campaign to counter Washington’s attempts to undermine its economy, following President Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs China not afraid of trade war Beijing would take “comprehensive countermeasures” and fight… Continue reading Will fight U.S. tariffs at any cost, warns China

WTO is unfair to us, says Trump What has happened? U.S. President Donald Trump teed up a fight with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Friday, claiming the 164-country body was biased against the United States. China gets perks and advantages China, which is a great economic power, is considered a Developing Nation within the… Continue reading WTO is unfair to us, says Trump

U.S. sanctions target Putin’s allies What has happened? The U.S. struck at the heart of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle on Friday, imposing sanctions on seven of Russia’s most influential oligarchs and stoking a diplomatic crisis that some have dubbed a new Cold War. Total Targets In all, seven oligarchs, 12 companies they own or… Continue reading U.S. sanctions target Putin’s allies

Nepal PM pitches for Indian investments What has happened? Nepal’s economy at present depends heavily on global remittances, which make up about 30% of its GDP. More than four million Nepalese live and work outside the Indian subcontinent, with about five to seven million estimated to be living and working in India, crossing an open… Continue reading Nepal PM pitches for Indian investments

Smoke in the woods Context The new draft Forest Policy 2018 Different approaches Pre & Post independence: Forest policy in colonial India focussed on maximising products and revenues for the state through the imperial forest department as sole owner, protector and manager of the forest estate. In post independent India forests were seen as sources… Continue reading Smoke in the woods

Humanity’s first flight to sun in July: NASA Context NASA’s Parker Solar Probe — humanity’s first mission to the Sun — is undergoing final preparations for its launch scheduled for July 31 Launch by: Delta IV Heavy Launch Vehicle Launched from: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Objective of the mission It will orbit directly… Continue reading Humanity’s first flight to sun in July: NASA

‘LTCG tax to spur growth in fixed-income MFs’ Context Year 2017 was one of the most remarkable years for the mutual fund industry both in terms of growing the equity asset class, as well as systematic investment plans (SIP) as a mode of investing Prelims relevant info What is LTCG tax? It is the tax… Continue reading ‘LTCG tax to spur growth in fixed-income MFs’ 

Bad loan menace: auditors come under lens of RBI Context With the RBI cracking the whip on bad loans menace, more than three dozen chartered accountants (CAs) are under the scanner for allegedly conniving with promoters in defaulting as well as restructuring the stressed assets, sources said What is RBI looking into? The regulator is… Continue reading Bad loan menace: auditors come under lens of RBI 

Why Indian firms don’t innovate Context A large proportion of Indian companies just don’t have the policy or human resource capabilities to invest in innovation though the country fares favourably in terms of research and development (R&D) spending when compared with its peers, according to a top World Bank official Issues: Why Indian companies don’t… Continue reading Why Indian firms don’t innovate

EC to take a call on electoral bonds soon Context Electoral Bonds Backdrop The Union government notified the electoral bond scheme on January 2. The amendment to Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act has made it no longer mandatory for the parties to report the details of donations received through the bonds.… Continue reading EC to take a call on electoral bonds soon