Events of the year that has just gone by have underscored once again the stark fact that independent and sovereign statehood is the ultimate currency of power. The patronage of distant powers, the generosity of international institutions and notions of religious solidarity have all proved to be poor substitutes for the exercise of state power.


Trump's betrayal delivers Kurds a brutal reality check (Comment)


IANS Automatic

What is it that you need to do to make sure you give of your best during an interview?


Looking for a Job? Things your recruiter will look for during your interview


Access to credit, data and transportation are among the most crucial drivers of economic well-being. To ensure better access to critical needs in India, Rod Tidwell's famous line from Jerry Maguire, "Show me the money", would hold in good stead. Access to the correct quality and quantity of financing at the right time is crucial to improving economic well-being.


Economic Growth: One good policy, and a few more to go (Column: Behind Infra Lines)


When Narendra Modi was running for office, he promised to create 10 million jobs per year. The Modi administration has come nowhere near generating that number of jobs during his tenure in office, with the Indian economy expanding but the growth being essentially "jobless".


India needs a competency-enhancing, job-creation master plan (Comment)


With the suddenness of revelation, withdrawal from Syria and "drawdown" from Afghanistan have been announced by Donald Trump. In the past, such announcements were followed up with a tidy pattern: Two steps forward, one step back. But this time debate and hesitation have been foreclosed. Witness the way Defence Secretary James Mattis is being shown the door because he finds himself not on the same page as the President.


Announcing Withdrawals: Trump is doing what he promised at outset (Comment)


Though the fledgling real estate sector facing a slowdown due to the weak residential segment showed signs of recovery this year with affordable and mid-segment housing driving sales amidst largely stagnant prices, the liquidity crisis gripping NBFCs, a major source of funding for realty, put the brakes on recovery. And with the assembly polls and upcoming general elections further casting a pall of uncertainty over the liquidity situation in the New Year, real estate is headed for a turbulent turnaround.


After a year of reckoning, realty stares at turbulent recovery (2018 In Retrospect)


If nothing else, the Kurds of the world now know they are the world's most-loved ethnic group. For that, they owe a debt of gratitude to Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.


Kurds should capitalise on sympathy stirred by Trump's withdrawal from Syria (Comment)


As 2018 ends and we head into 2019, it would be worthwhile to s an the investment horizon and identify important strategies that investors and entrepreneurs could explore to create businesses that can benefit significantly from growth in the Indian markets.


2019 and beyond: Focus on premiumisation, decentralisation (Column: Behind Infra Lines)


A globalised market place, disruptive technological innovations, changing consumption patterns and evolving consumer behavior has led to challenging the existing paradigms.


Why B-schools need to engage in collaborative research (Educational Notes)


India is an elaborate mix of contradictions and complexities. It is rare to find other countries in the world that embrace such an extraordinary diversity of religions, a multitude of ethnic groups, a disparate assortment of languages, and a range of economic development levels within the society.


As India moves forward, it needs to learn from the past (Column: Active Voice)


India has become an outspoken proponent of renewable energy, including at the just-concluded COP24 in Poland and as champion of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). But do the facts back up the rhetoric? Is the central government walking the talk?


India's energy subsidies moving in the right direction (Comment)


I don't often write about mythology. It's today's stories that engage me. Yet I found myself suddenly drawn to an ancient story. What drew me in was how relevant the questions it raises are today. Especially today.


Why did Saraswati disappear? Mythical river raises questions today (Comment)


The Baba Kalyani-led committee constituted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to study the existing Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy, brings to attention the importance of boosting and improving the SEZ infrastructure in India.


SEZ value creation: Core infrastructure meets services (Column: Behind Infra Lines)


Conversations in India rarely revolve around the subject of climate change. The discussions around the topic are largely limited to the highest offices and international forums, while the countrys citizens remain mostly disassociated from it. And yet it is no secret that the country will be the worst affected in the world once the full-scale repercussions of the global crisis are realised.


Reaffirming faith in the fight against climate change (Column: Active Voice)


Is the looming climate change apocalypse real? In the clearly-demarcated battle lines, the good guys are those who believe it is and the bad guys, like US President Donald Trump, are the doubters as any progressive and most of the media would affirm.


Is climate change apocalypse real? Practice is better than preaching  (Comment)


While cities cover only two per cent of the global land area, they contribute around 70 per cent of the global greenhouse emissions, one of the main drivers of climate change.


Leveraging community leaders to build resilience against climate change in urban areas (Comment)


"Since I last addressed the COP in 2009, Ive been deposed in a coup, thrown into jail, and forced into exile. But almost 10 years since I was last at these climate negotiations, I must say, nothing much seems to have changed," said Mohammad Nasheed, former President of the Maldives, adding: "We are still using the same old, dinosaur language." He is now back again to for the negotiations at COP24 and started exploring more effective, urgent and enhanced ambitious targets.


Decarbonisation or Destabilisation? Trust gap widens as time narrows at COP24 (Comment)


The Indian government wants to double the income of farmers by 2022. A roadmap prepared by NITI Aayog outlines the rationale, strategy and action plan for achieving this commendable milestone. We believe that such a plan needs a separate set of measures that focus on mustard farmers -- and promotes mustard as a crop.


Want to double farm incomes? Promote mustard (Comment)


Technology today has become a new way of living and is entrenched in every facet of modern human life. The internet, mobile phones, computers and various other tools of information management have completely changed the way how people live, learn, interact and work.


10 digital skills students need for today's education (Educational Notes)


Disagreements between the government and the central bank are a common occurrence in any economy. It is an expected outcome, given their contrasting roles where one has to maintain the growth of the economy at a healthy pace while the other has to ensure price stability, which sometimes dampens growth prospects. However, this time it was different as weeks of animosity between North Block and Mint Street has culminated in the resignation of the RBI Governor, Urjit Patel.


Salvaging trust after Urjit Patel's exit (Comment)


Given the varied use of government spending, the question remains on how important it is to focus on the "basic" infrastructure services such as roads, electricity and water -- the classic troika of "sadak-bijli-paani".

Page 6 -