P>The latest AC Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence survey, of over 28,000 users of the internet in 51 countries, does not throw up any surprises, given the state of the world economy and the short-term outlook.

Editorial: A glass half full

Business Standard

P>For the 33 years of its existence, Microsoft has been identified primarily with one charismatic person  Bill Gates, or William Gates III.

Editorial: Gates looks out of Windows

P>Barack Obama may or may not make it to the White House but he has already made a vital difference to American politics.

Editorial: Democratising the presidency

&nbsp;Six months ago, Israel decided to move towards an electric grid for vehicles. Shorn of the technicalities, the plan is to replace vehicles running on liquid fuels with electric vehicles and replace fuel vends with battery vends.

Editorial: Weaning India Away from Oil

P>The government has got down to tackling inflation with all the weapons in its armoury  tariff cuts, export restrictions, physical controls, administrative measures to prevent stockpiling  while the Reserve Bank has tried to squeeze out excess liquidity.

Editorial: Cracking down on prices

P>Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan&#39;s contention that, being a Constitutional authority, he is outside the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act is strange, since it is not in keeping with the high standards prescribed by the higher judiciary.

Editorial: Equality before the law

P>By holding higher grain consumption in India and China responsible for global food crisis, US President George W Bush and his secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, have needlessly started a blame game which is so far removed from the facts as to be laughable, which does not improve Mr Bush&#39;s already dodgy reputation on sticking to the facts, and which in any case leads the world nowhere in its combat against hunger.

Editorial: Grain truths

P>It may be counter-intuitive to argue that oil prices will climb during a year in which most of the leading economies are slowing down.

Editorial: Oil Crisis No. 4

P>A typically dramatic situation in a Bollywood movie comprises a doctor telling an anxious family that he has done all he can for the patient, who can be seen swathed in bandages and sporting multiple tubes behind him, and now all is in the hands of a higher power.

Editorial: Waiting for the results

P>The revelation by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) that eight of the 10 warmest years on record since 1901 have been in the last one decade and that all years since 1993, barring one, have clocked higher than normal temperature establish beyond doubt that India&#39;s climate has already changed on account of global warming  and this is irrespective of whether the warming is on the long-term ascendant or cyclical in nature.

Editorial: Effects of warming

P>It was only a couple of years ago that the government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and market leader Bharti Airtel had roughly the same number of mobile phone subscribers.

Editorial: Don`t delay this call

P>There has been a buzz for some time now about large investments finding their way into the country&#39;s power generation sector.

Editorial: Unexpected success

P>Software piracy statistics scream for attention every May when the Business Software Alliance (BSA) releases its piracy report.

Editorial: Piracy under attack

&nbsp;Inflation continues to soar. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for the week ended May 3 registered a staggering 7.83 per cent increase over the corresponding week of last year, raising questions about the government&#39;s repeated assertions that the measures taken in the past few weeks are beginning to pay off.

Editorial: Faulty gauge?

P>There isn't much to prove the point that the problems of the US are because of globalisation.

Arvind Subramanian: US`s globalisation angst

P>It is almost certain that the Rs 6,000 crore sought to be raised through the follow-on public offer of the country&#39;s largest power generator  NTPC Ltd  would have lined the coffers of the government rather than done anything for the Navratna company since the 4.75 per cent equity to be sold was owned by the government.

Editorial: Dealing with Navratnas

P>The government&#39;s reported proposal to launch a campaign for promoting intellectual property (IP) protection culture seems both timely and need-based.

Editorial: Patent absurdities

P>There is something about members of the CPI(M) and the CPI that serves to remind us all of the adage about the pot calling the kettle black.

Editorial: Straws in the wind

Even as the trade negotiators at Geneva strive to put together an agreed draft for consideration at the World Trade Organisations ministerial meeting that is likely next month, a note of caution has

Timely warning

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which is the dominant communist party today, has just concluded its Ninth Congress. This will be remembered most of all for the exit of the remaining elements

A harder party line

The alarm bells have been ringing for the last few days as the inflation rate, measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), touched the 7 per cent mark for the week ended March 22. The stock market

Difficult choices

Incisive columns and editorial comment by top opinion leaders

Page 357 - Editorial Comment