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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday that President Donald Trump looks forward to enhancing understanding with China and the opportunity for a visit in the future. Xi said he was glad to see good progress from Tillerson’s meetings in China so far and that he and Trump expect a new stage of constructive development in bilateral relations. Tillerson said Trump places a “very high value on the communications that have already occurred” between Xi and Trump. “He looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future,” Tillerson said. “We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the United States, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation.” Xi said Tillerson had made a lot efforts to achieve a smooth transition in this new era of relations. “You said that China-U.S. relations can only be friendly....

Top US diplomat Rex Tillerson prepared to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping today just hours after a North Korean rocket engine test added new pressure on the big powers to address the threat from Pyongyang. North Korean state media said today that the isolated regime had tested a powerful engine hailed by leader Kim Jong-Un as a “new birth” for its rocket industry. The test seemed timed with the Beijing visit of the US Secretary of State, who has sought to ramp up pressure on defiant North Korea over its nuclear programme and missile threats. After talks with his counterpart Wang Yi on Saturday, Tillerson warned that regional tensions had reached a “dangerous level.” The two diplomats pledged to work together toward denuclearising Kim’s rogue regime, but did not offer clear details on how. Tillerson was to meet with Xi around 11.00 am. It was not immediately clear whether the two would discuss North Korea’s latest thumb in the eye. The North’s state news agency KCNA said Kim ha...

If we go by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s televised announcement on November 8, the reason to implement demonetisation on such a massive scale was to fight corruption. The narrative has changed somewhat lately and the need to modernise the Indian economy and move towards a cashless society have been presented as additional factors. But the need to counter corruption clearly remains a priority. Modi’s electoral success in 2014 took place in the wake of a formidable anti-corruption mobilisation initiated in 2011 by Anna Hazare. At that time, thousands of people demanded the creation of a Lokpal. This was one of the most popular movements in post-independence India — it called to mind the movement Jayaprakash Narayan had spearheaded in the 1970s. As Gujarat CM, Modi supported the creation of Lokpal in an open letter to Hazare on April 11, 2011. The Lokpal Bill was passed in Parliament in December 2013 as the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act. A little less than six months later, a new government...

The challenge of automata India must facilitate investments in artificial intelligence and be prepared to address the negative fallouts of the technological revolution.  That the US president elect Donald Trump has spoken up against H-1B visas, which go mostly to Indian IT companies, is no surprise. Last week at a “thank-you rally” in Iowa, Trump promised to end the abuse of Washington’s visa policies by US firms that have replaced American engineers with cheaper foreign skilled workers. He was referring to an incident that involved Disney World in Orlando, Florida and a couple of Indian companies and IT professionals on H-1B visas. Trump did not name India or the companies, but the message was loud and clear. The US policy on H-1B visas has been under fire from many quarters of the US establishment — from the IT trade unions to the liberal New York Times, which ran a series of stories last year, on how the Indian companies had gamed the US visa policy to the detriment of ...

The Constitution of India, while granting absolute supremacy to the legislature in its own sphere, also envisioned it to be the state’s most transparent organ. The Constitution vide Articles 98, 105, 118, 122, 187, 194, 208 and 212 has provided for powers, privileges and immunities to the legislature, its members, committees and officials. These articles found their reflection in the rules adopted by both the houses of Parliament and various state legislatures making them the most transparent and independent of all the public institutions. Long before enactment of the Right to Information in 2005, the Rules of Legislatures have provided for the proactive disclosure of information. Every word spoken in the Chamber of Legislature (the exceptions are the expunctions and secret sittings held under Rule 248 of Lok Sabha) and every report/paper tabled in the House are readily available. Legislatures across the country, led by Parliament, embraced new technologies making the dissemination of...

Reflecting a new bonhomie of Indo-US defence ties, the Pentagon today announced that outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter would be visiting India next week on his final around the world trip. Slated to be in India on December 8, Carter would travel to Japan, Bahrain, Israel, Italy and Great Britain before returning to the US on December 16. This is for the first time that an outgoing American Defence Secretary has included India in his itinerary for the final overseas trip. Plans In Place To Take On Any Force Indian Navy On Deployment Of Chinese Navy Ships On Gwadar Port “He (Carter) will look to build on the strategic handshake between the two nations and to continue the momentum in the relationship over the past decade, including expanded defence cooperation during his time as Secretary,” the Pentagon said in a statement. Carter among others would meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Ahead of his visit, informed sources said India has made maritime security a significant prio...

Amid protests from the Opposition which accused the government of “bulldozing” Parliamentary democracy, Lok Sabha passed a bill that seeks to tax black money deposited in banks post-demonetisation by voice voice Tuesday, without debate. The Opposition questioned how the government introduced Taxation Laws (2nd Amendment) Bill 2016 without giving members time to move amendments. Finance Minister  Arun Jaitley  said the tax, surcharge, penalty and interest on the deposit would go to welfare schemes for the poor. “It will give a means to the Government of India to run schemes like Garib Kalyan Kosh…” he said. Watch What Else Is making News Celebrations at Yuvraj Singh-Hazel Keech Cocktail Party   Jaitley said the bill, moved Monday, was brought after it came to the government’s notice that some people were trying to illegally exchange the demonetised Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency...

To celebrate Citi Foundation's Pathways to Progress, Nuno Francisco (Vice President, U.S. Retail Banking Business) shares insights from his first job. As a junior in high school, I took a position as a stock room associate and weekend brand ambassador at a local men's clothing retailer in Newark, New Jersey. In addition to allowing me to become an expert t-shirt folder, the job prepared me for future success, teaching me to prioritize and manage my time effectively and about the value of teamwork and a client-centric approach to business. My responsibilities as a brand ambassador included managing the sales floor, taking part in community events and sharing details on in-store promotions. I was also a stock room associate where I was tasked with organizing inventory and price marking our clothing for sales. While I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with customers on a daily basis, I was challenged to manage my schedule and was quick to learn the importance of priorit...