Most political parties and media have passionately supported the Supreme Court ruling in the 2G spectrum case, that the government should auction natural resources and not allot them or allow unregulated extraction (as in iron ore mining). The Comptroller and Auditor General has fuelled this public passion by estimating huge losses to the exchequer through failure to auction natural resources like spectrum and coal.

As a condition for funding European bailouts, Brics should demand the slashing of huge farm subsidies
The IMF wants to increase its lending capacity by $1 trillion, to rescue distressed countries in the eurozone plus those hit by aftershocks from the eurozone. But US is struggling with fiscal problems of its own, Japan now has the highest debt/GDP ratio in the world (over 200%), and Europe is moving into an austerity phase. Clearly, a significant chunk of the new trillion will have to come from the Brics, above all, China.

DROUGHT usually means electoral defeat for incumbent governments. So does double-digit inflation.

Great disasters occur constantly. The Asian financial crisis blasted the miracle economies of Asia. The Great Recession of 2007-09 led to the bankruptcy/rescue of the five top investment banks on Wall Street, the biggest bank (Citibank), the biggest insurance company (AIG), the biggest auto manufacturer (General Motors) and the biggest mortgage underwriters (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac).

For decades, India has kowtowed to Gulf countries, notably Iran. With large shale gas deposits and new technology to extract it, India can afford to act tough, says Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar.

India, with its huge share of exports and foreign investment in GDP, is more sensitive than ever to the global economy. Hence, India may not average more than 7.5-8% growth in the next five years, says Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar.

That Himalayan glaciers have not been melting at an alarming rate as claimed by the IPCC dents the body

The economy

Establishment scientists are only human, and can be expected to spin everything and anything to prove that they did deserve the award. That seems to them more worthwhile than scientific truth, says Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar.