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The UN conference on climate change held in Marrakech, with an emphasis on raising the commitment of all countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is particularly significant as it provided an opportunity to communicate concerns about the future climate policy of the U.S. It would be untenable for the U.S., with a quarter of all cumulative fossil fuel emissions, to renege on its promise to assist vulnerable and developing nations with climate funding, technology transfer and capacity-building under Donald Trump’s presidency. As the Marrakech Action Proclamation issued at the close of the conference emphasises, the world needs all countries to work together to close the gap between their intended reduction of carbon emissions and what needs to be done to keep the rise of the global average temperature well below 2°C in this century. The Paris Agreement on climate change was forged on the consensus that man-made climate change does have a scientific basis, that the developed c
Donald Trump’s surprise win in the U.S. presidential elections has lent the dollar new wings. It has soared against most currencies, including the rupee, on the expectation that his economic policies will spur growth and inflation in the world’s largest economy. The prospect of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates provided an updraught that helped the dollar extend a record appreciating streak against the euro last week and pushed the rupee past 68 to a dollar. In Congressional testimony last week, Fed Chair Janet Yellen signalled that the central bank was close to a decision to raise rates again. Some economists predict U.S. GDP growth could see appreciable acceleration in 2017 — with one projection positing even a doubling of the pace by the fourth quarter — if the new administration delivers on some of its promises, including tax cuts, deregulation and infrastructure spending. In fact, with a Republican majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Mr. Trump
It is no surprise that the Supreme Court has declined to review its 2014 judgment banning jallikattu, the popular bull-taming sport held alongside annual harvest festivities in rural Tamil Nadu. The original judgment had drawn on sound legal principles to conclude that the need to prevent cruelty to animals overrides the consideration that conducting the sport was necessary to preserve culture and tradition. More particularly, the court had found that a 2009 State law that sought to regulate jallikattu was repugnant to the 1960 central legislation to prevent cruelty towards animals. The former Act did contain stringent provisions, but animal rights activists contended that the element of cruelty could not be eliminated altogether. Despite evidence that the game caused distress and pain to the animals, and even led to injuries and occasional fatalities, political leaders in the State and sections of the public often make the claim that jallikattu has cultural and religious significance
