-Tehelka Here are the gaping holes in the argument for FDI in retail. No smooth talk can pave over it TOUTED AS a cure-all for India’s economic ills, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail is at best an anodyne, and at worst, toxic. It is an attempt to lift markets by fabricating sentiment; signalling an economic turnaround without any concrete steps being taken to trim the fiscal deficit or boost manufacturing. All...

-Live Mint Flexible labour laws in India cannot solve the problem of weak job growth and the poor quality of employment  The theme of the World Bank’s World Development Report this year is, appropriately enough, jobs. The report recognizes that creating jobs is the surest way of reducing inequality and poverty, particularly in the developing world. But the cliché it offers as a solution is disappointing: relax labour laws. The bank has...

-The Indian Express Fifteen-year-old Altaf Hussain crouches effortlessly and heads into what looks like a black hole. Dragging a large wooden cart behind him, he disappears into the gaping darkness within seconds. After what seems like an endless wait but lasts just half an hour, he emerges from the hole with a cart laden with dark, glittering coal. The head of this group of 30 is Abu Kalam Mia. The 27-year-old ‘sardar’,...

-The Economic Times CHENNAI: Labour troubles are back to haunt Hyundai's India operations, with Leftist labour group Centre of Indian Trade Unions saying at least 300 workers affiliated to it are on an indefinite strike since Tuesday afternoon at the South Korean carmaker's plant in Sriperumbudur, 50 km from Chennai. But the Hyundai management has sought to play it down, saying in a release that the production disruption was limited to only...

-The Hindustan Times Around 20 children go missing in Delhi every day. Around eight of them — or 40%   — are never seen again, Delhi Police records show. According to police statistics, 1,153 children went missing between July 16 and September 15 this year, approximately half of them trapped by traffickers. While 688 children were found, 465 remain untraceable. Many of the victims are infants. Police said many of the children were...