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Coronavirus Update: Uber, Lyft Cut Jobs, UnitedHealth Offers Discounts

Uber and Lyft are aggressively cutting costs as fewer people take rides, UnitedHealth will offer customers $1.5 billion of help and discounts, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin moves to ease lockdowns amid economic challenges. WSJ’s Jason Bellini has the latest on the pandemic. Photo: Josh Edelson / AFP




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Tara Reade Says Biden Should Quit Presidential Race

Tara Reade, who has accused former Vice President Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her, said the presumptive Democratic nominee “should not be running” for president, in her first on-camera interview since Mr. Biden denied the allegations. Photo: Megyn Kelly/Associated Press




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Opinion: The FBI’s Flynn Outrage

Potomac Watch: New documents shock the conscience and demonstrate the need for accountability. Images: AFP via Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly




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How Tesla’s Stock Jumped 200% in Half a Year

WSJ’s Tim Higgins explores how CEO Elon Musk turned Tesla into the most valuable U.S. auto maker of all time. Photo: Philip Pacheco/Getty Images




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Why Fully Recovering From Coronavirus Might Take Longer Than Expected

Understanding how the body clears the new coronavirus is becoming more important as the U.S. begins to reopen. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez explains how the body fights infection and why feeling better doesn’t equal being virus-free. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann




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SBI developing low-cost model to counter payments banks

Country's largest commercial banking entity State Bank of India (SBI) is now developing a low-cost model to compete with payments banks. "We are working out on a low-cost structure to compete with the payments banks for getting access to people ...




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Payment banks unlikely to eat into large lenders' biz: Crisil

Ratings agency Crisil today said the upcoming payment banks (PBs) will largely focus on the underbanked areas like the East, Northeast and Central regions, and the existing lenders should not worry about them. "We do not expect them to ...




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Payments banks will change banking habits: Jaitley

Such banks can collect deposits (initially up to Rs 1 lakh per individual), do internet banking, facilitate money transfers, and sell insurance and mutual funds




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FX FRENZY: Global Championship Is on the Line

It is all on the line for the two finalists in the DJ FX Frenzy championship: the pride and glory of being named the first global winner of this bracket-style foreign-exchange competition.




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Ugly Day Gets Even Worse Ahead of the Close

On the heels of a huge tumble in gold and silver prices, the stock market's slide is steepening in the final trading hour.




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Energy Journal: European Refineries Squeezed from West and East

The parlous state of Europe's refining business is no secret.




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Energy Journal: EU-China Solar Battle Escalates

By James Herron Here’s your morning jolt of news, insight and analysis on the global energy business. Send us tips, suggestions and complaints: ben.winkley@wsj.com and james.herron@wsj.com Click here to receive this morning email newsletter SOLAR WARS The usually tranquil world of European renewable energy just got exciting, as a plucky band of rebels led by […]




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Energy Journal: Investors to Big Oil: We Need to Talk

Now the Big Oil earnings season has been and gone, serious questions are being asked about whether the future of exploration and production will involve the super majors in their current form.




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Blue Hill the Mystery Restaurant in Third Point’s Sotheby’s Letter

By Sara Germano and David Benoit The restaurant that Dan Loeb said Sotheby’s management wined and dined at to a bill that was in the “multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars,” was the famed Blue Hill, according to people familiar with the matter.




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Bank of England Speeds Through Bond Buys

Two weeks after buying its first corporate bond, the Bank of England has already spent over 10% of the funds allocated to its 18 month asset-buying program.




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A More Personal Synthetic Voice for Those Who Can't Speak

A wave of new technologies is giving people like Max Plansky, who are unable to speak due to a debilitating condition, a more personal synthetic voice. Photo/Video: Denise Blostein/The Wall Street Journal




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Should Homeowners Ban Drones Over Their Property?

The increased use of personal and commercial drones is raising questions about where they should be permitted to fly, and who should make that decision. The FAA estimates drone sales will reach 7 million by 2020. Photo: John Weber for The Wall Street Journal




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A Gymnast's Death-Defying Leap to Success

Dipa Karmakar, the first female Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, will be performing one of the sport's most dangerous and difficult moves in Brazil in August. Photo: Karan Deep Singh/The Wall Street Journal




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How China Upended Life at India's Ship-Recycling Yards

At the world's biggest ship-recycling yard at Alang, India, life is becoming harder as fewer ships arrive. Here's why. Photo: Karan Deep Singh/The Wall Street Journal




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On-Site Child Care: It's Paying Off at Clif Bar

Clif Bar & Co. is among only 5% of U.S. employers that offer a child care center on-site or near its offices. Kate Torgersen, an 18-year employee, explains how bringing her three children to the company's "Base Camp" child care center has benefited her as a working mother. Photo: Tim Hussin for The Wall Street Journal




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Women Hit Obstacles on the Way to the First Promotion

Men outnumber women nearly 2 to 1 on the first move up the management ladder. WSJ’s Vanessa Fuhrmans explains how this can hurt women right out of the gate.




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Why Women Don’t Get the Feedback They Need

Research shows that getting ahead requires constructive criticism. But many women don’t get those frank assessments.




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Women Are Less Likely to Delegate Than Men

Women are less likely to delegate than men and that might hurt their careers. WSJ's Michelle Ma explains why women have a harder time passing off work to others.




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Coronavirus Makes Travel Cheaper, But Should You Book?

As the coronavirus forces would-be travelers to stay indoors, travel deals are popping up online. Don’t be easily swayed. WSJ’s Scott McCartney breaks down how to avoid risky travel. Photo: Getty Images




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Can local democracy be enforced?


With the government making hollow promises that don't actually deliver local government, should citizens turn to demanding it as a right, asks Videh Upadhyay.




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The base of the pyramid


So much in India seems out of control because local governments are not functioning well. A SYSTEM for citizen involvement needs to be in place, says Ramesh Ramanathan.




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Mumbai's tragedy


The poor have filled up marshland, resurfaced uneven land, all with their own labour, and built their homes. "People should get the right to shelter," says Kadvi Wagri, another one of the growing stream of homeless. These voices should not be silenced, says Kalpana Sharma.




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A credible low-income housing policy


Ramesh Ramanathan.




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How democracy really works


Democracy for Realists is an important critique of how democracy works in practice. Nidhi Gupta reviews the book.




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Mercury levels rising dangerously


Ravi Agrawal and Kishore Wankade say that the state of mercury pollution in India is alarming and needs the concern of all. They provide a factsheet with alternatives.




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Biodiversity ruled out!


The rules notified in April to operationalise biodiversity legislation appear to exclude those opposed to treating public biological resources as private intellectual property. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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Destination Siroy


A conservation program to protect Manipur's state flower is limiting the loss of its habitat, but community-wide efforts are needed to sustain the efforts in the long run. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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Pushing an environmental policy


The deadline for public comments from the draft National Environmental Policy expires on Oct 31. Sudhirendar Sharma reports on the context for the development of this policy and what it may portend.




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When 'good practices' turn ugly


Aiming to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, the Ministry of Environment and Forests published a 'good practices in regulation' note earlier this year. Sunita Dubey finds that instead, the charter may further weaken environmental protection.




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Cleaning up Bhopal cost-effectively


In addition to the aftermath of Bhopal's catastrophic gas leak of 1984, severe contamination of water and soil has taken its own toll on citizens. At a Greenpeace organized November 2004 symposium, experts put the cost of cleanup in the range of Rs.135 crores. K Rajani Priya looks at the possibilities.




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The brave new city?


Increasingly, cities around the world are reshaping themselves to be centres of culture and commerce in ways that are more global than related to their home nations. As Indian cities too move in that direction, Darryl D'Monte catches up with a scholar of the evolution of cities, and finds much for Indian planners and city leaders to think about.




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Jambudwip - a fishy conservation


Who decides if livelihoods or habitat should be the focus of conservation efforts? In a remote island in the Sunderbans, fisherfolk whose seasonal dry-fishing dates back many generations find themselves competing with mangroves and the Environment Ministry's changing stance on national security. Sunita Dubey reports.




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NEAA rejecting clearance appeals coldly


On 20 May, the National Environment Appellate Authority refused to admit two appeals cases where citizens and panchayat representatives in Uttaranchal had challenged Central government clearances to two hydro-electric power projects, on grounds of failure in due process. Kanchi Kohli was at the hearings.




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The scrapping of Riky


First, a ship with dubious credentials leaves the shores of Denmark. Then a month later, India allows it to beach at Alang, Gujarat's massive shipbreaking yard, for scrapping. In between, it gets a new name and rules are flouted to let it in. Gopal Krishna chronicles how Riky, unlike Clemenceau, sailed through the law.




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How can biodiversity be protected?


In biological diversity, India is one of the richest countries in the world. But widespread destruction has already taken place and this is continuing. Urgent measures to reverse the damage are both necessary and possible. Ramesh Menon sounds the wake-up call.




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The Blue Lady anchors, quietly


Yet another ship with toxic waste has recently beached at Alang, Gujarat. The Blue Lady's owner admits that the ship contains asbestos. But the ship carries neither documents required as per international law, nor a complete inventory of its hazardous wastes, says Gopal Krishna.




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Defining temporary permissions


What happens when a company's mining permit or forest clearance expires before its renewal application is approved? After a year of arguments in the Supreme Court showed conclusively that there were no uniform guidelines, the court has now acted to set this right. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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Periyar discolouration: state board slammed


On 6 September, the water of the Periyar, Kerala's largest river, suddenly changed colour into red. Eloor remains a glaring example of unchecked corporate crimes against neighbourhood communities. It also highlights the apathy of the state's apex pollution watchdog, writes M Suchitra.




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Will the Blue Lady do a Le Clemenceau?


Despite the confirmed presence of toxic waste on-board the Blue Lady, currently beached at the Alang shipbreaking yard, there appears to be a consensus among key officials in Gujarat and New Delhi to allow the ship's dismantling. 19 February at the Supreme Court will be yet another litmus test, writes Gopal Krishna.




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Biodiversity: read the fine print


In the first few years since the passage of the Biodiversity Act, it has become evident that rather than promote conservation, the law merely establishes procedures for access and commercial use. Communities are waking up to the actual wording of the law, and they don't like what they see. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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Tiger census results may sharpen conservation debate


The formal count of the number of tigers in India's 28 tiger reserves is expected to be announced on 31 December 2007. The report could help formulate policies of land use as well as accentuate the debate on rehabilitation of forest dwellers in favour of wildlife conservation, writes Malini Shankar.




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From biodiversity to biotech


Biological matter drawn from animals and plants in India could be transforming into biofuels in the labs of foreign corporations. Kanchi Kohli reads between the lines.




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Kerala's unconvincing shot at the environment ministry


Kerala’s Left-dominated 141-member legislative assembly adopted a resolution on 11 July urging New Delhi to withdraw the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification of 2006. The resolution says the notification is “against the interest of Kerala State, nature, environment and people.” M Suchitra reports.




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Dam forays in other countries


As Indian companies look to resources in other countries, some of the issues that have become familiar at home are surfacing elsewhere too. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.




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Blundering into a Himalayan mistake


Are glaciers in the Himalayas retreating? India depends greatly on these water sources, and we should therefore be more cautious in assessing this risk, writes Darryl D'Monte.