Wyoming passed a suffrage bill 50 years before the 19th Amendment, but the Equality State is struggling to live up to its nickname. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday meets the women working to boost female representation. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann

Industrial businesses in one Nebraska city implement safety procedures and adapt to social distancing guidelines in order to keep the doors open during the coronavirus pandemic. WSJ’s Erin Ailworth reports from Grand Island, Neb. Photo: Erin Ailworth

Airline passenger revenue is set to plunge by USD 314 billion in 2020, which is a decline of 55 per cent from 2019 due to coronavirus as per the updated analysis released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).On March 24, the IATA had predicted an estimated loss of USD 252 billion in revenues, which is 44 per cent decline in passenger for airline industry due to severe travel restrictions lasting more than three months as governments across the world try to contain the disease.As per a release by IATA, the world is heading for a recession. The economic shock of the COVID-19 crisis is expected to be at its most severe in Q2 when the GDP is expected to shrink by 6 per cent (by comparison, GDP shrank by 2 per cent at the height of the global financial crisis). Passenger demand closely follows GDP progression. The impact of reduced economic activity in Q2 alone would result in an 8 per cent fall in passenger demand in the third quarter."The release added: "Travel ...

Michigan [USA], April 15 (ANI): Indian automaker Mahindra is joining the "Arsenal of Health" efforts spearheaded by General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. in Michigan to make medical Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers fighting COVID-19.More than 20 Mahindra employees of the Michigan plant are making medical shields from windshields. This innovative ease-of-use box-shaped design will be used by doctors, nurses, local frontline healthcare workers and first responders."MANA's Michigan employees have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach to the COVID-19 fight," said Rick Haas, President and CEO, Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA)."We have a company full of people who love to design and make things and they are not people who like to stand on the sidelines. We have ideas coming in from across the company and we are looking hard at all of them." Haas added.MANA is working with the state, Michigan's congressional delegation, trade organisations, Oakland County and .

At 13:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 433.52 points or 1.38% at 31,876.29. The Nifty 50 index rose 120 points or 1.3% at 9,319.05

Arguing that a one-time payment of USD 1,200 to most of the Americans during the coronavirus outbreak is not enough, three top Democratic senators introduced a legislation on Friday to provide a recurring USD-2,000 monthly check to those struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, introduced by former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris and Senator Ed Markey, proposes to provide a monthly USD-2,000 check to every individual with an income below USD 120,000 throughout and for three months following the coronavirus pandemic. According to the proposal, married couples who file jointly would receive USD 4,000; USD 2,000 per child up to three children and it would be implemented retroactively from March. The coronavirus pandemic has caused millions to struggle to pay the bills or feed their families, Harris said. The previous CARES Act, she argued, gave Americans an important one-time ...

North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on the 75th anniversary of the allied victory in World War II and wishing Russia success in fighting its coronavirus outbreak. The report by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency on Saturday came a day after it reported Kim sent a personal message to Chinese President Xi Jinping to praise what he described as China's success in getting its COVID-19 epidemic under control. Some experts say the North could intensify its diplomatic outreach to neighbors, particularly China, as it seeks economic help after closing its border for months to fend off the virus. KCNA says Kim's message sincerely wished the president and people of Russia sure victory in their struggle to build a powerful Russia by carrying forward the tradition of the great victory in the war and to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

India's senior hockey players, who are unable to train because of the coronavirus-forced lockdown, will undergo a basic coaching course online starting Monday, continuing the national federation's efforts to ensure that their time is put to productive use. The course will be attended by 32 senior men and 23 senior women core probables on May 11 and 15 respectively. Captain of the Indian women's team Rani Rampal has already attended the Hockey India coaching education pathway in the past and achieved a Hockey India Level 1 Coach Certification. "The Hockey India Level Basic Coaching Course will help them in broadening their understanding of the sport as it will give them a chance to view the sport from a coach's perspective," the HI said in a statement. "The core probables who will successfully clear the Hockey India Level 'Basic' Coaching Course will be eligible to attend the Hockey India Level '1' Coaching Course in the future, thereby paving the way for their development, not just as

The "government" was responsible for the death of 16 migrant labourers who were mown down by a goods train in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said in its editorial on Saturday. The newspaper, however, did not make it clear whether it blamed the BJP-led Centre or the Sena-led Maharashtra government for the tragedy. "The government did not think of allowing them to go back to their native place, nor did it make arrangements for their food," the editorial said, adding that the authorities should have taken into consideration the problems of the poor before enforcing lockdown on account of coronavirus. The sight of 'rotis' strewn on the railway track where the migrants -- who had fallen asleep due to exhaustion while on their way to Madhya Pradesh -- were crushed to death showed a heart-wrenching and harsh reality, Samanaa said. "The labourers were in fine health and had no symptoms of coronavirus and still they died. The responsibility of ...

After announcing on Friday that it was reinstating pay cuts of up to 25 per cent for its senior employees, IndiGo airlines said it would take a decision on restoring original salary "closer to the end of this financial year". The country's largest domestic airlines had on Friday announced pay cut ranging between 5 and 25 per cent, in addition to its leave-without-pay programme for May, June and July, for senior employees. The announcement, made through internal emails, came after a series of flip-flops on the matter as India's largest domestic airline struggled to stay afloat amid grounding of all commercial passenger flights due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. In the emails accessed by PTI, the airline said the salary cut will be effected from May till the end of the 2020-21 financial year. It has already paid full salary of April to its employees. The airline had first announced its decision to cut salaries on March 19 when the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic was ...

Retail jewellery chain Senco Gold and Diamonds on Saturday said it has reopened 11 stores in green and orange zones in four states -- West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Karnataka -- after getting the clearance from authorities. Further, the company plans to start operations across all locations in a phased manner after getting clearance from the concerned government authorities, it said, and added that the company will follow all safety measures while reopening the stores. Commenting on the development, Senco Gold and Diamonds Executive Director Suvankar Sen, in a statement, said that the company will ensure contact-less shopping experience by using new-age technology and emphasising on digital payments. On safety measures to be followed at stores, the company said it will ensure delivery of sterilised and sanitised jewelleries to customers. The company will also ensure sanitisation of jewelleries after every display to customers. To provide 'contactless experience' to customers, the ...

As Congress considers another round of aid to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Republican lawmakers are starting to worry about the long-term effects on the federal deficit. WSJ’s Gerald F. Seib explains. Photo: Eric Gay/AP

Carnival's Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland, Calif., on Monday. The ship had spent days off shore after several passengers and crew tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Photo: Noah Berger/Associated Press

After one round of public scrutiny and an adverse order from the Supreme court, UCIL's plans for uranium mining in Nalgonda seemed to be defeated. But the company now proposes to continue down the same path, apparently unmindful of local opposition or legal strictures. Sunita Dubey reports.

In this edition, we have a touching write-up on caste discrimination and how it very much exists in our society, the success story of the displaced forest dwellers of Ranthambhore, the protests by tribals against the mining companies in Odissa, how school going girls in West Bengal are saying no to child marriage, and more.

In this edition, we find out how free speech and dissent has never been welcomed in our country by any of the ruling parties, why the approval of the Hubli-Ankola railway line is not yet final, the gaps in the social security law for unorganised sector being proposed by the finance minister, the brutal and brave stories of some rape survivors, and more.

India is at a turning point and needs a holistic education system to meet the requirements and expectations of various existing and emerging sectors. Unless there is a revamp, our youngsters have a bleak future, says Ramesh Menon

Wherever we are this August 15, we would do well to remember, and take heed of, what a very wise Indian said and did on this day 62 years ago, writes Ramachandra Guha.

Farmers in rural India and students in American universities may have more in common than it would seem. While Cola companies have run into opposition in several states in India, student bodies in North America are pressuring universities to wind up contracts letting the firms exclusively sell water and soft drinks on campus. Sandeep Pandey connects the dots.

New Delhi can easily develop the procedures needed to ensure that projects that have not been approved by either CWC or the Planning Commission do not get statutory clearances. Instead of using such powers, central agencies work more like agents for sub-optimal development. Himanshu Thakkar reports.

GoPros on the runway at Rag & Bone, a 4-D fashion show at Ralph Lauren and more from the tech-heavy fifth day of New York Fashion Week.

The Congress performance in Andhra Pradesh in the Lok Sabha poll may have been impressive, but party leaders are worried about the results of the assembly election, which turned out to be below their expectations. Though the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy-led Congress swept back to power, winning 157 seats in the 294-seat assembly, the party failed to secure an absolute majority.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Karnataka Power Minister K S Eshwarappa has alleged that liquor had been used to woo voters to vote for Chief Minister B S Yedyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra, who won the recently-held Lok Sabha polls from Shimoga.Eshwarappa's comments come in the wake of Yeddyurappa's allegations about the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader not doing enough to ensure that his won wins by a larger margin.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Trump administration supports a plan to send checks to Americans, likely within the next two weeks, to mitigate household and business interruptions caused by the spread of the new coronavirus. Photo: Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Anees Bazmi is now the unlikeliest part of Dr Singh's political life, thanks to his blockbuster.

The idea of women as autonomous and equal citizens is sanctioned in our public sphere through the media, even as the media also endorses the idea that women are around to be gazed at through advertisements, films, contests, and the like. Shoma Chatterjee says that our women are paying a price for this contradiction.

The world’s largest and longest-running longitudinal research and action initiative on gender in the news media released in New York on 2 March, where the 54th session of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is currently on. Ammu Joseph summarises the findings.

Filmmaker Q's reinterpretation of Rabindranath Tagore's Tasher Desh is a bold experiment, not only in format but also content, as it seeks to layer the classic satire with unprecedented connotations of sexuality and gender issues. Shoma A Chatterji reviews the film.

Any social scientist would give an arm and a leg to coin one new concept. M N Srinivas invented three such, with each resonating widely among the intellectual community, writes Ramachandra Guha

Can transgenic cotton ever be a livelihood security measure for the majority of India's small-holder farmers? Keya Acharya is circumspect. She says that the Bt cotton story in India is one of confusion. Bt appears more to favour 'rich' farmers, who have access to water, better resources, and alternative support.

The list of new products that corporate India wants to attach the 'rural' tag to has grown quickly. What is at stake here is more than the survival of India's ambitious, if creative, consumer goods manufacturers, writes Rahul Goswami.

Firdaus Ahmed reflects on the possibility that there is a budding pushback from the army commanders to their Chief’s increasing proximity with the ruling party at the Center.

Even as the suicides in Vidharbha go on relentlessly, a trend has strengthened these past months. More and more farmers are blaming the Government and even talking directly in their suicide notes to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, writes P Sainath.

In Samiyarpettai, sub-collector Rajendra Ratnoo had put together a disaster management plan as a test case just two months ago. When the tsunami came last December 26, Ratnoo's plan worked spectacularly. Over one hundred survived because of Ratnoo's plan. That was an achievement, says Dilip D'Souza.

Are death penalties in India being awarded under the most rigorous standards for trials in capital cases? Maybe not. Bikram Jeet Batra on India's current practice.

A draft bill in Parliament attempts to mandate the care of elderly citizens in law, and envisions the establishment of tribunals to ensure its functioning. But its definitions and methods leave many questions unanswered. Priya Narayan Parker presents a legislative brief.

Compared to the death penalty, life imprisonment is considered less harsh. The courts have preferred to leave undefined exactly how long such punishment should be, and commutation pleas are considered on a case-by-case basis. Ipshita Sengupta reports.

Frederick Noronha caught up with Tarun Tejpal to learn more about the launch of the Tehelka weekly paper.

2009 – mid 2014: UPA.
Mid 2014 – present: NDA.
This map will show you that irrespective of who’s at the helm, national policies and issues considered sacrosanct are not open to debate in our country.

The women of Gunduribadi, a small tribal village in Odisha, go out daily for thengapalli or forest patrolling around their village. They are also members of their Forest Protection Committee which decides how to manage the forest and its resources. Sonali Pattnaik spent a day with these sentinels of Gunduribadi to find out how this movement has restored the forest and empowered the villagers.

As the strategic enclave, comprising organisations dealing with nuclear weapons and high-end technology has grown, the agenda of political discourse has been usurped by 'high politics'. This has wide implications for democracy, writes Firdaus Ahmed.

In light of events in Pathankot, Firdaus Ahmed analyses Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech, given to the military brass last month at the Combined Commanders’ conference aboard the INS Vikramaditya, on the way forward with Pakistan.

With the tension between India-Pakistan rising, Darryl D’Monte reports a recent discussion about the confrontation between these two nuclear states.

The struggle of Adivasis in Assam is more or less unique. It is the only state in India where, post Independence, adivasis were given Other Backward Class (OBC) status instead of Scheduled Tribe (ST). Sriram Ananthanarayanan says this, and their struggle, warrants an examination.

Entrenched gender norms add new dimensions to a problem spiraling out of control, says Lalitha Sridhar.

A recent publication from the World Resources Institute shows that the informed consent of those affected by large projects can be an asset to those projects, rather than an obstacle. Shripad Dharmadhikary reviews Development Without Conflict: The Business Case for Community Consent.

The National Food Security Bill is an important step towards ensuring the country's founding principles of health, education and nutrition services for all, but can achieve that end only when it addresses children's entitlements more effectively, argues economist Amartya Sen in a speech given in New Delhi on 15 February 2013.

Consent for relocation given by Jamni village in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra was obtained under duress. Villagers protest against the manner in which the gram sabha had proceeded. Aparna Pallavi investigates.

NPCIL and the political establishment are burying their heads in the sand over the controversial nuclear plants on the Konkan coast, which will affect the lives of people in the entire region. Darryl D'Monte reports.

Even before the first line of the much-anticipated Mumbai Metro becomes functional, a number of issues have cropped up, most notably one over the pricing of tickets. Darryl D’Monte tracks the arguments, with comparisons to metro rail elsewhere.