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Why Clothing Sizes Are Broken and What Startups Are Doing to Fix the Problem

Clothing sizes are broken and as shopping has shifted online, the problem has worsened. WSJ retail reporter Suzanne Kapner breaks down the issue and explains what startups are doing to solve it. Photo: oonal/Getty Images




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What the Postponement of the Olympics Means for Athletes

The global spread of coronavirus has led to officials postponing the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. For athletes, the delay evokes mixed emotions. WSJ spoke to five athletes from around the globe to understand what the postponement means to them. Photo composite by George Downs





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Samsung Earnings: What to Watch

Samsung Electronics is slated to release its first-quarter earnings before the market opens in Seoul on Thursday. Here's what you need to know.




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What's Going on at Goldman Sachs in Asia?

Goldman Sachs has seen senior-level management changes in Asia amid falling deal volume in the region. The WSJ's Deborah Kan speaks to Asia finance correspondent Alison Tudor about the latest changes.




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Stress Test: What Is Bank Capital?

Banks are required to meet capital requirements in order to pass government stress tests. So what is capital, and how much is needed? WSJ's Liz Hoffman reports. Illustration: Heather Seidel/The Wall Street Journal




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What the Federal Reserve Can Do to Fight Recession

The coronavirus pandemic is disrupting the global economy. WSJ’s Greg Ip explains what the Federal Reserve can do to stem the damage. Illustration: Carlos Waters/WSJ




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Will the Western Ghats decide Kerala’s mandate?


The controversy over the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports on ecological preservation in the Western Ghats has brought about a churn in politics in Kerala. P N Venugopal wonders if this will determine the decisions of the electorate in the Lok Sabha elections.




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What sways the urban voter?


Gujarat bucks the urban trend when it comes to identity voting, while cities in the prosperous northern states place high emphasis on choice of MP candidates. Srinivasan Ramani discovers several interesting facts on urban choice, through GIS mapping of data obtained from a voter perception survey.




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What have the reserved constituencies voted for?


In the 2014 elections, the BJP won 66 out of 131 seats reserved for SC/ST candidates, which is the highest for any single party since 1991. Prabhu Mallikarjunan looks at the statistics and tries to decipher what this says for voting behaviour in these constituencies.




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Modi vs Mahatma: What is Gujarat's message to India?

'Unless he engages with the darkness within, unless there is remorse for what happened within his rule, I don't think he is going to be my leader,' says filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt in his forthright style.




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How to Turn an Old Tablet Into a Video Chat Box

Forget buying a fancy Facebook Portal or Amazon Echo Show. Dig out your old tablet or smartphone and make a homemade stand out of a box, wire hanger or even an egg carton. WSJ's Joanna Stern has all the DIY tips you need.




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How to Pick the Right Chat App for Your Next Event

Should you Zoom or FaceTime? How about a Houseparty? Amid social distancing, in-person events have been replaced by pixels on a screen. WSJ's Nicole Nguyen offers tips for navigating the new video-chat reality. Photo: FaceTime




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Can’t Unlock Your iPhone’s Face ID with a Mask On? There’s a Mask For That

The coronavirus pandemic means we must wear masks. It also means unlocking an iPhone with Face ID is a challenge. WSJ’s Joanna Stern tracked down a woman who created a mask to get around it.




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The alleged sell-out that has left our fishermen fuming


An expert committee appointed to review the existing marine fishing policy and suggest a new one has come up with recommendations favouring the bigger, foreign players, drawing the ire of the smaller fishing community. P N Venugopal has more.




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What you can’t measure properly, you can’t manage properly


Shripad Dharmadhikary critiques the recently released NITI Aayog’s report on Composite Water Management Index.




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The way we measure hate crimes is simply bogus


Safety and criminality in society must be assessed directly from the people themselves. The government is deluding itself and citizens by conflating law enforcement statistics with crime data, writes Tara Krishnaswamy.




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What ails nuclear safety?


In-depth field studies in nuclear power plants worldwide have shown that they have common features that are essential for reliable operation. DAE's operations do not exhibit these characteristics. Instead, secrecy invoked in the name of national interest is the norm, leading to avoidable risks, writes Ashwin Kumar.




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Sikkim’s 2400-crore hydro-power scam that no one’s talking of!


The Sikkim government’s irregular allocation of hydropower projects to a New Delhi-based power producer and the eventual turn of events have cost the state more than Rs 2400 crore, according to a CAG report. Soumik Dutta reports on the details of the case and other related discrepancies that have surfaced since.




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What I brought back from my meeting with practitioners & visionaries


Interactions at the WSF, Tunisia with activists and thinkers from vastly diverse fields, united only by their dream for transformation and alternatives to well-being, inspire Ashish Kothari to hope for another world.




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'E' is for efficiency, but what about empathy?


The MoEF’s recent move introducing e-filing of applications for approval of forest land diversion may facilitate procedural agility and efficiency, but precludes the interpretation of environmental and human complexities critical to a fair process. Kanchi Kohli elaborates. 




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How much for that forest?


When a large hydropower projects results in the conversion of forest land, or its submergence, what is the right amount of money to be paid as compensation for this ecological loss? Himanshu Upadhyaya finds that developers are seeking creative arguments to lower the costs to themselves.




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What's 'inclusive' about the Budget?


The government's understanding of an 'inclusive' Budget is simply that it ought to be the provider of welfare for the lower income groups. The evidence so far suggests that this is an attempt doomed from the start, since the government is not very good at administering such programmes. Ashwin Mahesh says that there are better options.




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What about the other entitlements?


Why does the government not allocate funds to meet all the rights that are protected under the law? Partly, this is because allocations in the Budget each year are made mechanically, without any thought the need for funds, or the rights that ought to be protected, says Videh Upadhyay.




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What our cities are crying out for


A recent study from the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy shows that Indian cities rest on a weak systemic foundation. Madhavi Rajadhyaksha highlights the key findings from the study to argue for a systemic overhaul of urban India.




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Chhattisgarh’s food ATMs: Portable benefits minus biometrics


The smart-card driven CORE-PDS system demonstrates the feasibility of introducing portability in social security systems without the use of biometrics. A student team from IIT Delhi surveys Fair Price Shops in Raipur district following the new system to assess how it has been faring.




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What's working, what's not


The uneven performance of MGNREGA in the task of rural asset generation requires a careful comparison of the decision making processes involved in those cases where the works undertaken have produced value and where it has failed to, writes Pavan Kulkarni.




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What could make our farmers more prosperous?


Despite India's reliance on the agrarian sector, a serious farming and food crisis persists due to lack of government action and policy indifference. On its 20th anniversary, Gene Campaign releases a Charter of Demands to form the basis of an advocacy programme for bountiful farming, prosperous farmers and healthy food.




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From one language to another: What’s at stake?


Indian cinema has, of late, witnessed high-decibel debates over the desirability of dubbing Hindi films into regional languages. But does dubbing really pose a threat to vernacular cinema? Shoma Chatterji explores.




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What can save Kerala's small coir?


With small coir manufacturers in Kerala unable to modernise their processes, their loss has become Tamilnadu's gain, reports P N Venugopal.




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A prescription that suits the doctor!


Does the World Bank advocate development, or is it simply a money-lender pushing its loan packages? For too long, the distinction has been blurred, allowing the Bank to make self-serving recommendations. Sudhirendar Sharma notes the latest instance of this as the Bank pushes into water sector reforms in India.




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What's in a brand name?


In a few seconds, advertisers tell us stories from a fairy-tale world of the strongest, whitest, coolest and simply the best. And alas, like most fairy-tales, advertisements are often false. How can consumers be better informed? Varupi Jain talked with VOICE, a New Delhi-based consumer rights non-profit.




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What bankers don’t tell you about their bad loans


Non-performing assets in public sector banks have shot up by more than 400 per cent in the last five years, hitting Rs 164000 crore! Shripad Dharmadhikary summarises findings of a research report that unearths the real reasons underlying these bad loans.




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What a cell phone could mean for a poor woman


Innovative use of information technology through mobile phones is enabling improved financial literacy and increased access to credit for economically disadvantaged women in rural and urban areas. Swapna Majumdar reports.




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What they say about the things that really matter


Responsible governance, economic security for the maximum numbers and ecological sustainability are the three key challenges facing the country today. Ashish Kothari deconstructs the Congress, BJP and AAP manifestos to see what these parties promise on these fronts.




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What we should score Arun Jaitley on


As the country eagerly awaits the new government’s maiden budget, Shankar Jaganathan evokes the realities of the Indian economy to provide a reference framework within which to judge the Jaitley budget.




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Urbanisation challenge: What will drive the funds?


Indian cities have neither the funds required to realise their envisaged progress, nor credible systems to ensure effective utilisation of what they have. Srikanth Viswanathan emphasises the need for accountability and more robust financial management by municipal corporations.




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What will it take to make our cities really smart?


The thrust on ‘smart cities’ by PM Narendra Modi has been impossible to miss since he took over the reins. Sujaya Rathi and Shrimoyee Bhattacharya look at critical considerations to be made at the pilot stage of the evolutionary journey towards such urban centres.




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What are contract workers across the country pressing for?


A recent conference organised by the AICCTU in Bangalore saw more than 5000 contract workers marching in protest against the prevailing work conditions, seeking regularisation of contracts as well as amendments in law. Here’s a list of the primary demands raised by the workers.




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What will it take to make our cities environment-smart?


PM Modi's vision of smart cities will remain unrealised till we have environmentally-smart urban centres, equipped to mitigate the severe chronic air pollution levels. But what will it entail? Sarath Guttikunda analyses.




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What if Pakistan implodes?


India would do well to consider its options in light of its national interests. Loose nukes are certainly a concern, but talk of taking them out is cavalier, and we must put the brakes on that, writes Firdaus Ahmed.




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Where veterans refuse to give up, what does the future hold?


The increasing power and influence of veterans of the Indian army, known for their natural affinity towards the right wing regime in power, holds important implications especially when one considers the extent of its permeation into the serving structure. Firdaus Ahmed explains.




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What the maritime 'non-incident' on New Year’s Eve tells us


The recent episode in which a mysterious boat was intercepted off the coast, and blew itself up, may or may not have anything to do with Pakistani terror, but has important implications for national security strategy, external relations and domestic political dynamics. Firdaus Ahmed explains.




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What will it mean to have India as a ‘security provider’?


As India takes on the role of a mature power centre in the Indian Ocean region, Firdaus Ahmed wonders if it will stick to its traditional defensive culture or if the move to a rightist polity will bring about a different doctrine altogether.




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What is really driving India’s Pakistan strategy?


Our government and the National Security Adviser are promoting 'defensive offence' as India's Pakistan strategy. Firdaus Ahmed explains why that's not the case and that our strategy is more 'offensive-compellence' than 'defensive offence'.




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What nuclear weapons have done to us


Pokhran-II  happened on May 1998, Firdaus Ahmed writes if nuclear weapons have made us more secure in these last twenty years.




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What constrains our social enterprises?


Enterprises that seek to address socio-economic problems through focused business models could make significant impact with a little more support. Seema S Hegde discusses an example from Bangalore, and explains how the state and big business often fail to recognise that.




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The tiny creature that has made the Assam zoo famous!


On 15 November, the Assam State Zoo opened its doors to three pygmy hogs, becoming the only zoo in the world to house this critically endangered species. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports on an ongoing project that’s trying to save the animal and its habitats in the face of all odds.




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What binds every family in this Kerala Panchayat


The thrust on chemical-free cultivation of vegetables that started as an experiment in the 90s has now evolved into a culture in Kerala’s Kanjikkuzhi Gram Panchayat. P N Venugopal traces the growth and success of this initiative so far.




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What’s in a Name, Part II


Varupi Jain concludes a two part series on the country's messy Geographical Indications regulatory system through the eyes of MP's Chanderi fabric, one of first serious applicants for a GI.