Indian-American candidates win runoff races in Texas' city councils
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Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Why India's potato production misses out on its true potential despite being a global giant
My father wasn't fond of eating meat but didn't like most vegetables either. Essentially, he felt potatoes were the perfect food and would have been happy eating them all the time. India is now the world's second largest producer of potatoes, most of it consumed internally. Clearly, many of us feel that way too. This is remarkable for a crop whose widespread cultivation in India barely goes back two centuries. Our per capita consumption is still relatively low. Belarus tops that list, at a whopping 155 kg per person each year, with Ukraine, Kyrg yzstan and Kazakhstan all crossing 100 kg. India's per capita consumption is just 25 kg per head. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Project Management Technology CXO Data Analytics MBA Others Data Science Public Policy Operations Management Design Thinking Healthcare Artificial Intelligence Degree Data Science Cybersecurity Management Digital Marketing Product Management PGDM MCA healthcare Leadership others Finance Skills you'll gain: Portfolio Management Project Planning & Risk Analysis Strategic Project/Portfolio Selection Adaptive & Agile Project Management Duration: 6 Months IIT Delhi Certificate Programme in Project Management Starts on May 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Project Planning & Governance Agile Software Development Practices Project Management Tools & Software Techniques Scrum Framework Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Programme in IT Project Management Starts on Jun 20, 2024 Get Details a clearinghouse for desi aloo information, suggests this is partly due to the influence of Jainism, which abjures all root vegetables. Another, slightly more plausible reason, is that we eat potatoes as a vegetable in itself, in curries, stir-fries or stuffed in breads. The high consumption countries are eating it as a starchy staple, rather than grains, and also distilling it into vodka. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Elegant New Scooters For Seniors In 2024: The Prices May Surprise You Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Learn More Undo A third reason for low per capita consumption might be that potatoes aren't really suited for growing in India. They originated in the high, cool valleys of the Andes, where more than 3,000 varieties can still be found, with many variations of shape and colour. 'These high-altitude potatoes are smaller, but they keep better, are more nutritious and have much more flavour,' writes Edward Behr in 50 Foods: A Guide to Deliciousness. The top consuming countries are all temperate ones, while Nepal, where per capita consumption is over 90 kg, offers cool climates and high altitudes. India has managed its massive potato production by breeding varieties that can handle warmer climates, but at the cost of flavour — which isn't seen as important because taste will come from the spices and other ingredients with which they are cooked. We also grow them as a winter crop in northern states and then keep them in cold storages for the rest of the year to supply across the country. Prolonged storage affects taste and cooking quality, but again, the cooking methods cover this up. This explains why potatoes in India are usually sold as standard aloo , not specific varieties. Behr writes about varieties like 'the creamy, flavourful French La Ratte, a fingerling, meaning it's small, long, knobby, tender, and waxy' or the large russet potatoes which 'make a nutty puree with perceptible grains of starch'. The nearest you get to that here is in hilly areas where people have access to fresh potatoes and will tell you that those from certain areas are particularly esteemed. The growth of potato processors has increased our distance from actual tubers. By handling storage, peeling and cutting for products like French fries, so that chefs need to only open bags and do final frying, these companies remove any pressure to produce good potato dishes. They are so skilled at standardisation that you won't get bad potato dishes from them — but you won't get great ones and, the real sadness, you forget how good potatoes can be. I was reminded of this recently in Sublime, a Goa restaurant where chef Chris Aga still makes confit potatoes. The tubers are sliced thin, close packed in a tin, cooked with plenty of butter and then pressed to compact them further. Then they are unmoulded, sliced and fried again, giving you a layered product that manages to be both crisp and creamy at the same time. Sublime also makes wonderful mashed potatoes, carefully boiled and mashed with plenty of butter. Mashed potatoes seem to have vanished from restaurants because most processors don't market a version in India and it's easier just to use their pre-processed fries or wedges. Potato lovers, like my father, will always be happy in India, but the plain perfection of dishes made with good potatoes reminds us of what we are still missing out.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
While US meddled in Greenland, Russia quietly moved in on this strategic Arctic territory belonging to Norway
As US ambitions in Greenland made global headlines, another Arctic flashpoint quietly began to heat up, this time in Norway's backyard, as per a report. While American diplomatic efforts focused on Greenland's strategic value, especially under the Trump administration, Russia was busy stepping up its presence and influence in the Svalbard Archipelago , a remote cluster of icy islands under Norwegian control, as per a report by Caliber. Why Is Svalbard Gaining Strategic Importance? Experts now warn that Moscow may be using Washington's Arctic moves as cover to press its own claims in Svalbard, due to Svalbard's location, which offers even more strategic leverage than Greenland, as per the report. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Project Management Others Leadership Technology Data Science Public Policy Cybersecurity healthcare MCA others CXO Data Analytics Degree PGDM Artificial Intelligence MBA Data Science Design Thinking Healthcare Digital Marketing Finance Product Management Operations Management Management Skills you'll gain: Portfolio Management Project Planning & Risk Analysis Strategic Project/Portfolio Selection Adaptive & Agile Project Management Duration: 6 Months IIT Delhi Certificate Programme in Project Management Starts on May 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Project Planning & Governance Agile Software Development Practices Project Management Tools & Software Techniques Scrum Framework Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Programme in IT Project Management Starts on Jun 20, 2024 Get Details Located roughly midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, Svalbard has long been on the periphery of global attention, as per Caliber. But that changed as melting Arctic ice opened up new opportunities for shipping routes and natural resource extraction, and shifted global attention to the far north, according to the report. ALSO READ: Bitcoin to $300,000? Traders warn of massive surge before next Great Depression hits Russia's Real Focus: Military Leverage Over the GIUK Gap Russia has increasingly accused Norway of monopolising the surrounding continental shelf, but analysts argue the real value of Svalbard isn't economic, it's strategic, as per Caliber. Its location provides a key vantage point over the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap, a narrow maritime corridor that Russian submarines would need to cross during a conflict, as per the report. NATO's control over Svalbard, especially Bear Island at the southern end, could give the alliance a critical military advantage, as per the Caliber report. Live Events Russia's Fears Over NATO Military Use of Svalbard Moscow's fear is that Norway, with backing from the US and NATO allies, could eventually militarize the archipelago, transforming Svalbard into a launchpad for surveillance missions or even strike aircraft operations that could threaten Russia's nearby missile testing facilities in Novaya Zemlya, according to the Caliber report. While overt military activity remains unlikely for now, especially given Russia's ongoing military strain in Ukraine, but political and psychological pressure is expected to grow, and reportedly Moscow will continue to test the limits of NATO's response, as reported by Caliber. ALSO READ: 8 video games Twitch turned into global hits: Dune Awakening, GTA 5, Fortnite, Among Us, Phasmophobia and more Signs of Russia's Growing Presence In Svalbard Incidents in recent years have raised the speculations, as per the report: Chechen special forces were spotted using Svalbard's main airfield during Arctic drills. A Russian trawler allegedly severed undersea communication cables in 2022. Soviet flags have reappeared in Russian settlements like Barentsburg and Pyramiden. In 2023, Russia's consul general held a symbolic Victory Day parade on Norwegian soil. Another significant move is that Russia planned to build a research center on the archipelago and extend invitations to BRICS member states, as reported by caliber. This move could mark the beginning of a broader diplomatic and geopolitical effort to entrench Russian influence under the guise of scientific cooperation, as reported by Caliber. FAQs Why does Svalbard matter to Russia and NATO? Its location gives a major advantage in watching and controlling key naval routes between the Atlantic and Arctic. Could this lead to war in the Arctic? That's unlikely right now, but the political pressure and strategic posturing are definitely heating up.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Trump's distraction methods fall flat against Epstein uproar
President Donald Trump 's super powers as a public figure have long included the ability to redirect, evade and deny. But the Republican's well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort to quash questions about Epstein and the suspicions still swirling around the disgraced financier's case years after his 2019 death in prison. The demand for answers has only grown. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Project Management MCA Design Thinking others MBA Product Management PGDM Operations Management Cybersecurity Data Science Digital Marketing Technology Finance CXO Others Data Science Data Analytics Management Public Policy Degree Artificial Intelligence Leadership Healthcare healthcare Skills you'll gain: Project Planning & Governance Agile Software Development Practices Project Management Tools & Software Techniques Scrum Framework Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Programme in IT Project Management Starts on Jun 20, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Portfolio Management Project Planning & Risk Analysis Strategic Project/Portfolio Selection Adaptive & Agile Project Management Duration: 6 Months IIT Delhi Certificate Programme in Project Management Starts on May 30, 2024 Get Details "For a president and an administration that's very good at controlling a narrative, this is one that's been harder," said Republican strategist Erin Maguire, a former Trump campaign spokeswoman. Unlike political crises that dogged Trump's first term, including two impeachments and a probe into alleged campaign collusion with Russia, the people propelling the push for more transparency on Epstein have largely been his supporters, not his political foes. Trump has fed his base with conspiracy theories for years, including the false "birther" claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Trump's advisers fanned conspiracies about Epstein, too, only to declare them moot upon entering office. Live Events That has not gone over well with the president's right-leaning base, which has long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. "Donald Trump's been running a Ponzi scheme based on propaganda for the better part of a decade and it's finally catching up to him," said Geoff Duncan, a Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia and Trump critic. "The far right element is just dug in. They're hell bent on getting this information out." The White House has dismissed reporting about Trump's ties to Epstein as "fake news," though it has acknowledged his name appears in documents related to the Epstein case. Trump and Epstein were friends for years before falling out. "The only people who can't seem to shake this story from their one-track minds are the media and Democrats," said White House spokesman Harrison Fields. Before leaving for a trip to Scotland on Friday, the president again urged people to turn their attention elsewhere. "People should really focus on how well the country is doing," Trump told reporters, lamenting that scrutiny was not being given to others in Epstein's orbit. "They don't talk about them, they talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy." The art of distraction Trump in recent weeks has employed a typical diversion playbook. He chastised a reporter for asking about Epstein in the White House Cabinet Room. He claimed in the Oval Office that he was not paying close attention to the issue. And, with help from Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, he explosively accused Obama of treason for how he treated intelligence in 2016 about Russian interference in the U.S. election. On Thursday Trump took his distraction tour to the Federal Reserve, where he tussled with Chair Jerome Powell about construction costs and pressed for lower interest rates. That, said Republican strategist Brad Todd, was more effective than focusing on Obama in 2016, which voters had already litigated by putting Trump back in office. "The Tulsi Gabbard look backward, I think, is not the way for them to pivot," Todd said, noting that Trump's trip to the Fed highlighted the issue of economic affordability and taking on a Washington institution. "If I was him I'd go to the Fed every day until rates are cut." Democrats have seized on Trump's efforts to move on, sensing a political weakness for the president and divisions in the Republican Party that they can exploit while their own political stock is low in the wake of last year's drubbing at the polls. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed most Americans think Trump's administration is hiding information about Epstein, creating an opportunity for Democrats to press. Trump's supporters and many Democrats are eager to see a release of government files related to Epstein and his case, which the Justice Department initially promised to deliver. "Yesterday was another example of the Trump folks trying to throw as much stuff against the wall to avoid the Epstein files," Mark Warner, a Democratic U.S. senator from Virginia, said in a post on X on Thursday about Gabbard's accusations against Obama. Trump allies see the administration's efforts to change topic as a normal part of an all-out-there strategy. "They are always going at 100 miles an hour. Every department, every cabinet secretary, everybody is out there at full speed blanketing the area with news," Republican strategist Maguire said. Trump has weathered tougher periods before, and his conservative base, despite its frustration over the files, is largely pleased with Trump's work on immigration and the economy. In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56% of Republican respondents favored the administration's immigration workplace raids, while 24% were opposed and 20% unsure. Pollster Frank Luntz noted that Trump had faced felony convictions and other criminal charges but still won re-election last year. "We've been in this very same situation several times before and he has escaped every time," Luntz said.
