India and Pakistan will both gain immensely by encouraging bilateral trade In his speech on July 26, after his electoral victory, Pakistan Prime Minister-elect and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan conveyed a sense of hope when he spoke of the need for harmonious relations with neighbouring countries, including India. …

The Chief Election Commissioner on proxy voting for NRIs, the fake news challenge, electoral bonds, and why EVMs are the best option In the Monsoon session, the Lok Sabha passed a Bill that allows ‘proxy voting’ to non-resident Indians (NRIs). Is it going to be a game changer? Chief Election …

Our Independence Day is, very specially, our Prime Minister’s day. It has been that way since our very first Independence Day, August 15, 1947, when Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister, chiselled his name for all time into that date with his ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech in Parliament House. …

Inflation at the wholesale level slowed to 5.09% in July largely due to a cooling down of food price inflation, according to official data released on Tuesday. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was lower than June’s 5.77%. The primary articles category saw growth slowing significantly to 1.73%, from …

The Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX), the country’s largest commodity exchange in terms of market share, will commence trading in rubber futures contracts from August 16. The new contract is aimed at offering a hedging solution to participants in the rubber value chain, including growers, traders, exporters, importers and …

The government on Tuesday proposed a new transaction structure for the bid process for greenfield airports, switching from a revenue share model to a fixed fee per passenger to be paid to the concessioning authority. The Ministry for Civil Aviation is betting that the proposed change to the bid parameters …

Will however be a ‘negative’ for outbound tourists: industry The sharp depreciation of the rupee against major currencies will help inbound tourism to grow while outbound travel will be hit. “A weakened rupee has made India a cheaper foreign destination,” said Subhash Goyal, Chairman, Assocham Tourism Committee. “We expect inbound …

The rupee breached the psychological barrier of 70-to-a-dollar for the first time as the sharp fall in the Turkish lira continued to affect all emerging market currencies. The rupee had a strong opening against the dollar at 69.85, but fell sharply to breach the 70-mark and went on to depreciate …

Says companies exploiting a ‘gaping’ loophole in Britain’s immigration system A lobbying group, which pushes for greater curbs on Britain’s immigration regime, has accused multinational IT companies, “typically based in India”, of exploiting a “gaping” loophole in Britain’s immigration system, and has called for the system to be overhauled. Tier …

Police say they are holding the driver on suspicion of terror offences A car crashed into barriers outside Britain’s Houses of Parliament in a suspected terror attack on Tuesday, injuring a “number of pedestrians” close to where five people were killed last year. Footage shows the silver Ford Fiesta veering …

The Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Scheme (AB-NHPS), likely to be launched on Wednesday, aims to provide a medical coverage of Rs. 5 lakh a family every year. The scheme, estimated to benefit more than 10 crore poor families, will be implemented on a pilot basis in select States. The nationwide …

It is important to understand that the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition is providing military assistance to Yemen based on an official request from its internationally recognised government headed by President Hadi to counter the violence of the Houthi terrorist groups. The UN Security Council, in its Resolution 2216, imposed an …

68-year-old Gajanand Sharma reunites with family after his release from Lahore jail ahead of I-Day After spending 36 years in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, Gajanand Sharma, a labourer from Jaipur’s Samod area, returned home to a tumultuous welcome on Tuesday night, bringing solace to his wife, sons and grandchildren who …

Simultaneous elections are not possible without a legal framework as any extension or curtailment of the term of Assemblies will require a constitution amendment, Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat said on Tuesday, a day after the BJP made a fresh push to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together. In …

What have you done about them, Bench asks ASG The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that a survey of 9,589 child care institutions across the country found that 1,575 inmates suffered sexual abuse before they were rescued and placed in these homes. The survey took two years from …

Over 300 Army officers on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against what they called “persecution” by the court and civilian agencies, like the CBI, for doing their duty in the insurgency-hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern States. The petition, filed by senior officers at the level of …

The Lok Sabha to-day [August 13, New Delhi] decided to refer to a Joint Select Committee the comprehensive Bill to amend and consolidate the law relating to patents. At the same time it passed another related Bill, the Indian Patents and Designs (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to replace an Ordinance …

At the Burma Resources Committee to-day [in Rangoon, on August 13], the chairman, Mr. J.P. Hardiman, Controller of Munitions, announced that the Tata Industrial Bank intended to open a branch in Burma as soon as possible, the date being governed by the difficulty at present of obtaining staff. A sub-committee …

Given conflicting claims about health effects, India should tread cautiously on e-cigarettes In a recent hearing on a public interest litigation in the Delhi High Court, the Delhi government said it was planning to ban e-cigarettes. If it follows through, the NCT will join States such as Karnataka and Maharashtra …

Kerala’s floods show the need for governments to strengthen resilience planning The catastrophic impact of monsoon rainfall on several districts of Kerala has come as a grim reminder that the vigil against unpredictable natural disasters must never be relaxed. More than three dozen people have died and an estimated Rs. …