By allying with Ajit Jogi, Mayawati signalsthe BSP can’t be taken for granted Things are never as easy as they seem from a distance. If the Congress entertained hopes of being at the centre of a national-level alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party, then it was relying heavily on the …

The government must explain why it cancelled the Swaraj-Qureshi meeting Within 24 hours of announcing a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in New York next week, India called it off. The reasons cited for this overnight flip-flop are recent attacks in …

Without an alliance, the Congress may find the going difficult in Rajasthan Going by the electoral trend of the past 25 years in Rajasthan, it should be the turn of the Congress to form a government in Rajasthan after the Assembly elections later this year. The people of Rajasthan have …

A year after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan policy, the stalemate continues Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was in New Delhi on September 19 for a day-long working visit. A short press release indicates the low-key nature of the visit. The reason is simple — the growing sense …

First detected in Karnataka only in May this year, the fall armyworm, a native of the Americas, has already spread as far as West Bengal and Gujarat, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Priyanka Pulla reports on the deficiencies in India’s quarantine regime It is a hot day …

Woman goes to court over passport A Saudi court has ruled in favour of a woman who challenged her father’s decision to not let her have a passport, media reports said, stirring an online debate on the contentious male guardianship system. The conservative kingdom requires women to seek permission from …

Museum celebrates weird inventions A gadget to “translate” dog barks for humans, a “babypod” that plays music inside the mother’s vagina for unborn babies and the world’s first self-colonoscopy method were among the whacky inventions on show Friday at a new Tokyo exhibition. The museum celebrates weird and wonderful inventions …

Smart speaker boasts improved sound and design From the kitchen to the car, Amazon is seeking to make its Alexa digital assistant and online services a bigger part of people’s lives with an array of new products and partnerships launched on Thursday. Updates to the Internet giant’s Alexa-infused Echo smart …

Vox Patris will be housed in a tower in Brazil One of the largest swinging bells in the world was unveiled in the Polish city of Krakow on Thursday ahead of being installed at a major pilgrimage site in Brazil. It weighs 55 tonnes. The “Vox Patris” bell, four metres …

The robots are expected to collect minerals that may throw light on the origin of the solar system A Japanese space probe on Friday released a pair of exploring rovers towards an egg-shaped asteroid to collect mineral samples that may shed light on the origin of the solar system. The …