There are limits to Saudi Arabia’s defiance even within the ambit of narrow national interest The gory, gruesome and ghastly details of the last few moments in the life of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as reported in the government-controlled Turkish media, have reaffirmed the continuing validity of the universal …

The colour of the setting sun matches the ferrous red of the porous laterite rock that dominates the terrain of Ratnagiri and Rajapur along Maharashtra’s Konkan coast. At a quarter past six in the evening, in the small village of Devache Gothane, when there is finally some respite from the …

Violent flares from the host star may make planets orbiting it uninhabitable by affecting their atmospheres, scientists using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found. Hubble is observing such stars through a large programme called HAZMAT — Habitable Zones and M dwarf Activity across Time, NASA said in a statement. “M …

The government is likely to appoint a new chief economic advisor (CEA) in the next one or two months, sources said. A search committee appointed by the finance ministry is expected to finalise the list of suitable candidates soon and appointment is likely in 1-2 months, they said further. The …

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opposed the move to have an independent Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) as envisaged by the draft proposal for amendments to the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, 2007. In a dissenting note to the Inter-Ministerial Committee for finalisation of amendments, the RBI said, “There …

The head of the ministry’s child rehabilitation programme, Nahar, told Efe news that the number of missing children were calculated from reports lodged by families. At least 70 children were still reported missing after a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island last month, authorities said on …

Pakistan said on Friday that India’s decision to buy S-400 missile defence system from Russia will further destabilise stability in the region and renewed the arms race. In a statement, the Foreign Office said the Indian purchase was part of its efforts to acquire a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System …

The telecom department is considering allowing only data services initially in flights and water vessels within Indian territorial boundaries, an official source said. Under the proposed in-flight connectivity guidelines, both voice and data services would be provided to passengers on flights and maritime transport within the national boundaries. “DoT will …

China is planning to launch its own ‘artificial moon’ by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas, state media reported Friday. Chengdu, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, is developing “illumination satellites” which will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter, …

Mr. Nugent Grant with Mr. R.N. Aingar moved, this morning [October 18], for the admission of a Revision Petition on behalf of one Azimmuddin, a Chaffeur of Mr. Venkiah, to set aside the order of the Chief Presidency Magistrate convicting Azimmuddin of rioting in connection with the Jam Bazaar looting …

The Indo-British Association has issued a pamphlet severely criticising the main features of the proposals contained in the Report and suggesting an alternative scheme. It is suggested that the administration in defined areas shall be handed over to Indians, these areas being increased when experience has proved that Indian interests …

What is Zika? Zika, a flavivirus spread mainly by mosquitoes, belongs to the same genus as dengue and chikungunya. Some evidence that Zika has been in India for long comes from a 1954 survey, which found several Indians with Zika antibodies. However, this evidence wasn’t conclusive, because other flaviviruses, like …

Ganesh Chaturthi is an opportunity to see the failure of Swachh Bharat Across India, the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi last month witnessed not only devotional joy but also public consternation at the environmental destruction caused by the immersion of idols in water. Notwithstanding the considerable media attention given to waste, …

With 80 laboratory-confirmed cases of the Zika virus already in Jaipur, including 22 pregnant women, the latest outbreak is India’s most severe so far. In January 2017, three confirmed cases of Zika were reported from Ahmedabad, including a pregnant woman, and in July the same year a single case was …

The poor turnout in the Valley for local pollsis a wake-up call for the Centre In elections held in Jammu and Kashmir, the turnout itself is a kind of verdict. The fact that just over a third of the electorate (35.1% provisionally) turned out to vote in the four-phase urban …

India can emulate innovative solutions from across the worldto tackle the problem of ghost gear In March 2018, fishermen hauled 400 kg of fishing nets out of the sea in a few locations off Kerala’s south coast. There are many such reports of divers regularly making underwater trips just to …

Today, we are under the dangerous influence of a new form of illiteracy. According to the Census, “a person aged seven and above, who can both read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.” We are now seeing a form of illiteracy creeping on those who …

Anticipation is in the air. Three weeks divide the first round (October 7) of the Brazilian presidential election from the second (October 28). In the first, the far right’s candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, won the most votes, a convincing 46%. His closest challenger, Fernando Haddad of the Workers’ Party (PT), earned …

Since Myanmar’s latest bout of violence against the Rohingya began in 2012, there has been a slow uptick of outrage in the Muslim world. But it was only recently, once international observers described what was happening there as an ethnic cleansing, that Muslim concern became more vocal than protests in …

The United Nations has launched a strategy to deal with workplace mental health issues and the well-being of its staff. UN staff struggling with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder have reported feeling isolated and ashamed, with no one to turn to for help, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Noting …