Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was reinstated as Prime Minister on Sunday, pointed to the constitutional provision prohibiting the dissolution of Parliament prior to the completion of four and half years of its term. ‘In national interest’ Defending his earlier actions sacking Parliament and calling for snap polls — which the Supreme …

Key questions on whether developed countries would come good on earlier commitments to make available $100 billion annually by 2020 remained unsolved at the end of the Katowice climate summit. Moreover, a fundamental tenet — that developed countries and developing countries have ‘differentiated’ responsibilities towards addressing emissions — appeared to …

India on Sunday welcomed the end of political uncertainty in Sri Lanka with the return of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister. A statement by the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the latest developments indicated the resilience of Sri Lankan democracy. “This is a reflection of the …

Nations on Sunday struck a deal to breathe life into the landmark 2015 Paris climate treaty after marathon UN talks that failed to match the ambition the most vulnerable countries need to avert dangerous global warming. Delegates from nearly 200 states finalised a common rule book designed to deliver on …

Attacking the Congress’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the Rafale deal, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday that a JPC could not go into the “correctness or otherwise” of a Supreme Court verdict. “The court conducts a judicial review; it is a non-partisan, independent and fair …

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) may not summon the Attorney-General and the Comptroller and Auditor-General over the public auditor’s report on the Rafale deal, as a majority of the members, even those from the Opposition parties, do not favour the proposal by its Chairman, Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress president Rahul Gandhi …

More than 100 rescue workers, comprising the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police personnel, could not rescue or recover the bodies of at least 13 miners trapped in an illegal coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills district. The mine got flooded when …

The maximum limit of this leave would be 180 days and can be availed in three spells in a calendar year Male employees of the State government are now entitled to child care leave in case their wives are bed-ridden or incapacitated due to mental health problems and unable to …

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih began his trip to India on an upbeat note by declaring his country’s commitment to trade with foreign partners. Addressing a public event on Sunday, Mr. Solih said there were no obstructions to doing business with his country, and described India as the “closest friend” …

According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) records till December 15, 2018, there were 95 cases of tiger deaths in the country. Of this, 41 cases of tiger deaths outside tiger reserves have been reported. Of them, 14 occurred in Maharashtra, which accounted for over 34% of all deaths …

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday said it will move court if the Centre brings an ordinance for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya or the triple talaq Bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha. At the meeting of the working committee of the AIMPLB, …

Military communication satellite GSAT-7A, due to be launched on December 19 evening from Sriharikota, is expected to add a new space-based dimension to the way Indian Air Force interlinks, operates and communicates with its aircraft. Although all Indian communication satellites offer capacity to the armed forces, GSAT-7A will be the …

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reinstated United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister, seven weeks after firing him in a snap move. The re-appointment signals a likely end to the political impasse that gripped the island since October 26, when Mr. Sirisena appointed his former rival …

The Andhra Pradesh Weather Forecasting and Early Warning Research Centre (AWARE), a division of the RTGS, on Sunday said cyclone Phethai might make landfall by the evening of Monday between Kakinada and Tuni. It would be accompanied by winds blowing at 80-100 kmph. The RTGS sounded high alert in East …