The turnout in the panchayat polls in Kashmir slid to 17.3% on Saturday, while Jammu recorded a heavy 84.6% polling. Anantnag and Kulgam districts, witnesses to widespread militancy and violence, recorded a dismal 7.3% and 4.6% polling, respectively. Source  :  https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/kashmir-sees-173-voting-in-panchayat-polls/article25646031.ece

Taking some burden off school students in Delhi, the AAP government issued a circular on Saturday fixing the maximum weight of a school bag. It stated that school bags for students in Class I and II should not weigh above 1.5 kg, 2-3 kg for Classes III to V, 4 …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that there had been a “perceptible improvement” in bilateral ties after their Wuhan summit and both sides are optimistic that 2019 would be an even better year for India-China relations. During their fourth meeting this year on the sidelines of …

The history of Sikhism and Punjab is closely tied to the gurudwara which houses a rare, original copy of the holy Granth Sahib As they sat down to the ‘Guru ka Langar’ or community meal at the Kartarpur shrine after attending the ground-breaking ceremony for the Kartarpur corridor, conducted by …

The International Labour Organisation’s Global Wage Report has put into sharp relief one of the biggest drags on global economic momentum: slowing wage growth. Global wage growth, adjusted for inflation, slowed to 1.8% in 2017, from 2.4% in 2016, it shows. Worryingly, this is the lowest rate since 2008. Excluding …

In questioning the merits of retaining the death penalty, Justice Kurian Joseph has re-ignited a debate that is important and requires serious thought. What he said cannot be ignored, though the law laid down in Bachan Singh (1980), upholding the validity of the death penalty and laying down guidelines for …

Last week saw the European Union releasing its strategy on India after 14 years. Launching the strategy document, the European Union (EU) Ambassador to India, Tomasz Kozlowski, underlined that “India is on the top of the agenda of the EU in the field of external relations… this strategy paper reflects …

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in the Maldives in mid-November to attend the swearing-in of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as the country’s President ( picture ), it was easy to count the “firsts” in his visit. Among them: this was Mr. Modi’s first visit to the Maldives, the only …

As Tamil Nadu struggles to restore normalcy in the districts affected by Cyclone Gaja, Jayant Sriram and B. Kolappan report on the devastation visited upon the region’s coconut cultivators, and how farming in this predominantly agrarian belt could be made more disaster-proof.Standing under a cloudy sky that now casts a …

Researchers, including one of Indian origin, have developed six Zika virus antibodies which may help diagnose as well as treat the mosquito-borne disease that has infected over 1.5 million people worldwide.The antibodies “may have the dual utility as diagnostics capable of recognising Zika virus subtypes and may be further developed …

India’s first international indigenous film festival will take place in February next year in Odisha. An initiative of activist film collective Video Republic, that has been campaigning for indigenous communities in the State, the three-stop event will kick off in Bhubaneswar on February 19, move on to Puri from February …

Leh, Kargil solar unit tenders likelyThe government is planning to issue tenders for 7,500 MW of solar projects in the Leh and Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by December 15.As part of the initiatives under the National Solar Mission, the Ministry of New and Renewable energy (MNRE) has …

Shares of home loan firms went up on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India eased norms for securitisation, which would help the companies raise more funds.On Thursday, RBI decided to relax the Minimum Holding Period (MHP) requirement for NBFCs, as they are now allowed to securitise loans of more …

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) rejected a plea by the insolvency professional against Union Ministry of Coal’s termination of mining agreement with Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd., citing the moratorium period under the insolvency and bankruptcy code (IBC).The company was brought under the insolvency process in a case …

Mergers and amalgamations are set to turn costlier for corporates in Tamil Nadu, thanks to a circular clarifying the applicability of stamp duty on transfer of property under the Companies Act.A circular issued by the Inspector General of Registration in Chennai on November 20 said that the scheme of arrangements …

The government on Wednesday released the GDP growth estimates for previous years based on the new method of calculation and base year it had adopted in 2015. The new data and the manner in which it was released led to criticism from various quarters, including Opposition political parties and economists …

India’s fiscal deficit in the first seven months of the financial year, at Rs. 6.49 lakh crore, exceeded the budgeted target for the entire year, coming in at 103.9% of that target, according to official data released on Friday.The fiscal deficit was 96.1% of the budgeted amount in the same …

The mounting pressure of an impending Supreme Court verdict on his dissolution of Parliament, and the lack of majority support for his hand-picked Prime Minister might prompt President Maithripala Sirisena to end Sri Lanka’s political crisis this weekend, The Hindu learns.President Sirisena held two high-level meetings on Friday evening — …

Ukraine on Friday barred Russian men aged 16-60 from entry as tensions mounted between the two countries over Moscow’s seizure of three Ukrainian ships last week.The move came after Kiev imposed martial law in border regions this week in response to the Russian seizure of the ships and 24 sailors …

He has called Justin Trudeau “very dishonest and weak.” He also, perhaps jokingly, accused Canada — which came into formal being in 1867 — of burning down the White House during the War of 1812.But on Friday, as President Donald Trump, Mr. Trudeau and Mexico’s President, Enrique Peña Nieto, signed …