The verdict is a disappointment — what we need are untainted MPs The September 25 verdict of the Supreme Court on criminalisation of politics left much to be desired. The Election Commission (EC), frustrated by its own helplessness in the matter, has been crying hoarse to the government, political parties …

The judiciary alone cannot take forward the mission of deepening democracy and protecting social freedoms Unless… philosophers become kings in the cities… there can be no cessation of evils… for cities nor, I think, for the human race . — Plato, The Republic After the slew of verdicts by the …

Australian researchers on Thursday said they have detected a record number of radio waves from space, including the closest and fastest one that may help understand the matter between galaxies. They said they found 20 fast radio bursts in a year, almost doubling the number detected worldwide since they were …

A colour developed by Egyptians thousands of years ago can boost energy efficiency by cooling rooftops and walls, and could also enable solar generation of electricity via windows, scientists say. Egyptian blue, derived from calcium copper silicate, was routinely used on ancient depictions of gods and royalty, according to the …

Stephen Hawking’s final scientific paper — which was completed days before the British physicist’s death — has been written and posted online by his colleagues at Cambridge and Harvard universities. The paper named Black Hole Entropy and Soft Hair, tackles with what happens to information when it falls into a …

A team of researchers has produced viable offspring from same-sex pairs of mice, using a novel technology that involves stem cells altered to remove certain genes. While the applications of the research are largely theoretical for now, they could include improving existing cloning methods for mammals and even eventually fertility …

Research team is comparing the medical histories of 10,000 former football players with nonplayers Does heading a football give you dementia? That’s the question neuropathologist Willie Stewart is attempting to answer by comparing the health of thousands of former footballers with non-players. Football authorities have been accused of dragging their …

Most Consulates are participating in the celebration and see it as an opportunity to enhance ‘cultural ties with eastern India’ The participation of foreign envoys in Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata saw a new upsurge on Thursday with the arrival of U.S. Ambassador to India Keneth I. Juster in Kolkata …

The two-man crew of a Soyuz rocket made a successful emergency landing on Thursday after an engine problem on lift-off to the International Space Station, in a major setback for the beleaguered Russian space industry. U.S. astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin were rescued without injuries in Kazakhstan. …

India accounts for the largest number of individuals staying in the U.K. illegally, and the number of those subjected to forced returns to India has fallen by 50% in three years, Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office has said. The problem of “visa overstayers” was highlighted by the department in its …

Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, met with Trinley Thaye Dorje, a rival claimant in the Tibetan movement. While the Dalai Lama has on several occasions in the past endorsed Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the future of the Tibetan movement, the other Buddhist leader has also laid claim to …

At least one in five Indian children under the age of five are ‘wasted,’ which means they have extremely low weight for their height, reflecting acute under-nutrition, according to the Global Hunger Index 2018. The only country with a higher prevalence of child wasting is the war-torn nation of South …

Cyclone ‘Titli’ that left a trail of destruction in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Thursday was not as intense as Phailin and Hud-Hud that wreaked havoc in 2013 and 2014. However, high-speed winds and rain severely damaged the road network in both States. Around 100 houses collapsed in Bhamini, Jalumuru, …

Kudashev hints at more defence deals with India after the conclusion of the S-400 Triumf missile purchase India and Russia’s defence deals won’t be affected by the United States’ threat of sanctions, and several more defence deals are expected to be completed after the S-400 Triumf missile deal concluded on …

A probe by The Hindu and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism finds a veterinary drug producer promoting their misuse in poultry farming The world’s biggest animal drugs company has been accused of double standards and of exposing consumers in India to “higher levels of risk” by selling antibiotics for purposes …

Dassault Aviation said on Thursday that it chose Reliance Defence “freely” on the Rafale aircraft deal. The French military major issued a press statement a day after reports in the French media claimed that the company was made to choose Reliance Defence in a “trade-off” to get the Rafale fighter …

Reuter’s Correspondent at British Headquarters wiring today [October 9] says: Yesterday’s victory yielded us besides prisoners, sixty square miles of territory and a great haul of field guns, trench mortars and machineguns. Moreover, important tactical results were achieved. The enemy has been thrust back into the open country beyond any …

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Serampore has disposed of a case in which a Bengali youth named Bibhuti Bhusan Mukerjee was prosecuted for robbing Messrs. Clark and McGuir of their belongings from a first-class compartment of an up passenger between Howrah and Bhadeswar station. These gentlemen were sleeping in a compartment. …

Mutation fears put Gir lions in danger How serious are the lion deaths in Gujarat? A canine distemper virus (CDV) has led to many deaths in the Gir sanctuary. In September alone, 21 lions died. Every year, it is normal for 80-90 lions to die in Gujarat, according to wildlife …

Tamil Nadu’s Raj Bhavan must be made aware of the risks of the misuse of Section 124 Journalists have been hauled up in the past for writing allegedly objectionable articles. But the arrest of R.R. Gopal, Editor of the Tamil magazine Nakkheeran , Chennai, on a trumped-up charge under a …