China joined a select group of countries with successful missions to the moon, when its spacecraft, Chang’e-4, successfully made a landing at ‘10.26 on January 3’, according to the China National Space Administration. It landed at a spot on the moon’s far side, the Von Kármán crater, which is untouched …
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Voting for change
The Congress has formed the government in Madhya Pradesh with the help of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. In the new Assembly, there are only two Muslim MLAs, both from the Congress. From 1952 to 2018, on average, only 1% and 2.3% of Muslims were elected and …
Read More »A case of unprincipled criminalisation
In an essay published in the Washington University Law Review (1979), Martin R. Gardner posed a significant question whether an “illicit legislative motivation” could be “a sufficient condition for unconstitutionality”. He explored this “muddled area” in the context of religious motivation under the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution and …
Read More »Hope with concerns in 2019
The New Year is always looked forward to with hope, whatever the conditions might have been the previous year; 2018 has been a mixed bag, both globally and domestically.Globally, the growth rate in 2018 was high, particularly in the United States. But strong signs of a trade war emerged, dimming …
Read More »Is the Modi charisma fading?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma has been visibly declining since mid-2017. The point that is open for debate is whether or not he can reverse the slide by playing the several cards he is adept at playing. Paradoxically, the onset of the fade-out of Mr. Modi’s charisma coincided with the …
Read More »Egg prank ends up in fatal crash
A 14-year-old boy in the U.S. who was allegedly driving an SUV that caused a fatal car accident has been arrested on a murder charge.The Texas Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the SUV was filled with teens who were throwing eggs at other cars on Tuesday afternoon when another driver …
Read More »Scientists design tiny ‘magic carpet’
Inspired by the magic carpet featured in the folk tale of ‘Aladdin’, researchers have designed a two-dimensional, shape-changing sheet that moves autonomously in a reactant-filled fluid. The ‘magic carpet’ in tales from One Thousand and One Nights captures the imagination not only because it can fly, but because it can …
Read More »Meet the ‘snowman’ floating in space
Ultima Thule, an icy celestial body, is aptly shaped like a giant snowman, NASA scientists have announced.The first detailed images beamed back from the U.S. agency’s New Horizons mission allowed scientists to confidently determine the body was formed when two spheres, or “lobes,” slowly gravitated towards each other until they …
Read More »NHAI to raise Rs 10,000 cr through Bharatmala bonds
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to raise Rs. 10,000 crore through Bharatmala Taxable Bonds in the current fiscal, Parliament was informed on Thursday. Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said as per the internal and extra budgetary resources approved for 2018-19 by the government, Rs. 62,000 crore is to …
Read More »Gold rises for third day, surges to Rs. 32,835
Extending its gains for the third straight session, gold prices on Thursday surged by Rs. 335 to Rs. 32,835 per 10 grams at the bullion market in the national capital, amid a weaker rupee against dollar, according to the All India Sarafa Association.Silver, too, followed gold, gaining Rs. 350 to …
Read More »‘Printing of Rs. 2,000 notes reduced to minimum’
The printing of Rs. 2,000 banknotes, introduced post-demonetisation in November 2016, has been reduced to “minimum” by the Reserve Bank, a top finance ministry official said on Thursday.Soon after the sudden decision to ban old Rs. 500/1000 currency notes by the government, the Reserve Bank of India had come out …
Read More »Global headwinds continue to spook Indian markets
Global headwinds continued to hit Indian equities for the second consecutive session on Thursday as the benchmark Sensex and Nifty lost more than 1% each with investors reeling under concerns of an economic slowdown.The 30-share Sensex lost 377.81 points or 1.05% to close at 35,513.71. The broader Nifty ended the …
Read More »E-way bill system changes confusing, say transporters
The government’s decision to make some changes to the e-way bill system effective November 16, 2018, has not gone down well with transporters, who claim that it has not been communicated properly and has led to ‘complete confusion’.“When A sells a material to B, he raises an invoice and subsequently …
Read More »Object of IBC paramount, says NCLT
The Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has observed that rejection of a resolution plan on technicalities, without going into its merits, goes against the spirit of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.Hearing the case of the applicant Omkara Assets Reconstruction Private Limited, the applicant, against the Interim …
Read More »Ireland to seek EU aid over Brexit
Ireland will seek hundreds of millions of euros in aid from Brussels if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, the Agriculture Minister was quoted on Thursday as saying.“You’re looking at hundreds of millions here,” Michael Creed told The Irish Independent .The emergency aid would aim to buttress …
Read More »‘N. Korean envoy to Italy in hiding, has sought asylum’
North Korea’s top diplomat in Italy has sought asylum and gone into hiding, Seoul lawmakers told reporters after a closed-door meeting with South Korean intelligence officials on Thursday.It would mark the latest high-profile defection by a senior North Korean envoy since the Deputy Ambassador in London abandoned his post in …
Read More »‘Yellow vest’ leader arrested
One of the leaders of the “yellow vest” anti-government demonstrations was detained by police in Paris late on Wednesday for organising an unauthorised protest, signalling a harder line by the authorities against the movement.Eric Drouet — who already faces a trial for carrying a weapon at a previous protest — …
Read More »Budget may be vote-on-account and not full-fledged: Venkaiah Naidu
Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday hinted that the government may opt for a vote on account instead of a full-fledged Budget in February. “As we are all aware that before the election the government normally just goes for vote on account — only for few days. That will …
Read More »‘SC verdict has settled Rafale issue’
The Supreme Court verdict has settled all questions on the Rafale deal, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha, leading to a walkout by Congress members on Thursday.Ms. Swaraj was answering a question from Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut who asked her about the recent visit of French …
Read More »Send stray cattle to shelters within a week: Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed all District Magistrates to ensure stray cattle and destitute cows are sent to shelters homes “under any condition” by January 10. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/send-stray-cattle-to-shelters-within-a-week-adityanath/article25904784.ece
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