Ivanka Trump unveiled an effort aimed at helping 50 million women in the developing world get ahead economically over the next six years. On Thursday, the White House officially launched the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, a government-wide project led by the senior adviser and daughter to President Donald …

Senior U.S. Treasury official and World Bank critic David Malpass has been confirmed as the U.S.’s choice for the presidency of the Bank, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday afternoon. The announcement is the culmination of a search effort headed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the President’s daughter, Ivanka …

President Donald Trump has proved himself adroit at creating villains to serve as his political foils. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he introduced a new one: socialists. Right after his calls to support the overthrow of Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, and condemning the “socialist policies” that …

The court had then ordered the CBI to get instructions and report back at 2 p.m. An affidavit was duly filed by an officer in the afternoon. However, the court expressed dissatisfaction, saying the officer was not competent to submit it. “Never file an affidavit without your personal satisfaction on …

The Rohingya issue dominated meetings that the Bangladesh Foreign Minister held here on Thursday with the Indian leadership. Interacting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, A.K. Abdul Momen, who is on his maiden trip to India, sought continued support in resolving the humanitarian disaster that has brought more than a million …

Non-governmental organisations (NGO) working to eliminate tuberculosis have urged the government to ensure that the National Strategic Plan for 2017-2025 is fully funded and effectively implemented to eliminate tuberculosis. ‘Invest substantially’ Several NGOs and stakeholders, including TB survivors, have urged the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and …

The election season in Israel and India may derail Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after an initial date for his visit on February 11 fell through, officials involved in planning the visit confirmed. According to a senior diplomatic source, Mr. Netanyahu, who had proposed …

An aggressive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday contrasted his 55 months of “seva” (service) with the 55 years of “satta bhog” (hunger for power) displayed by the Congress while replying to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha. Highlighting his government’s achievements a couple …

The Indian Journal of Clinical Practice (IJCP) Group, a doctor-run publisher of medical journals, has come under flak from public health experts for partnering with American e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. Juul, which is evaluating an entry into India, has retained the Group to “better understand the India market,” a …

The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Forest Department to file a status report on Monday listing the behavioural traits of 25-year-old Chinna Thambi, a translocated wild elephant of Thadagam valley near Coimbatore, and the steps taken so far to rehabilitate him. A Division Bench of Justices S. Manikumar …

The Assembly on Thursday passed the Bills for 5% reservation each for the Kapus (Kapus, Telaga, Ontari and Balija sub-castes) and other Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the general category on Thursday consequent to the 103rd amendment to the Constitution. The Bills are the A.P. Economically Weaker Sections of Citizens …

Exhorting all government wings concerned to make concerted efforts for wildlife conservation, Telangana High Court on Thursday passed a slew of directions including removal of all unauthorised power lines in Kawal Tiger Reserve which is spread over northern parts of the State. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. …

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday cut the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25% in a bid to revive economic growth as it projected retail inflation to remain below its target of 4% for the next 12 months. The rate reduction was the first since …

The Planning Commission has accepted a food production target of 130 to 132 million tonnes by the end of the Fourth Plan. This target has been projected on the basis of a 100-million tonne potential this year. The production targets suggested for the major cash crops along with their estimated …

The government has allocated only Rs. 500 crore for the scheme What is the scheme? A major announcement in the Interim Budget 2019-20 was the creation of the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan, a pension scheme for informal workers. Under this scheme, subscribers will receive an assured monthly pension of …

Seeking a count of 50% of VVPAT slips is too much; the focus should be on ending glitches In a significant and welcome change from their earlier demand for a return to paper ballots, representatives of a large section of the mainstream Opposition parties met the Election Commission (ECI) to …

The Taliban reconciliation process is moving at a faster pace than was anticipated. Talks facilitated by Russia in Moscow this week, with mainstream Afghan politicians sitting around the table with Taliban leaders, are similar in their approach to the recent U.S.-Taliban talks in Qatar, though the two are rival processes. …

On January 30, a little more than four years after the last hike, the Ministry of Science and Technology increased the fellowship stipend for PhD students by nearly 25%. The government says the hike will be reviewed periodically. Since the increase is far less than the 80% hike that research …

Not even U.S. President Donald Trump’s worst enemies would deny that he has fulfilled many election campaign foreign policy promises, including opting out of international agreements on climate change, the Iran nuclear accord and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and pressurising allies to pay …

In elections to three State Assemblies of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh late last year, candidates of the Muslim faith won 11 of the 520 seats in play. That would seem a modest tally, by no means evidence of disproportionate political influence. The myth of a pampered minority, though, refuses …