Habitat destruction and hunting by humans are reasons for fall in numbers Mankind’s destruction of nature is driving species to the brink of extinction at an “unprecedented” rate, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned on Thursday, as it added more than 7,000 animals, fish and plants …

Situation is the most bleak in low-income countries, saysLancetreport “Oral diseases present a major global public health burden, affecting 3.5 billion people worldwide, yet oral health has been largely ignored by the global health community,” noted a new Lancet Series on Oral Health . The report warns that with a …

They bore witness to many landmark events during British rule in India In a large room in the south of the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, an oil painting of the Mahatma by Jamini Ray hangs in the Governor’s study. Not many people know that some of the policies that shaped …

The NCLT has given a go-ahead to the government to prosecute Deloitte and BSR Associates for their failure to detect and report the scams that took place across the now bankrupt IL&FS Group and 21 other entities, when they were the auditors of IL&FS Financial Services. The NCLT, in an …

Power and Renewable Energy Minister R.K. Singh on Thursday approved the proposal for early regulatory approvals of transmission schemes identified for 66.5 GW of renewable energy projects by designating them ‘projects of national importance’. “As the gestation period of renewable energy (RE) projects is much shorter in comparison to the …

‘It sold 3G chipsets at below cost of production’ In yet another European Union (EU) move against a U.S. tech giant, the bloc’s antitrust chief on Thursday fined chipmaker Qualcomm $271 million, accusing it of “predatory pricing” to drive a competitor out of the market. EU Antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager …

Regulator says the plan will undermine its autonomy The government’s proposal to transfer surplus money with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) has met with a strong opposition from the regulatory body. The capital markets regulator feels that the proposal would …

India likely to consume 1.8 lakh crore units by 2025, says CII One of the key requirements for a $5-trillion economy is an investment of about Rs. 5 lakh crore in the power transmission sector over the next few years, in order to cater to the 1.8 lakh crore units …

India may have to revise downwards what is considered its “potential” rate of growth from 7-8% to bring expectations more in line with reality, former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian has argued in a paper. This paper comes as a follow-up to the one Mr. Subramanian published last month, …

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a Congressman’s bid to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, tamping down a groundswell of anger after the President made xenophobic comments about Democrats.The chamber voted 332 to 95 to table, or effectively kill, a resolution brought by Democrat Al Green that …

Ankara says one-sided step against spirit of alliance The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies. “Unfortunately, Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense …

Beijing has threatened to sanction U.S. companies over arms sales to Taipei Amid growing trade tensions with the U.S., China is going ahead with its decision to sanction American companies selling weapons to Taiwan. The State-run tabloid, Global Times , earlier this week nailed specific steps that China can take …

Lok Sabha members discussed the General Budget for 17 hours, while the Lower House also discussed demands for grants for various Ministries, including Railways for 13 hours, Road and Transport for over 7 hours and Rural Development and Agriculture for 10 hours 36 minutes, Speaker Om Birla said on Thursday. …

SC declines urgent hearing on lynching plea The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against some states for their alleged failure in curbing lynching incidents. It did not allow the submission of a lawyer that the judgements, laying down guidelines to deal with …

‘Army tracking Chinese activity at Doklam’ India and China have reduced their presence on the Doklam plateau after the disengagement in 2017, but the Army is monitoring Chinese activities in the area and is prepared to respond to any contingency, the Defence Ministry said in a report. Noting fewer Chinese …

The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against some states for their alleged failure in curbing lynching incidents. It did not allow the submission of a lawyer that the judgements, laying down guidelines to deal with lynching and cow vigilantism incidents in the …

‘World court has given it an opportunity to comply with the rule of law and reform its processes’ Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dubbed the International Court of Justice judgment in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case a “comprehensive victory for India.”“Pakistan lost conclusively before the ICJ. Its farcical processes through which …

Home Minister Amit Shah will head a reconstituted group of ministers (GoM) on Air India disinvestment and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has been dropped from the panel, sources said. The panel, which is to work out modalities for the sale of Air India, will now have four Ministers — …

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill and the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill. Trinamool MPs walked out, with Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of the party terming the Bills “draconian”. He said the Bills were passed in haste on World Bank diktats. Union Law Minister …

The Governor said he had not intervened in the matter earlier “having regard to the fact that the House was called and trust vote was moved.” He pointed out that “proceedings of the House on July 18 were stalled and consequently adjourned without reaching any finality” and this “cannot go …