British Nobel prize winning scientist Dorothy Hodgkin yesterday [August 13] announced the discovery of the crystalline structure of insulin, the life saving drug used by diabetics. Dr. Hodgkin made her announcement at a Press conference held on the first day of a 10-day meeting of the Eighth International Congress of …

The mass defection of MLAs makes a mockery of democracy in Sikkim The switching of sides by 10 MLAs from the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Sikkim on Tuesday and later two others from the SDF to the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) brings a …

The auto sales slump reflectsa pervasive lack of demand India’s automobile industry is experiencing a snowballing crisis of demand that shows no signs of abating, leave alone reversing. Domestic sales across all vehicle categories slid 19% year-on-year in July, as passenger vehicle despatches plunged 31% to register the segment’s steepest …

India barely found the inclination to celebrate its independence from Britain on August 15, 1947. Communal riots and a massive influx of refugees following Partition threatened to fragment the fledgling country. Broke and traumatised, it had nothing like the Marshall Plan to cope with the challenges it faced, despite significantly …

Addressing the plenary session of the World Environment Day celebrations on June 5, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, “We are engaged in a massive push towards renewable energy generation. We have targeted [the] generation of 175 GW of solar and wind energy by 2022. We are already the fifth-largest …

Why Bengal witnesses large-scale political violence is a question that is often asked. The answer is complex and multi-layered. The people in Bengal, mainly the poor, developed a sense of entitlement, largely as a result of the Left’s long rule. Many argue that such entitlement is what shaped people to …

Will a greater centralisation of decision-making help the region’s already-fragile terrain? Amidst the babble of voices on the sudden abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)’s special constitutional status, the simultaneous transformation of Ladakh into a Union Territory (UT) has not received much attention. During last week’s parliamentary debate on this …

With the final date for publication of the National Register of Citizens drawing near, the dividing lines are becoming sharper. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been expressing doubts about an “error-free” (read Bangladeshi free) NRC, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and minority organisations such as the All …

To prepare for the next mission to Mars in 2020, NASA has taken to the lava fields of Iceland to get its new robotic space explorer ready for the job. With its black basalt sand, wind-swept dunes and craggy peaks, the Lambahraun lava field at the foot of Iceland’s second …

Pictures were taken by an officer of the Royal Indian Navy The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has acquired an 8 mm film of vital historical import, pertaining to the 1945 Simla Conference of British administrators, Indian leaders and diplomats. The film was sent to the NFAI by the …

Nanopowder may replace commercially available substitute Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, have developed a process by which bone implant materials can be synthesised from eggshells. The research seeks to produce bone substitute materials such as tricalcium phosphate, a …

Fuel and power sector contracts Inflation at the wholesale level eased for the fourth consecutive month to a 25-month low of 1.08% in July, on lower inflation in the manufacturing and fuel sectors, according to official data released on Wednesday. Growth in the Wholesale Price Index slowed in July from …

Performance review set in motion The Finance Ministry has initiated a comprehensive consultative process with public sector banks (PSBs) to find out the reasons for the sharp rise in bad loans in the previous five years, apart from outlining national priorities with which these banks have to align themselves. Touted …

‘Avoid meetings with foreign colleagues’ Foreign spies keen to get their hands on Russian research are monitoring Russian scientists around the clock, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after experts denounced a new security decree as a Soviet throwback. The Kremlin’s comments came after scientists criticised a Ministry directive calling on …

Ranil, Sajith Premadasa and Karu Jayasuriya are in the fray Days after former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa named his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa as opposition presidential candidate, the battle over candidacy within the United National Party (UNP) has intensified, with no indication of a decision yet. While UNP legislators point …

India and Pakistan should bilaterally resolve the Kashmir issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. The statement came during a phone call that Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made to his Russian counterpart. “The Russian side emphasised the need for deescalation of tensions, and that there is …

“There was injustice against women and children, ST and SC communities. And, most importantly, the innovative zeal of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh was not harnessed. Now, from BPOs to startups, from food processing to tourism, many industries can avail investment and create opportunities for the local youth,” …

Travelogues of foreigners discussed The Hindu parties involved in the Ayodhya title appeals received a barrage of questions from the Constitution Bench, including whether there is any evidence on record to show that the first Mughal emperor, Babur, ordered the building of the Babri Masjid. While Justice S.A. Bobde asked …

“But people have taken advantage. Like, for instance, they view certain countries — like China, India, many countries — for a long time, they viewed them as ‘they’re growing’,” Mr. Trump said, adding that these countries had now grown and had “tremendous advantages”. “But we’re not letting that happen anymore, …

It is to enter the lunar orbit on Aug. 20 The Chandrayaan-2 lunar lander-orbiter was on Wednesday set on course to exit earth’s gravity as it began a seven-day journey to the moon in the wee hours, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The spacecraft, which was launched on …