Ending commercial surrogacy will not be possible without regulating ART clinics It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that surrogacy needs to be regulated by law. There is no argument about whether an issue such as surrogacy fraught with bioethical issues aplenty requires regulation: it does. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, …

The simmering inner party differences erupted into an open clash between the supporters and opponents of Mrs. Gandhi at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting this evening [August 6]. The meeting, called to hear appeals from the Prime Minister and the Congress President to vote for Mr. Sanjiva Reddi in the …

An ingrained gun culture and patchy regulations set off hate crimes in the U.S. Two American cities, El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, more than 2,500 kilometres apart, witnessed lethal shootings resulting in mass fatalities over the past weekend, with at least 31 people dead, many injured, and a nation …

Buses need an image makeover and cities need several thousand of them, of good quality The great cities of the world use one guiding principle in planning services for residents and visitors: working with finite space. In big cities, new roads are not possible, and no new land is available. …

Many of them are understaffed and under-resourced Fast-track courts are in the limelight yet again. Smriti Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development, informed the Rajya Sabha that the government has proposed to set up 1,023 fast-track courts to clear the cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences …

The Trump strategy seems to focus on internal progress and in pursuit of peace abroad in unconventional ways Today, there is expectation that U.S. President Donald Trump will not only complete his term but also win a second term in 2020. But not so long ago, the demand to impeach …

The Centre is riding roughshod over Kashmiri public opinion already beset with disaffection In the face of a massive security build-up in Kashmir at the close of July, a seasoned journalist conjectured, “This is just the right time when militants and their masters in Rawalpindi could do with a terror …

India cannot claim the moral high ground any more that it has kept the State’s integrity intact Without going into the moral and legal arguments for or against the scrapping of the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the decision to reorganise the State into two Union Territories (UTs), …

China threatened countermeasures on Tuesday if the United States deploys intermediate-range, ground-based missiles in Asia and warned U.S. allies of repercussions if they allow such weapons on their territory. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday he was in favour of placing ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles in the region soon, …

Electoral rallies and gatherings could become potential targets, warn insurgents The Taliban warned Afghans on Tuesday to keep away from election rallies and ordered its fighters to “stand against” the planned September vote. The militants and other insurgent groups conducted frequent attacks during previous elections, and this year’s campaign season …

Sri Lankan PM tells inquiry panel that he was not informed about the terror threat despite prior intel “I am yet to get a satisfactory response on why I was not briefed about the Easter Sunday terror threat,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, suggesting that the Sri Lankan government …

Goa decides to amend century-old marriage law The BJP-led Goa government would amend the Portuguese-era Uniform Civil Code (UCC), introduced in the year 1870, so that non-Goans can register their marriages. The UCC was introduced by the erstwhile Portuguese rulers. It was retained even after the territory was merged with …

Still a month away from its scheduled landing on the moon, Chandrayaan-2 on Tuesday had its orbit slung further towards the moon at 1.42 lakh km from the earth. “The next manoeuvre is the Trans Lunar Insertion (TLI), which is scheduled for August 14 between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.,” …

Real reason lies in global context India’s move to end the special status to Jammu and Kashmir indicates that the government is bracing for serious geo-strategic shifts that will unfold in South Asia over the next few months. Though the domestic reasons for ending the status was presented through a …

Top commanders hold meeting Pakistan’s military “firmly stands” by Kashmiris, the powerful Army chief said on Tuesday, a day after India stripped the disputed region of its special autonomy in a move set to deepen animosity between the nuclear arch-rivals. The Army’s top commanders met in the garrison city of …

Historically the district of Leh covered the area of Aksai Chin that remains out of Indian control. The exchanges over Ladakh are expected to set the backdrop of the August 11 to 13 visit to Beijing by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who will participate in the High Level Mechanism …

Speaking at a joint session of Parliament in Islamabad, Mr. Khan said, “They want to change the demography of Kashmir by revoking Kashmir’s special status. This is against Article 49 of the fourth Geneva Convention; this is a war crime. They have violated all international and local laws for their …

It had been managing the Ramjanmabhumi and receiving offerings from worshippers. It submitted that the “Asthan of Janam Bhumi was of ancient antiquity.” The Akhara, represented by senior advocate Sushil Kumar Jain, submitted that Muslims had stopped offering regular prayers at the Babri mosque in 1934, when there was a …

Days after the Opposition accused the government of passing Bills without scrutiny, the government has proposed to send four pieces of legislation to a standing committee or a select committee. The Opposition parties had demanded that the RTI Amendment Bill, the Triple Talaq Bill and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment …

Sources say they expect infiltrations and ceasefire violations in the days ahead Necessary security arrangements have been put in place for ensuring peace and security in Jammu and Kashmir, said General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on Tuesday after chairing a meeting of the core group of …