Hartal was observed throughout Punjab today [October 28] in memory of Mr. Darshan Singh Pheruman, who died in Amritsar yesterday on the 74th day of his fast for the inclusion of Chandigarh in Punjab. The offices of the Punjab Government also remained closed. The last rites of Mr. Pheruman were …

The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder-leader of the Islamic State, is a major setback to the dreaded terrorist organisation. Baghdadi, who rose to international notoriety in July 2014 when he appeared in the pulpit of Mosul’s grand al-Nuri mosque as the leader of the new ‘Caliphate’ announced by …

While retaining power via a post-poll tie-up, BJP will have to recognise the mandate’s nature By winning the support of the JJP to form a government in Haryana, the BJP has surmounted its failure in the recent Assembly election to win a clear majority from the people directly for a …

Measures being taken against e-cigarette companies in the U.S. could result in a dip in sales The absence of vaping-related illnesses in the last 10 years that have seen increased use has often been cited to silence the critics of electronic cigarettes. But that is changing today. As of October …

While the 2017 reports released last week by the National Crime Records Bureau present numbers on different aspects of the criminal justice system, there are crucial gaps in the data collected. Further, the opacity surrounding the methodology for collection and compilation makes the data obscure and renders them ineffective for …

For the Indian National Congress that was anticipating a wipe-out in Maharashtra and Haryana, the Assembly elections that just concluded in these two States have revived hope in an organisation that has been in a comatose state since the general election earlier this year. In Maharashtra, the party, in partnership …

When Gandhi went to England in 1931 to attend the Second Round Table Conference, one of his close aides suggested that he retreat for the weekend to Oxford in order to reflect on the “big questions of principle involved in negotiations”. It would also afford an opportunity to have informal, …

The Ayodhya issue is tantalisingly poised and there are only guesses about how the case could pan out — the Supreme Court of India had allowed arguments before the court and mediation talks to proceed simultaneously. It has been an unusual step. The dichotomy of this approach could perhaps be …

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alleging loss of GST revenue to the government due to deep discounting by e-commerce firms, particularly Amazon and Flipkart. Seeking investigation into the business model of both the players, CAIT said e-commerce companies sell goods much …

French President Emmanuel Macron had been the main hurdle to giving Britain a Brexit extension, arguing there had to be a good reason for a delay and that the British needed to break their own political deadlock. But a source close to Mr. Macron said the prospect of an election …

He said the exact number of cities to be covered — whether 50 or all the remaining 35% — would have to be decided. Another option, he said, would be to include the projects under the newly formed Jal Shakti Ministry’s mandate. “In some respects we have been overtaken by …

Lok Sabha member and president of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Badruddin Ajmal said the Assam government’s two-child policy for job eligibility will not stop Muslims from producing children. The State’s junior Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Pijush Hazarika, termed his view “provocative” and “insensitive” to the …

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met the three Service chiefs on Monday and reviewed the situation in Kashmir and the operational preparedness along the Line of Control (LoC) in the backdrop of recent escalation in Cease Fire Violations (CFV), defence sources said. “The Minister reviewed the situation along the LoC. The …

IMD has also warned of a fresh low pressure system that had formed over the equatorial Indian Ocean to the south of Sri Lanka on Monday morning Supercyclone ‘Kyarr’ in the Arabian Sea has moved westwards and away from India’s coast, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). ‘Kyarr’ lay …

Air India will launch a new flight connecting Amritsar with London Stansted on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, on October 31. The Boeing 787 aircraft, which will bring thousands of Sikhs to their most important pilgrim city, will also sport an important religious symbol ‘Ek …

Process of formation of two Union Territories will begin with the swearing-in of Lieutenant-Governors The State of Jammu and Kashmir will transition into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh on October 31, and the process will begin with the swearing-in of the two newly appointed Lieutenant-Governors in Srinagar and …

A study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 36 countries found that two-thirds of sexually active women who wished to delay or limit childbearing stopped using contraception for the fear of side effects, health concerns and underestimation of the likelihood of conception. This led to one in four …

As the tussle for power sharing continues in Maharashtra, delegations of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari separately at Raj Bhavan on Monday. The BJP delegation was led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Sena team by Transport Minister Diwakar Raote. …

Those who were left out will be covered, says Minister The second round of the Centre’s flagship urban development schemes — the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) — were being considered and could be rolled out in 2020, Union Minister of State …

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the Islamic State (IS) group’s elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed, dying “like a dog” in a night raid by U.S. special forces in northwest Syria. Mr. Trump told the nation in a televised White House address that a “large …