On the joy of reporting on new species of plants and animals Every year on World Environment Day, the Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India, set up in the colonial era in Kolkata to record the flora and fauna of the country, publish a list of …

A computer drove a Frenchman to the brink of a nervous breakdown by making him a multi-millionaire and then rendering him penniless overnight. The hapless Frenchman, trapped in the heartless electronic signals of his bank’s computer, now risks prosecution under France’s tough dud cheque laws. The Paris Commercial Court heard …

The December polls are an opportunity for Labour to clarify its views on Brexit As Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s European Union (EU) withdrawal agreement hangs in the balance, the general election he has called for December 12 is, self-evidently, to obtain a mandate to deliver Brexit. Indeed, the Tory government’s …

The finding that they weren’t smuggling cows exposes the perversity of blaming the victims The Rajasthan High Court’s order quashing the cow smuggling case against the sons of Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer lynched by cow vigilantes in 2017, grants much-needed relief to the family. The Khans are yet to …

Nehru can’t be blamed for the flawed policies that New Delhi designed for J&K since the 1990s The Prime Minister and Home Minister have cited two reasons to justify the dilution of Article 370. The first is the need for a new approach to end the violence in Jammu and …

Even by its volatile standards, our Southwest Asian sub-region has lately been unusually turbulent, as reflected in issues ranging from India-Pakistan tensions to the approaching denouements of crises in Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. The oil market, too, has been inclement. Against this disorderly context, it is no small wonder that …

There is more to the Swedish teenager-activist’s point of view than mere emotion and passionate commitment She is being looked at as an emotionally charged icon of environmental struggles, but there is more to Greta Thunberg’s point of view than mere emotion and passionate commitment. If we decipher all the …

The Modi factor looms large in national elections, but States are more competitive The fact that the BJP and its allies won the Assembly election in Maharashtra with a reduced majority and the BJP emerged only as the single largest party in Haryana has raised questions about whether a section …

The Louvre museum has made an “offer” to the owner of the world’s most expensive painting, Salvator Mundi , to allow it to be displayed in a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition in Paris, said Chris Dercon, president of the French government-run cultural body Rmn Grand Palais. The painting has not …

The “hero” dog wounded in the U.S. commando raid that culminated in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is getting a White House homecoming next week, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday. Mr. Trump revealed that the military dog, a Belgian Malinois, is named “Conan” — …

A rise in average temperatures across India would increase death rates by 10%, translating into an extra million and a half deaths by the end of the century, says a report by researchers based at The Climate Impact Lab, a collaboration of researchers from multiple U.S. universities and organisations. This …

An experimental vaccine proved 50% effective at preventing latent tuberculosis infection from turning into active disease in a three-year study of adults in Africa. Doctors were encouraged because protection declined only a little after two years, and even a partially effective vaccine would be a big help against TB. The …

A young Afghan mother of seven sits on a red woollen rug alongside four other women who are slicing huge slabs of handmade, flowery soap into smaller bars. She is one of about 20 female employees — many of them recovering drug addicts — working part time on an organic …

A village in central Assam’s Kamrup district on Thursday observed a unique ceremony for a bird which, in the folklore of some countries, is fabled to bring home babies. The villagers organised a baby shower for the greater adjutant storks nesting in their neighbourhood. Panchamrit is an Assamese ceremony entailing …

As much as 97% of GST refunds due to MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) as of August 23 has been paid by the government, according to the Finance Ministry. In a status report on the implementation of measures announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in August and September, the …

Positive momentum continued in the equity markets, with benchmark indices closing with gains for the fifth consecutive day. The BSE Sensex also touched its all-time high of 40,392.22 points before correcting to close at 40,129.05 , up 77 points or 0.19%, on Thursday. The top gainers in the Sensex pack …

Two new departments, with specialised cadre on supervision and regulation within the Reserve Bank of India, will start functioning from November 1, indicating the changes in the central bank’s approach to these two crucial issues of the financial system that has dominated public discourse in recent times. These departments have …

CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary groups operating with impunity are summarily executing civilians during botched nighttime raids and are responsible for the disappearances of suspects, a rights group has said. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/report-says-cia-trained-afghan-forces-behind-war-atrocities/article29848363.ece

Sri Lanka’s Presidential hopeful Sajith Premadasa on Thursday promised to complete the constitutional reform process initiated by the current government, if elected to the office. The ruling United National Party’s (UNP) candidate released his election manifesto in the central city of Kandy, a fortnight ahead of Sri Lanka’s presidential election. …

The voting was the first formal test of support for the inquiry The U.S. House of Representatives took a major step in the impeachment effort against U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday when lawmakers approved rules for the next stage of the Democratic-led inquiry into the President’s attempt to have …