Following the narrow mid-term election victory of the U.S. Republican Party in the House of Representatives in November, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy waged a relentless campaign to become Speaker of the lower chamber of Congress. Facing a factionalised and conflict-ridden congressional conservative caucus, a record-making 15 voting rounds were conducted …

In February 1961, I was in primary school. I still remember the visit of the Census enumerator to our house. Fondly called Pachu Pillai, he was a teacher in our school and a family friend. Since many teachers were on Census duty, we (though not the entire school) got a …

The Supreme Court’s timely intervention has halted the forcible eviction of some 50,000 people from Haldwani in Uttarakhand, where the occupants are accused of squatting on railway property for decades. The Uttarakhand High Court had taken a tough stand against the residents, and passed a slew of directions that would …

The Tamil Nadu government has asked banks to offer tree loans to farmers as a part of its Green Mission aimed at increasing the State’s green cover (areas including forest and the tree cover around it) to 33% from 23.71%. Under the mission, the State plans to encourage farmers to …

Residents of Joshimath, the Himalayan pilgrim town that appears to be sinking, are blaming major power and road infrastructure projects for their plight and are demanding that the government resettle and give new homes for all those who have lost their properties in the town. Members of the National Disaster …

Negotiations for bilateral free trade agreements with several countries are “well on track” and India is also looking at some multilateral pacts that are fair and equitable for all member countries, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. India had implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) with the …

On December 9, 2022, Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Yangtse area in the Tawang region along the India-China border. The confrontation in Tawang was the most serious skirmish between the two sides since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has found that …

Access to clean and drinkable water has now not only become a local problem but global as well. Water contamination is one of the world’s leading causes of death and the problem is only getting worse. To tackle this, our team at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), …

The XBB.1.5 Omicron recombinant variant that was first detected in the U.S. (New York and Connecticut) in late October 2022has now spread to at least 29 countries. It is rapidly increasing in number to become the dominant variant in the U.S., particularly in the northeast part of the country. The …

In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury. He found that at a very low temperature, called the threshold temperature, solid mercury offers no resistance to the flow of electric current. The BCS theory Scientists later classified mercury as a conventional superconductor because its superconductivity could be …

The extremist groups of Manipur operating from their hideouts across the International Border are increasingly feeling the heat of the civil war in adjoining Myanmar. Officials of the security forces manning the India-Myanmar border said the once-tolerant local people have been turning on the members of extremist groups in Manipur, …

They know it is an inhuman and demeaning job rooted in caste-based discrimination and passed on to successive generations, but the sanitary workers continue to undertake manual scavenging as employers exploit them, and at times are cruel as well. The workers, the women especially, continue to do so to sustain …

For the next 8 months, there will be Pre summits on the five Y20(Youth 20) themes along with various discussions and seminars at different Universities across states in India in a run up to the final Youth-20 Summit India’s key focus is to bring young leaders from all across the …

Taming inflation is the top priority for South Asian countries as risks to growth and investment outlook could rise if price pressures persist at high levels, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday. Speaking at an event organised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the RBI …

The Supreme Court on Friday directed its committee led by a former apex court judge, Justice A.M. Sapre, to meet with the Road Transport Secretary within two weeks and work out a framework to mould State-specific guidelines for the electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety. The court acknowledged that …

The Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel, HMS Tamar, sailed to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday as part of its permanent deployment in the Indo-Pacific. India is the first port of call for the ship and underlines the United Kingdom and India’s intent to collaborate in the Indian Ocean Region …

Attorney-General R. Venkataramani told the Supreme Court on Friday that the Union government will adhere to the timelines fixed by the court to process recommendations for judicial appointments. The government’s statement seems to be a step down from its earlier view that it was not a “post office” to clear …

In an influential essay written more than two decades ago, Professor Hilary Charlesworth, who is now a judge at the International Court of Justice, described international law as “a discipline of crisis”. Not much has changed since then. Just when the world was recovering from the pain induced by COVID-19, …

The traditional coffee farmers of Anchunad at Marayur in Kerala’s Idukki are reaping the benefits of organic farming, with a kg of berry (coffee fruit) fetching over ₹50 this year. Tribespeople and other farmers traditionally follow organic coffee farming in the Anchunad valley. Coffee is mainly cultivated at Kanthalloor, Keezhanthoor, …

The Union government has flagged over a dozen “restrictive and discriminatory” conditions which prevented local suppliers from participating in bidding processes initiated by its various departments and Ministries. The conditions were in violation of the Public Procurement-Preference to Make in India (PPP-MII) Order, 2017, issued to protect the interests of …