Editorials

In 1859, when Charles Darwin presented his famed theory of evolution by natural selection, inherent in its essence was the abiding notion of survival of the fittest. To evolve, compete and do better has been the cornerstone of the survival of any species. This has also helped ensure that countries …

The use of disposable diapers in baby care is becoming common in urban areas. Diapers are also increasingly being used by the elderly who experience uncontrolled urination due to certain geriatric health problems. But there is a downside to all this. Diapers contain super-absorbing polymers, or SAPs, which can absorb …

Before you start vomiting your liberal prejudices about human rights, let me tell you something: there are more than 10 million people in the world who don’t have any citizenship. In today’s day and age, citizenship itself is a great privilege. And Indian citizenship, needless to say, is the greatest …

A walk through one of the largest rock-cut temples in the world According to a legend cited in the 10th century book Katha Kalpa Taru, some time in the 8th century, the queen of the Rashtrakuta ruler Elu made a vow that she would not eat till a magnificent temple …

Just as religious rituals move the practitioner away from the immensity of faith, secular rituals move citizens’ attention away from real issues Serious religious thinkers have tended to distinguish between ritual and religion. Some, of course, have distinguished between spirituality and religion too, mostly because they have associated religion with …

It is to experience the worst imaginable nightmare, not a natural disaster but a man-made malaise It is frightfully disturbing to learn that 40 lakh people, currently living in Assam, find no place in the draft of the National Register of Citizens. Therefore, they could be deprived of their Indian …

At the height of summer, naps at the beach can be alluring and many of us may find ourselves tempted to take prolonged vacations from exercise. But two new admonitory studies involving both older and younger adults (who temporarily cut back on their physical activity) indicate that the metabolic consequences …

>>The headline of the story regarding the passage of a Constitutional Amendment Bill providing for a National Commission for Backward Classes as a Constitutional body (Aug. 3, 2018) should have been: “Constitutional status for BCs panel.” >>A sentence in “Congress stance on NRC affects India’s sovereignty: Jaitley” (Aug. 2, 2018) …

Now, a fresh memorandum of procedure for judicial appointments must be agreed upon Good sense seems to have prevailed at last. The Centre has cleared the elevation of Justice K.M. Joseph to the Supreme Court, seven months after the five-member collegium first recommended his appointment. The Centre had no option …

Zimbabwe needs to move on quickly from the post-election violence this week His victory as President in this week’s general election confers popular legitimacy on Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe’s military-installed leader since November 2017. The two-thirds majority for the ruling Zanu-PF party in Parliament will tighten its control over state institutions. …

The U.S. experience shows that anti-lynching laws are not enough — this must be a political battle Dismayed by the increasing number of cases of lynching across the country, the Supreme Court observed last month that “it is the responsibility of the States to prevent untoward incidents and to prevent …

The victory of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the recent general elections in Pakistan poses both challenges and opportunities for India. The challenge would be to engage a newly minted Pakistani Prime Minister who is yet to reveal his way of conducting diplomacy. The opportunity, even so, lies in …

West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district has become a hub from where girls are trafficked into the commercial sex trade. Shiv Sahay Singh reports on thestruggle for compensation and dignity of those fortunate enough to have been rescued Serina (23) was rescued from a brothel in Kalyan, a Mumbai suburb, …

to the exclusion of the province from reform proposals and suggests that as the Viceroy and the Secretary of State have recently said Burma is not India, the Local Government might proceed to ascertain the views of the people on the application of reforms to Burma, Simla having asked for …

At upwards of four million, the number of those excluded from the second draft of the National Register of Citizens published on Monday has sparked great anxiety about the legal status of so many individuals. As with the first list published on December 31, 2017, the publication of the final …

Extract: The Government of Bengal has issued [in Calcutta] a resolution containing instructions to the heads of departments for employment in Government service of persons now employed in connection with the war. In filling up vacancies at the end of war, preference will be given to men who have rendered …

Extract: A meeting of the Imperial War Graves Commission held [in London] on July 24th at which Lord Islington, Sir William Garstin, Mr. Rudyard Kipling and others were present adopted the recommendations of the Committee consisting of Lord Islington, W.P. Schreiner, Sahibzada Ahmed Aftabakhan and Sir Pattani which had been …

Extract: The draft Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018, recognises privacy as a fundamental right. It has provisions to protect personal data as an essential facet of information privacy. The objective of the Bill is to balance the growth of the digital economy and use of data as a means of …

Extract: Among the ideas in the draft policy are a sunset clause on discounts that can be offered by e-commerce firms and restrictions on sellers backed by marketplace operators. The aim may be to prevent large players from pricing out the competition though unfair practices, but taken too far such …

Extract: From the very beginning it was clear that the entire issue had less to do with the correctness of the Supreme Court judgment and more to do with the way it was interpreted, and sometimes deliberately misinterpreted. The judgment had not altered or read down any of the key …