GS-II

Amit Shah counters opposition charge that amendments will pack NHRC with ‘yes men’ The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was cleared by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha amid criticism from the Opposition that the legislation will ensure that only the government’s nominees are appointed to the …

Lok Sabha clears amendments, MPs of various parties call it the ‘RTI Elimination Bill’ The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 three days after it was introduced. It seeks to amend the landmark transparency law and bring in changes involving the salaries and tenures …

Speaker sets 6 p.m. Tuesday deadline for vote after debates go on till close to midnight Five days after the motion of confidence was moved by Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a vote in the Assembly was yet again deferred by a day after a heated debate continued till close …

GRP registers 16 accidental deaths on July 18; majority of deaths due to trespassing On July 18, the Government Railway Police (GRP) registered 16 accidental deaths, among the highest in recent years. However, overall accidental deaths on the suburban railway network in the city have seen a dip of around …

Congress, JD(S) Ministers block trust vote citing SC hearing on petitions Five days after the motion of confidence was moved in the Karnataka Assembly by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a heated debate continued till late on Monday with the ruling coalition partners — the Congress and the JD(S) — locked …

U.S. President says PM Modi sought his help during their recent meeting in Japan U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday offered to be a “mediator” between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue as he met Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House. “If I can help, I would …

Pakistan PM lands in U.S., to meet Trump today Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived here on his first trip to the U.S. He was welcomed at the airport by his Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump on Monday to reboot bilateral ties. …

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claimed victory on Sunday for his ruling coalition in the upper house election, vowing to keep alive plans to amend the nation’s pacifist Constitution. With the results, the 64-year-old Abe, who is on course to become Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, aims to shore up his …

A Venezuelan fighter jet “aggressively shadowed” a U.S. intelligence plane over the Caribbean Sea, defence officials said on Sunday. U.S. Southern Command said the Russian-made Venezuelan SU-30 on Friday followed a U.S. EP-3 at an “unsafe distance…jeopardising the crew and aircraft.” “The EP-3 aircraft, flying a mission in approved international …

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party and Independent candidates won five seats each in the first-ever elections in former semi-autonomous tribal region, bordering Afghanistan, that was once a stronghold of militant groups like the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda. Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where the first-ever provincial elections were …

Taslima Nasreen’s residency extended Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen’s residence permit has been extended for a year by the Union Home Ministry, officials said on Sunday. The writer was given a three-month permit last week and had requested Home Minister Amit Shah for a year’s extension. Ms. Nasreen has been living …

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday asked militants to stop killing innocent people, including security personnel, and rather target “those who have looted the wealth of Kashmir for years”. The statement evoked severe criticism from mainstream politicians. “These boys who have picked up guns are killing their …

The four studies ordered by Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat are restructuring of the AHQ; the Army restructuring which includes creation of Integrated Battle Groups; the cadre review of officers; and review of the terms and conditions of Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks. The aim is a holistic integration …

A number of Rohingya refugee families remain stranded on a zero point of the border along Tripura, as the Indian Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh failed to resolve the issue. The two forces held a flag meeting after the former prevented their entry into India through the Rahimpur …

State funding can provide a level playing field, says former PM There is a need to discuss state funding for elections at a time when a single party has access to 90% of the election funds, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday at the birth centenary celebrations of …

Expecting response to the note verbale that we sent on Sunday, say sources India is in discussion with Iran to free at least 30 of its nationals who were on board two foreign-flagged ships detained by Iranian authorities. The Indian embassy in Tehran on Sunday sent an official note urging …

New Delhi wants to move away from past set pieces, break political hegemonies and put different actors on the political chessboard The ongoing Parliament session saw the extension of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir by another six months. At the same time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke of …

Scientists develop AI to curb ‘deepfake’ videos A team of Indian-origin researchers in California has developed a system driven by artificial intelligence to identify altered content at the pixel level. The team is currently working on still images which will eventually help them detect “deepfake” videos.IANS Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/indian-origin-scientists-develop-ai-system-to-curb-deepfake-videos/article28623505.ece

NASA’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in 1969 American, Italian and Russian astronauts blasted off into space on Saturday, in a launch coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, NASA’s Andrew Morgan and Luca …

Britain denounced the Iranian seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf as a ”hostile act” on Saturday, rejecting Tehran’s explanation that it had seized the vessel because it had been involved in an accident. Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt called the incident a “hostile act”. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt …