GS-II

Bimonthly course on introspection opened to Madhya Pradesh public at Rs. 200 per session Happiness is a universal virtue worth acquiring. It must be shared, and learning to embrace it collectively can be much more invigorating, so believes the Madhya Pradesh government. Soothing the tempers of government officials since 2017, …

Governor’s second direction also ignored, Speaker adjourns Assembly Despite two directions from Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to hold the trust vote on Friday, the process got put off to Monday, with Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar adjourning the Assembly. All eyes are now on the Governor’s …

Russian-made FaceApp is caught in a political storm The chart-topping Russian-made FaceApp, which allows users to see how they will look as they age, is in the eye of a political storm in the U.S., with one senator urging an FBI investigation into its “national security and privacy risks”. A …

Situation is the most bleak in low-income countries, saysLancetreport “Oral diseases present a major global public health burden, affecting 3.5 billion people worldwide, yet oral health has been largely ignored by the global health community,” noted a new Lancet Series on Oral Health . The report warns that with a …

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a Congressman’s bid to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, tamping down a groundswell of anger after the President made xenophobic comments about Democrats.The chamber voted 332 to 95 to table, or effectively kill, a resolution brought by Democrat Al Green that …

Ankara says one-sided step against spirit of alliance The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies. “Unfortunately, Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense …

Beijing has threatened to sanction U.S. companies over arms sales to Taipei Amid growing trade tensions with the U.S., China is going ahead with its decision to sanction American companies selling weapons to Taiwan. The State-run tabloid, Global Times , earlier this week nailed specific steps that China can take …

Lok Sabha members discussed the General Budget for 17 hours, while the Lower House also discussed demands for grants for various Ministries, including Railways for 13 hours, Road and Transport for over 7 hours and Rural Development and Agriculture for 10 hours 36 minutes, Speaker Om Birla said on Thursday. …

SC declines urgent hearing on lynching plea The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against some states for their alleged failure in curbing lynching incidents. It did not allow the submission of a lawyer that the judgements, laying down guidelines to deal with …

‘Army tracking Chinese activity at Doklam’ India and China have reduced their presence on the Doklam plateau after the disengagement in 2017, but the Army is monitoring Chinese activities in the area and is prepared to respond to any contingency, the Defence Ministry said in a report. Noting fewer Chinese …

The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against some states for their alleged failure in curbing lynching incidents. It did not allow the submission of a lawyer that the judgements, laying down guidelines to deal with lynching and cow vigilantism incidents in the …

‘World court has given it an opportunity to comply with the rule of law and reform its processes’ Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dubbed the International Court of Justice judgment in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case a “comprehensive victory for India.”“Pakistan lost conclusively before the ICJ. Its farcical processes through which …

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill and the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill. Trinamool MPs walked out, with Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of the party terming the Bills “draconian”. He said the Bills were passed in haste on World Bank diktats. Union Law Minister …

The Governor said he had not intervened in the matter earlier “having regard to the fact that the House was called and trust vote was moved.” He pointed out that “proceedings of the House on July 18 were stalled and consequently adjourned without reaching any finality” and this “cannot go …

Changes to be part of all future ships In a step forward towards deploying women officers on board naval ships, the recently issued tender for cadet training ships has facilities catered for women aboard, a Navy source said on Thursday. “This is the first tender to be issued with design …

Multiple requests from India submitted earlier are pending, a source said Pakistan can immediately grant consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav acting upon the multiple pending requests on the matter from India, says a diplomatic source. The comment came a day after the International Court of Justice at The Hague pointed …

He is here to discuss outcome of intra-Afghan dialogue Urging the government to publicly express support for the ongoing peace process with the Taliban, the German special envoy on Afghanistan has said that the international community would like to see a larger regional role for India in the ongoing conflict …

Case pertains to the alleged 1,528 extra-judicial killings The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to reconstitute a Bench to continue monitoring a CBI probe into alleged extra-judicial killings by the Army, the Assam Rifles and the police in Manipur when insurgency was at its peak. The case has been on …

‘Government introducing amendments to laws unrelated to finance in Bill’ Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that the ‘sanctity of Budget numbers have been called into question’ and strongly objected to the manner in which Finance 2019 Bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala …

In a dossier, India mentioned 30 instances of Sikh pilgrims being subjected to anti-India propaganda In a dossier to Pakistan, India has mentioned nearly 30 instances in the past four years when Sikh pilgrims visiting the neighbouring country were subjected to “anti-India propaganda” such as espousing the Khalistani cause. The …