GS-II

The Kerala government on Thursday claimed in the Supreme Court that sudden releases of water from the Mullaperiyar dam was a cause for the floods in the State. In an affidavit, Kerala slammed Tamil Nadu for allegedly ignoring its repeated entreaties for controlled release of water from the reservoir to …

The West Bengal government has signed pacts with BSE and NSE to raise awareness among the State’s MSMEs to tap the capital market as an alternate funding source. The State has the highest number of micro, small and medium enterprises — 52.7 lakh in 2016-17, employing about 1.1 crore people, …

U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser warned on Wednesday that the United States would respond “very strongly” if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons in an offensive to retake Idlib province. “We now see plans for the Syrian regime to resume offensive military activities in Idlib province,” John …

An Indian in Canada has been allegedly racially abused over a parking dispute by a White woman who yelled “go back to your country” and called him a “Paki”, according to a media report. Rahul Kumar, who moved from India to Canada seven years ago, was also called a “loser” …

Satyapal Malik, the newly-appointed Governor of J&K, will be administered the oath of office on Thursday, ending the five-decade-long practice of retired bureaucrats being appointed to the post, officials said on Wednesday. Mr. Malik,72, has experience of working with almost all political hues of the country, and will be the …

The Quad grouping is one of the many avenues for interaction among India, Australia, Japan and the U.S. and should not be seen in an exclusive context, a senior Japanese diplomat said on Wednesday. “We should not really regard Quad in any comparative or in an exclusive context. This four-country …

The Congress has started taking steps to rebuild and strengthen its grassroots network and restore the party’s lost ground in Odisha ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the State early next year. A three-day meeting of the newly constituted State executive committee of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, …

A national effort is needed to develop and produce advanced and exotic materials to drive the future space programme, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Sivan has said. Along with high propulsion systems for its launch vehicles, the ISRO is pursuing materials that have extraordinary properties, such as aluminium …

The appointment of Satyapal Malik as J&K Governor on Tuesday, the first politician to hold that post since militancy hit the State in the 1980s, is a clear pointer to the government’s thinking. According to senior sources in the Union government, the choice of Mr. Malik, a seasoned politician who …

China on Wednesday offered to play a “constructive role” to ease tensions between India and Pakistan. “We welcome the positive remarks made by the Indian and Pakistani leaders on improving their bilateral relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at his regular media briefing. Mr. Lu was referring to …