GS-II

Militants include Haqqani leader in it The Taliban announced on Tuesday a 14-member team to meet American negotiators this month in Doha, including five former Guantanamo Bay inmates and a high-profile militant behind bars in Afghanistan. U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has undertaken extensive recent peace talks with the Taliban …

The piece was about denial of rights to the ethnic Pashtuns An opinion piece in the International New York Times criticising Pakistan’s powerful Army was censored by its local publisher on Tuesday, replaced with blank space in a country where it can be dangerous to reprimand the military.The article by …

The Bench, then, ordered both the officers to “please sit at the corner of the court (till the rising of the Bench).” The court was hearing a contempt case initiated by it on February 7 against Mr. Rao for transferring the joint director. In his apology letter, Mr. Rao said, …

The BJP-led Manipur government on Tuesday imposed restrictions under Section 144 in Imphal East and West districts besides suspending mobile internet services as protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, intensified. The Bill seeks to hasten the process of granting citizenship to six non-Muslim groups from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. …

Relief for expatriates, students and medical patients after 2018 freeze India and Maldives on Tuesday exchanged an agreement to facilitate visas for travel between the two countries in a number of categories, easing a bilateral stand off which had resulted in thousands of Indian job seekers being denied work permits …

Terms recent hacking claim of EVMs in London a ‘circus’ Amidst Opposition parties often raising doubts over the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora on Tuesday said “most parties” had reposed their faith in them but some sections made it a part of …

Former CBI interim Director and agency’s legal counsel fined and punished The Supreme Court on Tuesday held the former interim Director of the CBI, M. Nageswara Rao, guilty of contempt for disobeying its order not to transfer Joint Director A.K. Sharma, who was probing the Bihar shelter home cases, from …

Sunderland, a city near the prosperous northern English city of Newcastle, had for many years been the place that won the race to first declare general election results, though its results rarely surprised, it being a firm Labour stronghold. However, when it came to the June 2016 referendum, the city …

States in the U.S. have the practice of emblazoning their vehicle license plates with their mottos. New York plates have ‘Empire State’ on them, California’s have ‘Golden State’ on them and New Jersey’s, ‘Garden State’. And then there is the rather incongruous ‘Taxation without Representation’ license plate from Washington DC. …

It takes around three hours to fly from Tokyo to Naha, the southern tip of Okinawa island in the East China Sea. Naha’s subtropical charm can be mesmerising. At the airport, the sight of giant-sized phalaenopsis orchid — in shades ranging from deep pink to crispy white — are a …

Earlier this month, the Taliban met with a group of Afghan politicians in Moscow. While the government was not included in the talks, prominent Afghan leaders like ex-President Hamid Karzai, former National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar, Deputy-Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Opposition leader Atta Mohammad Noor were among those present. …

King had expressed displeasure at his sister’s bid to contest general election Thai Princess Ubolratana’s unprecedented attempt to become the country’s next Prime Minister was abruptly nixed on Saturday after her party agreed to comply with a command from the King opposing the plan. The party’s announcement, effectively blocking Ubolratana’s …

Varadkar says U.K.’s future ties with EU could be discussed Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday that he was open to discussing how to save Britain’s exit deal with the EU ahead of talks with Theresa May, but repeated that the text itself could not be reopened. He …

India slams Pak. PM for remark on minorities India on Saturday said Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent remarks on the treatment of minorities in India were an “egregious insult” to all Indians. Mr. Khan was quoted by the Pakistani media as saying that his government would not allow minorities …

Delhi zoo to get white tiger from Lucknow The National Zoological Park in Delhi is set to greet a white tiger, which will soon arrive from Lucknow under an exchange programme. “One of the two male cubs, Jay and Vijay, born to a white tigress at the Lucknow Zoo will …

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said that India is likely to overtake Pakistan in terms of the number of pilgrims sent for Haj pilgrimage this year. Mr. Naqvi was in Mumbai on Saturday to inaugurate a two-day training camp of Khadim Ul Hujjaj that saw …

The Soviet-era naval aircraft is not just a museum piece, but remains a stellar example of a sturdy flying machine The TU 142 Aircraft Museum in Visakhapatnam narrates a tale of resilience, keeping the accolades earned by the Soviet-era flying machine fresh in memory. The long-range maritime patrol aircraft served …

India on Saturday strongly reiterated its claims on Arunachal Pradesh, after China objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the frontier State. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Chinese side was aware of India’s sensibilities. “The State of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of …

Bilateral relations should not fall victim to changes in govt., says former President Sri Lanka’s Leader of the Opposition and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa made an impassioned plea for Colombo and Delhi to ensure that their relations did not fall victim to a change in government in either capital. Addressing …

Windrush Scheme: 455 Indians get citizenship More than 450 Indians have confirmed their British citizenship under the government’s ‘Windrush Scheme’, set up in the wake of an immigration scandal last year. In an update to Parliament on Thursday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said at least 455 Indians confirmed their nationality …