GS-II

Do not play with orders of court, SC tells officials

orders of court

The Supreme Court on Monday rebuked two officials of the Uttarakhand government for “playing with orders of the court” and violating its direction on demolishing “unauthorised” buildings without giving notice to the encroachers. The apex court said it was not inclined to accept the apology or the defence of the …

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NRC: Assam seeks month’s extension

The Assam government moved the Supreme Court on Monday for extending by a month the deadline to file claims and objections for inclusion in the National Register of Citizens (NRC). A Bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Nariman on November 1 approved the Centre’s draft …

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Uncertainty rules high in Mizoram

Fractured mandate will make Zoram People’s Movement key to govt. formation The possibility of a fractured verdict — unprecedented in Mizoram’s Assembly elections — could turn the spotlight on a new political front of seven regional parties that have tasted little or no success on their own so far. Most …

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Centre amends rules for minorities from three nations

Citizenship form will have a separate column for them The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, is pending in Parliament, but the Union Home Ministry has notified amendments to the Citizenship Rules, 2009, to include a separate column in the citizenship form for applicants belonging to six minority communities from Pakistan, …

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Now, get your registered documents back in minutes

New software eliminates the role of middlemen, saves time Gone are the days when people submitting documents for registration at the Sub-Registrar offices in Tamil Nadu had to wait for days to get the registered papers back. In a first, the Tamil Nadu Registration Department has introduced a system where …

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Helpline soon to receive sand-related complaints

The Dakshina Kannada district administration will shortly open a helpline to file complaints, if any, on non-availability of sand and on illegal sand extraction, according to Minister for Urban Development and Housing and in-charge of the district U.T. Khader. Talking to reporters here on Sunday, he said that the helpline …

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Ministry amends rules for minorities

The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, is pending in Parliament, but the Union Home Ministry has notified amendments to the Citizenship Rules, 2009, to include a separate column in the citizenship form for applicants belonging to six minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Under the amendments, a separate entry …

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Pak. issues visas to visit Shiva temple

Will provide all help to pilgrims: envoy Going ahead with a people-oriented diplomacy, Pakistan has issued a large number of visas for Indian pilgrims who are expected to visit the famed Shiva temple at Katas Raj Dham, near the city of Lahore. “Group of Indian pilgrims, comprising 139 people, has …

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‘History’s greatest arms race in Asia’

Ex-NSA blames U.S.-China tensions Asia is witnessing “history’s greatest arms race” as a result of a sense of insecurity stemming from tensions between the United States and China, and an “ill-defined Indo-Pacific concept”, said former National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon here on Sunday. “U.S. and Japan seek partners for …

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‘U.S. sanctions amount to terrorism’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said U.S. sanctions were “economic terrorism”, as he sought to foster a united front from visiting regional officials on Saturday. Addressing Parliament speakers from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey, Mr. Rouhani said they had all suffered economic pressure from the U.S. “America’s unjust and illegal …

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Caring for the treasured jumbos

The month began on a sad note for Sri Lanka’s wildlife enthusiasts, when an 11-year-old tusker was shot dead in Udawalawe National Park, about 160 km southeast of Colombo. The results of the post-mortem examination pointed to a fatal bullet injury in the animal’s head. Caretakers in the park told …

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Trade, tariffs and opioid addiction

About a week ago at the G20 meetings in Buenos Aires, over a dinner that featured sirloin steak, caramel-rolled pancakes and glasses of Malbec, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly talked trade, tariffs and fentanyl. The first two have grabbed headlines internationally, but the third has …

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The Valley of AI draws the ire of students

The authorities’ plan to turn Tübingen, a small city in southern Germany best known for its eponymous university, into an investment hub for artificial intelligence (AI) met with a hurdle last week when students and activists organised a demonstration. Some of the companies that are making investments in this initiative, …

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CJI spotlights the law on death penalty

Persons on death row are priority for the Supreme Court, says Ranjan Gogoi A series of Supreme Court decisions after Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi took over as top judge has seen the Supreme Court veer away from the death penalty and point out lapses in the way justice …

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Legislature session likely to be stormy

The winter session of the State legislature, set to begin in Belagavi on Monday, is likely to raise a lot of heat, with the BJP already on a war path against the Janata Dal (S)-Congress coalition. The BJP, which according to sources has not stopped trying to woo MLAs from …

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‘Shun move to drop Kashmiri from portal’

Literary bodies oppose MHRD plan Kashmir-based literary bodies are up in arms against a move by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to withdraw Kashmiri translations from its language-promoting portal, Bhasha Sangam, after Kashmiri Pandits objected to the “regional script” of the language. “We appeal to the MHRD to …

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