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CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary groups operating with impunity are summarily executing civilians during botched nighttime raids and are responsible for the disappearances of suspects, a rights group has said. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/report-says-cia-trained-afghan-forces-behind-war-atrocities/article29848363.ece

Sri Lanka’s Presidential hopeful Sajith Premadasa on Thursday promised to complete the constitutional reform process initiated by the current government, if elected to the office. The ruling United National Party’s (UNP) candidate released his election manifesto in the central city of Kandy, a fortnight ahead of Sri Lanka’s presidential election. …

The voting was the first formal test of support for the inquiry The U.S. House of Representatives took a major step in the impeachment effort against U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday when lawmakers approved rules for the next stage of the Democratic-led inquiry into the President’s attempt to have …

The Pentagon released video and photos on Wednesday of the U.S. special forces raid that resulted in the death of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Among the images released by the Defense Department was grainy black-and-white footage of U.S. troops approaching on foot the high-walled compound in northwestern …

Military Affairs envoy says Moscow is exploiting countries’ security requirements A month after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said he was “reasonably convinced” that he could persuade the U.S. of India’s decision to buy the S-400 Russian missile defence system, the top U.S. diplomat for Political Military Affairs, Clarke Cooper, …

Jammu & Kashmir became the first State of the Indian Union to be reduced to a Union Territory (UT), with former IAS officer Girish Murmu being sworn in as its first Lieutenant Governor (LG) on Thursday. Bifurcated from the former State, Ladakh also became a UT, with former civil servant …

Water Regulation Committee chief says it will be decided on merit at next meet A no-objection certificate from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) is a prerequisite for the construction of a reservoir across the Cauvery at Mekedatu by Karnataka, said Navin Kumar, Chairman, Cauvery Water Regulation Committee and Chief …

Naga interlocutor R.N. Ravi said on Thursday that discussions to finalise the Naga accord were continuing and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) [NSCN-IM] had come on board. Mr. Ravi, who is also the Nagaland Governor, told The Hindu , “The accord has not been finalised yet. Matters are …

Notice says they have exhausted all legal remedies; victim’s mother hopes for justice The Tihar jail administration has sent notices to the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case informing them that they have exhausted all legal remedies and are only left with the provision of applying for mercy before …

Those targeted include journalists, lawyers & Dalit and human rights activists The Centre has sought an explanation from messaging platform WhatsApp after the Facebook-owned company confirmed that some Indian users of its app came under surveillance using an Israeli spyware. Most of those targeted in India were journalists, Dalit and …

Pakistan on Wednesday issued a commemorative coin to mark Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary in November. In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Imran Khan shared a picture of the coin. The coin comes ahead of the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor on November 9. Last November, both India and Pakistan …

Over 22,000 Indians, including nearly 7,000 women, have applied for asylum in the U.S. since 2014, according to the latest official figures. The reason behind Indians seeking asylum in the U.S. can be “unemployment or intolerance or both in India”, Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director of North American Punjabi Association …

Ankara slams the move, says Turks too died during the war Armenia rejoiced but Turkey was furious on Wednesday after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic resolution recognising mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide. With tensions already high over Turkey’s assault on Kurdish-controlled areas of …

What began as a protest against a monthly tax on WhatsApp users has snowballed into a mass movement for systemic change Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced his resignation on Tuesday following two weeks of street protests that brought the capital Beirut to a standstill and led to violence between …

India Meteorological Department has warned that the coastal districts in the State are likely to receive heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. Rainfall in the districts are likely to exceed 65 mm on Thursday with heavy rainfall in isolated places in the coastal belt. Heavy to very heavy rain is …

The bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories came into effect at midnight Wednesday. Girish Chandra Murmu and Radha Krishna Mathur will be sworn in as Lieutenant Governors of J&K and Ladakh respectively at two separate ceremonies on Thursday. J&K Chief Justice Gita Mittal will administer the oath …

The House Democrats in the United States have unveiled plans to open up the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump with public hearings, after criticism from Republicans that the process has been overly secretive. The White House responded that it still considers the proceedings a “scam,” signalling no let-up in …

Chief Justice of India-designate, Justice S.A. Bobde, said every religion has beliefs not supported by reason. “Every religion has its own practices which are a mystery. There are beliefs not supported by reason. Look at the very act of praying… every religion has its own way of praying and conditions …

The delegation of Members of European Parliament (MEPs), on a visit to Srinagar on Wednesday, said “terrorism is a severe problem in Kashmir” and named Pakistan as its source. They felt India’s decision to revoke provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir was an internal …

His death is a blow to IS, but insurgency is likely to continue The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder leader of the Islamic State (IS), is a signal moment in the fight against terrorism. Baghdadi blew himself up in an underground tunnel in a Syrian village where he …