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The British government’s policies of austerity are directly linked to a rise in poverty in the United Kingdom, a United Nations expert said in a scathing report after a two-week fact-finding mission to the country’s poorest districts. Philip Alston, the U.N. special rapporteur for extreme poverty and human rights, concluded …

The midday sun blazed down on a milling crowd. A key road was jammed with Opposition activists in front of their party headquarters in the capital Dhaka on November 14. The nomination-form sale entered a festive third day in the run-up to the election. Suddenly, the day lost its innocence. …

The first phase of panchayat election in Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday recorded a 74.1% voter turnout, with the Kashmir Valley clocking 62.1%, a quantum jump from the civic election percentage of 35.1 just 30 days ago. According to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shaleen Kabra, the border district of Kupwara …

Central Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu , who took on the Prime Minister’s Office and the Reserve Bank of India in a case dealing with the non-disclosure of wilful defaulters of major bank loans, warned on his last day of hearing RTI appeals that by December, he and three other CICs …

The government must divulge the list of wilful defaulters of large loans, Central Information Commissioner (CIC) Sridhar Acharyulu said on Friday, dismissing the Prime Minister’s Office’s latest response disclaiming responsibility. In his order, the Commissioner slammed the PMO for refusing to comply with his November 2 direction to explain what …

The November 6 U.S. midterm elections may have come and gone, but the issue of voter suppression still lingers, drawing responses mostly along partisan lines. Many Republicans have wanted to tighten laws around voter eligibility, ostensibly to prevent fraud, and Democrats have wanted to make it easier for people to …

It was as if the collective mood of optimism had a fragrance, and it wafted through the narrow streets of Male, bringing the Maldivian citizenry to its feet. People thronged to the picturesque Republic Square that overlooked the presidential jetty. Saturday was a day of monumental change in this tiny …

Last Monday, a group of environmental activists occupied the front entrance of the London offices of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. They spray-painted doors and windows with the symbol of the ‘Extinction Rebellion’ campaign group to protest, among other things, the government’s support for fracking. Later in …

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the testing of a “newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon”, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Friday, a move seen by analysts as more of a political message than a serious provocation.It marked the first official report of a weapons test by North Korea since …

The Centre has set up a tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court Judge Justice Suresh Kait to adjudicate whether or not two Tripura-based militant outfits should be declared banned organisations under the law.The decision has been taken by the Home Ministry exercising the powers conferred under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) …

India secured a legal victory in the U.K. on Friday as the High Court in London quashed a previous decision by a lower court to discharge alleged bookie Sanjeev Chawla, whom India had sought to extradite. The case will now return to the lower court for a new trial, after …

India’s Act East policy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (One Belt One Road or OBOR) are a “natural” area of cooperation between the two countries, said China’s Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Thursday, making another pitch for India to join China’s mega-infrastructure corridor, which New Delhi has rejected …

Keeping the window open for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Governor Satya Pal Malik has said he will not dissolve the Assembly in December.“There is no issue with the Assembly. I don’t want to unnecessarily tinker with it. There is a reason for it. The elected people are still …

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear in April a plea challenging the validity of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, following a request by the State and the Centre.A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah said it will …

“The CVC findings can be divided into four categories. It is very complimentary on some charges (against Mr. Verma), not so complimentary on some charges, very uncomplimentary on some charges and requires further inquiry into some charges. The report is exhaustive with documents,” Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi summed …

Mahinda Rajapaksa lost a trust vote for the third time this week, on Friday, amid bedlam in the Sri Lankan parliament as some of Mr. Rajapkasa’s party MPs resorted to violence. The no-confidence motions were taken up in the wake of Mr. Rajapaksa’s controversial appointment as Prime Minister, replacing Ranil …

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear in April a plea challenging the validity of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, following a request by the State and the Centre. Attorney General K.K. Venugopal sought adjournment on the ground that the …

Speaking for the first time since Sri Lanka’s political turmoil began three weeks ago, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga said she regretted that some in her party were betraying the January 2015 mandate. “The country has reached a dangerous precipice of chaos, anarchy and breakdown of the rule of law,” she …

India and China are set to expand their military ties, in tune with the spirit of the Wuhan informal summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April. During talks between visiting Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and his Chinese counterpart Shao Yuanming, both sides agreed to …

Hardliners rubbish Brexit deal as not securing the country’s sovereignty as promised Following the epic five-hour British Cabinet meeting, during which up to 10 Ministers were said to have expressed their reservations about the Brexit deal, Prime Minister Theresa May had on Wednesday announced that she had secured Cabinet backing …