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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday flagged off a “Startup Yatra”, saying the programme was aimed at turning the State’s educated youth into job providers from jobseekers. He said the State government would provide all possible help to the youth to develop entrepreneurship under the scheme. Source …

Ramaphosa is likely to be the chief guest of the 2019 Republic Day ceremonies, an official source said on Thursday. Mr. Ramaphosa had hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in July. He is also expected to take part in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, to be …

The State government’s attempt on Thursday to end the impasse over implementing the Supreme Court’s verdict granting entry for all women into Sabarimala through talks with the Opposition, the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam and the tantris failed. No consensus could be reached at the all-party meeting as the government …

Hopes that Britain’s course to Brexit was finally on track were dashed on Thursday as several ministerial resignations — including of Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab — and a push for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Theresa May triggered a new political crisis, threatening the future of the deal thrashed …

The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up various State governments and the administrative side of the High Courts for delay in filling vacancies in subordinate judicial services. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, had taken suo motu cognisance of more than 5,000 vacancies in subordinate judicial …

Resignation comes even as the truce with Hamas holds Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his resignation on Wednesday and called for early elections after a sharp disagreement over a Gaza ceasefire deal, throwing the government into turmoil. Mr. Lieberman also said his party was quitting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s …

Pakistan has “no immediate plans” to grant ‘Most Favoured Nation’ (MFN) status to India, said Abdul Razak Dawood, a senior aide to Prime Minister Imran Khan. “At present, we have no immediate plans to grant MFN status to India,” he said on Tuesday. India has already granted this status to …

His faction has refused to accept the vote against him Mahinda Rajapaksa will address Parliament on Thursday, a day after a majority of legislators in the House voted him out. “It will be on the current political situation,” his son and Hambantota parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa told The Hindu . Following …

Mira Ricardel reportedly clashed with the First Lady during Africa trip last month It may be the end of the road for Deputy National Security Adviser Mira Ricardel’s career at the White House, as there was speculation on Tuesday that she had been told to go by U.S. President Donald …

British PM strikes a note of defiance in Parliament while trying to silence critics of the agreement British Prime Minister Theresa May, striking a note of defiance, insisted that the deal she had struck with the EU negotiators was one that delivered on what the British people voted for, as …

Following the vote, the Speaker said he was sending a copy of the motion, signed by 122 MPs, to the President for further action. Responding to the Speaker, the President has reportedly said in a letter that Mr. Jayasuriya ignored parliamentary procedures and standing orders, and failed to get the …

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya declares it doesn’t have majority In a watershed floor test in the Sri Lankan Parliament, a majority of lawmakers on Wednesday voted for a no-confidence motion against disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. “I hereby declare that the appointed government has no majority in this House,” Speaker Karu …

‘Letter of Comfort’ given by Paris is good enough, says Attorney-General The Centre admitted in the Supreme Court on Wednesday that there was no sovereign guarantee from the French government on the deal for 36 Rafale jets in case the manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, defaults. Sovereign guarantee is a promise by …

In northeast China, temperatures have already begun to plummet, announcing the early arrival of winter. In Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, the sight of bare trees and grey skies is now routine. “It has already snowed once in October, and we expect many more snowfalls in the coming weeks,” …

This raises the prospect of Britain keeping up with the March 29 deadline The British Cabinet is set to have a crucial meeting on Wednesday, after U.K. and EU negotiators agreed on the text of a draft withdrawal agreement in Brussels on Tuesday. A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that a …

Boris Johnson writes to government Calls to the U.K. government to offer asylum to Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman who was acquitted by Pakistan’s Supreme Court last month, have grown, as former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wrote to the incumbent Sajid Javid, arguing that Ms. Bibi had an “overwhelming …

Express concern at delay in tabling audit reports in Parliament Sixty retired bureaucrats have written to the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) over the “deliberate delay” in tabling the audit reports on the Rafale deal and demonetisation in Parliament. They demanded that these be tabled in the Winter Session. The CAG’s …

Centre to reward high-performing States States may soon start receiving extra funding for the Agriculture Ministry’s flagship schemes on the basis of their performance in encouraging agri-business, especially with regard to marketing, land and governance reforms. The Centre expects to roll out a new Ease of Doing Agri-Business Index early …

“The Twitter representatives claimed that there may be anonymous accounts criticising the government’s policies and if identity trails are provided to the police or government agencies then it defeats the purpose of freedom of expression. We told them that if someone is verbally abused on the road, action is taken …

Khango Konyak group in India on expulsion from Myanmar A breakaway group of the outlawed National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) on Monday said that the outfit was keen on pursuing the Naga peace process that it had abandoned three years ago. The group led by Khango Konyak, an Indian …