GS-II

The election season in Israel and India may derail Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after an initial date for his visit on February 11 fell through, officials involved in planning the visit confirmed. According to a senior diplomatic source, Mr. Netanyahu, who had proposed …

The Indian Journal of Clinical Practice (IJCP) Group, a doctor-run publisher of medical journals, has come under flak from public health experts for partnering with American e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. Juul, which is evaluating an entry into India, has retained the Group to “better understand the India market,” a …

In the State of the Union address, President presses hishard line on immigration, says he will get the wall built Speaking words of bipartisanship, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union (SOTU) address that suggested he would continue to pursue policies that have most deeply divided the …

A senior Finance Ministry official has slammed a key plank of the government’s agriculture policy, saying that raising minimum support prices (MSP) for major crops causes distortions in the agriculture market. This leads to a vicious cycle of oversupply of such crops and a crash in market prices, said the …

India gains little by engaging the Taliban directly at this stage, says Amar Sinha , former Ambassador to Afghanistan and member of the National Security Advisory Board, countering Army chief General B.P. Rawat’s call for India to ‘join the bandwagon’ in talks. On Wednesday, a two-day ‘intra-Afghan’ dialogue of Afghan …

The Union Home Ministry has banned the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for promoting terrorism and radicalising and recruiting youth for terrorist activities in India. Set up in the 1990s, TuM claims to be fighting for the “liberation of Kashmir,” the Ministry said in a notification announcing …

Protests by Opposition parties on issues such as the National Register for Citizens and a cut in faculty positions for SC/ST and OBC candidates ensured that the Rajya Sabha functioned only for a total 11 minutes on Wednesday. Soon after official papers were tabled in the morning, Rajya Sabha Chairman …

An expert committee of the Union Environment Ministry has “deferred” clearance to a Rs. 100 crore proposal by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCL) to develop an island resort, as well as put up “premium tents” and “tree houses”, on the grounds that it doesn’t take …

The TDP government on Wednesday introduced two Bills for 5% reservation each to the Kapu sub-castes and the other Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the general category (upper castes) in the Assembly on Wednesday in the wake of the 103rd amendment to the Constitution. Minister for BC Welfare and Empowerment …

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the State to respond to a public interest litigation petition that sought a direction to restrict the working hours of retail alcohol outlets, bars and pubs. The petitioner, advocate B. Ramkumar Adityan, pointed out that even minors were getting …