GS-II

Foreign Minister Wang says on Pakistan visit that only four of the 18 projects use concessional loan China has rejected accusations that its financial backing for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a “debt trap” that could compromise Islamabad’s sovereignty. Beijing has billed the Gwadar to Kashgar corridor as …

Assembly had on August 30 approved the Bill; it was revoked during Emergency A crucial Bill that will pave the way for the re-introduction of the provision of anticipatory bail, which was revoked over 40 years ago in the State during the Emergency, has been referred for Presidential assent. Uttar …

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to accord tribal status to the Hatti community of Sirmour district. This has been a long-pending demand of the State government, he said. Stating that the community has been accorded this status in Uttarakhand, Mr. Thakur …

He has suggested trimming the number of admissible documents as citizenship proof from 15 to 10 Suggestions to the Supreme Court by the officer heading the exercise to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to slash the list of “admissible documents” as citizenship proof from 15 to 10 has …

RPF Director-General says the force is getting closer to the core areas of the extremists, cutting down the striking distance and striking time The Central Reserve Police Force has been the main force fighting Maoists in 10 States affected by left-wing extremism. CRPF Director-General R.R. Bhatnagar says the force was …

SC thwarts any future attempts to bring back criminalisation of homosexuality Within the pages of the Supreme Court judgment decriminalising homosexuality contains a safeguard against any attempts by governments, present and future, to enact laws to make homosexuals criminals again. The five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of Dipak …

A-G Vijay Narayan said Governor has ‘unfettered power’ under Article 161 The Tamil Nadu Cabinet’s decision to recommend the release of the seven life convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was taken on the strength of Advocate General Vijay Narayan’s opinion that the Governor had “unfettered …

With Delhi trip, former Sri Lankan President seems to be warming to India In an indication of warming of ties, former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit New Delhi this week and hold important discussions. Mr. Rajapaksa, who is credited with ending the reign of the Liberation Tigers of …

Governor bound to accept Cabinet decision under Art. 161, says Jayakumar A meeting of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Sunday evening recommended to Governor Banwarilal Purohit that all seven life convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case be released under …

‘It is imposing undue influence on poll’ The Maldives has hit out at the United States after it warned of possible sanctions against key officials of the island nation if the upcoming election is not free and fair. President Donald Trump’s administration warned the Maldives on Thursday of possible sanctions …

Earlier this month, British tabloid The Daily Express ran a headline lambasting British aid to India. The article pointed to the £98 million that Britain was set to spend on India between 2018 and 2020, which it insisted was roughly equivalent to the spend on the Chandrayaan-2 space probe. “The …

In Japan, loyalty to tradition often wins out over practicability. A case in point is the Japanese language itself, which uses a mercurial combination of three wholly different scripts: hiragana , katakana and kanji . Another example, currently in the news, is Japan’s traditional gengo calendar system, a custom that …

Negotiators say developed nations want to change rules on funding plans The United States, despite withdrawing from a landmark accord aimed at curbing climate change, is stonewalling vital UN talks over how to fund poorer nations as they battle against global warming, multiple sources said on Saturday. Protests were staged …

She feels freed by SC judgment Emboldened by the Supreme Court’s verdict decriminalising homosexuality, the first transgender State- cadre civil servant of Odisha has announced plans to marry. Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan, 34, an officer of the Odisha Finance Service (OFS), had wanted to be recognised as belonging to the third …

J&K Cong. to clear its stand next week Jammu and Kashmir Congress president G.A. Mir on Saturday expressed doubt over the holding of panchayat and local bodies elections in the State, saying the party would clear its stand after a review meeting next week. He said the administration had announced …

Most of their names don’t feature in the NRC, says activist-lawyer Baruah The Supreme Court’s judgment on Article 377 decriminalising same sex relationships may have been celebrated across the country but not by the transgender community of Assam. Rather, it was a “difficult and glum day”, said Swati Bidhan Baruah, …

After their long battle, Supreme Court orders filing of chargesheets in 1,528 cases of extra-judicial killings under the contentious AFSPA September 8 was the grim anniversary of the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, (AFSPA) in Manipur in 1980. Allegations of extra-judicial excesses and killings by security …

The pact gives both countries access to designated military facilities in specific areas The India-U.S. foundational agreement for mutual logistics support, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), has been fully operationalised over the past few months, official sources said. Earlier this week, India concluded the third foundational agreement, Communications …

He won acclaim for Deliverance and Boogie Nights Burt Reynolds, the moustachioed heart-throb of 1970s cinema who won acclaim in Deliverance and a host of awards later in his career for Boogie Nights , died on Thursday. The famously suave 82-year-old, a huge box office draw at his peak who …

Tightrope of fairness After the initial confusion, questions continued to arise that the Academy found hard to answer. Was it fair for ABC, the network that broadcasts the Oscars, to lobby hard for such an award when its parent company (Disney) makes the sort of blockbusters that would probably crowd …