GS-II

It said the way forward may not be UCC, but the codification of all personal laws so that prejudices and stereotypes in every one of them would come to light and can be tested on the anvil of fundamental rights of the Constitution. “By codification of different personal laws, one …

Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Centre said on Friday. The decennial exercise will involve 25 lakh trained enumerators and the use of “maps/geo-referencing at the time of house listing is also under consideration,” a statement issued by the Home Ministry …

Inspector Nicholas of D II Police station [in Madras] charged one Subbaraya Nathan, a hackney carriage driver, Syyed Omar, piece goods merchant, Esplanade, and Hassan for being in possession of and transporting 6 visses and 3 ½ palams of opium valued at Rs. 900 on the night of the 17th …

The U.S. has extended by over five months the temporary suspension of premium processing for H-1B visas as part of its efforts to clear the backlog. Premium processing is a feature that shortens the usual processing time of visa petitions from about of six months to 15 days for a …

Myanmar on Wednesday rejected the findings of a UN investigation alleging genocide by its military against the Rohingya, after the U.S. and other countries joined growing calls for them to face justice. The UN probe on Monday detailed evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity “perpetrated on a massive scale” …

U.S. President Donald Trump warned evangelical leaders that if Republicans lose control of Congress in the midterm elections, Democrats will institute change “quickly and violently”, The New York Times reported. At a meeting with those leaders at the White House on Monday, Mr. Trump said everything was at stake for …

The first U.S.-India 2+2 dialogue next week in New Delhi will discuss regional and strategic issues of Asia and “will also have some real outcomes”, said a senior official of the Donald Trump administration. “China and how to respond to it will be front and centre” of the dialogue, said …

Exercise Peace Mission 2018, the joint military exercise of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), ended in Russia on Wednesday with the eight-member states undertaking joint training on combating terrorism. This is the first time India and Pakistan participated in the exercise, which began on August 24 at the firing ranges in …

India is set to get more disaster warning systems along its coasts. While it already has a tsunami warning system in place, the new systems will keep an eye out for “tsunamis and storm surges,” according to an official release. The system is part of a programme called O-SMART (Ocean …

A panel headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, which deliberated on measures to check incidents of lynching, submitted its report to a Group of Ministers headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In May and June, more than 20 people were lynched based on fake posts or rumours floating on …

The court was hearing a petition filed by five eminent persons — Romila Thapar, Devaki Jain, Prabhat Patnaik, Satish Deshpande and Maja Dharuwala. ‘Safety valve’ A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, lashed out at the “sweeping round of arrests,” observing that democracy could not survive …

Global superstars Lady Gaga, Ryan Gosling and Vanessa Redgrave descend on Venice this week as the annual film festival kicks off on Wednesday to controversy over the inclusion of Netflix productions and there being just one female director in competition. Some 21 features will be locking horns for the prized …

Beijing no longer wants the country to be a global trash can and has already started phasing out import of solid waste Her fingers are bent from 20 years of collecting cardboard from Hong Kong’s streets, but Au Fung-lan says she has no desire to give up the gruelling work. …

One of Scotland’s leading universities is set to hand out pronoun badges to freshers so they know whether to refer to each other as “he”, “she” or “they”. The move by the Edinburgh University is intended to avoid any potential “misgendering” of non-binary or transgender students, who may display the …

Emmerson Mnangagwa was officially sworn in as President of Zimbabwe on Sunday after winning a bitterly-contested election which was the country’s first since the ousting of strongman Robert Mugabe. Mr. Mnangagwa, whose victory in the July 30 polls was challenged by the main Opposition, pledged to “protect and promote the …

China has launched a long campaign to win the trade war with the U.S., which is targeting Beijing’s transition to a digitally advanced economy. A hard hitting commentary in the People’s Daily made it plain that the trade war would be a marathon and not a sprint. “The Trump administration …

John S. McCain, the proud naval aviator who climbed from the depths of despair as a prisoner of war in Vietnam to the pinnacles of power as a Republican Congressman and Senator from Arizona and a two-time contender for the presidency, died Saturday at his home in Arizona. He was …

Baby Rani Maurya was on Sunday sworn in as the new Governor of Uttarakhand. The oath of office and secrecy was administered to Ms. Maurya by the acting Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court Rajiv Sharma at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan here. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/maurya-sworn-in-as-new-ukhand-governor/article24788320.ece

The Narendra Modi government is suffering from the “big brother syndrome”, the Congress on Sunday said, criticising the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Bill, 2018, that allows law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples and create “DNA profiles” and special data banks for forensic-criminal investigations. The Bill was introduced by …

The two Indian military helicopters, gifted to the Maldives, are likely to stay back along with a 48-member crew and support staff for at least the next few months as talks between the two countries on their continued deployment in the island nation were “positive”, diplomatic and military sources said …