GS-II

Emphasising that corporate governance standards being followed by public sector banks are much better than ever before, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said the government has stopped the “phone-call thing” coming in from Delhi to the banks. In an apparent dig at the previous UPA regime, Mr. Goyal said that not …

The textile industry has urged the Centre to push for negotiations with China to provide duty-free access to Indian cotton textiles. Sanjay Jain, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, said in a release that in 2017-2018, India exported textile goods worth $1,362 million to China. The Indian textile …

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has called for the rebuilding of 11 schools torched by suspected Islamic extremists in northern Pakistan. She tweeted about the attack, saying “extremists have shown what frightens them most: a girl with a book.” She was shot and injured by the Pakistani Taliban in …

Asian countries have voiced concern about the potentially devastating impact of a U.S.-China trade war, with Ministers calling for the acceleration of talks for a gigantic Beijing-backed free-trade deal that excludes the United States. Fear that a simmering trade spat between the world’s top two economies could spiral into a …

“National tragedy.” That is how Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera described the problem of prevalent household indebtedness in Sri Lanka, when he recently announced the government’s decision to write off debt of LKR 1 lakh or less, incurred by 75,000 women in 12 drought-affected districts across the country. The move, aimed …

At the stroke of midnight on July 3, 1954, members of the London Housewives’ Association held a ceremony in central London to mark the end of food rationing in Britain that had commenced 14 years before, after the start of the Second World War. Rationing covered goods from meat and …

Of the many delights of living in Paris is the ability to enjoy history, art and culture, thanks to the city’s outstanding museums. The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Centre Georges Pompidou are some of the world’s most popular museums located in the French capital. But there are others …

Venezuela’s controversial Constituent Assembly (CA) marked its first anniversary on Saturday as the embodiment of President Nicolas Maduro’s entrenchment in power despite an economic crisis that has crippled the country’s public services and destroyed its currency. The assembly’s very creation last year was largely responsible for four months of street …

North Korea has pressed ahead with its nuclear and missile programmes and continues to evade UN sanctions through increased illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil products at sea, a UN report said on Friday. In a 62-page report sent to the Security Council, the UN panel of experts also listed violations …

the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Russian bank accused of helping North Korea with weapons-related activities. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listed stringent preconditions for any engagement with Iran. And the administration’s top intelligence and law enforcement officials vowed to combat Russian interference in the midterm elections, while Senate …

India should respect the promise it made in 2010 to open embassies in three more Latin American nations, a group of Ambassadors has urged Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. A senior diplomat from the region told The Hindu that these countries were awaiting action on India’s promise, especially after Prime Minister …

People hit the streets on Saturday protesting moves to scrap Article 35A, which defines State subject laws. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear three petitions challenging Article 35A on August 6. Separatists have called for a two-day shutdown on Monday over the issue. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/kashmir-on-the-boil-over-article-35a-hearing-in-sc/article24606252.ece

The release of the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam has once again turned the spotlight on the refugee problem in Jammu and Kashmir, with many representatives of displaced people seeking a one-time settlement in the State. Labha Ram Gandhi, the president of the West Pakistan Refugees Action …

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get early assent of the President to a Bill passed by the Telangana legislature in April last year, which provided for reservations to SCs, STs, BCs and minorities in excess of 50%, the cap fixed by the …

Sri Lankan Minister says talks on the airport joint venture are ‘progressing’ Days after Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told Parliament that there was no proposal for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to acquire a controlling stake in Sri Lanka’s Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, a Sri …

Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra told the government on Friday that cases of constitutional importance and social matters of constitutional gravity, even if heard by a three-judge Bench, should be beamed live to the masses. The Chief Justice, heading a Bench of three, was assuaging apprehensions raised by the …

UGC had sought graded punishment for the offence Student researchers found guilty of plagiarism may lose their registration and teachers could lose their jobs as the Human Resource Development Ministry approved new regulations on plagiarism drafted by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Ministry had notified the UGC (Promotion of …

Need to raise productivity: RS members Rajya Sabha members have sought that the sittings of Parliament be extended to a minimum of 120 days a year, and suggested that the salary and allowances of members who disrupted proceedings should be deducted on that particular day. Congress MP Husain Dalwai said …

“They are presumed backward,” Mr. Venugopal submitted, saying the State needs to show “affirmative action” by giving them equality of opportunity. The government objected to a creamy layer concept among the SC/ST. “You cannot dissect the SC/ST and see those who are worthy (of quota) and those who are not,” …

Action against persons designated by Foreigners’ Tribunals District officials in Assam have begun work to delete the names of “declared foreigners’ whose names had been included in the complete draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) that was published on July 30. In Morigaon district, officials have identified …