A former deputy chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffar Hussain Baig is a leading figure of the People’s Democratic Party. He was elected to the legislative assembly of J&K state in 2002 and 2008. In an interview with Zia Haq, Baig, a lawyer and an alumnus […]
Huge uptick in India-Australia strategic relations, says envoy
Against the backdrop of a significant increase in defence and strategic engagements, Australia is keen on signing an agreement with India for reciprocal access to military facilities for logistics support, Australian high commissioner Harinder Sidhu said on Wednesday. Sidhu, set to return home after a four-year stint in New Delhi, […]
5 things to watch out for in the budget session of Parliament
The second budget session of the new Lok Sabha will start from January 31 with the speech of President of India. The general budget will be presented on February 1. Here are the five things to watch out for the in the budget session: Union budget: Caught between a 10-year low GDP growth […]
Supreme Court to hear Delhi gang rape convict Akshay Thakur’s plea seeking to commute death sentence
The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the curative petition of Akshay Thakur, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case. Thakur (31) is seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. A five-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice NV Ramana […]
RRR: Ajay poses with Ram Charan, Rajamouli and Jr NTR
Actor Ajay Devgn has begun work on his next project —SS Rajamouli’s film, tentatively titled RRR. Two photos from the sets of RRR have been shared by the official Twitter handle of the film. The message alongside the picture read, “The stars are shining bright on the sets of #RRR! @ajaydevgnji, @tarak9999, […]
‘Money grows if invested in Gujarat’, says CM Vijay Rupani
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani spoke to Smriti Kak Ramachandran about key schemes during his term, challenges such as malnutrition, and the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in Delhi and other states. Edited excerpts: You have been in office since 2017. What are your government’s accomplishments? Unemployment in Gujarat is the […]
Two defunct satellites speed toward possible collision
Two decommissioned satellites sped towards each other Wednesday at a combined speed of almost 33,000 miles (53,000 kilometers) an hour, raising the risk of a collision that would send thousands of pieces of debris hurtling through space. The satellites — a pioneering international space telescope and an experimental US craft […]
Oil falls as coronavirus death toll climbs, US inventories rise
Oil prices fell on Thursday as the death toll from the new virus in China climbed to 170 and more airlines cancelled flights to the country’s major cities, while rising US crude inventories added to the negative tone. Brent was down 24 cents, or 0.4%, to $59.57 a barrel by […]
European MPs set seal on Brexit in emotional vote
Britain’s departure from the European Union was set in law Wednesday, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc’s parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of sometimes awkward membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (2300 […]
With an eye out on digital journalism, BBC to cut an estimated 450 jobs
The BBC said Wednesday that plans to “modernize” the British broadcaster’s newsroom will lead to the loss of an estimated 450 jobs. The cuts represent a substantial blow to the national public service broadcaster, which has a worldwide reputation for high quality news and entertainment programs. BBC News employs about […]
McDonald’s branches shut over ‘fluid’ situation in China’s coronavirus-hit Hubei
US fast food giant McDonald’s said on Wednesday it closed all of its restaurants in Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicenter of a virus outbreak that has spread beyond the country’s borders. The novel coronavirus outbreak traced to the provincial capital Wuhan in central China has killed more than […]
Republic at 70: India’s 1st CEC carried out a ‘great and fateful experiment’, writes Ashok Lavasa
The first Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture, instituted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in memory of the first chief election commissioner of the country was delivered on January 23 by former President Pranab Mukherjee. Sen was a remarkable son of India who transformed the dream of a democracy into […]
Andhra’s upper house move may face Parliament hurdle
Chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy’s plans for abolishing the upper house of Andhra Pradesh assembly or the legislative council may face hurdles in Parliament with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress pushing for upper Houses of assembly in other states. A parliament panel has also advocated a national […]
Consider US peace plan, India tells Israel and Palestine
India on Wednesday called on Israel and Palestine to consider the US peace plan for the Middle East in possible negotiations in future for a two-state solution. New Delhi’s position on the Israel-Palestinian issue was outlined by external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar while responding to a question on US […]
In ‘Finally Free’, Asia Bibi recounts arrest, prison days, relief of release
Recounting the hellish conditions of eight years spent on death row on blasphemy charges but also the pain of exile, Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi has broken her silence to give her first personal insight into an ordeal that caused international outrage. Bibi was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges by […]