Month: October 2015

    Australian High Commission expresses concern over tattoo incident  –   (International Relation) The Australian High Commission has expressed “concern” over media reports of an Australian citizen “being threatened with violence and detained by police because of a tattoo”. A press statement issued on Monday by the public relations section of the High Commission inRead More…

    Nuclear deal not on Sharif’s agenda  –   (International Relation) Ahead of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s three-day tour of the United States, both countries ruled out a nuclear deal between them, but Pakistan went a step further to emphasise that they were not even discussing any such deal. Mr. Sharif arrives in the U.S. on Tuesday. “No ‘deal’ is beinRead More…

    Modi may attend U.S. nuclear security summit next year  –   (International Relation) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the United States for the fourth Nuclear Security Summit on March 31-April 1, 2016, an initiative of President Barack Obama who considers nuclear terrorism the “most immediate and extreme threat to global security.” A U.S. diplomatRead More…

    SC stays ban on Mumbai dance bars  –   (Indian Polity) The Supreme Court on Thursday ushered dance back into beer parlours and hotels in Mumbai by staying the operation of a Maharashtra law banning it, agreeing with the contention that there are alternatives to a ban on dance performances to ensure the safety of women. But the court gave a free hand to the authorities tRead More…

      Pranab stresses India’s balancing act  –    (International Relation) President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday reiterated India’s approach towards Israel and Palestine — continue to support the Palestine cause while pursuing improved relationship with Israel. Speaking to the media team accompanying him, while returning from Israel, Mr. Mukherjee said PalestiRead More…

    India yet to have free debate on communalism: Nirmala Sitharaman  –    (Indian Polity) Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday that the Dadri incident demonstrated that the “country does not have a free and fair debate on communalism.” Ms. Sitharaman also said the protest by writers in returning awards conferred on them by the Sahitya Akademi, Read More…

    Saving the Sahitya Akademi  –    (Indian Polity) Now fringe elements have come centre stage, with their narrow-minded interpretation of our great religion. And they have brought with them a sense of fear. Why is Hinduism alive after so many millennia? Because it absorbs, it allows multiplicity of thought, of argument, of debate.   Uniform civil code need of theRead More…

    Plural India comes together to condemn attack  –    (Indian Polity) Mumbai does belong to Maharashtra, but it also belongs to the nation — moreover, it is an international city, said Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman of the Observer Research Foundation, in Marathi sending a firm message to the Shiv Sena, which is said to be behind an attack on him on Monday. He was speakRead More…

    ICC calls for Bashir’s arrest, Delhi says ‘no’  –   (International Relation) The India-Africa summit to be held in Delhi in October 26-29 is expected to be a grand affair, with a record 52 of 54 African countries confirming their acceptance. However there may be some anxious moments as the International Criminal Court has called for India to arrest one of the guesRead More…

    Fiscal balance turns surplus after 8 years  –   (Economics) For the first time in 8 years, India’s fiscal balance turned from deficit to surplus in the month of August, the latest data from the Controller-General of Accounts (CGA) show. The fiscal deficit, the excess of the Centre’s expenditure over its revenues, was (-) Rs. 15,808 crore in August. The negative figuRead More…