Parliament passes Bill to provide 10% quota for poor
Parliament cleared the Constitutional Amendment Bill guaranteeing 10% quota in education and employment to economically weaker sections in the general category, following an approval by the Rajya Sabha. The Upper House nod came following an over nine-hour-long heated debate, during which the Opposition accused the government of bringing the Bill in haste with an eye on the coming Lok Sabha election.
‘Will act against Zakir Naik if proof is given,’ says Anwar Ibrahim
Malaysia will act on “incontrovertible evidence” against Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, said Malaysian leader of the ruling alliance Anwar Ibrahim, but added that no formal evidence had been proferred by India so far. He was speaking to The Hindu in an exclusive interview ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Talks at ISC need to be vetted by serious committees: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
Nobel Laureate Prof. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who attended the Indian Science Congress held in Mumbai in 2015 and called it a “circus” as very little science was discussed, is annoyed at the outrageous statements made by a few speakers at this year’s Congress. In an e-mail interview, he talks about the steps needed to restore respectability to the ISC.
U.K. to test immigration proposals in India
British officials are set to test India’s reaction to proposals for a new post-Brexit immigration system unveiled in December. Home Office officials are set to meet with counterparts in India next week, as well as others, for discussions on the ‘Immigration White Paper’ unveiled by Home Secretary Sajid Javid last year, a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) official has said.
Citizenship Bill: BJP walks a tightrope in Assam
The Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be walking a tightrope in Assam by pushing for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that seeks to legalise the stay of non-Muslim refugees who allegedly fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan till December 31, 2014.
Quota won’t ‘steal’ from Dalits, OBCs: Modi
The 10% quota for the poor among the “savarnas” (general classes) was given “without stealing anything” or reducing the share of Dalits, tribals and OBCs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on Wednesday.
Men’s hockey coach Harendra Singh shunted out from senior team
Hockey India officially parted ways with Harendra Singh as the men’s chief coach and recommended him for the junior side instead. “Harendra Singh’s abilities of grooming youngsters has been the key reasons for the think-tank at Hockey India to arrive at this recommendation” was the official communiqué, citing his 2016 Junior World Cup triumph. HI would also be inviting fresh applications for a foreign coach. But the decision has raised more questions with no answers and no one willing to explain.
Tokenisation may aid safe digital transactions
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to allow card payment providers to offer tokenisation services will ensure the safety of digital transactions and reduce chances of fraud, industry players said.
Opinion | Judicial evasion and the status quo: on SC judgments
On October 26, 2018 , a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, was confronted with a straightforward legal question: whether the decision taken by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central government to divest Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma of his powers and functions was legally valid. The question was a straightforward one, because it required the court to interpret three legal instruments: the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act (that brought the CBI into existence), the CVC Act, and the Supreme Court’s own prior judgment in Vineet Narain .
Watch | Beluga onboard: this plane will transport two whales over a distance of 9500 kms
Europe’s all-cargo airline Cargolux has a special delivery this year. It will transport two beluga whales from an aquarium in China to a wildlife reserve in Iceland.
