Uproar in House over Hindi names for Bills

Opposition MPs sharpened their attack against the Hindi and Sanskrit names of new laws in Parliament, accusing the government of engaging in "Hindi imposition" and failing to meet Constitutional requirements. The Centre defended the move as a reflection of Indian culture and legacy, noting that it does not violate any laws or the Constitution. The parliamentary fight on the issue, sparked by Tuesday's debate on the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak - which can be translated as the Indian Aircraft Bill. 

UGC draft proposes biannual admissions

The University Grants Commission published the Draft UGC (Minimum Standards of Instructions in the Award of UG and PG Degrees) Regulations, 2024, allowing enrolment of students in higher education institutions (HEIs) twice a year. The regulations also allow students to join two undergraduate or post-graduate programmes simultaneously, and make UG and PG aspirants “eligible for admission in any discipline" of their choice, besides offering a multiple entry-exit option.

States and the challenge before the Finance Commission

The Government of Tamil Nadu recently hosted the Sixteenth Finance Commission, which was chaired by Arvind Panagariya. the Commission is uniquely positioned to address the critical fiscal challenges facing India and rectifying the skewness in the relationship between the States and the Union.

A three-nation visit as a foray into summit diplomacy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nigeria, Brazil, and Guyana (November 16-21, 2024) was exceptionally well designed to achieve multiple objectives. It was India's latest foray into summit diplomacy covering three different geographic regions - Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean – and encompassed an extensive interaction on bilateral, regional and global issues. 

While the Prime Minister's primary purpose was to represent India at the nineteenth summit of the Group of 20 (G-20), in Brazil, his spending ample time in the two other countries enhanced the impact of this trans-continental journey. 

Is Syria's Assad regime in danger?

Islamist militants in Syria's northwest launched a surprise attack last week against the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and made dramatic territorial gains. The HTS is led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a 42-year-old Syrian militant. Julani had moved to Iraq in his early 20s to fight the American occupation of the country (2003) and joined the al-Qaeda. When the al-Qaeda in Iraq was commanded by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Julani emerged as one of his close lieutenants. Without direct support from Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, Syria's troops were vulnerable. The militants, reportedly backed by Turkey, made use of that vulnerability and made swift advances to capture the whole of Aleppo.

India and China hold negotiations over border coordination

In preparation for the meeting of the Special Representatives on boundary resolution, India and China on Thursday held the 32nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs.This is the latest in a series of bilateral engagements since the recent bonhomie in the bilateral relationship following disengagement in the last two friction points Depsang and Demchok."The two sides positively affirmed the implementation of the most recent disengagement agreement which completed the resolution of the issues that emerged in 2020. They also prepared for the next meeting of the Special Representatives, which is to be held in accordance with the decision of the two leaders in their meeting in Kazan on October 23," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

PSLV-C59 places PROBA-3 satellites into designated orbit with precision

After being rescheduled for a day as an anomaly was detected, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday successfully launched the PROBA-3 (Project for Onboard Autonomy) mission of the European Space Agency aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C59 rocket. The vehicle took off with a powerful roar precisely at 4.04 p.m. from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota."The PSLV-C59/PRO- BA-3 mission is successfully accomplished. The spacecraft has been placed in the right orbit," ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said. The agency said the mission had successfully achieved its launch objectives, deploying the satellites into their designated orbit with precision. 

Justice Manmohan sworn in as Supreme Court judge 

Justice Manmohan (right, in picture) was sworn in as a Supreme Court judge on Thursday, raising the judicial strength of the court to 33, one short of the sanctioned number of judges. Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna administered the oath of office to Justice Manmohan in the Chief Justice's courtroom.

India slams developed nations for climate crisis

India slammed developed countries for causing the climate crisis during a landmark hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying they exploited the global carbon budget, failed to honour climate finance promises and are now demanding that developing countries restrict their resource use. The court is examining what legal obligations countries have to address climate change and the consequences if they fail.

Bhutan and India discuss Gelephu, hydel power plans

India and Bhutan discussed bilateral projects in the fields of electricity and urban planning during the visit of the King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk and Queen Jetsun Pema. Mr. Wangchuk met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both sides reiterated continued collaboration on multiple fronts including in the Gelephu Mindfulness City project and hydropower. A joint statement issued after the meeting said Mr. Modi "reassured His Majesty of India's continued sup- port for the Gelephu Mindfulness City Project, which will bring prosperity and well-being in Bhutan and also the border areas, and further strengthen economy and investment linkages between the two countries". 

Israel committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, says Amnesty

Amnesty International accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its war with Hamas, saying it has sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians by mounting deadly attacks, demolishing vital infrastructure and preventing the delivery of food, medicine and other aid. 

The human rights group released a report on Thursday that said such actions could not be justified by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack into Israel, which ignited the war, or the presence of militants in civilian areas. Amnesty said the U.S. and other allies of Israel could be complicit in genocide, and called on them to halt shipments.