Karnataka govt. tables in House Bill to curb hate speech; BJP MLAS resist

Bill defines hate crime as communication of hate speech by publishing or circulating such talk; seeks to punish whoever commits hate crime with imprisonment for a term not less than a year

The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, which prescribes penalty and imprisonment for hate crime, was tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday amid stiff resistance by Opposition members.

Truce in tatters

The resumption of hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia this week marks a dangerous unravelling of the fragile truce that U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker just two months ago, and a slide toward a conflict that threatens regional stability. – 06

A verdict that is an abdication of judicial function

The judgment of the Supreme Court in the 16th Presidential Reference has been criticised and praised in equal measure, with the repercussions from this verdict analysed threadbare. The core issue concerns the fixing of timelines to the functions of high constitutional authorities.

SIR and the annihilation of rights

The second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is ongoing in 12 States and Union Territories. The exercise will cover nearly 51 crore voters.

Section 19 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, says that any person who is “ordinarily resident in a constituency" can be enrolled in the electoral rolls.

Sudan civil war: Deepening humanitarian crisis

Sudan's economy has contracted sharply since the civil war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15, 2023. Its GDP, which had already been weakening, saw its steepest contraction in 2023-24, shrinking by 29%.

Is India's 8.2% growth rate sustainable?

India's GDP surged 8.2% to 248.63 lakh crore, indicating strong economic momentum. However, the IMF's Grade C' rating warns of structural weaknesses that could threaten long-term growth amidst global volatility and internal challenges.

India's latest GDP figures position the Indian economy to be producing at a significantly higher level than last year, emphasised by the ₹48.63 lakh crore output projected to be realised in a single quarter.

Satellites, science, and the new fight for spectrum in space

As the demand for satellite communication escalates, experts warn that without effective regulation and coordination, the rapid expansion of satellite constellations could lead to disruptions and congestion, and further the digital divide.

India gives tepid response to Russian push for Su-57, long-range drones and submarines

Russia's latest pitch to expand defence cooperation including offers of the Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter, long-range drones and submarines has met with a lukewarm -response from India, officials familiar with the matter said.

He highlighted that India, once heavily dependent on arms imports, now boasts a record defence production value of ₹1.51 lakh crore, up from ₹46,000 crore in 2014. Defence exports have surged from under ₹1,000 crore to nearly ₹24,000 crore in a decade. It reflects a paradigm shift.

Protected marine areas not part of offshore blocks: govt.

Offshore blocks in the seas made available to private companies for mining were carved out after excluding regions known to be Marine Protected Areas, the Earth Sciences Ministry said in response to a query in the Lok Sabha by Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday.

Deepavali enters intangible heritage list

Deepavali, India's festival of lights, was on Wednesday inscribed on the UNESCO'S Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Amazon to invest $35 billion in India

Tech giant says the amount will cement its status as the single largest foreign direct investor into India and will be spent on all its verticals

Amazon Inc. announced on Wednesday that it would invest $35 billion in India in the coming years until 2030.

PM Modi, Goyal expected to travel to Oman next week to sign free trade pact

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Commerce Mi-nister Piyush Goyal are expected to travel to Oman next week to sign a free trade agreement with that country, sources who are also part of the delegation confirmed on Wednesday.

Tata Steel board eyes scaling up operations

Tata Steel has announced capacity expansion, acquisition and a tie-up among others to scale operations in the future.

The firm will prioritise investments in volume growth, value added downstream portfolio, in mining assets and infrastructure to serve the needs of Indian business and in new-to-the-world low-carbon, low capital intensity process technologies for sustainable steel making.

Nepal govt., Gen Z ink 10-point pact on reforms, anti-graft measures

Nepal's interim government and Gen Z representatives on Wednesday signed a 10-point agreement aimed at electoral reforms, good governance, and probing rights violations during the recent youth-led protests that led to the fall of the K.P. Sharma Oli-led dispensation.

EU members to cut emissions by 90% by 2040 from 1990 levels

The European Union has reached an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 from 1990 levels, involving the purchase of foreign carbon credits to cover 5% of the cuts, the European Parliament said on Wednesday. The deal goes beyond most other economies' emissions-cutting pledges.

Machado's daughter Ana accepts Nobel Peace Prize in her absence

Venezuelan Opposition leader María Corina Machado's daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway on her mother's behalf on Wednesday, and said in a speech written by Ms. Machado that Venezuela shows the world "we must be willing to fight for freedom".

Australia's social media ban for under-16s takes effect

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed a world-first social media ban for children younger than 16 that took effect on Wednesday as families taking back power from tech giants but warned the implementation would be difficult.

Military drone attack on Sudan oil field kills dozens of people

Dozens of people were killed on Tuesday evening in a drone strike near Sudan's largest oil processing facility carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces, according to the paramili-tary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Breeding project gives endangered western tragopan breathing space

Experts warn that, despite the success of the captive breeding project, the species' long-term survival remains uncertain without simultaneous habitat protection; fewer than 9,500 individuals remain in the wild and climate change and encroachment continue to pose a threat 

EU scientists say 2025 set to be second or third warmest year

This year is set to be the world's second or third-warmest on record, potentially surpassed only by 2024's record-breaking heat, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on December 9.