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The debit and credit cards belong to multiple Indian banks and are being sold for $100 each, in what security researchers have dubbed one of the biggest card dumps in recent years Current affairs : Nearly 1.3 million debit and credit card data of Indian banking customers that can fetch up to $130 million for cybercriminals are available on Dark Web for open sale. According to ZDNet, the cards' details is available on Joker's Stash -- one of the oldest card shops on the dark web which is known to be the place where major hackers sell card dumps. The researchers from cyber security form Group-IBA found the Indian card holders' listing. Joker's Stash is advertising it under the... read more

The businessman said that he 'cooperated with the authorities and has given whatever they needed' Current affairs : Businessman Raj Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with his alleged business dealings with gangster Iqbal Mirchi. Speaking to reporters after appearing before ED, Kundra said he had never met Mirchi. "Never, never," Kundra said to a question. The law enforcement agency had summoned Kudra to join investigation in connection with his links with Mirchi, who was a close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. The businessman said that he "cooperated with the... read more

NCT of Delhi has the highest population density of 11,320 people per square km, while Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest of 17 per sq km Current affairs : Life expectancy in India has increased from 49.7 years in 1970-75 to 68.7 years in 2012-16, as per the National Health Profile 2019 released on Wednesday. For the same period, the life expectancy for females is 70.2 years and 67.4 years for males. For comparison, in last year's survey, the life expectancy had increased from 49.7 years in 1970-75 to 68.3 years in 2011-15. For the same period, the life expectancy for females is 70 years and 66.9 years for males. So there has been an increase in life expectancy in general, and also for... read more

The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib where Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life. Current affairs : Pakistan has invited cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the inaugural ceremony of the landmark Kartarpur Corridor which will be opened for pilgrims on November 9, a media report said on Wednesday. India and Pakistan last week signed the agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor that will allow Indian pilgrims to undertake visa-free visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the shrine of the Sikh religion's founder Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan, notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over Kashmir. The agreement will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib where Guru Nanak spent last 18 years of his life.

Dorsey said the company would share the final policy by November 15, and will start enforcing it from November 22 to provide current advertisers a notice period before the change goes into effect Current affairs : Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Thursday said that the microblogging platform would stop all political advertising globally, becoming the first mainstream social media company to do so. In a series of tweets, Dorsey explained the reasons for the decision. Saying that internet advertising was “incredibly powerful” and effective for commercial advertisers, it posed “significant risks to politics, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions”. Political ads on social media platforms have been a growing cause for concern globally, especially since reports of foreign interference in... read more

The two sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and agreed to step up bilateral security cooperation. Current affairs : India and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday inked over a dozen agreements in several key sectors including oil and gas, defence and civil aviation to bolster their ties as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks with the Kingdom's top leadership during which a Strategic Partnership Council was established to coordinate on important issues. Modi, who is on a two-day visit to the Gulf Kingdom to attend the Future Investment Initiative here, held talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. After the delegation-level talks, the two sides signed an agreement to establish the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council to coordinate decisions regarding strategically important... read more

On Wednesday morning, the Delhi air quality index was 422 -- a little worse than Tuesday's AQI of 414 at 8 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board Current affairs : Delhi air pollution: There is no respite from severe air pollution in Delhi as air quality remained in the "severe" category on Wednesday morning. The air quality was similar to what it was on Tuesday, the day it slipped into the "severe" category in the city and the adjoining areas. At 6 am, the city's overall air quality index (AQI) was 422 -- a little worse than Tuesday's AQI of 414 at 8 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe. Above 500 is severe-plus... read more

India, which has raised some tariffs under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has long been the main holdout on an RCEP deal due to strong domestic opposition Current affairs : India keeps making last-minute requests after it agreed to terms for the world’s largest regional trade agreement, potentially preventing Asian leaders from announcing a breakthrough on the 16-nation pact during a summit in Bangkok next week, people familiar with the situation said. In recent days, India angered other negotiators by making additional requests on the China-backed pact covering half the world’s population, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Leaders of the countries had planned to announce a preliminary deal on Nov 4 when leaders gather for meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, they said. Chief negotiators are still confident they can reach a broad agreement on the deal, known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership...

Chakraborty, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, is currently the Department of Economic Affairs secretary Current affairs : Senior bureaucrat Atanu Chakraborty has been appointed as the Department of Expenditure secretary on Wednesday, replacing G C Murmu who was named as the first Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor last week. Chakraborty, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, is currently the Department of Economic Affairs secretary, an order issued by the personnel ministry said. The competent authority has approved the assignment of additional charge of the post of secretary, Department of Expenditure, to Chakraborty with immediate effect. Murmu, also a 1985-batch Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, was appointed as... read more

Clashes also broke out at several places in Kashmir on Tuesday, leaving several persons injured. Current affairs : Security has been heightened in Kashmir following the terror attack in Kulgam district that left five labourers from West Bengal dead, even as a complete shutdown disrupted normal life across the valley on Wednesday, officials said. The terror attack came at a time when a delegation of parliamentarians from the European Union is in Kashmir to talk to locals and ask them about their experience after abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. Five migrant labourers in Kulgam district of south Kashmir were shot dead by terrorists on Tuesday night. Another labourer was injured and has been... read more

PM Modi indicated Maharashtra CM and Haryana CM would continue Election news : The results of the Assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra, and the by-polls to 51 Assembly seats across 17 states and two Lok Sabha constituencies, announced on Thursday, belied expectations of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sweep. In less than 150 days since the BJP and its allies won by a landslide in the Lok Sabha polls, electorates in Maharashtra and Haryana looked beyond such national issues as the scrapping of Article 370, which were the BJP’s leitmotif for its election campaign, jolting the party out of complacence amid widespread concerns over the economic slowdown and rural distress. The election results are set to reinvigorate a moribund Opposition, make BJP’s march to a Rajya Sabha majority more arduous, strengthen the hands of the veterans in the Congress in their tussle with former party chief Rahul Gandhi, and give a fresh lease of life to the political careers of... read more

The Congress, which had won 10 seats in the region in 2014, won 17 this time Election news : The Maharashtra Assembly elections threw up a mild surprise, by giving the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena — known as the Mahayuti —fewer seats than what any of the exit polls had predicted. Not just that, the seat count of the Mahayuti, at the time of going to press, was less than what the two parties had secured in 2014, when they had contested separately. Despite retaining a strong edge over the majority mark, the Mahayuti lost 24 seats from its kitty, seeing its tally reduced to 161 from 185. The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance increased its tally from 81 to 98. Independents and smaller parties bagged 29 seats (from 20 earlier). The unexpected result may be attributed to two regions of the state — the relatively prosperous western region, and drought-prone Vidarbha — both of which turned their back to... read more

In Haryana, a predominantly rural state, crop prices have been constantly falling for the past two years Election news : The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) less than satisfactory performance in the Assembly elections of Haryana and Maharashtra has once again raised questions on its inept handling of the economy, triggering calls for more focus on it, particularly the rural sector. The sector seems to have played a decisive role in several seats in both the states. Its showing has indicated the continuing slowdown in demand, wages, and consumption in rural areas has started affecting politics. In Haryana, the ruling BJP was marginally short of a majority, just months after it won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in... read more

Aaditya Thackeray has been given charge of the Yuva Sena and is tussling with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad Election news : Few parties manage to stay relevant through a generational change. Shiv Sena is the exception. When it was formed, its founder Bal Thackeray saw it as forum to arouse the Maharashtrian-ness of those who lived in the state, making the Mangalorean, the North Indian, the Tamil, Telugu, and the Malayali the ‘other’. The Communists and the Congress were also targets of Marmik, a cartoon magazine Thackeray founded that poked fun at the outsiders and the meek Maharashtrians. It also gave an ideological cover for breaking the Communist-dominated trade unions in and around Mumbai's textile mills. But he soon found that the ‘Maharashtra for Maharashtrians’ slogan had limited appeal outside Mumbai where non-Maharashtrians were seen as performing an economic service and not necessarily as a threat. A change of track followed with Sena supporters becoming t...

After the poll results came out on Thursday, the ruling BJP fell six short of the halfway mark needed to form the next government Election news : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar left for Delhi on Friday morning to meet senior party leaders and discuss a way forward as the ruling BJP emerged as the single largest party with 40 seats in a hung assembly. After the poll results came out on Thursday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell six short of the halfway mark needed to form the next government. The Congress won 31 seats, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) 10, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) one each... read more

As per the latest trends, Barala is trailing by 25,090 votes over Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate Devinder Singh Babli from the Tohana seat. Election news :  Haryana BJP chief Subash Barala has resigned on Thursday after election trends showed both the ruling party and the Congress being locked in a tough contest with no one looking set to attain majority on its own in the 90-member assembly. As per the latest trends, Barala is trailing by 25,090 votes over Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate Devinder Singh Babli from the Tohana seat. As the counting was in progress, Barala had left the counting centre in between sensing he is losing from Tohana. Barala has resigned as state BJP chief, party... read more

The latest trends available for 86 seats in Haryana showed that the Congress was ahead in 25 seats, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in 11 constituencies and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in 2 sea   Election news :  The ruling BJP on Thursday was leading in 40 seats in Haryana, 6 short of the majority mark in the 90-member Assembly, but appeared set to retain power in Maharashtra where it established a comfortable lead along with its ally Shiv Sena, according to the Election Commission. The latest trends available for 86 seats in Haryana showed that the Congress was ahead in 25 seats, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in 11 constituencies and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in 2 seats. Independents were leading in 7 seats, the trends available with the EC indicated. The BJP had won 47 seats in the last Assembly elections in... read more

The by-election to the seat was necessitated after the death of LJP MP Ram Chandra Paswan, following which the party fielded his son Prince Raj. Election news :  Prince Raj of the Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) has established a lead of 31,375 votes over his nearest rival Ashok Kumar of the Congress in the by-poll to the Samastipur Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, as per the latest trends. The by-election to the seat was necessitated after the death of LJP MP Ram Chandra Paswan, following which the party fielded his son Prince Raj. While Raj garnered 1,03,371 votes, Kumar secured 71,996 votes. By-elections were also held in Belhar, Simri Bakhtiarpur, Nathnagar, Kishanganj and Daraunda Assembly constituencies on account of the... read more

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) founder defeated his nearest rival Moses Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front, says election official Election news :  Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang aka PS Golay won the by-poll to the Poklok Kamrang Assembly seat by 8,953 votes. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) founder defeated his nearest rival Moses Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front, an election official said. While Golay registered 10,811 votes, Rai polled 1,858 votes. The SKM supremo secured 84 per cent of the 12,870 votes polled in... read more

Phogat, is leading from the Dadri seat with 15, 875 votes, Sandeep Singh is leading from 25,579 , while Dutt is trailing Krishan Hooda of Congress by around 4,000 votes Election news : BJP's 'champion' candidates -- wrestler Babita Phogat and hockey hero Sandeep Singh -- are shinning in the Haryana Assembly polls. International wrestlers Babita Phogat from Dadri and former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh from Pehowa are leading in their respective seats, while another wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt is trailing from Baroda. All are greenhorn politicians. Phogat, is leading from the Dadri seat with 15, 875 votes, Sandeep Singh is leading from 25,579 , while Dutt is trailing Krishan Hooda of... read more

Prime Minister calls meeting with Abhijit Banerjee excellent; professor thanks Modi for unique experience Current affairs : Abhijit Banerjee, this year’s Indian-born Economics Nobel Laureate, met Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning. Soon after, Modi tweeted that it was an excellent meeting and that “India is proud of his accomplishments”. Banerjee shared the Nobel with co-researchers Esther Duflo, who he’s married to, and Michael Kremer. Duflo, the youngest Economics Nobel winner, wasn’t present at the meeting with the PM. “Excellent meeting with Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee. His passion towards human empowerment is clearly visible. We had a healthy and extensive interaction on various subjects. India is proud of his accomplishments. Wishing him the very best for his future endeavours,” the PM wrote on his personal Twitter handle, @narendramodi. Banerjee was prompt to thank the PM, though not on social media. Speaking to the media later, he said, “Thank...

IFIN, in its board meeting, had appointed Mukund M Chitale & Co the statutory auditor for the company. Current affairs : The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has allowed the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) to appoint Mukund M Chitale & Co the statutory auditor for IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN). IFIN, in its board meeting, . had appointed Mukund M Chitale & Co the statutory auditor for the company. Read our full coverage on NCLT

Further high deterioration in AQI of Delhi is only expecting by the first week of November now Current affairs : The air quality in Delhi improved slightly on Wednesday but continued to remain in the 'poor category', according to the AQI index of the Central Pollution Control Board. This could be, perhaps, due to the easterlies that have reduced the impact of the northwesterlies which have been bringing the biomass from stubble burning in the states of Haryana and Punjab to Delhi. The PM2.5 -- particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres -- level was recorded at 218 around 8:20 am, according to... read more

On September 7, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) attempted a soft landing of Vikram on the uncharted lunar south pole, before losing communication with the lander Current affairs :  NASA has found no evidence of Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander in the images captured during a latest flyby of its Moon orbiter of the lunar region where India's ambitious mission attempted a soft landing, the US space agency said. On September 7, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) attempted a soft landing of Vikram on the uncharted lunar south pole, before losing communication with the lander. "The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the area of the targeted Chandrayaan-2 Vikram landing site on October 14 but did not observe any evidence of the lander," Noah Edward Petro, the Project Scientist for the... read more

According to sources, Gandhi was accompanied by Congress general secretary Ambika Soni Current affairs : Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday morning met Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar in Tihar jail and enquired about his welfare. Shivakumar, 57, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 3 in a money laundering case. He is lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody. According to sources, Gandhi was accompanied by Congress general secretary Ambika Soni. Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA in Karnataka, was booked along with Haumanthaiah -- an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in... read more

Westerly and northwesterly winds bring dust from western regions and smoke caused by burning of crop residue in the neighbouring Punjab and Haryana to Delhi-NCR Current affairs : The air quality in the national capital remained 'poor' on Tuesday, largely due to wind direction that changed to northwesterly on Sunday, increasing the contribution of smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring states to pollution in the city. Westerly and northwesterly winds bring dust from western regions and smoke caused by burning of crop residue in the neighbouring Punjab and Haryana to Delhi-NCR. After fluctuating between "poor" and "very poor" for over a week, the city's air quality had improved to "moderate" category on Saturday, mainly due to a squall in Delhi that dispersed pollutants and rainfall in neighbouring areas... read more

Officials in the police stations will be asked to make regular visits to the homes of senior citizens and inquire about their welfare Current affairs : The Uttar Pradesh Police has decided to start the registration of senior citizens in the state in an attempt to ensure their safety and security. "We have decided to start registration of senior citizens. The cops will visit the houses of senior citizens in their area and note down their names, addresses and phone numbers which will be fed into our database. If any senior citizen calls the emergency number 112, all the details will be immediately known to the police and prompt action will be taken," said O.P. Singh, the state's Director General of Police (DGP). A complaint made by the caller will also be registered and updated about the action taken. Officials in the police stations will be asked to make regular visits to the homes of senior citizens and inquire about their... read more

Though critical of the Modi govt’s move to cut the corporation tax rate, Banerjee has praised several of its welfare schemes for the poor Current affairs : Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, this year’s Economics Nobel laureates, are meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning. Banerjee and Duflo have been in India for the past few days to promote their book Good Economics for Hard Time’s: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems. A professor at the US’ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Banerjee said in his recent interviews that a cut in corporation tax rate might not boost demand. He has been advocating increasing the tax on the rich and making cash available for the poor to improve consumption at the time of an economic slowdown. Some politicians in the current dispensation have been critical of Banerjee. Recently, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Banerjee had a Left-leaning mindset and that his views had… read more

The Municipal Corporation had submitted that CRZ clearance was granted on the undisputed land and the HC's order be stayed Current affairs : The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the appeals challenging the Bombay High Court verdict which had quashed the CRZ clearances granted to Mumbai civic body’s ambitious Rs 14,000-crore coastal road project. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S A Bobde and Justice S A Nazeer was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the matter, which was last heard in July this year, required an urgent hearing. Mehta, appearing for Mumbai's civic body, said as the court was busy with the Ayodhya matter, this case could not be taken up on August 20 as assured... read more

Rajnath Singh inaugurates the Colonel Chewang Rinchin Bridge on Shyok River, located about 45 km from India's border with China. Current affairs : Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, is now open to tourists, said defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday. Opening the area from Siachen base camp to Kumar Post will give people a chance to see how the Army's jawans and engineers work in extreme weather in Ladakh, he said. Singh was addressing a function in eastern Ladakh to inaugurate the Colonel Chewang Rinchin Bridge on Shyok River, located about 45 km from the county's border with China. "The Ladakh MP in his address, mentioned about opening this area to tourism. And, I am happy to share that the government has decided to open a... read more

As Malegaon's residents queue up to vote for the Assembly polls on Monday, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 of them are unified in their concern for survival of the fledgling industry   Election news :  Elections usually bring with it communal tensions in this city famous for its power looms and small-budget movies. The bridge over the Girna river on Mumbai-Agra highway divides the city’s Hindu and Muslim habitations, while symbiotic business ties of the two communities unite them to keep violence at bay. As Malegaon’s residents queue up to vote for the Assembly polls on Monday, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 of them, mostly Muslims and some Hindus, who earn their livelihoods from recycling ‘single-use plastic’, are unified in their concern for survival of the fledgling industry. In Malegaon, only a handful are associated with the film industry. The textile industry is the biggest employer. An estimated 150,000 power looms operate in the city. Lesser known is... read...

Voting for by-election to 11 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh begins Election news :  Voting for the bypolls to 11 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh began on Monday morning amid tight security. Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till to 6 p.m. Eight of the 11 seats were held earlier by the BJP and one by BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). The seats of Rampur and Jalalpur (Ambedkarnagar) were held by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, respectively. The BJP, BSP, SP and the Congress have fielded their candidates on all the seats. According to the office of UP's Chief Electoral Officer, 109 candidates are in the fray for the bypolls to the Assembly seats of... read more

Seven companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the four assembly segments   Election news :  Polling for the bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab began on Monday morning. Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m., officials said. The four assembly seats where the bypolls will be held include Phagwara (reserve), Jalalabad, Dakha and Mukerian. Around 7.76 lakh voters are eligible to decide the fate of 33 candidates. The results of the elections will be declared on October 24. Seven companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the four assembly segments, the official said. A total 920 polling stations have been set up. Some polling... read more

Besides the two states, assembly bypolls are underway in 51 seats and Lok Sabha by-elections in two constituencies across India Election news :  As polling is underway in Maharashtra and Haryana on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to come out in large numbers to cast vote and enrich the "festival of democracy". Besides the two states, assembly bypolls are underway in 51 seats and Lok Sabha by-elections in two constituencies across India. "Elections are taking place for Haryana and Maharashtra assemblies. There are also by-polls taking place in various parts of India. I urge voters in these states and seats to turnout in record numbers and enrich the festival of... read more

Polling began on Monday morning in all 288 Assembly constituencies of the state Election news : RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was among the early ones to cast his vote on Monday in Nagpur for the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Bhagwat went to a polling booth in Mahal area of the city around 7 am and exercised his franchise. Later, to a query by reporters on the Congress targeting the RSS over the demand of Bharat Ratna award for Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, Bhagwat dubbed it as "politics". "We have been targeted since last 90 years. So, there is no need to worry as the society is one and will always be one. It is politics, all this is part of it. But the society is one and will always will... read more

Conceding that there were some "weaknesses" in his regime, former PM Manmohan Singh had on Thursday said the Modi government should stop blaming the UPA for every economic crisis   Current affairs : Recalling when and what went wrong during a certain period is absolutely necessary, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, targeting former prime minister Manmohan Singh for accusing the NDA government of always trying to put the blame on its rivals. Conceding that there were some "weaknesses" in his regime, Singh had on Thursday said the Modi government should stop blaming the UPA for every economic crisis, as five years were sufficient time to come up with solutions. "I respect Dr Manmohan Singh for telling me not to do the blame game. But recalling when and what went wrong during a certain period is absolutely necessary to put it in context, now that I'm being charged that there's no... read more

The monumental tri-colour flags have already been installed at Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam railway stations   Current affairs : The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has decided to install monumental national flags atop 100 feet-poles at 26 railway stations in the zone during the current fiscal to "instil patriotism in the passengers". The decision to instal monumental flags at railway stations in district headquarters, historical places and tourist destinations was taken as per the directions of the Railway Ministry to instil nationalism and patriotism in the passengers, ECoR said in a statement here on Thursday. The monumental tri-colour flags have already been installed at Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam... read more

The court had on Thursday allowed the Enforcement Directorate to quiz Chidambaram till October 24   Current affairs : The CBI on Friday filed a chargesheet before a Delhi court against former finance minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media case. The charge sheet names 14 accused, including the Congress leader's son Karti Chidambaram, Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea. The court had on Thursday allowed the Enforcement Directorate to quiz Chidambaram till October 24 and extended his judicial custody in the INX corruption case lodged by the CBI till the same date.

SAFAR has predicted a marginal improvement in air quality for the rest of the day Current affairs : The air quality in Delhi improved marginally on Friday, largely due to a slight increase in wind speed, but was still hovering in the 'very poor' category. According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index of the capital in the morning was recorded at 306, falling in the lower end of the 'very poor' category. The AQI between the range of 51 to 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 falls under the category of poor. While 300-400 is considered as 'very poor', levels between 401-500 fall under the... read more

The direction comes apparently on account of threat perceptions to Hajela Current affairs : The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and the state government to transfer Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) Coordinator Prateek Hajela to Madhya Pradesh for the maximum period. The direction comes apparently on account of threat perceptions to Hajela. A special bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S A Bobde and R F Nariman ordered inter-cadre transfer of Hajela on deputation. Hajela had overseen the mammoth exercise of finalisation... read more

Exports from the world's biggest sugar producer could put pressure on global prices but will help India reduce its inventories that have driven down domestic prices Current affairs : Indian mills are aggressively selling old season sugar to Iran after New Delhi announced a subsidy to help cash-strapped mills export a surplus, five traders said, asTehran strives to secure food supplies under US sanctions. Exports from the world's biggest sugar producer could put pressure on global prices but will help India reduce its inventories that have driven down domestic prices. Trading houses have contracted to export to Iran about 350,000 tonnes of sugar for shipments landing in October to December at about... read more

Also, the census shows a sharp increase in backyard poultry Current affairs : The latest livestock numbers in the country show a sharp increase in cross-bred and indigenous female cattle population, with an accompanying rise in the number of milch animals. According to the 20th Livestock Census, issued on Wednesday, the total cattle population has risen marginally, after falling in previous years. And, an earlier slide in indigenous (desi) cattle population has been stymied after 2012. Cattle population in 2019 is 192.49 million, about 0.8 per cent more than in the 2012 census, when it had dropped to 190.9 million from the 199.07 million of the previous census in 2007. The increase was mainly driven by a sharp increase in cross-bred cattle that give higher milk quantities and also due to... read more

Responding to a question on why investors should allocate funds for India, she said that even if the court system is a bit delayed, India is a transparent and open society   Current affairs : Investors can find no better place in the world than India that has a democracy loving and capitalist respecting environment, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. She also assured international investors at an interaction session at the IMF's headquarters that the government was continuously working to bring reforms. "It (India) is one of the fastest growing (economies) even today. It has the best skilled manpower and a government that is continuously doing what is required in the name of reforms, above all democracy and rule of... read more

SAFAR warned that further deterioration in Delhi's air quality may start from the fourth week of October Current affairs : Residents of Delhi and adjoining areas were granted no respite on Thursday as the air quality stayed at "very poor" levels. According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index of the capital in the morning was recorded at 312, falling in the 'very poor' category. The AQI between the range of 51 to 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 falls under the category of poor. While 300-400 is considered as 'very poor', levels between 401-500 fall under the... read more

India on August 5 scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Current affairs : The details of the government's policy to attract more investments in Jammu and Kashmir would be available very soon, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, listing out the potential the area carries for investors in sectors like tourism, handicrafts, silk, production of saffron and apple. Sitharaman made the comments while responding to a question during an interactive session with investors at the IMF headquarters here on Wednesday. The event was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and US India Strategic and Partnership Forum. We have started working in terms of making sure that the full potential of Jammu and Kashmir from various different aspects (is achieved), she said. The minister listed out the investment possibilities Jammu... read more

Probe agency is examining several posh properties linked with Mirchi in the case Current affairs : Former aviation minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel has come under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner over a 2007 property deal involving Patel, late Iqbal Mirchi and a real estate firm Millennium Developer. The property, popularly known as Ceejay House, is located in the city's upmarket Worli area. Memon Iqbal Mohammed, aka Iqbal Mirchi, was wanted by the Mumbai police in a dozen cases of murder, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, extortion and drug trafficking. Confirming the development, an ED official said that the 15-storey commercial building was a joint venture between Mirchi and Millennium Developer in 2006-07. The third and fourth... read more

Although Abhijit likes to focus on data and has a passion for mathematics, which Nirmala puts it, is logic explained in theories, the Nobel laureate has a liking to associate with people   Current affairs : Poverty being the biggest problem in the world, it wasn’t unnatural for her son to focus his attention towards it and come up with solution to eliminate it; so feels Nirmala Banerjee, the mother of Indian origin economist and Nobel laureate, Abhijit Banerjee. “He has been abroad for most of the time and I don’t know at what point of time he decided that he is going to focus on poverty. He likes to work with ground level data; and poverty being the biggest problem in the world, it isn’t unnatural for Abhijit to work it out in this field of economics”, she said. Although Abhijit likes to focus on data and has a passion for mathematics, which Nirmala puts it, is logic explained in... read more

Former finance minister also moves SC challenging his arrest by CBI Current affairs : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Tuesday allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to go to Tihar jail and interrogate P Chidambaram, and arrest him if required. The former finance minister is currently lodged in Tihar jail in judicial custody of the CBI in a case related to alleged discrepancies in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approvals for INX Media. Though the ED wanted to probe Chidambaram in some space available in the Rouse Avenue court itself, the court turned down that plea, saying “it’s not in the dignity of this person that you interrogate and arrest him here in public view”. The court also said ED’s demand to take the former Union minister in remand was also premature as he had not yet been arrested by it. Earlier in the day, the former Union minister also moved the Supreme Court (SC) seeking bail from his arrest by the CBI. In his plea challenging...

In India, just 9.6 percent of all children between 6 and 23 months of age are fed a minimum acceptable diet, a global report said Current affairs : India has slipped from 95th rank in 2010 to 102nd in 2019 on the Global Hunger Index (GHI), with the increase in prevalence of wasting (low weight for height) among children under five contributing the most to the country’s poor performance. Over a longer-term horizon, the fall in India’s rank is sharper: From 83rd out of 113 countries in 2000 to 102nd out of 117 now. The improvement in India’s GHI score, too, has decelerated. The improvement from 38.9 in 2005 to 32 in 2010 was followed by a change from 32 to 30.3 between 2010 and 2019. Seventeen countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI scores less than five. Countries such as... read more

This issue cropped up while the apex court was hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the validity of provisions related to compensation in the Land Acquisition Act Current affairs : Supreme Court judge Arun Mishra on Tuesday expressed anguish at a social media campaign and news reports seeking his recusal from a constitution bench hearing pleas linked to compensation in the Land Acquisition Act. Justice Mishra, who is heading a five-judge bench, referring to the social media posts and news reports, said: "I am not biased... If I am satisfied that I am biased, then I can recuse myself from hearing this case." This issue cropped up while the apex court was hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the validity of provisions related to compensation in the Land Acquisition Act. Insisting that he will sacrifice himself if the integrity of institution is... read more