-The Hindu Notes several instances of govt pressure on media outlets Washington DC: In its 2020 Human Rights Report, the U.S. State Department said the harassment and detention of journalists critical of the (Indian) government in their reporting and on social media, has continued, although the government generally respected the freedom of expression. It also said government’s requests for user data from Internet companies had increased “dramatically.” The report, which is submitted each...

-The Hindu/ PTI The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to a member of Pinjra Tod, a women’s collective, in a case related to the communal violence in northeast Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in February. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait gave the relief to JNU student Devangana Kalita on furnishing of a personal bond of ₹25,000 and a surety of the like amount. The court directed that she shall...

-Livemint.com Over the past decade, China has strengthened its economic and military ties with India’s neighbours in South Asia, which could pose a challenge for India As India battles China, trouble in another part of India’s northern neighbourhood has flared up. Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli has accused India of hatching a conspiracy to topple him for publishing the country’s new map that depicts disputed territories as parts of Nepal. Even as...

-IndiaSpend.com Bengaluru: As India deals with growing numbers of COVID-19 cases and the economic ramifications of the resultant lockdowns, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has made a slew of announcements and promulgated ordinances to revive the economy, including the agriculture sector. It brought in the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance 2020, and amended the...

-The Hindu New Delhi: A central expenditure audit team has detected a fraud of ₹57 lakh by over 100 officials of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in claiming leave travel concession and reimbursement of phone bills during the 2017-18 period. Executive Council While the varsity did not respond to queries pertaining to the same, a senior official, who did not wish to be named, said that the matter was put forth before the Executive...