Supreme Court To Hear Article 370 Abrogation Pleas, President Kovind’s Birthday & Other Top Stories

S Jaishankar Defends S-400 Purchase From Russia: 'We Would Not Like Anyone To Tell Us What To Buy'

External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday defended India's decision to purchase S-400 missile defence systems from Russia. India is facing threat of sanctions from the United States as the latter is concerned over the deal. However, Jaishankar defended the deal saying 'the sourcing of military equipment is very much a sovereign right'. Read more…

Article 370: Supreme Court To Begin Hearing On Pleas Challenging Abrogation, Restrictions Today

A 5-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court will start hearing pleas challenging the legal validity of the Centre's abrogation of the provision of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Another 3-judge Kashmir bench led by Justice N V Ramana will take up individual petitions on alleged restrictions imposed in the Valley and lack of access to basic facilities. The Centre on August 5 moved to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. A day later, Parliament passed the changes in the form Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. The UTs will come into being on October 31. Read more…

Arun Jaitley’s Family Offers His Pension To ‘Most Needy’ Staff In Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart and former union minister Arun Jaitley’s wife has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, seeking that the pension be used for the ‘most needy’ employees of the Rajya Sabha. Jaitley died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on August 24 after battling multiple health issues for the last several months. He was 66. Read more…

PM Modi Extends Best Wishes To President Ram Nath Kovind On 74th Birthday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished President Ram Nath Kovind on his 74th birthday on Tuesday. PM Modi extended his greetings saying India has gained from Kovind's insights and understanding of policy matters. "One can always see his passion towards empowering the poor and downtrodden," the prime minister wrote on Twitter. "May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life." Read more…

Donald Trump Pressed Australia PM To Help Discredit Mueller, Reports New York Times

President Donald Trump asked Australia's prime minister to help US Attorney General Bill Barr gather information for an inquiry intended to discredit the Mueller investigation, The New York Times reported on Monday. The newspaper, citing two unidentified US officials, said the request was made during a recent telephone call between Trump and the Australian leader, Scott Morrison. Read more…