Sci-Fi breaks Booker barrier as M John Harrison wins prize for 'The End of Everything'

BRITISH WRITER M.John Har-rison won the Booker Prize for fiction on Monday for "The End of Everything," a satirical dysto-pian novel whose themes of "ca-tastrophe and apocalypse" chime with our uneasy times. It's the first work of science fiction to take the prestigious 50,000 pound ($67,000) literary award, but 81-year-old Harrison said he doesn't want to be hemmed in by the sci-fi label. 

Ukraine talks begin, India pushes for safe Black Sea, quick end to war

AS US-BROKERED talks be-tween Russia and Ukraine began in Abu Dhabi Tuesday to try and end the nearly five-year war, India said it was "in touch with both sides" and other "interested parties" to "contribute" towards the "return of peace" to the region.

Crackers account for 71% of Delhi's PM2.5 on Diwali night: Data

FIRECRACKERS ACCOUNTED for 71% of fine par-ticulate pollution in Delhi on Diwali night, shows a first-of-its-kind assessment by the country's premier atmospheric sciences research institute.

100 grandmasters for India but for most, real test of wits begins after the title

ON SUNDAY, India crossed an enviable milestone in chess: 38 years after Viswanathan Anand became India's first grand-master, the nation now has 100 GMs. Ashok Shrivatri, the 22-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, will go down in chess history as the one to take India's GM count to triple figures. 

Retired officials rehired also come under model code: EC

THE ELECTION Commission of India (ECI) on Monday directed authorities in five election-bound states that restric tions under the model code of conduct (MCC) that apply to government officials should ex-tend to retired officials re-employed or engaged by state governments.

CRPF plans to procure kamikaze UAVs with 15-km strike capability

THE CENTRAL Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is planning to acquire kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are capable of striking targets up to 15 km away while livestreaming video of the ground beneath.

Court dismantles unconstitutional buffer zone between detention & arrest

EVERY ARREST deprives liberty and, therefore, must be a last resort in a liberal democracy. Even words may amount to arrest if they are calculated to bring to a person's notice that he is under compulsion and he, thereafter, submits to such compulsion. Indeed, the word "arrest" is a legal term of art.  

At Abu Dhabi, new diplomatic push on Ukraine. Stakes are high for India and world

The hardest question remains Ukraine's security after the fighting stops. Kyiv wants guarantees strong enough to deter another Russian attack. Moscow opposes Western military deployments in Ukraine and wants limits on its armed forces

World Bank's poverty estimate does not pass the thali test

The WB's poverty estimate is a headcount ratio- the ratio of the number of poor to the population. It estimates the number of poor by applying a poverty line to data reported in the NSS's Household Consumption Expenditure Survey for 2023-24 (HCES). The poverty line translated into goods repre-sents the minimum acceptable level of consumption, below which an individual is deemed poor. The report does not men-tion the set of goods and their prices that the World Bank used to construct its poverty line for India. The Survey is a rich source of consumption across the population and reveals granular information on the standard of living, which can be used to assess a headcount poverty estimate, as we demonstrate.

Look beyond the biggest emitters at COP31

Nepal's was one of many major climate disasters this year. India's summer monsoon was severely weakened by the Super El Niño, with vast parts of the country now reeling under drought. Through it all, the US war on Iran has broken global supply chains inflating household bills for the average consumer, even as US oil companies are reported to have made billions in wartime profits. As we stand on the brink of overshooting 1.5°C of global warming, policymakers gather this week in Antalya, Turkey for COP31, whose goal is to implement solutions to slow warming, limit overshoot, and help countries adapt.     

Study: CO2 emissions from fossil fuels to decline this year

GLOBAL CARBON dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are projected to be slightly lower than 2025, in part because of supply shocks created by the US-Iran conflict and the growing footprint of renewable energy sources, reveals a new study by the Global Carbon Budget.

Discoms' finances emerge as key concern amid energy storage push

AS THE government works on a mandate requiring electricity distribution utilities (Discoms) to add energy storage capacity, concerns are emerging over the ability of financially stressed discoms to shoulder the addi-tional investment burden, given their already stretched finances and limited capacity to fund new infrastructure.

Why a floundering COP still matters

COPs have had a poor record in convincing member countries to do enough to achieve climate targets.

These summits take decisions only through consensus, and there is no way to force laggard nations to do more.

The result has been a widening gap between what is required to achieve the targets set in the Paris Agreement and the actions actually taken by individual countries.

OBC reservation: What determines creamy layer status

THE SUPREME Court on Friday reaffirmed its March judgment which held that the "creamy layer" status of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) cannot be decided solely on the basis of parental income from salary.

Creamy layer is a term used in India's reservation system to describe wealthier, more advanced members of OBCs. Those included in the creamy layer are not entitled to OBC reservation benefits. Here's how the concept of a creamy layer came about, how its criteria was decided and modified, and what the Supreme Court's March verdict changed.