India, China reach a deal on easing LAC tensions

India and China have reached an agreement on the "patrolling arrangements" and the resolution of the military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Union government announced the remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang. 

The announcement by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri came during a press briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia for the BRICS summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend the event.

While the External Affairs Ministry did not give further details of the agreement, and whether the "buffer zones” would continue to exist for patrolling purposes, Mr Misri said the two sides had "reached an agreement on the issues that were being discussed". 

"With that, we have gone back to where the situation was in 2020. With that we can say the disengagement process with China has been completed," Mr Jaishankar said. 

'Laws for minority institutions do not breach secularism'

The Supreme Court made a point that laws that regulate institutions run by religious or linguistic minorities, for that very reason alone, cannot be accused of breaching secularism. 

The oral observation by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, was hearing a challenge to a decision of the Allahabad High Court to strike down the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act, 2004.

“A law per se regulating an institution belonging to a particular community does not ipso facto [by the fact itself] offend the principle of secularism," the Chief Justice observed.

The Chief Justice said a State had a right to legislate to improve the excellence of a government-aided minority-run institution. 

Culture and society

In upholding Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, a provision introduced in 1985 to give effect to the core feature of the Assam Accord, the Supreme Court of India has helped preserve the existing legal regime for determining citizenship and identification of foreigners in Assam. 

In its 4:1 decision, the Court has rightly seen the provision in the light of historical developments. 

While on one hand, Section 6A conferred deemed citizenship on all those who entered Assam from areas in erstwhile East Pakistan before January 1, 1966, it created, on the other, a system of registration for those who immigrated from that day to March 25, 1971, the day Pakistan began Operation Searchlight, a military drive to suppress the Bengali nationalist movement. 

The latter category of people had to be ordinarily residing in Assam and declared to be a foreigner by a tribunal before they could apply for registration as citizens. 

An approaching milestone in constitutional governance

In 2024, November 26 will mark the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. 

It is a milestone that needs to be celebrated by every stakeholder of Indian democracy. Constitutional governance in India is not merely a facet of the laws, rules and regulations that govern the establishment and the evolution of democratic institutions. 

It is also about permeating a deep sense of constitutional culture that has captured the collective consciousness of Indians across different cultures, faiths and beliefs. –

How Policies Shape high-performance building standards and Climate Goals

In response to the pressures of climate mitigation as well as adaptation, High-Performance Buildings (HPBs) are emerging as essential solutions in the construction sector. 

They address both urban and climate challenges since the built environment contributes to these issues and presents opportunities for change. 

HPBs are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimise energy and water use, and cut operational costs using climate-adaptive designs. 

They also improve their occupants' well-being, making them attractive to both businesses and occupants. 

LAC buffer zones may go; no clarity on de-escalation

The breakthrough achieved by India and China towards disengagement in eastern Ladakh comes after two years of stalemate over two remaining friction points, Depsang and Demchok. 

Defence sources say patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in this sector will resume now.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed this, saying the understanding is that "we will be able to do patrolling which we were doing till 2020".

Secularism is a core part of the Constitution: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said secularism is an indelible and core part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution. 

The court made the oral observation while hearing a batch of petitions filed by former Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy and others challenging the inclusion of the words "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble to the Constitution. 

"This court has in several judgments held that secularism was always part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution.

If one looks right to equality and the word 'fraternity' used in the Constitution, there is a clear indication that secularism has been held as the core feature of the Constitution," a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar said. 

Cyclone Dana likely to cross West Bengal, Odisha coasts

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, would cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island

The severe cyclonic storm Dana could record wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph and cause heavy to very heavy rain in 11 districts of Odisha.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create unrest and conspiracies to provoke religious feelings to fan communal tensions among the emerging internal security challenges. 

"Emerging threats from drones, narcotics, misuse of AI to disrupt peace and conspiracy to provoke religious feelings to fan communal tensions, cybercrime, infiltration, smuggling of arms and terrorism are some of the challenges ahead," Mr Shah said on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day. 

U.S., Canadian ships sail through the Taiwan Strait after China's war drills

U.S. and Canadian warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait, after China held massive war games around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

The U.S. Navy, occasionally joined by ships from allied countries, regularly transits the sensitive waterway separating China from Taiwan. 

Germany sent two warships through the Strait last month to increase its defence engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.