No takers for Stalin’s proposal to nominate Rahul as PM

On a day when the Congress party had sought to present a united opposition at the swearing-in ceremonies of its Chief Ministers in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, leaders from several opposition parties distanced themselves from Dravida Munnetra Kazgham (DMK) President M. K. Stalin’s proposal to project Congress President Rahul Gandhi as the opposition’s common Prime Ministerial candidate in 2019.

Online pharmacies seek legal recourse

The next step for the online drug industry, in the light of the Madras High Court judgment banning the sale of medicines online, would clearly be legal – an appeal against the verdict.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had also banned the sale of drugs online.

While Judge Pushpa Sathyanarayana’s final order did allow the ban to be deferred until the companies have had time to appeal the High Court decision (until December 20) the key aspects of the judgment have made anxious online companies that are part of one of the fast-growing segments in the country.

For the past six years, Fauzia Ansari, mother of Mumbai-based engineer Hamid Nehal Ansari, who is being held in a Pakistani jail, has lost her appetite to a sense of dread on what fate held in store for him. 

On Monday night, however, after meeting Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood and being informed that her son would indeed be sent back to India on Tuesday, Ms. Ansari said now she couldn’t eat out of sheer excitement.

Brexit vote in mid-January

Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that she would bring her Brexit deal back to Parliament for a vote in mid-January, pledging to get assurances from the European Union (EU) to break the deadlock over Britain’s departure from the bloc.

With just over 100 days until Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29, Ms. May faced accusations from some lawmakers of trying to force a deeply divided Parliament into backing her deal by running the clock down to exit day.

Opinion | Centrism holds in India

Centrism, as an essential characteristic of Indian politics, signifies the institutional incentive that political parties have to adopt a set of policies aimed at harmonising societal and cultural contradictions rather than accentuating them. Some of its essential elements are: centrality of an accommodative approach, appeal to minorities, welfarism and a broader space for dissent from the Left and the Right.

Congress’ data-driven campaign hit pay dirt

The Congress’s dramatic comeback in the Hindi heartland of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan could mark the beginning of a new template of election management for the party, which it may try out in 2019.

The first sign of a departure from the “traditional high command” culture in these elections came when party president Rahul Gandhi used an internal app, Shakti, to get the feedback of ordinary workers in the three States on who should be the nominees for Chief Minister.

‘AIADMK will continue to raise Mekedatu issue in Parliament’

Since the start of the winter session of Parliament, the AIADMK has been stalling proceedings objecting to the Mekedatu issue and the Dam Safety Bill. Opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress have accused the AIADMK of conspiring with the BJP to disrupt the House to prevent meaningful business. However, in a telephonic interview with The Hindu, AIADMK Parliamentary party leader P. Venugopal denies the charge.

Australia vs India: Live scorecard

Just as the shadows lengthened here on Monday, India struggled to stay afloat. Chasing a daunting 287, Kohli’s men were gasping at 112 for five in their second innings.

The fourth day was about the rivals battling for control and, as it concluded, Australia held the reins and is well placed to draw level at 1-1 on Tuesday.

LPG scheme to cover all poor people

The Union Cabinet on Monday approved the expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to all poor households.

So far, the scheme targeted the poor and underprivileged so listed in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census, 2011.

IL&FS to monetise road assets

In what could probably be the biggest sale of road projects in the country, troubled infrastructure developer and financier, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) has decided to monetise 10,092 km of road projects as it sought expression of interest from potential investors.

The sale of the assets by the new board of IL&FS is a part of plan for a resolution of the cash-strapped firm.