Its founder president, Ashok Chauhan, was charged with fraud in the 1990s by authorities in Germany, where he ran a network of companies. He returned to India and was never extradited. A plastics company in the U.S. also sued Chauhan in 1995 for failing to pay $20 million in debts. "They are a subsidiary of a conglomerate of companies," said Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of State College and Universities. "This is by no means reassuring, if you ask me."   read more

Nestle India is at the centre of a controversy over its Maggi brand of instant noodles, with food safety inspectors in Uttar Pradesh filing a criminal complaint over the high levels of lead they allegedly found in some packets. Nestle disputes the findings, but the authorities have warned that the Bollywood stars who endorse the product may also face legal action.   read more

When it comes to the India-Pakistan border, it seems even a bird is not above suspicion. A white pigeon that flew into India with “Pakistani markings” has created a security flutter in the Pathankot district of Punjab. But this is not the first time a bird has been detained on suspicion of being a Pakistani courier. In March another pigeon was caught in Gujarat with a micro-chip on its leg.   read more

The northeastern state of Tripura became the first one to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), that had given the military shoot-to-kill powers and shielded soldiers from prosecution since 1997. Tripura’s repeal of AFSPA could set a precedent for neighbouring states to wean themselves off this controversial law.   read more

The One Rank One Pension scheme for the armed forces is expected to be cleared by the government, but the delay is keeping the country’s 2.5 million veterans on tenderhooks. OROP is expected to cost a whopping Rs. 8,300 crore ($1.3 billion) annually, which is why earlier administrations had opposed the scheme as being financially unfeasible.   read more

Jayalalithaa returned as chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time on Sunday, but media reports have pointed out the mathematical errors in the Karnataka High Court order that acquitted her two weeks ago. The judge reportedly increased Jayalalithaa’s income and reduced her unaccounted assets, thereby showing a lower percentage of disproportionate assets – this was the basis for acquitting the AIADMK leader of corruption.   read more

The Gujjar community has once again launched an agitation for reservation in government jobs, blocking train tracks and key roads in Rajasthan. Gujjar leader Col Kirori Singh Bainsla asked community members to “fight to the finish”, in a familiar demand to extract quotas from the state government.   read more

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has chosen to attack Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and spark a constitutional crisis in Delhi, so that AAP can use the controversy to demand full statehood. Delhi is different from other states as its the national capital - its Lieutenant Governor therefore has more executive powers than the Governor of a state. But Kejriwal is adamant that the L-G's constitutional powers should be handed over to his ministers.   read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his first visit to China to expand his diplomatic push into China’s own backyard, with visits to Mongolia and South Korea. It was the first time an Indian prime minister had ever visited Mongolia, while in South Korea Modi called for more investment in Indian infrastructure. The prime minister also proposed deepening India’s defence cooperation with both Mongolia and South Korea.   read more

India has signed trade and economic co-operation deals worth $22 billion in Shanghai on the last leg of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China. The agreements cover a range of industries including renewable energy, the financial sector and ports. But It’s not clear how much these new deals can help in reducing India's soaring trade deficit with China.   read more

Housing.com co-founder Rahul Yadav is once again in the news for pledging to give his entire shareholding to his 2,251 employees. However, it remains unclear if this gift has the backing of the board or how it will affect the long-term health of the company. Also, some have criticized Yadav's move as an "impulsive decision by an immature person."   read more

The ministry of earth sciences admitted on Tuesday that only 40 of the 100 ground motion detectors it checked so far are in working condition. This follows media reports that the country’s network of 293 sensors failed to record the April 25 earthquake in Nepal because these were not maintained properly.   read more

As part of the NDA government's crackdown on black money, the Lok Sabha passed a bill on Monday that makes hiding wealth overseas a criminal offence, attracting up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. The bill also provides for the attachment of domestic property in India for those convicted under this law.   read more

India has named ICICI Bank chairman KV Kamath as the first president of the New Development Bank being set up by the BRICS countries. The $100 billion development bank will fund infrastructure projects in developing nations. To be headquartered in Shanghai, it was agreed to be headed by an Indian for the first five-year term.   read more

In which country in the world would a hit-and-run case take 13 years to pronounce judgement? Answer: India   read more

Parliament cleared a historic land agreement with Bangladesh on Thursday to settle India’s border with its eastern neighbour. Nearly 160 enclaves exist on either side of the border that are encircled by the other nation’s territory – an odd situation left over from Partition in 1947. The agreement would end decades of uncertainty for tens of thousands of citizens living in enclaves on the "wrong" side of the border.   read more

The goods and services tax (GST) took one step closer to reality on Wednesday, when the Lok Sabha passed a bill to bring in the single nationwide sales tax. This tax reform has been hailed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as the biggest in India since independence. He has said it could add up to 2 percentage points to the growth of the economy. But the bill still has to pass the Rajya Sabha where the NDA does not have a majority.   read more