Tokyo, Delhi to deepen strategic ties, Takaichi flags global uncertainty

Underlining that she intends to deepen her country's strategic ties with India in this time of "growing uncertainty in the international situation", Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reached New Delhi Wednesday evening on a three-day visit, her first to India after entering office last year. 

Bill clause for removal of ministers in custody for 30 days likely to be retained in panel report

The Joint Committee of Parliament, examining the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill that seeks to remove ministers detained for serious offences for 30 consecutive days, is expected to adopt its report on July 17. A House panel adopting a report is a routine procedure before a Bill is tabled in Parliament.

While the report is likely to retain the contentious clause that proposes the automatic removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, or other ministers from office if they are arrested and detained in custody for 30 consecutive days for serious offences, there could be notes of caution to ensure that the law is not misused for political vendetta, sources said. 

Uttarakhand replaces state Madrasa Board with common minority education authority

Uttarakhand on Wednesday became the first state in the country to abolish its statutory Madrasa Board, replacing it with a Minority Education Authority that will regulate educational institutions run by all six notified minority communities.

Under the new arrangement, educational institutions of all six notified minority communities, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains, and Buddhists, would come under the category of minority educational institutions. The Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education (USAME), established under the Minority Education Act, 2025, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Wednesday. 

Rs 300-450: Govt rolls out rural job scheme in new avatar, notifies wages

The Centre has notified wage rates for unskilled manual workers under the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAMG) Act, 2025, which came into effect on Tuesday, replacing the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.

Daily wages have been fixed between Rs 300 and Rs 409 across states, with a special rate of Rs 450 in certain gram panchayats in Sikkim, as per a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Rural Development late Tuesday night. 

Gen Dhiraj Seth takes over as Army Chief, unveils 'VIJAY' roadmap

Assuming Charge as the 31st Chief of Army Staff on Wednesday, General Dhiraj Seth underlined the need to take forward the modernisation of the Army with "renewed energy and firm resolve to respond effectively to the evolving security environment." He said the aim is to build a technology-enabled, future-ready Army "which is fully empowered and capable of operating across multiple domains."

Stating that the Army is a combat-ready and battle-hardened force, fully prepared and capable of meeting every challenge in the operational domain, he listed his focus areas in the acronym 'VIJAY', of which 'V' stands for Vigilance along borders and against emerging threats. 

As US reshapes its Asia strategy, India must rewire its regional leadership

India cannot stop great-power rivalry in South Asia, but must avoid becoming an object of external power-politics. It should preserve strategic - autonomy by keeping relations with both Washington and Beijing transactional. 

Signs of resilience, but risks need monitoring

In the fourth quarter of the last financial year, the Indian economy grew at a healthy pace, despite widespread disruptions to energy markets and global trade in March due to the West Asia conflict. In the months thereafter, even as the conflict dragged on, some of the high-frequency indicators suggest that the economic momentum has sustained to an extent. This is evident in e-way bill generation, PMI indices and electricity consumption, as the finance ministry's latest monthly economic review points out. However, as the report also notes, there are some signs of moderation. For instance, the index of eight core industries grew by just 1.1 per cent during April-May. 

PPP 2.0 should focus on matching capital to risk

Twenty years ago, I was among those involved in developing India's public-private partnership (PPP) framework. It transformed airports, highways and ports, but also produced stressed assets following the global financial crisis and the domestic slowdown. As confidence waned, public capital expenditure replaced PPPs as the principal model for financing infrastructure. That retreat was understandable. It was also a mistake. 

Trump could use new tools after court snub

The US Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship comes as a blow to President Donald Trump's crusade against immigration and a reprieve for millions of immigrants, including the Indian diaspora. The executive order, signed on his first day back in office last year, sought to deny citizenship to children born in the US if neither parent was a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, including those whose parents were legally in the country on temporary visas. But the text of the Constitution - the Fourteenth Amendment - is unambiguous, reinforced by well over a century of legal precedent: People born in the US are citizens. 

India's cotton farms need better soil, not just new GM seeds

The authors appear to believe that GM seed technology alone drove India's productivity gains, and that approving BG-II RRFlex, Bollgard-III or the seven-gene Thryvon stack would restore that trajectory. Neither premise is supported by evidence. BG-II and BG-III protect crops against bollworm damage; RRFlex enables better weed management. These traits are agronomically useful, but there is no credible evidence from any-where in the world that any of these traits directly increased yields. Framing GM trait approvals as the primary lever for productivity recovery deflects attention from the agronomic, soil science, breeding and management interventions that are decisive for sustainable yield improvement. 

Why US Supreme Court scrapped

Trump's birthright citizenship order

What is birthright citizenship?

The 14th Amendment to the US constitution says: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Ratified in 1868 after the American Civil War, it intended to ensure that formerly enslaved people would be recognised as US citizens. Courts have long interpreted the provision to confer citizenship on nearly everyone born on American soil, with two longstanding exceptions:

The children of diplomats who have allegiance to another government.

Enemies present in the US during hostile occupation.

INDIAN CITIZENSHIP

Article 5 says every person born in the territory at the commencement of the Constitution shall be a citizen of India.

The Citizenship Act, 1955, provided birthright citizenship to every person born in India on or after January 26, 1950, with some exceptions.

The Act was amended in 1986 to address the entry of migrants from 'Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and some African Countries', and in 2003 to bar children born to illegal immigrants. -

A lesson from Tamil Nadu, pioneer in midday meals

In 1984, Kerala became the country's second state to have a school lunch programme.

Over the next few years, many other states launched their own versions of the scheme, and finally in 1995, the Centre stepped in. It was launched as a centrally sponsored scheme across 2,408 blocks for students up to Class 5, initially providing foodgrains to states.

In 2001, following a landmark Supreme Court order, states were directed to provide cooked mid-day meals rather than dry rations. In 2007, the UPA government expanded the scheme to Class 8.

In 2021, the scheme was named PM POSHAN. 

US-Iran talks: 'MoU is a breakthrough for Iran, but overreach would be folly'

After Trading strikes over the past week, the US and Iran appear to be finally inching back towards the negotiating table. These strikes had threatened to unravel a fragile truce between both countries that remains in place despite occasional flare-ups and Israeli aggression in southern Lebanon. 

GST mop up in June rose by 14%, revenue from imports soared 35%

The Centre collected Rs 1.95 lakh crore as Goods and Services Tax (GST) on a gross basis in June, up 13.9% from last year, buoyed by a 34.6% rise in tax revenue from imports-almost double the 19.1% increase seen in May. 

How insurance regulator aims to curb tricky dark patterns

"Dark pattern" refers to a mechanism hidden in websites that manipulates users into sharing data or making choices they otherwise won't usually make by pressurising or misleading them. Some examples include nudging users to provide personal information to view product offerings on websites, deliberately making it difficult for users to cancel subscriptions, and spam calling to push products.