18 killed in blast at illegal coal mine in Meghalaya

An explosion in an illegally operated rathole coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district killed 18 min-ers on Thursday, officials said.

This is one of the biggest mining-related tragedies since July 2012, when 15 miners died in a flooded mine in the State's South Garo Hills district. Two years later, in 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the hazardous mining method.

Death by cyberchondria

Filicide by a mother of two in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district has shown the extremes to which health misinformation amplified by social media algorithms can lead in a country especially vulnerable to spurious medical advice, report Mohammed Iqbal and Aroon Deep

Social media platforms have policies against health misinformation in force. Meta, for in-stance, says it prohibits "[p]romoting or advocat-ing for harmful miracle cures for health issues", and posts can be taken down if they are "likely to directly contribute to the risk of imminent phys-ical harm". Cyberchondria is not addressed.

YouTube prohibits content "that contradicts health authority guidance on treatments for specific health conditions" and frequently shows pop-ups for medical misinformation videos. Neither Google, which owns YouTube, nor Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, responded to questions from The Hindu.

The fading of India's environmental jurisprudence

From its Aravalli ranges to its mangroves, India is at the same moral crossroads that Amitav Ghosh captures in The Hungry Tide, where the tides remember what the law chooses to forget. If environmental justice continues to be diluted in the name of development, the Constitution of India risks becoming a silent witness to ecological loss, where the consequences, like the tide itself, will return with unforgiving force.

On December 18, 2025, for noncoal mining projects, the policy of land acquisition first and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) later was changed. Now, an EIA can be done without details about the location and area. The Supreme Court of India helped in the dilution of environmental justice by recalling the case, Vanashakti vs Union Of India (2025) that banned retrospective environmental clearances. Within five months, a Bench led by (then) Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, recalled the progressive judgment.

More money for defence, now fix the process

The Finance Minister has been rather generous. The new defence budget is being touted as being the first double digit jump in India's defence expenditure in decades, ever since its steady decline from 2017. At 2% of the Budget, it sends a signal of strategic determination in a more than unusually turbulent world. The funds will have to be used prudently and expeditiously, which demand systemic change, not tinkering, in the Budget process. As 'frenemies' abound and a tenuous 'rules-based order' collapses, there is no time to lose.

DISCOMS and the road ahead

DISCOMs show improvement in performance, recording a positive turnaround marked by reduced AT&C losses, a narrowed ACS-ARR gap and improved financial discipline; however, many utilities continue to rely on tariff subsidies and loss takeovers by State governments, underscoring the scope for further improvement.

Rethinking battery strategy in India: the case for sodium-ion technology

India's dependence on lithiumion batteries exposes structural constraints linked to critical minerals, import dependence, and supply security; sodium-ion batteries emerge as a safer alternative with lower material risk, compatible with existing infrastructure, and the potential to strengthen energy security.

U.S. shuts down 200 'illegal' online pharmacies tied to an India-based criminal organisation

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced the shutdown of over 200 website domains tied to an India-based transnational criminal organisation (TCO) allegedly responsible for at least six fatal and four non-fatal overdoses. Four persons have been arrested so far.

SC flags States' preference for 'ad-hoc' DGP appointments

CJI-led Bench says States are opting for 'Acting' police chiefs of their choice in violation of 2006 verdict, directs UPSC to approach top court if process for appointing regular DGPs is delayed.

India, GCC nations sign terms of reference for FTA

Representatives of India and the sixnation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday signed the Terms of Reference for negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). The GCC countries are together In-dia's largest merchandise trade partners, with total merchandise trade exceed-ing that done with even the EU and the U.S.