Missiles, minerals and port: Delhi, Jakarta seal key deals

India and Indonesia signed pacts on the supply of BrahMos and Air-to-Air missiles, along with cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths, maritime security, and space and agriculture as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Four beneficiary states sign pact on Narmada outstanding dues

Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan signed an agreement on Tuesday relating to the settlement of outstanding dues of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) Award Projects.

The "historic agreement" was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil.

CMs Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Bhupendra Patel (Gujarat), Bhajan Lal Sharma (Rajasthan) and Dr. Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), along with senior officials from the Centre and the states, were present on the occasion.

Jaishankar talks ties with Deputy PM of Bahrain

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a four-nation Gulf tour, on Tuesday met Bahrain's Deputy Prime Minister Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa on Tuesday.

The meeting came a day after Jaishankar held an audience with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and PM Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

'1.4 bn aspirations in motion': Modi sums up India's growth in Jakarta

India is moving forward with the mantra of "reform, perform and transform", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Jakarta on Tuesday, underlining that self-reliance is a multiplying force not only for Indonesia but for the entire ASEAN region.

India extends US lobbying contract with Trump aide's firm for another year

The Indian government has extended its lobbying contract in the United States with SHW Partners LLC, led by President Donald Trump's close aide Jason Miller, for another year, according to filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The renewed contract, signed by the Indian Embassy in Washington, involves a monthly payout of $150,000 (Rs 1.43 crore) and will run until April 23, 2027. 

Lab-grown placenta to help study how drugs, nutrients pass down from mother to baby

For decades, doctors have had to prescribe medicines during pregnancy with little evidence on whether many of them reach the developing foetus via the placenta or not. Or if it is indeed an effective barrier against microbes and toxins. Now, researchers from Mumbai's ICMR-National Institute for Research on Women's Health (ICMR-NIR-WoH) and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bom-bay) have developed a placenta-on-chip that closely mimics the human placenta.

Man who built hundreds of low-cost hanging bridges, connecting remotest parts of India

Padma Shri awardee Girish Bharadwaj-popularly known as the 'Bridge Man of India' for constructing hundreds of low-cost hanging bridges, connecting the remotest parts of India - passed away on Tuesday in Karnataka. He was 76 years old.

A graduate in mechanical engineering, Bharadwaj chose to stay in rural parts of the country. His work brought hundreds of isolated villages to the mainstream - connecting the rest of the nation with places where people otherwise had no way to cross rivers or canals except by swimming or boats. Bharadwaj devised his own solutions to suit the remote terrain - he built suspension footbridges which offered a simple and practical causeway for many isolated communities.

On ethanol, make haste slowly

The Centre is apparently going slow on implementing ethanol blending in petrol beyond the current 20 per cent. The rethink, as reported by this newspaper, comes even as the Finance Ministry, only last month, exempted petrol containing 22, 25, 27 and 30 per cent ethanol from excise duty after the Bureau of Indian Standards had issued specifications for these higher blends. The move to not hurry the transition to 20 per cent-plus blends makes sense. The all-India average ethanol-petrol blending ratio rose from 5 to 10 per cent between 2019-20 and 2021-22.

For the Indo-Pacific, a 'G Minus 2' strategy

Every major Asian nation, including India and the three countries Modi is visiting this week, knows that Chinese power in Asia and the Indo-Pacific is a reality that must be managed.

Our right to walk is broken - just like our footpaths

The footpath has been lost to congestion, encroachment and unplanned infrastructure. In many cities, it becomes a getaway for two-wheelers in heavy traffic, works as a parking bay or hosts makeshift chai tapris.

The safety net and the trade-off

In recent years, several states have introduced cash transfer schemes aimed at women. From the Ladli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh to the Maiya Samman Yojana in Jharkhand and the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme in Tamil Nadu, these typically involve transfers in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 per month. The quantum of funds channelled through these schemes has increased significantly. In 2025-26, 12 states were estimated to spend Rs 1.68 lakh crore on unconditional cash transfers, as per a report by PRS Legislative Research. To put this in perspective-the Union government allocated Rs 86,000 crore for the MGNREGA in 2025-26.

NATO flaunts arms deals as Trump targets Europe allies

NATO Leaders unveiled arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Turkey on Tuesday, driving home the message that they are heeding US calls to spend more to defend Europe even as President Donald Trump said he felt let down and renewed his push to control Greenland.

ECLGS 5.0 sanctions cross Rs 1.55 lakh cr within 2 months of launch

The central government has issued guarantees worth Rs 1.55 lakh crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) 5.0 within two months of its launch, reflecting the scheme's rapid absorption across the lending ecosystem.

Approved by the Union Cabinet on May 5, 2026, the scheme has issued 4,11,497 guarantees so far.

India flags flaws in US' Section 301 tariff probe

India has flagged several flaws in the way the US has initiated and conducted its investigation into alleged forced-labour content in Indian imports. It also suggested bilateral dialogue to address any specific concern of the US in this regard.

Arches that lead to Charminar: Plans to restore the Char Kaman

Hyderabad is known for its iconic Charminar, the Old City structure that bears the signature of the Qutb Shahi dynasty's architectural majesty. But what's lesser known are the four ornamental gateways that lead to it, called the Char Kaman.

The Telangana government has announced that the gate-ways will soon get a facelift.

History and significance

The Charminar was built between 1589 and 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. According to Mohammed Safiullah, a Hyderabad historian and honorary managing trustee of Deccan Heritage Trust, the Kamans could have been built around 1594.

The 20th century historian Syed Ali Asghar Bilgrami writes that after the completion of the Charminar, Shah commissioned the construction of four ornamental arches or gateways around the Charminar.