Remove stray dogs from public places, orders SC

Expressing concern over the "disturbing increase" in dog-bite incidents across the country, the Supreme Court on Friday directed all the States and the Union Territories to "forthwith" remove stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots, and railway stations, and relocate them "to a designated shelter". The dogs have to be sterilised and vaccinated in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 before relocation.

Experts bat for increasing carbon sequestration of soil, prioritising endemic trees

There is a need to increase carbon sequestration in the soil, which is 0.15% at present against the preferred figure of 2% to 5%, Sultan Ahmed Ismail, Member, State Planning Commission, said at The Hindu Sustainability Summit 2025.

'Senna spectabilis removed from 1,963 hectares in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve'

Supriya Sahu, Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, said on Friday that Senna spectabilis, a highly invasive tree, had been removed from 1,963 hectares of land in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve with the help of locals. These trees have been identified on a total of 2,448 hectares, and "we have removed 80% of them so far. They do not help in biodiversity and are not liked by animals either. The cut trees are being used for making paper as the Forest Department has tied up with the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited", she added.

'IOCL working towards sustainable aviation fuel, has made rapid strides in EV recharging'

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is working rapidly towards sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), IOCL Chief General Manager Anita Shrivastava said. "SAF has been on our agenda for a couple of years. At our Panipet refinery, co-processing has started for a 30 Kilo Tonnes Per Annum [facility], and this is the first Indian facility to receive the international sustainability certification," she said at a panel discussion at The Hindu Sustainability Summit 2025.

2,961 villages in Rajasthan declared scarcity-hit

As many as 2,961 villages in six districts of Rajasthan were declared scarcity-hit on Friday following extensive loss of kharif crops during excessive rain this year. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma approved the disbursement of subsidy to the farmers in the affected districts of the State.

A wider SIR has momentum but it is still a test case

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has now rolled into another batch of States and Union Territories after creating a new electoral roll in Bihar, a State which is now in the midst of its elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI)-ordered SIR in nine States and three Union Territories, as part of a staggered pan-India exercise, began on November 4, 2025. Being held in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat and the Union Territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry, this phase includes some States which go to the polls next year, but excludes Assam (also poll-going), where issues of citizenship are on a different legal track.

SC pushes for reform of colonial-era property laws

The Supreme Court, in a judgment on Friday, said that buying and selling property in India are "traumatic" experiences, noting that property disputes account for 66% of civil litigation in the country. The court directed the Law Commission of India to prepare a report on restructuring century-old colonial-era laws governing property transactions, including the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, the Registration Act, 1908, and the Stamp Act, 1899, to align them with modern technology.

HAL inks $1-billion deal with GE Aerospace for 113 fighter jet engines

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday sealed a $1-billion deal with American defence major GE Aerospace to procure 113 jet engines for its Tejas combat aircraft light programme.

The firming up of the deal came notwithstanding a downturn in India-U.S. relations after the Trump administration slapped a 50% tariff on Indian goods.

59% unrecognised parties didn't reveal finances, says report

More than half of the registered unrecognised political parties associated with Bihar have failed to make their mandatory financial disclosures public for 2023-24, according to poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). According to an ADR report, the NGO has reviewed 275 such parties – 184 registered in Bihar and 91 in other States – and found that 163 of those, or 59.27%, have neither uploaded their audit reports nor statements of donations above ₹20,000 on the websites of State chief electoral officer or the Election Commission (EC).

PM says Vande Mataram was fragmented in 1937

Opening a new front against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Friday that "crucial" verses of Vande Mataram were removed in 1937, fragmenting the song, and sowing the seeds of the country's partition. In 1937, the Congress adopted a truncated version of Vande Mataram as the country's National Song, dropping four of the original six stanzas, he said.

China launches new aircraft carrier Fujian as it seeks to project power

China has commissioned its latest aircraft carrier after extensive sea trials, state media reported on Friday, adding a ship that experts say will help what is already the world's largest navy expand its power farther beyond its own waters.