Trump declares end to truce but says he will let talks go on

The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is "over", U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wed-nesday, while leaving the door open for more talks, after the two sides exchanged fire amid a dispute over the status of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the U.S. "viola-tions" have rendered parts of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries "ineffective".

Russian oil share in India's imports rises

Russia's share in India's oil imports rose above 40% in May 2026, the highest in nearly two years, accord-ing to official government data. Further, the data shows that Russia charged India a premium for its oil, while other sources such as the U.S. and even the UAE sold India oil at lower-than-average prices. Russia had been provid-ing India a discount on its oil as recently as February.

Revolution to resurgence - Iran's strategic moment

The gloves are off and the ceasefire is in trouble as the United States and Iran traded strikes, once again, on July 8, over the safe passage of commercial ships across the Strait of Hormuz. However, looking beyond this flareup, the recent visuals coming out of Iran are extraordinary. After more than 40 days of sustained attacks by the combined military power of the U.S. and Israel, the country is projecting an image of pride, defiance, and resilience. The funeral of its slain Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, drew millions of mourners and high-level representatives from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Armenia, and several other countries.

Checkbox caste

The rehearsal for the second phase of Census 2027, underway in 16 States and Un-ion Territories since July 6, carries a key feature: an "open column" where respondents can state their caste, which the enumerator will record. Unlike the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), which also had this feature, this counting of caste in the Census itself has stat-utory backing. The pre-test ends on July 20, and the government says that it will then finalise the methodology for counting caste.

The Indian diaspora as Australia's identity, its future

The Indian diaspora is now officially Australia's largest overseas-born community, overtaking the England-born population for the first time. This is not a small demographic footnote. Australia's population has, for two centuries, been anchored by a British-derived majority. An Indian-origin community now outnumbering it marks a genuine inflection point in how the country understands itself. It is against this backdrop that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Australia his third visit Down Under - will be a trip in which the diaspora is expected to command the spotlight.

How India withstood the crisis in West Asia

Historically, sharp increases in oil prices have been among the biggest sources of H macroeconomic instability for India. It was therefore unsurprising that when tensions in West Asia escalated, many thought that India would once again face an energy and economic crisis, derailing its growth path. It revived memories of the 1973 oil shock and the 1991 balance-of-payments crisis, with concerns over soaring fuel prices, imported inflation, and pressure on the external account. After all, India imports almost 90% of its crude oil and remains heavily dependent on the Gulf for oil, gas and fertilizers.

States contribute disproportionately more to welfare schemes

Government expenditure on welfare schemes, or social spending, remains intensely debated. While some critics call it a fiscal 'burden', others call it a fiscal 'commitment'. In line with the constitutional imagination, several welfare schemes were turned into laws in the 2000s, creating a 'rights-based' welfare regime. Over the last decade, however, the emphasis has shifted away from rights towards cash transfers. A recent handbook of welfare in India called Realising Rights by the Centre for the Study of the Indian Economy, Azim Premji University, traces the histo-ry and budgetary implications of key central welfare programmes.

What is the right to be forgotten?

The Delhi High Court has recognised the right to be forgotten as part of the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21, laying down a framework that balances informational privacy with open justice and freedom of speech by favouring name-masking over deletion of judgments. While the ruling provides a legal framework for de-indexing and erasure requests, its effectiveness depends on enforcement by platforms, the operationalisation of the DPDP Act, and the establishment of institutions such as the data protection board.

What is the 'right to be forgotten'?

The Delhi High Court has recognised the right to be forgotten as part of the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21, laying down a framework that balances informational privacy with open justice and freedom of speech by favouring name-masking over deletion of judgments.

While the ruling provides a legal framework for de-indexing and erasure requests, its effectiveness depends on enforcement by platforms, the operationalisation of the DPDP Act, and the establishment of institutions such as the data protection board.

What is the 'Hummus trail' and why is it under scrutiny?

From the north to the south of the country, there are several areas which are frequented by Israelis, and this is colloquially known as the 'Hummus trail in India'. This includes Kasol (also known as mini-Israel), Kodaikanal, Kerala, Goa, Hampi, Gokarna, Rishikesh, Varanasi, Pushkar, Almora, Dharamkot, and, more recently, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India and Indonesia launch joint restoration project at iconic Prambanan Temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Indone-sian President Prabowo Subianto, on Wednesday visited the centuries-old iconic Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta, marking the inauguration of a joint conservation pro-ject for this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Improved rain will boost kharif sowing: Agriculture Minister

After a high-level meeting here on Wed-nesday to review the El Niño conditions, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the monsoon situation in the country had improved. The overall rainfall deficit, after re-cording a 33% deficit in June, had re-duced to 24% in July. He said the Centre was closely monitoring the situation.

DRDO conducts successful flight test of Pinaka rocket

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday successfully conducted a flight test of the Pinaka long range guided rocket from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, validating its user-defined minimum strike range of 60 km. The rocket executed all planned in-flight manoeuvres and hit the designated target with high precision, following the predicted trajectory, the Defence Ministry said. Range instrumentation deployed during the trial tracked the rocket throughout its flight.

Over 42% rise in female enrolment in higher education since 2014: report

India's higher education sector has recorded signifi-cant growth over the past decade, with total student enrolment rising to 4.5 crore in the 2023-24 academic year.

According to the latest reports of the All India Sur-vey on Higher Education (AISHE) for 2022-23 and 2023-24, released by the Education Ministry, this marks a 31.5% rise from 3.42 crore recorded in 2014-15.

WHO flags growing inequities in access to cancer treatment

With an estimated 20.6 million new cases and close to 10 million deaths annually, cancer remains the second leading cause of death globally after car-diovascular disease, the World Health Organiza-tion's (WHO) first ever sur-vey of people affected by cancer, released on Wednesday, said.

India added 52.5 mtpa regasification capacity in 2025: IGU World LNG Report

India added 52.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of regasification capacity across eight terminals, as it surpassed Spain to become the fourth largest market for regasification capacity in 2025, according to the International Gas Union's (IGU) World LNG Report. Rising demand for fertilizer, city gas and utilities as well as the government's push for enhanced share of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the energy mix was seen helping the country.

Trump blasts NATO for rejecting efforts to claim Greenland

U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at his NA-TO partners at a summit in Turkiye on Wednesday, saying he was unhappy with the alliance for push-ing back against his efforts to take control of Green-land and for not support-ing his war in Iran.

Quantum computing age will only begin when we silence the noise

In a paper published in the Journal of Statistical Physics in 1980, the American physicist Paul Benioff described what is now called the quantum Turing machine: a model of a computer that operated according to the laws of quantum mechanics.

Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour of matter and light at atomic and subatomic scales. At these scales, the certainty associated with classical mechanics disappears. Instead of pinpointing a particle's properties, scientists can only make educated guesses.

Countries try again to seal pandemic ander treaty after Ebola jolt

World Health Organisation (WHO) member states kicked off another attempt at finalising the missing piece of the pandemic treaty here on Monday, with the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) injecting a fresh sense of urgency.

Wealthy countries and developing nations are at loggerheads in talks at the WHO's headquarters over how the pandemic agreement, adopted last year, will work in practice. Though the treaty was agreed in May 2025, how its key mechanism would operate was left out to get the deal over the line.