India inks £350-mn deal with U.K. to buy missiles

India has signed a £350-million defence deal with the U.K. to buy missiles for the Indian Army, the British government said on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his U.K. counterpart, Keir Starmer, also agreed to take forward their collaboration on electric-powered engines for Naval ships, worth an initial £250 million.

Shah launches ₹1,816-cr. Yamuna clean-up, drinking water projects

Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for a slew of development projects worth over ₹1,816 crore aimed at cleaning the Yamuna river and improving drinking water supply in the national capital.

Rajasthan to be $350-billion economy by 2030, says CM

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has called upon non-resident Rajasthanis settled in Gujarat to contribute in making the State a global gems and jewellery hub. Mr. Sharma said Rajasthan was poised to become a $350-billion economy and had an investment- friendly environment. Mr. Sharma was addressing a Pravasi Rajasthani Meet in Surat on Wednesday in the run-up to the first Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas to be observed in Jaipur on December 10.

Rajasthan defends 'no horizontal quota' policy for trans people

The Rajasthan government has informed a Bench of the High Court that the extent and structure of reservation policy are matters of executive and legislative competence and that the court cannot create a new class of reservation in a plea seeking horizontal quota for transgender people in public education and employment in the State.

Karnataka approves menstrual leave policy

In a landmark decision, the State Cabinet on Thursday approved the Karnataka Menstrual Leave Policy-2025 that will ensure one day's paid leave in a month across government and private sectors.

With this decision, Karnataka becomes the first State to cover both the government and private sectors in its menstrual leave policy. Odisha and Bihar have policy for govern-ment employees while Kerala has implemented the policy in universities.

India needs a unified mental health response

On October 10, every year, World Mental Health Day highlights the extent of mental illness in the world - over one billion people (13% of global population) suffering from mental illnesses. India is a part of this, with a 13.7% lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in the country.

India has legally prioritised mental health through the landmark Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, which guarantees the right to mental health care, decriminalises suicide, mandates insurance coverage and enshrines patient dignity and autonomy. This legislation covers nearly 200 million Indians affected by mental illness.

India and Australia sign key defence agreements

Australia and India have taken significant steps to strengthen their defence partnership, with both nations committing to an expanded framework of cooperation across land, air, maritime, and industrial domains.

The announcements came after the inaugural Australia-India Defence Ministers' dialogue, cochaired by Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Canberra on Thursday.

Army inducts 'Saksham' to neutralise aerial threats

The Indian Army has initiated procurement of the indigenously developed 'Saksham' Counter-Unmanned Aerial System Grid System. Developed in collaboration with the Bharat Electronics Limited, Ghaziabad, Saksham, or Situational Awareness for Kinetic Soft and Hard Kill Assets Management, is a modular, high-end Command and Control system operating on the secure Army Data Network. The system is designed to detect, track, identify, and neutralise hostile drones and unmanned aerial systems, ensuring comprehensive airspace security across the newly defined Tactical Battlefield Space.

India to launch 'Red List' survey to assess extinction risks to plants and animals

India is set to conduct a first-of-its-kind assessment of nearly 11,000 species of plants and animals and assess how vulnerable they are to extinction.

While India already lists endangered animals in va-rious "schedules", this proposed exercise, called the National Red List Assessment of Indian Flora and Fauna, will, according to officials, give the most accurate assessment of the threats faced and thereby, inform conservation measures. The exercise is expected to go on till 2030.

László Krasznahorkai wins Nobel Prize in literature

Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai, whose philosophical, bleakly funny novels often unfold in single sentences, won the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday for his "compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art".

The Nobel judges praised his "artistic gaze which is entirely free of illusion, and which sees through the fragility of the social order combined with his unwavering belief in the power of art," Steve Sem-Sandberg of the Nobel committee said at the announcement.

UN to cut 25% of its global peacekeeping force in response to U.S. funding strains

The United Nations will begin slashing its peacekeeping force and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers in the next several months to evacuate farflung global hotspots as a result of the latest U.S. funding cuts to the world body, a senior UN official said.