Amid backlash, Centre set to refer FCRA Bill to JPC

Faced with demands to scrap the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, from different corners of the country on Tuesday including a unanimous resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and mass protests in the streets of Mizoram's capital the Union government informed its allies and other parties that it would move a resolution in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, sources said.

The Mecca Pact and the rise of strategic hedging

The mutual defence agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan in Mecca on August 7 could mark an important turning point in the geopolitics of West Asia. Its significance lies not merely in its provision that an attack upon one member will be considered an attack upon all three, but in what it reveals about the changing calculations of three of the most important states in the Muslim world.

India's rising dependence on U.S. LPG

• The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, said last week that 67% of India's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) came from the U.S.
• Unlike the West Asian supplies, largely based on long-term Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPA), U.S. energy exports could potentially be swayed by trade and other agendas, enhancing dependence risks.

Panel seeks enhanced relief, counselling for SC/ST victims

An internal task force of the Centre has recommended several amendments to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Preven-tion of Atrocities) Rules, including raising the relief and rehabilitation amounts that governments are man-dated to pay victims of atrocities to adjust for infla-tion. Also among the recommendations made by the task force are measures to introduce counselling for the accused and the victims and their dependants.

RS passes Tribunals Reforms Bill amid Opposition walkout

The Rajya Sabha on Tues-day passed the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, which provides for the establish-ment of the National Tribu-nals Commission (NTC).

Vande Mataram Bill gets President's assent, becomes law

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday gave assent to a Bill that criminalises intentional disruption or prevention of the singing of the National Song Vande Mataram, giving it the same legal protection cur-rently accorded to the National Anthem.

NASA invites ISRO to join its mission for lunar outpost

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited the In-dian Space Research Or-ganisation (ISRO) to join its Moon Base programme.

Centre approves 1 billion ₹10, ₹20 polymer banknotes

The government has approved the introduction of one billion polymer bank-notes of ₹10 and ₹20 for field trials, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Fitch retains BBB- for India

Fitch Ratings on Tuesday retained India's sovereign credit rating at 'BBB-' for the 20th year in a row, but flagged risks of pressure on fiscal spending amid youth protest over jobs.

Ladakh's giant 'rivers of ice' are slowing as the mountains warm

• A new study has reported that glaciers in the Zanskar region of Ladakh are now moving more slowly than they did 30 years ago, offering new clues about how climate change is affecting these giant 'rivers of ice
• Researchers found that glaciers were moving more slowly across the terrain, having slowed by 2.4 m/year per decade on average