Goods exports surge 20% as India diversifies trade

Despite the ongoing turmoil in West Asia, India's mer-chandise exports saw a growth of nearly 20% in July this year, faster than that of imports, official data released on Thursday show. Notably, exports to West Asia itself have recovered, with July's exports to the region nearly 9% higher than the same period last year. According to Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, this has been achieved by routing India's trade through different ports and shipping lines.

Rajasthan Cabinet nod to Bills for Uniform Civil Code, protection of trees

The Rajasthan Cabinet on Thursday approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill and the Trees (Protection) Bill, ahead of the imposition of the model code of conduct for the upcoming panchayat and local body elections. Rajasthan is the fifth Bharatiya Janata Par-ty-ruled State to initiate ac-tion for enactment of UCC.

Al speech recognition model trained on 65 Indian languages and dialects released

Researchers at Indian Insti-tute of Science (IISc)'s SPIRE Lab, in collaboration with ARTPARK and Google, have released SraVaani, the first multilingual Indian speech recognition model trained on 65 Indian languages and dialects, including over 40 languages that today's speech recog-nition systems do not officially support.

Transparency as the foundation of trust in medicine

India marked Doctors' Day on July 1, but the occasion demands that we continue to look beyond well-deserved expressions of gratitude and reflect on the structural foundations that sustain public confidence in health care. Trust in medicine is frequently thought of as a sacred, isolated bond between patient and doctor. In reality, that trust is forged much earlier - within the institutions that regulate care, the systems that deliver it, and the transparency that connects them.

A predictable rise 

Inflation will remain high in the foreseeable future

Arise in India's July retail inflation was a fo-regone conclusion, but its modest increase, at 4.45%, up from 4.38% in June, is still the highest in 19 months, since December 2024. This is the second consecutive month that retail inflation has stayed above the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s 4% target, even while remaining comfortably within its 2%-6% tolerance range.

Europe's Al rules may become India's opportunity

India could build an industry around the paperwork and proof required under the European Union's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act

The constitutional limits on arrest

• Constitutional and legal safeguards require the police to record the time of arrest and produce the arrested person before a magistrate within 24 hours.

• Supreme Court guidelines, including those in Arnesh Kumar, stress that arrest should not be routine and must be justified by the necessity of the case.

Seven-judge Bench to hear case concerning legislative privileges from October 6

The Supreme Court has said a seven-judge Constitution Bench would commence hearing from October 6 a series of long-pending petitions questioning whether legislative privileges can override citizens' fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.

SC seeks Centre's reply on Al use in public welfare 

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union government to consider a petition filed by a lawyer flagging the lack of a com-prehensive statutory re-gime on the government's use of "high-risk" Artificial Intelligence technology in areas affecting public access to food, health benefits, wages, pension, scholarship and grant of welfare subsidies.

Mines Bill won't affect autonomy of States, Minister says in RS

Parliament has cleared the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to restrict the powers of States to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-rich lands, amid criticism from the Opposi-tion that the legislation runs contrary to the fiscal federalism guaranteed by the Constitution.

India Q1 pharma exports up 7%, U.S. is largest export stop

India's pharmaceutical ex-ports rose 6.8% year-on-year (YoY) to $8.1 billion in the first quarter (QI) ended June, the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) said.

Turkiye lays out plans for defence pact with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will group senior Ministers, hold joint exercises and deepen defence industry cooperation under a military pact signed between the regional powers last week, Turkiye's De-fence Ministry said on Thursday.

Why vital chemotherapy drugs are in short supply in India

Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of solid tumours as well as certain blood cancers. Carboplatin is a second generation platinum compound that is also used to treat solid tumours. Both are among the most widely used chemotherapy drugs in India and are indispensable in the treatment of several cancers