Pakistan and the Maldives have signed 20 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering defence, maritime security, artificial intelligence, trade, and other sectors during Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu's three-day visit to Islamabad. The agreements aim to significantly boost bilateral cooperation and trade, with Pakistan also offering technical expertise and educational opportunities.
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is actively courting Sri Lanka's Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist party with strong Sinhalese nationalist roots, marking a significant shift in bilateral relations despite ideological differences. This engagement, highlighted by a recent high-profile visit by JVP leader Tilvin Silva, aims to foster cooperation on economic projects and address New Delhi's concerns over slow progress in India-aided initiatives in the island nation.
BRICS leaders, in their New Delhi Declaration 2026, have called for wider access to Artificial Intelligence resources and stronger international cooperation to ensure the technology is safe, secure, inclusive, and reliable. The declaration outlines a broad technology agenda covering AI, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, telecom, quantum technologies, and advanced manufacturing, committing to implement the grouping's statement on 'Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence'.
The rules require nuclear plant operators to maintain an insurance policy, financial security or a combination of both to cover civil liability for nuclear damage.
Construction of the approved reactor projects is expected to take five to six years after receiving financial approval.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale stated that opposing reservation is unconstitutional and that the policy would be given up if casteism is eliminated. He highlighted the historical context of reservations for SC/ST and OBCs, and the Modi government's EWS quota. Athawale also criticised the opposition, praised government achievements, and discussed various welfare schemes and infrastructure projects in Chhattisgarh.
Nepal is grappling with the devastating aftermath of flash floods, with the death toll reaching 1,356 and nearly 5,000 people, including foreign nationals, still missing. Identification of bodies is a major challenge, with only a fraction identified so far. President Ramchandra Paudel has appealed for climate justice and national unity for relief efforts. International teams, including experts from India and China, are assisting in search and rescue, particularly at hydropower projects where workers are trapped. The country is also working to restore infrastructure and reassure tourists to protect its vital autumn tourism season.
Despite aggressive expansion, India's solar power sector faces significant hurdles from rising regional disparities in installed capacity and a looming manufacturing glut due to overcapacity in domestic solar equipment production, potentially leading to consolidation and pricing pressures.
Why the industry's public position changed is difficult to say. What the developments did establish, though, is that ethanol-blended petrol has become one of the country's most politically and commercially sensitive policy issues.
The aim is to win over the country's enterprises, developers and startups as AI systems shift from answering questions to autonomously executing tasks.
Sarthak Sidhant, a 17-year-old student from Jharkhand affected by CBSE's online marking system, made a presentation before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tuesday on alleged irregularities in the tendering process for the selection of vendors for online marking of Class 12 answer scripts.
'Policy consistency combined with timely and calibrated reforms are expected to ensure that India not only maintains macroeconomic stability, but also emerges as a globally competitive and inclusive economy.'
If one has to compare the tenures of the two prime ministers one must credit Nehru with laying the foundations on which Modi is building a grand edifice, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
After four failed reform drives, a new plan aims to rescue India's debt-laden power discoms through privatisation, accountability and long-term financial fixes.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini criticises the AAP-led Punjab government for political instability and lack of industrial development, while promoting Haryana's investor-friendly policies and industrial growth initiatives.
If TVK MLAs and ministers are perceived as clean, or demonstrably cleaner than their predecessors, the credibility dividend will be enormous. The voter will feel rewarded, points out Ramesh Menon.
India is already a heavyweight in global farm trade in pockets such as rice exports, but experts are urging a pivot from a subsidy- and procurement-driven mindset to a productivity and nutrition strategy that still shields farmers from volatility.
As the March 31 deadline arrives, a wave of Maoist surrenders suggests insurgency's end, but political and social concerns remain.
In a significant move, the Centre on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next population census, with the inclusion of caste details for the first time since independence hailed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies as a historic step to help design truly equitable and focused policies.
Nirmala Sitharaman moved into her Kartavya Bhavan office on October 2, in time to get the work on the Budget 2026-2027 going.
India has launched digital tools for its upcoming fully digital Census 2027, including mobile apps and a self-enumeration portal, aiming for efficient and accurate data collection.
In a world fractured by uncertainty, India stands out for its policy consistency, paired with sustained ambition, points out Pritam Banerjee.
President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from over 60 international organisations, including United Nations bodies and the India-France-led International Solar Alliance, calling the institutions 'redundant' and 'contrary' to America's interests.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
Gehlot had on Wednesday refused to deliver the address to the Karnataka legislature, leading to a stalemate over the fate of the customary speech that outlines the government's policies.
Bengaluru is at a critical juncture, where its economic model, reliant on attracting and retaining skilled professionals, is directly threatened by a measurable decline in urban quality of life, point out Shishir Gupta and Rishita Sachdeva.
This is the first Budget in my memory of Budgets over the last half a century which has embraced upfront, enthusiastically and emphatically, technology, modernity and fiscal sobriety, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
Mundane as it may seem, this is in some ways a metaphor for the challenges facing the nation, argue Arvind Subramanian and Devesh Kapur in their new book, A Sixth Of Humanity.
'The elimination of terrorists does not imply the neutralisation of terrorism. That terrorist ecosystem continues to thrive in Kashmir.'
'Raising the retrenchment, layoff and closure threshold to 300 workers for prior government permission enables hire-and-fire in more than 90 per cent of the Indian workplaces. More than 12,00,000 disputes are now pending for adjudication with an average disposal period ranging from 3 to five years for more than 75 per cent of the disputes.'
Around 100 artistes heralded the parade, on the theme 'Vividata Mein Ekta (Unity in Diversity) that featured a grand presentation of musical instruments, demonstrating the nation's unity and rich cultural diversity.
The average Indian worker must labour for an extraordinary 160 full working days to afford Apple's latest iPhone 17 Pro.
By ensuring Myanmar remains dependent on Chinese economic and military assistance, Beijing indirectly exerts pressure on India's North Eastern states, making New Delhi's regional security strategy even more complex.
Former Supreme Court judge B Sudhershan Reddy is the joint candidate of the Opposition parties for the Vice-Presidential polls, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced.
'Our problem is not a budget deficit but a trust deficit. We need to trust our institutions and industries to innovate and lead. That is the way forward for India.'
'These efforts by Beijing can be weaponised one day with economic, security and political implications for India.'
'At COP30, the emphasis will be on unlocking climate finance, reinforcing the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and building resilience through inclusive transitions and the mainstreaming of adaptation.'
While both sides have announced the decision to restart talks for a trade deal, government officials said discussions are continuing virtually.
If he cannot do it this term by using his bureaucracy and experts from different fields, it will be a tragedy, asserts Ramesh Menon.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asked fintech firms to focus on risk management at a time when criminals are using AI to mimic voices, clone identities and create lifelike videos to manipulate people.
