Qatar: No high level US-Iran dialogue, only technical talks

Top US envoys who have arrived in Doha will not hold a high-level meeting with Iran, a Qatari official said on Tuesday, casting doubt on the progress of efforts to bring a lasting halt to the Iran war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Instead, there will be technical talks this week on issues including regional security that could later be elevated to senior level, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari told a media briefing.

US Supreme Court clears way for transgender sports ban

The US Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for states to impose restrictions on transgender student athletes, upholding laws in West Virginia and Idaho banning them from female sports teams - a contentious issue enmeshed in the nation's culture wars.

Safe Hormuz is key, Modi tells Pezeshkian; extended invite to BRICS summit in India: Tehran

In his first conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian who signed a Memorandum of Understanding with US President Donald Trump on June 17 to end hostilities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday expressed the hope for "lasting peace in the region" and underlined "the importance of freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz, key to India's energy imports.

After June deficit, below-normal rainfall expected in July too: IMD

While June recorded a 40 per cent rainfall deficit, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said rainfall in the month of July was also expected to be below normal, less than 94 per cent of the long period average.

In 2025, 747 foreign nationals held in India in drug cases most from Nepal

A total of 747 foreign nationals were arrested in India in 2025 in narcotics cases, with the highest numbers from Nepal (203), Nigeria (143), and Myanmar (97), according to the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Annual Report 2025.

The country-wise break-up of foreign nationals arrested showed that Bangladesh accounted for 17 arrests, followed by Kenya (10), Ghana (9), and Uganda (6). Russia, Brazil, Israel, Senegal, and Tanzania accounted for four arrests each.

Smaller numbers were recorded for several other countries, including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Germany, Japan, Sudan, and Sweden.

The Indo-Pacific is here to stay, with or without Washington

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to India this week highlights one important fact-the Indo-Pacific as a geopolitical construct will live on. Whatever Washington's reasons are for restoring the name Pacific Command, the logic of the Indo-Pacific will continue to drive key regional actors like India and Japan. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit later this month to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand will reinforce the proposition. In sum, the Indo-Pacific will remain a critical theatre of India's national economic and security strategy.

New FCRA rules shrink space for civic action

The Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Rules, 2026 mark a troubling expansion of executive control over civil society by deepening a regulatory framework that has steadily transformed the FCRA from a law governing foreign funding into an instrument for supervising and constraining the functioning of voluntary organisations.

A question in wake of Great Nicobar project: Is what can be justified also just?

The doctrine of public trust demands the state to hold vital natural resources-like air, water, forests, coasts-in trust for the benefit of the public, not only of the present generation but of those yet to come.

For Palestine's children, a coalition of conscience

The Report released on June 23 by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Palestine, chaired by former Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar, is a searing document that demands immediate global attention and sustained action. Moving past standard diplomatic hand-wringing, it delivers a definitive judicial conclusion: Israeli security forces have systematically and deliberately targeted Palestinian children.

'Will strengthen govt capacity to monitor foreign donation in real time': Shah launches FCRA 2.0

In a move aimed at strengthening the "government's capacity to monitor foreign donations in real time", Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the FCRA 2.0 portal on Tuesday. He also launched the electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) card, saying it will bring "great convenience" to more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders.

Shah said the two digital platforms would reduce paperwork, improve citizen services and strengthen oversight of foreign contributions and OCI-related processes.

India committed to safe, orderly & legal migration: Jaishankar

Noting that the movement of skilled talent across borders has emerged as a critical driver of the modern global economy, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday underscored India's commitment to "safe, orderly, and legal migration".

Partners in tech, trade: India-Japan ties amid global disruptions

During her three-day visit, Takaichi will participate in the 16th edition of the India-Japan Annual Summit, a mechanism established in 2006 under which the prime ministers of the two countries meet annually, and alternate as hosts. The summit follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo in August 2025 for the 15th edition, during which the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation across strategic, economic, technological and security domains.

Can SIR lead to denial of services? The case of journalist Rajagopal

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan and the Editors Guild of India highlighted the case of R Rajagopal, former editor of The Telegraph, allegedly not being able to renew his passport this week. This came after his name was deleted from the West Bengal electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) earlier this year.

Defending the SIR in the Supreme Court last year, the EC had said the exercise was a revision of the electoral rolls, not a determination of citizenship.

In its judgment upholding the EC's right to conduct the SIR in May, the Supreme Court said that while the EC had the right to determine citizenship of electors, it was limited in nature. "The consequence of such a determination is correspondingly limited.

Geopolitical fragmentation & Al posing risk to economy: RBI Guv

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Tuesday said the global economy and the financial system are being reshaped by two profound forces-growing geopolitical fragmentation and technological disruption brought about by rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI). The near-term outlook remains uncertain amidst the rapidly evolving global environment, he said.

Building water buffers a top priority, says FinMin report

Flagging India's vulnerability to water shortages, the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday said building water buffers may be "at the top of the list" for policy-makers.

Meanwhile, the de-escalation of the West Asia conflict and lower crude oil and fertiliser prices has eased some of the pressures on the government's finances, "allowing fiscal consolidation to proceed"

April-May fiscal deficit at 9.6% of FY27 aim

The Centre's fiscal deficit widened sharply year-on-year in the first two months of 2026-27, reflecting higher spending and weaker tax receipts. However, public-finance experts said the fiscal position is likely to improve over the rest of the year as crude oil prices ease and non-tax revenues remain robust.

Semicon Mission 2.0: FinMin panel clears Rs 1.25 lakh crore

The government's semiconductor ambitions are set for a major expansion, with the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) under the finance ministry clearing a proposal for a Rs 1.25 lakh crore outlay under India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0, significantly higher than the Rs 76,000 crore allocated under the first phase of the programme.