Industrial output slows to 4.9% in new data series

India's industrial output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), grew 4.9% in April 2026 under the revised series with 2022-23 as the base year re-leased on Monday. The growth rate was slower than 5.8% recorded in April last year with 2011-12 as the base year.

The new series has broadened the coverage of the index by incorporating water supply, sewerage and waste management activities and gas supply, while retaining the existing three core sectors - mining, manufacturing, and electricity.

'No space for anti-India elements in Myanmar'

Visiting Myanmar Presi-dent Min Aung Hlaing has assured India that he will not allow use of his country's territory by groups that pose a security threat to Indian interests. The concern was raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held broad-spectrum conversations with Mr. Hlaing on Mon-day, including calls for dialogue between the junta-backed government and the pro-democracy Opposition in Myanmar. 

Madhya Pradesh to roll out UCC soon, says CM; urges public to share suggestions

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday sought suggestions from the public on a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and said that the Bill will be implemented in the State soon.

IMEC is caught between commerce and geopolitics

What is IMEC? The IMEC is a transformative and ambitious connectivity initiative that was officially announced at the G-20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023. It seeks to connect India with Europe across the Arabian Peninsula, bypassing the traditional choke point of the Suez Canal. The project envisions a multimodal economic corridor integrating railways, ports, highways, energy networks and digital infrastructure to enhance trade, investment and connectivity.

Unlike conventional transport corridors, IMEC is conceived as a holistic and multidimensional infrastructure project encompassing sea routes, rail networks, pipelines, undersea high-speed data links, green hydrogen corridors and transnational energy transmission grids.

Joy and pain

When triumph and disaster arrive at the same time, it is important to celebrate, but also, to take stock, assess, and pivot to address the lacuna. The recently re-leased National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 data offer such an opportunity. The data for 2023-24 revealed some remarkable gains for India, but also exposed some unguarded pathways that will become disastrous if not attended to.

Orbital rivalry - the challenge of China's space power

China's expanding counter-space capabilities are a cause for concern. While no conflict has ever been fought in space, the incentive to influence activities on earth by controlling outer space remains a potential trigger for future confrontation. Beijing's development of anti-satellite missiles and co-orbital systems blurs the line between routine space operations and counter-space activities. The key question is how Beijing views its space ambitions and control of outer space, and what India can do to safeguard its vital interests in this domain.

The FemTech industry's approach to PMOS

Discussions around PMOS rarely engage with broader environmental factors such as adulterated food, pollution, chronic stress, and toxins

Remittances anchor the rupee, India's external balances

The Indian rupee has lost nearly 12% of its value against the U.S. dollar since May 2025. Several analysts have noted the consistent decline in net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and net Foreign Portfolio In-vestment (FPI) flows as a cause.

Why do cities get polluted in summer?

Summer air pollution is driven largely by PM10 and ozone, with several Indian cities recording repeated breaches of national standards.

Dust storms, construction activity, road dust, vehicular emissions and industrial pollution contribute to pollution episodes during the hotter months.

Heat and strong sunlight promote ozone formation, underlining the need for year-round air quality management rather than a focus on winter smog alone

Centre clears five new judges for SC; strength rises to 37

The Centre on Monday cleared the appointment of five judges to the Supreme Court, taking the court's strength to 37, close to its revised sanctioned strength of 38.

Those appointed are Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Jus-tice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court; Jus-tice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court; Jus-tice Arun Palli, Chief Jus-tice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh; and senior advocate V. Mohana.

IAF chief visits France to hold talks on Rafale acquisition

Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh arrived in France on Monday on a four-day visit amid India's move to aсquire 114 Rafale fighter jets in a deal estimated to be worth 3.25 lakh crore.

The visit comes days after the Union Ministry of Defence issued a Letter of Request to the French government, formally initiating the acquisition pro-cess, sources said, in one of the Indian Air Force's (IAF) largest-ever fighter aircraft procurement programmes.

BSF, Bangladesh border force to hold Director-General-level talks next week

The first round of the biannual Director-General-level talks between the border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh is likely to be held in Delhi from June 8 to 11, government sources confirmed.

India and Australia discuss maritime security, agree to advance defence industrial relations

India and Australia on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific, with a strong focus on maritime security, defence industry collaboration, interoperability, and emerging technologies.

Delhi HC recognises 'right to be forgotten', lays down rules for de-indexing judicial records

The Delhi High Court has held that the "right to be forgotten" flows from the constitutional right to privacy under Article 21 and enables individuals to seek removal of personal information from public digital accessibility when it no longer serves a legitimate public purpose.

SC seeks Centre's response over gaps in disability rights

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre's response on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition alleging that widespread non-compliance with the recommendations of disability commissions was reducing disability rights to "illusory promises". 

Ethical use of Al in cultural space to be a key focus area at BRICS culture meetings

The ethical use of artificial intelligence in the cultural space will be one of the focus areas for discussion during the BRICS culture working group meetings beginning from Thursday, the Union Culture Ministry said on Monday.

Amid El Nino threat, govt. cuts urea, DAP requirements

Amid expectations of lowered monsoon with looming threats about an El Nino, the Department of Agriculture and Family Welfare cut back on requirement for both urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP), Aparna Shar-ma, Additional Secretary at the Department of Fertilizers told reporters.

'Resolution of steel, CBAM sticking points in India-U.K. trade pact'

India and the U.K. will dis-cuss Britain's steel safe-guard measure and carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) this week as these issues have be-come a sticking point in the implementation of the bilateral free trade pact, which was signed on July 24, 2025, sources said.

Manufacturing grows to 3-month high: PMI

India's manufacturing sec-tor activity growth accelerated to a three-month high in May, driven by demand strength, infrastructure projects and new business gains, even amid inflationary pressures, a monthly survey said on Monday.

Pro-Trump nominee leads in Colombia's presidential election

Abelardo de la Espriella, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, pulled ahead in Colombia's race for the presidency in the first round of elections, capitalising on a growing appetite for heavy-handed crackdowns on criminal groups across Latin America.

The genie of synthetic biology is out, and with it comes power and peril

With access to computing power and memory that Al provides, it is possible to analyse cellular and environmental information and design sections of genomes or entire genomes with the desired properties on our computers