SCO must dismantle terror ecosystem: PM

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) "must dismantle" the entire eco-system of terrorism and send a strong message to countries that practise terrorism as a state policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday in his remarks at the 26th summit of the bloc in Bish-kek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Well water a key risk factor for amoebic infections, study finds

Exposure to natural water bodies and use of non-chlorinated water for bathing and other domestic purposes were significant risk factors for Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (AME), the first joint field-level study by the Keralam government and the ICMR to describe the epidemiology of AME cases that were reported in Keralam last year has found.

Endurance test

India's economic growth during the first quarter of this financial year has surprised most people. Against a perception among economists that growth would slow to about 6%-7% on account of the impact of the West Asia crisis, real growth in the April-June 2026 quarter came in at a robust 7.8%.

The two balance sheets behind every e-waste decision

The long chain of recycling

Safely recovering materials from electronic waste requires sophisticated technology, secure data destruction, environmentally compliant processing and traceable supply chains, with collection and segregation adding to the cost. Yet the benefits go beyond recovered metals: less virgin mining, stronger domestic supplies of critical materials, lower import dependence and responsible handling of hazardous components.

Majority of India's gig workers remain out of govt's reach

The Union government, re-cognising the contribution of gig workers to the "new age services economy" in its 2025-26 Budget, announced healthcare coverage for gig workers who are registered on the e-Shram portal launched in 2021. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who made the announcement in her Budget speech on February 1, 2025, said the measure is expected to benefit over one crore gig workers.

Untouchability and the idea of 'purity'

• Article 17 abolishes untouchability in all forms, while the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 penalises its practice, including insults based on untouchability.

• The Supreme Court has linked untouchability to caste-based notions of 'purity and pollution', holding that Article 17 can address different forms of discriminatory treatment based on a person's touch or presence.

Statistical Institute Bill referred to standing committee by Speaker

A Bill seeking to widen the remit of the Indian Statistical Institute and align its legal framework with evolv-ing needs was referred to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. The Indian Statistical In-stitute Bill, 2026, was referred to the Department-Related Standing Committee on Finance by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

India's current account deficit widens to $4.2 bn in Q1 FY27

India's current account deficit (CAD) widened to $4.2 billion, or 0.5% of GDP, in the first quarter of 2026-27, compared with $3.4 billion, or 0.4% of GDP, in the year-ago pe-riod, according to preli-minary data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday.

Wakefield accelerator

Such an accelerator uses a wave of plasma to push charged particles. A plasma is a gas in which some electrons have been pulled out of their atoms, creating a mix of free electrons and positively charged ions. When a laser pulse or beam of charged particles passes through the plasma, it will push the electrons aside.