7 of world's rarest frogs presumed dead, study blames rise in photo tourism

IT may be no bigger than a fingertip, but it appears to carry the cosmos on its back. Its shiny black skin is dotted with pale blue speckles, resembling a clear night sky studded with stars. There are also dashes of orange patterns, reminiscent of luminous supernova explosions.

Govt gives in-principle nod to run - privately-owned EVs as shared taxis

To promote shared mobility and adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the Delhi government on Friday agreed in principle to allow privately-owned EVs to operate as shared taxis.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that to realise this objective, the government would amend rules and develop an effective mechanism to address the concerns of cab aggregators.

GRAP III curbs lifted in Capital as AQI improves, likely to slip back to 'Very Poor' next week

Delhi saw a significant improvement in the air quality on Friday with the city recording an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 236 in the 'Poor' category, a sharp drop from Thursday's 380 in the 'Very Poor' category.

Mukesh Singh new DGP of Ladakh, incumbent shifted to Arunachal

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Friday appointed 1996-batch IPS officer Mukesh Singh as the new DGP of Ladakh. This comes after his predecessor, 1995-batch IPS officer Shiv Darshan Singh Jamwal, was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh.

With 1st mountain tunnel breakthrough in Maharashtra's Palghar, bullet train project marks 'major milestone'

Marking a major milestone, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor achieved a breakthrough in its first mountain tunnel - and second tunnel overall-in Maharashtra's Palghar Friday.

Energy transition will need more than chasing the sun or the wind

India's Renewable energy transition is no longer constrained by the ability to build clean energy generation capacity. Solar and wind installations have crossed 180 gigawatts and renewables have become among the lowest-cost sources of new generation. Instead, the transition is constrained by the urgent need for reforms in distribution and market design. The challenge today is whether the power system can utilise the green electrons it already produces as efficiently as possible.

In 2026, two opportunities for India to prove critics wrong

In 2026, India will have two important global responsibilities. On December 3, 2025, India's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar was in Stockholm, Sweden, to receive the chairmanship of an influential global body called the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). The 35-member global body, of which India has been a member since 1995, is an intergovernmental institution created to promote sustainable democratic culture, values, and practices. A week later, on December 11-12, Sudhakar Dalela, India's BRICS sherpa, was in Brasília to receive the chairmanship of that coveted body for the year 2026.

35% of big project issues due to land acquisition: Cabinet Secy

More than a third of infrastructure project-related issues raised under the Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, or PRAGATI, framework are due to land acquisition problems, with another 38 per cent on account of forest, wildlife, and environmental reasons and right of use/way, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan said Friday.

India's manufacturing PMI at 2-year low in December

India's manufacturing sector expansion slowed to its weakest pace in two years in December as demand softened and firms curbed production, according to a business survey that also showed hiring had slowed to a near standstill.

How rice farmers can cut methane, and make money off it

It isn't easy to get farmers to buy into cutting greenhouse gas emissions and other climate goals, especially when this requires investing in new machinery (Happy Seeders, balers and straw choppers to manage and not burn crop stubble) or results in yield loss (replacing urea with organic fertilisers).