Trade deal with India not imminent, sticking points identified: USTR

United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer has said that India and US trade deal talks are in their final phase, but the signing of the deal is not "imminent" as both countries have identified a "universe of items that are sticking points"

For the first time, captive-bred Great Indian Bustard will set foot in the wild

Conservation of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) birds, which number about 140 in the wild, will enter a critical phase this weekend with at least two captive-bred GIB chicks slated for a pilot wild release in enclosures within the Desert National Park (DNP) in Jaisalmer. 

One Nation, One Election: SC cancels meeting with Parliamentary panel

Underlining that it may not be "expedient or desirable" to discuss the issue, the Supreme Court on Thursday declined a proposed October 6 interaction between the Chief Justice of India and other judges and the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Constitution (129^th Amendment) Bill, 2024 on simultaneous elections, referred to as 'One Nation, One Election.

Code for marriage, live-in and divorce: Gujarat UCC Bill gets President's nod

President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill 2026, paving the way for its implementation, sources in the state government told The Indian Express on Friday. "It is now up to the government to decide a date for its implementation," said an official. 

El Niño calls for wider tracking of climate stress

In recent years, India has become reasonably proficient in forecasting atmospheric disturbances that cause cyclones. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues alerts for extreme weather events such as intense rainfall and heat waves. In the coming months, the country's scientific community will face a different climate-related challenge. India has entered a potentially difficult post-monsoon period. 

Two kilometres off TN coast, a lost world emerges from the sea

About 2 kilometres from the present-day Tamil Nadu coast, archaeologists searching the seabed off Poompuhar have recovered something that travelled a much greater distance. Found in 10-12 metres of water, the fragments of pottery were believed to have originated in West Asia, including pieces of a torpedo jar, a distinctive transport vessel associated with long-distance maritime trade in the Indian Ocean.

Decades without any big cats, Buxa Reserve gets a tigress - from Bihar

In a significant milestone for tiger conservation in India, a tigress from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve was released into West Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve on Friday, marking the start of a phased programme to reintroduce tigers to the area after decades without a stable resident population. 

Ship-to-ship transfers boost India's import of oil from West Asia

India's Oil imports from West Asia saw a notable jump in September with Gulf suppliers effectively using ship-to-ship (STS) cargo transfers to move their crude through the fraught waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as per provisional tanker data. Oil imports from India's largest supplier Russia, however, declined for the second straight month due to stronger competition from Chinese refiners and tighter Russian crude availability amid Ukrainian attacks on Russia's oil and gas infrastructure, according to industry insiders and analysts. 

China builds new offshore base in disputed South China Sea reef

Chinese Construction of a runway on Antelope Reef in the Paracels archipelago is well underway with analysts estimating it could be completed by mid-2027, strengthening Beijing's military control over the disputed South China Sea. 

A galactic Nobel? Experts float International Space Station among contenders for Peace Prize

Not-So-outlandish, prognosticators say: The Nobel Peace Prize this year could go galactic, with an award to the International Space Station. But terrestrial contenders loom too, including US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada, emergency teams in Sudan, children's advocates in Ukraine and two top international courts, experts say. 

India's twin mechanism for governing drug prices

The Essential Commodities Act gives the Centre the power to issue price control orders for essential items, including medicines.

The Drugs (Prices Control) Order, or DPCO, is one such order.

It authorises the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to fix, revise and monitor pricing. 

Behind trade deal delay: US leverage, India's limited options

United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer said Thursday that trade deal talks between India and US are in their final phase, but the signing of the deal is "not imminent" as both countries are working to resolve "sticking points".