Duty-free access to US cotton, agri items' quota likely on talks table

Duty-free market access to US cotton, accepting agricultural items under limited quotas these are among the possible concessions that the industry has suggested ahead of the crucial round of negotiations later this month when the US team is expected to arrive in India, The Indian Express has learnt.

Process fair: SC rejects Justice Varma's plea against in-house probe

The supreme Court Thursday dismissed Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma's petition challenging the inhouse inquiry instituted by the then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna over alleged discovery of unaccounted cash at his official residence in New Delhi when he served as a Delhi High Court judge during a fire in March this year.

No clarity on funding, HC stays Punjab land pooling policy 2025 for four weeks

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday stayed the implementation of the Punjab Land Pooling Policy, 2025 for four weeks after the state government failed to explain how it planned to develop the estimated 7,800 acres of land in and around Ludhiana.

PM Modi to felicitate Shubhanshu Shukla, other Gaganyaan crew members

Prime minister Narendra Modi will felicitate Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned from the International Space Station (ISS), in New Delhi on August 23 to mark India's second National Space Day, it is learnt.

The PM is also expected to meet the crew selected for India's first human space mission, Gaganyaan-4. Prashanth Nair, Ajith Krishnan and Angad Pratap will undertake the mission in 2026, along with Shukla.

LS passes 2 Bills on Manipur, FM slams Opp for disruption

Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Manipur Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2025, amid loud protests by the Opposition over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Was glacial lake breach over Dharali the trigger? Experts find some clues

As authorities await clear satellite imagery to pinpoint the exact cause of the flash flood and wall of debris that destroyed Dharali village in Uttarakhand, a top expert has suggested the possibility of breach in a glacial lake that could have formed above the Kheer Ganga River.

In a Haryana village, recent discoveries hint at a 3,500-year-old past

Remains of painted grey ware, stamped pottery, moulded bricks and a dome-like construction assumed to be a Buddhist stupa -these discoveries, recovered during an exploration of a Mauryan-era village in Yamunanagar district, suggest that human habitation in the region may date back nearly 3,500 years.

One in five older Indian adults had diabetes in 2019, says study in Lancet

At least one in five people aged 45 and older had diabetes in India in 2019, according to a new paper published in 'The Lancet Global Health' journal. Significantly, two out of five people with diabetes (or 40% of those tested) were un-aware of their condition.

BRACING UP

India must continue trade talks with US. But who it does business with should be guided by national interests alone

From edging closer to signing a trade deal in early July, to the imposition of a 25 per cent penalty on August 6, on top of a 25 per cent tariff levied just a few days earlier, India-US trade relations have now moved into uncharted territory. While the additional tariffs will come into play in 21 days, opening up a possible window for negotiations - US trade negotiators are slated to arrive in Delhi on August 25-the weaponisation of tariffs by US President Donald Trump to achieve what seem to be both trade and non-trade objectives, has placed India at a considerable disadvantage when compared to competitors such as Vietnam and Indonesia. In the face of this mounting pressure, India must stand firm, put its national interest first.

Research on gorillas in Rwanda shows how friendly females build more enduring ties and provide more safety than alpha males

Research on gorillas in Rwanda shows how friendly females build more enduring ties and provide more safety than alpha males.

A bargain with US is still possible

India-US relationship is too important to be derailed on the Russia oil imports issue. Delhi must avoid raising decibel levels.

Russia is a red line for India

India's national security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Moscow on August 5, to discuss regional stability, counter-terrorism, energy security and defence purchases.

According to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India later this year. This will be Putin's first trip to India in four years. The high-level activity in the Russia-India corridor is not matched by a similar engagement in the India-US space. On August 1, President Donald Trump threatened India with 25 per cent tariffs on its exports plus additional penalties of up to 500 per cent if New Delhi didn't stop its purchases of Russian oil by August 7; on August 6, he doubled the threat to 50 per cent.

India, Russia discuss rare earths among other areas of industrial cooperation

India and Russia on Wednesday discussed industrial cooperation across a range of areas, including rare earth and critical mineral extraction, as India faces increasing pressure over its purchase of Russian oil, with the US announcing an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods.