'Unacceptable': India again rejects UN rights office concerns on mass detentions

A day after the UN Human Rights Office expressed concern over the mass detention of students, activists, civil society members, lawyers and journalists in Delhi during protests organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, India on Sunday said the "concerns are unwarranted and constitute an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the country".

The Al challenge: How to maximise economic impact, spread gains evenly

India's experience with digital public infrastructure shows how technology, institutions, and market incentives can combine to reduce costs, broaden access, and create platforms for innovation.

The next farm revolution must aim at significantly raising farmers' incomes

There is one strategy that can augment farmers' incomes manyfold in a short period of time. And that is agri-photovoltaics, in which a farmer is an 'annadata' as well as an 'urjadata'.

Trump's deal, and the India oil question

Amid US pressure over buying Russian oil and a trade deal hanging in limbo, India's efforts to end the Ukraine war convey a seriousness, as well as a signal that it is not taking sides in the conflict.

India is, of course, looking to avoid another round of US tariffs over its purchases of Russian oil. Last year, half of the exorbitant 50% tariffs imposed by Trump were for these imports.

As Indonesia's forests burn, a desperate race to save endangered orangutans

Indonesia is battling wildfires on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, with the government warning that the blazes could continue until November, aggravated by the El Niño weather pattern. A prolonged dry season and water shortages in affected areas have hampered firefighting efforts.

Orangutans are critically endangered great apes found in the wild only on the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Indonesia is home to all three recognised species, ac-cording to the World Wildlife Fund. Their populations have declined because of deforestation, wildfires and poaching.

UPI MDR needs rationalisation to protect public trust, says IIT report

Proposed Merchant discount rate (MDR) framework for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions needs to be rationalised before implementation to protect public trust in the digital payments system, according to a report.

New steel policy sets 604 mt target by 2047

India released a draft steel policy for public consultation late on Saturday, targeting 604 million metric tonnes of steel capacity by 2047 from around 220 million tonnes at present.