UK says a Tehran-backed group behind attacks on Jewish community, bans IRGC

A series of arson and vandalism attacks on Jewish sites in Britain were work of a proxy group backed by Iran, the UK government said Monday.

The government said it is banning the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, or IMCR, also known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia.

It also banned Iran's powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a threat to national security. Committing sabotage on behalf of the groups will be punishable by up to life imprisonment after Parliament approves the legislation, which the government expects to take place by the end of the week.

Sweet discovery: Astronomers find 'sugar' lurking in Space

The Space between stars just got a little sweeter. Astronomers have detected a type of sugar in space that's also found in raspberries and self-tanners.

The sugar, called Erythrulose, lurks in what's called the interstellar medium: thin clouds of gas and dust littered between stars.

Sugar does more than sweeten tea and powder doughnuts. Different varieties fuel our cells and even make up DNA. Scientists are itching to know how sugars form because they're a key ingredient for life as we know it.

US guardian of Hormuz, to charge ships 20% for safe passage: Trump

President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States was reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf and would ensure the Strait of Hormuz stays open for a fee after the two sides exchanged more missile and drone attacks.

Commerce Secy: India, US framework deal ready, to be signed at right time

The India-US trade deal will provide a pathway to address the proposed US tariffs on India under the Section 301 trade probe and will aim to protect Indian exporters from additional tariffs after the signing of the deal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday, adding that there is agreement on the framework deal and the signing will take place at the "right moment".

Ladakh's all 7 dists to get autonomous hill development councils: Chief Secy

In a landmark move, the Ladakh administration on Monday announced an Autonomous Hill Development Council (AHDC) for each of its seven districts, extending the existing framework of elected local self-governance beyond Leh and Kargil.

Kuki-Zo bodies turn to Mizoram to revive talks with Naga, urge Centre to defuse Manipur crisis

With efforts to start a dialogue between Kuki-Zo tribes and Tangkhul Nagas in Manipur making little headway, Kuki civil society groups are now hoping that an intervention from Mizoram can help break the deadlock.

Why policy needs to focus on gender wealth inequality

The World Inequality Report (WIR) 2026 was published in June by the World Inequality Lab, Paris School of Economics. The UN report 'Counting What Counts' was released in May. The first focuses on inequality head on. The second does so in part. Both pay some attention to gender inequality. But how? By focusing entirely on women's unequal position in the labour market. Dare we ask: What about wealth inequality? Neither report mentions women and wealth, although the WIR spends many ungendered chapters on household wealth inequality. So, what are these reports implying? That wealth is only for men while women are merely labour?

Acting East in an uncertain Indo-Pacific

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand is significant for India's Act East Policy. India's foreign policy witnessed a strategic shift when he declared at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit (2014): "Externally, India's 'Look East Policy' has become 'Act East Policy." The change, however, went beyond nomenclature, reflecting the new realpolitik underlying India's approach to the east. The objective of the Act East Policy is to promote economic cooperation, strengthen cultural ties and develop strategic relationships with countries in the Indo-Pacific. The engagement was to be at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

More births, deaths being recorded: Benefits, gaps

The rapid rise in registration for births and deaths is likely due to a combination of factors.

Increasing incentives for documentation to avail welfare and other benefits may be among the key drivers.

In Mahendragiri, proof of India's growing prowess in shipbuilding

The Indian Navy on Saturday inducted the indigenously built advanced stealth frigate INS Mahendragiri into its Eastern Fleet at a ceremony in Visakhapatnam.

The commissioning marks the induction of the sixth indigenous stealth frigate from the Navy's Project 17A within one-and-a-half years.

What is INS Mahendragiri?

Ins Mahendragiri is built with over 75% indigenous con-tent and has a displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes.

It is equipped with the BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, a combination of multifunction radar and medium-range surface-to-air missiles that can detect and kill aerial threats at extended ranges. The warship is named after the Mahendragiri mountain range in the Eastern Ghats.

With 4 new benches, how SC plans to clear oldest pending cases

To tackle the mounting backlog of cases in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has, in a significant move, created four specific benches exclusively to hear the oldest pending civil and criminal matters. This marks a structured attempt to ensure the conclusion of decades-old disputes pending before the apex court.

Fuel, weak rains push inflation in June above 4% after 16 months

Prices for Indian households rose 4.38% in June - the most in one-and-a-half years - on the back of a continued rise in food prices. According to data released Monday by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), food inflation in the country rose to 5.32% last month from 4.78% in May, amid deficient rains. Meanwhile, the impact of the government's fuel price hikes was visible too.

Trade deficit widens to $30.4 bn in Jun

India's merchandise trade deficit widened to $30.43 billion in June as exports fell faster than imports, weighed down by shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz linked to the West Asia conflict.

Exporters' bodies have flagged concerns over global demand softness, particularly from Western markets, as a drag on growth in outbound shipments.

US N-fuel firm counters BARC's safety concerns over thorium fuel

Chicago-Based nuclear fuel company Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) has refuted concerns over the use of its advanced nuclear fuel, ANEEL, in existing pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), claiming that the thorium-based fuel improves key reactor safety characteristics and can be deployed without requiring modifications to reactor designs or control systems.