Iran threatens regional oil blockade over U.S. actions

Returning to war nearly a month af ter signing a mem-orandum of understanding towards peace in West Asia, the U.S. and Iran on Wednesday launched strikes on targets across the region.       

Iran's disruptive strategy, its global consequences

Iran's recent actions over the Strait of Hormuz and its strategy of targeting its neighbours in the Gulf as retribution for the actions of the United States may seem to have been operational masterstrokes. However, in the long run, they may well prove to be strategic blunders that have antagonised the world at large and leave Iran out of the global mainstream and away from the path of sustained economic progress.

Export gains

India's trade weaknesses are becoming episodic, its strengths structural

ndia's trade data for June offers insights into how the country is weathering the West Asia crisis and the prospect of a deficient mon-soon. The fact that the trade deficit jumped 430% in June would seem alarming. However, a deeper look at the composition of this deficit should ease a lot of that alarm. The bulk of the increase in the deficit was due to the sharp increase in merchan-dise imports in June. 

The crisis at the heart of non-proliferation

The present impasse over Iran's nuclear future lays bare the enduring hypocrisy at the heart of the global non-proliferation order. As talks in Doha stumble through disputes over frozen assets and verification mechanisms.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) institutionalised a hierarchy rather than dismantling it. It divided the world into nuclear "haves" and "have-nots," and enjoined the latter to restraint while the former continue to modernise their nuclear arsenals.

The problem with China's 4.3% growth

Economic indicators released on Wednesday showed a 5.7% drop in fixed-asset investment and sluggish retail sales - an important marker of consumption, which the government hopes will drive future growth for a historically investment-reliant economy. The broader problem for Beijing is that it's not only property developers but local governments also have been hard hit by the slump, with real estate sales a major contributor of revenues.      

Digitisation and efficiency in criminal justice system

Recently, the Centre has announced that India aims for full digital rollout of its criminal justice system from July 1, 2027 after which the procedures related to investigations and trials under the new criminal laws will be recorded digitally through the Interoperable Criminal Justice System. The efficiency of any criminal justice system largely depends on the procedural efficiency beginning from the registration of the first information report (FIR) to investigation, filing of chargesheet outlining specific charges levelled against the accused and presenting the evidence and witness testimonies gathered to substantiate them, trial and finally the disposal.

NDA renews push to muster numbers for delimitation Bill

With the Monsoon Session of Parliament be-ginning on July 20, the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the Opposi-tion Indian National Deve-lopmental, Inclusive Al-liance are firming up strategies with regard to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes to raise the num-ber of Lok Sabha seats to 850 and initiate the delimitation process.

Marginal dip in number of rural job scheme workers

In the fortnight follow-☐ing the transition from National Rural Employ-ment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Roz-gar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G), the number of registered work-ers fell from 27 crore to 26.33 crore, a net reduc-tion of 67.6 lakh workers, or 2.5% of the total work-force enrolled under the rural employment pro-gramme, according to an analysis by LibTech India, a consortium of academics and activists.       

Cabinet okays Semicon 2.0, mobile, urea manufacturing schemes, highways

The Cabinet Com-mittee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), has chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared several projects, including 1.27 lakh crore for the second edition of India Semiconductor Mission and ₹62,500 crore for the mobile phone manufacturing scheme (MPMS) as part of efforts to localise manufacturing amid global geopolitical uncertainties.       

RBI issues data governance guidance framework for banks

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the 'Guidance on Regulatory Expecta-tions for Data Governance' for banks and other Regu-lated Entities (REs) pre-scribing a comprehensive framework to strengthen governance of data across the banking system.

Sun Pharma gets nod for generic semaglutide injection

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on Wednesday said it has received approval from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to manufacture and market the generic version of semaglutide injection in South Africa for the treatment of adults with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise. In a regulatory filing, the company said it plans to launch the product in the market in the coming days. 

Global bids invited under PLI for 10 GWh ACC batteries

The Ministry of Heavy In-dustries has invited global bids to set up advanced battery manufacturing plants with a total capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in India under the govern-ment's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) batteries. These batteries will be used for grid-scale energy storage, helping store elec-tricity generated from re-newable sources such as solar and wind.

India-U.K. FTA a boost for farmers and small, medium firms, says PM

PM Narendra Modi said the India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), taking effect Wednesday, will boost Indian farmers' in-comes, entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Indian government set to invest ₹200 cr. in Ather Energy

The Government of India will invest ₹200 crore in Ather Energy through In-dia-Japan Fund (IJF), a joint investment vehicle backed by the Government of In-dia and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

Sri Lanka is 'always willing to host India-Pak. sporting events: Minister

Sri Lanka is "always willing" to host sporting events featuring India and Pakistan, Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage said, pointing to the island's proximity and Colombo's strong ties with New Delhi and Islamabad as advantages. "Not just cricket, we are willing to extend our fullest coopera-tion and support to host any game between India and Pakistan if they make a request. Both countries are our close friends and partners," he said.

India-U.K. social security pact is not retrospective

The India-U.K. Double Contributions Convention (DCC), allowing temporary Indian and British workers an exemption from paying social security contribu-tions in their host coun-tries for 60 months, is not retrospective, i.e., it will not apply to Indians alrea-dy working in the U.K. and Britons working in India before July 15.

A new era of Indian ecology looks to its horizons, and to the ground

Wildlife ecology in India looks different today than it did a decade ago. Climate change, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and rapid development are all reshaping ecosystems faster than scholars can document them. Thus, ecologists are interested in how biodiversity has changed as well as how it is likely to change next.

China's 'Great Green Wall' tames desert growth, but fight not over

For half a century, millions of workers have repeated a task across the deserts in northern China: inserting forearm-length sticks into shifting sand, first in a row, then in an intersecting line, gradually forming a grid. Then saplings are planted at the centre of each small square. The technique, known as "straw checkerboards", is a simple yet widely used method to stabilise sand dunes against the wind and help plants take root by using water supplied through an irrigation system.