Be ready to 'shut' Red Sea gateway if US hits power network: Iran to Houthis

Iran has asked Yemen's Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a potent new threat to global energy supplies.

US revives rule to deny green cards to immigrants on public benefits

The Trump administration is reviving a rule that could deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits that could include food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers and others.

The policy, known as "public charge," appeared on Thursday in the Federal Register and will be formally published on July 20. The policy was first implemented in February 2020 as one of President Donald Trump's moves to limit legal immigration during his first administration, but it was reversed after Democratic President Joe Biden came to power.

Vessels to and from India among top applicants for Hormuz passage

Merchant Vessels to and from India were among the top applicants for passage through the Iran-recommended routes to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the three weeks following the June 17 US-Iran peace MoU, as per Iranian data.

According to Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), set up by Iran to regulate the flow of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, over 200 non-Iranian vessels coordinated with it to receive passage permits and insurance coverage during the three week period.

US latest on immigration: Shrink visa duration for students, media

In a move that is expected to impact a large number of US-bound Indians, the Donald Trump administration on Thursday moved to tighten the visa duration for foreign students, journalists and cultural exchange visitors.

Hydrogen Train rolls out today; leak detectors, auto shutdown, real-time monitoring on track

India's first hydrogen-powered train, to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Haryana's Jind railway station Friday, has multiple layers of safety features that can detect gas leak, heat, and smoke, and an automatic shutoff system that will cut off the hydrogen supply, without waiting for manual reaction, in case anything unusual is found.

Ahead of the big deal, strike a careful balance

Following the US Trade Representative's proposal to levy tariffs on 60 countries under Section 301 of the US Trade Act, 1974, the government has introduced a new section in the foreign trade policy regarding forced labour. India is not the only country to do so - Indonesia, Canada, Cambodia and Peru have responded with similar commitments after the USTR's proposed tariffs. Simultaneously, India has sought a review of the USTR's proposed tariffs of 12.5 per cent, alluding to inconsistencies in its examination. The country's tariff challenges don't end here. US President Donald Trump's tariff policy is, as of now, operationalised through Section 122 of the Trade Act.

NATO's transformation opens possibilities for India

The 2026 NATO Summit held in Ankara a few days ago confirmed that the alliance is entering a new era of strategic transformation rather than strategic de-cline. Ukraine remains central, but NATO's ambitions now go much further. It is preparing for a world shaped by long-term rivalry, technological competition and unstable supply chains. This shift matters for India.

ISRO moves to halt exodus of staff from critical projects

After a spate of exits from crucial projects - including human spaceflight programme Gaganyaan- rattled the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the body has decided to not accept requests for voluntary retirement or resignations of senior scientific staff associated with important missions without a review.

Drones reduce time and cost of TB diagnosis: Study

Drones can be very effective in reducing the time and cost of tuberculosis diagnosis, found a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Telangana.

In the areas where drones were used to carry patient samples to centres with molecular diagnostics, the average time to receive a TB diagnosis reduced from 16,6 days to 6.9 days. Importantly, the cost for this diagnosis went down from Rs 9,451 to just Rs 91, according to the study.

BIMSTEC meet in Delhi: Security chiefs vow to combat terror

National Security chiefs of BIMSTEC countries on Thursday vowed to jointly combat regional security challenges and endorsed new guiding principles to streamline maritime law enforcement co-ordination.

This is significant since BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) comprises India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan, and all of them have stakes in the developments in the Indian Ocean.

SC: No live-streaming of cases argued by litigants in person

The Full Court of the Supreme Court has approved a new protocol in cases where petitioners personally appear before it to argue their case. In its meeting on Wednesday, it resolved that such proceedings will not be live-streamed or allowed to be recorded.

Monsoon Session: BJP likely to table 5 new Bills; 'delimitation package' not on its agenda

The BJP-led NDA government is likely to table five new Bills, including one aimed at making provisions for registration of births and deaths more stringent, in addition to taking up the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill in the Monsoon Session, which starts Monday.

The agenda for the session does not include the "delimitation package" of which the Nari Shakti Adhiniyam, or women's reservation Bill, is a significant component. The Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha after the NDA failed to secure the two-thirds majority required for a Constitutional amendment.

IMD: Dry conditions to prevail in most parts until month end

Dry Conditions will prevail over large parts of the country for the remaining days of July, except for the east and north-east regions where rainfall will continue, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

Skyroot to launch Vikram-1 orbital rocket tomorrow

Indian Space-Tech startup Skyroot Aerospace will attempt the first orbital launch of its indigenously developed rocket, Vikram-1, on Saturday, July 18, at 11.30 am, from the country's premier spaceport at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The mission, named 'Aagaman', meaning 'arrival', marks a milestone for India's private space sector: the nation's first-ever attempt to place a payload into orbit using a completely privately developed launch vehicle.

Govt not keen to cover land, tech transfer costs in new chip scheme

Under the next phase of India's ambitious Rs 1.27 lakh crore Semiconductor Mission, the Central government may not offer subsidies to companies arising out of technology transfer costs, with the prevailing thought being that calculating such expenses is complicated, The Indian Express has learnt.

How a new subsidy plan hopes to build an Indian smartphone brand

India Makes almost every smartphone sold in the country. But when it comes to the names on those phones, Indian companies are conspicuously absent. A new Rs 62,500 crore mobile phone manufacturing scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet Wednesday, hopes to change that.

Govt plans tighter fuel-economy norms, credit market from FY28

The Power ministry has proposed a tougher five-year fuel-economy regime for passenger vehicles from April 1, 2027, tightening fleet-average consumption targets while allowing carmakers to use carbon-neutrality benefits, super credits and a compliance-credit mechanism to meet the new standards.

RBI introduces SNFA category, bars banks from selling assets back to defaulters

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced the concept of Specified Non-Financial Assets (SNFAs) in the event of loan defaults and mandated that disposal of such assets should primarily be through public auctions under SARFAESI Act principles and prohibited resale to the original borrower or related parties.

Kudankulam files on dark web: Inside the alleged data leak

For more than a month, a large cache of files purportedly linked to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant have been available on the dark web.

The data, leaked by ransomware group World Leaks, is purportedly linked to Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, whose subsidiary, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, was awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract in 2018 for the plant's non-nuclear common service facilities, known as the Balance of Plant (BoP).