A Palestinian state is the foundation for regional peace

There is one, and only one solution to the decades long, volatile and bloody situation in West Asia: the creation or the establishment of a sovereign, independent, viable Palestinian state. In essence, it is no different from the oft-touted two-state solution. But the two-state formula speaks of the establishment of two states living side by side in good neighbourliness.

The myth called 'perfect victim'

• Nils Christie's 'ideal victim' theory holds that vulnerability, respectability and innocence shape who is perceived as deserving of sympathy.

• Court rulings in cases such as Mathura, Bhanwari Devi and Tejpal show how survivors' behaviour and personal circumstances have been used to question their credibility.

• The Supreme Court has recently urged judges to avoid such assumptions, noting that trauma can affect survivors differently.

Why is the Supreme Court examining polygamy again?

• The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response to a petition challenging polygamy under Muslim Personal Law and asked it to consider legislative steps to abolish the practice for all citizens, irrespective of religion.

• The petitioners have challenged the constitutional validity of the law permitting polygamy, seeking its criminalisation, compulsory registration of Muslim marriages and divorces, and codification of Muslim Personal Law in line with gender equality.

Rajnath, Japanese Defence Minister to hold talks today

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koi-zumi, in New Delhi on Thursday, with the two sides expected to discuss ways to further strengthen defence and security coop-eration and enhance stra-tegic trust in the Indo-Pacific.

Cabinet approves 4 railway projects worth ₹9,450 crore

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi, on Wednesday approved four projects of the Ministry of Railways with a total estimated cost of ₹9,450 crore.

Expected to be completed by 2030-31, the projects are spread across eight districts in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and And-hra Pradesh and will increase track capacity by about 410 km.

J&K an 'important part of India'; will reevaluate travel advisory: U.S. envoy

On his maiden visit to Jam-mu and Kashmir, Sergio Gor, U.S. Ambassador to India and Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, on Wednesday praised the Centre and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for their ef-forts to "keep India's im-portant place safe".

'Transmission constraints threaten India's renewable energy expansion'

Insufficient transmission lines have emerged as a major obstacle to India's rapid expansion of renewa-ble energy capacity, leading to many solar power projects being "curtailed" during daylight hours, rat-ing agency ICRA said on Wednesday. Curtailment occurs when a power generator is forced to reduce or stop producing electricity due to oversupply and grid congestion.

RBI's MPC minutes indicate hardening of interest rates

The policy repo rate which has re-mained unchanged at 5.25% since February 2026, is expected to rise this year, going by the observations made by Mone-tary Policy Committee (MPC) members as recorded in the minutes of the August MPC meeting re-leased on Wednesday.

FM to lead ministerial delegation for key meet in Singapore T he policy repo rate

The policy repo rate which has remained unchanged at 5.25% since February 2026, is expected to rise this year, going by the observations made by Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members as recorded in the minutes of the August MPC meeting released on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka's Dilmah group to unveil Thambapanni luxury teas in India

Sri Lankan tea giant Dilmah group is set to foray in the Indian luxury market by launching Thambapan-ni, a luxury collection of Indian teas which will be available only to premium hotels in the country in the form of pyramid bags and loose leaf.

China recovers first stage of a rocket on land for the first time

China has successfully re-captured the first stage of a rocket on land for the first time, state media reported on Wednesday, as the country seeks to advance its space programme. Although this marks China's first successful recovery on land, it is the second time the country has recovered a rocket stage, following a successful recovery on a sea platform in July.

If solar irrigation is over-drawing groundwater, it's being done wrong

"Solar irrigation will worsen the groundwater crisis." This concern is raised in most discussions about the -rapid spread of solar irrigation in India where heavily subsidised or free electricity has led to unsustainable groundwater abstraction, contributing to falling water tables, depleting aquifers, and growing fiscal burdens on energy utilities.

How a few tree species drive the recovery of Amazon forest

When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only a few tree species, which can withstand poor soil conditions, blazing sun, and grow rapidly, a Brazilian study has shown.