1978 'industry' definition void under new code: SC

In a verdict in which judges varyingly differed on issues, a nine-member Bench of the Supreme Court on Thurs-day held that a nearly half-century-old expansive interpretation of 'industry', which previously granted workers stronger labour rights and protection, will not apply under the new Industrial Relations Code, 2020.

Shah calls for early resolution of water issues in South India

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday emphasised the need for early resolution of pending water-related issues concerning southern States through joint meetings involving the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inter-State Council, and respective States.

Core sector growth slows to 5.4% in July as fertilizer, oil output falls

Economic activity in In-dia's core industrial sectors saw growth slow to 5.4% in July 2026 from 6% in June, according to official data released on Thursday. This was driven by a significant slowdown in the fertilizers, iron ore, and steel sectors, accompanied by a conti-nued contraction in the natural gas and crude oil sectors.

Centre's fiscal outlook faces geopolitical, revenue risks

Geopolitical headwinds in the background of recently introduced tax cha changes would shape the Centre's fiscal outlook for 2026-27. Despite pressure on tax revenues and subsidies, strong non-tax receipts and policy interventions may keep fiscal outcomes broadly on track.

The Vanashakti verdict is balanced and pragmatic

The Supreme Court of India's landmark judgment delivered on July 29, 2026 in Vanashakti vs Union of India has brought much-needed clarity to one of the most debated issues in environmental regulation: the fate of projects that commenced without obtaining prior Environmental Clearance (EC).

How will Gaganyaan's thermal shield protect the crew?

Gaganyaan's crew module will face temperatures of up to 1,800°C during re-entry, with its thermal protection system keeping the structure safely below 150°C despite the extreme heat.

ISRO has chosen an ablative heat shield that absorbs intense thermal energy, decomposes into char and vapours to carry heat away, and builds on technology demonstrated by the SRE and CARE missions.

Collectors empowered to grant citizenship under CAA

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has transferred the processing of pending citizenship applications under the Citizen-ship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, from Empowered Committees comprising Central govern-ment officials, including those from the Census, In-telligence Bureau (IB) and postal departments - to District Collectors in eight States and Union Territories (UTs).

India, Japan sign maritime security pact to deepen defence cooperation

As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi held bilateral talks, India and Japan on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Arrangement (MOA) on Maritime Security Cooperation and agreed to deepen operational cooperation - including in-formation sharing, naval exercises, ship repair and logistics support.

Core sector growth slows to 5.4% in July

The natural gas and crude oil sectors continued their long streak of contractions. The natural gas sector contracted 3.7% in July 2026, while the crude oil sector contracted 5.3%. Both sectors have contracted continuously for the last 14 months for which there is data. The refinery products sector, however, snapped a three-month streak of contractions by growing 2.7% in July 2026, the sector's best perfor-mance in nine months.

Centre set to expand mechanised sanitation scheme to rural India 

Even as the government plans to expand its scheme to mechanise sanitation work, the National Com-mission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has been flagging the continued rejection of applications under the self-employment self-employm and capital subsidy com-ponents of the project.  

'MMDR Amendment Act expected to bring greater tax uniformity'

The MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 is expected to ad-dress long-standing opera-tional challenges in the mining sector by bringing greater uniformity and predictability to the levy regime, FICCI Mining Com-mittee Chair and NMDC CMD Amitava Mukherjee

said on Thursday.

Why are South Asians missing from global health databases

Globally, more than one in 10 adults now live with diabetes. If you have South Asian roots, that risk is even higher, and it hits earlier than it does in many other populations. In India alone, the number of people with diabetes is projected to reach 125 million by 2045. Yet, when scientists try to understand why diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease affect South Asians differently, they often have to rely on genetic data drawn from European populations.