Maintain status quo on water release, says Cauvery body

Taking a serious note of poor rainfall in the Cauvery basin, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), which met in Delhi on Wednesday, has directed both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to strictly con-fine use of their storage to drinking water purposes. The CWMA, which is the apex body that monitors implementation of Cauvery water release to lower riparian States as per the Supreme Court's verdict, directed both the States to maintain status quo with respect to water release and utilisation.

India must lead in securing the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb

On the heels of the Strait of Hormuz crisis comes the new threat - a Strait of Bab el-Mandeb crisis. On July 16, Reuters reported that Iran had instructed the Houthis to close the Strait (which is between Yemen and the Horn of Africa) if the United States attacked Iran's power plants.

Whether the Houthis have the capacity to threaten the Strait or whether this is part of Iran's signalling to the U.S. is secondary. What is important is that this represents a risk to one-third of India's entire trade.

Buried questions

India is grappling with another Himalayan tragedy. Workers in an under-construction tunnel at the Teesta Stage-VI hydroelectric project of NHPC Limited (formerly National Hy-droelectric Power Corporation Private Ltd.), in Sikkim's Namchi district, struck a pocket of suspected trapped methane. The resulting burst partially damaged the tunnel, killing at least 15 of an estimated 25 workers, with rescue operations still under way. The NHPC has announced a detailed investigation. Methane is a well-recognised hazard in underground excavation, and the geology of the Teesta basin makes it a likely one. The basin sits in a seismically active zone, with young and heavily fractured rock, and where com-pressed pockets of gas laid down long ago can lie hidden until an excavation breaks into them.

Are children with special needs enrolled in schools in India?

The Unified District Infor-mation System for Educa-tion (UDISE) 2025-26 геport has raised concerns about Children With Special Needs (CWSN) enrolled in schools, whose numbers have remained stagnant over the past eight years despite initiatives to get more of them en-rolled. As per the data, there were 21.66 lakh CWSN in schools, a number that has remained fairly constant over the years (Chart 1). While one could argue that the overall number of children enrolled in schools has also remained fairly the same, the other question to be answered in this context is whether all the CWSN in the country are getting enrolled in schools.

Where does the law stand on internet shutdowns?

What is an internet shutdown?

According to web rights advocacy organisation Access Now, an internet shutdown is defined as "an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to control the flow of information." They take many forms, from full network disruptions to slowing down internet speed or blocking platforms.

'Stable India-China ties will help build multi-polar Asia'

Stable India-China relations will help foster a "multi-polar Asia" and a "multi-polar world", External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Manila. The meeting took place before the Foreign Ministers of the Quad countries, Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S., met on the side-lines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the Philippine capital and reiterated their support for stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Govt. clarifies on FCRA Bill's designated authority clause

Amid concerns raised by minority institutions, par-ticularly the Christian bodies, against the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 (FCRA), the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said on Wednesday that the designated authority would retain the religious character of places of worship.

SC suggests raising retirement age of judicial officers to 61

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all States and Union Territories to consider raising the retirement age of judicial officers from 60 to 61 years, pending its final decision on whether the age of superannuation should be uniformly enhanced to 62 years across the country. The direction was issued by a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan while hearing a petition filed by the All India Judges Association.

Trump's 200% generic tariff threat would imperil Americans: Indian pharma

U.S. President Donald Trump has given generic pharmaceutical compa nies a two-year window to establish manufacturing facilities in the United States, warning that products imported after Au-gust 2028 could face tariffs of up to 200%.

Economy navigated external uncertainties well: RBI bulletin

Indian economy has navi-gated well the external un-certainties and supply chain pressures, under-pinned by healthy demand conditions and resilient performance of industrial and services sectors, according to a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bulletin.

Net FDI negative in May on $74 million excess outflow

Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows turned negative once again in May with outflows exceeding inflows by $74 million, ac cording to the latest Reserve Bank of India data. This snapped a three-month streak of positive net inflows and was driven by a sharp drop in direct Investment entering India. That is, even though outflows fell, inflows fell by a larger amount.

U.S. to announce nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia

The United States plans to announce a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that would help es-tablish a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom, according to media reports.

Convergent perils: luminaries against human ethics being outsourced to Al

The view that artificial intelligence (AI) can pose an existential threat to humankind using technologies like nuclear weapons has been around for some years now. Last year, after examining such threats and risks, one study from the Rand Corporation, a global policy think-tank, argued that such risks could not be ruled out.