Goyal-Greer talks start today, trade surplus with US down over 40%

While Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to begin the two-day talks with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday to conclude a trade deal by next month, data shows that India's trade surplus with the US has slipped by over 40% since the negotiations began last year, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Donald Trump on February 13, 2025.

Amid peace talks, US waives sanctions on Iran oil for 60 days

The United States waived sanctions on Iran for 60 days from Monday after the first talks under a nascent peace deal, and officials reported calm in Lebanon after fighting that had prompted Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed.

Should strong hybrids be cheaper? Key question as EV policy call nears

Provisions Relating to strong hybrid vehicles in Delhi's new Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy continue to be debated as the existing policy, which has already been extended multiple times, nears expiry. The new EV Policy 2026-30 is expected to be placed before the Cabinet at its next meeting.

Over the past couple of months since the draft policy was put in the public domain, the Delhi Transport Department has received more than 700 responses, and the suggestions are under review, officials said.

In her first India trip as Japan PM, Sanae Takaichi likely to visit Guwahati on July 1-3

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to visit India from July 1 to 3, sources said, adding that the venue of the bilateral summit is likely to be in Guwahati.

This will be Takaichi's first bilateral visit to India since she assumed office in October last year.

Doval meets China Foreign Minister, Iran's NSA ahead of BRICS meeting

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday met Iran's Deputy NSA Ghadir Nezamipour, who is in New Delhi to attend the BRICS NSAs' Meeting from Tuesday. This comes at a time when the US and Iran are holding talks in Switzerland to end the war in West Asia. It is the first visit to India by a senior official from Iran after it struck a peace agreement with the US. Last month, amid the ceasefire and the talks between US and Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited India for the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meeting.

ESA for Western Ghats: Why conservation is key

The Western Ghats, a 1,500-km long chain of largely unbroken mountains which fringes off the western coast of India, is one of the country's most famous natural ecosystems, next only to the Himalayas. Unlike the Himalayas, the Western Ghats are densely populated and have been an economic hub for states abutting India's west coast, and is home to famous cash crops. 

Biodiversity hotspot

The Ghats are home to nearly 2,000 species of plants, 84 species of fish, 87 species of amphibians, 89 species of reptiles, 15 bird species, and 12 mammals, which are endemic or only found there.

There are 61 protected areas national parks or sanctuaries notified in the region.

Right to walk on footpaths: Behind SC order, surge in pedestrian deaths

In its judgment, the SC traced the issue back to the most basic human activity - walking. The court highlighted the irony that while walking predates wheeled transport by millennia, road infrastructure today is overwhelmingly designed for vehicles.

It observed that the Motor Vehicles Act has, in many ways, undermined the rights of pedestrians.

The court went on to say that the absence of safe and comfortable footpaths, and their subjugation to motor transport, has been a "civilisational problem".

Motor Vehicles Act

The court came down heavily on the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, an exhaustive legislation governing the vehicles and rules of the road. The court said that the law is not for protecting the right to walk on footpaths and only lays down infra-structure for vehicles, which is its mainstay.

"The Motor Vehicles Act is built upon 'vehicle' as the subject of the legislation, while 'human' interests are incidental, which a motor vehicle must avoid violating - that's all, and no further," said the court.

From farms to factories, trade pact with UK opens new opportunities in India

Trade agreements have also ensured the gradual opening up of the domestic market. This makes the Indian market more competitive and encourages local manufacturers to produce high-quality goods at competitive prices.

As El Niño looms, guard against food inflation

The Southwest monsoon is in serious deficit territory, with cumulative all-India rainfall this season (June-September) till June 22 being 42.8 per cent below the normal average for this period. Significantly, this is even before El Niño's impact is to really kick in. The deficit for now is being attributed mainly to weak monsoon winds in general. The monsoon arrived three days late over Kerala on June 4. After some initial progress, the onset pulse weakened, with stronger north-westerly dry winds suppressing the incoming monsoon currents and no active eastward-moving Madden-Julian Oscillation system carrying clouds and moisture. The monsoon, in fact, made no progress between June 15 and June 21, before showing signs of revival on Monday.

It's time to reimagine the anti-defection law

The Support of a majority of legislators in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha is needed to form a stable government. This stability has often been missing due to the defections by "aaya Rams, gaya Rams" toppling elected governments. To address this, in 1985, the Tenth Schedule was added by way of the 52nd Amendment to the Constitution "for outlawing defection" by disqualifying any elected members who defect from or defy the whip of the political party to which they belong, except in the case of a split or merger. The underlying premise of this Schedule is that the elected representatives cannot be trusted with political morality, loyalty to their own party, and independent judgment beyond party lines. 

Starmer resigns, paving way for orderly transfer of power

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday he was quitting, paving the way for what is expected to be an orderly transfer of power to frontrunner Andy Burnham, who could become Britain's seventh leader in 10 years as early as next month. 

Bangladesh, Malaysia boost trade, defence ties

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday met his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim and they decided to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, defence, energy and investment, according to media reports here.

Rahman is visiting Malaysia and China on his maiden over-seas trip since assuming office earlier this year.

US sanctions waiver in; Tehran dials refiners, traders for oil sales

The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has started reaching out to international oil companies, including Indian refiners, and trading houses to resume commercial ties in a bid to restart its global oil exports, according to trade sources.

This comes against the backdrop of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) being in place, with the first round of talks under the terms of the initial pact indicating progress between Washington and Tehran.

'Monsoon shortfall could weigh on growth, inflation'

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) 'State of the Economy' article has cautioned that an adverse south-west monsoon, if it materialises, could weigh on the domestic growth and inflation outlook.

As per the updated forecast of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) (released on May 29, 2026), the south-west monsoon (SWM) rainfall is likely to be below normal this year, it said. "The SWM arrived over Kerala on June 4, three days later than the normal date of onset (June 1). While the SWM has covered southern and parts of eastern regions so far, the cumulative rainfall (June 1-21) at the country level has been significantly lower than the normal," the article authored by RBI researchers and published in the RBI monthly bulletin said.

Grid India proposes to repurpose underutilised thermal power plants

The Grid Controller of India (Grid India) identified nine thermal power units with a combined capacity of about 1.8 gigawatts (GW) that can be re-purposed as synchronous condensers (SYNCONs), a move aimed at strengthening grid reliability as India navigates the challenges of integrating rapidly growing renewable energy capacity. 

Core sector growth falls to 7-mth low of 0.5% in May

India's core sector growth fell to 0.5% in May, the lowest in seven months as output from five of the eight constituents of the relevant index contracted year-on-year. Output of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products and fertilisers fell while steel, cement and electricity production expanded.

For April, the growth had been revised to 1.8% from the 1.7% reported earlier. In May of 2025 ICI had expanded at 1.2%.

US FTA: India seeks preferential access, says Goyal

Trade minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday that the trade deal with the US is taking a little longer to sign due to the 50% tariff that was im-posed on goods from the country. India aims to gain preferential access through the trade pact with the US, Goyal said while speaking at a media conclave in New Delhi.