Beijing accelerates South China Sea build-up with new installations

NEW INSTALLATIONS have been sighted on an islet near Antelope Reef in Paracels archi-pelago of disputed South China Sea where analysts believe China is building its largest mili-tary base, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters.

Xi likely to attend BRICS in Delhi next month with large delegation

CHINESE PRESIDENT Xi Jinp-ing is likely to attend the summit of BRICS leaders in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, The Indian Express has learnt. He last visited India in October 2019, months before PLA incursions along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh trig-gered a military standoff between the two countries.

SC to set up special bench to hear Centre's plea on OBC creamy-layer criteria

THE SUPREME Court on Tuesday agreed to consider setting up a special bench to hear Centre's plea seeking clarification on the applicability of its March 11 judgment on OBC creamy-layer criteria to candidates of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025.

Rajnath approves transfer of missile technology to domestic defence industry

IN A significant step towards building India's conventional missile force, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday ap-proved the transfer of technology for all conventional missile systems developed by the De-fence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to the Indian defence industry. The decision paves the way for do-mestic production of these mis-sile systems by private players.

Kerala is now officially Keralam

THE UNION Home Ministry has notified 'Keralam' as the new name for the State effective Tues day. In a gazette notification issued on Tuesday, the home ministry said, "In ex-ercise of the powers con-ferred by subsection (2) of Section 1 of the Kerala (Alter-ation of Name) Act, 2026, the Central government hereby appoints the 25th day of August, 2026, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force." Earlier this month, President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the bill.

Warmer oceans are sounding a warning

T HE WORLD'S oceans are usually at their warmest in March and April. In March 2024, global sea-surface temperature simmered to a record 21.09 degrees Celsius. That high was surpassed last week. On August 22, a rapidly intensifying El Niño and global warming combined to spike marine temperature to 21.1 degrees Celsius. The new record, along with the upending of the ocean calendar, is a warning: Global heating is moving climate into unfamiliar territory.

Repairing ties with Nepal: A of two strategy hands, 10 fingers

NEPAL IS scheduled to lose its Least Developed Country (LDC) status on November 24, but has sought a three-year deferral from the UN, citing de-lays in transition. While it is likely to receive the deferral, given Nepal's high credibility in the comity of nations, the deadline will come again. In 2024, it adopted the Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) to ensure sustainable graduation from LDC status by 2030, while recognising that remittances currently support consumption, reserves and imports, but have not yet engendered domestic investment or a surge in exports.

How to make a solar-heavy grid stable & affordable

INDIA HAS become the world's third-largest installer of renewable energy, hitting its 50 per cent non-fossil capacity target five years early and setting a fresh goal of 60 per cent by 2035. The 500 GW target for 2030 looks achievable. India has solved the easier problem: Building renewables at scale. The harder one is integration, keeping an increasingly solar-and wind-heavy grid stable and affordable.

One-third of India in severe rain deficit as monsoon enters last leg

NEARLY 35 per cent of the country's geographical area remains in a significant rain deficit even as the southwest mon-soon approaches its final leg.

The rainfall data main-tained by the India Meteoro-logical Department (IMD) stated that the country-wide rainfall for the season (since June 1) was 554.2mm-13 per cent short of expected levels for this time of the year.

Indian economy resilient amid global uncertainties: RBI paper

THE INDIAN economy is showing resilience amid a fragile global environment marked by geopolitical tensions, re-newed US tariffs and persistent trade uncertainties, according to the Reserve Bank of India's 'State of the Economy' article.

Goyal woos Japanese firms for India's semiconductor push

SEEKING TO deepen Japan's role in India's semiconductor and electronics manufacturing ambitions, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal assured Japanese companies of easing regulatory hurdles, cer-tification requirements and building a Japan-friendly social infrastructure at key hubs in-cluding Dholera.

'India, Japan eye joint investments in Africa for critical minerals'

AS INDIA and Japan recognise the world's growing dependency on China for critical min-erals, business leaders across the two countries are deliberating on the possibility of investing jointly in Africa to secure their supply and expand min-ing capabilities, said Anant Goenka, FICCI President and Vice Chairman of RPG Group.

The century-long evolution of the demand for a Gorkha state

• The new commit-tee is tasked with examining all dimen-sions of the Gorkha issue within the framework of the Constitution.

• Alongside evaluat-ing structural governance, the panel will examine financial assistance for the region and review a roadmap to grant ST status to 11 key Gorkha communities.