N Korea, Belarus leaders hold talks in Pyongyang, sign friendship treaty 

Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks in North Korea's capital on Thursday and signed a friendship and cooperation treaty.

Balendra to take oath as Nepal PM today

Balendra Shah, popularly known as 'Balen', was on Thursday elected as the leader of the Parliamentary party of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, a move that paves the way for him to become Nepal's youngest prime minister on Friday.

Why YouTube, Meta were held guilty in tech addiction trial 

A US jury on Wednesday held social media giants Meta and YouTube guilty of deliberately designing addictive products that caused harm to a young user in a landmark tech addiction trial that will likely serve as a bellwether for future cases.

The jurors in a Los Angeles court found the tech companies to be negligent in the design of the platform and in failing to warn users of its dangers. The jury held the two companies guilty of acting "with malice, oppression and fraud". The jury awarded $6 million in damages to the 20-year-old plaintiff, with Meta bearing around 70% of the liability and YouTube 30%.

India's new climate targets are modest but significant

India and other developing nations have said inadequate financing would compel them to scale down their climate actions 

Finding low-cost, long-term finance for green investments is a key objective in India's 2035 climate plan.

New I-T Rules: Simpler processes, higher deductions for the salaried

With the new Income-tax Act, 2025 set to be enforced from April 1, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has released the new Income-tax Rules, 2026. A series of changes has been introduced in the forms, disclosures and deductions for salaried employees, with some experts pointing out that the old tax regime could entail more incentives for middle-income salary earners vis-à-vis the new regime. There has also been a substantial reduction in text and forms to ease compliance.

Vice President to present Ramnath Goenka journalism awards today

A searing account of the long road to recovery after the Wayanad landslides; an investigation that uncovered a multi-state child trafficking racket targeting tribal families in Rajasthan; a deep dive into the shadowy surrogate mother market in the country; and, an expose on the illegal sale of British-era bungalows in Pune's cantonment areas.

These are some of the stories that have won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards for 2024, the country's most prestigious journalism honour.

We are working jointly for security of Strait of Hormuz: India, France

As Foreign ministers of the G7 and partner countries met near Paris Thursday to explore "potential avenues for negotiation that could lead to a deescalation of the conflict" in West Asia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot discussed "working jointly towards ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz".

Have oil & fuel stocks to cover 60 days: Govt

India Currently has crude oil and fuel stocks to cover 60 days of consumption, the Centre said Thursday - in the first instance of the Government providing crude oil, fuels and LPG stock information since the war in West Asia began on February 28. Besides, crude oil procurement for the next two months has also been tied up, which means that the country is secure for the next several months, it said.

West Asia war is a warning. It's also a window to securing our energy

India's existing target of 500 GW of RE by 2030 was bold when announced. Today, it's no longer sufficient.

A revised target of 1,500 GW by 2030 is both necessary and achievable.

Regulatory prudence will be key

In 1970, India substituted "process patenting" for "product patenting", giving a marked fillip to the production of generics in pharmaceutical manufacturing. There-after, India became the acclaimed "pharmacy of the world". As the prototype GLP-1 agonist drug semaglutide goes off patent, many Indian drug manufacturers are rushing to benefit from the burgeoning domestic market for the drug. They can also flood the global supply chain with generic versions that will cost only 25-30 per cent of their current price.

Gender identity: Now to be decided by the state

Definition of transgender persons

The Bill passed in Parliament earlier this week makes sweeping changes to the 2019 Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act. The amendment is dangerous in intent and effect as it narrows the definition of "transgender person", explicitly excluding any self-perceived gender identities. For recognising a person's identity, approval is needed from a medical board and a District Magistrate (DM). Self-identification will not do anymore. A tragedy.

Withdraw transgender Bill: SC-appointed panel to Govt

Underlining that the changes in the contentious Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, are "violative of privacy" and "deny existential rights", a Supreme Court-appointed committee on the rights of transgender persons has asked the government to withdraw the Bill.

WTO MC14: Why it could be a 'turning point' for trade & what's at stake for India

The World Trade Organization's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) began in Cameroon on Thursday at a time when the trade body faces a crisis of relevance. On the agenda are reforms aimed at bringing back predictability to global trade rules that have been effectively torn up by the Donald Trumpled US administration.

West Asia conflict to strain India's FY27 fiscal math, says ICRA

A surge in global crude oil and natural gas prices amid the West Asia conflict is likely to complicate India's fiscal position in financial year 2027 (FY27), potentially increasing subsidy burdens and pressuring revenues, ratings agency ICRA said.

What are the guardrails India is putting to safeguard young social media users?

A Jury in Los Angeles has found Meta Platforms and You-Tube liable in a landmark lawsuit that accused the companies of designing addictive social media products that harmed a young user's mental health.

The verdict is being seen as a watershed moment in the legal battle over whether tech platforms can be held accountable for the psychological impact of their products on minors.

World Bank to provide financial aid to countries impacted by West Asia war

The World Bank Group said on Thursday that it will support client governments as they deal with challenges brought on by the West Asian conflict, including major increases in energy costs, by leveraging fast-disbursing policy financing instruments.

OECD projects India's GDP to grow 6.1% in next fiscal

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Thursday projected India's GDP to grow at 7.6% in the current financial year (FY26) and 6.1% in FY27.