SC stays AYUSH Ministry's notification omitting key rule prohibiting misleading advertisements

The Supreme Court stayed a July 1 notification issued by the AYUSH Ministry in which Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 was "omitted". The Rule deals with the power to take action against objectionable or misleading advertisements about Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani drugs. 

A Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta told Additional Solicitor-General K. Nataraj that the notification was in the teeth of a May 7 order passed by the Supreme Court in a contempt case against Patanjali Ayurved Limited, a company co-founded by yoga guru Baba Ramdev. 

India needs to develop a care ecosystem

A low female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) has been the focus of the bulk of the discussion around women's empowerment. 

According to the Economic Survey 2023-24, against a world average of 47.8% (2022), the FLFPR in India was 37% (2022-23). 

Although it increased from 23.3% in 2017-18, 37.5% of this share comprises "unpaid helpers in household enterprises", that is, women who are not paid for the work they do, which is separate from domestic work. 

After phone call with Biden, Modi discusses Ukraine trip with Putin

Three days after his return from Ukraine, and a day after he "briefed" U.S. President Joseph Biden about his visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and "shared insights" from his trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

According to a Kremlin readout, Mr. Modi also confirmed his participation at the BRICS summit to be hosted by Mr. Putin in the Russian city of Kazan from October 22 to 24. Mr. Modi's recent travel to Moscow and Kyiv, and calls with Mr. Putin and Mr. Biden, have raised speculation that New Delhi is working on a peace initiative that would bring the Russian and Ukrainian leaders together for talks, but the government has not so far confirmed it. 

Himachal makes 21 the minimum age of marriage for women

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a Bill increasing the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 in order to support gender equality and higher education. 

The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2024, was introduced by Women Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil in the Assembly during its ongoing Monsoon Session. 

The Bill states the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 was enacted to prohibit solemnisation of child marriage and matters related to it. 

IIL, Australian varsity develops needle-free COVID-19 vaccine

The Hyderabad-headquartered vaccine manufacturer Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), in partnership with Griffith University, Australia has developed a needle-free intranasal booster vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, a press release from the company has said. 

The company said the live-attenuated booster has been developed using "codon deoptimisation" technology. Its work on this vaccine has been published in the science journal Nature Communications. 

CDSCO grants approval for making RT-PCR testing kits to detect Mpox in India 

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has granted approval to Siemens Healthineers for the manufacture of RT-PCR testing kits for detection of Mpox, a senior Health Ministry official said. 

The kits will be manufactured by the company's molecular diagnostics manufacturing unit in Vadodara, with a production capacity of one million a year. 

With the RT-PCR kits, the test results will be available in 40 minutes, which is significantly faster than traditional methods. This will help reduce the turnaround time for reporting, leading to quicker responses, the company said. 

'India-Brazil strategic partnership deepened and diversified over years'

The India-Brazil strategic partnership has "deepened and diversified" over the years and now spans a very wide range of domains, including defence, space, security, technology and people-to-people relations, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said. 

In his opening remarks at the ninth India-Brazil Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Delhi, Mr. Jaishankar congratulated the Latin American country for conducting the G-20 meetings successfully and, also on the first Ministerial consensus document released during a key meeting. 

India faces challenges to lift non-farm Jobs: Moody's

India's continued thrust on infrastructure, with planned public spending of ₹11.11 lakh crore this year, would help improve the business environment, attract private investments and create jobs in sectors with higher salaries, but low participation in higher education, with pronounced gender gaps, remains a challenge for boosting non-agriculture jobs, Moody's Ratings said. 

U.S. and China working to avoid conflict, says Sullivan

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington and Beijing are working to ensure the competition between them does not veer into conflict, as the two sides started talks on a relationship that has been severely tested during President Joe Biden's term in office. 

Mr Sullivan is meeting over two days with Wang Yi, a senior foreign policy official for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in a scenic lake area on the northern outskirts of Beijing. 

Khamenei opens the door for discussions with the U.S. over Iran's nuclear programme

Iran's supreme leader opened the door to renewed negotiations with the U.S. over his country's rapidly advancing nuclear programme, telling its civilian government there was "no harm" in engaging with its "enemy." 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks set clear red lines for any talks taking place under the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn't to be trusted.