Echoes from Courtroom No. 24: Verdict unseated PM, she struck back at nation

At 10 am on June 12, 1975, Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha reached Courtroom Number 24 of the Allahabad High Court and took his seat in the jam-packed courtroom. And then, he pronounced a judgment that would go on to have epochal consequences for then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi-and India.

Govt looks at reservation for women in next LS elections

The Modi Government intends to roll out reservation of seats for women, which is linked to the delimitation exercise, in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, highly-placed sources said Wednesday.

Axiom-4 launch put off as leak found in rocket; no new date yet

The Axiom-4 mission, which is to carry India's Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station, is facing an uncertain delay now, after its scheduled launch on Wednesday evening (India time) had to be aborted due to problems in the rocket.

CEC: India's electoral roll preparation most rigorous, transparent

In his first remarks after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's recent allegations of irregularities in the Maharashtra elections, including in its electoral roll, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has said the process of preparing the electoral roll in India is among the "most rigorous and transparent" in the world.

Trump says China trade deal 'done': 55% tariff, supply of rare earth minerals

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States has reached a trade agreement with China, including an easing of curbs imposed by Beijing on export of rare earth minerals and magnets that are key inputs for industries ranging from automobiles to electronics.

Feared extinct in Valley, rare sighting revives hope of Eurasian otter's comeback

For three decades, the Eurasian otter, once an integral part of Kashmir's aquatic ecosystem, was thought to be extinct in the Valley. However, a rare sighting of the semi-aquatic mammal has now been reported in south Kashmir.

Railway safety body gives final nod for Mizoram capital's first rail link

The commission of Railway Safety (CRS) has authorised operations on the railway line from Hortoki to Sairang in Mizoram, the final clearance for a key stretch that will connect state capital Aizawl by rail for the first time.

Trump's nominee for South Asia Affairs role, Paul Kapur, vows to advance India-US relations

Indian-American S Paul Kapur is President Donald Trump's nominee for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, a top diplomatic position wherein he will oversee America's intersections with India and its neigh-bourhood - including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

SLOWING DOWN

The 2020s have already seen major shocks to the global economy such as the Covid pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. There is now another shock to contend with. According to the World Bank, "increased trade barriers and heightened policy uncertainty" are causing "a notable deterioration of the outlook". In its latest Global Economic Prospects report, the Bank has revised downwards its forecast for global growth this year to 2.3 per cent, down 40 basis points from its January estimate. To put this growth estimate in perspective, excluding periods of global recession, this is the "weakest performance in 17 years". In April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also estimated global growth to slow to 2.8 per cent in 2025. In its report, the World Bank has also projected global growth to average just about 2.5 per cent between 2020 and 2027 - this is the "slowest pace of any decade since the 1960s". This is a remarkable deceleration.

A new axis of stability

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's second visit to Europe within a month reflects a deepening India-Europe engagement even as the two sides deal with volatile US policies, era-shaping geopolitical shifts, terrorism from Pakistan and escalating conflict in Europe. Highlights include Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France to co-chair the Al Action Summit and the visit by the re-elected European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, and the college of commissioners to India in February. The MEA-supported Raisina Dialogue also makes a debut this week in the strategic port city of Marseille.

How free is free speech 

The constitutional right to free speech - a fundamental democratic principle-is often misinterpreted. The editorial ('Whose free speech?', IE, June 3) circumvents the context, intent and impact of free speech by defending Sharmistha Panoli's inflammatory social media post, targeting Islam and the Prophet, as a legitimate exercise of free expression.

Don’t scroll past the magic 

Why are we not watching films in theatres as we used to? What has gone wrong with that thrilling, joyous collective experience? Why has the business of screening films in theatres been struggling in India?

I have been writing and directing for 30 years, and producing films for around 15 years. I have made films with unknown, first-time actors, with big stars and superstars. I have made out-and-out commercial films and rather grim, deliberately discomforting political films. And for the past two years, I have been trying to understand why fewer and fewer people watch a film in a theatre. I don't have a definitive answer but I do have some clues.

Fuel for a green Viksit Bharat 

India's aspiration to be "viksit" by the centenary year of its independence, while adhering to the net zero carbon emissions target for 2070, needs a strategy for sustained per capita energy use. The strategy also needs to focus on achieving a Human Development Index of 0.95, which is characteristic of advanced countries, and provide clean energy for this purpose. This corresponds to around 28,000 TWh of total energy annually. The available clean energy sources to address this need are renewable energy, large hydro power and nuclear. Among them, nuclear energy's contribution would need to be at least around 20,000 TWh annually since the other two together are unlikely to exceed 8,000 TWh. Today, India consumes around 9,800 TWh annually with around 96 per cent coming from fossil resources. Clean energy needs to increase 70 times and around 70 per cent of it needs to come from nuclear in 45 years.

The full frame

In a country where women in public life are expected to be circumspect about personal milestones - especially those that might provoke commentary - Mahua Moitra did the opposite. By sharing vignettes from her private wedding with fellow politician Pinaki Misra of the BJD in Berlin on social media, the 50-year-old Trinamool Congress MP made it clear that she will not edit herself to fit into anyone else's frame.

ANTI-IMMIGRATION RAIDS: BEHIND MASSIVE PROTESTS IN LOS ANGELES

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said they were arresting protesters en masse after a curfew came into effect in downtown LA on Tuesday night. The 10-hour curfew was announced by Mayor Karen Bass after days of protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and military deployment. 

Hundreds of US Marines have arrived in LAunder orders from Trump to help protect federal personnel and property. There are already thousands of National Guard troops in the city. The move to deploy such a large number of troops has been criticised by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who called it an "assault" on democracy.

Drone warfare & India 

On July 1, 2021, then Army Chief General M M Naravane had warned: "While we pursue our quest for niche technologies, including Al, it would be prudent to remember that future wars will also involve low technology, which is easy to obtain but difficult to defeat."

These words ring truer than ever in the context of two recent events.

PEOPLE'S SENSITIVITY TO ENVIRONMENT MAY BE GENETICALLY INFLUENCED: STUDY

A study has revealed the genetic factors that may make some people more or less sensitive to the environments they experience. These factors can also trigger symptoms of mental disorder, according to the analysis.

Why the Census 2027 is critical for India's economic growth & development

After a delay of six years, India is set to conduct the Census in two phases over 2026 and 2027. Among other things, Census data - meant to provide a snapshot of the country's population as on March 1, 2027 - will be of critical importance for the functioning of the Indian economy.

For first time in 6 years, CPI inflation likely to have fallen below 3% in May

India's headline retail inflation rate may have fallen below 3 per cent for the first time in just over six years in May 2025, with food prices again expected to drive down the overall trajectory even though vegetables became somewhat more expensive last month compared to April 2025.

Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), data for which will be released by the statistics ministry at 1600 IST on Thursday, was already at a multi-year low of 3.16 per cent in April 2025.

Govt forms task force amid focus on textiles in free trade agreements

As access for Indian textile exports remains a key demand from Indian negotiators in free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, a new task force comprising officials from several departments has been formed to address issues across the value chain - from skilling and labour to logistics and sustainability.

Sebi to introduce verified UPI IDs for payment collection by intermediaries

To enhance investor protection and combat unauthorised money collection, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Wednesday announced the introduction of a structured and validated Unified Payment Interface (UPI) address mechanism for its registered intermediaries.

Peter Thiel-backed Bullish confidentially files for initial public offering with US SEC

Cryptocurrency exchange operator Bullish confidentially filed for an IPO in recent weeks, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. This report comes a week after rival Gemini shared a similar announcement. Bullish, backed by PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel, aims to tap into rising investor interest in cryptocurrencies under the Trump administration, according to the report.

In Germany, Nvidia set to build first industrial AI cloud

Nvidia Will build its first artificial intelligence cloud platform for industrial applications in Germany, CEO Jensen Huang said at the Viva Tech conference in Paris on Wednesday.