PM calls for district GDP estimates, CMS press for affordable energy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday asked states to pursue investments from partner countries by addressing grievances rapidly and to come up with district-level GDP estimates to deal with growth-related challenges at the grassroots level.

'Homemakers nation builders': SC puts 'loss of domestic care' at Rs 30K monthly

Defining Homemakers as "nation builders", the Supreme Court on Thursday fixed Rs 30,000 as their notional monthly income for the purpose of motor accident claims in the event of their death. 

'Patriarchal preference for male child': SC says strict enforcement of PCPNDT Act needed

The Supreme Court on Friday said "deep-seated patriarchal preferences towards a male child and the behind the curtains prevalence of sex-selection practices" continue to exist in the country despite improvement in the national child sex ratio. 

R&D underspending in India has no one cause. It's systemic as well as cultural

India's corporate sector underwent a degree of financialisation - a shift in priorities from productive investment to financial return somewhat earlier than its level of industrial development warranted. 

Green energy can't yet bend climate curve

Last year, renewable energy installations scaled a landmark, globally. Solar, wind and hydro edged out fossil fuels as the predominant source of power. The world's two most populous countries, India and China, led the charge in adding clean energy installations. Yet, human activities pushed global warming to 1.37 degrees Celsius in 2025, according to the latest Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC) report, published on Wednesday in the journal Earth System Science Data. 

India-Myanmar ties will remain limited

India's Decision to accord Min Aung Hlaing a high-profile reception a few days ago signals a notable shift in its approach-to-ward Myanmar. Moving beyond its previous wait-and-watch approach, New Delhi appears willing to engage directly with the administration in Naypyidaw in pursuit of its strategic, security, and economic interests. 

Local cell mandate may hit solar scheme

The Centre's plan to install rooftop solar panels in 75 lakh households by year-end may hit a few bumps due to the limited availability and rising costs of these panels made from domestically-manufactured solar cells.

About 40 lakh rooftop systems have been installed under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana so far, adding over 12 gigawatts (GW) capacity. Vendors and installers empanelled under the scheme across multiple states. 

Protecting industry from unfair trade practices of certain countries: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that countries safeguard their domestic industries, and India is no exception.

But India remains committed to navigating trade challenges through dialogue, cooperation, and mutually beneficial engagement, he said.

TCS ties up with Anthropic to help clients on enterprise AI adoption

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest IT services company, on Thursday announced a global strategic partnership with Anthropic, the frontier Al company behind Claude, to help customers scale enterprise AI adoption.

TCS will setup a dedicated Business Unit focused on delivering strong customer value propositions, joint industry solutions and deep AI expertise on the Claude family of models through early access to Claude models, TCS said. 

Centre waives excise duty on ethanol-blended petrol

The Centre has waived excise duty on variants of ethanol-blended petrol, a notification by the finance ministry said.

The waiver is applicable on E22, E25, E27 and E30 variants of petrol.

In the notification, the ministry said excise duty will be 'nil' on petrol with 22%, 25%, 27% and 30% ethanol blend.

World Bank raises India's FY27 growth forecast to 6.6%

The World Bank marginally raised its growth outlook for India to 6.6% from 6.5% for the financial year 2027 (FY27), even as it cut its global growth forecast for 2026 to 2.5% due to the war in the West Asia.

In its June 2026 Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank raised India's growth estimate for FY28 by 0.6 percentage point to 7.2%. 

1,569 days: The war in Ukraine has now gone on longer than First World War

The War in Ukraine has often been compared to World War I for its brutal infantry assaults and heavy casualties. Yet the idea that it could, by any measure, surpass a conflict so long and bloody that French soldiers hoped it would be "the last of the last" once seemed unthinkable. 

Bill to ban social media for users under 16 tabled

Canada Introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe. Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards.