US and Iran signal deal near, differ on its terms

The United States and Iran Friday appeared to have sharply different understandings of the contents of an emerging pact to end their war, though both sides signalled that an agreement was close.

Pakistan, which has for weeks sought to broker a deal, said a final text of a peace agreement between the United States and Iran had been reached, although there was no immediate confirmation from Washington or Tehran.

India summons top US diplomat second time to protest strikes on ships

For the second time in less than 48 hours, India Friday summoned the US charge d'affaires (CDA) and lodged a "strong protest" over the series of attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman.

Planning of cities should be for the people: Minister

The BRICS Urbanisation Forum concluded in Delhi on Friday, with the adoption of a declaration on inclusive, sustainable and liveable cities, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal said.

Addressing a press conference, the Minister said the BRICS countries had accepted India's proposal to set up a BRICS Urban Research and Knowledge Network.

El Niño emerges in Pacific Ocean, to intensify during SW monsoon: IMD

The EL NIÑO phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which influences weather patterns worldwide, including the Indian monsoon, has developed, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday. It is expected to strengthen further during the southwest monsoon season, the IMD said in its El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) bulletin.

At BRICS meet, Chouhan bats for joint push on food security

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday called upon BRICS nations to work together to empower small and marginal cultivators, ensure food security and promote sustainable agricultural development. He stressed that challenges confronting the agriculture sector, including climate change and growing pressure on natural resources, could be effectively addressed only through collective efforts.

Four sites on Nicobar west coast identified for coral translocation, says Zoological Survey

Coral Colonies and giant clams that will be impacted due to the work on the transhipment port proposed at Galathea Bay as part of the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) mega project will be translocated to four sites on the west coast of the islands, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has said.

Content of national importance in I&B's draft rules for TV, radio

TV Channels should air 30 minutes of content daily be-tween 6 am and 11 pm on themes of national importance, private FM stations should broadcast at least an hour of programme of "social relevance", and appointments of key managerial personnel should be made after security clearance: These are some of the draft rules the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) ministry has published for the telecommunications sector.

European weapons used against India: Jaishankar

European Countries sell weapons that are used against India, but New Delhi has never done anything to endanger Europe's security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.

His sharp remarks came in response to a question on India allegedly adopting a "morally ambiguous" position on the Russia-Ukraine war during an interactive session held in Finland on Thursday.

From KG to PG, Odisha announces 'free and universal' education

Students Taking admission in government colleges and universities in Odisha will no longer have to pay fees, with the state government announcing that education will be "free and universal".

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday announced free education from kindergarten to postgraduate level ("KG to PG") as the BJP government completed two years in office.

"Probably Odisha is the first state in the country to make such a provision in the education sector. It will immensely benefit the scholars especially the economically backward section," Majhi said. Officials said the decision is likely to benefit more than 10 lakh students.

Amid rising inflation, vigilance holds the key

In recent weeks, there has been much concern over the direction of inflation in the economy and the implications for monetary policy. Last week, when the Monetary Policy Committee kept interest rates unchanged, the RBI pegged inflation at 5.1 per cent for the year, up from its earlier assessment of 4.6 per cent. For the first quarter, it had projected 4.2 per cent. The latest data from the National Statistics Office show that while retail inflation edged slightly upwards to 3.93 per cent in May, from 3.48 per cent in April, it was marginally lower than expectations. This also puts inflation in the quarter so far at 3.7 per cent, slightly lower than the central bank's expectation.

Indian industry is at a crossroads. needs to look at longer horizons It

A private sector that captures domestic demand but remains technologically dependent-a consumer of intellectual property rather than a generator of it is one whose future profitability is under slow but accumulating existential threat. As competitors from East Asia continue to climb the value chain, the space for Indian businesses that decline to invest in frontier capabilities will narrow. The business community has historically looked to the state to create conditions for prosperity. The state's obligations in this regard are not trivial. But the capacity for strategic influence is not the state's to create unilaterally.

India at G7: From guest to strategic partner

The US, the UK, West Germany, France, Italy, and Japan got together in 1975 to form the G6, which became the G7 a year later, in 1976, with Canada joining it. Russia joined in 1998, transforming it into the G8, until its expulsion in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea. The G8 was an influential economic power controlling over two-thirds of global GDP. But in the past two decades, the global economic land-scape has transformed significantly. Countries like China, ASEAN nations,

and India have emerged as new major economies. Meanwhile, the G7's share of global GDP has declined to roughly 40 per cent.

However, its influence remains, given its leadership in advanced technologies, defence capabilities, green innovation, and cyber and space domains.

How trust underpins India's ties with France

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to France over the weekend for a bilateral visit as well as the G7 leaders' summit. He will be in Nice on June 13 and 14, in Evian on June 16 and 17 for the summit, and in Paris on June 17 and 18.

This is the Prime Minister's seventh official visit to France since 2014 and follows French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India on February 17-19, when bilateral relations were elevated to a "Special Global Strategic Partnership". France is one of India's most preferred partners in Europe, and the relationship, built on strategic autonomy and respect, has been a success story over the last several decades.

The forthcoming visit is a testament to New Delhi's durable ties with Paris.

Why Zojila tunnel breakthrough is a boost for military mobility

The Zojila tunnel, the world's longest high-altitude bidirectional road tunnel, is a step closer to completion after a "break-through" was achieved in its construction on Tuesday - marking the end of the excavation phase. The tunnel, which will connect Kashmir Valley and Ladakh through-out the year, is one of India's most important strategic infrastructure projects.

The project is significant for residents, who can soon expect all-weather connectivity, and for the armed forces, who can now reduce their dependence on air transport in the strategic Himalayan region.

Amid youth protests, a snapshot of India's employment rate over this decade

The reason is that CMIE provides a continuous data series since 2016. The official data, released by surveys from India's Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), have undergone many changes during this period.

Until 2011-12, MOSPI released Employment-Unemployment Surveys (EUS) once every five years. In 2017-18, MOSPI replaced it with the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The very first PLFS in 2017-18 found that unemployment had hit a 45-year high, but the government ran it down for flawed methodology.

The employment rate is arguably the more important metric than the unemployment rate for India. Here is why.

Food prices rise in May, propel household inflation to 3.93%

Consumer Prices in India rose 3.93% in May compared to a year ago as producers continued to pass on more of their input cost increases to house-holds, according to data released on Friday by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).

Higher food prices also drove up the overall inflation rate, with the Consumer Food Price Index rising 0.92% month-on-month in May as against a 0.75% increase in the overall CPI.

Case for capital gains tax changes in equities weaker than bonds: CEA

The Case for changes to capital gains taxes on equities is weaker than for bonds, Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran said on Friday, suggesting the government sees less urgency for further tweaks to the tax regime for stocks.

India exempted foreign institutional investors from capital gains tax on government securities last week, part of moves designed to attract more capital at a time when surging foreign equity outflows, elevated oil prices, and an embattled currency weigh.

India's forex reserves drop $711 mn: RBI

India's forex reserves dropped $711 million to $681.610 billion during the week ended June 5 due to a sharp decline in foreign currency reserves, the RBI said on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the overall reserves had jumped $938 million to $682.321 billion. For the week ended June 5, foreign currency as-sets a major component of the reserves - was down $2.704 billion to $543.444 billion.

'India willing to let fiscal deficit widen to 4.8% of GDP for FY27'

India is preparing for a wider-than-expected budget deficit this year, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing an official familiar with the matter, as the war in Iran raises fuel subsidy costs and pressures government finances. Reuters could not immediately verify the report and has sought comment from India's finance ministry.

Ebola outbreak spreads to crowded relief camp in east Congo: UNHCR

The UN refugee agency confirmed the first Ebola-related deaths in a displacement camp in eastern Congo, as aid workers warned of a high risk the disease could spread rapidly in over-crowded sites.

The two victims were internally displaced people living in the Kpangba camp, which hosts 30,000 internally displaced people, the UNHCR said in a report published on Thursday.