The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The declaration was triggered after a sharp spike involving over 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths, raising severe concerns over local and […]

Recently, the President of India promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, increasing the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37 (excluding the Chief Justice of India). With this, the total sanctioned judicial strength of the apex court, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI), rises from 34 to

Recently, researchers from IIT-Madras and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, published a pathbreaking study in the journal Science. They successfully synthesized the first stable, completely carbon-free inorganic analogue of ferrocene using boron rings and the transition metal osmium. Background: The Significance of Ferrocene For decades, a major holy grail for inorganic chemists was

In a major fiscal move aimed at stabilizing the Indian Rupee and managing the Current Account Deficit (CAD), the Union Government has doubled the effective import duty on gold and silver. The total tax incidence has jumped from 9.2% to 18.4%, effective from May 13, 2026. The Revised Tax Structure The tax on precious metals

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, announced at the CII Annual Business Summit 2026 (May 12, 2026) that the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is slated for implementation on June 1, 2026. Conversely, negotiations for the India-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) are facing structural hurdles primarily due to the asymmetry in economic

In a significant leap toward “Hyper-local” meteorology, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has unveiled a new forecast system designed to provide block-level forecasts for the monsoon’s arrival. Covering approximately 3,196 blocks across 15 States in its initial phase, this system marks a transition from regional/district-level generalizations to granular, actionable data for the agricultural heartland of

In April 2026, India’s retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), touched a 13-month high of 3.5%. While the headline number indicates a quickening of price pressures compared to March (3.4%). The rise is primarily attributed to supply-side shocks emanating from the volatile geopolitical situation in West Asia and emerging climatic risks. Key

Actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, signaling a potential shift in the State’s long-standing bipolar political landscape (DMK vs. AIADMK) dominant since 1967. Key Highlights: Continuity in Assam: Second Term for Himanta Biswa Sarma Himanta Biswa Sarma was elected as the leader of the