Deeply offensive, do not advance shared ambitions: India on Vance, US steps

The US decision to suspend eight IT firms, including Microsoft, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro, from a programme to apply for green cards for foreign workers drew a sharp response from India Friday which said the steps announced "do not advance the shared ambitions" of both countries.

Why jurist Navi Pillay's work matters for a world facing 'existential challenges'

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday to South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, 85, whose work-from the apartheid regime in her home country to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza -has helped shape legal precedents on key global issues.

How India's growth rate keeps beating forecasts

In its latest monetary policy review this week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised this financial year's GDP growth forecast to 7.1%. At one level, this shows the economy's resilience to geopolitical challenges. Behind this upgrade is a story of yo-yoing forecasts. At the start of the financial year, RBI expected the GDP to grow at 6.9%. In June, it rolled it back to 6.6%, before moving it up to 6.7% in August and 7.1% now.

Survival, habitat: Challenges in rewilding great Indian bustard

• Great Indian bustards live in savannahs, deserts and grasslands.

• Unlike forests, grasslands are not seen as areas to be protected in public perception, making them vulnerable to degradation.

• Restoration and protection of grasslands is crucial for revival of bustards outside Rajasthan.

An obesity prescription beyond the clinic

The Global burden of diabetes and lifestyle diseases is increasingly extending to the young population. The WHO's first guidelines to manage obesity among children and adolescents are, therefore, significant. They provide recommendations while framing the problem as one whose resolution requires early, family-centred intervention.

Critical minerals stockpiling policy likely in a month

The Centre is planning to come up with a new policy on stockpiling of critical minerals within a month amid increasing concerns around supply chain disruptions, and to cut import dependency. "We are making very elaborate plans for the stockpiles," said Keshav Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, speaking at India Mines and Minerals Conclave 2026 organised by Industry body ASSOCHAM.

G20 statement on global overcapacity: Views of India, US may be converging

The US said Wednesday that 14 countries, including India, the European Union, Australia and Japan, have "acknowledged" that structural excess capacity and production in any country pose significant challenges for all of its trading partners and have decided to take "effective actions" in addressing the challenge.

Putin vows closer ties with former Soviet neighbours

Russia's President Vladimir Putin hailed cooperation with other ex-Soviet nations on Friday and vowed to help strengthen economic and other ties between them.

Putin said the Common-wealth of Independent States (CIS), a loose grouping of former Soviet nations, had become an "authoritative regional integration structure" helping maintain "economic, social, cultural and humanitarian ties developed by our peoples over centuries."

US sanctions ICC after ex-judge wins Nobel Peace Prize

US President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, hours after Navi Pillayone, one of its former judges, won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European allies.

The ICC's deputy prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, condemned the sanctions and said they would not halt the tribunal's work.