From defence to visa-free transit, India & Germany push forward

As visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks in Gandhinagar on Monday, India and Ger-many signed 19 pacts-including roadmaps on defence industrial cooperation and higher education, joint declaration on critical minerals and semiconductor ecosystem, a bilateral dialogue mechanism on Indo-Pacific - and also announced a visa-free entry regime for Indian passengers transiting through Germany.

Setback for ISRO: PSLV mission fails again, deviates from path

The indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) suffered a major setback on Monday, with its PSLV-C62 mission, the first of the year, failing to reach its intended orbit because of problems in the rocket. The PSLV-C62 rocket was carrying EOS-N1, an earth observation satellite, and 15 other payloads, including seven from Brazil and Nepal. All the pay-loads were lost.

New envoy breaks ice: Trade talks today, India in US-led AI, supply chain alliance

Amid anticipation that India and the US are close to signing the first phase of the long-awaited trade deal, US Ambassador-designate Sergio Gor Monday said that the "next call" on trade between the two countries is set to happen on January 13. Gor also invited India to the Pax Silica initiative, a month after leaving New Delhi out of the US-led initiative, indicating a dialling down of tensions be-tween the two countries.

Jal Jeevan outlay to be cut 60% this year

The centre is planning to cut the outlay of its flagship rural tap water scheme or Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) by almost 60 per cent from Rs 67,000 crore allocated in Budget 2025-26 to Rs 17,000 crore in the revised estimates (RE) of the current financial year.

Equality isn't enemy of growth. High inequality erodes social trust

The way income inequality is framed in public debate is a red herring. By associating all talk of equality with resentment, we avoid asking serious questions about inequality's real effects.

Fear of Tehran's regime is receding in Iran

The regime has cultivated ritualised republicanism, where voting becomes a performance of consent rather thana mechanism of accountability.

First time in 50 years, coal-fired electricity generation saw year-on-year decline in 2025

For the first time in half a century, coal-fired electricity generation in India saw a year-on-year decline in 2025, driven largely by the rapid growth in power generation from renewables, a new study by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has said.

UN top court opens landmark case on Rohingya genocide

Myanmar will face accusations on Monday that it is re-sponsible for genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority at the top court of the United Nations, as long-awaited hearings are set to begin.

The West African country of Gambia first filed the case at the International Court of Justice in 2019, arguing a so-called "clearance operation" by Myan-mar's military in 2017 violated the 1948 Genocide Convention.

After Trump threats, Cuban President says no talks yet

Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel said Monday that his administration is currently not in talks with the US government, a day after President Donald Trump threatened the Caribbean island in the wake of the US attack on Venezuela.

'Old' CPI inflation rises to 1.33% in Dec, ends 2025 outside RBI's 2-6% range

India's headline retail inflation rate based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 1.33 per cent in the final month of 2025 from 0.71 per cent in November, pulled up by an unfavourable base effect even as food prices were down on a year-on-year basis for the seventh month in a row. According to data released on Monday by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), retail food prices fell 2.71 per cent year-on-year in December after falling by 3.91 per cent the previous month.

China, EU agree on steps to resolve EV imports dispute

China and the European Union said Monday they have agreed on steps toward resolving their dispute over the bloc's im-ports of Chinese-made electric vehicles. A "guidance document" released by the EU on Monday gives instructions for Chinese EV manufacturers on making price offers for EV ex-ports, including minimum im-port prices and other details. The EU had imposed tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on Chinese EV im-ports in 2024 following an anti-subsidy investigation.

The 'heavy' lure of Venezuela's crude for the US

The US is the largest oil producer in the world and a top exporter of the so-called black gold. Yet, the Donald Trump administration clearly seems to want Venezuelan crude. In addition to the pursuit of continued energy market dominance and keeping oil prices in check, the very nature of Venezuelan oil-highly viscous and "sour"-appears to be a key reason behind American interest in it.

For second straight time, ISRO sees third-stage issue

The PSLV, or Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, is what is known as a four-stage rocket. The stages refer to different parts of the rocket, each of which have their own engines and fuel. Each of these stages sequentially take charge of propelling the mission. They get detached and discarded after doing their job. The stages are some-times also used to refer to the different phases of the mission flight.

The genesis of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, now part of US policy under Trump

It is traced back to 1823, when then US President James Monroe convened his Cabi-net to deliberate on a national security crisis. In his book The Monroe Doctrine: Empire and Nation in Nineteenth-Century America (2011), Sexton wrote, "The Monroe administration feared that European powers were seeking to recolonize the newly independent states of Spanish America, an act that might endanger the United States itself." Monroe sent a message to Congress, which provided a basis for the doctrine.