A UN body that regulates deep international waters is preparing to elect its next leader, a crucial position as it faces pressure to either ban, approve or place a moratorium on seabed mining. The upcoming election comes as the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority ended a two-week session on Friday without reaching a consensus on a regulatory framework for deep-sea mining. The drawn-out debate raises concerns that the authority could receive an application later this year seeking the first deep sea mining exploitation license without having rules or regulations in place. The Metals Com ..read more

India and Ukraine are looking at the possibility of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kyiv next month amid renewed global efforts to bring peace to the eastern European nation, multiple diplomatic sources said on Saturday. Modi might visit Kyiv around the Ukrainian National Day on August 24 and is expected to travel to Poland after concluding the trip to Ukraine, the sources said. The prime minister held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy's Apulia. If Modi travels to Poland, it would be the first by an Indian prime ..read more

Around 86 per cent of Jharkhand's arable land, meant for paddy sowing, is still lying fallow due to scanty rainfall, officials said. Paddy sowing has not yet taken off in four out of 24 districts even though the peak period of sowing ends next week, according to agricultural experts. Jharkhand has registered a 47 per rainfall deficit till July 26, officials said. Farmers are worried over the condition and they speculate the state might face drought-like situations for the third consecutive term. In 2023, 158 blocks in 17 districts were declared drought-hit by the state government, and in 2022 ..read more

The government has ordered the extraction of two BSF battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, from Odisha to beef up security in the terror-hit Jammu region along the India-Pakistan border, official sources said on Saturday. The decision to "immediately" move the two units from the anti-Naxal operations grid to Jammu was taken in the wake of the recent spate of terror attacks in the region, the sources told PTI. Officials in the security establishment said the two Border Security Force (BSF) units were meant to be deployed as the "second line" of defence behind the first tier of its u ..read more

Red Sea crisis causing global shipping disruptions reminiscent of those seen during Covid-19 pandemic ..read more

The West Bengal chief minister said that despite being the only opposition member participating, she felt it was insulting that she was not allowed to speak longer ..read more

The Agnipath scheme will be cancelled "as soon as we come to power", Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday, a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced reservation for retired Agniveers. While campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections, Yadav had repeatedly promised to scrap the short-term military recruitment scheme if the INDIA bloc, of which the Samajwadi Party is a constituent, came to power. In a post on X, Yadav said, "As soon as we come to power, the short-term 'Agniveer' military recruitment that compromises the security of the country and plays ..read more

The Rajasthan government will provide reservation for Agniveers in the recruitment of jail and forest guards and state police, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has said. A statement from the Chief Minister's Office on Saturday said Sharma made a big announcement for Agniveers on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas (July 26). "The Rajasthan government has made a provision of reservation in state police, jail guard and forest guard recruitments for the Agniveers who protect the country's borders with a sense of dedication and patriotism," it said. "With this decision of the state government under ..read more

Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture becomes first Indian airline to offer free Wi-Fi benefit ..read more

Renewable energy projects of about 151 GW capacity are under various stages of implementation in the country, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has said. The Minister for New and Renewable Energy further said that around 76.42 GW of renewable energy capacity will be operationalized in next 3-4 years. "The government is taking several initiatives to prioritise renewable energy. Nearly 151 GW of renewable projects are being implemented, and 76.42 GW will be operationalized in 3-4 years," he said addressing a session at 'Mercom India Renewables Summit 2024' in the national capital on Friday. The tende ..read more