NATIONAL

New Delhi/Guwahati: has announced plans to construct an approximately 34–36 km underground railway line through the strategically vital Siliguri Corridor, the narrow land strip that connects India’s northeastern states to the mainland. The project is aimed at ensuring safer, uninterrupted transportation while reducing geopolitical vulnerabilities, according to reports. Officials believe the underground route will significantly…

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry on January 28, 2026, issued a new directive regarding the national song Vande Mataram, formally defining a protocol for its performance. The order mandates that the full six-stanza version, lasting 3 minutes and 10 seconds, be sung or played at government functions and educational institutions, marking the first official…

New Delhi: A political and legal controversy has erupted after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen holding a copy of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s memoir “Four Stars of Destiny”—a book that publisher Penguin Random House India insists has not been released in any form. The incident has prompted the Delhi Police to…

New Delhi: Following the announcement of the framework for an India–U.S. Interim Trade Agreement, an official map of India released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has sparked widespread discussion. The map depicts the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir—including Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK)—as part of India, and also marks Aksai Chin,…

New Delhi: Security forces have killed a suspected Pakistani terrorist during an ongoing counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said, underscoring continued efforts to dismantle militant networks in the region. The terrorist was neutralized on Wednesday evening in the snow-bound higher reaches of Kishtwar as part of a joint operation involving the…

New Delhi, Feb 4: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Sports Authority of India following allegations that gyms and fitness centres are being misused to exploit young women, including for forced religious…

New Delhi:Indian financial markets rallied sharply after the United States decided to reduce tariffs on Indian exports, a move widely seen as a major breakthrough in bilateral trade relations. Investors responded with strong buying across sectors, pushing benchmark indices higher and strengthening the Indian rupee against the U.S. dollar. According to market analysts, the tariff…

New Delhi:Amid rising geopolitical tensions and protectionist tariff policies that have unsettled the global economy, India is quietly positioning itself as a major trade powerhouse. Over the past seven months, the country has secured five significant bilateral trade agreements, strengthening its ambition to achieve $1 trillion in merchandise exports by 2030. The rapid pace of…

What Happened: The Trade Deal in Brief Immediate Economic Reactions Financial Markets Exporters’ Response How This Tariff Cut Affects Key Economic Areas 1. Trade and Export Competitiveness 2. Impact on GDP and Growth 3. Sectoral & Domestic Manufacturing Effects Geopolitical and Strategic Implications India-Russia Energy Ties India–Russia Relations Longer-Term Considerations Diversification of Export Markets Policy…

New Delhi:Pakistani media outlets have reacted sharply to India’s recently concluded Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union, warning that the deal could significantly impact the export-driven economies of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Several newspapers and television commentators in Pakistan have gone so far as to describe the agreement as an “economic surgical strike” by…