The High Seas Treaty is in news as more countries move toward ratification, bringing it closer to entry into force and strengthening global efforts to conserve marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions.
Charter aviation is in news after multiple recent crashes and a helicopter crash-landing, prompting the DGCA to tighten safety norms, enhance audits, and propose stricter oversight of non-scheduled operator
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is in news due to controversies over false innovation claims, VIP restrictions, and arrests of Youth Congress activists after a protest against the India–U.S. trade deal.
I2U2 is in news due to renewed discussions on joint projects in food security, clean energy, and regional connectivity, amid evolving West Asian geopolitics and supply chain realignments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Jerusalem visit upgraded India–Israel ties but sparked debate over India’s stance on Palestine and its broader strategic balance in West Asia.
ISRO recently disclosed findings of the NVS-02 satellite failure, nearly a year after launch, raising questions about transparency, internal oversight, and institutional accountability within India’s evolving space sector.
Rising scientific evidence of microplastics and chemical leaching in bottled water has raised public health and regulatory concerns, questioning safety perceptions and highlighting gaps in India’s current oversight mechanisms.
Recently, President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address focused on defending tariffs, immigration policies, and Iran strategy, while responding to a Supreme Court setback and growing public dissatisfaction ahead of mid-term elections.
India’s HPV vaccination drive is vital to prevent cervical cancer, reduce high mortality, strengthen public health, and promote scientific trust amid rising vaccine hesitancy, ensuring long-term protection for young girls nationwide.
IMEC is in news due to renewed diplomatic engagement among India, Gulf nations, and Europe, discussions on implementation progress, and its strategic relevance amid West Asian geopolitical tensions and global supply chain diversification.
The Supreme Court recently declined to enforce its 2018 anti-lynching guidelines, raising concerns about judicial oversight, state accountability, and rising incidents of cow vigilantism.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is in news due to unusually high voter deletions, gender disparities, absence of updated Census data, and concerns over its impact on migrants and electoral inclusiveness.
The AI Impact Summit in New Delhi gained attention due to massive public enthusiasm for AI, adoption of a declaration by 89 countries, and debates over AI governance, infrastructure challenges, and India’s global leadership role.
IBSA is in news due to renewed India–Brazil engagement, rising U.S. tariff tensions, and growing emphasis on Global South coordination, highlighting its role in strengthening multilateralism and collective strategic cooperation.
Brazilian President’s recent India visit gained attention due to agreements on trade expansion, critical minerals, and digital cooperation, alongside joint concerns over U.S. tariffs and renewed commitment to Global South solidarity and multilateralism.
Recent events exposed confusion that House rules can override Article 105 speech freedom; however, as clarified by the Supreme Court, procedural rules cannot eclipse constitutional rights of MPs.
To secure technology leadership, diversify supply chains away from China, strengthen domestic semiconductor and AI capacity, attract investment, access critical minerals, and enhance India’s geopolitical influence in emerging tech governance frameworks.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump unlawfully used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs, reinforcing congressional authority over trade and limiting executive power in policy.
In news due to International Mother Language Day (21 February) observed by UNESCO and release of the State of the Education Report for India 2025 – Bhasha Matters, highlighting renewed focus on mother-tongue-based education under NEP 2020 reforms.
Manipur is in news after Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen advocated continuation of buffer zones and empathetic reconciliation, highlighting persistent ethnic tensions and fragile peace following prolonged violence and President’s Rule.
The Justice Kurian Joseph Committee report is in news for highlighting growing centralisation of power, warning of federal erosion, and recommending urgent structural reforms to restore balance in Union–State relations.
The RTI Act, 2005 is in news due to concerns over vacancies and delays in Information Commissions, rising case pendency, and debates on transparency following recent disclosures and amendment-related institutional independence issues.
Iran’s nuclear issue is in news as the U.S. under Donald Trump pursues renewed talks with Tehran after military strikes, raising fears of escalation and impacting regional stability, oil markets, and global geopolitics.
The Supreme Court has referred challenges to the RTI amendment under the DPDP Act to a Constitution Bench, citing constitutional concerns over transparency, privacy, and public interest.
In the news due to recent rulings by the National Green Tribunal on major infrastructure and environmental clearance cases, highlighting debates over ecological safeguards, tribal rights, and sustainable development priorities.
Due to phased reopening of Kashmir tourist sites after the April 2025 Pahalgam attack and the Union Budget 2026–27 announcement promoting sustainable tourism and institutional capacity building in the region.
The National Green Tribunal upheld environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar Project, endorsing its strategic importance despite biodiversity concerns and objections regarding tribal rights compliance.
India and France renewed their 10-year defence cooperation agreement and signed a pact to manufacture HAMMER missiles in India, deepening strategic defence ties and boosting indigenous defence production.
IndiGo’s operational crisis in December 2025 triggered nationwide fare spikes, prompting government-imposed price caps and a DGCA probe into potential market dominance abuse, sparking debate on data-driven aviation regulation in India.
The Supreme Court of India directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to consider mandatory front-of-package warning labels on unhealthy packaged foods to combat rising non-communicable diseases.
Budget 2026 has proposed measures to deepen India’s corporate bond market and redistribute long-term credit risk from banks to markets, aiming to address structural weaknesses in the financial system.
The Union government has introduced the Urban Challenge Fund, proposing market-linked financing where cities must raise 50% of project costs. Concerns arise over weak municipal capacity, unclear eligibility norms, and risks of politicised, inequitable urban development.
The issue is in news due to heightened transatlantic tensions at the Munich Security Conference, where European leaders questioned the rules-based order and U.S. security commitments amid the ongoing Ukraine war.
India–UAE ties are in news after achieving $100 billion trade five years early, setting a new $200 billion target by 2032, and expanding cooperation under CEPA into AI, infrastructure, and third-market outreach.
The issue is in news due to advance disbursal under KMUT before elections, raising concerns about poll-eve welfare, Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations, and the neutrality of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Donald Trump revoked the ‘endangerment finding’, weakening the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, potentially impacting global climate policy and auto industry standards.
The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee is in focus following its recent policy meeting, where it reviewed inflation trends, growth outlook, and liquidity conditions while deciding on the policy repo rate.
The labour codes are in focus due to implementation of the revised wage definition and gratuity for fixed-term employees, increasing corporate liabilities but strengthening worker social security, financial inclusion, and income redistribution, with significant macroeconomic implications.
The new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series is in news due to its 2024 base year revision, updated consumption weights, reduced food share, expanded basket including online marketplaces, and its implications for inflation measurement, fiscal planning, and RBI monetary policy decisions.
The J&K government shelved the ₹416.72-crore relocation-based restoration plan and shifted to an in-situ conservation approach, recognising residents as part of the lake ecosystem.
The IT Amendment Rules, 2026 are mandating AI-content labelling and sharply reducing takedown timelines to 2–3 hours, raising concerns over free speech, platform liability, and transparency.
Pulses are in news after U.S. trade documents suggested India may import American pulses, raising farmer concerns about price depression, MSP protection, and contradictions with India’s self-sufficiency mission.
Inflation matters because it directly affects daily household expenses. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures this by tracking prices of regularly used goods and services, reflecting changes in costs of food, rent, fuel, and other basic needs.
Assam heads toward Assembly elections, and a petition in the Supreme Court of India challenges alleged communal remarks by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, raising constitutional and hate speech concerns.
India’s CPI base year is being revised from 2012 to 2024, with updated weights and methodology based on the latest consumption survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, to better reflect current spending patterns and improve inflation measurement accuracy.
Om Birla is in the news after deciding, on moral grounds, to stay away from presiding over Lok Sabha proceedings until the Opposition’s notice for his removal is disposed of.
Japan is in the news as Sanae Takaichi secured a landslide snap-election victory, giving the Liberal Democratic Partyits strongest post-war mandate and reshaping domestic politics and regional security debat
The New START Treaty expired on February 5, 2026, ending U.S.–Russia nuclear limits and raising concerns over renewed arms races and weakened global arms control frameworks.
India’s leadership in the Kimberley Process matters because its central role in the global diamond value chain, combined with technological capacity and Global South credibility, enables it to push practical, inclusive, and transparent reforms that strengthen diamond governance worldwide.
The Uttar Pradesh government ordered an FIR against a film’s makers over its title, reviving debate on free speech, criminalisation of expression, and the constitutional limits of executive power in regulating art.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Malaysia made headlines for resetting strained ties, signing MoUs, strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation, and reaffirming India’s commitment to ASEAN.
The Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address without the Prime Minister’s reply, citing alleged security concerns.
Myanmar is in news as its military held controversial elections in Dec 2025–Jan 2026, five years after the coup, drawing international criticism, rejection by resistance groups, and raising strategic, security, and diplomatic challenges for India.
India’s Supreme Court of India questioned WhatsApp and Meta Platforms LLC over 2021 data-sharing changes, while hearing an appeal against a Competition Commission of India penalty, highlighting WhatsApp’s dominance, network effects, and the need for digital competition safeguards.
The Supreme Court set a three-week deadline for the Telangana Assembly Speaker to decide pending defection petitions, warning that any further delay would amount to contempt of court.
Balochistan is in the news due to insurgency, coordinated militant attacks, military reprisals, human rights concerns, strategic Gwadar port, and disputes over resource exploitation and local grievances.
The Meghalaya rat-hole mine blast killing 18 workers highlights illegal mining risks, weak enforcement, unsafe conditions, and urgent need for governance, technology, and alternative livelihoods.
The Motion of Thanks gained attention due to heated debates and amendments in the recent parliamentary session, reflecting opposition scrutiny of government policies and reaffirming its role as a test of majority support in the Lok Sabha.
Union Budget 2026–27 increased health allocations and launched Biopharma SHAKTI, but drew criticism for low health spending as a share of GDP and for missing the National Health Policy target despite rising public health needs.
Union Budget 2026–27 expanded climate-linked allocations, notably ₹20,000 crore for CCUS and higher funding for rooftop solar, highlighting India’s cautious shift towards industrial decarbonisation amid EU CBAM pressures.
The India–U.S. trade deal is in focus due to a sharp U.S. tariff cut to 18%, boosting Indian exports and competitiveness.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission (2024–29) has been constituted by the President of India to recommend the sharing of central taxes, grants-in-aid, and measures to improve financial stability of States in the context of emerging challenges such as climate change, population dynamics, and fiscal sustainability.
Recently President’s Rule was revoked after nearly a year, paving the way for a new BJP-led government under Yumnam Khemchand Singh.
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has gained prominence as the European Union began its transitional reporting phase in October 2023, with full financial implementation scheduled from January 2026. India and other developing countries have raised concerns at WTO platforms, arguing that CBAM may act as a trade-restrictive measure affecting exports of carbon-intensive goods.
The AI industry is shifting from infrastructure hype to application-led profitability, highlighting investor focus on real revenues, enterprise adoption, and sustainable business models, similar to how the internet was monetised through applications rather than raw capacity.
The India–U.S. trade deal has boosted markets and industries, but uncertainty over timelines, strategic commitments, and energy implications persists, underscoring the need for transparency and parliamentary scrutiny.
Make in India is in focus due to recent Union Budget measures, expansion of PLI schemes, push for semiconductor manufacturing, and efforts to strengthen domestic production amid global supply-chain shifts and the China-plus-one strategy.
The Supreme Court expanded Article 21 to include menstrual health and hygiene, directing States to ensure school sanitation facilities and hold authorities accountable, marking a rights-based shift in addressing menstrual poverty and girls’ education.
Tamil Nadu has been highlighted in the Economic Survey 2025–26 for emerging as the fastest-growing State economy, driven by strong manufacturing growth, rising exports, high manufacturing employment, and leadership in green industrial initiatives, reinforcing its role in India’s economic transformation.
Union Budget 2026 marked a shift from Big Bang tax-centric reforms to a multi-pronged, sector-focused strategy. It focused on growth amid geopolitical and geo-economic uncertainty, avoiding disruptive policy shocks
Union Budget 2026-27 is in news for balancing growth and fiscal prudence through higher capex, manufacturing push, strategic incentives, cloud tax concessions, while leaving concerns on jobs, disinvestment shortfalls, energy needs and rupee volatility largely unaddressed.
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