As India prepares to celebrate its 80th Independence Day on August 15, a heartwarming message has arrived from more than 400 kilometres above Earth. Three Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) extended their Independence Day greetings to the people of India while holding the Indian Tricolour, offering a powerful symbol of the friendship between the two countries. The message was delivered by cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev. In

India has formally identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names and incorporated them into the official maps of the Survey of India. The move comes amid repeated attempts by China to assign its own names to locations in the northeastern state, which Beijing claims as part of what it calls “Zangnan” or southern Tibet. The latest exercise is significant not simply because it standardises geographical names, but because several of t

India has achieved another significant milestone in its strategic defence programme with the successful test-firing of the Agni-4 medium-range ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha. The launch, conducted on August 6, 2026, was carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and successfully validated the missile's operational and technical parameters. The successful trial highlights India's continued focus on maintaini

Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has broken his silence over his resignation, stating that he had volunteered to step down following the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG examination. Pradhan’s remarks have provided greater clarity on the circumstances behind his departure and highlighted his stated priority of protecting the interests of students and preventing the examination controversy from becoming a larger source of social and political tension. Prad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain for raising an objection after noticing an inaccurate representation of India at a restaurant in Glasgow during the 2026 Commonwealth Games. What began as a moment during a celebratory gathering of Indian athletes soon drew wider attention after Borgohain highlighted the omission of the northeastern region from the map displayed by the restaurant. The Prime Minister later referred to the incident while in

The Union Cabinet has approved a major national programme to accelerate the production of compressed biogas across India. Known as the GOBARdhan scheme, or the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme, the initiative carries an outlay of ₹23,731 crore and will be implemented from the financial year 2026-27 to 2035-36. Administered by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the scheme seeks to convert agricultural residue, cattle dung, press mud, municipal organic waste and other

India’s defence sector has undergone a quiet but decisive transformation over the past decade. Once known primarily as one of the world’s largest arms importers, the country has steadily built a reputation as a reliable exporter of indigenous systems. In the financial year 2025-26, defence exports reached a record Rs 38,424 crore, marking a 62.66 per cent increase over the previous year. This growth reflects both public-sector strength and the rising contribution of private i

Punjab Police have successfully dismantled two cross-border terror modules allegedly directed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. The operation in Amritsar resulted in the arrest of nine individuals, including four juveniles, and the recovery of weapons and explosive materials. Officials stated that one of the modules had planned an attack at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during recent student protests. Members of the group had travelled to the site with logistical support and

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a breakfast meeting with newly elected and first-term Rajya Sabha members of the National Democratic Alliance on August 5, 2026, at his residence in New Delhi. The interaction, attended by around 36 to 37 lawmakers, continued the Prime Minister’s practice of meeting groups of MPs during Parliament sessions to offer guidance and share perspectives drawn from public life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal and othe

India has successfully repatriated 274 fugitive criminals from 36 countries between 2019 and July 2026. This represents an average of around 39 to 40 returns each year, a marked increase compared with the earlier period from 2004 to 2013, when only about four fugitives were brought back annually. During the same seven-year span, assets worth Rs 17,874 crore linked to these fugitives were attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while restitution of Rs 18,762 cro

Meta’s senior leadership has formally apologised to the Indian government after a video post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefly restricted on Facebook. The development followed high-level meetings in New Delhi and comes against the backdrop of wider concerns about content moderation on the company’s platforms. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg | India Today The Apology and Official Meetings On Wednesday, Meta’s chief global officer Joel Kaplan met Union Minister for Electroni

India has issued a strong condemnation of the ongoing legislative assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, describing them as a complete farce while drawing attention to a sustained crackdown by Pakistani security forces. The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted public protests and the loss of civilian lives as the defining reality of the region rather than any genuine electoral process. The elections have been overshadowed by allegations of rigging, pol

India’s defence sector is witnessing a major technological transformation as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Esri India have joined hands to develop advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) and Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) solutions for defence applications. The collaboration marks an important step towards strengthening India’s indigenous defence capabilities by integrating artificial intelligence, geospatial intelligence, and advanced data analytics i

A fresh controversy has erupted in Karnataka after Home Minister Priyank Kharge's remarks on protesting Civil Police Constable recruitment aspirants drew widespread criticism. The comments came amid growing demands from candidates seeking a fair investigation into alleged irregularities during the recently conducted recruitment examination. The issue has since evolved into a political flashpoint, with opposition leaders questioning the government's handling of the matter and

India's private SpaceTech industry has entered a new phase of growth, attracting significant investor interest and establishing itself as one of the country's most promising deep-tech sectors. According to a report by Tracxn, Indian SpaceTech startups have collectively raised $871 million through 241 funding rounds as of July 2026. The impressive investment reflects the increasing confidence of venture capital firms and global investors in India's expanding commercial space e

India concluded its campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a commendable performance, winning a total of 39 medals and securing fourth place in the overall medal standings. The Indian contingent returned home with 13 gold, 17 silver, and 9 bronze medals, reflecting the country's growing strength across multiple sporting disciplines despite a reduced competition programme compared to previous editions. Following the conclusion of the Games, Prime Minister Nare

India and Uzbekistan have set an ambitious goal of doubling their bilateral trade to nearly $3 billion over the next three years, marking a significant step in strengthening economic ties between the two countries. The announcement was made during the India-Uzbekistan Business Forum in New Delhi, where government officials and business leaders discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, manufacturing, mining, pharmaceuticals, technology, agriculture, and renewable e

India is steadily moving towards one of its most ambitious defence achievements—the development of its first indigenous fighter jet engine. The project is expected to significantly reduce the country's dependence on imported propulsion systems and strengthen its long-term military capabilities. If successful, India will join a select group of nations capable of independently designing and manufacturing advanced fighter aircraft engines, a technology regarded as one of the mos

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has announced a major expansion of its services in India by introducing in-country inference for its Claude family of AI models through Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Web Services' (AWS) managed platform for generative AI. The initiative is expected to make it easier for Indian enterprises, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and government organizations to deploy advanced AI solutions while ensuring that sensitive data remains with

Skyroot Aerospace has taken a decisive step toward greater self-reliance by announcing plans to develop its own launch pad. The decision follows the successful maiden orbital flight of its Vikram-1 rocket and signals the company’s determination to increase launch frequency while reducing dependence on shared facilities. As India’s private space industry continues to expand, this development positions Skyroot to play a more prominent role in the global small-satellite launch m