Since 2007, over 1 million immigrants have been granted green cards annually, except during the COVID-19 pandemic. A series of events has shone a spotlight on the U.S.’ H1B visa programme, which mostly benefits Indian workers. The programme allows U.S. employers to hire skilled foreign professionals for specialised roles. Recently, a month-old post on X … Read more
Women voters show their index fingers marked with an indelible ink after casting their vote in India’s national election in Prayagraj, India, May 25, 2024 | Photo Credit: Rajesh Kumar Singh The Election Commission (EC) has released granular data for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections recently. The gap between male and female turnouts was narrowing … Read more
A Muslim man watches from his house after a shop was demolished in the area that saw communal violence during a Hindu religious procession in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. | Photo Credit: Altaf Qadri On an index measuring religion-related hostilities for 2022, India scored the highest among 198 nations, according to a … Read more
While dropout rates decreased nationally, some States show concerning trends. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO There has been a marked improvement in the share of students continuing education into higher grades in 2024 compared to 2019, across India, without dropping out of school. Overall, of every 100 girls who started schooling, over 80 completed their … Read more
(1) Manu, Gukesh among four Khel Ratnas Double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker and chess world champion D Gukesh were among four winners of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award announced by the Sports Ministry, which also named an unprecedented 17 para-athletes in the list of 32 Arjuna awardees to honour their resounding success at the … Read more
Enrolments dropped by 16% in recognised Madrasas in 2023-24 compared to 2018-19 The number of students enrolled in Indian schools in 2023-24 declined by 1.22 crore compared with 2018-19, show data. Officials argue that Aadhaar numbers and unique student IDs have been used to identify beneficiaries of educational schemes and, in the process, duplicate entries … Read more
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath pays tribute to B.R. Ambedkar on his death anniversary, in Lucknow, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. | Photo Credit: Nand Kumar On December 17, Home Minister Amit Shah made some contentious comments on B.R. Ambedkar, which not only sparked debates in Parliament but also led to scuffles. There have also been protests … Read more
Data Point: Why Indian students face higher visa rejection rates in Australia | Video Credit: The Hindu Australia is facing a severe housing crisis. The government attributed last year’s sharp rise in immigration to be a key factor contributing to the crisis. In response, it has implemented measures to restrict the inflow of students whose … Read more
Anti Naxal Force (ANF) personnel at Pittabail, near Hebri, in Udupi district where the encounter of wanted Maoist leader Vikram Gowda took place late on November 18, 2024 | Photo Credit: UMESH S SHETTIGAR On Monday, eight security personnel were killed when Maoists blew up their vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. … Read more
Several ophthalmology institutions in South India connect village and town eyecare workers with research centres in hospitals In the book Mission Possible by Swami Subramanian and Aparajithan Srivathsan (Notion Press, Chennai), they suggest ways to pave the road to Universal Health Coverage. It is a positive book that suggests paving the way to universal health coverage, with … Read more
(1) Powerful quake hits Tibet, kills over 100 A devastating earthquake in China’s remote Tibet region killed at least 126 people and damaged thousands of buildings on Tuesday (January 7, 2025), with tremors also felt in neighbouring Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India. The quake struck rural, high-altitude Tingri county, about 80 km north … Read more
That targeted nutritional support to TB patients and household contacts can improve TB treatment outcomes, reduce the number of new cases and deaths is now well known, particularly after the RATIONS trial carried out in between August 2019 and August 2022 in four districts of Jharkhand among 2,800 pulmonary TB patients and 10,345 household contacts. The trial … Read more
Over the last decade, States have been relying more and more on transfers and grants from the Centre. In the last decade (FY16 to FY25), 23-30% of the total revenue of States was collected from the Centre as transfers. However, in the 2000s and the first half of 2010, the share was 20-24%. Also, close … Read more
A new study has for the first time described a phenomenon researchers refer to as ‘contagious urinations’. The study of 20 captive chimpanzees living at the Kumamoto Sanctuary in Japan shows that, when one chimpanzee pees, others are more likely to follow. The researchers documented peeing behaviours in the Kumamoto chimpanzees over more than 600 hours, … Read more
In the week since the fires in the Los Angeles County broke out, which have destroyed thousands of homes, at least 24 lives have been lost and 16 people were reported missing. The 24 deaths were attributed to the two major fires raging across the county: the Eaton fire, which accounted for 16 of them … Read more
Dinosaurs long dominated the earth’s land ecosystems with multiple forms, including plant-eating giants like Argentinosaurus, meat-eating brutes like Tyrannosaurus, and weirdos like Therizinosaurus, with its Wolverine-like claws. But the origin of dinosaurs — precisely when and where they first appeared — remains a bit of a puzzle. Researchers are now proposing a surprising location for … Read more
Originally intended for small and marginal farmers, the PM-KISAN was later extended to all farmers who owned lan | Photo Credit: G.N. Rao The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), which provides yearly income support of ₹6,000 to eligible farmer families in three instalments, has been through highs and lows both in terms of coverage … Read more
ISRO’s launch vehicle GSLV-F15 carrying the NVS-02 satellite at the launch pad ahead of its launch, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on January 25, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI via @isro/X ISRO on Sunday (January 26, 2025) said integration of its rocket GSLV-F15 with satellite NVS-02 is complete. The GSLV-F15 rocket … Read more
Palestinians celebrate the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: AP Israel and Hamas agreed on the first draft of a ceasefire deal on Wednesday (January 15, 2025), signalling the biggest step yet toward an end to the conflict. Among other things, … Read more
Just as 2024 was the year India developed a vision for its space programme, 2025 is likely to have the programme in mission mode. The PSLV-C60 mission, underway as the year began, laid the foundations for Chandrayaan-4 and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station. Forthcoming test flights will move India closer to human spaceflight, soon to receive … Read more
(1) Trump returns to the White House Donald Trump is all set to return to the White House with his second inauguration as president of the United States. Mr. Trump, 78, will formally be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States at 12 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) on Monday (January 20, 2025). … Read more
An undated artist’s impression of WASP-127b, a giant gas planet located about 520 light years from Earth, shows its newly discovered supersonic winds. | Photo Credit: ESO/L. Calcada/Reuters In the earth’s upper atmosphere, a fast-moving band of air called the jet stream blows with winds of more than 442 km per hour, but they are … Read more
In July 2024, the EU sourced close to 15% of its crude oil from the U.S | Photo Credit: Peter Boer U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on many countries if they do not fulfil certain conditions. In November last year, he said he would impose sweeping tariffs on imports from Canada, China, … Read more
M. Mohan has been appointed as director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) located in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. Mr. Mohan, who is currently Director (Projects) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), succeeds V. Narayanan as the LPSC director. ISRO issued his appointment order on January 25. Mr. Mohan was director of the Human Space … Read more
More than 80% of government schools in India are equipped with functional electricity, ramps, boys’ and girls’ toilets, handwash, and libraries. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Government schools have notably improved in the provision of basic infrastructure facilities to students over the past 10 years, and are almost on a par with private schools, data … Read more
Scientists and students engage in fieldwork at Bonebed 10 in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, in this July 11, 2023, image. | Photo Credit: Reuters About 76 million years ago, a juvenile of one of the largest flying creatures in the earth’s history, called Cryodrakon boreas, walked along a riverbank on a lush coastal … Read more
(1) Thailand is third in Asia to enact same-sex marriage Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand made their wedded status legal on Thursday (January 23, 2025), the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast … Read more
The Bengal Nagpur Railway had been tasked by the British Indian government with developing rail networks in eastern and central India. In 1900, when its workers were digging in Jharsuguda, now a district in Odisha, they stumbled upon large coal deposits. Nine years later, Jharsuguda’s first coal mine was established and a century later the … Read more
One in three consumers in India is eyeing electric vehicles (EVs) for their next purchase, says the ‘Think Mobility’ report by Google and BCG. Women are emerging as key decision-makers in the EV market. While EV-related challenges persist, innovations and localised manufacturing could pave the way for greater adoption, says the report. The report highlights … Read more
Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium’s federal police to create a “perfume” that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters A Belgian research scientist is working with … Read more