Must ReadIndia rejects China’s ‘mischievous attempts’ to assign ‘fictitious’ names to places in Arunachal
On April 12, 2026, India categorically rejected China's latest attempt to rename several places in Arunachal Pradesh, condemning the moves as fictitious and mischievous. China routinely assigns Mandarin names to Indian territories in the region, which it controversially calls Zangnan or South Tibet.
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Must ReadPatent application filings in India rise 30.2% to 1.43 lakh in 2025-26: Goyal
Patent applications in India reached a historic high of 1.43 lakh in 2025-26, marking a 30.2% increase and making India the world's 6th largest patent filer. Domestic innovators drove this growth, accounting for over 69% of filings, heavily led by states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
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Must Read‘Violation of Rule of Specialty’: Home Secretary flags procedural lapses in extradition cases
The Union Home Secretary has warned state governments and police forces to strictly adhere to the 'Rule of Specialty' when prosecuting extradited individuals. Recent instances of extradited fugitives being implicated in unrelated, new cases upon their arrival violate statutory mandates.
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Must ReadIran and Strait of Hormuz: A lone battle for control
In recent international negotiations held in Pakistan, the United States formally demanded unrestricted and cost-free passage for merchant ships through the [Strait of Hormuz]. Iran has controversially proposed levying tolls to fund post-war reconstruction, challenging the global norm that natural maritime chokepoints should remain free for transit.
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Must ReadHow was the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal reached?
In April 2026, high-level delegations from the U.S. and Iran convened in Islamabad, Pakistan, aiming to negotiate a permanent ceasefire to end a devastating regional war.
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ImportantChina sets up new county in Xinjiang near PoK, Afghan border
China has announced the establishment of a new administrative county named 'Cenling' in its volatile Xinjiang province. Located near the Karakoram range, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and the Wakhan Corridor, the move is designed to tighten border security against Uyghur militant infiltration.
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Must ReadPrototype fast breeder reactor | Nuclear paradox
Recently, India's [Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor] (PFBR) at Kalpakkam achieved its first criticality, marking a major milestone in indigenous nuclear technology. However, the article highlights the "nuclear paradox" of FBRs by citing France's Superphénix reactor, which faced massive cost overruns and operated at low efficiency.
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ImportantWhat are sentinel species?
A recent explainer highlights the ecological significance of a sentinel species, defined as an organism whose health acts as a proxy for the overall condition of its ecosystem. Because these species are highly sensitive to environmental stressors like pollution and disease, they serve as crucial early warning systems for ecological decline long before other species are noticeably affected.
ImportantModi govt. wants to put caste census in cold storage: Congress
The Congress party alleged that the Central government intends to stall a nationwide caste census and amend the Constitution's provisions on women's reservation to defer its implementation. The opposition countered the government's purported reasoning that a caste census is overly time-consuming by highlighting that states like Bihar and Telangana completed comprehensive caste surveys in less than six months.
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ImportantHow Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz despite a depleted navy
Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz remain a fixture of US-Iran relations, with Iran utilizing asymmetrical tactics (drones, mines) to counter the conventional superiority of the US Fifth Fleet, though no recent full-scale war has occurred. Iran achieves this by utilizing low-cost, asymmetrical warfare tactics—such as naval mines, drone swarms, and fast-attack boats—demonstrating how geographically strategic chokepoints can be weaponized to deter technologically superior military powers.
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ImportantThe chronicle of a failure foretold: Why Iran-US peace talks were unlikely to succeed even before they began
Recent peace talks between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan in Islamabad, failed to produce a breakthrough due to the maximalist demands of both nations. The ongoing conflict has severely impacted global energy transit through the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides refusing to concede key geopolitical and ideological positions.
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