Delhi Remains World’s Most Polluted City
Delhi recorded the highest air pollution levels among global cities on December 1, with an Air Quality Index of 244. Other cities across India and Asia also reported hazardous conditions, marking a continued public health risk across the region.
Your WhatsApp and Telegram Will Soon Lock Without Active SIM
The government has announced a sweeping rule that will affect how you use apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and others. These apps will stop working the moment you remove your SIM card, switch phones, or try to access them on a second device without the SIM. The rule gives the government the power to link all your communication activity to your physical identity and location at all times, with no clear safeguards.
Bonded Labor Law Exists in India, But Millions Still Work in Servitude
India outlawed bonded labour nearly 50 years ago, but millions remain trapped in exploitative working conditions, according to a new report by a workers’ rights network, which has accused the government of neglecting its legal duty to enforce protections and support victims.
New Labour Codes Weaken Worker Rights, Undermining Industrial Democracy
Industrial units with fewer than 300 workers in India no longer need government approval for layoffs under the new labour codes. This change removes key legal protections for most employees, shifting the law’s focus away from security and collective rights in the workplace.
Two Indian Entities Among RSF’s Press Freedom Predators’ List
Two Indian entities have been named in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 “Press Freedom Predators” list, a roster of 34 governments, officials and organisations accused of systematically attacking journalists and the right to independent information.
Heart Attack Prediction Tools Miss the Warning in Half of Cases
A new study by medical researchers in the United States has revealed a serious limitation in how doctors currently try to predict and prevent heart attacks. It shows that the tools most commonly used by physicians, namely the ASCVD risk score and the newer PREVENT calculator, are failing to identify a large number of individuals who are actually at risk.
Smoking Even a Few Cigarettes a Day Raises Death Risk: Study
A major new study has found that even light smoking dramatically increases the risk of serious heart conditions and early death, with women facing higher risk than men. The study involves decades of data from more than 320,000 (3.2 lakh) adults and offers the clearest long-term evidence to date that there is no safe level of tobacco use.
India’s Juvenile Justice System Has Failed Children, Says New Nationwide Study
A decade after the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 came into force, a new study shows that its pledges of timely, protective and rehabilitative justice for children have failed in practice. The breakdown has left thousands of children stuck in drawn-out legal processes, exposed to continued harm.
Centre Plans to Take Full Control of Chandigarh
The Centre has proposed to bring Chandigarh under Article 240 and appoint a separate Lieutenant Governor, giving itself full control over a city built as Punjab’s capital. The President could make laws without consulting Parliament or the state, effectively cutting Punjab out. This calculated political move rewrites the existing understanding and serves the ruling party’s interests by sidelining Punjab.
Bhutan’s Rising Debt Crisis Tied to India-Funded Hydropower Projects
At the 70th birth anniversary of Bhutan’s Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Ngultrum 40-billion (roughly $450 million) line of credit for infrastructure and energy development. While the move signalled strong bilateral ties, an uncomfortable truth lies behind the public warmth. Bhutan’s dependence on Indian-funded hydropower has locked it into an escalating debt trap.
Fear and the Beings We Learn to Despise: A Professor’s Open Letter to Students
This piece is not an academic or a journalistic write-up; it is my heartfelt narrative for all the students who have internalised fear. I write this not because I want to preach, but because I feel responsible for giving you a kind and better world. It is challenging for me to recount a small (or rather, huge) incident from my life, and that too publicly, but I want all students to read and engage with my lived experience, even if they disagree.
Supreme Court Rejects Timelines for Governor’s Assent
The Supreme Court has ruled that courts cannot impose deadlines on the President or State Governors for granting or withholding assent to bills passed by legislatures. Nor can courts treat inaction as assent. A Constitution Bench held that such directions, issued by a two-judge Bench in April 2024, are unconstitutional and violate the separation of powers between the judiciary and executive.
Study Finds 83% of Indian Patients Carry Drug‑Resistant ‘Superbugs’
A new international study reveals that antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is the ability of bacteria and other microbes to resist the effects of medicines that once killed them, is now one of the most pressing threats to public health worldwide, and this new study places India at the heart of that emergency.
Supreme Court Reopens Door for Post-Facto Environmental Clearances
The Supreme Court has revived a mechanism that allows construction or industrial projects to obtain environmental clearance even after they have already started or expanded without approval. This means projects that violated environmental rules can now continue operations without facing legal action or being dismantled.
Delhi University Faces Backlash After Democracy Seminar Is Cancelled
According to report published in CNN, Delhi University cancelled a long-running seminar on democracy on the same day it issued a directive urging staff and students to attend a summit on cow welfare. The overlap sparked anger among professors and students who said it showed pressure from the government to push Hindu nationalist interests inside public universities.
When Did You Last Check Your Blood Fats? Diabetes May Already Be Taking Hold
A new nationwide health report has revealed something most people don’t see coming. The body begins to show early signs of diabetes long before sugar levels rise. These warning signs are not picked up during routine checks. They lie in fat imbalances in the blood, especially in younger adults who don’t feel sick and may not look unhealthy.
How AI Is Changing Work Habits, Aspirations Among Young Indian Employees
The Indian workplace is undergoing a major psychological and structural reset, and artificial intelligence is at the heart of it. A new study shows that employees now use AI not only to work more efficiently, but also as a daily companion, career guide and thinking partner. This is especially true for younger professionals who are redefining what success, identity and purpose mean in their careers.
New Global Study May Transform Mental Illness Treatment by Studying Causes
A major research project in the U.K. is studying why serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder happen, so that new, safer treatments can be developed. It involves collecting detailed data from 600 people and sharing it with scientists around the world to change how these illnesses are understood, diagnosed and treated.
Supreme Court Warns Against Physical Hearings as Delhi Air Turns Toxic
During a hearing unrelated to pollution in Delhi, a Supreme Court judge urged lawyers to avoid attending court in person, warning that the air was so toxic that “even masks are not enough.” The observation came as air quality in Delhi-NCR entered the “severe” category yet again, and at a time when the government is already under scrutiny in a separate case concerning its failure to control pollution.
India’s Richest 1% Increased Their Wealth Share by 62% in the Last 25 Years
Over the past two decades, a small group of people, including in India, have taken a much larger share of global wealth, while most of the world has seen little gain, according to a new report that links this concentration of wealth not only to personal effort but also to government policies that boosted financial markets at the expense of public resources.