India is formally considering joining one of Europe's ambitious 'sixth-generation' fighter jet programs, marking the first official indication that the Indian Air Force (IAF) could partner in the development of a next-generation combat aircraft beyond the homegrown 5th-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence that the IAF is exploring collaboration with one of two European consortia currently working on sixth-generation fighters: either the UK-Italy-Japan partnership developing the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), previously known as Tempest, or the France-Germany-Spain Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The committee was told that the IAF intends to evaluate joining forces with one of these projects to ensure India does not lag behind in the development of advanced combat aircraft technologies.

The hill area around the historic Kalinjar Fort in Banda district has been declared a National Geo-Heritage Site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The recognition highlights the region’s rare geological formation known as the Eparchaean Unconformity, which records a long gap in Earth’s geological history.

The site was inaugurated by Rajinder Kumar, additional director general and head of GSI’s Northern Region, who said the rocks found in the Kalinjar area represent geological events that occurred billions of years apart.

According to the press release, the hill exposes nearly 2.5 billion year old Bundelkhand granite overlain by 1.2 billion year old Kaimur sandstone, making it an important record of Earth’s evolution. Experts said the natural rock formations also played a role in providing strategic defence to ancient rulers who built the fort.

India’s Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) met his Vietnamese counterpart to discuss a Memorandum of Cooperation between India’s Tribal Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs of Vietnam, a statement from the Tribal Affairs Ministry said.

After the review of a draft of the Memorandum, “aimed at institutionalising collaboration between the Ministries”, the Vietnamese said the draft had been approved and hoped it would be finalised soon. Mr. Oram was invited to Vietnam for the signing of the final agreement, to which he “responded positively”, the Ministry said.

This came a day after officials from both countries “exchanged perspectives on policy frameworks, development strategies, and best practices concerning tribal and ethnic communities.”

The Meghalaya State Government has extended the term of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) for a period of six months amid unrest in the Garo Hills over the participation of non-tribals in the tribal council elections.

The State Cabinet held a meeting in Shillong and decided to extend the current term by six more months following protests and recent ongoing developments. Deputy Chief Minister Shri Prestone Tynsong informed that the extension will provide time for the District Council to discuss and decide on whether existing rules should be amended to disallow the participation of non-tribals in the GHADC elections.

Brazil began implementing new measures on Tuesday to restrict minors' access to social media and prevent them from viewing violent or illegal content.

A law regulating children's use of social media was approved last year after a scandal involving the alleged sexual exploitation of minors on Instagram, and comes into effect this week.

The hyper-connected nation of 212 million people joins several other countries seeking to protect children from addictive social media algorithms.

Some, like Australia, have outright banned access, while others require stronger age verification measures or parental consent.

Bhumika Shrestha's journey from a young child in Kathmandu struggling with identity to becoming Nepal's first transgender lawmaker marks a defining moment in the country's social and political landscape.

Nepal's Election Commission confirmed the 37-year-old as a proportional‑representation MP from the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) which won a majority in parliament with 182 seats last week. She will sit in the 275‑member House of Representatives elected on March 5.

"I am very excited but also feel the responsibility on my shoulders," Ms Shrestha, told AFP.

In alignment with the recognition of year 2026 as the ‘International Year of the Woman Farmer’ by the United Nations through Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited (AIC) has launched Krishi Sakhi Initiative to empower women farmers and work towards achieving inclusive growth.

Through these structured month-wise activities across its Head Office and Regional Offices, AIC aims to create sustained awareness, encourage participation of women in agriculture and crop insurance and celebrate their contribution towards strengthening the agricultural sector in India.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a scheme for small hydro power plants with a total outlay of ₹2,585 crore for five years ending 2031. The scheme, applicable to plants with less than 25 megawatt capacity, will help set up 1,500 MW capacity projects and also attract a total investment of ₹15,000 crore, the Union Cabinet said in a statement.

The scheme provides for financial assistance of ₹30 crore for each project in North Eastern States and districts with international borders, capped at ₹3.6 crore per MW or 30 per cent of the project cost, whichever is lower.

For other states, the Centre will provide financial assistance of ₹20 crore per project, capped at ₹2.4 crore per MW or 20 per cent of the project cost, whichever is lower.

India and Indonesia have partnered for the restoration of the Prambanan Temple complex in the Special Region of Yogyakarta in southern Java.

Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon met a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Monday to discuss preservation of the temple complex within the broader cultural landscape, which includes Sewu and Plaosan temples.

In a statement, the minister said, “Prambanan is not a standalone complex but part of a wider cultural landscape with Sewu and Plaosan, so conservation must restore temples while safeguarding the entire cultural ecosystem.”

The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has successfully tested an indigenously developed Floating LiDAR Buoy System off the coast of Muttom in Tamil Nadu, marking a significant step in India’s push for advanced ocean observation technologies.

A floating LiDAR buoy is a high-tech ocean-based instrument used to measure wind conditions over the sea. It combines a floating platform (buoy) with LiDAR technology, short for Light Detection and Ranging.

The newly developed system is capable of measuring wind speed and direction profiles up to 300 meters above sea level.