The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its annual yearbook in June. For the first time, it classified 12 of India’s estimated stockpile of 190 nuclear warheads to be operationally deployed, i.e., positioned with active military forces mated with delivery systems and ready for use.

This sounds alarming — but the alarm itself may not be warranted. The reason is that India has neither crossed a strategic threshold nor has it abandoned its decades-old ‘no first use’ policy.

The Army is set to establish and operationalise its first Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) by next month, marking a significant transformation under which self-contained, agile, brigade-sized fighting units will be carved out of the Panagarh-based XVII Corps — the mountain strike corps (MSC) facing China — for swift deployment in mountainous areas, The Indian Express has learnt.

Sources privy to the development told The Indian Express that the earlier plan was to create four IBGs under the two divisions operating under the XVII MSC — the 59 Division and the 23 Division — by September. However, this is now learnt to have been advanced to July 1.

The Indian Express had first reported in January this year that the long-drawn plans to create IBGs had gathered pace and may be implemented soon.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has won the Achievement Award in the Operational Excellence category from UITP, the International Association of Public Transport.

The award recognizes DMRC's efforts to improve sustainable urban transport through its smart door-to-door travel service for passengers. The service combines first and last-mile connectivity, real-time travel information, and easy ticket booking to make journeys more convenient and environment-friendly.

The service is available through the DMRC Sarthi App, an AI-based platform that connects metro services with first and last-mile transport options. Through this system, passengers can plan and book their entire journey from start to finish. This includes travel from home to the metro station, the metro journey itself, and travel from the metro station to the final destination.

In the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, the governments of Haryana and Rajasthan today signed an agreement in New Delhi for the construction and implementation of the Yamuna Water Project. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shah said that this agreement has resolved the nearly three-decade-old water-related problem faced by the people of Haryana and Rajasthan.

He stated that this agreement is an excellent example of the mantra ‘Solution through Dialogue’ given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Minister informed that under this agreement, approximately 580 Million Cubic Meters of water will be supplied from the Yamuna Canal to Rajasthan through three underground pipelines from next month to October.

He said that these pipelines will provide drinking water to the people of both Rajasthan and Haryana. Mr Shah noted that the framework of this agreement will stand as a dispute-free agreement for many decades to come. He said that the agreement has carefully addressed financial responsibilities, cost-sharing, water allocation, water release protocols and maintenance arrangements.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that UPI system will become operational by the end of the year in Seychelles.

Misri, while addressing the special briefing on the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Seychelles, said that although the ties between both the nations are not yet comprehensive economic partnership, but they do share a significant substantiative partnership.

"On Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) cooperation, Seychelles is a fairly significant user of, I don't know how many ITEC slots do you have annually? 90, so yeah, there is considerable use of ITEC training in a variety of areas by Seychelles. Timeline for UPI, I believe it will be operational by the end of the year. Yeah, yeah, so the target is to get it operational by the end of the year," he said.

Mumbai may soon see relief from rising flight congestion as plans for India’s first proposed offshore airport in Palghar progress. The project aims to reduce pressure on Mumbai Airport while enhancing passenger and cargo connectivity across the region.

The airport is expected to handle both passenger and freight operations, strengthening regional connectivity and enabling faster movement of people and goods.

As passenger traffic at Mumbai Airport continues to grow, the new facility is expected to ease congestion, expand aviation capacity, and improve overall travel efficiency while supporting long-term transport and economic development.

Delhi government has approved an ambitious electric vehicle (EV) policy. As per the new policy, EV cars priced up to 30 lakh rupees have been exempted from registration fees and road taxes. The new policy also offers a 1 lakh rupees incentive for purchasing new EVs while scrapping old vehicles, and mandates that only electric two-wheelers can be registered starting April 2028. Set for a phased four-year rollout starting from 1st of July, the ambitious framework commits a massive fiscal outlay of 15 thousand crore rupees to completely transition the national capital toward zero-emission transit by 31st March 2030.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the policy focuses entirely on electric vehicles, specifically zero-emission vehicles with the ultimate goal of gradually transforming Delhi into a pollution-free city for the benefit of its residents. She said that the government has devised a comprehensive plan to execute this in phases over the next four years. Ms Gupta said that the government is planning to invest 8 thousand crore rupees in creating EV infrastructure and waiving road taxes year-on-year. She added that in total, the people of Delhi will receive benefits worth approximately 15 thousand crore rupees through this policy.

India claimed a bronze medal at the AVC Men’s Volleyball Cup 2026, beating defending champion Bahrain 3-1 in the third-place playoff at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The host won 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 25-17 to secure its first podium finish in the competition, capping a campaign that began with an unbeaten run in Pool A. India had topped its group with five wins from as many matches, finishing ahead of Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand and Australia.

The bronze was also a strong response to the disappointment of the semifinal, where India pushed Indonesia to five sets before losing 25-15, 24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 13-15.

The government introduced an 'Improvement Notice' mechanism under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a press release.

The new framework allows businesses to correct certain first-time procedural and regulatory lapses before facing penal action, marking a shift towards a more trust-based compliance system.

The Department of Consumer Affairs said the reform supports ease of doing business, encourages voluntary compliance and reduces avoidable litigation without weakening consumer protection.

ISRO on Saturday announced the successful conduct of the hot test of Semi-Cryogenic Engine Power Head Test Article (PHTA) at the thrust level of 175 tonnes.

The test was conducted at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, on June 24.

ISRO scientists said PHTA encompasses all engine systems except the thrust chamber. This is the eighth test in a series of hot tests using PHTA. The objective of the test included the study of build up after pre-burner ignition and demonstration of steady state operation at higher thrust levels. Previous PHTA tests were conducted at 47% (94 Tonne) and 60% (120 Tonne) thrust levels. This time, the test was at 175 tonne thrust level (88%). It was for the first time and also demonstrated successful operation of main turbo pumps delivering 400 and 500 bar outlet pressures.