Days after the Prime Minister’s appeal to postpone gold buying for a year, the Finance Ministry has raised import duty on precious metals. New rates have been made effective from Wednesday.

According to a notification, import duty on gold and silver has been increased to 15 per cent from 6 per cent, and on platinum to 15.4 per cent from 6.4 per cent. Consequential changes have also been made to other items such as gold/silver dore, coins, findings, etc, officials said. “This has been done as a policy measure aimed at safeguarding macroeconomic stability, conserving foreign exchange, and moderating non-essential imports during a period of heightened global uncertainty arising from the ongoing West Asia crisis,” an official said.

Further, he said that customs duty on precious metals has historically been calibrated in response to prevailing macroeconomic and external-sector conditions. During periods when external pressures moderated, foreign exchange reserves strengthened, and macroeconomic stability improved, customs duty rates on precious metals and related products have also been rationalised downward.

India is on course to become a fully integrated military force capable of projecting power across the vast Indo-Pacific region by 2047, when the country marks its Independence centenary, defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Tuesday.

The national defence shield under Mission Sudarshan Chakra will be operational in the 2030s, giving the country an impenetrable, layered missile defence system to protect its critical strategic and civilian assets, he said.

“We have just released our Defence Forces Vision 2047 (a roadmap for a future-ready Indian military), which rests on the vision of transitioning our military into a technologically advanced, fully integrated and multi-domain force. This is going to go through a transition process up to 2030, followed by a consolidation period from 2030 to 2040 during which we hope to see the maturation of Mission Sudarshan Chakra…and, ultimately, from 2040 the era of excellence when we become a fully integrated, self-reliant, all-domain military force capable of projecting power across the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” Singh said at the CII Annual Business Summit 2026.

Russia on Tuesday test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernise the country’s nuclear forces, a launch hailed by Vladimir Putin just days after his claim that the fighting in Ukraine is nearing an end.

Putin said that the nuclear-armed Sarmat missile would enter combat service at the end of the year. It was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda.

“This is the most powerful missile in the world,” Putin declared, adding that the combined power of the Sarmat’s individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than that of any Western counterpart.

The government on Tuesday launched the Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool to provide risk cover to Indian vessels on international sea routes, including war and high-risk zones.

The Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool of USD 1.5 billion, with a sovereign guarantee of USD 1.4 billion (Rs 12,980 crore), would facilitate continuous maritime insurance coverages, in the backdrop of current West Asia tensions, the Finance Ministry said.

India's ethanol blending programme has shown strong progress in the first half of the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26, with supplies reaching about 515 crore litres, according to estimates compiled by the All India Distillers' Association.

The data shows that nearly 49 per cent of the total contracted volume of 1,059 crore litres has already been supplied in the first six months. This reflects the sector's growing production capacity and its increasing role in improving the country's energy security and reducing dependence on crude oil, Business Today reported.

A key development highlighted in the data is the rise of maize as the largest source of ethanol in India. This marks a major shift in the country's biofuel sector, which has traditionally relied more on sugarcane-based feedstock, Business Today reported.

CM Rekha Gupta on Sunday launched the Aftercare Scheme for Young Persons, a Mother’s Day initiative to support orphaned and vulnerable youngsters as they leave child care institutions after turning 18. The scheme aims to provide education, jobs, financial aid, counselling and rehabilitation to help young people transition into independent life.

The Delhi Government has allocated Rs 3.5 crore for the scheme for the 2026–27 financial year. Eligible beneficiaries will receive help with higher education, skill development, vocational training, internships, and employment opportunities.

Earlier, the CM visited the Village Cottage Home in Lajpat Nagar and interacted with children at the facility run by the Women and Child Development Department. She stressed that the government’s responsibility does not end when a child turns 18. “The aim is to ensure that every child and young adult can build a safe, dignified and self-reliant future without ever feeling abandoned,” she said.

Top leaders from Africa, including several Heads of State and Heads of Government will attend the 4th India Africa Forum Summit which will take place in New Delhi on 31st of this month. The summit will be preceded by senior officials meetings on 28th May and Foreign Ministers’ meeting on 29th May.

Official Sources said, the Summit will focus on boosting cooperation in economy and trade, defence and security, critical minerals, energy, space and high technology, agriculture, health, education, capacity building, skill development and climate action.

A declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the summit which will outline the agenda for cooperation that will seek to align India’s vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047 with Africa’s Agenda 2063. Think tank dialogues and an India-Africa Film Festival are also planned alongside the summit. The India Africa Forum summit will be followed by the International Big Cat Alliance Summit on 1st June.

In a significant development, 45 senior Church leaders across the country announced the formation of the National Federation of Churches in India (NFCI).

Cardinal Anthony Poola, chairman of the Catholic Bishops Council of India (CBCI) office for Dialogue, has been named as the chairperson of the new body. Archbishop Joseph D’Souza, president of Good Shepherd Church of India and the All Indian Christian Council; Archbishop Joseph Kallarangatt, Mar Bishop of Eparchy of Palai and Rev. Vincent Vinod Kumar, Bishop of Church of South India, Diocese of Karnataka Central would serve as convenors of the NFCI. Father Anthonyraj Thumma, national secretary of CBCI will serve as the secretary of the federation.

India added a record 44 gigawatts of solar capacity in 2025, pushing the total installed capacity in the country to 150 GW, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has highlighted in reply to a Thane-based NGO.

In a response to NGO NatConnect’s Earth Day appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, the ministry’s under secretary Pradeep Kumar said major programmes like PM Surya Ghar, PM-KUSUM, and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme have driven this growth.

Of the 150 GW total, over 44 GW was installed in 2025, the letter said.

In a first for an Indian city, Pune will institutionalise a low-emission zone (LEZ) in its most polluted area, Shivajinagar in the central business district, potentially creating a template for other Indian cities.

Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishor Ram said the city plans to ban or sharply restrict the entry of old and highly polluting vehicles in an area covering 7-10% of the city around Shivajinagar. “We will launch it within two months. We are already working with departments such as the police and the RTO, as their role will be critical,” he said, adding that the finer details are still being worked out.

The LEZ initiative follows three years of work by the Pune Municipal Corporation, supported by the ITDP India (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy), under Maharashtra’s 2021 Electric Vehicle Policy. The policy mandates LEZs in six cities to reduce emissions in line with the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Preparatory work included examining the legal framework for LEZs and improving public transport and pedestrian infrastructure.