The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on March 4 launched a moonshot project to develop brain co-processors that combine neuromorphic hardware and AI algorithms to enhance or restore brain function.

The project is funded by the Pratiksha Trust, founded by Senapathy ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan and Sudha Gopalakrishnan.

“India is emerging as a global leader in neuroscience by uniting foundational research with clinical applications through collaborative, international partnerships. Supported significantly by the Pratiksha Trust, the Brain Co-Processors Moonshot Project accelerates the development of innovative medical technologies. Ultimately, these innovations aim to provide world-class transformative neurological treatments to the global population,” said Mr. Gopalakrishnan.

The annual Raisina Dialogue begins in the national capital on Thursday, bringing together global leaders, policymakers and technology experts to deliberate on key geopolitical and economic challenges.

Organised by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the three-day conference will be held from March 5 to 7 under the theme “Samskara: Assertion, Accommodation, Advancement.”

The dialogue will focus on how technological disruptions, strategic competition and economic security are reshaping global politics.

Several international dignitaries have arrived in New Delhi to participate in the event. These include Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ian Borg, Bhutan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade D. N. Dhungyel, and Mauritius’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Dhananjay Ramful.

Former Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, according to official communiqué issued by President’s Secretariat.

Sandhu will replace Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has served as Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor since May 26, 2022. Saxena has now been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, replacing Kavinder Gupta, who will take charge as Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

The appointments are part of a broader reshuffle of Governors and Lieutenant Governors across several states and Union Territories announced by President Droupadi Murmu. The changes will come into effect once the appointees assume charge of their respective offices.

Telangana Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao has said that the upcoming Census-2027 will mark a historic milestone in the country as it will be the first-ever fully-digital census.

The entire exercise will be conducted through a dedicated mobile application for field data collection, ensuring real time data capture, enhanced accuracy, transparency and faster processing.

House Listing Operations from May 11
The House Listing Operations (HLO) for the Census 2027 will start from May 11 across the State, he said. The Chief Secretary, accompanied by State Census Operations Director Bharathi Holikeri, briefed the district collectors on the modalities and preparedness for the upcoming enumeration process on Tuesday (March 3, 2026). The meeting formed part of the day long district collectors conference that started in Hyderabad in the morning and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is slated to explain the district collectors and senior officials about the 99-day action plan Praja Palana – Pragati Pranalika.

India has sought to formalise and strengthen commitments on the transfer of relevant and advanced technologies to developing and least developed countries ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 26-29 March, by circulating a draft ministerial declaration that calls for institutionalising the technology transfer agenda within the multilateral trading system, according to a WTO document reviewed by Mint.

A federal judge has cleared the way for thousands of businesses to receive refunds for tariffs that the US Supreme Court struck down last month.

The US Court of International Trade on Wednesday ordered Customs and Border Protection to issue refunds for levies US President Donald Trump introduced last year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

"All importers of record whose entries were subject to IEEPA duties are entitled to the benefit" from the high court's ruling, Judge Richard Eaton wrote.

The payment process remains murky. But the trade court decision marks a setback for Trump, who has sought to replace the import taxes and bemoaned the prospect of refunds.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said Karnataka will ban social media for young people under 16 years.

"Social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 to prevent the adverse effects of increasing mobile usage. The ban is aimed at preventing the negative impact on children caused by increasing mobile phone usage," Siddaramaiah said.

Recently, in a meeting with Vice Chancellors, the CM had sought their opinion on banning mobile phones for children under 16. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge had also spoken along similar lines.

Japan has approved ground-breaking stem-cell treatments for Parkinson's and severe heart failure, one of the manufacturers and media reports said Friday, with the therapies expected to reach patients within months.

Pharmaceutical company Sumitomo Pharma said it received the green light for the manufacture and sale of Amchepry, its Parkinson's disease treatment that transplants stem cells into a patient's brain.

Japan's health ministry also gave the go-ahead to ReHeart, heart muscle sheets developed by medical startup Cuorips that can help form new blood vessels and restore heart function, media reports said.

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader K.P. Unnikrishnan passed away in the early hours of Tuesday (March 3, 2026). He was 89. Mr. Unnikrishnan had been undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at a private hospital in the city for some time. He is survived by his wife Amrita, and two daughters.

Mr. Unnikrishnan has the rare distinction of representing one Lok Sabha Constituency for the longest period of time in Kerala's political history. He was the MP for Vadakara in Kozhikode from 1971 to 1996, representing three political parties. He first entered the Upper House of Parliament in 1971 on a Congress ticket. Mr. Unnikrishnan later continued his winning streak in the 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, and 1991 elections as well. However, he was part of the Congress (U) and the Congress (S) after 1977. Though Mr. Unnikrishnan returned to the Congress in 1995, he could not win another term in the 1996 polls when he was defeated by O. Bharathan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

January 2026 marked a new monthly peak for deceased donor organ donations in Tamil Nadu, with 33 donors. More than half of them – 19 – were from government hospitals, the majority situated outside Chennai.

“This is the highest-ever number of donations in one month. This year, till today (February 12), 42 donations have taken place in 43 days – at a rate of one donation a day in Tamil Nadu. The 42nd donation is under way at the Government Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital,” N. Gopalakrishnan, member secretary, Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN), said.