Nation

The Meteorological Department has once again issued a warning of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across 10 states, from north to south India. The rainfall over the next three days is expected to bring a drop in temperatures, while dense fog in northern India could disrupt morning travel. Eastern India has also been placed under weather alert. Nationwide Weather Outlook – February 22, 2026 As February enters its final phase, the country is experiencing the tail end of winter chill. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rainfall alert for 10 states, accompanied by the possibility of storms with wind speeds reaching up to 55 km/h. The gusty winds may cause a significant drop in temperature. Additionally, lightning and thunder are expected in affected areas. Citiz...

New Delhi: The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling invalidating former President Donald Trump’s tariffs has provided some immediate relief to the global economy. However, experts caution that the decision may not change the overall scenario and that India, China, and other countries affected by the tariffs could still face significant challenges. Supreme Court Ruling and Its Immediate Effect The Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs, which had been used as an economic weapon under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The decision affects tariffs applied under national emergency powers, which had generated over $175 billion to date. Experts say the ruling offers short-term relief but does not fundamentally alter the tariff regime. Trump Imposes 10% Global Tar...

New Delhi: India has asked France to increase the “Make in India” component in its deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets and to include domestic production of key missiles—Meteor, SCALP, and MICA—within the weapons package. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized this demand during discussions with his French counterpart. Expanding Indigenous Weapons Manufacturing India has already approved an additional deal worth ₹3,200 crore for SCALP air-to-ground missiles, which were previously used in Operation Sindhur. Sources say that considering the missile requirements for the next three decades, India wants production of these missiles to take place within the country. The Rafale aircraft manufactured in India will be capable of integrating indigenous weapons, though a significant number o...

Mumbai: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has seized three oil tankers linked to Iran, suspected of oil smuggling, around 100 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast. Investigations revealed that the vessels had deliberately turned off their sensors to conceal movements and carried out unauthorized ship-to-ship transfers. Following the seizure, two crew members, including the tanker master, were arrested in Mumbai. Tankers Operated with Sensors Turned Off According to the FIR registered on February 15 at Yellow Gate Police Station in Mumbai, one of the tankers, Asphalt Star, sailed near the Pakistan Maritime Boundary between January 20 and 28 without identification. The ships had switched off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) and other sensors to hide their activities. The FIR, ...

New Delhi: At the AI India Summit 2026, experts emphasized that India needs to strengthen its IT sector by developing indigenous AI applications. While AI solutions can be built on existing platforms from the US or China, India requires a secure and tamper-proof AI framework for strategic and national security purposes. In other words, India must develop its own AI models. Small Models vs. Large Global Models The Economic Survey 2025–26 highlights the importance of small AI models for specialized applications. Indian startups like Sarvam have created models for Indian languages with around 2 billion parameters, whereas global giants like Google and OpenAI operate models with trillions of parameters, trained on vast datasets worldwide. Smaller models can be trained without massive ...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday emphasized that increasing green cover could help improve air quality in Delhi-NCR. The observation was made while issuing orders related to the restructuring of an expert committee monitoring a plantation program aimed at compensating for tree felling in the Ridge area. Court Hears Senior Advocate’s Request Senior advocate Guru Krishna Kumar, acting as amicus curiae in the case, requested the bench led by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud to replace committee member Ishwar Singh, who was recently appointed to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), with a new member. New Appointments The bench accepted two proposed names and appointed retired Indian Forest Service officer M.D. Sinha to the committee. Senior advocate Kumar also h...

New Delhi: Delhi-NCR is feeling the heat as daytime temperatures rise and nights lose their chill. Similar warming trends are being observed across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Currently, no rainfall is expected in the region. Delhi Sees Rising Mercury After light showers on Wednesday, Delhi has experienced a sharp increase in temperatures over the past few days. The weather remains mostly dry with moderate humidity. On Friday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 28.4°C, which is 2.9°C above the seasonal average, while the minimum temperature stayed at 12.8°C, slightly higher than normal. Humidity levels ranged between 40% and 100% throughout the day. Forecasts indicate clear skies on Saturday, with morning fog possible. Temperatures are expected to reach ...

Varanasi: Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, head of the Uttaramnaya Badri Peeth, delivered a candid assessment of India’s contemporary political and social landscape in an exclusive interview with NBT at Kashi’s Shri Vidya Math. Known for his erudition in Dharmashastra, understanding of modern science and technology, and outspoken views, the Shankaracharya addressed issues ranging from governance to cultural preservation and cow protection. “Politics Has Become ‘Politiks’” The Shankaracharya remarked, “Today, India is not witnessing true politics but ‘politiks.’ Politics, in its essence, is policy implemented on behalf of the king. Without kings, there is no monarchy, and without monarchy, there is no state policy. What we see now is foreign-influenced politiks runn...

New Delhi: It is not often that one associates humor with tech leadership, but Sundar Pichai proved otherwise at the ongoing AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital. During an interaction at the summit, industrialist Harsh Goenka asked the Google CEO what had brought him to the AI gathering. With a smile, Pichai responded, “My name is Sundar… and I’m here to Pitch-AI,” cleverly playing on his surname and the theme of the summit. The witty remark drew laughter from the audience and quickly became one of the highlights of the event. Goenka later shared the moment on social media, complete with a playful emoji. AI Benefits Must Reach Everyone Beyond the light-hearted exchange, Pichai delivered a serious and forward-looking message about artificial intelligence....