National News

The United States and India are actively engaged in negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement, with the goal of finalizing an interim deal by the end of June. Discussions are progressing positively, with additional US officials expected to join the talks soon.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlights the need for intensifying trade through the port of Chabahar in Iran; he further expresses support for ‘mutual settlement of trade’ in national currencies

Mr. Lavrov would be first FM from a UNSC permanent member nation to visit India since Operation Sindoor; expected to discuss strategic ties and the India-Eurasia FTA, which has been in negotiations since 2015

Rashtriya Janata Dal threatens to launch mass movement across the State if steps are not taken

Schemes that are not operational due to land acquisition issues, local opposition, or lack of cooperation from contractors will be cancelled to prevent misallocation of funds

‘Malai koothu’, a form of ‘therukoothu’, is culturally moored in the lives of the Malaiyali tribes of Dharmapuri and the Javadhu and Yelagiri Hills in Tirupathur. But the artists have to strike a balance between the pleasure of pursuit of an art form that caters to an already poor audience and making a living through other jobs

Members of this community celebrate the harvest from their millet land in May and June. They perform pujas for five weeks praying to the deity for another good harvest. More recently, the festival has become popular among non-adivasi members too

In the early 1920s, Periyar, a prominent member of the Indian National Congress, was jailed in Coimbatore for leading a protest. There, he envisioned a publication that would speak “unflinching truths to power”. The result was a weekly that became not only a mouthpiece of the Self-Respect Movement but also a platform for challenging social evils

After Tamil Nadu CM questions timing of Census, MHA attributes delays to the impact of COVID-19, including the disruption to education, as most Census enumerators are government school teachers

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer acknowledged that overconfidence in Windows led to the company's failure in the smartphone market. He admitted Microsoft tried forcing Windows into unsuitable areas like mobile and automotive, resulting in poor user experiences.

At a webinar on ‘Emerging Careers 2030: Why Humanities and Sciences Hold the Key’, speakers stress importance of acquiring inter-disciplinary skills