Governance

The Taliban government in Afghanistan says it has reached an agreement in principle with the United States to carry out a prisoner swap.

The rollover, agreed after high-level talks in Malé, reflects India’s continued financial support to its maritime neighbour and long-standing development partner.

With just five years left to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a new United Nations report has warned that the world is “alarmingly off-track” on gender equality, placing millions of women and girls at risk of being left behind.

Japan’s grant for dairy development is designed to empower smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of the country’s dairy production. The funding will go towards modernising farming practices, improving milk quality and safety, and introducing sustainable methods to make dairy farming more profitable and resilient.

But beyond the immediate destruction, most prominently over Dehradun on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, new reports and expert commentary point to deeper systemic failures – in climate monitoring, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure planning – that are making the Himalayan state increasingly vulnerable.

The indigenously developed technology ‘Gausort’ was launched by the prime minister earlier on  5 October 2024 will be used in sex sorting. Through Gausort technology, Sex Sorted Semen will be available to the farmers of the eastern and north-eastern region at reasonable rates.

The government claims that the bill includes amendments that address journalists’ concerns, and asserts it will not obstruct media freedom. The President said the law’s aim is not to curb free reporting.

The state government will provide an incentive of ₹800 per bag of urea saved to cultivators who adopt alternative practices and minimise its use.