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In a decision that could set a precedent in the Indian financial sector, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Ministry of Finance has fined global crypto exchange Binance a hefty Rs 18.82 core (approximately $2.2 million) for not adhering to anti-money laundering laws while catering to Indian customers. In January, the websites of nine offshore crypto exchanges including Binance were blocked for not being registered in India and complying with Indian laws. The penalty announced on Thursday paves the way for Binance to resume its operations in India.

There is a clear direct connection of the Ministry of Education in the NEET exam paper leak. The Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan is not ready to resign. The matter has already reached the Supreme Court. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for 2024 has stirred controversy across India, with allegations of a massive scam by the National Testing Agency (NTA). This year, over 23 lakh students faced challenges from paper leaks to questionable exam management, sparking nationwide debates and protests.

The opponents of EVMs in India seem to have found a new poster boy in Elon Musk, touting his views on eliminating EVMs as a rallying cry. But the anti-EVM campaigners would do well to ponder if they are barking up the wrong tree?

Raebareli will remain Gandhi family bastion so long as Rahul Gandhi is keen on continuing in politics. So long live Rahul Gandhi, long live the dynasty. That being said, Wayanad is the new go-to parliamentary constituency for the Gandhi family. Amethi lost its sheen for the family when Smriti Irani beat Rahul Gandhi in 2019. Irani’s tryst, however, was curtailed by a caretaker candidate. Amethi will never have a 'Gandhi' testing the electorate in any near future.

The deaths of 10 persons in a collision between the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express and a goods train raises important questions about railway safety, accountability, policy priorities and more. Are we always learning by accident? This accident in West Bengal's Darjeeling district has registered the highest death toll since the Balasore accident in Odisha last year. Initial reports point to human error as the cause of the accident.

A senior faculty of a reputed educational institution in Karnataka wrote on her X handle: “MK enjoy Karnataka, First power cuts, water shortage and now……”. She further wrote: “I wish I could somehow not give my share of income tax”. Undoubtedly, this manifested disenchantment of the people towards the Congress government of the state for its failure to meet the minimum daily needs of the people. They had voted out the BJP government for it being disoriented and dysfunctional, though caste break-up played a role. It was primarily the BJP government's failure to meet the basic requirements of the people which brought Congress rule.

Caste does not matter much in Odisha politics. But it seems the BJP is up to experimenting with it, as it chose a tribal face as its first Chief Minister in the state over more familiar — Mohan Charan Manjhi, a four–time legislator from Keonjhar district, who belongs to the Santhal tribe, like the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. Tribals constitute almost a quarter of Odisha's population. The 52-year-old Manjhi is the third tribal Chief Minister of Odisha — Congressmen Hemananda Biswal and Giridhar Gamang had short tenures in the 1990s.

In a recent ruling, the Calcutta High Court has invalidated Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates for 77 Muslim classes in West Bengal, casting doubt on the West Bengal Backward Classes Act of 2012 and striking down several of its provisions for contravening the landmark Indra Sawhney judgment, which was the basis for introducing OBC reservations in India.

On May 30 this year, the first International Day of Potato was observed. While India is the second largest potato producer after China, the historic event failed to create any awareness among the Indian people about its importance. Potato is the third most important crop after rice and wheat and is considered crucial for global food security. India produces about 60 million tonnes of potatoes annually. This year the production was at least one million tonnes less compared to last year.

RSS Pariwar union government’s scrutiny of All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) has eroded their autonomy completely over the last ten years despite the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 having provided their long sought after autonomy. For quite some time now news bulletins in the public broadcasters have been seen beginning with the Prime Minister (PM) and ending with him. The imprint of PM is total as other important national and international news stories are ignored. Every day, standards and tenor of the news bulletins are seemed set by the PMO and even BJP IT Cell. In the process, news bulletins loose its professional quality. The news bulletins are seen to be singing paean to the PM.