New Delhi, Aug 19: The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has come out strongly in defence of senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor of The Wire, and Karan Thapar, Consulting Editor of The Wire, after the Assam Police registered FIRs accusing them of “endangering the sovereignty of India.” The Guild demanded immediate withdrawal of FIRs against Thapar and Varadarajan.

The Guild in a statement expressed deep concern over media reports that the Assam Police have summoned two senior journalists – Siddhart Varadarajan, Founding Editor of The Wire, and Karan Thapar, Consulting Editor of The Wire – to Guwahati following the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against them for allegedly endangering the sovereignty of India.

The summons to these two journalists to appear before the Crime Branch office in Guwahati’s Panbazar on August 22, 2025, comes just days after the Supreme Court granted Varadarajan and others protection against any “coercive action” by the Assam Police in connection with another FIR lodged over an article published by The Wire, the statement said.

It is not yet clear whether the latest FIR is also linked to the same article, which critiqued the government over Operation Sindoor, it said.

It also said that as with the earlier FIR registered at Morigaon Police Station, the latest case also invokes Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. In addition to Section 152, the FIRs invoke several other provisions: Section 196 (communal enmity), Section 197 (1)(d)/3(6) (false propaganda), Section 353 (public mischief), Section 45 (abetment), and Section 61 (criminal conspiracy).

The Guild is extremely disturbed by this continuing trend of law enforcement agencies across states registering FIRs against journalists by invoking multiple provisions of the criminal code. This practice effectively muzzles independent journalism, as the very process of responding to notices, summons and prolonged judicial proceedings becomes a form of punishment, the statement highlighted.

It added that the invocation of Section 152 of the BNS is particularly troubling, since it is widely regarded as a repackaged versions of the draconian sedition law (Section 124A of the IPC), which the Supreme Court ordered to be kept in abeyance in May 2022 in response to petitions filed by the Guild and others challenging its constitutionality. Rather than meaningfully engage with the concerns raised by the Court, the government reintroduced the provision in broader form under the new law. Section 152 of the BNS now extends beyond speech acts (written or oral) to also include the alleged use of financial means to pursue certain objectives.

The Guild had written to the Home Ministry in July 2024 highlighting these concerns, specifically regarding Section 152 and other provisions that pose a serious risk of misuse against free speech. It had also urged the introduction of procedural safeguards to prevent the arbitrary application of such laws against journalists in the course of their professional work, it added.

While laws must always be respected and upheld, they must not be misused to suppress journalism. The Editors Guild urges the Assam Police to refrain from actions that could cast even the slightest doubt on their true intent. The Guild also takes the opportunity to remind fellow journalists about the importance of pursuing their profession without fear or favour. Honest journalism can never be a crime, the statement held.

New Delhi, Aug 19: There has been an “upward trend” in India-China relations in the past nine months as peace and tranquillity prevailed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said on Tuesday during his talks on the boundary issue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Doval and Wang held the talks under the framework of Special Representatives (SR) mechanism that came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to China to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

In his televised opening remarks, the NSA recalled his visit to Beijing in December last for the previous round of SR talks and said there has been an “upward trend” in the ties between the two sides since then.

“Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity, our bilateral engagements have been more substantial,” he said.

Doval also formally announced that Modi will visit China to attend the SCO Summit, to be held in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1 and noted that the Special Representatives talks have assumed a “very special importance” in view of the trip.

The NSA also made a mention of the talks between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of a multilateral event in the Russian city of Kazan in October last year, adding that both sides benefited a lot since then.

“The new environment that has been created has helped us in moving ahead in the various areas that we were working on,” Doval said.

The Modi-Xi meeting took place two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for the remaining two friction points of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh.

The two leaders had decided to revive several mechanisms, including talks between the Special Representatives, to normalise bilateral ties.

In his remarks, the Chinese foreign minister said the two sides should “increase mutual trust through strategic communication, expand common interest through exchanges and cooperation, and properly settle the specific issues” along the borders. “We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders,” he said.

“Now the bilateral relationship is facing an important opportunity of improvement and growth. The Chinese side attaches great importance to the prime minister’s visit to China to attend the SCO Summit at our invitation,” he said.

The Chinese foreign minister landed in Delhi on Monday on a two-day visit. Wang’s visit is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.

In the SR talks, both sides were expected to deliberate on new confidence-building measures besides reviewing the overall situation along the LAC. Though the two sides disengaged troops from the friction points, they are yet to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region.

The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and the clashes at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in bilateral ties.

The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year.

In the last few months, the two sides also initiated a number of initiatives to rebuild the ties that included resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and New Delhi restarting issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals.

Srinagar, Aug 19: Stating that relocation of stray dogs would not be a solution and that it was just an illusion, director Ram Gopal Varma has said that if dog lovers cared so much for stray dogs, they must open their guest rooms for the animals.

Taking to his X timeline to pen a lengthy post in response to the demand of dog lovers that the animals be relocated, director Ram Gopal Varma wrote, “Everyone keeps chanting ‘relocate the dogs, relocate the dogs’ as if it’s some magic wand. But relocation is nothing but a polite word for dumping the problem from one street to another.”

“Relocation is not a solution—it’s an illusion. It’s the excuse of the ignorants to avoid hard choices,” the director wrote on a topic that has become a serious bone of contention between animal lovers and those worried about the safety of civilians.

The director further went on to add, “And here’s the hypocrisy — dog lovers lecture from their air-conditioned homes with their imported breeds sitting on satin cushions, while the poor face the real menace on the streets. If they care so much, let them open their guest rooms for the strays.”

Ram Gopal Varma concluded the post saying, “Don’t preach relocation to the government while keeping your posh spaces stray dog free and your cute children dog bite free.”

The director has been vocal on this issue ever since it erupted.

Prior to this post, the director had, in one of his earlier tweets, written, “With regard to the great poem we have all been taught at school ‘All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.’ didn’t take into accounts of cockroaches who contaminate, rats who spread plague, snakes which inject poison, mosquitoes which create diseases and stray dogs who kill children(sic).”

Srinagar, Aug 19: According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), global progress toward secure, equitable, and sustainable energy systems has accelerated notably in 2025, reversing years of sluggish momentum. This year, 65% of countries improved their Energy Transition Index (ETI) scores, with 28% advancing across all three core pillars: energy security, environmental sustainability, and energy equity. However, India slipped from 63rd to 71st position out of 118 countries.

This year, 65% of countries improved their scores on the Energy Transition Index (ETI), with 28% showing advancements across all three key dimensions: energy security, environmental sustainability, and energy equity. India’s shift from 63rd to 71st reflects both progress and growing pains. While the country has accelerated efforts in clean energy adoption and investment, structural gaps—especially in infrastructure and readiness—are holding back broader momentum. To boost its ranking, it can improvement in grid reliability, rural energy access, and reduced reliance on imported energy could boost energy security and equity.

Advanced economies continue to dominate the rankings, holding 16 of the top 20 positions.

Investment in infrastructure and renewable sources could also speed up this transition. Major emerging and advanced economies like China, the U.S., and the EU are playing pivotal roles in shaping the pace of global energy transition. India’s advancements are encouraging but need targeted investments and policy support to regain and strengthen its position.