The government suggested requiring e-commerce sites to offer searchable and sortable filters based on the “Country of Origin” for packaged goods sold online on monday.

According to a statement from the customer Affairs Ministry, the action will improve online buying transparency and customer empowerment. Another significant step toward creating an open, competitive, and consumer-friendly e-commerce ecosystem that supports national priorities and increases consumer confidence in online markets is this proposed change.

In the Draft Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (Second) Amendment Rules, 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs proposed requiring the “Country of Origin” filter to be used online.

Stakeholders have until November 22 to provide feedback on the draft amendment regulations, which are available for public review on the Department’s website.

“The amendment seeks to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions by allowing them to easily identify the origin of products while shopping online,” the ministry stated.

Customers will be able to search and categorize products by their nation of origin thanks to the proposed feature, which would improve transparency and cut down on the time needed to find such information across large product listings.

The phrase “Provided that every e-commerce entity selling imported products shall provide a searchable and sortable filter for the country of origin, with their product listings” should be added to rule 6, sub-rule (10) of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.

The ministry claims that by making “Made in India” products easily accessible, guaranteeing a level playing field for domestic manufacturers, assisting domestic products in gaining equal visibility alongside imported goods, and encouraging consumers to choose locally made alternatives, the amendment supports the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “Vocal for Local” initiatives.

The ministry added that the implementation of country-of-origin filters will help effectively monitor compliance, confirm product details, and spot infractions without necessitating a manual inspection of every listing.

A hacking gang with ties to North Korea has initiated a new type of malware that allows it to remotely take control of Android devices and PCs in order to erase important data, such as contacts, documents, and images.

According to a report by the Genians Security Center (GSC), a South Korean cybersecurity institute, the group—which is thought to be connected to Pyongyang-sponsored groups Kimsuky or APT37—infiltrated victims’ PCs and smartphones using malware distributed via KakaoTalk and stole account information for Google and major domestic IT services.

After verifying that the victims were not in their homes or places of employment using Google’s location-based tracking system, they remotely reset the smartphones, according to Yonhap news agency.

According to the study, the remote reset prevented the device from operating normally, preventing messenger app notifications and message alerts and thus cutting off the account owner’s awareness channel. This delayed detection and response.

Important information kept on the compromised devices, including as contacts, documents, and images, was entirely erased during this procedure.

Simultaneously, the attackers used PCs and tablets that were already infected in the victims’ homes or places of employment to distribute malware to contacts under the guise of “stress relief programs.”

According to the GSC report, the hackers might have watched victims’ movements using compromised cameras by using webcams on PCs to verify whether victims were away from home.

This combination of account-based dissemination and device neutralization is “unprecedented” among known North Korean cyberattack activities, according to the institute.

“It demonstrates the attacker’s tactical maturity and advanced evasion strategy, marking a key inflection point in the evolution of APT tactics,” it stated.

Advanced persistent threats, or APTs for short, are a class of complex and persistent cyberattacks.

The defense ministry of South Korea “strongly condemns” North Korea’s alleged ballistic missile test last week and urges the North to stop actions that increase tensions between the Koreas.

In a notice to the media, the ministry stated that it “strongly condemns the recent ballistic missile launch by the North, and expresses deep regret for (the North’s) statement denouncing South Korea-U.S. annual exercises and conference.”

Additionally, it demanded that North Korea “immediately halt” any actions that would increase tensions between the two Koreas.

The day after it threatened to take appropriate action in response to the most recent U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang, North Korea fired one suspected short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Friday.

Following Roger Binny’s resignation in August 2025, Rajeev Shukla took over as the board’s acting president. After Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny, Mithun Manhas‘ election made him the third former cricket player to hold the presidency.

Mithun Manhas, president of the BCCI, said that his position entails “great responsibility” and that it is a legacy that “must be carried forward.” At the Annual General Meeting, which took place on September 28 at the board’s Mumbai offices, Manhas was chosen to serve as the chair of the board.

Manhas said, “The role of BCCI President comes with a great responsibility – it is a legacy that must be carried forward,” acknowledging that the position he has been given has a lot of responsibility. We are prepared, our squad is competent, and we will work hard to keep up the excellent work so that both the men’s and women’s teams may achieve even greater success and Indian cricket keeps growing.

Manhas gave Jay Shah, the current ICC chairman and previous board secretary, a lot of credit for Team India’s recent historic Women’s World Cup victory. He commended Shah for improving Indian women’s cricket and stated that the team’s outstanding performance abroad is mostly due to his efforts.

“When the BCCI took over in 2006 or 2007, the preparations for our women’s squad that won the 2025 World Cup started nearly twenty years ago. Since then, a lot of work has been completed. The women’s squad has advanced to this level thanks in large part to the efforts of Mr. Jay Shah, the General Secretary at the time. He made sure that female cricket players were paid the same as their male counterparts, he claimed.

Following that, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was established, and the Under-15 women’s competition was inaugurated a few years ago. Even while managing duties at the ICC, the kind of effort and initiatives he has undertaken, like raising salaries and prize money, are absolutely commendable. He continued, “He deserves a lot of credit for it.

Manhas attributed the Indian women’s cricket team’s recent success to both the current players and the former players, whose years of dedication set the stage for the team’s current success. He referred to them as the “true heroes” and claimed that the triumph had increased grassroots involvement in women’s cricket across the country.

37th President of the BCCI: Mithun Manhas
Vice-President: Rajeev Shukla
Secretary: Devajit Saikia
Joint Secretary: Prabhtej Bhatia
Treasurer: A. Raghuram Bhat
IPL Chairman: Arun Dhumal

Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran stated on Friday that India is expected to see GDP growth of more than 6.8% in the current fiscal year (FY26) and that private capital spending is still strong despite global concerns.

Speaking at an event here, he cited a recovery in private capital spending and higher foreign inflows as reasons for a possible upward revision of GDP growth following Q2 statistics.

According to the CEA, net FDI inflows have already significantly exceeded those of the previous two years in the first five months of this year. Contrary to expectations of a decrease, Nageswaran continued, FY 2024–2025 has been a very good year for private capital expenditures.

According to Nageswaran, private capital expenditures have significantly increased in FY25 after failing in FY24, suggesting that the trend for investments is accelerating.

In order to facilitate success in all areas, including the correction of inverted duty structures, the CEA emphasized the significance of a strong regulatory and legislative environment.

Instead of trying to onshore all production, he added, India’s policy should focus on strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities and connecting to international supply chains.

A tariff agreement between the US and India may soon be finalized, according to Nageswaran. He described the recent boost in consumption in India as mostly a supply-side boom driven by robust investment activity.

SEBI Chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey stated earlier at the same occasion that India’s capital markets will play a major role in the country’s continued economic strength and advancement toward the “Viksit Bharat” goal.

Additionally, he stated that businesses had raised about Rs 2 lakh crore from the main market this year, demonstrating strong investor confidence.

Pandey emphasized structural opportunities, pointing out that the assets under administration of mutual funds account for less than 25% of GDP, with urban participation at roughly 15% and rural involvement at 6%.

James D. Watson has passed away at 97. His co-discovery of DNA’s twisted ladder structure in 1953 ignited a long-lasting revolution in ethics, genealogy, medicine, and criminal prevention.

He was born in Chicago on April 6, 1928, the son of a mail-order school bill collector who had authored a little book about birds in northern Illinois. At first, the younger Watson wanted to pursue his father’s hobby of studying birds. He once remarked, “My greatest ambition had been to find out why birds migrate.” “The career would have been lost. They are still in the dark.

The intelligent child who enjoyed reading the World Almanac made an appearance on the well-known radio program “Quiz Kids” when he was 12. His adolescent years were difficult, as is frequently the case for bright people. Watson remarked, “I never even tried to be an adolescent.” “I never attended gatherings for teenagers. I was out of place. I had no desire to blend in. I essentially transitioned from childhood to adulthood.

At the age of 15, he was accepted into a program at the University of Chicago that aims to offer gifted children an early advantage in life. He acquired the Socratic technique of inquiry through oral confrontation there, which would serve as the foundation for both his outstanding accomplishments and the severe verdicts that would ultimately lead to his downfall.

It took Watson decades to feel deserving of a breakthrough that some compare to Einstein’s well-known E=MC2 formula. However, he succeeded. “Did Francis and I merit the double helix?” Forty years later, Watson posed a hypothetical question. “Yes, we did.”

The bold, Chicago-born Watson became a revered figure in science for decades after the discovery, which was made at the age of just 24. However, when his life was coming to an end, he was subject to professional criticism and condemnation for making inappropriate statements, such as claiming that Black people are less bright than white people.

For finding that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a double helix made up of two strands that coil around one another to form what looks like a long, gently twisting ladder, Watson received the 1962 Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins.

That insight was revolutionary. It immediately implied how DNA is duplicated during cell division and how genetic information is stored. The two DNA strands pull apart like a zipper to start the duplication.

The double helix would become an easily identifiable symbol of science even among non-scientists, appearing in places like Salvador Dali’s artwork and a British postage stamp.

More modern advancements like manipulating the genetic composition of living organisms, curing illness by introducing genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples, and tracking family trees and ancient human ancestors were made possible by this discovery. However, it has also brought up a number of ethical issues, including as whether we should change the body’s blueprint for aesthetic purposes or in a way that affects a person’s progeny.

Watson once remarked, “It was pretty obvious that Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century.” “We could not have predicted the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society,” he wrote later.

Watson never produced another significant discovery in the lab. However, in the decades that followed, he contributed to the direction of the human genome mapping effort and produced a best-selling biography and influential textbooks. He selected and assisted promising young scientists. Additionally, he influenced scientific policy through his connections and prominence.

Duncan Watson described his father as someone who “never stopped fighting for people who were suffering from disease.”

Watson’s initial motivation for sponsoring the gene project was personal: Watson reasoned that understanding the full composition of DNA would be essential for comprehending schizophrenia, possibly in time to assist his son Rufus, who had been admitted to the hospital with a potential diagnosis.

In his best-selling 1968 book about the discovery of DNA, “The Double Helix,” he remarked, “a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.”

He wrote: “You have to avoid foolish people if you want to succeed in science. Never engage in activities that bore you. Leave research if you are unable to coexist with your true peers, even your scientific rivals. A scientist must be ready to get into serious difficulties in order to achieve great achievement.

To the joy of fans and movie enthusiasts, Malayalam filmmaker, Rojin Thomas‘s next horror fantasy thriller “Kathanar,” which stars Jayasurya and Anushka Shetty, unveiled the first look poster of actress Shetty on Friday.

In addition, the producers said that the actress portrayed Nila in the movie on November 7, the actress’s birthday.

“Not the tale you know, but the one rewritten by time,” the film’s production company, Sree Gokulam Movies, posted on its social media timelines. An ageless beauty. Happy birthday, #AnushkaShetty, my love. The visage of our Nila and #Kathanar #Kathanarthewildsorcerer.”

Recall that on the occasion of actor Jayasurya’s birthday in August of this year, the film’s creators also unveiled his terrifying appearance.

Fans and movie enthusiasts are quite interested in the movie, which was first announced in 2023, for a variety of reasons.

The film’s creators have stated that it will feature technology never seen in Indian cinema, which is one of the reasons fans are interested in the project.

During the film’s premiere, the producers published a long post on Instagram using their official movie account. “KATHANAR movie brings technology never before used in Indian cinema,” the statement stated. Pre-production on the movie “Kathanar,” which uses virtual production technology and advanced workflows like Tech-Viz, Stunt-Viz, and Post-Viz, has started. Asset production processes such as Vicon-based infrared biped motion capture and full body 3D scans employing a 200DSLR camera photogrammetry rig have already begun.”

“Hollywood films ‘Jungle Book‘ and ‘Lion King’ were the pioneers in using these technology before ‘Kathanar,‘” the producers added. We are now appreciative of the chance to use ‘Kathanar’ to introduce these technology from foreign film to Malayalam cinema.

“Kathanar” will be a worldwide film that unites our nation’s technocrats. “Kathanar” will be distributed in seven languages after preproduction and principle photography are finished in a year.”

Up to now, Prabhu Deva, Anushka Shetty, and Jayasurya’s appearances in the movie have been revealed by the producers.

“Kathanar,” which is directed by Rojin Thomas, is co-produced by VC Praveen and Baiju Gopalan and produced by Gokulam Gopalan. Rahul Subrahmanian composed the music, Neil D’Cunha handled the cinematography, and R Ramanand wrote the screenplay.

On November 21st of this year, Kathanar will be seen in theaters.

India’s aviation sector, which is currently the fifth largest in the world, is expected to rise to the third position by 2030 and become a global leader in the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

India possesses the raw materials to expand SAF production, according to a report from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and KPMG, with over 680 MMT of agricultural residue, 3.4 MMT of spent cooking oil, and an ethanol capacity over 1,800 crore liters.

A strategic road map is presented in the paper, emphasizing the nation’s readiness to expand SAF production, improve rural incomes, promote greener fuel options, and reach global export markets.

According to the report, SAF is the most immediate and scalable decarbonization lever for aviation, with lifecycle emissions reductions of up to 80%.

The government-mandated blending targets of 1% by 2027, 2% by 2028, and 5% by 2030 were also addressed in the paper.

The economic and environmental benefits were highlighted in the paper, including reduced fuel imports that save billions, the development of jobs in green industries, and increased revenue for rural communities.

It further stated that India is in a good position to provide SAF to high-end markets including the Middle East, Singapore, Japan, and the EU.

The necessity of a coordinated systems strategy that synchronizes policy, financing, technology, and offtake obligations was emphasized by Anish De, Global Head, Energy Natural Resources & Chemicals, KPMG in India.

According to Vivek Rahi, Partner and National Head of Oil & Gas at KPMG in India, “India’s SAF journey will be built on the intelligent use of our abundant feedstock base, from agricultural residues and municipal solid waste to press-mud and used cooking oil.”

Establishing sustainable supply chains and long-term offtake frameworks incorporating airlines, OMCs, and technology suppliers will be crucial to success, he continued.

India rather than China or the West may become the most powerful civilization in that world due to its millennia-long exploration of the nature of consciousness, Report said. When machines or artificial intelligence (AI) take the place of human labor, humanity would be forced inward and seek meaning instead of material survival.

India will set the standard in a post-work society, according to Jan Krikke‘s article in Asia Times.

Macrohistorian Lawrence Taub stated, automation, artificial intelligence, and “free energy” will render the “Worker Age” obsolete by the middle of the century, leaving nations to deal with ologist identity crisis.

“The 21st century will need to harness consciousness if the 19th century used physical force and the 20th century used knowledge. According to the article, the new competition would focus on meaning rather than production.

Furthermore, China is the nation that best embodies the “Worker Age.”

“The most amazing industrial revolution in history was created by its Confucian ideal of discipline, hierarchy, and communal harmony. It constructed megacities overnight, lifted about a billion people out of terrible poverty, and turned into the world’s manufacturing floor within 40 years, according to the story.

China is a symbol of the “Worker Age’s” excellence and weariness.

India is the embodiment of inner mastery, while China is the embodiment of material mastery. According to the report, “Indian civilization has been exploring the dimensions of consciousness for millennia that modern neuroscience is just starting to map.”

The Bhagavad Gita provided a psychology of action without attachment, the Upanishads explored the relationship between mind and reality, and Vedanta and Yoga established rigorous methods for introspection and emotional control.

India never distinguished between the metaphysical and the everyday, in contrast to most other civilizations. From rituals that commemorate the passing of time to meditation before meals, the everyday and the holy have always been entwined.

According to the article, “this integration may prove crucial in a post-work era when people seek coherence rather than consumption.”

India’s traditions offer frameworks for insight—how to observe, interpret, and live consciously—in a world where AI can outthink but not comprehend.

“That may become the most valuable skill of all,” the report stated.

India is to nearly treble the size of its rare earth magnet manufacturing incentive scheme to more than Rs 7,000 crore in a significant effort to increase domestic capacity in the vital rare earth industry.

According to sources, the action comes as a number of countries, including India, increase their attempts to create a trustworthy supply chain for rare earth magnets, which are essential parts of cellphones, wind turbines, electric cars, and defense systems, in the face of China’s tightening export regulations.

Approximately 90% of the world’s rare earth production is being processed in China. As trade tensions with the US escalated in April of this year, Beijing tightened export limits on vital minerals, hurting global supplies to clean energy and automakers.

The goals of India’s enlarged production-linked incentive (PLI) program are to lessen reliance on Chinese imports, encourage domestic manufacturing, and draw in private investment.

In order to guarantee safe access to the raw materials required for the creation of magnets, the government is also looking into forming alliances with countries that have abundant natural resources.

The projected increase in incentives, according to industry analysts, is a reflection of India’s larger plan to fortify its vital minerals ecosystem, which includes value addition, high-tech manufacturing, exploration, and mining.

In order to protect India against supply-chain disruptions worldwide, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) had earlier in the day urged the government to establish a specialized Department of Critical Minerals and implement “aggressive mineral diplomacy.”

Similar to the US oil reserve strategy, the chamber likewise recommended for strategic mineral stockpiling and interministerial coordination.

Critical minerals will play a major role in the global energy transition, experts have emphasized again and over again.

While renewable energy technologies like solar and wind require up to three times as many minerals as conventional sources, electric vehicles are expected to be six times more mineral-intensive than conventional cars.

Reports state that India wants to establish itself as a major role in the global clean energy and electronics value chains in addition to bolstering its industrial base by increasing its output of rare earth magnets.