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The Economics of UPI: Beyond Zero MDR
India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has transformed the country's payments landscape in less than a decade. What began as a digital payment innovation has evolved into critical economic infrastructure, connecting consumers, merchants, banks and technology platforms through a real-time payment system. The scale of this transformation is remarkable. Introduced in 2016, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has helped to transform the Indian digital payment ecosystem by making money transfers fast, convenient and largely free. However, with the announcement of a revised Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework effective from October 15, 2026, many customers are wondering whether UPI payments will continue to remain free.For nearly six years, UPI has been free. Recent Supreme court 's order - which refuses to pause the new fee at this time - means the proposed…
Vote Theft Charge Tests Opposition’s Reach Against Modi’s Welfare Grip
On Gandhi Jayanti, Delhi’s iconic Jantar Mantar area turned into a heavily policed stage on Friday. Opposition leaders, student activists and members of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party were detained in large numbers as they sought to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Parallel demonstrations took place in Mumbai and other cities. The charge, driven primarily by the Congress and amplified by its allies, is direct: “vote theft” or “vote chori,” through alleged mass deletions and unilateral decisions that, they argue, tilt the electoral field towards the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The controversy, which was there for the last one year, drew strength from a recent Indian Express investigation that revealed repeated written objections by the other two Election…
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Russia to welcome 70,000 Indian skilled workers this year as ties deepen
Russia has agreed to take in around 70,000 Indian skilled workers this year. Most will fill roles in construction and…
Explainer: What is the Special Intensive Revision and Why Has it Sparked a Political Storm in India?
The Election Commission of India is conducting a nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, an exercise that has triggered…
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America’s quarter-millennium: fireworks over the fragility
The rockets’ red glare lit up Washington on July 4th 2026 with unusual ambition. Organisers promised—and duly delivered—what they called…
Iran’s Defiant Farewell
In the sweltering heat of a Tehran summer, hundreds of thousands of black-clad mourners gathered this week at the Grand…
A Decade of Instability: How Brexit Fractured British Politics
Ten years after Britain voted to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016, the country finds itself marking the…
Government Decisions & Policy
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Meloni’s classroom crackdown
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Sunday that her government will shortly table a measure placing a legal maximum on the number of foreign…
FCRA 2026: Strengthening Accountability or Redefining the Space for Civil Society?
Foreign funding for civil society organisations has always occupied a sensitive space in India. Such contributions support work in education, healthcare, humanitarian assistance, social development…
A Temple Tarnished: How a Scandal at Ayodhya Threatens the BJP’s Hold on Uttar Pradesh
In the sacred town of Ayodhya, where a grand temple to Lord Ram was inaugurated in January 2024 amid fervent celebration, an uncomfortable drama is…
Southern drawl in the courtroom
A federal court in Alabama delivered an unexpected rebuff to Republican mapmakers on Tuesday, blocking a congressional redistricting plan that would have pared back Black…
India & Neighbourhood
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Explainer: What is the Special Intensive Revision and Why Has it Sparked a Political Storm in India?
The Election Commission of India is conducting a nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, an exercise that has triggered sharp political controversy, street protests…
Political Theatre
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Travel & Tourism
View AllIndian authorities warn travellers of harsh new drug penalties in Maldives, including possible death sentence
India's Narcotics Control Bureau has issued a strong advisory cautioning citizens travelling to the Maldives that even small quantities of…
A bumpy ride ahead
As summer 2026 looms, the travel industry is confronting an uncomfortable truth. Jet-fuel prices in America averaged $8.63 a gallon…
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Russia to welcome 70,000 Indian skilled workers this year as ties deepen
Russia has agreed to take in around 70,000 Indian skilled workers this year. Most will fill roles in construction and logistics. External Affairs Minister S…
States & Cities
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The politics of a plume
US Vice President J D Vance has written to the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting inspector general Nicole N Murley, demanding…
BJP will fight municipal polls from booth level, says Nitin Nabin in Hyderabad
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin on Sunday called on party workers in Telangana to strengthen the organisation…
Saints of the flame: Rajasthan ascetics ready to renounce earthly life for a sacred grove
In the blistering heat of Rajasthan’s Dudu district, a group of Hindu seers have chosen fire and fasting over comfort.…
From Workshop to Encrypted Chat: How Four Ordinary Men Allegedly Built a Toy Car Bomb Plot Targeting India’s Heart
In the dim glow of a private automobile workshop on the outskirts of Thane, just north of Mumbai, Mosaib Ahmad…
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Economy & Markets
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The Economics of UPI: Beyond Zero MDR
India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has transformed the country's payments landscape in less than a decade. What began as a digital payment innovation has evolved…
