The QS Europe Rankings 2026 placed the University of Oxford first, up from third in 2025. ETH Zurich came second and remains the top-ranked university in continental Europe. Imperial College London and University College London (UCL) share third place. Universities are assessed on research quality, academic reputation, graduate employability and international engagement.
Tripura topped the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 released by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Jugal Kishore Nagar Village Committee in Sepahijala district was the best-performing local body in India with a score of 88.44. South Nalchar gram panchayat came third (88.14) and Chesrimai gram panchayat fourth (87.85).
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released details of a new Consumer Price Index series, moving the base year from 2011-12 to 2023-24. The revision draws on the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24. In the new basket, the weight of food and beverages falls from about 46% to around 37%, reflecting changing household spending.
The National Statistics Office under MoSPI will carry out a nationwide Migration Survey between July 2026 and June 2027. It will gather information on rural-urban, inter-State, seasonal and return migration, the reasons people move, and the employment profile of migrants. The data is intended to aid planning for housing, jobs, transport and social security.
India and the United States have reached a major trade understanding to lower tariffs and expand two-way commerce. The US will reduce duties on Indian goods from 50% to roughly 18%.
Andhra Pradesh has launched Pilloo AI, an accounting and billing app for micro, small and medium enterprises that works through voice. Users can raise invoices and log sales, payments and expenses by speaking. Artificial intelligence pulls data automatically from bills and bank statements, reducing manual entry.
India and the League of Arab States issued the 2026 Delhi Declaration at the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, held ten years after the first such meeting in Bahrain. The declaration backed the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 for a peaceful settlement of the Israel-Palestine question.
The 16th Finance Commission recommended grants of ₹9.47 lakh crore over five years, only for local bodies and disaster management, ending revenue deficit, sector-specific and State-specific grants. Local bodies get ₹7,91,493 crore (₹4.4 lakh crore rural, ₹3.6 lakh crore urban), split 80% basic and 20% performance-based.
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