The Philippines on Monday condemned the latest Chinese activities around Sandy Cay, emphasising that the area is part of its territory and no Chinese provocation will change that.

Chinese personnel reportedly raised a Chinese flag and conducted inspection activities on Sandy Cay, a sandbar located near Pag-asa Island, which is within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Philippines, Romualdez termed the Chinese actions as "desperate and cheap stunts" designed to mislead and bolster illegitimate claims, state-run news agency PNA reported.

"I strongly denounce the latest actions of the China Coast Guard (CCG) in and around Sandy Cay, an area well within the Philippines' EEZ and unquestionably part of Philippine sovereignty," Romualdez said in a statement.

National Conference President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday strongly condemned the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, asserting that India demands decisive action to ensure such attacks never recur.

"We deeply regret that our neighbour (Pakistan) still does not understand that such actions are a murder of humanity. If they believe these attacks will push us toward Pakistan, they are gravely mistaken. We rejected the two-nation theory in 1947, and we reject it even more firmly today. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians — we are all one. We will respond to this aggression with strength and unity," Farooq Abdullah said.

"If they think such cowardly acts will weaken us, they are wrong. It will only make us stronger. I have always advocated dialogue with Pakistan, but how do we justify dialogue when innocent lives are lost? How do we answer the families who are grieving today? Not just another Balakot strike - the nation now demands concrete action to ensure these tragedies never occur again."

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that comments made by various Congress leaders on the terror attack in Pahalgam do not reflect the party’s official position.

He clarified that only the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution and statements made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi represent the party’s view.

“What individual Congress leaders are saying is their personal view. The Congress party’s view is reflected in the CWC resolution and the statements by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi,” Ramesh posted on X.

Acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, Ramesh said, “There have been security lapses and intelligence failures. However, we need unity, solidarity, collective will, and continuous communication between the Government and the Opposition. We must stand united."

A team of Indian researchers has developed a new biosensor platform that can test and diagnose preeclampsia -- is a life-threatening complication caused by hypertension -- among pregnant women in 30 minutes.

Preeclampsia, which typically develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, affects 2-8 per cent of pregnancies worldwide.

While traditional methods to detect preeclampsia are time-consuming, and require huge infrastructure and trained personnel, the new platform offers rapid, on-site, and affordable screening at an early stage. Timely treatment is crucial to minimise both maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates.

The team led by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT) Madras, along with the Vellore Institute of Technology developed the Plasmonic Fibre Optic Absorbance Biosensor (P-FAB) technology using fibre optics sensor technology.

India's industrial growth, based on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), edged up to 3 per cent in March this year after slowing to 2.9 per cent in February, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics on Monday.

The data showed that the manufacturing sector, which provides quality jobs for the country’s young graduates passing out of the country’s universities and engineering institutes, recorded a 3 per cent growth in March compared to the same month last year.

The power sector output grew by a more robust 6.3 per cent growth during the month while the mining sector proved to be a laggard with a mere 0.4 per cent growth in March.

Within the manufacturing sector, 13 out of 23 industry groups have recorded a positive growth in March this year compared to the same month of the previous year. The top three positive contributors for the month are – "Manufacture of basic metals" (6.9 per cent), "Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers" (10.3 per cent) and "Manufacture of electrical equipment" (15.7 per cent), according to the official statement.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that for the first time, the people of the country are united, and this unity is needed to end militancy and terrorism.

Speaking on the resolution moved during the special session of the Assembly to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, CM Abdullah said, “The whole country is united in condemnation of this attack from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, although this is not the first time we have seen such attacks."

“Baisaran has again created the environment where we are now thinking where the next attack is going to take place. I did not have the words to tell the tourists. It was my responsibility as the host that I should have send them back safely. What should I tell those children who lost their father, or a woman who lost her husband and got married a few days back?"

Reducing salt intake is one of the most cost-effective strategies to boost health, said experts as salt consumption in India is exceeding safe limits, contributing significantly to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

Doctors and public health leaders called for stronger physician-led campaigns, reformulation of packaged foods, and consumer education to curb India's rising salt crisis, at The Salt Fight 2025: Say NO to Na workshop organised by the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) and other organisations.

Addressing modifiable risk factors like excess salt intake is critical to reversing the country's non-communicable disease burden, which accounts for nearly 65 per cent of all deaths, said Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, of NITI Aayog, during the event, held in the national capital.

"Reducing salt intake may seem simple, but it is among the most cost-effective strategies available. It is not enough to know the risks -- we must focus on what works. Practical campaigns and evidence-based solutions must be scaled urgently," he added.

In the backdrop of Pahalgam killings, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday accused Pakistan of using terror as an “instrument of state policy”, reiterating the Modi government’s resolve to bring “them down on their knees”.

Speaking at a Delhi government event and talking to reporters later, Puri hit out at Pakistan for using terror against India and declared that it would be brought to its knees - a reference he made in response to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India.

“This is not just PM Modi’s resolve but of all the 140 crore Indians. This time there will be no compromise on the issue of terrorism,” he said, referring to the ‘national anger’ over the killing of 26 people by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.

“Terror is being used as an instrument of state policy,” he said, comparing the progress made in India under PM Modi and the situation in the neighbouring country.

Even as tensions between India and Pakistan rise once again following the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack, Indian stock markets have showcased resilience every time the two neighbouring nations went into conflict.

While investors may have initially turned cautious, historical trends reveal that Indian markets have consistently overcome geopolitical challenges and emerged even stronger.

Whenever tensions flared along the Line of Control (LoC), the Indian stock markets saw brief declines but soon staged strong recoveries -- reflecting the underlying strength and confidence in India's economic growth.

Take the example of the Balakot airstrike. After the Pulwama terror attack, when the Indian Air Force carried out successful airstrikes on terror camps in Balakot on February 26, 2019, the Sensex fell by 239 points and the Nifty by 44 points.

India’s engineering goods exports recorded a growth of 6.74 per cent to scale an all-time high of $116.67 billion in for the financial year ended on March 31, 2025, according to figures compiled by the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC).

The total value of engineering exports stood at $109.30 billion in 2023-24 while the earlier record level was $112.10 billion achieved in fiscal 2021-22.

While the US remained the number one destination for Indian engineering exports in FY25, significant export growth was noted in the UAE, Singapore, Nepal, Japan and France.

Engineering goods exports to the US grew 8.7 per cent to $19.15 billion in FY25 from $17.62 billion in FY24.

The share of engineering exports in India’s overall merchandise exports increased to 26.67 per cent in 2024-25 from 25.01 per cent in the previous fiscal year.