Exclusion from electoral rolls doesn't repeal voting rights forever, says Supreme Court

The rights of West Bengal voters purged from the electoral rolls during the special intensive revision (SIR), and unable to make it to any of the supplementary lists ahead of the Assembly election, cannot be "washed away forever", the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.

Lok Sabha passes Bill, recognises Amaravati as sole capital of A.P.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a Bill to recognise Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh, with the principal Opposition party Congress extending sup-port to the legislation while the YSR Congress walked out in protest.

The Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed by voice vote after a nearly two-hour debate.

Opportunity corridor

India is now Naxal-free, Home Minister Amit Shah declared in the Lok Sabha on March 30, a day ahead of a deadline he had set for himself for ending Left Wing Extremism (LWE). His assertion follows three years of intensive paramilitary operations, during which 4,839 Maoists surrendered, 2,218 were arrested, and 706 were neutralised in encounters. Mr. Shah had made tackling LWE a central piece of his in-ternal security policy, and of his political legacy.

A West Asia security rethink amid America's role

As the United States and Israel-led war against Iran enters its second month-with conflicting viewpoints from Washington DC. and Tel Aviv on what the aims of this conflict are and under what conditions they intend to seize their respective military operations - regional countries in West Asia are re-thinking their security future. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz along with Iran's 'scorched earth' policy of striking any targets across the Persian Gulf even remotely attached to American interests is leading to demands for a strategic reset.

Orderly exit

Global energy shocks are not new. The world has seen them before - in the early 1970s after the Yom Kippur War; in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution; in 1990-91 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, and in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yet, the present crisis triggered by American-Israeli strikes on Iran is materially different. While Russia's war with Ukraine sharpened the geopolitical use of natural gas, the current conflict has simultaneously disrupted oil and gas flows.

Why is India pushing piped gas now?

What is the difference between LPG, LNG, PNG, and CNG?

LPG is a co-product of oil refining and natural gas processing. That is, its production depends on the processing of both crude oil and natural gas. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), as the name suggests, is natural gas that has been cooled to below-160 degrees Celsius to turn it into a liquid for shipping. Liquefaction reduces its volume by 1,000 times. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is primarily used as a vehicular fuel. It involves compressing natural gas to a pressure of 200-250 kg/cm² (g) to reduce its volume and enable efficient distribution.

Qdenga: a step forward against dengue, but not a silver bullet

India's long wait for a dengue vaccine may finally be coming to an end. Takeda's tetravalent dengue vaccine, TAK-003 (called 'Qdenga'), recently received clearance from the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for use among individuals aged 4 to 60 years. This marks a significant milestone in the country's fight against a disease that causes millions of infections and thousands of hospitalisations every year, especially among children.

Centre puts off FCRA Bill as protests erupt in Lok Sabha

A mid strong protests from Opposition benches, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that the government did not intend to bring a Bill to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in the ongoing Bud-get Session.

CAPF Bill passed by Rajya Sabha after Opposition walkout

The Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, which was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, will further strengthen the security system of the country, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said, while replying to the de-bate on the legislation.

PM chairs Cabinet panel meeting over West Asia conflict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review measures taken by various Ministries regarding the ongoing conflict in West Asia and to also discuss further initiatives to be ta-ken. This was the second special CCS meeting on the matter, the first having been held on March 22.

India to renew push for faster FTA implementation during PM's EU visit

Ties with European countries will be on top of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's travel agenda this summer as the European Union's Parliament dis-cusses ratifying the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, which was announced in January.

Congress planning law to appease religious minorities in Assam: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday warned the people of Assam against a "dangerous communal violence law" that the Congress allegedly plans to introduce in the State, to target the "majority community" and "appease the minorities".

LS passes Jan Vishwas Amendment Bill 2026

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, by voice vote, aiming to decriminalise minor offences across various laws and further promote ease of doing business and living. The Bill proposes to amend 784 provisions of 79 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries. It seeks to decriminalise 717 provisions and amend 67 provisions to facilitate ease of living.

Import taxes lift March GST mop up to 10-month high

The Centre's gross revenue from Goods and Services Tax (GST) rose to a 10-month high of 2 lakh crore in March, as per latest data. However, a deep-er analysis shows the growth driven by GST on imports rather than on goods made in India. Tax experts said this could be the result of pass-through of higher global prices and a sign of growing trade imbalance, not necessarily a sign of domestic demand strength.

NMDC logs record iron ore output in FY26

India's largest iron ore producer NMDC reported record 53.15 million tonne output of the key raw material for steel in FY26. Sales touched 50.23 MT.

U.K. can lead Hormuz opening, says Starmer, as transatlantic ties fray

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. was willing to play a lead role in getting the Strait of Hormuz open again as he announced a meeting of Foreign Ministers later this week to ad-dress this. Acknowledging the pressure on him from U.S. President Donald Trump, Mr. Starmer said he would not join the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran, as he backed stronger relationships between the U.K. and European countries.

Putin likely to participate in BRICS summit in Delhi, says Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to participate in the BRICS summit scheduled in September in India, Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko Andrey Yurevich said in Colombo on Wednesday, adding that Moscow would support New Delhi's efforts to forge a consensus among members.

NASA begins fuelling rocket for first lunar trip in 50 years

NASA began fuelling its moon rocket on Wednesday for humanity's first lunar trip in more than half a century, aiming for an evening lift-off with four astronauts.