World exhales, holds breath

Relief over a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran gave way on Wednesday to alarm that fighting was still raging across the region, as Israel launched its biggest attacks yet on Lebanon, and Iran struck Gulf neigh-bours' oil facilities.

India calls for lasting peace, underlines need for diplomacy, dialogue

After 39 days of a war that has killed more than 3,000 people including eight Indians, India on Wednesday "welcomed" the ceasefire and expressed hope that it would lead to a "lasting peace", hours after US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan.

Pakistan emerges key mediator; US pushed it to broker ceasefire: FT

Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between US and Iran with Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif playing pivotal roles in brokering the two-week ceasefire and setting the stage for delegation-level talks from both countries In Pakistan.

Cabinet clears Bills for women's quota in Lok Sabha and Assemblies

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the proposed Constitutional amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and a Delimitation Bill to fast-track 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas by using 2011 Census data.

According to sources, there will be multiple Bills to make the long-pending reservation a reality by delinking it from the yet-to-be completed Census exercise and using the 2011 data instead.

India no longer inclined to host COP33 climate meeting in 2028

India is learnt to be no longer inclined to host the COP33 climate meeting in 2028, official sources said on Wednesday.

India had not formally bid for the event, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made the offer in December 2023, during the COP28 meeting in Dubai.

Bangla Foreign Minister meets Jaishankar, seeks return of ex-PM Hasina

The Visiting Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Khalilur Rahman conveyed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval that the BNP government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will pursue a "Bangladesh First" policy based on "mutual trust and respect and reciprocal benefit".

'West Asia conflict's effect kept in mind': Cabinet approves 12% hike in P&K fertiliser subsidy

The Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the new Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers, with the total subsidy outlay for the Kharif 2026 season pegged at Rs 41,533 crore, which is 11.60% higher than the last year's Rs 37,216.15 crore.

Islamabad channel: India must stand for peace, whoever the broker may be

If Pakistan succeeds, India should be among the first to celebrate. Celebrating a neighbour's mediation does not diminish our standing:

in a nuclear-armed neighbourhood, a win for stability is a win for everyone.

A nuclear leap amid renewed focus on energy security

The FBRs would not only multiply the potential of India's nuclear power programme but also ensure waste management, an issue of concern for nuclear power programmes.

Waiting & watching, RBI does well to hold rates

The April meeting of the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee was held in a macroeconomic climate starkly different from the benign milieu of its February meeting. The conflict in West Asia has raised the spectre of stagflation, far removed from the Goldilocks environment of low inflation and steady growth. Even as a two-week ceasefire has now been agreed upon, the MPC has opted, rightly, to wait and watch. The repo rate remains unchanged at 5.25 per cent, and the neutral stance has been retained.

We owe it to nari shakti to come together to advance women's representation

On April 16, Parliament will be convened to discuss and pass an important bill that advances women's reservation. To describe this merely as a legislative exercise would be an understatement. It is a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India. It is an affirmation of a principle that has long guided our civilisational ethos, that society progresses when women progress.

SC: Can decide on superstitious practices; Centre disagrees

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it can decide whether a religious practice is superstitious, only to be told by the Centre that secular courts which go by the Constitution don't have the "scholarly competence" for it and should rather leave it to the legislature.

No new clearances for production of refrigerant gases after 2027: Centre

In line with its international commitments to gradually phase-down production of planet-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the Government has directed all state and Central authorities to stop granting environmental clearances for new or additional HFC production beyond December 31, 2027. Those applying before the deadline will need to submit an undertaking guaranteeing that their plant will be fully operational, including commencement of production, on or before December 31, 2027.

Tehran strikes Saudi Arabia's key crude oil export pipeline

Iran Attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline just hours after a ceasefire was agreed to pause the Iran war, an industry source told Reuters on Wednesday, hitting its only crude oil export route since hostilities began.

North Korea fires ballistic missiles, rejecting Seoul's push towards diplomacy

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Wednesday, adding to a launch a day earlier, South Korea's military said, extending a series of tests that have strained hopes in Seoul for easing tensions. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said North Korea fired an additional unidentified missile at around 2:20 p.m. (0520 GMT) on Wednesday from the Wonsan area towards waters off its east coast.

RBI holds repo rate, sees GDP growth slowing to 6.9% in FY27

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Wednesday left the main policy instrument, the repo rate, unchanged at 5.25%.

The move underscores a cautious and calculated approach as economic risks resulting from the West Asia conflict have led to heightened uncertainty for both the inflation and growth outlook despite the US and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire.

Top 10% rural households own 44% land in India: Study

Land Ownership in rural India is highly concentrated with the top 10% of households owning 44% of total land area even as about 46% of house-holds are landless, said a working paper released by the Paris-based World Inequality Lab.

RBI plans to revise bank board norms

The reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to revise guidelines for bank boards to encourage a greater focus on policy matters rather than involvement in day-to-day operations, Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Wednesday.

World Bank raises India growth forecast by 30 bps to 6.6% for FY27

The World Bank Wednesday raised India's growth estimate for FY27 to 6.6%, up 30 bps from its earlier estimate, partly aided by free trade agreements amidst headwinds from the West Asia crisis.