Iran targets commercial ships; global energy concerns mount

Iran attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf and targeted Dubai International Airport in the UAE on Wednesday, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oil-rich region as global energy concerns mounted and American and Israeli air-strikes pounded the Islamic Republic.

Motion in LS to oust Om Birla as Speaker rejected amid drama

The resolution seeking Om Birla's removal as Speaker of the Lok Sabha was defeated by a voice vote on Wednesday amid high drama, with Opposition MPs raising slogans against Un-ion Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks about Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Apex court upholds 'right to die' for man in vegetative state

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the right to die with dignity of 32-year-old Harish Rana, who has been in a persistent vegetative state for nearly 13 years, by allowing the withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH).

Holding up half the sky on India's farms

As we celebrated Women's Day on March 8 this year, we also celebrated the International Year of the Woman Farmer (announced by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization). It was an opportunity to recognise the contribution of working women to India's agricultural economy.

A revision of GDP and its implications

The National Statistical Office released a new GDP series with 2022-23 as the base year after an 11-year gap, amid public questioning of the veracity of the 2011-12 series.

The revised estimates show GDP size declining by about 3-4%, with sectoral composition changing slightly - higher shares for agriculture and industry and a decline in the services sector share.

GDP by institutions indicates a modest contraction in the non-financial private corporate sector and a rise in the household or informal sector's share, but it remains unclear whether the revision addresses all the red flags raised earlier, pending further methodological details.

Judge distinguishes between active and passive euthanasia

The distinction between "active" and "passive" euthanasia goes beyond the simplistic binary of "act" versus "omission", Supreme Court judge Jus-tice J.B. Pardiwala said on Wednesday.

"The true distinction between active and passive euthanasia lies not merely in the nature of the con-duct, i.e., acts or omissions, but also in the source of the harm that leads to death," Justice Pardiwala said in a judgment

'Right to dignified death prevails over interest of the state'

The Supreme Court held on Wednesday that the state's absolute interest to preserve life must become subservient to a patient's right to dignity at a tipping point when medical interventions become increasingly futile and invasive while the chances of recovery keep dropping.

Why is India staring at LPG deficit?

With LPG shortage hitting day-to-day life in India, da-ta suggest while the nation opted for a dramatic surge in LPG use, especially among poor households, driven by imports, there was no plan to boost long-term, strategic LPG re-serves in parallel.

With more than 85% of all of India's imports having to cross Strait of Hormuz to reach the nation's shores and limited back-up storage, the disruption hit quickly unlike in the case of auto fuels where strategic reserves of crude oil and products are equal to two months of consumption.