Lebanon, Israel hold historic direct talks

Lebanon and Israel opened their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "historic opportunity," but made clear that no breakthrough agreement was immediately expected. 

Ukraine & Germany to start work on joint production of advanced drones

Ukraine and Germany are starting work on plans for the joint production of advanced drones and other battle-tested defence systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, as Kyiv looks to scale up its more than four-year fight against Russia's all-out invasion. 

Trump dials Modi again, discusses keeping Strait of Hormuz open, secure

A day after he ordered a US naval blockade of Iran's ports and coastal areas, President Donald Trump called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday who said they "discussed the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure". 

Women's quota: Govt for House at 850, delimitation on 2011 Census

The Government Tuesday circulated three Bills to pave the way for fresh delimitation based on "such Census, as Parliament may by law determine, of which the relevant figures have been published", likely the 2011 count; raise the strength of Lok Sabha from the current 543 to 850 members; and operationalise one-third reservation of seats for women in Parliament and state Assemblies. 

New era in Bihar: Samrat set to be CM, both Dy CMs from JDU

Marking the end of a political era in Bihar, Nitish Kumar resigned as the state's Chief Minister Tuesday, paving the way for BJP leader Samrat Choudhary to succeed him.-

Wage hike for NREGS workers halted as Centre looks to roll out G-RAM-G

Over Seven crore workers covered under the MG-NREGS may have to wait for a wage hike until the Centre notifies the implementation of Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAMG) Act, 2025, aimed at replacing the UPA-era job scheme, The Indian Express has learnt.

It is the first time in more than a decade that the Centre has not released a revised NREGS wage notification in February-March. 

Amaravati: India's first quantum computing testing facility launched

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday formally launched India's first indigenous quantum computing testing facility at SRM University in Amaravati. With this, the CM said, the Amaravati Quantum Valley will emerge as an international quantum computing hub. 

Jaishankar discusses Hormuz, Iran, Lebanon with Israel's Sa'ar

In the first phone conversation since the two-week ceasefire in the war in West Asia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Tuesday.

They discussed Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon -as peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad came to a halt with no deal struck. 

Om Birla: Women from panchayat to Parliament reflect Ambedkar's vision

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said Dr BR Ambedkar gave the nation a new direction and vision, laying a strong foundation for nation-building, and asserted that his ideas continue to guide humanity even today. 

IMD forecasts heatwave in northwest, central and south India through next week

South Peninsula, central and northwest India regions are bracing for heatwave conditions expected to last for the next one week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.

The IMD declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature recorded over a location crosses 40 degrees Celsius (over the plains) or rises by 4.5 degrees Celsius from normal. The threshold temperature is 37 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius along the coast and over the hills, respectively.

For US and Iran, there are three crucial issues - all can be resolved

Iran's militarisation of the strait is aimed at exercising strategic leverage and at generating funds to rebuild damaged infrastructure. With a peace deal, the need for leverage would disappear. 

India has a chance to be Asia's gateway for global capital

The core principle is simple: Do not tax the gateway. Benefits to India will come from the second-order effects-the jobs, the investments, the technology, the capital that flows through GIFT into Asia and the world.

Amid a widening Gulf, the need for a bridge between India and South Korea

For India and South Korea, the Gulf war presents an opportunity to inject real political content into a relationship long described as 'strategic' but driven largely by commerce. 

Women's Bill is about redefining power

It recognises that incremental change has not been sufficient, and that a critical mass of 33 per cent is necessary to shift institutional culture towards a gender-equal, 50:50 legislative future.

When religious freedom collides with right to life

Right now, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) is hearing a critically important case, the outcome of which will determine the constitutionality of female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that threatens young girls' health, safety, and bodily autonomy, widely considered a form of torture. Although India has technically outlawed FGM through broad criminal prohibitions, the practice continues. If the Court is to continue its tradition of responsive constitutional law, and uphold its international legal obligations, then it must confirm that FGM is not constitutionally permitted.

IMF cuts global growth forecast, but raises India's by 10 bps to 6.5%

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday said the war in West Asia could turn into "the largest energy crisis in modern times" as it cut its global growth forecast for 2026 by 20 bps to 3.1%, with developing economies bearing the brunt of the downward revisions.

India, meanwhile, received a minor bump-up of 10 bps to its GDP growth forecast to 6.5% for FY27. Iran's economy is expected to shrink by 6.1% in 2026 as against a growth of 1.1% forecast in January.

India's strong fundamentals to cushion oil shock: S&P

India's robust macroeconomic and financial sector fundamentals are likely to cushion the impact of a sustained oil price shock, though economic growth could slow by up to 80 bps if crude averages $130 per barrel in 2026, according to S&P Global Ratings. 

Behind workers' protests: High costs, stagnant wages

• The new Labour Codes have defined an eight-hour working day and a weekly work limit of 48 hours

• In the draft rules in December, the Centre said it would separately notify the period of work in each day, with intervals and spread-overs, from time to time

• Though it gives flexibility, it has also led to confusion among employers and employees.

The eligibility threshold: How right to vote affects right to contest

The right to vote 'enables a member to exercise franchise in accordance with the statutory scheme'

The right to contest is 'a distinct and additional right which may legitimately be made subject to qualifications, eligibility conditions and disqualification'.

Why Jan Vishwas Act marks a major reform for the criminal justice system

Earlier in April, Parliament passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment to Provisions) Bill, 2026. The Act proposes to amend 784 provisions across 79 central laws. Earlier, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, had amended 183 provisions across 42 laws to improve ease of doing business. The present Act moves beyond this. By extensively decriminalising and rationalising punishments across a wider spectrum of laws, it pushes the reform into areas that shape a citizen's routine, day-to-day encounters with the law.