Oil prices reflect geopolitical risks, not only supply

In the aftermath of the war in West Asia, crude oil prices surged to as high as $118 a barrel last week. Alongside rising tensions, this situation has been building for over two months. Since mid-December 2025, when Brent crude stood at $57.56, prices have surged by more than 100%. They have, however, come down since then but remain in three digits, with no immediate sign of easing.

House decorum

The Lok Sabha rejected by voice vote, on March 11, a resolution under Article 94(C) of the Constitution for the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from office, but only after a hostile debate on the functioning of the House deepened the wedge between the government and the Opposition. In principle, Parliament is the foundation of representative democracy, and its routine functions act as an instrument that holds the cabinet accountable.   

Building India's climate resilience with water at the core

Branded the "COP of Implementation," COP 30, the 30th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, marked a decisive shift in how adaptation is understood –not as an abstract promise of resilience, but as a measurable, accountable discipline grounded in systems that function under stress. At the centre of this shift is 'water', moving from the margins of infrastructure planning to the core of climate survival. For the first time, global adaptation indicators integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) into climate accountability, reshaping the water-food-climate nexus with implications for all countries, including India.

Another barrier

When considering a measure to address a work-related need, care must be taken to ensure that it does not inadvertently reduce the employee's opportunity to work. This was again made evident on March 13, when a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, refused to entertain a petition seeking a law providing menstrual leave for women workers and students. The Court cautioned that mandatory menstrual leave could unintentionally hinder women's careers and deny them "big responsibilities".

On the right to die with dignity

The right of refusal of medical treatment was held to be a manifestation of dignity intersecting with privacy, autonomy, and self-determination.

Why is the U.S. investigating India?

The U.S. has launched two investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 against India and other economies to examine practices that may be 'unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce'. One probe examines whether countries, including India, are using excess manufacturing capacity to export to the U.S. in a manner that hurts American businesses, while another looks at whether countries have taken 'sufficient steps' to prohibit imports of goods produced with forced labour.

Diversify agriculture, encourage farmers to grow pulses: SC to govt.

The Supreme Court has asked the Union government to revisit its existing policy framework and explore a better substitute under which farmers are incentivised to diversify from conventional crops such as wheat and paddy to pulses. Besides a relook into policy and diversification of crops, the court asked the Centre to convene a meeting of different stake-holders to look into various issues. 

Pure electoral rolls are bedrock of any democracy, says CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday hailed the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a "massive democratic exercise", and said that "pure electoral rolls" were the "bedrock of any democracy".    

Veena exponent Jayanthi Kumaresh to receive Sangita Kalanidhi award at Music Academy's 100th Conference

The 100th Conference and Concerts of the The Music Academy, Chennai, beginning in December this year, will be marked by the conferment of the Sangita Kalanidhi award on renowned veena player Jayanthi Kumaresh. Bharatanatyam dancer Narendra G. will receive the Nritya Kalanidhi award.

UPSC's new rule: SC nod must for delay in choosing State DGPS

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has revised the rules for the empanelment of State Director-General of Police and Head of Police Force.

The State governments will now have to get the consent of the Supreme Court for any delay in submitting the list of DGP-rank officers to the UPSC for empanelment.

India-EU ties in focus as Jaishankar visits Brussels

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday kick-started a two-day visit to Brussels for talks with his counterparts from member states of European Union. It is the first high-level visit from India to Brussels-headquartered EU after the two sides firmed up a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in January.

Sri Lanka adopts QR code-based fuel sales, calls it 'precautionary measure'

Sri Lanka on Sunday switched to a digital QR code-based system to ration fuel sales, a move authorities described as a "precautionary measure" amid persisting uncertainty in West Asia.

Ice patches on melting glaciers greater threat than thought: ISRO scientists

Srikanta Glacier is a small-to medium-sized valley glacier with a height of 6,133 m, around 9.8 km upstream of Dharali. A key implication of the study is that it shows the value of pre-event satellite observations for early warning. Satellite images showed exposed ice patches persisting in the nivation zone during the ablation period, when the glacier loses ice and snow. This indicated that the seasonal snow and firn cover had thinned. Studies also show that the collapse of ice patches can trigger hazards as glaciers lose more ice and snow due to regional warming. The study calls for closer monitoring of glaciers and argues that the focus should extend beyond glacial lake outburst floods to include smaller, often overlooked instabilities in the cryosphere.