Himachal removes 'Cabinet' ranks for political appointees

The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday announced the withdrawal of Cabinet rank status accorded to Chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and deputy chairpersons of boards, corporations, and commissions, as well as of principal advisers, and political advisers.

The decision, aimed at streamlining administrative protocol, also entails a 20% deferment of the salary and monthly emoluments of the concerned authorities until September 30, 2026, a government release.

India's West Asia reset, more sinned against than sinning

First, over the past decade, India has raised its diplomatic engagement with West Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made 15 visits to the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) some after a multi-decade hiatus. He also visited Israel twice, and the Palestinian Authority and Iran each once. Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) have been signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, and similar negotiations are underway with the GCC and Israel.

Prison outbreak 

India's overcrowded jails pose a serious health risk to inmates

The public health crisis in India's prisons is distinguished by its poorer infrastructure and a general disregard for treating ailments until they become inconvenient. A prisoner does not lose the right to health, a point courts have repeatedly stressed; yet, between August 20, 2025, and March 9, 2026, around 92 inmates at the Jalpaiguri Central Correctional Home were infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV) and seven of them died. HSV is common in the general population but experts have said that in immune-compromised or overcrowded populations with poor care, it can lead to encephalitis, which is often fatal.

A bit of a blur over India's new carbon credit plan

A significant policy announcement in the Union Budget 2026, involving a massive ₹20,000 crore outlay for a carbon credit programme, has sparked a wave of confusion and conflicting reports, pitting a clear-cut governmental road map for heavy industry against a burgeoning narrative of a new income stream for India's farmers. At the heart of the debate is a fundamental question. Is this Budget allocation designed to fund Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technologies for smokestack industries?

On scientific collaborations in BRICS

The BRICS grouping, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is a globally significant collective defined by its substantial contributions to global GDP, scientific and technological capacity, natural resources, and total population. Since its formation, the group has evolved into a prominent international voice, representing countries that seek to challenge and provide an alternative to Western hegemony. BRICS functions as a collaborative force aimed at establishing a multipolar world system.

'Pakistan's bombing of Kabul rehab centre a barbaric act'

India on Tuesday "unequivocally" condemned Pakistan's bombing of Omid Drug Addiction Treatment Hospital in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on the night of March 16, terming it "barbaric" and "unconscionable".

West Asia conflict takes a toll on medical tourism in India

India's state-of-the-art healthcare at affordable prices has attracted patients from across the world over the last few decades, but the travel disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia are creating new challenges, both for patients unable to fly to India to avail treatment and for the medical tourism industry which is facing the slowdown of a significant market.

SC allows 12 weeks' paid leave to all new adoptive mothers

The Supreme Court, in a judgment on Tuesday, declared the protection of maternity leave for working women as a basic human right while urging the Union government to legally recognise paternity leave as a social security benefit, noting that parenthood is not a solitary function performed by one parent alone.

The judgment came in a challenge to provisions in the Maternity Benefit Act, which was replaced by the Code of Social Security in November 2025, which dictated that only mothers who legally adopt a child below the age of three months were entitled to seek maternity benefit of 12 weeks.

9-judge Bench starts hearing on definition of 'industry'

A nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday asked the government whether a canteen run in a defence research organisation would be considered an 'industry' or a 'sovereign function'.

Ministry of Planning, Niti Aayog get House panel rap for 'poor planning' of finances

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance pulled up the Ministry of Planning for not "planning" its finances better. The committee found that despite spending less than half of the budget allocated to it, the Ministry was allocated ever-higher amounts over the past three financial years

Israel strikes Tehran, Beirut; Baghdad's Green Zone hit

Israel launched a wave of strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday while at-tacks in Baghdad drew neighbouring Iraq deeper into the conflict in West Asia that has sparked economic turmoil across the globe.

The Iranian capital was hit by what the Israeli military said were strikes on "terror regime infrastructure".

UN condemns displacement of Palestinians in West Bank

The U.N. human rights office on Tuesday expressed concerns about possible "ethnic cleansing," denouncing an acceleration of Israeli settlements and displacements of thousands of Palestinians in large parts of the occupied West Bank that has grown "more relentless" in recent months.

'Kurds seek a democratic Iranian state; we do not fight other powers' wars'

The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an armed Kurdish militant group in Iran, said the Kurds would not fight other powers' wars and said the Iranian state needs to change its behaviour or else it is heading towards collapse.

The PJAK, which is aligned with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of Turkey, has sought greater autonomy for the Kurdish region in Iran ('Eastern Kurdistan').

Cholesterol makes cells' nuclei squishy, helping melanoma spread

Melanoma is one of the most dangerous common skin cancers. It starts in melanocytes, the skin cells that make melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour.

Cancer doesn't appear overnight. A normal cell becomes cancerous in steps, as its DNA and its gene-control systems pick up changes over time. These changes push the cell to do three things: divide too much, avoid being destroyed by the immune system, and spread into other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis, and it is what makes many cancers deadly.