Iran hits Gulf energy sites after attack on its gas field

Iran on Wednesday night struck oil facilities in Persian Gulf countries, following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on gas facilities in Iran's southern Bushehr province.

Karnataka govt. takes up Bill to check caste-based killings

The State government on Wednesday tabled the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the Name of Honour and Tradition (Eva Nammava, Eva Nammava) Bill, 2026, in the Assembly.

The opportunity in Cameroon to rebalance the WTO

Today, trade is no longer just about economics. It is increasingly used as a geopolitical tool. Tariffs are imposed as pressure tactics, and economic dependence is sometimes used strategically. In this context, the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s Ministerial Conference (MC14), to be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Africa (March 26-29, 2026), comes at an important moment. The real issue is not whether the WTO needs reform, but whether it can adapt fast enough to stay relevant in a world moving toward more transactional and power-based trade relations.

India's future demographic challenges

The growing elderly population is set to exert increasing pressure on healthcare and social security, thereby putting a strain on the state's finances.

What is new in transgender rights Bill?

What are the changes being brought about?

In the amendment Bill, the Centre has called for the omission of sub-section (2) of Section 4 of the Act, which says: "A person recognised as transgender under sub-section (1) shall have a right to self-perceived gender identity."

In addition to this, a new definition of transgender person' is proposed. It describes them as people "having such socio-cultural identities as kinner, hijra, aravani, and jogta, or eunuch", people with intersex variations, and people who have "congenital variations" in "male or female development" in their "primary sexual characteristics, external genitalia, chromosomal patterns, gonadal development, endogenous hormone production or response or such other medical conditions".

India's national symbols under scrutiny over use, meaning, and law

Evolution of the tricolour

The national tricolour was not chosen on a whim. It evolved through several stages, dating back to 1907, when an early version was presented to Surendranath Banerjee, former Congress president, by Bhupendranath Dutt, the younger brother of Swami Vivekananda. Called the Calcutta Flag, it was designed by Sachindra Prasad Bose and Sukumar Mitra. "The design of the flag was inspired by the flag of the French Revolution.

LS extends term of panel examining simultaneous polls

The term of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the Bills seeking to introduce simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies was extended once again on Wednesday.

The Lok Sabha extend-ed the tenure of the panel, headed by senior BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary, till the last week of the Monsoon Session. The extension, moved by Mr. Chaudhary, was adopted by a voice vote.

Lok Sabha applies 'guillotine' to pass Demands for Grants of ₹53 lakh cr. for Ministries

The Lok Sabha passed the Demands for Grants of various Ministries for 2026-27 on Wednesday. The House approved an expenditure of over 53 lakh crore by applying the guillotine, passing the Demands for Grants for various Minis-tries without a discussion. Earlier, it had discussed Demands for Grants for two Ministries - Agriculture and Railways.

BJP MP seeks sub-quota for OBC in Central schemes

During Special Mentions at the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, BJP MP from Bihar Bhim Singh called for the sub-categorisation of the 27% Other Backward Class-es (OBC) quota for Central schemes, a subject on which a report commissioned by the Centre was submitted in 2023.

India showing steady progress in reducing child deaths amid slowing global gains: report

An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024 worldwide, including 2.3 million newborns, according to the latest estimates released by a UN report on child mortality. The re-port, released on Wednesday, said that most of these deaths were preventable with proven, low-cost interventions, and access to quality healthcare.

Plastic goods prices to rise 60% as war impacts polymer

Plastic product prices are expected to rise by 50-60% from April if the West Asia crisis continues to impact supply of key raw material, mainly crude oil, industry officials said. They said the prices of polymer, derived from crude oil and natural gas, have risen by 50-60% in the last few days, creating margin pressure.

Solar ingot plan to take off June '28, boost local output

In a bid to boost local out-put of solar ingots and wafers constituents of solar cells fitted on solar panels -the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said from June 2028, only ingots and wafers made in India would be eligible for domestic projects.

Cabinet okays ₹33,660-cr. BHAVYA plan for 100 industrial parks by '32

The Union Cabinet ap-proved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA), with an allocation of 33,660 crore for the development of 100 'plug-and-play' industrial parks across the country.