Petrol, diesel excise duty cut; prices won't change

The Union government on Thursday reduced the special additional excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 a litre each, effectively bringing down the duty on diesel to zero and on petrol to ₹3 a litre. However, the move will not translate into lower fuel prices for consumers. 

Apex court flags breaches of law exposing identity of sexual assault survivors

The Supreme Court has warned of a "general indifference" among trial courts and the police towards what is statutorily a criminal offence, the public dis-closure of the identity of survivors of sexual assault. 

New butterfly species found in Arunachal named after Zubeen

The researchers - Roshan Upadhaya, a scholar at Punjab's RIMT University, and Kalesh Sadasivan of Travancore Natural History Society have proposed -Basar Duke as the common name for Euthalia zubeengargi, which was observed during field surveys conducted in 2025. The former is an Arunachal pol-ice constable. Their findings in semi-evergreen forests at elevations of 600-750 metres appeared in the latest issue of Entomon, a quarterly journal published by the Association for Advancement of Entomology, an Indian non-governmental organisation. 

Beyond the rhetoric of the north-south divide

Distinct nations in one sovereign space, the physical and economic geography of modern India reveals two distinct nations inhabiting one sovereign space. On one hand, we have the Peninsular States, boasting per capita incomes that are at least double those of their northern counterparts. In States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, human development indicators - life expectancy, maternal health, and literacy - align closely with (and in some cases exceed) upper-middle-income countries in Europe or South America. 

Beyond the rhetoric of the north-south divide

Distinct nations in one sovereign space, the physical and economic geography of modern India reveals two distinct nations inhabiting one sovereign space. On one hand, we have the Peninsular States, boasting per capita incomes that are at least double those of their northern counterparts. In States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, human development indicators - life expectancy, maternal health, and literacy - align closely with (and in some cases exceed) upper-middle-income countries in Europe or South America. 

India signs ₹858-cr. defence deals with Russian, U.S. firms

The Ministry of Defence on Friday signed contracts worth ₹858 crore for the procurement of air de-fence systems for the Army and maintenance support for the Navy's reconnaissance fleet, reinforcing India's balanced defence partnerships with Russia and the United States. 

'Trade deal with India not far-off, but still has gaps'

The U.S. and India are not "far off" from finalising an interim trade deal, but need to bridge some negotiating gaps, such as over discussions on pulses and the staging of tariff reductions, according to a U.S. official. "We're not that far off from finalising the interim trade deal, but some gaps remain,"  

Amid conflict, India sends out invites for key BRICS meetings

Hoping to forge an elusive consensus over the war in West Asia, New Delhi is going ahead with planning key meetings of BRICS countries this year in India, and has sent out invitations for the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held in May and the 18th BRICS September. Summit in September. 

Bangladesh Foreign Minister expected to visit India next month in reset of bilateral relations

Bangladesh Foreign Minis-ter Khalilur Rahman is expected to visit India in the first week of April, diplomatic sources have confirmed. The visit will be the first high-level outreach from Bangladesh since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman came to power after leading the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to a land-slide victory in the February 12 election.  

Commercial LPG limit raised to 70% of pre-crisis levels

offering further respite to commercial entities seeking supplies of liquified petroleum gas (LPG), the Minis-try of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) on Friday called for increased allocation of the hydrocarbon gas to States and Union Territories (UTs) by another 20%, taking the total al-location of commercial LPG to 70% of the precrisis levels. 

Commercial LPG limit raised to 70% of pre-crisis levels

offering further respite to commercial entities seeking supplies of liquified petroleum gas (LPG), the Minis-try of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) on Friday called for increased allocation of the hydrocarbon gas to States and Union Territories (UTs) by another 20%, taking the total al-location of commercial LPG to 70% of the precrisis levels.