Will try our best: Iran envoy on safe passage for India-bound fuel ships

Signalling Headway in Delhi's efforts to persuade Tehran to let India-bound fuel ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, Mohammad Fathali, Iran's Ambassador to India, said Friday "we will try our best to remove the problems" and "I think you can expect good news in the near future".

Maharashtra Bill on 'unlawful' conversion: Mother's first religion for child out of wedlock

In a provision that appears to go beyond anti-conversion laws enacted in several states, the Dharma Swatantrya Bill, 2026, tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly on Friday, states that a child born from a marriage arising out of an "unlawful" religious conversion will be considered to belong to the religion followed by the mother before such a marriage/relationship.

Seeking ouster of 'partisan' CEC, Opposition submits notices in both Houses

Citing charges including "partisan and discriminatory conduct" and "obstruction of investigation into electoral fraud and SIR" (Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls), the Opposition on Friday submitted notices in both Houses of Parliament for an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Centre sets conditions for states to receive Jal Jeevan Mission funds

Days after the Union Cabi-net approved extending the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) until 2028, the Centre has set four conditions that must be fulfilled by the states to receive funds, putting safeguards amid concerns over irregularities in the implementation of the rural tap water scheme.

El Niño likely to emerge post-July, say international weather models

The Development of El Niño in the second half of 2026 is becoming increasingly likely, say global climate models. The US-based agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed this in its latest El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) bulletin.

Mandatory menstrual leave could hurt women's careers: Apex court

The Supreme Court on Friday reiterated its concern that making menstrual leave for women employees mandatory could disadvantage women, as it could make employers wary of recruiting them.

A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said it was better left to the Government to take a call on the matter. "Affirmative action in respect of women is constitutionally recognised.

OBC creamy layer: Why SC ruled against 'hostile

Creamy layer in OBC quota

The concept of creamy layer within the OBCs was introduced following the landmark 1992 SC ruling in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India, also known as the Mandal verdict.

For those in government jobs, the creamy layer specifies groups such as persons occupying constitutional posts; Group-A/Class-I officers of All India Services, Central services and state services; Group-B/Class-II services of Centre and state; employees of PSUs; officers of Armed Forces; professionals and those from trade and industry; property owners; and an income/wealth test. 

Strait of Hormuz crisis spotlights a growing risk for Indian seafarers: Abandonment

What is 'seafarer abandonment'?

Seafarer abandonment refers to a scenario where shipowners cut off all support to their crew, leaving them stranded without pay, food, shelter, medical care or a way home, either aboard a vessel or in a foreign port. For many seafarers, especially those from low-income backgrounds, disembarking abandoned vessels without a salary is impossible - they often would have already shelled out hefty sums of money to agents for jobs or training certifications. Additionally, port or visa restrictions may prevent them from going ashore.

Tariffs to LPG, a shape-shifting crisis

The 1997 Asian Contagion, triggered by the collapse of the Thai baht before spreading to other countries in the region and beyond, was a financial crisis. So was the American subprime mortgage crisis leading to the global Great Recession from late 2007 to mid-2009. India's twin-deficit and twin-balance-sheet problems of the last decade were also primarily "financial" crises. Financial imbalances - from currency devaluations and capital flight, the bursting of housing and asset bubbles or high fiscal and external current account deficits - spilled over into the real economy, causing growth and investment slowdowns. The "real" impact of over-leveraged private corporates not investing and bad loans-saddled banks not lending on the Indian economy was felt through much of the 2010s. 

On climate change, mind the science-policy gap

In 2023, scientists began debating the need to quantify the extent of global warming. Natural fluctuations, such as El Niño, made it difficult to ascertain if the faster rise in temperatures was due to climate change. Now, an analysis by Stefan Rahmstorf of the University of Potsdam, Germany, and US statistician Grant Foster has confirmed the links between the two. The researchers isolated the influence of phenomena such as El Niño, volcanic eruptions and solar irradiance to affirm that the pace of global warming has doubled since 2014, compared to the decade before it.

Growth has been less strong than it seems. The misreading has complicated policy

Much attention has been paid to the lack of 'double deflation'. The bigger issue was the use of inappropriate price indices, most notably the WPI, to deflate services production even though the WPI doesn't really capture service prices.

US Navy could escort vessels in the Strait with international coalition, says Bessent

The US Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, will escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz when it is militarily possible, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Sky News in an interview on Thursday.

"My belief, that as soon as it is militarily possible, the US Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, will be escorting vessels through," Bessent said.

US initiates 'forced labour' trade probe against India, 59 others

The US on Thursday launched another trade investigation against India and 59 other trade partners to ascertain if these countries failed to prohibit imports of goods produced using 'forced' labour.

This comes a day after the US initiated a probe into more than a dozen countries, including India, citing structural excess capacity and over-production in certain manufacturing sectors.