Assam Assembly may not have a Leader of Opposition

The 126-member Assam Assembly may not have an officially recognised Leader of the Opposition.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its two regional allies bagged 102 seats, while the Opposition alliance managed 21. The Congress won 19 of these and the Raijor Dal two.

However, according to the rules, an Opposition party must possess at least one-sixth of the total strength of the House for one of its MLAs to be formally recognised as the Leader of the Opposition. The minimum number in the Assam Assembly, thus, works out to 21.

Truce with Iran holds despite fresh attacks: U.S.

U.S. military leaders said on Tuesday that a ceasefire with Iran remains in effect, a day after Tehran was blamed for new attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and against the UAE.

The fragile truce, reached nearly a month ago, appeared to be holding as U.S. forces pressed ahead with efforts to reopen the vital waterway for global energy.

PIL has become 'paisa interest litigation': top court judge

Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court on Tuesday said public interest litigation (PIL), a unique mechanism initiated by the Indian judiciary post-Emergency to "bring social justice within the reach of the common man", has lately metamorphosed into 'private interest litigation', 'publicity interest litigation' and even 'paisa' and 'political' interest litigation.

Justice Nagarathna's oral observations follow submissions made by the Centre in the Sabarimala case to do away with PIL jurisdiction.

"The time has come not merely to recalibrate PIL, but to remove it," the Centre had submitted through Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta. 

Vizag-based South Coast Railway Zone to come into effect in June

The Ministry of Railways have announced the creation of the South Coast Railway (SCOR), India's 18th railway zone, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, which will be fully operational on June 1.

The announcement, made through a gazette notification issued on Monday, realises a demand that Andhra Pradesh has been pressing for more than four decades and a statutory commitment made to the State under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

The new zone will integrate the Guntakal, Guntur, and Vijayawada divisions, with the new 410-km Visakhapatnam division. The project is part of a ₹1.06 lakh crore railway infrastructure push in Andhra Pradesh, which includes 100% electrification and the redevelopment of 74 stations across the State.

The strategic importance of the SCOR is under-scored by its freight numbers. The zone has transported 286 million tonnes in the 2025-26 financial year, accounting for 17% of India's total rail-way loading.

Building bridges

India scaled a record peak demand of 256.1 GW on April 25 with solar plants supplying 21.5% of the afternoon load - an all-time -high, and the clearest signal yet that the country's installed solar fleet can do real work when the sun is overhead. But the same day's full 24-hour ledger told a more sobering story. When there was accounting for the whole day of April 25, solar contributed only about 10.8% of daily generation, and just 0.1% of the evening's needs after sunset. Solar's share of India's installed electric capacity has nearly doubled from about 15% in 2022 to nearly 28% in early 2026.

At sea

The Indian Navy's Project 17A is a ₹45,000-crore programme to build seven 'Nilgiri'-class frigates, with anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine capabilities, as an advanced complement to the 'Shivalik' frigates and a precursor to Project 17B. The Project delivered the INS Mahendragiri on April 30, completing six deliveries in 17 months, but had previously faced multiple delays. 

The Iran conflict and the future of Shia identity

The Iran war is not merely a geopolitical conflict; it is a crucible for the future of Shia identity. For nearly half a century, Shiism has been shaped by the Iranian revolutionary model - an assertive fusion of clerical authority, state power, and transnational political ambition. This conflict could disrupt, reinforce, or redesign that synthesis. The war may fragment Shia identity, pulling it back toward national forms. But it may equally consolidate and radicalise it, deepening a shared narrative of oppression and reviving its most powerful theological motifs - martyrdom, sacrifice, and resistance. 

RE meets global electricity demand for the first time

In 2025, global electricity generation increased by roughly 850 terawatt-hours (TWh), ac-cording to data from the Ember Energy Institute. This increase was supplied almost entirely by solar and wind energy, contributing 636 TWh and 204 TWh respectively. Other renewables added another 23 TWh. Coal generation and oil meanwhile fell by 67 TWh and 12 TWh respectively. This is the first year in which expanded electricity demand did not require an increase in fossil fuels. 

India's energy security amid conflicts

India has long relied on crude oil imports but has handled repeated geoeconomic shocks better than many comparable importers.

Its import basket-spanning Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia, and the United States, remains geographically diversified.

While expansion into solar, batteries, and EVs may reduce oil use over time, reliance on lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earths may increase in the future. 

Industrial heat pumps and the case for cleaning industrial heat

Industrial decarbonisation is often framed through solutions that promise deep emissions reductions (e.g. green hydrogen and carbon capture). These pathways are essential, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors, but are still several years away from large-scale adoption. 

Cabinet approves four more judges for Supreme Court

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved an increase in the number of judges of the Supreme Court from 34, which includes the Chief Justice of India, to a total of 38.

Cabinet gives nod to make insult to Vande Mataram an offence

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 to make any insult or obstruction to the singing of National Song Vande Mataram a punishable offence,

At present, insults to the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana, the National Flag and the Constitution is mentioned in the 1971 Act and is punishable by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine or both.

Vande Mataram, the salutation of India imagined as a mother, was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and published with his novel Anandamath in the early 1880s.

Medical negligence claims can be pursued against a dead doctor's heirs, says SC

The Supreme Court has held that compensation claims in medical negligence cases may be pursued against a deceased doctor's legal heirs, with liability confined to the estate inherited by them.

30 banks integrated with UDGAM portal to help legal heirs trace funds

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that 30 banks have been integrated into its centralised web portal, UDGAM (Unclaimed Deposits - Gateway to Access InforMation), to enable legal heirs to trace funds belonging to deceased account holders.

Govt. approves fifth edition of credit guarantee scheme

In response to the crisis in West Asia, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the fifth edition of its Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, under which it will provide additional credit guarantees to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and non-MSMEs, including airline companies. 

Cabinet okays Micro LED plant, OSAT facility in Gujarat

The Union Cabinet okayed support worth ₹3,936 crore in total in support for two semiconductor plants by Crystal Matrix Ltd. and Suchi Semicon Pvt. Ltd.

These are the final projects to be approved under the first phase of the India Semiconductor Mission.

Widening U.S. sanctions on Cuba 'illegal, says China

China urged Washington on Tuesday to immediately end its embargo and sanctions on Cuba, saying the expanded measures were "illegal" and "seriously violated" the norms of international relations.

Consider Teesta water deal under 'current circumstances': Bangladesh

In the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the West Bengal Assembly election, Bangladesh has issued an urgent call to consider the long-pending Teesta water sharing agreement under the "current circumstances."

Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has long been seen as a hurdle in efforts to resolve the dispute between India and Bangladesh.