Iran, U.S. blame each other as talks end without a deal

The United States and Iran ended face-to-face talks in Pakistan on Sunday without an agreement, each side keeping the onus on the other without narrowing their differences and leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in the war in West Asia in doubt.

Elusive deal

Twenty-one hours of talks in Islamabad between the U.S. and Iran ended without a breakthrough. That no agreement emerged from the first post-ceasefire meeting is not surprising. Nor does it mean that the process has collapsed. Even before the talks began, it was evident that there were huge gaps between the two sides. The two-week ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 8, after 39 days of war, looked shaky from day one as Israel stepped up air strikes on Lebanon, killing hundreds. Both Iran, and Pakistan, which mediated the truce, claimed that Lebanon was covered by the ceasefire, while Israel wants to continue the war.

Tourism and trade

The Union government's ₹92,000 crore mega-infrastructure project for the holistic development of the Great Nicobar Is-land (GNI) by building it up as a port and tourism-led economy has gathered speed in the last six months, even as concerns remain about its im-pact on the Island's ecology and the rights of local populations, the Nicobarese and the Shompen - two indigenous tribal groups. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has notified a draft master plan for the project.

Tapping fisheries in reservoirs

Budget 2026-27 highlights undertaking of initiatives for integrated development of fisheries in 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars (ponds developed under Mission Amrit Sarovar) to enhance income of fish farmers. This will also involve strengthening market access to fish farmer-producer organisations and cooperatives.

India is the second largest fish producer in the world. Now, it is also the second largest globally in aquaculture production. The country has witnessed a 106% increase in the national fish production since 2013-14 that stands at a record 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. Interestingly, 75% of our fish production comes from inland fisheries that include freshwater, brackish, and saline water resources. Reservoirs.

Between 14 years and the gallows

The death sentences for the Sattankulam custodial killings highlight a conflict between the "rarest of rare" doctrine and legal restrictions, with the trial judge choosing the death penalty over an inadequate life sentence because judicial precedents barred them from imposing a fixed-term, non-remittable sentence.

Critics argue this outcome highlights a "broken ladder" in Indian jurisprudence, where the Supreme Court's Sriharan decision forces trial courts into binary sentencing (death or '14-year jail') by withholding the "middle ground" of long-term imprisonment, a tool now default at the appellate level.

Are biomass stoves a cleaner, cheaper alternative to LPG?

Improved Cookstoves (ICS) offer a sustainable solution by increasing thermal efficiency, reducing smoke, and cutting firewood usage by over 50%.

Mass adoption of efficient biomass stoves does not require massive infrastructure investment, as local, renewable fuels (wood, agricultural waste) are readily available.

Support women's quota law amendments: PM to parties

A head of the extended sitting of the Budget Session to clear amendments to the women's reservation Act, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday wrote to the heads of all political parties seeking their cooperation, calling it a moment to demonstrate responsibility women. Towards.

'Nepal PM Balendra Shah to visit India after bilateral mechanisms meeting'

As a landlocked and remittance-dependent country, Ne-pal has been particularly badly hit by the 39-day war in West Asia, Nepal's new Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal says. He says Nepal, as a South Asian neigh-bour, is happy that Pakis-tan led the effort for talks, which ended inconclusively in Islamabad on Sunday, adding that he hopes the ceasefire lasts. Confirming that Prime Minister Balendra Shah has accepted Narendra Modi's invitation to visit India, Mr. Khanal says that the new government will address ties with India in a structured manner, with bilateral mechanisms meeting before Mr. Shah's visit.

'Nepal PM Balendra Shah to visit India after bilateral mechanisms meeting'

As a landlocked and remittance-dependent country, Ne-pal has been particularly badly hit by the 39-day war in West Asia, Nepal's new Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal says. He says Nepal, as a South Asian neigh-bour, is happy that Pakis-tan led the effort for talks, which ended inconclusively in Islamabad on Sunday, adding that he hopes the ceasefire lasts. Confirming that Prime Minister Balendra Shah has accepted Narendra Modi's invitation to visit India, Mr. Khanal says that the new government will address ties with India in a structured manner, with bilateral mechanisms meeting before Mr. Shah's visit.

Dhaka to send 20-member delegation in China outreach

In its first outreach to China, the newly elected Bangladesh government will send a 20-member delegation to Beijing this month. The team, led by the general secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, will depart from Dhaka on April 16 and is expected to return on April 24.