States' seats will rise 50% after delimitation: Centre 

All States will have their number of Lok Sabha seats increase by half after delimitation, and no State will lose its current proportional strength in Parliament.

Iran says ceasefire is at risk, threatens to close Red Sea traffic

Iran's military threatened on Wednesday to shut down Red Sea trade unless the U.S. lifted its naval blockade on Tehran's ports, saying the ceasefire was at risk.

The head of Iran's military central command centre said a U.S. failure to lift the blockade would constitute "a prelude" to violating the two-week ceasefire. Unless the U.S.

Chhattisgarh nod for setting up panel to prepare UCC draft

The Chhattisgarh Cabinet on Wednesday approved the constitution of a high-level committee to prepare a draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for its implementation in the State.

After Uttarakhand implemented the UCC last year and the Gujarat Assembly last passed the UCC Bill, 2026, this March, Chhattisgarh has become the third BJP-ruled State that has taken an initiative in this direction.

Implement menstrual leave policy, Karnataka High Court tells govt.

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday directed the State government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy which mandates that registered establishments grant one day's leave per month to women employees, aged between 18 and 52, during their menstrual cycle- till the proposed law on the policy is enacted.

Delink women's quota from Census, delimitation: activists

On the eve of the extended Budget Session of Parliament to deliberate on draft laws aimed at expediting the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies, women's rights activists on Wednesday sought amendments in the women's reservation law and delinking its execution from the Census and delimitation.

Women's reservation and delimitation should be delinked

Women's reservation is a stand-alone step which requires a stand-alone law.

Implications of increasing the size of the Lok Sabha

These Bills will have significant impact on the composition of Parliament and its functioning, and are being introduced with no public discussion.

How proposed delimitation would redraw political map

If the Lok Sabha's strength is expanded to 850 and seats are allocated on the basis of the 2011 Census population, as the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the companion Delimitation Bill to be tabled in Parliament envisage, the southern States and the North-East would see a sharp erosion in their share of parliamentary representation, while the Hindi-heartland States of northern India would be the overwhelming beneficiaries.

What changed in Hungary's election?

Viktor Orban suffered a shock defeat, with a growing perception of a "kleptocracy" and a stuttering economy leading to mass discontent and a yearning for change.

Peter Magyar led a strong campaign marked by anti-corruption messaging and mass mobilisation, securing a two-thirds majority and signalling a potential rollback of Orban-era changes.

Why is the Strait of Hormuz critical to global energy flows?

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow stretch through which about one-fifth of global oil and large volumes of LNG pass daily, making it central to global energy flows and trade.

Blockades or threats can sharply reduce shipping, push up energy prices, disrupt supply chains.

Samrat Choudhary sworn in as Bihar's first BJP CM

The newly elected leader of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Samrat Choudhary, was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar on Wednesday, marking the end of Nitish Kumar's record tenure in the post.

Bageshwar Dham gets govt. nod to receive foreign funds

The Union Home Ministry has granted registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) to Baba Bageshwar Dham, a religious body led by Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, a Madhya Pradesh-based godman who seeks to establish 'Hindu Rashtra'.

Registration under the FCRA is mandatory if a non-government organisation (NGO) or an association wants to receive foreign donations.

NGOs can receive foreign contributions for social, educational, religious, economic, and cultural programmes and can be registered for at least one or multiple categories

Door-to-door visits for Census start in 8 States, U.T.s today

From Thursday, enumerators will begin door-to-door visit in eight States and Union Territories seeking response to a set of 33 questions for the first phase of Population Cen-sus, 2027 the House Listing and Housing Operations (HLO).

WPI inflation rises to 38-month high of 3.88%

Wholesale price inflation rose sharply to an over 3-year high of 3.88% in March, driven by a sharp spike in rates of fuel, power and manufactured items amid the West Asia crisis. Government data on Wednesday showed Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation rose for the fifth straight month in March as core inflation accelerated, amid softening of primary food items.

West Asia crisis: India's exports plunge 7.44% in March; trade gap narrows

Exports posted the steepest fall in five months, declining by 7.44% in March to $38.92 billion, while imports fell by over 6% due to the West Asia crisis, official data released on Wednesday showed.

The trade deficit, however, narrowed to a nine-month low of $20.67 billion in March due to lower imports. Imports dipped by 6.51% to $59.59 billion in March, driven by a significant decline in inbound shipments of crude oil and gold, the data showed.

Gems and jewellery exports fall to 5-year low

Gems and jewellery exports in the 2025/26 fiscal year dipped 3.3% from a year ago to their lowest level in five years, as shipments to top buyer the U.S. nearly halved, a leading trade body said on Wednesday, reflecting the impact of tariffs and duties.

India laps up most of Venezuelan, Russian crude oil

Amid a global crude oil crisis triggered by the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, India is likely to have lapped up most of the increased crude oil shipments from Venezuela and Russia.

As per BIMCO, one of the world's largest shipping associations, global crude shipments fell 16% after the war began vis a vis first 9 weeks of the year. 

Japan's Create Medic enters India, plans 120-crore investment

Japanese firm Create Medic, a silicone catheter maker, has established its first office in India in Chennai. The healthcare-focused firm is also planning to set up a manufacturing facility here to cater to the Indian market, neighbouring and African countries. Create would be expanding its network to Delhi and Mumbai and is looking at opportunities to work with Indian doctors to develop innovations that can transform healthcare.

Xi meets Russian FM as leaders flock to China over West Asia war

China's President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, Chinese state media said, as a string of leaders of countries impacted by the West Asia war flock to Beijing.

New brain-inspired 'memristors' promise to reduce Al energy use

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have reported a new kind of brain-inspired nanodevice, a hafnium-oxide memristor, that could dramatically cut artificial intelligence's (AI) energy bill by bringing memory and computation into the same component.