Rubio, Jaishankar stress need for 'unimpeded' maritime trade

The United States works with many countries at a "tactical" level, but those relations will not disturb the strategic partnership with India, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said here on Sunday.

Addressing a joint press conference at the Hyderabad House lawns, Mr. Rubio said the idea of a "free and open Indo-Pacific" went beyond the Indo-Pacific to other "international waters" and accused Iran of blocking the Strait of Hormuz while sponsoring proxy terror groups.

Quad grouping is 'vital, says Japan's Foreign Minister

Responding to concerns that the Quad has lost its relevance, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has said that the four-nation grouping remains a "vital framework". In a written interview with The Hindu ahead of the Quadrilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mr. Motegi indicated that "cooperation over critical minerals" needed for green energy and high technology would be at the top of the meeting agenda.

UCC will never be applied to tribal people, says Amit Shah

Addressing a Sangh Parivar-organised 'Janjati Sanskritik Samagam' at New Delhi, which he referred to as a "Janjatiya [tribal] Mahakumbh", Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday assured Scheduled Tribe communities that any form of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that is implemented in the country will keep tribal communities out of its provisions.

The U.S. ends Russia oil waiver, implications for India

The United States' decision to tighten restrictions again on Russian seaborne oil may seem like another chapter in the sanctions battle over the Ukraine war. But beneath the headlines lies a much larger story one that directly affects India and much of the developing world.

Coerced consent

The Indian state has not infrequently used the colonial offence of sedition, codified under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as a tool to quell dissent. In May 2022, the Supreme Court of India asked State and central governments to refrain from registering new first information reports and from taking coercive measures under Section 124A in S.G. Vombatkere vs Union of India while the Centre said it would "reconsider" the provision.

India's green transition still runs on coal

The recent rise in global energy prices following the escalation of the conflict in West Asia has once again exposed India's continuing vulnerability to external energy shocks. Despite years of policy emphasis on renewable energy, nearly half of India's fossil fuel imports still transit through the Strait of Hormuz, including crude shipments from Saudi Arabia and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports from Qatar.

What is China's Hainan FTP initiative?

Hainan has launched its free trade port (FTP) with island-wide "customs closure," enabling "freer access at the first line, regulated access at the second line, and free flow within the island," along with zero tariffs, lower taxes and simplified movement of trade, people and data.

The FTP is attracting foreign-invested enterprises and boosting trade, tourism and consumption through expanded tariff-free products, duty-free shopping, visa-free entry for 86 countries, and growing investment and trade volumes since its launch.

SC's revival of Section 124A triggers concerns over a colonial law the country did not want

The Supreme Court's May 21 revival of Section 124A (sedition) proceedings against consenting accused persons exposes them to an admittedly oppressive provision both the court and the Union government agreed was "not in tune with the current social mi-lieu, and was intended for a time when this country was under the colonial regime".

Development and tribal protection can coexist in Great Nicobar: Oram

Responding to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's allegations that the Great Nicobar Island project violates tribal communities' forest rights, Union Minister Jual Oram has said, "Development and tribal protection are not mutually exclusive and can coexist through robust measures."

In his response, Mr. Oram stressed that as a regional power, "India cannot afford to leave strategically decisive geographies underdeveloped." He said the Forest Rights Act operated in addition to existing laws such as the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulations of 1956, which sufficiently "protects habitats, restricts external extrusion, and preserves aboriginal ways of life".

'Centre offering Ladakh unique governance model; demand for Statehood to continue'

Last Friday, the Union Home Ministry proposed a new mechanism to grant Ladakh greater legislative, financial, and administrative powers within the existing Union Territory framework. The proposal was made in a meeting with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two major civil society bodies from Ladakh.

Muslim organisations seek consultations with Assam government on UCC Bill

Muslim religious and social organisations have urged the BJP-led Assam government to heed their views before implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the draft UCC Bill would be tabled in the House on May 26, the concluding day of a special Assembly session that commenced on May 21.

Trump says U.S. will not 'rush into a deal' with Iran, blockade to remain

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had told U.S. negotiators "not to rush into a deal" with Iran, amid anticipation -and mounting criticism - of an agreement to end the war in West Asia.

Ebola toll tops 200 in DRC, other African countries seen at risk

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) updated the death toll from the Ebola outbreak to 204 late on Saturday.

A Health Ministry statement said 204 deaths had been recorded in three provinces of the central African country, from 867 suspected cases. One person in Uganda has died.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international emergency.

Long-awaited anti-COVID drug is also a milestone against future viruses

The recent success of Ensitrelvir at preventing COVID-19 is a milestone in a drug quest that began with a singular development at the start of the pandemic.

In January 2020, the full-length genome sequence of a strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was posted on an online discussion forum for virologists. The sequence revealed that SARS-CoV-2, like its relative SARS-CoV-1, keeps most of its proteins as one long chain. The individual proteins are then cut from this chain and released by enzymes called proteases.