Sitharaman flags '3F' concerns: Fuel, fertiliser, foreign exchange

Underlining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call earlier this month to conserve foreign exchange, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday emphasised the importance of "three Fs: fuel, fertiliser and foreign exchange".

Live-in rules, polygamy ban: Assam introduces UCC Bill

Less than two weeks after the second Himanta Biswa Sarma-led NDA government took oath in Assam, it has introduced a Uniform Civil Code Bill for the state, following the templates of those in Uttarakhand and Gujarat, including compulsory registration of live-in relationships and penal provisions for non-compliance.

Energy, maritime security in focus, Quad meets today

The Foreign ministers of the Quad grouping will meet on Tuesday and are expected to discuss critical minerals, maritime and energy security, sources told The Indian Express.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host Foreign Minister of Australia Penny Wong, Foreign Minister of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the meeting at Hyderabad House.

The Quad foreign ministers will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As Kerala sets up for department the elderly, a look at India's ageing challenge

Kerala is India's most rapidly ageing state. Last week, its new Congress government announced the formation of a department for the welfare of elderly people - the first such initiative in India. Kerala already has a number of policies to help the elderly, overseen by the Social Welfare department so far. But the setting up of a dedicated department appears to signal a greater focus on dealing with the fallout of a demographic transition - something the rest of the country is also set to experience in the coming decades.

Should RBI defend rupee, or let it find its own level

The RBI can sell the dollars it holds in the forex market, thereby increasing their supply

It then buys rupees in return for the dollars, increasing the former's demand. This is called defending the rupee.

Health indicators point to gains, and disparities

The Just-released Sample Registration System report for 2024 highlights a demographic transformation that is cause for both celebration and concern. The country's birth rate - the total number of live births per 1,000 people in a population- declined to 18.3 per 1,000 population in 2024, down from 21 in 2014. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has also fallen steadily from 39 per 1,000 live births in 2014-2019 to 24 in 2024. These gains reflect decades of sustained public-health investment.

Cuba and the quiet cruelty of US sanctions

"We have absolutely no fuel oil, absolutely no diesel." Readers might assume this declaration came from an energy minister in an Asian nation crippled by supply disruptions caused by the conflict in Iran.

But Cuba - a regime change target of the US since Fidel Castro took over in 1959-does not depend on the Strait of Hormuz at all for its oil imports.

Iran's top envoys in Qatar to discuss deal to end war

Iran's top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the US to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said on Monday, after Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.

Tedros: Ebola toll 220, delay in detection worsened outbreak

The Head of the World Health Organization said on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, giving the latest number of suspected deaths as 220.

Nepal ruling party chief to visit India on June 1

Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party will be undertaking a two-day official trip to Delhi, as Prime Minister Balendra Shah showed reluctance to visit India or any other country after assuming power in March end.

Russia threatens to launch strikes on Kyiv defence targets

Russia Urged foreign nationals on Monday to leave Kyiv before it launches a "series of systematic strikes" against defence targets in Ukraine's capital, a day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war.

Centre likely to remove 11% duty on cotton as prices soar amid war

The Union government is set to remove the 11% duty on cotton till October to offer relief to the textile manufacturers facing increased input cost from fuel to polyesters in the backdrop of the West Asia crisis, sources aware of the development told The Indian Express.

India turns net importer of finished steel

The country turned a net importer of finished steel in April, as per the provisional government data reviewed by Reuters Monday. India imported 0.7 million metric tonnes of finished steel in April, up 30.8% from a year earlier.