Iran grants Hormuz passage to India and 4 other nations

India and four other "friendly nations" were allowed to move their ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, adding that Tehran has established its "sovereignty" over the waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Nagaland territorial authority Bill placed in State Assembly 

Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton on Thursday introduced a Bill in the Assembly to set up the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), an interim administrative body for the eastern districts. While no details were provided on its provisions, Speaker Sharingain Longkumer said consideration and passage of the Bill would be taken up on Friday.

Odisha govt. moves to withdraw Bills on salary hike for MLAS 

Amid widespread public outrage, the Odisha government on Thursday moved to withdraw four Bills passed in the Assembly, on three-fold increase in the salaries, allowances, and pensions of MLAs, Ministers, Chief Minister, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker. The Bills passed in the Assembly in December 2025 are currently with the Governor.

The key to India's multi-domain deterrence, capabilities 

A robust defence-industrial base will shape India's multi-domain deterrence and resilience, especially against China.

Faiths and fences 

The Supreme Court of India has reiterated a long-held, yet contested, principle of India's anti-discrimination jurisprudence that protections and special provisions for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities will be available only to those who practise Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. The March 24 Court judgment arose from a Christian pastor who sought protections under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in Andhra Pradesh. The Court upheld a High Court decision that any member of the SC community who has converted out of the three religions specified in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, issued under Article 341, ceases to be an SC member. 

Tepid promises 

India came in late, but it was worth the wait. A section of the Paris Agreement, under which all countries except the United States have agreed to keep temperatures from rising beyond 2°C of pre-Industrial times, requires updating their targets every five years from 2020. As of December last year, India and Argentina were the only two G-20 countries that had not announced updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) for 2035.  

India has oil for 60 days, LPG for a month: Centre 

In a bid to end speculation about India's energy stocks amid the escalating tensions in West Asia, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) on Thursday said that India has so far arranged a month of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies through imports, with constant additional procurement ongoing. 

Jaishankar, French counterpart discuss Iran, Hormuz at G7 meet 

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in France on a two-day visit to represent India as a partner country at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven) advanced economies.

Women's reservation: Centre rejects all-party meet 

The government has rejected the Congress's proposal to hold an all-party meeting on the women's reservation Act after the ongoing Assembly election campaign for four States and a Union Territory, arguing that any delay would jeopardise the legislation's implementation before the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

China shows willingness to work with India for 'common interests' 

China is willing to work with India for upholding "common interests" in the Global South and the BRICS grouping, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of China on Thursday.

S-400 deliveries expedited as India enhances air defence 

India is set to receive the remaining two units of the S-400 air defence system from Russia this year, with one expected as early as next month and the final delivery scheduled for November.

Iron ore imports set to hit 7-year high 

India's imports of iron ore, a key raw material in steel-making, are set to rise to a seven-year high in the fiscal year ending on March 31, driven by a shortage of high-grade ore and demand from JSW Steel, analysts and industry executives said.