Laws, regulations, government decisions, public policy
Tamil Nadu recorded a historic 85.1% turnout in its 2026 Assembly election, while Puducherry led at 91.23% and Assam posted 85.91%. High turnout across these states signals strong voter participation ahead of exit poll projections. West Bengal's final phase is still in progress.
Phase 2 of West Bengal Assembly elections opens at 7 a.m., with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and over eight sitting ministers defending their seats. The results will directly shape the composition of the state government and Trinamool Congress's hold on power.
India's petroleum ministry has denied any proposal to raise petrol or diesel prices from May 1. The denial follows panic buying and long queues at fuel stations driven by post-election hike speculation. No revised timeline for a price change has been indicated.
The DOJ has indicted former FBI Director James Comey over a social media post showing seashells spelling "86 47," which prosecutors call a death threat against President Trump. This is the Trump administration's second attempt to prosecute Comey. The case turns on whether the post qualifies as a criminal threat under
India and New Zealand will sign a Free Trade Agreement on April 27, granting Indian exporters full duty-free access to the New Zealand market. The deal was negotiated in under nine months, from March to December 2025, making it one of India's fastest-ever trade agreements.
Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith Kumar, Vikram, Sivakarthikeyan, and Sasikumar were among Tamil Nadu film stars seen casting votes at polling booths across the state. High-profile celebrity participation in elections often draws public attention and encourages broader voter turnout. The Tamil Nadu assembly election is
India's Election Commission dropped about 9 million voters, 10% of the total, from electoral rolls weeks before the West Bengal state election. A cut this large, this close to polling, is unusual and could face legal challenges from parties or voters. No breakdown of who was removed has been published.
The RBI now requires authorized dealer banks to report offshore rupee OTC derivatives, including non-deliverable forwards, to boost oversight of rupee price discovery. The move targets offshore trades that can drive onshore exchange rate volatility beyond the RBI's direct control. Phased compliance begins July 2027.
The Trump administration fired all 22 National Science Board members via a two-sentence email on Friday, with no reason given. The board oversees the National Science Foundation and advises Congress and the President on science and engineering policy. No replacements have been named.
The RBI now requires banks to classify all loans of a borrower as NPA if any single loan goes bad, ending the practice of treating each loan in isolation. This will likely lift reported bad loan levels and force banks to set aside more capital. Lenders with large retail or MSME portfolios face the biggest immediate
The RBI has raised the retail loan exposure limit to Rs 10 crore and reduced risk weights, cutting the capital banks must hold against such loans. This frees up lending capacity across the retail segment, including individuals and small businesses. The rules follow draft norms issued in October 2025.
A federal judge delayed an order requiring the University of Pennsylvania to give the Trump administration a list of Jewish students and faculty. The pause comes amid privacy concerns over government collection of religion-based identity records tied to a Title VI antisemitism probe.
The Trump administration fired all members of the National Science Board, the congressional body that oversees NSF science policy, with no explanation given. The NSF distributes around $9 billion a year in research grants, making this removal a significant disruption to US science governance.
President Trump fired all 24 members of the National Science Foundation's oversight board in one move. The NSF distributes around $9 billion a year in research funding to U.S. universities and labs, and losing its independent board shifts control closer to the White House. No replacement nominations have been announced
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman warned that one successful cyberattack could disrupt markets nationally, erase wealth, and erode public trust. She pointed to AI-powered tools as making attacks faster, more scalable, and increasingly autonomous. Policy responses from regulators like RBI or SEBI may follow.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has warned SEBI that AI-driven cyber attacks and deepfake investment frauds pose serious risks to market stability. A single breach, she said, could disrupt markets nationwide. SEBI may now face pressure to update cybersecurity rules for exchanges and brokers.
The Trump administration announced Friday that firing squads are now permitted in federal executions, expanding methods beyond lethal injection. The shift gives federal authorities an alternative less reliant on drug supplies, which have long complicated lethal injection protocols. Legal challenges are expected on
The Indian government told the Supreme Court that 10 of 26 petitioners trapped in the Russia-Ukraine war have died, out of 215 Indians who went to Russia in total. Some travelled knowingly to fight, while others were allegedly misled into going. The court is now weighing what action the government must take for
A federal appeals court blocked the Trump administration's asylum restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, agreeing with a lower court that existing law cannot be set aside. Migrants retain the legal right to apply for asylum while the legal battle continues. The administration may seek Supreme Court review.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that Trump's asylum ban at the border violates federal immigration law. The three-judge panel said Congress gave migrants the statutory right to apply for asylum, which a presidential order cannot override. The administration is expected to appeal, potentially to the