Policy & Government

Rep. Sam Liccardo is probing oil trades flagged as suspiciously timed during the U.S.-Iran conflict, with both lawmakers and regulators taking notice. The inquiry targets potential market manipulation or use of non-public information during a period of sharp geopolitical volatility in energy markets.

Andhra University will hold its centenary valedictory ceremony on April 27 at AU Engineering College grounds, with around 25,000 people expected to attend. The Vice President of India and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister are both anticipated to be present, marking the university's 100-year milestone.

Election authorities have released postal ballot dates specifically for police personnel, who are classified as service voters entitled to vote outside the standard polling day. The schedule determines when ballots are issued and must be returned, directly affecting whether field-posted officers can exercise their

Karnataka Police arrested a man who posed as an IAS officer in Chikkamagaluru, held meetings with officials, and received a felicitation for clearing UPSC. The accused allegedly demanded a bribe from a shop-owner after promising a medicine supply tender. The case points to a credentialing failure among local government

A Karnataka court sentenced Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of BJP zilla panchayat member Yogeshgouda Goudar in Dharwad. The conviction of a sitting legislator triggers disqualification under the Representation of the People Act, potentially forcing a by-election in the Dharwad

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has alleged that a BJP-AIADMK alliance victory would lead to the division of Tamil Nadu. The claim sharpens the DMK's campaign framing around state autonomy and anti-Delhi sentiment. The accusation is likely to intensify political exchanges between the ruling DMK

India chaired the first 2026 BRICS Health Working Group meeting in New Delhi, proposing two new cooperation priorities: a Healthy Lifestyles Mission and a Mental Health and Wellness workstream. All nine member states endorsed the agenda, which also covers tuberculosis research, digital health, and regulatory

Chua Eng Kiam was jailed two months for using sham loan arrangements to post S$1.5 million bail for his son-in-law Ng Yu Zhi, the accused in a major Singapore investment fraud case. The conviction exposes the misuse of fabricated financial structures to satisfy court surety requirements.

India's National Statistical Office will conduct the country's first National Household Income Survey, covering approximately 4.5 lakh households through a structured sampling framework. The survey fills a longstanding gap in India's official statistics, where income data has historically been inferred from consumption

Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha challenged the government's move to amend the women's reservation law before notifying the principal Act. The procedural dispute matters because an amendment to an unnotified law lacks legal effect, as a government official had previously acknowledged. Resolution requires the government

Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has filed a Supreme Court petition seeking a declaration that forced or deceitful religious conversion qualifies as a terrorist act under Indian law. The plea, tied to the TCS Nashik case, argues such conversions threaten sovereignty, secularism, and national integration. The court's

The Election Commission of India has begun EVM-VVPAT commissioning for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal phase-1 assembly elections ahead of 2026 polls. The process, conducted before candidates and General Observers, is the formal machinery verification step that precedes actual ballot deployment. West Bengal and Tamil Nadu

Sebi has directed top brokers to share client-level derivatives P&L data for Q4, covering the January, March period. The data will let the regulator measure the full-year effect of its index-options tightening measures on retail traders. Findings could inform whether additional restrictions or the current framework

The Trump administration's State Department has restricted or revoked visas for 26 individuals across the Western Hemisphere for allegedly undermining US interests or supporting adversaries. The move, announced by Secretary Rubio, uses executive visa authority as a rapid foreign policy enforcement lever requiring no

The US House voted to extend Temporary Protected Status for nearly 350,000 Haitians in the United States, with ten Republicans joining Democrats to pass the measure. The vote directly challenges the Trump administration's immigration enforcement posture and preserves deportation protections and work authorization for

Cash transfer schemes targeting women voters have emerged as a dominant electoral strategy across multiple Indian states, with parties competing to offer monthly direct payments to female constituents. The trend pressures state budgets and signals a structural shift in how parties build electoral coalitions. Fiscal

President Trump nominated Erica Schwartz as CDC director as the agency faces persistent leadership turnover under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The pick carries significant weight for vaccine policy, pharmaceutical sector confidence, and federal public health program continuity. Schwartz's Senate confirmation

Indian automakers have endorsed CAFE III fuel efficiency norms, which will cap passenger vehicle CO2 emissions starting April 1, 2027. SIAM called the framework balanced, with annual fleet improvement targets extending through 2031-32. The government is preparing to issue the final regulatory notification.

Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin warned that the Delimitation Bill would reduce Tamils to second-class citizens and eliminate any path for a southern Prime Minister. The Bill's population-based seat reallocation would shift parliamentary representation northward, penalizing states with lower birth rates. Stalin also rebutted

Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, speaking in Lok Sabha, called for an all-party meeting on the Women's Reservation Bill and accused the government of using the legislation to advance delimitation. He noted that Prime Minister Modi did not address the word "delimitation" during his debate speech despite it