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Zelenskyy meets UAE President, discusses West Asia security concerns

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the UAE and met his Emirati counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday, to discuss regional security in the Middle East. "For Ukraine, this is also a matter of principle: terror must not prevail anywhere in the world. Protection must be sufficient everywhere," Zelenskyy said in a post on X following his meeting with the Emirati leader. He said they discussed "the security situation in the Emirates, Iranian strikes, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affects the global oil market." The Emirates News Agency said the two leaders discussed "security developments in the region amid ongoing military escalation and their implications for regional and international peace and security, as well as their impact on international navigation and the global economy." During his visit to Saudi Arabia a day before, Zelenskyy said the two countries have agreed to "an important arrangement" on defence cooperation. Zelenskyy

Jaishankar meets French President Macron on sidelines of G7 Summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of theG7 Foreign Ministers' Summit here and said he valued the discussion and his many insights. The external affairs minister paid a formal visit to President Macron on Friday. "An honour to call on the President @EmmanuelMacron of France last night," Jaishankar said in a social media post on Saturday. The external affairs minister said he conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Value the discussion and his many insights," Jaishankar added. He arrived in Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay in France on Thursday to participate in the two-day G7 foreign ministers' meeting with partner countries. While India is not a G7 member, it has been invited as a partner country by France, the current chair of the powerful bloc. In an address at a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in France on Thursday, Jaishankar flagged the concerns of Global South nations over energy, food, and fuel securi

Germany to review restarting coal plants as Iran conflict hits energy costs

While Germany is due to phase out coal by 2038, the review shows Europe's biggest economy may still fall back on the dirty fossil fuel in times of crisis

Travel crisis deepens as jet fuel shortage grips Asia, may spread to Europe

The amount of jet fuel lost because of the conflict is ultimately too much for the world's refiners to offset

Behind the Big Screen: After-lives of juvenile stars, journeys beyond sets

A revealing account of Bollywood's child actors-tracing their rise, struggles, and life beyond fame, while spotlighting exploitation, resilience, and the need for stronger safeguards

Delhi raises commercial LPG allocation from 20 to 50% of daily consumption

The Delhi government has increased the commercial LPG cylinder allocation from 20 per cent to 50 per cent of average daily consumption, raising the supply from 1,800 to 4,500 cylinders (19 kg equivalent) per day. This announcement was made by Minister for Food and Supplies Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday. The decision follows directives from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, according to officials. The enhanced supply is effective immediately and aims to cover critical sectors, including essential services, hotels, industries, and support for migrant labourers. This adjustment builds on the previous policy to meet demand without disruption, officials added. Sirsa expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central Government, stating, "We thank the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji for this timely increase to 50 per cent allocation. Thanks to his proactive support, residents of Delhi will face no hurdles in the .

Elon Musk's X loses case alleging advertiser boycott of its platform

The order is the latest rejection of attempts by organisations and politicians to force advertisers and social media platforms to loosen content restrictions

Gulf conflict may have global consequences like Covid, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said no one, including the perpetrators of the Gulf conflict, can foresee its grave consequences for the world, comparable only to the Covid pandemic. Addressing the delegates of the congress of the powerful Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), the Russian leader said the escalation of the conflict incited by the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran has jeopardised a wide range of industries, and there's no telling what further consequences may follow. "The armed conflict in the Middle East is increasingly impacting the current situation and causing significant disruption to international logistics, manufacturing, and supply chains," he said. Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran, which in turn retaliated, spreading the war to the entire Gulf region. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important choke point for the world's energy supplies. The strait, a narrow shipping lane that connects

WTO chief calls for overhaul of global trade rules as world order shifts

Okonjo-Iweala said the body's problems over decision-making needed to be tackled. Its current consensus-based model has been regularly stalled by objections from some countries

DGCA is looking to ease rules for airlines to help them grow: Chief

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is trying to promote ease of doing business for airlines to help them grow and flourish as well as taking steps for passenger rights, its chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai said on Thursday. There are big challenges for airlines, including taking longer routes and higher operational costs due to airspace restrictions, he said, expressing hope that there would be "better days". The ongoing West Asia conflict is posing more challenges for airlines, which have curtailed services to the region. "It is not only passenger rights which we are looking at... we are trying to ease things for the airlines also and the rules and regulations which are there, promote ease of doing business because we want our airlines to grow and flourish," Kidwai said. He said many airlines have gone bust in India and emphasised the need to support carriers. India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets and the DGCA as well as the civil aviation minist

Every Last Girl: How a grassroots push brought 2 million back to school

From a handful of team members to thousands of full-time employees, how a grassroots movement has brought over 2 million girls in rural India back to school

Trump says Iran's 'present' to US was letting 10 oil tankers pass Hormuz

Trump made the comments at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, elaborating on what he had previously described as a "present" from Iran

Delhi PWD waives road restoration charges to fast-track PNG rollout

The Delhi Public Works Department (PWD), to ensure faster laying of PNG pipelines, has decided to approve road-cutting permission within 24 hours from receiving the request, an official order said on Thursday. The PWD, which is the main road owning agency in the national capital, has also waived off road restoration charges for three months, in a fresh order issued. "It is further directed that permission for road cutting for laying of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) pipelines shall be accorded within 24 hours of receipt of a complete request, along with directions to commence the work immediately," the order said. The road restoration charges applicable for laying of IGL pipelines for PNG connections are hereby waived for a period of three months up to June 30, 2026, it added. The road restoration charge is levied by the road-owning agency on any service provider cutting a road or footpath to lay down the lines. "In view of the prevailing circumstances and in public interest, the

Indian airlines to operate 10% fewer domestic flights in summer: DGCA

Indian airlines are set to operate a little over 23,000 weekly domestic flights during the summer schedule starting from March 29, which is 10 per cent less than the services flown during the same period a year ago. Aviation watchdog DGCA has published the domestic flights summer schedule, which is from March 29 to October 24, for nine scheduled airlines. A senior DGCA official on Thursday told PTI that the airlines would be operating around 10 per cent fewer flights in 2026 summer schedule compared to the previous summer schedule. During the 2025 summer schedule, there were 25,610 weekly flights and this time, a 10 per cent reduction would mean the number of services will come down by 2,561. Accordingly, the total count will be about 23,049 weekly flights, as per an analysis. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has put out the airline-wise domestic summer schedule for 2026 on its website but has not provided a consolidated figure and comparison with the previous summe

IOC's new policy bars transgender athletes from women's Olympics events

Transgender women athletes are now excluded from women's events at the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy on Thursday which aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. "Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females," the International Olympic Committee said, to be determined by a mandatory gene test once in an athlete's career. It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level. No woman who transitioned from being born male competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, though weightlifter Laurel Hubbard did at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 without winning a medal. The eligibility policy that will apply from the LA Olympics in July 2028 "protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category," the IOC said. "It is not retroactive and does not apply to a

PM Modi to interact with CMs on preparedness amid West Asia conflict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact on Friday with the chief ministers of all states, barring those which are going to polls, to review their preparedness and plans in the wake of the West Asia conflict, sources said. This is the first time that the prime minister will hold a meeting with the chief ministers on the West Asia conflict which started on February 28 with the attack by the US-Israel on Iran. The Persian nation has also retaliated by firing on its Gulf neighbours and Israel. "The prime minister will interact with the CMs tomorrow evening through video conferencing on the West Asia conflict to review preparedness and plans of states. The meeting will focus on ensuring synergy of efforts in the spirit of Team India," the sources said. The chief ministers of election-bound states will not be part of this meeting due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The Cabinet Secretariat will hold a separate meeting with the chief secretaries of poll-bound Tamil Nadu, West Bengal

UltraTech settles dispute with Jaiprakash over Dalla Super unit and mines

Leading cement maker UltraTech Cement on Thursday said it has settled with Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) in the ongoing arbitration over the Dalla Super unit and associated mines. In a regulatory filing, UltraTech Cements said it will redeem 1,00,000 Series A Preference Shares of face value Rs 1,00,000 each totalling Rs 1,000 crore. This settlement will also help in monetisation of the assets of JAL in its ongoing Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), in which rival Adani Group has emerged as the successful resolution applicant (bidder). With this, a long-standing dispute between UltraTech and debt-ridden JAL, which is currently going through insolvency resolution, has come to an end. "Subsequent to the Parties reaching a settlement in respect of the arbitration and the Arbitral Tribunal passing a final award today viz. 26th March, 2026, all rights and interests in the Dalla Super unit and mines have fully vested in the company, and all claims/proceeds and liabilities .

India asks auto industry to optimise output as Iran conflict hits supplies

The government has already prioritised use of gas for households over industries, which get only about 80 per cent of their average needs

India, China ties on correct path of improvement: Chinese FM Wang Yi

India, China relations have embarked on a "correct path" of improvement, and their shared interests far outweigh differences, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday. Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-India relations have embarked on a correct path of improvement and development, Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), said. Facing a complex and turbulent international situation, China is willing to work with India to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, uphold the principle of viewing each other as development opportunities rather than threats and treat each other as partners rather than competitors, he said during a farewell call on the outgoing Indian Ambassador Pradeep Rawat. India, China relations, which were frozen for over five years following the military standoff in Ladakh, improved after the meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Mo

European Parliament approves US trade deal but adds safeguard clauses

The European Parliament voted Thursday to approve a trade deal between Washington and Brussels but with amendments added to protect European interests should the United States fail to hold up its end of the bargain. The deal was negotiated last July in Turnberry, Scotland, by US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It set a 15 per cent tariff on most goods in an effort to stave off far higher import duties on both sides that might have sent shock waves through economies around the globe. New language now says that the deal can be suspended if Washington "undermined the objectives of the deal, discriminated against EU economic operators, threatened member states' territorial integrity, foreign and defence policies, or engaged in economic coercion." That clause was forged because of the tensions over Greenland, said Bernd Lange, a German lawmaker and head of the EU's parliamentary trade committee. Trump drew widespread condemnation across th