The Hindu

Major political and geopolitical developments lead todays headlines. The Constitution Amendment Bill on womens quota faces a setback in the Lok Sabha, while Sri Lankas Power and Energy Minister resigns amid controversy. Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz, easing concerns over global shipping, even as remarks by Tejasvi Surya on Telangana trigger a political storm. The Supreme Court also flags illegal sand mining in Madhya Pradesh. Stay tuned for the full breakdown.

Shortly after the truce went into effect at midnight local time, the Army told residents of the south many of whom had to flee their homes following sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings not to return, citing several Israeli acts of aggression.

Australias most decorated living veteran has walked free on bail from a Sydney prison 10 days after he was charged with committing war crimes in Afghanistan

Sri Lanka has sent home 238 Iranian sailors, including 32 who survived a U.S. torpedo attack in the Indian Ocean

The indictment triggered sharp criticism from members of the political Opposition and civil society, who reminded the Dissanayake government and the ruling National Peoples Power administration of their key pre-poll promise of wiping out corruption

About 20% of the worlds crude oil supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, before the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.

The Deep Sea, Sonia I and Diona, all under U.S. sanctions, passed the strategic strait on April 15, 2026 after leaving Irans Kharg Island, having loaded on April 2, 8 and 9 respectively

Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz also warned that if the fighting resumed, displaced residents returning to the countrys war-torn south would have to evacuate again

In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, the United Nations refugee agency's spokesman Babar Baloch told a press briefing in Geneva

The Airbus H130 lost contact on April 16, five minutes after it took off from Melawi district in West Kalimantan province

Suu Kyi is currently serving a 27-year sentence

Along with Mr. Jayakody, Ministry's Secretary Udayanga Hemapala too resigned from the post, President Anura Kumara Dissanayakes office said

The Additional Secretary (Gulf) at the MEA said that exactly a total of 1,75,025 pilgrims will be embarking on the Hajj pilgrimage

Last year, Japan sweltered through its hottest summer since records began in 1989 with warmer days on the rise globally due to climate change

Britains Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to make a statement in Parliament on the issue on April 20, 2026

While the word was coined in the U.S., it has been frequently used across the globe, including France and the U.K.

Lawmakers scrambled back to the Capitol as Democrats blasted the process, with many members flipping through pages of the bill on the floor as votes began

The last formal assessment of the Venezuelan economy by the IMF was in 2004, and Caracas cleared its World Bank tab in 2007

The U.S. and Iran held rare direct talks in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended early Sunday (April 12, 2026) without any agreement

National security systems in 23 of the 28 countries studied seem to rely on US tech, researchers found after looking at EU member states and Britain

The amnesty comes a week after Min Aung Hlaing was sworn into office following an election that critics say was neither free nor fair and was orchestrated to keep the military's iron grip on power

Colombo-based political sources told The Hindu that the visiting Indian Vice President is also scheduled to meet opposition politicians, including those from political parties representing the Tamils of the north and east, as well as the Malaiyaha Tamils from the islands hill country

Anthropic's announcement has encountered a mix of alarm and scepticism, with some pointing out the firm, one of several contenders in a fierce artificial intelligence race, stood to gain from the hype

Two unidentified armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire on the white car in which Ghazi and Hamza were travelling at Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office. In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries while Ghazi remained unhurt, says police

The Pope has to understand it's very simple Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The world would be in great danger, says Mr. Trump

Todd Lyons has been a great leader of ICE, said Markwayne Mullin in a statement, adding that his last day would be May 31 and wishing him luck in his ext opportunity in the private sector.

Hezbollah has not said if it recognizes the ceasefire -- but a senior figure said it would respect it if Israeli attacks on the militants stopped

The U.S. leader praised Pakistan's eally great Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and powerful army chief Asim Munir for their role in brokering the talks with Iran

Mohammed Murad Mahmud Rayan was killed by the (Israeli) occupation forces on Thursday morning in Beit Duqqu, a village just north of Jerusalem, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement

Syrian army forces ook over the Qasrak air base... after the withdrawal of international coalition forces, said a defence ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA.

The whale, which has been nicknamed Timmy by local media, is lying in shallow waters near the eastern German town of Wismar and has barely moved for days. Many fear it may soon die.

Asim Munir discussed with the commander of the IRGC the steps taken under the framework for ending the war and their recent talks in Tehran.

Pope Leo praised the peace movement and warned against allowing religion to enter conflicts

His comments come after Mr. Trump this month warned that a whole civilisation will die in Iran if the country did not open up the Strait of Hormuz

In our new and third episode of Above the Fold, we look at the stormy session in the Lok Sabha as the Centre and Opposition clash over delimitation. Joshua Landis weighs in on the escalating West Asia conflict, while Donald Trump sparks controversy with a viral post. Also, a key Supreme Court of India observation on voting rights and R Vaishali clinches a major chess title.

The U.S. leader says he would invite Israeli Prime Minister and Lebanese president to White House for talks

The gunman, who was also killed, arrived at the school with five firearms and seven magazines belonging to his father

As part of a campaign to pressure Tehran to agree to a deal, U.S. military forces are mounting a blockade on all ships seeking to enter or leave Iran

U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his open Letter from Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963, while imprisoned in Alabama

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is receiving the prestigious International Four Freedoms Award

New Delhi is making efforts to restart discussions with Zambia, but the situation is still uncertain, one of the sources said

The Prime Minister said India and Austria are in agreement that military conflict cannot resolve problems

We are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels, the source said

How Trumps Iran narrative reflects a coarsening of global political discourse

Magyars Tisza party won 136 seats of the 199-member Hungarian Parliament while Victor Orban won only 57 seats

The enemy launched two waves of combined attacks on Ukrainian territory, using ground-based and air-launched missiles, as well as attack drones, the air force said

The refinery, about an hour's drive from Melbourne, pumps out about 10% of Australia's fuel, according to energy company Viva

On March 5, the U.S. issued a 30-day sanctions waiver to India, permitting it to buy Russian oil despite sanctions imposed over the Ukraine war

Brussels has been under pressure to come up with more stringent measures to safeguard children online