April 05, 2026
49 articles published on this date
Dr. Jitendra Singh Launches first -ever "Administrative Capacity Building" Programme for Scientists & Academicians Under Mission Karmayogi; aimed to quip academia leaders with governance skills
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the first-ever dedicated "Administrative Capacity Building" programme for Scientists and Academicians under Missio...
Strait of Hormuz ‘deadline’ looms, Jaishankar talks to Iran counterpart Araghchi
As a US-imposed deadline on Iran loomed over the Strait of Hormuz, EAM Jaishankar engaged in telephonic diplomacy with Iran's FM Araghchi, discussing bilater...
Elastic rules: On the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026
The Government of India notified the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing mandatory use of recycled plastic content in packaging by ...
The World Trade Organization is flailing
The World Trade Organization's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) was held from March 26–30, 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon — the first WTO ministerial to be host...
Toothless ban: Single-use plastic rules 84% of surveyed sites in four cities
A study by Toxics Link, a New Delhi-based environmental research and advocacy organisation, surveyed 560 locations across Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Guwahati, and M...
India-flagged LPG tanker Green Asha crosses Strait of Hormuz
An India-flagged LPG tanker, Green Asha, successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz on April 5, 2026, amid the escalating US-Iran conflict and Trump's threat ...
Transforming India’s nuclear power landscape
India's SHANTI Act (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) has received presidential assent after passing both Hous...
Ganga water sharing, visas, energy cooperation likely on agenda for Bangladesh FM visit
Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Touhid Hossain was expected to visit India on April 7 and 8, 2026 — the first foreign ministerial visit since the fall of the S...
The executive office without a limit
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 8,931 days in office (as of the article's reference point), an opinion piece in a national daily examines the co...
A debate on the tenure of Election Commission-appointed police chief
A constitutional debate has emerged over whether a Director General of Police (DGP) appointed by a state government on the recommendation of the Election Com...
EAM Jaishankar receives call from Iran FM Araghchi as Trump’s 48-hour threat looms
EAM S. Jaishankar received a call from Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi on April 5, 2026, with both sides discussing bilateral relations and regional developments a...
Ladakh talks with open mind and heart: Sonam Wangchuk
Environmentalist and activist Sonam Wangchuk called for dialogue with the Centre "with an open mind and heart," advocating for a "win-win approach" to Ladakh...
West Asia crisis: Iranian foreign minister dials EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar received a call from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on April 5, 2026, to discuss the West Asia conflict and ...
Petition filed in SC challenging amended 'transgender persons' law
Transgender rights activists Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and Zainab Patel have filed a Supreme Court petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Trans...
NeSL enabling real-time access to digital debt & claims data in insolvency cases
National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL), India's first Information Utility (IU) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code framework, is providing real-time ...
Women's rights & religion: CJI-led 9-J bench includes all faiths, and a woman
The Supreme Court has constituted a nine-judge constitutional bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, to hear a batch of cases examining the scope of reli...
Chabahar work to expand even more rapidly in post-war era': Iran envoy
Iran's Ambassador to India has stated that work at Chabahar Port will expand "even more rapidly" once the current West Asia conflict ends, describing it as a...
Expert Explains | What the China-Pakistan peace plan for West Asia says about China’s stakes and global trade
On March 31, 2026, China and Pakistan jointly launched a Five-Point Initiative for Restoring Peace and Stability in the Gulf and Middle East region The initi...
8 Indian ships have exited the Persian Gulf via Strait of Hormuz, 16 remain: Story so far, explained
As of early April 2026, 8 Indian-flagged vessels have successfully exited the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, while 16 remain in the western Persi...
Iran-Israel war: OPEC+ hikes oil production quotas, issues warning
OPEC+ agreed on Sunday (April 5, 2026) to raise oil production quotas by 206,000 barrels per day (bpd) from May — the second consecutive monthly increase of ...
GST Council meeting likely in end-May or June
The 57th GST Council meeting is expected to be held only towards the end of May or in June 2026, later than usual. The delay is directly linked to ongoing as...
CII seeks urgent support as West Asia war-led supply chain crisis deepens
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has submitted a comprehensive 20-point policy agenda to the Union Finance Ministry, seeking urgent support for Ind...
What to expect from China’s new 5-year plan—trade innovation, tensions with partners
China's National People's Congress formally adopted the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) in March 2026, setting out the country's economic and technological p...
Trump threatens to hit Iran’s infrastructure on Tuesday if Strait of Hormuz remains blocked
US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran's power plants and bridges starting Tuesday (April 7, 2026) if the Strait of Hormuz — effectively closed ...
Artemis astronauts to study the Moon’s surface using mainly their eyes
Despite advances in camera and sensor technology since the Apollo era, NASA built the Artemis II science observation plan around the primary use of astronaut...
Artemis II | Mission moon
NASA's Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026 from Kennedy Space Center, sending four astronauts on the first crewed journey beyond low Earth orbit sin...
Kuwait power, water desalination plants damaged by Iranian attack: government
Iranian drone and missile strikes have damaged at least two power generation and water desalination facilities in Kuwait, according to the Kuwaiti government...
India may restrict sugar export as likely to allow higher ethanol blending with petrol
The government is considering restricting sugar exports for the 2025-26 season as it plans to allow higher ethanol blending with petrol, diverting more sugar...
SCR completes field trials for installation of Kavach 4.0
South Central Railway (SCR) successfully completed field trials for Kavach 4.0 installation across 487 route kilometres during the financial year 2025-26. Th...
Artemis II astronauts preparing for historic lunar flyby
Ahead of the 6 April 2026 lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew completed preparatory activities including reviewing lunar geology training and organising Orion's...
Artemis 2 astronauts make history. Catch sight of moon's entire ‘Orientale basin’ for the first time
During the Artemis II mission (launched 1 April 2026), the crew became the first humans to observe the entirety of the Orientale basin on the Moon's far side...
Experts slam India’s colonial mindset in tiger protection policy
Wildlife conservation experts have sharply criticised India's tiger protection policy for perpetuating a "colonial mindset" — one that treats forests as excl...
UAE walks away from financing Rafale F5 due to restricted access to technology, reports French media
The United Arab Emirates has walked away from a co-financing deal worth approximately €3.5 billion for the development of the Rafale F5 — France's next-gener...
Iran war starts pinching U.S.; gas prices, transport costs surge
The average price of petrol (gasoline) in the US rose to $4.09 per gallon by April 3, 2026 — up more than $1 from just before the war began, the highest sinc...
RBI MPC: Malhotra & co expected to keep rates unchanged in first policy since US-Iran war, says SBI report
SBI Research has projected the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee will maintain the policy repo rate at 5.25 percent at its April 6–8 meeting, marking the first...
Geopolitics overtakes economics as key driver of global trade flows: Experts
Experts and trade analysts now say geopolitical flashpoints — not economic fundamentals — have become the primary drivers of global trade flows in 2026. The ...
Iran attacks energy infrastructure across UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait
Iran launched drone strikes targeting energy and industrial infrastructure across three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states — UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait — in...
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Trump believes deal with Iran possible by April 6, says 'they are negotiating now'
US President Donald Trump stated he believes a deal with Iran is possible by April 6, 2026, saying "they are negotiating now" — though Iran's foreign ministe...
Moody's cuts India's FY27 GDP growth estimates to 6% amid West Asia conflict
Moody's Ratings slashed India's GDP growth estimate for FY2026-27 to 6%, down from its earlier forecast of 6.8%, citing the escalating conflict in West Asia....
Artemis II mission: NASA crew describes far side of the moon, says ‘not the moon I’m used to seeing'
NASA's Artemis II mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on 1 April 2026, sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon — the first crewed ...
Aid groups warn war in West Asia is hindering food, medicine from reaching millions
Major international humanitarian organisations warned that the ongoing war in West Asia has severely disrupted global aid supply chains, leaving millions of ...
Iran FM Araghchi warns of contamination risk after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Bushehr nuclear power plant
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that continued US-Israeli strikes on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on Iran's southern coast could event...
Economists see RBI holding rates in April policy review on inflation fears amid West Asia crisis
A broad consensus among economists projects the RBI will keep the benchmark policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25 percent at the April 6–8 MPC meeting The West ...
West Asia crisis: Jaishankar speaks to Qatari PM, UAE foreign minister
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held separate telephone conversations with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani ...
Govt steps up LPG supply, urges calm amid Hormuz concerns
The government has ramped up the sale of small 5-kg LPG cylinders — approximately 6.6 lakh bottles sold since March 23, 2026 — as part of broader steps to me...
CII's 20-Point Policy Agenda calls for coordinated fiscal, financial and trade response to West Asia crisis
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) submitted a 20-point policy agenda to the Ministry of Finance calling for coordinated fiscal, financial, and trade...
'Challenging time': India sends aid to Afghanistan amid devastation from floods and earthquake
India dispatched humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) materials to Afghanistan following devastating floods and earthquakes that caused signifi...
RBI expected to hold rates steady in first monetary policy since West Asia conflict: SBI Report
An SBI Research report has projected that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25 percent at the April 6–8 Monetary ...
National Maritime Day: India's oil lifeline churns through conflict waters
India observed its 63rd National Maritime Day on April 5, 2026 — a date that acquired unusual salience given the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, thr...