Gudi Padwa, a time of renewed hope and the promise of new beginnings: PM Modi

IANS | March 19, 2026 10:06 AM

Mumbai, March 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wished the citizens on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa, the beginning of the Marathi new year, saying that today, as India continues its journey towards progress and self-reliance, the essence of Gudi Padwa becomes even more relevant.

Not surrender, responsible statecraft: Days after Sonia Gandhi, Tharoor writes, citing Nehru on India's 'silence' on West Asia

IANS | March 19, 2026 10:00 AM

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on the ongoing West Asia crisis, offering a nuanced defence of India’s diplomatic restraint and pushing back against critics who have described the government’s silence on the US-Israeli war on Iran as a moral failure, instead terming New Delhi’s approach as “responsible statecraft”.

Several factors make Bhabanipur a key battleground in Bengal polls

IANS | March 18, 2026 11:37 PM

Kolkata, March 18 (IANS) Of the 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal that will go to the polls in two phases next month, the spotlight is firmly on the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, where a direct contest between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has turned the seat into a high-stakes battle.

UN Chief calls for probe in Pakistan airstrike on Afghan hospital

Arul Louis | March 18, 2026 11:10 PM

United Nations, March 18 (IANS) UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemns” the deadly Pakistani air strike on a hospital in Kabul and has called for an independent investigation into the incident, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Wednesday.

Nepal’s Gen-Z wave brings historic political shift: Report

IANS | March 18, 2026 9:16 PM

New Delhi/Kathmandu, March 18 (IANS) While the Gen-Z movement has emerged worldwide, Nepal is the only country to bring about swift political transformation. Nepal's recent election results have defied expectation, leaving observers questioning whether they underestimated the wave of Balendra Shah, with his party, Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) - having entered the country’s political arena only in 2022 - winning close to a two-thirds majority, a report said on Wednesday.