Author: India BBC News Correspondent

The Houthis’ entry into the Iran-Israel-US conflict has been more hesitant and more limited than their previous interventions in the Red Sea shipping campaign. The reasons for this apparent restraint are worth understanding — they tell you something about how the Houthis have been calculating their position since the US strikes on Houthi infrastructure began. Why the Houthis Were Expected to Be More Active The Houthis are part of the Iran-aligned “axis of resistance” that also includes Hezbollah, Hamas, and various Iraqi Shia militia groups. When Iran entered direct military confrontation with the US, the expectation among regional analysts was…

China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have established international protections for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the current conflict. The resolution, put forward by France, the UK, and the United States, would have invoked specific UNCLOS provisions and called for all parties to guarantee safe passage for civilian commercial vessels. Both China and Russia described the resolution as biased and as providing cover for US military operations in the region rather than genuinely protecting shipping freedom. Why China and Russia Vetoed The resolution’s text contained language that, in Beijing and Moscow’s reading, implicitly…

The Artemis II mission brought humans closer to the Moon than any people had been since the Apollo era — and the data from that mission has produced a more nuanced answer to the question of whether we can land there again than the simple “yes, eventually” that space agency communications tend to offer. Artemis II was a crewed flyby, not a landing. Its purpose was to test the Orion spacecraft and life support systems with crew aboard, verify the Space Launch System’s performance with a human mission profile, and establish confidence in the full hardware stack before a landing…

The redevelopment of New Delhi railway station — one of India’s busiest, handling hundreds of trains and millions of passengers — has moved to a phase that the railway ministry is describing as “fast track.” Site preparation is underway, the architectural design has been finalised, and the first visible construction changes will be apparent to passengers within months. The station redevelopment is part of the broader modernisation of India’s 100+ major railway stations under the Railways Stations Development Corporation programme. New Delhi is the flagship project — both because of its symbolic significance as the national capital’s central station and…

Discussions about the Uniform Civil Code — the proposed replacement of personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption with a single national civil code applicable to all citizens regardless of religion — are described as “positive” by government sources, though the word “positive” is doing significant work here given the enormous complexity of what is actually being discussed. The UCC has been a BJP electoral promise for decades and a source of significant political and community tension equally long. The current government’s position: consultations are ongoing, a draft framework exists, and implementation is a priority for this term. Where…

The CBI has filed a chargesheet in what it describes as a bank fraud of over ₹73,000 crore involving companies associated with Anil Ambani — a case that has been building through multiple jurisdictions and that represents one of the largest corporate fraud proceedings in Indian legal history. The chargesheet, filed before a special CBI court in Mumbai, names Anil Ambani, several companies in the Reliance ADA group, and a number of individuals alleged to have facilitated the transactions. The fraud alleged: misuse of bank credit for purposes other than those declared in loan applications, diversion of funds, and fabrication…

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s management has announced it will formally write to the BCCI following what it described as a “controversial officiating decision” during a match that affected the outcome and has become a point of significant debate among cricket fans and commentators. The specific incident — a third umpire decision on a boundary call — was reviewed extensively on social media in the hours following the match. The technological evidence (Hawk-Eye, ultra-edge, and ball tracking) appeared to several independent analysts to support a different outcome from the one the officials reached. The SRH team’s on-field reaction during the match indicated they…

West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision exercise for the electoral roll has entered its final phase, with the Election Commission of India confirming that the last supplementary list will be published tonight. The SIR process — which involves verification of existing voter registrations and addition of new eligible voters — has been controversial throughout its conduct in Bengal, with allegations from multiple parties about how it has been implemented on the ground. What the SIR Has Involved The SIR process sends booth-level officials door-to-door to verify the details of registered voters and to ensure eligible citizens who are not registered are…

The Artemis II mission produced photographs of the Moon that have been described, in various publications, as “stunning,” “breathtaking,” and “the most detailed lunar imagery since Apollo.” They are. They are also, simultaneously, scientifically useful and aesthetically extraordinary — a combination that doesn’t always go together in space exploration imagery. The question the headline asks — science or spectacle? — rests on a false premise. Both. What the Images Are The Artemis II crew captured imagery at resolutions and angles that previous lunar missions, including robotic orbiters, haven’t produced in the same way. The Orion spacecraft’s trajectory took it around…

Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Chennai Super Kings by 43 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday in a match that extended RCB’s lead at the top of the IPL 2026 points table and deepened CSK’s miserable run of form in what had been expected to be a strong year for the yellow brigade. The final score: RCB 198/4 in 20 overs; CSK 155/8 in 20 overs. How RCB Got to 198 Virat Kohli’s 67 off 45 balls set the platform — a typically composed innings that mixed the singles and twos that protect the wicket with moments of controlled aggression.…