Morning Digest: NDA will remove hurdles before women’s reservation, says PM; Iran closes Hormuz Strait again over U.S. blockade, and more

A day after the government failed to secure passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Act and the Delimitation Bill—which sought to implement 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies—Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the NDA remained committed to removing all obstacles in the path of this move. Addressing the nation on Saturday evening (April 18, 2026), Mr. Modi launched a sharp attack on the Opposition, accusing it of “committing a foeticide of the idea of women’s representation before the whole world, via their opposition to the move”.

The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass, in retaliation after the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.