Highlights: Congress workers protest against Centre over National Herald case

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10:41 PM

India to expand trade ties with nations offering fair, balanced FTAs: Piyush Goyal

India will expand its trade ties with nations that will offer fair, balanced and equitable free trade agreements (FTAs), Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday, stressing that the country's gains must match its offer of accessing a 1.4 billion-strong, and fast-growing consumer market.

10:07 PM

Delighted that SC proposed to stay egregious aspects of Waqf Act: Mahua Moitra

9:45 PM

We condemn it: West Bengal Minority Commission chairman on Murshidabad violence

9:39 PM

Trump says he's joining Bessent, Lutnick for trade negotiations with Japanese at White House

9:09 PM

Trump says he's joining Bessent, Lutnick for trade negotiations with Japanese at White House

President Donald Trump said he's joining some of his top economic advisers on Wednesday for negotiations at the White House over tariffs and trade with a top Japanese official who is travelling to Washington for the talks.

9:07 PM

IMD's forecast of above normal monsoon brings cheer to FMCG firms

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies expect demand to rise further across both rural and urban after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast above-normal rainfall in the upcoming monsoon season.

8:15 PM

Barapulla Road to remain closed at night near Maharani Bagh till Apr 24

The Barapulla Road to Maharani Bagh Interchange stretch, along the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor, will remain closed to traffic from 12 am to 5 am until April 24 due to ongoing construction work, authorities said on Wednesday.

7:55 PM

Vice President JD Vance and the Second Family will travel to Italy and India from April 18 to 24: US readout

5:25 PM

IndusInd Bank’s shares jump 7% as PwC probe finds marginally lower hit

Shares of private sector lender IndusInd Bank surged over 7 per cent on Wednesday, following its disclosure the previous day that the impact of discrepancies in its derivative portfolio, ascertained by external agency PwC, would be marginally lower than its findings in the internal review.

5:04 PM

More than 4,000 pirated NCERT books seized in Delhi; one arrested

Delhi Police has seized more than 4,000 pirated NCERT textbooks from Samaypur Badli in outer-north Delhi following a raid, and arrested one person in connection with the case, an official said on Wednesday. The accused has been identified as Arvind Gupta (33), a resident of Sector 16 in Rohini, who allegedly purchased pirated books from multiple sources for resale in Delhi, a senior police officer said.

4:59 PM

Central Railway introduces 16 new AC local train services in Mumbai

On the occasion of the 172nd anniversary of railways in India on Wednesday, the Central Railway (CR) introduced 14 new air-conditioned local train services on its main line in Mumbai, providing relief to commuters during summer. Seven of the14 new AC services were operated till afternoon and the remaining services will be operated later in the day, said Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of the CR.

3:40 PM

Prioritise poor amid 'Trump tariff game', uphold 'self respect': Mayawati to Centre

Expressing concern over the global economic turmoil triggered by the tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on goods imported to America, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Wednesday said the Centre must prioritise the welfare of the poor amid the "Trump tariff game" without "letting its self-respect get affected".

3:26 PM

EC trains representatives of 10 parties on role of booth-level agents

Ahead of the Bihar assembly polls, the Election Commission on Wednesday organised a training programme for representatives of political parties deployed as booth-level agents. Around 280 booth-level agents (BLAs) from Bihar associated with 10 recognised political parties are taking part in the two-day training programme.

 

2:46 PM

Targeted for being part of Gandhi family, will soon join politics: Robert Vadra

Robert Vadra, businessman and brother-in-law of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday claimed he is being targeted by probe agencies as he is part of the Gandhi family and that things would have been different had he been part of the BJP. Vadra, whose wife Priyanka Gandhi made her electoral debut last year, said he is almost an activist now and will soon join politics as he has been working with people since 1999.

1:46 PM

We seem demoralised in Gujarat, but only Congress can defeat RSS-BJP: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said though party cadres seem demoralised in Gujarat, only his outfit can defeat the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP. On his second visit to Gujarat in a week, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha expressed his party's resolve to finish the task of defeating the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in the western state for nearly 30 years.

 

1:42 PM

News update: BJP observes Hindu Shaheed Diwas outside state Assembly in Kolkata

1:35 PM

News update: Troops will remain in buffer zone in any temporary or permanent' agreement on Gaza, says Israel

12:49 PM

SC fixes May 14 for hearing pleas against appointment of CEC, ECs under 2023 law

The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed May 14 for hearing a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners (EC) under the 2023 law. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan fixed the date after advocate Prashant Bhushan urged the bench to accord urgent hearing in the matter.

12:09 PM

News update: Police remove Congress workers protesting against BJP-led Centre

12:02 PM

Police detain Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav during protest against the Centre

Police have detained Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav and other party workers during a protest against the Centre over  money laundering charges in the National Herald case.

11:30 AM

Robert Vadra appears before ED on day 2

Robert Vadra, the businessman brother-in-law of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on the second straight day on Tuesday for his questioning in a 2008 Haryana land deal linked money laundering case. He was accompanied by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress MP from Kerala's Wayanad. The two exchanged hugs before Robert Vadra went inside the ED office.

11:27 AM

Mumbai Police receive bomb threat call; man detained

The Mumbai Police have received a call wherein a person claimed there would be bomb blasts in the city, officials said on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Suraj Jadhav (37), who allegedly made the threat call under the influence of alcohol, has been detained, a senior police official said.

10:53 AM

Will become voice of every poor in J'khand: CM Hemant Soren on his election as JMM chief

A day after being elected as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) president, a post which was held by his father Shibu Soren, Chief Minister Hemant Soren took a vow to become the voice of every poor, deprived and youth of the state. Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren had been the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's chief for the past 38 years, while his son Hemant served the party as its executive president since 2015.

10:42 AM

Kerala youtuber taken into custody for pointing gun at bus staff, released

Popular youtuber Thoppi was taken into custody for allegedly pointing a gun at the staff of a private bus during an altercation between them in Vatakara in this district, police said. The incident happened on Tuesday evening and Thoppi was released later as the weapon was found to be an air gun which does not require any license, Vatakara police said.

10:18 AM

News update: China appoints new top international trade negotiator amid tariff tensions with US

9:53 AM

Ladki Bahin scheme to continue, no question of scrapping it: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar stated, "The budgetary allocation for the implementation of the scheme has been made and there is no question of scrapping it." Under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which is believed to have played a key role in the victory of the ruling Mahayuti (comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP) in the state polls last year, women are provided Rs 1,500 every month.

9:36 AM

Earthquake strikes under Indian Ocean far off Australian coast, but no tsunami warning issued

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck far off southwest Australia on Wednesday, but no tsunami warning was issued. The epicentre was in the Indian Ocean 2,069 kilometers southwest of Albany on the southwest tip of Western Australia state at a depth of 10 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said.

9:33 AM

White House is starting new media policy that restricts wire services' access to president

Fresh from a courtroom loss over The Associated Press' access to the presidency, the White House on Tuesday put forward a new media policy that sharply curtails access to Donald Trump by news agencies that serve media outlets around around the world. It was the latest attempt by the new administration to control coverage of its activities. The move would block the AP and other wire services that serve billions of readers through thousands of news outlets.

9:04 AM

DOGE associate is made acting head of foreign assistance at State Department: US official

A senior US official confirmed the new job for Jeremy Lewin, an associate of the Department of Government Efficiency earlier appointed to help finish dismantling the US Agency for International Development.