Highlights: Tamil Nadu govt replaces ₹ symbol with Tamil symbol in state Budget documents

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10:43 PM

Bengal govt constructed 6,534 km of new rural roads in FY 2024-25: Minister

The West Bengal government has laid 6,534 km of new rural roads across the state in the 2024-25 financial year, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Pradip Majumdar informed the assembly on Thursday. Majumdar said that the rural roads have been constructed till December 31, 2024 at a cost of Rs 2,092.75 crore.

10:39 PM

'Secessionist sentiments': FM Sitharaman slams DMK over ₹ symbol change

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed Tamil Nadu's move to replace the rupee symbol with a Tamil letter in the 2025-26 state Budget logo, calling it a threat to national unity

10:31 PM

Judge orders Trump to reinstate probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies. US District Judge William Alsup on Thursday found the firings didn't follow federal law and required immediate offers of reinstatement be sent.

10:19 PM

Putin supports US ceasefire plan for Ukraine, says need to sort out details

Russian forces have been advancing since mid-2024 and control nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory, three years into a war that US President Donald Trump has said he will halt

9:09 PM

Comm min assures exporters to protect their interests amid US tariff threat

The commerce ministry on Thursday assured domestic exporters, particularly those in labour-intensive sectors like leather and textiles, to protect their interests amid the US tariff threats, industry officials said.

8:54 PM

Top diplomats from G7 countries meet in Canada as Trump threatens more tariffs on US allies

Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies gathered in Canada on Thursday as US President Donald Trump's trade and foreign policies have thrown the bloc's once solid unity into disarray.

8:31 PM

Indian govt asks Ahmedabad court to serve US SEC summons to Gautam Adani

The Indian government has asked a local court to deliver a summons issued by the US Securities and Exchange Commission to billionaire Gautam Adani over alleged securities fraud and a $265 million bribery scheme, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

7:11 PM

Nine killed, nine injured in two road accidents in Mahasamund and Bemetara in Chhattisgarh: Police

7:01 PM

RBI to set up 'on Tap' cohort on climate change risks: Guv Malhotra

The Reserve Bank will set up a dedicated 'on Tap' cohort on climate change risks and sustainable finance under its regulatory sandbox initiative, Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Thursday.

6:26 PM

India to be 3rd largest economy by 2028: Morgan Stanley

India will be the world's third-largest economy by 2028 as it becomes the world's most sought-after consumer market and gains share in global output, driven by macro stability influenced policy and better infrastructure, Morgan Stanley said.

5:36 PM

FM to launch internship scheme app next week

The FM will also launch the first facilitation centre for the Internship Scheme being set up in Kolkata by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry

4:58 PM

Siddaramaiah writes to Stalin, requests Shivakumar to attend 'anti-delimitation' meeting in Chennai

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday extended support to the DMK-led opposition against the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies and requested his Deputy, DK Shivakumar, to attend the meeting in Chennai to discuss the issue. In a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Siddaramaiah stated that he would be unable to attend the meeting due to prior commitments.

4:52 PM

Kremlin aide says proposed truce would just give a breather to Ukraine

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday that a proposed ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia would only give a breathing space for Ukrainian forces. Ushakov said in a TV interview that he had spoken to US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on Wednesday and set out Russia's view on the ceasefire proposal discussed this week between Ukraine and the US.

3:10 PM

Rajasthan college principal accused of sexually exploiting students arrested

A government polytechnic college principal was arrested for allegedly sexually exploiting female students, police said on Thursday. This comes a month after a complaint was lodged with the technical education secretary by students and some staff members against principal Syed Mashkoor Ali. He was then suspended following the complaint on February 3. Police said Ali is alleged to have molested several students and sent inappropriate messages to them.

2:50 PM

Massive fire in Jaipur warehouse

A massive fire broke out in a warehouse in Jaipur on Thursday and 24 fire tenders rushed to douse the blaze, police said. No one was reported injured in the fire that broke out early morning, they said. People living near the warehouse were asked to leave and power supply was shut down, Murlipura SHO Virendra Kuril said.

2:48 PM

Partnerships orchestrated by PM to buy Trump goodwill: Cong on Airtel, Jio deals with Starlink

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that within literally 12 hours both Airtel and Jio have announced partnerships with Starlink, seemingly overcoming all their objections to its entry into India - which they have been voicing for quite some time.

"It is abundantly clear that these partnerships have been orchestrated by none other than the PM himself to buy goodwill with President Trump through Starlink's owner Mr. Elon Musk," Ramesh alleged.

2:04 PM

Ranya Rao gold smuggling case: ED conducts raids in multiple locations in Bengaluru

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided multiple locations in Bengaluru and some other places as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged gold smuggling racket in which an actor was arrested by the DRI in Karnataka.

1:43 PM

News update: Tamil Nadu govt replaces ₹ symbol with symbol in Tamil in Budget documents

1:27 PM

RG Kar case: SC to hear fresh plea by victim's parents seeking clarification

The Supreme Court will hear a fresh plea by parents of the victim on March 17.

1:12 PM

Isro achieves de-docking of SpaDeX satellites

Isro on Thursday said it has accomplished de-docking of the SpaDeX satellites, clearing the way for future missions such as exploring the moon, human spaceflight, and building its own space station. Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced the successful de-docking of satellites in a post on X. "SpaDeX satellites accomplished the unbelievable de-docking. This paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4 & Gaganyaan," Singh said.

12:57 PM

23 Yamuna sites fail water quality test, says parliamentary panel

Yamuna's capacity to sustain life have been found to be almost non-existent in the Delhi stretch, a parliamentary panel has stated.  23 out of the 33 monitored sites, including six in the national capital, failed to meet primary water quality standards, the panel has noted.  The dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, which reflect the river's capacity to sustain life, were found to be almost non-existent in the Delhi stretch, the parliamentary standing committee on water resources said in its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

12:31 PM

Odisha to launch Ayushman Bharat scheme from April 1

The Odisha government has decided to launch the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana along with the existing Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana in the state on April 1.

12:18 PM

Family of 4 found dead in Chennai

Four members of a family were found dead in their residence, police said. Police stated that the bodies of the doctor-advocate couple and their two sons were found in two separate rooms, adding that they could have ended their lives by hanging.  

11:59 AM

MHA advisor confirmed roadmap for peace in Manipur prepared, says Meitei body

MHA Advisor for North East A K Mishra has asserted that the Centre has prepared a roadmap for peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, a civil society organisation of Meiteis stated on Thursday. Mishra said on Wednesday that the first phase of the roadmap for peace in Manipur has already been implemented, Federation of Civil Society (FOCS) Spokesperson Ngangbam Chamchan Singh stated.

 

11:39 AM

News update: Automakers' body Siam says Domestic passenger vehicle dispatches to dealers up 1.9% in February

11:33 AM

Sudiksha Konanki disappearance case: Person of interest identified in Dominican Republic

US authorities have identified a 24-year-old man as person of interest in the case of a 20-year-old Indian student who has mysteriously gone missing during a spring break visit to the Dominican Republic. She has gone missing while on vacation in the Dominican Republic and US federal law enforcement agencies are working with authorities in the Caribbean country.

11:12 AM

Delhi to sign MoU for implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme on March 18

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had given her nod for the implementation of the Centre’s flagship health care scheme in her first cabinet meeting. The Ayushman Bharat Yojana was at the centre of a political row between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

11:03 AM

South Africa to host first G20 trade and investment meeting

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) stated that South Africa  will host the first G20 Trade and investment Working Group (TIWG) meeting under its presidency from March 18 to March 20.  The TIWG meeting, which will be held virtually, will bring together senior officials from G20 member countries as well as the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). The deputy director-general of trade at the DTIC, Ambassador Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter, said this would be the first of the four proposed meetings of the TIWG, which will culminate in the G20 trade ministers' meeting to  be hosted by South Africa  in October.

10:20 AM

Allahabad HC refuses to interfere with FIR lodged against wife, in-laws in Manav Sharma case

In a suicide abetment case of an IT executive, the Allahabad High Court has refused to interfere with the FIR lodged against his wife and in-laws in Agra. A bench comprising Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Prashant Kumar passed the order Wednesday on a writ petition filed by Nipendra Kumar Sharma, father-in-law of Manav Sharma, who committed suicide, and three others. After perusal of the impugned FIR, the court observed, "Prima facie, it reveals commission of cognizable offence. Therefore, in view of the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of state of Haryana and others vs. Bhajan Lal and others, no case has been made out for interference with the impugned FIR." 

10:06 AM

Ireland cheats US, says Donald Trump as its leader joins him to celebrate St Patrick's Day

President Donald Trump welcomed Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Wednesday for the annual St Patrick's Day celebration at the White House, where he added Ireland to the list of countries he says are taking advantage of the United States. Martin countered by noting Ireland's contributions to the US.

It was Trump's first Oval Office meeting with a foreign leader since his recent sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.