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Cuba emerges from another blackout and tries to woo exile investors

The precariousness of the island of 10 million people was on full display earlier, when it suffered another national blackout, at least the sixth such outage in the span of a year

Assam Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi quits party before Assembly polls

In a jolt to the opposition Congress, Assam's Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Tuesday resigned from the party, barely 20 days ahead of assembly elections in the state. Bordoloi has sent his resignation letter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, state media department chairman Bedabrata Bora told PTI. A former state cabinet minister and two-time MP from Nagaon constituency, Bordoloi's son is a Congress candidate from Margherita seat for the state polls due on April 9. In the one-line resignation letter addressed to Kharge, the MP said, "With an overwhelming sense of sadness today, I hereby tender my resignation from all posts, privileges and the primary membership of the Indian National Congress." A copy of the letter is available with PTI. Bora said state party chief Gaurav Gogoi and AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh are meeting with Bordoloi over the issue at the national capital.

Running Behind Lakshmi: A 200-year saga of Indian bulls and bears

From the first great speculative episode in India to the rise of electronic trading, the book reconstructs the history of Indian stock market and evolution from informal beginnings to a modern system

Trump says US will be leaving Iran operation 'in very near future'

He said Washington would step back soon, even as he criticised Nato allies and reasserted US military success

Census 2027 offers historic chance to record disability data: Athawale

Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said the upcoming Census 2027 presents a "historic opportunity" to accurately capture data on all 21 recognised categories of disabilities and enable targeted policymaking for persons with disabilities. Speaking at the launch of a handbook titled 'Beyond the Visible: A Handbook on Disability Inclusion for Parliamentarians', Athawale said the exercise would be the first census conducted after the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. He emphasised that improved enumeration and disaggregated data would help the government design effective interventions and ensure better inclusion of persons with disabilities. "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, was a landmark reform that expanded recognition to 21 disabilities, shifted from a welfare-based to a rights-based approach, and aligned India with the UNCRPD. For the first time, the law explicitly recognised political barriers as a major obstacle for ..

Jio Payments Bank introduces UPI-based cash withdrawal services

Jio Payments Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jio Financial Services, has introduced UPI-based cash withdrawal through its business correspondent touchpoints, marking an important step towards strengthening digital payments ecosystem and advancing financial inclusion. The feature enables customers, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, to conveniently withdraw cash by simply scanning a UPI QR code and authorising the transaction through their UPI application, eliminating the need for debit cards or access to traditional ATM infrastructure, Jio Financial Services Ltd (JFSL) said in a statement on Tuesday. By enabling cardless cash withdrawals at business correspondent (BC) touchpoints, the initiative bridges the gap between digital payments and physical cash access, while providing first-time digital users with an assisted and secure way to experience UPI transactions, it added. Through this initiative, Jio Payments Bank Ltd (JPBL) continues to leverage the digital payments .

Crude above $100: What it means for India's economy and energy

Crude oil above $100 a barrel threatens to widen India's CAD, stoke inflation, and strain key sectors, even as upstream firms gain and downstream players face margin pressures

Lack of alternatives, pilferage, pricing gaps strain OMCs' LPG network

A lack of effort to push alternative fuels, weak monitoring, rising demand under PMUY, and a widening gap between retail and market prices are straining India's LPG ecosystem

Policy response to heatwaves remains cool even as nationwide instances grow

An early March heat spike has raised concerns of a prolonged summer as El Niño risks grow. While preparedness has improved, gaps in planning, funding, and implementation persist

US counterterror chief quits, says Iran war driven by pressure from Israel

Kent is close with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has kept a low profile since the Iran war began

Mamata accuses EC of transferring officers at BJP's behest before polls

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the EC, alleging that senior administrative and police officers were being transferred ahead of the assembly polls at the behest of the BJP. She warned that the poll body and the saffron party would be responsible if any untoward incident happens in the state. Addressing reporters while announcing the Trinamool Congress candidate list for the 2026 assembly elections, Banerjee questioned the timing of the changes in key administrative posts, particularly ahead of Eid. "Why are senior officers being transferred just before Eid? Are there plans to trigger riots before elections?" she said. The chief minister alleged that the list of officers who were transferred was prepared at the BJP's office and the decision was merely implemented by the Election Commission. She further alleged that some officials from outside West Bengal had been brought in to assist the BJP in the electoral ...

Selected civil services candidates told to avoid self-promotion online

All recently selected civil services candidates have been asked to refrain from self-promotion and impulsive postings on social media, according to an official advisory issued for them. It has also asked them to maintain professional distance from commercial and institutional endorsements, and ensure that their achievements are not used for private gain or publicity. Civil servants are the public face of the State and their conduct is under constant public scrutiny, the advisory said. "You must ensure that your personal conduct and official and social interface with the general public, people's representatives, corporate entities, civil society organisations, government personnel, all other dignitaries and vulnerable sections of the society is courteous, respectful, dignified and appropriate," it said. The advisory for the candidates selected through the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025, has been issued by Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration

KC Tyagi quits JD(U), says will decide further course of action soon

Senior JD(U) leader K C Tyagi on Tuesday said that he has left the party and will decide his further course of action soon. Tyagi was associated with the JD(U) since it came into existence in October 2003 with the merger of the Samata Party and the Janata Dal. He served the JD(U) in various capacities including its chief general secretary, chief spokesperson and political adviser. "Yes, I have left the party," Tyagi told PTI, when asked. In a statement, the former Rajya Sabha member said, "The membership campaign of the party has ended. This time I've not renewed the membership of the party." He, however, asserted that his commitment to the "larger and wider ideological points" concerning the interests of downtrodden, peasants and agriculturalists including the deprived sections of society "remains as firm as ever". "My personal respect for Nitish Kumar who remained my comrade for close to half a century also remains unchanged," he added. Tyagi said that his "further course of a

Mamata to take on Suvendu in Bhabanipur as TMC releases candidate list

Betting on calibrated generational change and organisational loyalty rather than star power, the ruling TMC on Tuesday unveiled candidates for 291 of the 294 West Bengal assembly seats, signalling a strategy of controlled churn as it seeks a fourth straight term in office. The Mamata Banerjee-Suvendu Adhikari rivalry is set to acquire a fresh electoral theatre in Bhabanipur, where the chief minister will defend her seat even as the BJP has fielded the leader of opposition from the constituency. The stage is set for a direct face-off between the two rivals who first clashed in Nandigram in the 2021 assembly polls, when Adhikari defeated his former mentor by a narrow margin despite the TMC's sweeping victory across the state. Announcing the list from her Kalighat residence, Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said the party would leave the three Darjeeling hills seats to ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) led by Anit Thapa and expressed confidence of crossing .

Maruti Suzuki gets ₹5,786 crore income tax order, says will appeal it

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Tuesday said it has received a draft assessment order worth Rs 5,786.4 crore from the income tax authority and the company will challenge the order. "The company has received a Draft Assessment Order for FY 2022 23 wherein certain additions / disallowances amounting to Rs 57,864 million with respect to returned income has been proposed," the carmaker said in a BSE filing. MSI will file its objections before the dispute resolution panel, it stated. There is no impact on financial, operation or other activities of the company due to this order, it added. Maruti Suzuki shares settled at Rs 12,993.55 apiece, up 1.88 per cent on BSE.

China to provide humanitarian aid to Iran, three other West Asia nations

China on Tuesday said it will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Lebanon and two other West Asian countries hit hard by the ongoing conflict in the region. Speaking at a media briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that Beijing has decided to provide emergency humanitarian aid to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq in the hope of easing the humanitarian plight faced by local people. "The ongoing conflict has inflicted excruciating humanitarian disasters on (the) people of Iran and other regional countries. China deeply sympathises with people in relevant countries", Lin said. He was responding to a question about whether China is considering providing humanitarian assistance to the relevant countries, as the UN Refugee Agency recently said the crisis in West Asia has constituted a major humanitarian emergency, and the affected regions already host nearly 25 million refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees. Iran has suffered many innoce

Create energy policy to shield economy from oil shock: Parl panel to FinMin

A parliamentary panel on Tuesday suggested that the Department of Economic Affairs should develop a strategic energy mitigation framework to protect the economy from oil shocks and ensure long-term stability. In addition, the Standing Committee on Finance, in its report, emphasised that the rapidly evolving global competition for critical minerals and rare earth elements, which are essential for semiconductors, renewable energy systems, electric mobility, defence technologies, and the development of alternative fuels, requires a coordinated national strategy. The panel, headed by senior BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, has, therefore, recommended that the government accelerate efforts to secure diversified international supply chains for critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, while simultaneously strengthening domestic exploration, processing, and value-addition capabilities to support emerging sectors, including renewable energy, electric mobility, and ..

Nebius signs AI infrastructure deals with Meta worth up to $27 bn

Nasdaq-listed Nebius shares, which closed at $112.50 on Friday, have risen 35 per cent so far this year, giving it a market capitalization of $28.6 billion

Foxconn forecasts strong revenue growth for 2026 even as profit lags

Foxconn's guidance for both first quarter and full year revenue are for "strong growth", the highest outlook it can give, as the company does not provide a numeric outlook

The Ground Breaker: A model autobiography of the redoubtable Kanwal Rekhi

Kanwal Rekhi's delightful autobiography paints a picture of the US, its strengths and weaknesses, through the eyes of the first wave of talented Indian entrepreneurs