Kerala musicians play traditional drums during the Navratri festival, at Kanaka Durga temple, in Vijayawada

People visit a pandal with the theme of The Jungle Book for offering prayers to Goddess Durga during the Durga Puja festival, in Kolkata

A man covering the face of Goddess Durga&amp;#39;s idol with a face-mask to create awareness of Covid-19 during the Durga Puja festival, in Kolkata

An artist gives final touches to an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of the Durga Puja festival, in Sonitpur district, in Guwahati

Artists perform Ramlila organised by Shri Durga Ram Leela Committee on the third day of Navratri festival, in Gurugram

An artisan gives final touches by covering the face of Goddess Durga&amp;#39;s idol with a face-mask, in Sonitpur district

A Bengali woman in traditional attire carrying the clay idol of goddess Durga during the auspicious time of Navratri in Ranchi

Devotees stand in queue to enter Durga temple on the first day of the Navratri festival, in Varanasi

Devotees taking pictures of goddess Durga as they transport the idol ahead of Navaratri festival in Mumbai

A Durga Puja pandal surrounding the theme of coronavirus and Covid 19 treatment centre

Every year Durga Puja and Navratri are celebrated with full fervour, but this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions have been imposed on celebrations

People visit a pandal or made a sift platform with the theme of The Jungle Book for offering prayer to goddess Durga during the Durga Puja festival, in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Durga Puja pandal

In pictures: Durga Puja, Navratri celebrations across the nation

Business Standard

In pictures: Durga Puja, Navratri celebrations across the nation | Current Affairs News National - Business Standard

IRB Infrastructure Developers and its InvIT report an 8% YoY growth in toll revenue, reaching Rs 1,680 crore in Q1 FY26 despite the early onset of the monsoon

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The 38-day Yatra is officially set to conclude on August 9, but many fear it may end earlier due to the rapid melting of the ice Shivling

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday announced that he would ensure a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to women heads of households, if his party was elected to power in 2026 Assembly poll.
Asserting that there was no change in his stance of providing the monthly aid to the women in the state, he said along with this assurance, the AIADMK would fulfill all the requirements of the people.
You desired for Rs 1,000 promised by the DMK and made it win the 2021 election and in the process lost a monthly grant of Rs 1,500 promised by the AIADMK then. You will surely get this sum if the AIADMK is voted to power this time, the former Chief Minister said addressing a massive gathering here during his roadshow.
The sum would definitely be satisfactory to the underprivileged women and women heads of households, he added.
When he urged the people, especially the poor and all those reeling under the series of taxes imposed by the DMK regime, to unite and dislodge the family r

Asserting that there was no change in his stance of providing the monthly aid to the women in the state, he said along with this assurance, the AIADMK would fulfill all the requirements of the people

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Friday presented a Rs 40,187 crore-budget for the megapolis.
Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement. The revenues have been estimated at Rs 36,939 crore, and the body chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be borrowing Rs 22,000 crore.
This will result in a budget deficit of Rs 3,249 crore, which the body plans to bridge through land sales, issuance of bonds, financial assistance from the government, and loans from financial institutions, the statement said.
The ongoing metro line projects have been earmarked Rs 10,969 crore of expenditure in the new fiscal, which is a fourth of the overall expenditure..
Over Rs 5,697 crore have been allotted for multiple tunnel projects which are going across the megapolis, with Rs 2,684 crore earmarked for the four-lane road running under the Sanjay Gandhi National 

Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday returned the Finance Bill 2025 to the Lok Sabha, along with 35 government amendments, including one that abolishes a 6 per cent digital tax on online advertisements, thus completing the 2025-26 budgetary exercise that started on February 1.
The House also returned the Appropriation Bill (3) with a voice vote.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had moved the two bills in the House.
The Lok Sabha had passed the Finance Bill on March 25 and passed the Appropriation Bill on March 21.
Replying to the debate later in the evening, she said the tendency of the finance ministry would be to exercise caution and not let go of revenues.
"But, here we wanted to use this opportunity to show our respect for Indian taxpayer. We have moved towards setting Rs 12 lakh as threshold up to which no one will have to pay any tax," Sitharaman said.
The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 lakh crore, an increase of 7.4 per cent ov

The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 trillion, an increase of 7.4 per cent over the current fiscal

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

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After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
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Brazil elections

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

In pictures: Durga Puja, Navratri celebrations across the nation

Every year Durga Puja and Navratri are celebrated with full fervour, but this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions have been imposed on celebrations

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