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Odisha bets on Niti modeled SITI-Odisha for future planning, reforms

A separate State Monitoring and Evaluation Office (SMEO) will function under SITI-Odisha, similar to the performance-tracking systems associated with Niti Aayog

Govt responds to West Asia shipping insurance spike with ₹13k cr pool

The pool would cover all maritime risks like Hull and Machinery, Cargo, P&I and War risk, a statement by the cabinet said

Biting Off More Than: A culinary rebel's multi-course life story

Rahul Akerkar's candid memoir serves up a rich mix of chaos, craft and reinvention, tracing the journey of a chef who helped shape India's modern dining culture

RBI asks state oil refiners to curb spot dollar buying, says report

The state-run refiners have been asked to access the credit line via the State Bank of India, the sources said. SBI is India's largest bank and is state-backed

The Future Is Peace: Finding common ground in the Israel-Palestine journey

An Israeli and a Palestinian journey through Israel and the West Bank, crafting a powerful, humane book that makes you believe a path beyond revenge must exist

SC plea seeks to declare forced religious conversion as 'terrorist act'

A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday in the aftermath of allegations of religious conversion and sexual harassment at a multinational company (MNC) in Nashik seeking directions to control deceitful religious conversion. It was filed in the backdrop of charges of sexual harassment and allegations of forced religious conversion levelled by eight female employees at TCS' office in Nashik. The petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contended that deceitful religious conversion is not only a serious threat to sovereignty, secularism, democracy and liberty but also a menace to fraternity, dignity, unity and national integration. The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, has sought directions to the Centre and the state governments to take stringent steps to control religious conversion. "The organised religious conversion in Nasik has shaken the conscience of citizens throughout the country. Therefore, petitioner is filing this application for direction seek

Starlink outage hit drone tests, exposing Pentagon's reliance on SpaceX

If there was no Starlink, the US government wouldn't have access to a global constellation of low earth orbit communications

US says its forces ready to restart combat if Iran doesn't agree a deal

As part of a campaign to pressure Tehran to sign an agreement, US military forces are mounting a blockade on all ships seeking to enter or leave Iran

Iran proposes letting ships exit safely through Oman side of Hormuz: Report

The US-Israeli war with Iran has resulted in the largest-ever disruption of global oil and gas supplies due to Iran's interruption of traffic through the strait

India, New Zealand to sign FTA on April 27, aim for $20 bn investments

India and New Zealand will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) on April 27 here, an official said on Thursday. The free trade pact aims to provide tariff-free access to the island nation's market for domestic exporters' goods and will bring in USD 20 billion in investment over the next 15 years. The two countries on December 22 last year announced the conclusion of negotiations for the trade deal which aims at doubling bilateral trade to USD 5 billion in the next five years. The official said that the pact will be signed on April 27 in Bharat Mandapam after a meeting of the India-New Zealand Business Forum. While India will get zero-duty market access on 100 per cent of its exports, the agreement will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand's exports to India, including items ranging from wool, coal, wood, wine, to avocados and blueberries. However, New Delhi has made no duty concessions on imports of dairy products like milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, and cheese; onio

Why India's AI ambitions demand a reset in virtualisation strategy

AI adoption accelerates across sectors, India must rethink virtualisation models to ensure cost efficiency, flexibility, and secure infrastructure capable of supporting scalable and inclusive growth

India's domestic urea production likely to jump over 11% in April

IPL tender receives urea import offers totalling 5.6 million tonnes

TCS slows dividend tap to fund AI push, cuts payouts for second year

The company cut dividend payout and increases retained earnings as it seeks to make new investments in AI space and data centres

Cyber resilience is a mindset, says Rubrik co-founder on AI risks

Rubrik co-founder Arvind Nithrakashyap discusses cyber resilience, AI-driven risks, India's cybersecurity landscape, and how organisations are preparing for future quantum computing threats

Russian LNG under US sanctions heads for the first time to India

India has never publicly confirmed any such pledge and has said its buying decisions are guided by price, supply security and consumer interests

ED arrests ex-ADAG executive Amitabh Jhunjhunwala in loan fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, a former senior executive of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), in an alleged bank loan fraud-linked money laundering case, officials said. Jhunjhunwala was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after questioning. The agency has produced him before a court seeking his custody for detailed interrogation, they said. The probe pertains to an alleged bank loan fraud perpetrated through Anil Ambani group companies like Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) and Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (RHFL) using shell or dummy companies. Jhunjhunwala had been a director of Reliance Capital Ltd, the holding company of RHFL and RCFL, from March 2003-September 2019.

Emerging markets investing pioneer Mark Mobius dies at 89 in Singapore

Mobius became an evangelist for money-making opportunities in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America

Centre likely to remove mandatory registration for non-money egames

Government is likely to relax gaming rules by removing mandatory registration for non-monetised games and easing compliance requirements ahead of new framework

Japan to provide $10 bn support to Southeast Asia to secure oil amid surge

Southeast Asian nations including Vietnam have previously sought help from Japan as well as from South Korea for crude oil supplies.

The Mind Electric : Pria Anand's book bridges myth, mind, and medicine

From sleep disorders to fear of the dark, a neurologist's book explores why the brain functions the way it does