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Nitish, Nitin Nabin, Pawar set to get elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Bihar's longest serving chief minister Nitish Kumar and BJP president Nitin Nabin are set to enter Rajya Sabha unopposed while NCP-SP supremo and veteran politician Sharad Pawar will return to the upper house once again after they filed their nomination papers on Thursday. The leaders were among the 40 candidates who filed their papers on the last day of nomination for 37 seats that are falling vacant in 10 states, leading to a keen contest for one seat each Bihar, Odisha and Haryana. Seven seats are falling vacant in Maharashtra, six in Tamil Nadu, five each in Bihar and West Bengal, four in Odisha, three in Assam and two each in Haryana, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, besides one seat in Himachal Pradesh. The scrutiny of papers will take place on Friday, and the nominations can be withdrawn till March 9. If needed, polling will be held on March 16. In Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam, assembly elections are likely to be held in April. The BJP is set to increase its tally in the Up

Trump says he must be 'personally involved' in picking Iran's next leader

Trump's remarks suggested a direct role for Washington in shaping Iran's leadership transition, even as senior US officials denied that the military campaign targeted a change of government in Tehran

Su-30 MKI fighter lost radar contact after take-off in Assam, probe on: IAF

The Indian Air Force said that a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft lost radar contact after taking off from Jorhat in Assam

New scheme will pay failed asylum seekers thousands of pounds to leave UK

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Thursday unveiled a new pilot scheme that will offer some failed asylum seekers 10,000 pounds per person, capped at 40,000 pounds for families, to vacate British taxpayer-funded accommodation and leave the country. In a major policy speech at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank on immigration reforms in London, the South Asian heritage minister said refugees who refused to accept the "incentive payment" would face being forcibly deported. The Home Office said the scheme, inspired by a successful system in Denmark, is expected to target about 150 families in the first phase within a week, estimated to save 20 million pounds for the British taxpayers. "This government will now pilot a similar model for families who are failed asylum seekers. A small number of whom will now be offered an increased incentive payment of 10,000 pounds per person and up to a maximum of 40,000 pounds per family," said Mahmood. "To put that in ...

ECB policymakers warn prolonged Iran war could lift inflation, hit growth

The ECB was stung by an energy-led rise in inflation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which it initially wrote off as temporary before hastily raising rates by a record amount

CV Ananda Bose resigns as Bengal Governor; TN Guv RN Ravi to replace

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose resigned from his post in New Delhi on Thursday evening. Bose, who was appointed Bengal governor on November 17, 2022, told PTI: "Yes, I have resigned. I have been the Governor of Bengal for three-and-a-half years; it's enough for me." He, however, did not disclose the grounds of his sudden resignation and whether there was any political pressure that may have prompted his decision.

Sri Lanka deliberates appropriate action as 2nd Iranian ship awaits entry

Sri Lanka on Thursday said it is deliberating appropriate action after a second Iranian ship has sought entry to its territorial waters, a day after a frigate belonging to the Islamic country was attacked near the island nation. Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it had recovered over 80 bodies of Iranian sailors killed after a US submarine attack sank the Iranian frigate - IRIS Dena - off Galle, the island's southern coastal town. Government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayathissa was on Thursday responding to a query by the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa in parliament about the second Iranian ship. "We are aware of it and are contemplating action to safeguard all lives on board," Jayathissa said. "We are intervening to resolve this issue to safeguard regional peace." The ship, according to Jayathissa, awaits in Sri Lanka's Extended Economic Zone (EEZ) but is out of its territorial waters. Sources said the ship had requested emergency assistance. Meanwhile, in Galle, the cre

Nearly 25% of internet users in India faced cyberthreats in 2025: Report

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky claims to have blocked over 4.7 crore web-based threats that were faced by 24.7 per cent of internet users in India in 2025. Internet users in India, on average, encountered approximately 1,30,209 web threats per day during the year, Kaspersky said in a statement. "Nearly a quarter (24.7 per cent) of Internet users in India faced web-based threats in 2025. Between January and December 2025, Kaspersky products detected and blocked 47,526,422 Internet-borne cyberthreats on users' computers across the country," the company said. Globally, India was ranked 62nd in terms of users affected by web-borne threats, according to data obtained and processed by Kaspersky Security Network (KSN). According to KSN data, attacks delivered via browsers that exploit vulnerabilities in browsers and their plug-ins remain the primary method of online threats. "File-less malware continued to be among the most dangerous forms of attack targeting internet users in India in 202

Modi is 'very focused' on delivery: Canada PM praises 'reforms' in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "very focused" on delivery of welfare programmes to the common people and has been successful in bringing "hundreds of millions" of them into the formal economy through "financial reforms" in India, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said. Carney was speaking on Wednesday during an interaction at the Lowy Institute, Australia's leading think tank, where he was asked to speak about his assessment of Prime Minister Modi, days after the two leaders met in New Delhi. The Canadian prime minister was in India from February 27 to March 2, during which India and Canada sealed key pacts on supplies of Uranium and critical minerals and agreed to conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement soon. "... just on a personal level the impressions which is, he is a person who is very... and I have known this from before, but it is interesting just the interaction over time... very focused on delivery to, I would say, the rural household," he said and .

India signs condolence book for Ayatollah Khamenei at Iranian Embassy

The signing of the condolence book the Embassy of Iran marked New Delhi's first official gesture following the death of the Iranian leader

Mumbai HC says no to namaz site near airport, cites security concerns

Security overrides religion, the Bombay High Court said on Thursday while refusing any relief to taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers seeking to offer namaz at the site of a now demolished temporary shed near the city airport during Ramzan. A bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla noted that while Ramzan was an integral part of Islam, its adherents cannot claim to have a religious right to offer namaz (prayers) at any place during the holy month, especially in the vicinity of an airport where security concerns are high. Repeatedly stressing on the aspect of airport security, the HC said it will not throw caution to the wind. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Taxi-Rickshaw Ola-Uber Men's Union claiming that a temporary shed in the vicinity of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), where they used to offer prayers, was demolished by authorities last year. The plea sought for them to be allowed to use the same space or be allotted anot

NaBFID plans $500 million equity fund to boost infrastructure financing

NaBFID's entry into equity marks an expansion of its toolkit beyond traditional debt and a bid to appeal to a broader swath of investors as the country's infrastructure needs accelerate

Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman to launch more premium brands in India

India's affluent buyers splurge on everything from jewellery to pricey liquor, making the country a focus for global brands

Qatar rejects Iran's claim it targeted only US interests in Doha

This is the first engagement between Iran and Qatar made public since the war started over the weekend

Fashion qcom startups prioritise experience-led shopping over speed

Fashion quick commerce startups are shifting focus from speed to experience-led shopping, offering features such as discovery, personalisation, try-at-home options to tackle online shopping challenges

India cuts urea output after Qatar LNG supplies suspended due to Iran war

There are enough stockpiles to meet demand for the near-term, according to Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, director general of Fertiliser Association of India

Iran intelligence signalled openness to talks with CIA to end war: Report

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday ruled out for now any negotiations with the United States, days after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on his country

Qatar declares force majeure on gas exports; restart may take weeks: Report

Qatar supplies Europe and predominantly Asian markets, with over 80 per cent of its customers in China, Japan, India, South Korea, Pakistan and other countries in the region

Mayyu Ali's memoir examines how innocuous processes can be political acts

Mayyu Ali's terrifying yet hopeful memoir makes one think about how seemingly innocuous processes like birth registration are loaded with political significance

US submarine torpedoes Iranian naval ship off Sri Lanka, confirms Hegseth

A top Sri Lankan official says 32 people have been rescued from a sinking Iranian naval ship off Sri Lanka's southern coast and have been admitted to a hospital. Dr Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, says one of them is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment, and others are treated for minor injuries. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that Sri Lanka's navy received information that the ship Iris Dena with 180 on board was in distress, and that the island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission. There were no immediate details as to how the sailors were wounded and how the ship was damaged.