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Asha Bhosle admitted to hospital due to chest infection, says family

Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle was admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday evening after suffering cardiac arrest, sources said. The 92-year-old singer also had pulmonary issues, they said. Bhosle, with a career spanning eight decades, is known for her versatility. She is the younger sister of the late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. Some of Bhosle's popular songs are 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko', 'Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar', 'Intaha Ho Gai Intezar Ki', among others.

Iraq elects Kurdish politician Nizar Amidi as president amid war fallout

Iraq's parliament voted Saturday to elect Nizar Amidi, a political official with one of the country's two main Kurdish parties, as president, five months after a parliamentary election that didn't produce a bloc with a decisive majority. His election comes as Iraq is reeling from the fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Iraq became caught in the middle of the conflict, with Iran-backed militias launching attacks on US bases and diplomatic facilities as well as on critical energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the US and Israel carried out airstrikes targeting the militias, some of which killed members of the Iraqi military. The war and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz also largely halted the oil exports upon which Iraq's economy depends. Amidi, a member of the political bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, beat out a roster of candidates that included Iraq's current Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, who was the pick of the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party. By ...

Experts welcome Delhi EV's policy, flag need for strict enforcement

Environmental experts have largely welcomed the Delhi government's draft Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2026, particularly its focus on battery recycling and lifecycle management, while cautioning that its success will depend heavily on enforcement. Radhe Shyam Sharma, head of the Department of Environmental Studies at Delhi University, described that including "battery recycling" in the policy as "one of the most consequential parts", noting that it shifts attention from vehicle adoption to the environmental risks associated with battery disposal. "This is one of the most consequential parts of the policy, as it moves beyond vehicle adoption to address battery lifecycle management through provisions on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), collection centres, standard operating procedures, and traceability systems," Sharma said. The draft policy places strong emphasis on creating a structured battery recycling ecosystem, with the Environment Department tasked with enforcing Battery

Trump warns he 'won't accept' fertiliser price hikes for US farmers

The US president posted on social media that he is monitoring fertiliser price and "will not accept" any increase in costs for farmers. Fertiliser costs have increased globally because of natural gas supplies being stranded due Iran's control of the Strait of the Hormuz. Iran has used the strait as strategic leverage in its ongoing war with the US and Israel. But Trump's post was targeted at a domestic audience. "I am watching fertiliser prices CLOSELY during our FIGHT FOR FREEDOM in Iran," he posted.

Israel says it struck over 200 Hezbollah targets in last 24 hours

The Israeli military said its air force hit infrastructure of the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon and was continuing to support its ground forces operating in southern Lebanon. The statement came as Teheran was pressing for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in three-party talks that began Saturday afternoon between Iran and the US in Pakistan. Earlier Saturday, the Lebanese state-run news agency reported at least three people killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. There were no reported strikes in the afternoon hours. In Israeli communities along the border with Lebanon sirens continued to warn of drone and rocket attacks from Lebanon throughout the day Saturday. There were no reports of injuries.

US intel indicates China plans to ship air defense systems to Iran: Report

Beijing is preparing to transfer shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, CNN said, citing sources it did not name

Haryana raises minimum wages 35% after protests by auto industry workers

The decision comes a day after clashes between the police and workers in Manesar, located 30 miles (48.28 km) south of New Delhi and home to companies like Maruti Suzuki

Iran, US delegations meet Pakistani leaders separately ahead of peace talks

An Iranian delegation held meetings with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir on Saturday to discuss issues related to the peace talks with the US and bilateral matters. The delegation, which includes Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad on Friday night for peace talks with the US delegation led by Vice President J D Vance. Prime Minister Sharif, while announcing a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, had said that the US and Iran would hold talks in Islamabad this weekend. On Saturday morning, the Iranian delegation held meetings with senior Pakistani civilian and military leaders, including Prime Minister Sharif and Army Chief Munir, among others, state-run Press TV reported, without providing any details. The peace talks are taking place during a two-week halt in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began with the former launching attacks on the latter on February 28. Sharif also held

Reliance seeks govt nod to buy Iranian crude ahead of US waiver deadline

Indian refiners stepped up purchases of Russian oil after the Trump administration granted waivers that are set to expire this month

Faith and Fury: Why Jyoti Yadav's Covid chronicle still haunts India

Jyoti Yadav's debut book captures untold stories of migrant distress, rural suffering, and systemic gaps during India's Covid-19 crisis

Framing the Media: How 'once-free press' narratives misread India's history

The book's engagement with the digital turn is particularly significant in this regard

TCS Q4 results: Net profit jumps 12.2% to ₹13,718 cr, revenue up 9.6%

TCS signed one of its highest total contract values (TCV) in the fourth quarter of FY26 at $12 billion. The company had three mega deals in the quarter

Tesla plans smaller, cheaper EV; global production expansion likely

The conversations involved the manufacturing pro- cess and specifications for various components

Meta unveils Muse Spark, first AI model from superintelligence team

Superintelligence refers to AI machines that could outthink humans. Muse Spark is the first in a new series of models, known internally as Avocado, from that team

Trump wants Hormuz commitments within days: Nato's Rutte to allies

The US president has repeatedly called Nato a "paper tiger" and threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance in recent weeks

Pain due to war unavoidable; fight inflation despite growth hit: IMF chief

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday asked central banks grappling with the impact of the US-Israel war on Iran to fight inflation even at the cost of growth, arguing that "pain was an unavoidable consequence of any conflict". In her speech at the IMF Headquarters here, Georgieva also cautioned policymakers from across the world to reject "go-it-alone" actions such as export controls and price controls which can further upset global conditions. "A word of caution upfront: this being a classic negative supply shock, demand adjustment is unavoidable. We cannot go through it without some pain," she said, referring to the impact of costlier oil on global economies. "Policy makers can help to reduce this pain in multiple ways. Certainly, one way they can help is please do not make matters worse. So, I appeal to all countries to reject go-it-alone actions export controls, price controls, and so on that can further upset global conditions: don't pour gasoline on the fire," Georgie

US Q4 GDP growth revised down to 0.5% as economy slows more than expected

Last year's shutdown of the government was the key driver of the slowdown from the third quarter's 4.4 per cent growth pace

Record turnout: Assam 85.38%, Puducherry 89.83%; women lead surge

Assam and Puducherry surpassed their highest-ever poll-participation on Thursday by recording 85.38 per cent and 89.83 per cent respectively, the Election Commission said. Previously, the highest poll participation in Assam and Puducherry was 84.67 per cent (2016 assembly polls) and 86.19 per cent (2011 assembly polls) respectively, the poll authority noted. In Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, where assembly polls were held on Thursday, women voters outdid their male counterparts by lining up at voting centres. In Assam, while male participation stood at 84.80 per cent, female voter turnout was recorded at 85.96 per cent. Similarly in Kerala, the male poll participation was 75.01 per cent, while it was 80.86 per cent for women. In the Union Territory of Puducherry, 88.09 per cent of the male electors voted as compared to 91.33 per cent of the women. A total of 296 assembly constituencies in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry with a total electorate of over 5.31 crore went to polls, along

Kerala records over 78% voter turnout in high-stakes Assembly polls

Over 78 per cent of Kerala's voters on Thursday queued up across polling stations in 140 Assembly segments to elect the next government, with the state closing in towards its second best voter turnout in the process. The strong turnout will decide whether the ruling LDF secures a straight third term, the UDF makes a comeback, or the BJP springs a surprise in an otherwise bipolar contest. The polling process was largely peaceful, with only minor technical issues reported at a few locations. According to the figures released after 8 pm, 78.12 per cent of the 2.71 crore voters had cast their votes, and this is higher than the 74.06 per cent polling recorded in the 2021 Assembly elections. In the 1987 polls, the state registered 80.54 per cent polling. The highest-ever recorded turnout in the state during Assembly elections is 85.72 per cent in 1960, according to PIB data. Officials said the final turnout is expected to rise further as late voters in queues are counted. If the trend

Trump's hunt for Iran's uranium hindered by monitoring disruption

That leaves the global nuclear watchdog - and by extension the US - without a clear line of sight into one of the world's most dangerous stockpiles