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The conversation lasted approximately an hour, and Trump indicated that further details would be provided soon. “Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs. We are very much on track.” Trump also confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz would release a statement outlining the points discussed. On Tuesday, Trump spoke with Putin about a possible partial ceasefire. Putin agreed not to target energy infrastructure but refused to back a full 30-day ceasefire.

Tagore Baal Niketan rejoiced alongside millions as Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams returned to Earth after 286 days in space. The school is also renowned for nurturing Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-origin woman in space. The first Indian to achieve this feat was Rakesh Sharma, who journeyed aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz T-11 in 1984. Born in Karnal in 1962, Kalpana Chawla tragically lost her life on February 1, 2003, when the Columbia spacecraft disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana, killing all seven astronauts on board. Chawla completed her schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan and earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, in 1982. She moved to the United States later that year. The school, with a history spanning over six decades, has honored her legacy by dedicating an auditorium in her memory. Its principal, Dr Rajan Lamba said, «Everyone was happy and relieved at the safe return of Sunita William and fellow astronauts… Due to ongoing school Board exams, we could not hold celebrations in the school, but everyone was happy including students, teachers.» He reminisced about the Columbia Space Shuttle, recalling vivid memories and a series of letters exchanged between the school's founder and Chawla before her mission.

To grasp the aberration of US foreign policy under President Donald Trump, consider an abbreviated history of America’s shifting attitudes toward just one country, Canada. And start with Ronald Reagan, who stood for the original and genuine version of “peace through strength.” When signing a free-trade agreement with Canada in 1988, Reagan marveled at the world’s longest land border. “No soldier stands guard to protect it,” the 40th president said. “Barbed wire does not deface it. And no invisible barrier of economic suspicion and fear will extend it.” Canadians and Americans, Reagan remarked on another occasion, are “more than friends and neighbors and allies; we are kin.” In the current context, three things are notable about Reagan’s sentiments. The first is that most Americans really like Canadians, even if they also struggle to see them as distinct, because Canadians can easily seem like “nicer” versions of Americans. The second is that Reagan oversimplified what has historically been a complicated, often competitive and sometimes contentious relationship. The third is that Americans, in both of those ways, have long regarded Canadians roughly as Russians used to view Ukrainians. ALSO READ: Who is James Boasberg, the judge Trump wants impeached?

Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks, easing pressure on Moscow as the Trump Administration pushes Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Former President Joe Biden last year ordered his national security team to establish working groups to monitor the issue amid warnings from U.S. intelligence that Russia was escalating a shadow war against Western nations. The plan was led by the president's National Security Council (NSC) and involved at least seven national security agencies working with European allies to disrupt plots targeting Europe and the United States, seven former officials who participated in the working groups told Reuters. Before President Donald Trump was inaugurated, his incoming administration was briefed by Biden officials about the efforts and urged to continue monitoring Russia's hybrid warfare campaign, the former U.S. officials said. However, since Trump took office on Jan. 20 much of the work has come to a standstill, according to eleven current and former officials, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss classified matters. Reuters is the first to report on the full extent of the Biden administration effort and how multiple different U.S. agencies have since paused their work on the issue.

On Tuesday, Gold prices surged to an all-time high, breaking the key $3,000 level internationally, while reaching a new peak of Rs 88,513/10 g on MCX.

NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The White House stated that the astronauts safely returned in the Gulf of America, crediting Elon Musk for their safe return. «PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA!» Elon Musk congratulated the NASA and SpaceX teams on their successful return and thanked Trump for prioritising the mission. «Congratulations to the SpaceX and NASA teams for another safe astronaut return! Thank you to Donald Trump for prioritizing this mission!»

Washington has been pushing for a full, 30-day ceasefire as a first step towards a wider settlement of the grinding three-year-old war. But in a 90-minute call with Donald Trump on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin refused, insisting that any such deal would be contingent on the West halting all military aid for Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, Putin has already ordered his military to pause strikes against Ukrainian energy targets for 30 days. The highly anticipated Putin-Trump call also resulted in the announcement that Russia and Ukraine will exchange 175 prisoners each on Wednesday.

Oil prices slid on Wednesday after Russia agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal that Moscow and Kyiv stop attacking each other's energy infrastructure temporarily, which could lead to more Russian oil entering global markets. Brent crude futures were down 12 cents, or 0.2%, at $70.44 a barrel by 0106 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) lost 15 cents, or 0.2%, to $66.75.

Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the Federal Reserve later in the day. Overnight, Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza and killed more than 400 people, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to reach an agreement on a Ukraine ceasefire and Germany's outgoing parliament approved plans for a massive spending surge.

SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four Crew-9 astronauts has successfully splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida. The waters appear calm, with NASA’s Sandra Jones describing “breathtaking views of a calm, glass-like ocean” just before touchdown. SpaceX’s recovery teams are now moving in, preparing to hoist the spacecraft onto a specialized rig known as the “Dragon’s nest.”

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, celebrated her safe return to Earth on Wednesday by performing aarti and offering prayers after she spent nearly nine months in space. The celebrations began after the successful splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft, which brought Williams back to Earth along with Crew-9 members Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Earlier, the NASA astronaut's cousin, Dinesh Rawal, organized a 'Yagna' in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to pray for her safe return. SpaceX confirmed the splashdown, and NASA astronaut Nick Hague shared that the crew was «grinning ear to ear» after their safe return. Following the landing, NASA astronaut Nick Hague delivered his first message to mission control. While the audio was somewhat unclear, Hague could be heard saying that the crew was «grinning ear to ear,» CNN reported.

Ukraine has signalled support for a U.S.-proposed pause in attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. The agreement, backed by Washington and Moscow, follows a call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, made it clear that Kyiv needed more details before making a final decision. «After we get the details from the U.S. president, from the U.S. side, we will give our answer,» Zelensky said in an online briefing. He added that Ukraine would honour the agreement as long as Moscow also adhered to it. «Our side will maintain it,» he stated, but stressed that the U.S. should act as «guarantors of control over the implementation.»

«This war would have never started if I were President!» Trump wrote on Truth Social after the call. «Many elements of a Contract for Peace were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are being killed, and both President Putin and President Zelenskyy would like to see it end. That process is now in full force and effect, and we will, hopefully, for the sake of Humanity, get the job done!» The conversation, which lasted for over 90 minutes, was seen as a crucial step toward peace, but Washington is pushing for more. The US wants a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire covering all military operations, a proposal that Russia has yet to fully endorse.

Dropkick Murphys found themselves locked out of their X (formerly Twitter) account this week following a string of sharp critiques aimed at Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their supporters—a move critics likened to censorship tactics seen in authoritarian regimes. The suspension, which occurred late Monday, came after frontman Ken Casey doubled down on his years-long disdain for Trump during interviews and explosive concert moments, culminating in what fans call a “political silencing” under Musk’s ownership.

Astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams are all set to return to Earth after being stranded for 286 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Technical issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft led to the duo staying longer at the ISS than planned. The SpaceX Dragon capsule, which is bringing the astronauts back, is set to land at 5:57 pm ET off the coast of Florida, if the weather conditions are amenable. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are not the only astronauts to have completed months aboard the ISS. The record for spending the maximum number of days goes to another astronaut.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally on their way back to Earth after spending nine months at the International Space Station (ISS). Their delayed return comes with both well-understood and still-uncertain health risks, making their journey home a significant event for space research.

NASA announced that Wilmore and Williams will depart the ISS on Tuesday, March 18, with the Crew Dragon splashdown scheduled for approximately 5.57 pm EST. The space agency's decision to bring forward the astronauts' return was based on favourable weather conditions. Have you ever wondered why American astronauts opt for splashdown instead of landing on solid ground? Let's try and find out. ALSO READ: Sunita Williams' final moments in ISS: What did the NASA astronaut do before leaving for Earth?

Russian comedian has been arrested while trying to leave the country after he was publicly denounced for allegedly mocking war invalids, as per a report. In a clip from a stand-up performance that was posted online, Artemy Ostanin told a joke about a supposed encounter with a legless beggar in the Moscow metro, Reuters reported. Investigators opened a case against him at the weekend after Sergei Zaitsev, the head of a self-styled public movement named Zov Naroda (Call of the People), complained that the beggar could be a casualty of Russia's war in Ukraine. «His jokes, mocking an invalid — essentially our soldier who lost his legs in the special military operation — cross all boundaries of morality and ethics,» Zaitsev said. Ostanin, in a subsequent online interview, denied the accusations and said there was not a word in the joke about the Ukraine war. But on Tuesday, investigators said in a statement that he had been arrested on suspicion of inciting hatred and debasing human dignity, an offence that carries a jail term of up to six years.

digital arsenals" to interfere in Western democracies, while their messaging around the war in Ukraine had become increasingly aligned. «Foreign information manipulation and interference is a major security threat to the EU,» foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a report. «We must not underestimate the power that this has over us, or the intentions of those behind it.» In its latest annual report on the subject Brussels said that last year it tracked disinformation attacks against over 80 countries and more than 200 organisations. The war in Ukraine remains a major target for Russia — but events such as the Olympics in Paris, elections in Moldova and farmers' protests in Germany were also in the crosshairs.

Narendra Modi's chat with MIT scientist and American podcaster Lex Fridman made headlines for many reasons. The prime minister made comments supporting US president Donald Trump, lauded Elon Musk and his mission with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and much more. He also spoke about artificial intelligence (AI) and what it can enable. Interestingly, the technology, now indispensable in any sector, was working its magic in that interview itself. The podcast was dubbed by voice-based generative AI startup ElevenLabs. Using AI voice cloning technology, the company provided authentic voices of PM Modi and Fridman in Hindi and English, even achieving their intonations, emotions, and style of speech.