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Donald Trump is the archetypal tyrant. What occurred at the Oval Office between Trump and Zelenskyy belongs to the playbook of one that many Trump supporters hold in high regard. In 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg was summoned by Hitler for a meeting that ended with Hitler hectoring his Austrian counterpart and serving him an ultimatum in the presence of high-ranking German generals. Schuschnigg returned home without acquiescing to any demands. Eventually, he was forced to resign and arrested. The Anschluss began and history followed its course. Trump is unlikely to follow this playbook to the bitter end. He's only interested in a deal that offers Ukraine US support in exchange for rare earth deposits. But he continues to cajole and threaten Putin and Zelenskyy to succeed as a mediator of peace.

The February budget deficit was more than $307 billion, almost two and half times higher compared to January and 3.7% more than the same time last year, CNBC reported.

Enforcement Directorate Thursday said it has found «multiple irregularities» in the operations of TASMAC that has monopoly over liquor trade in Tamil Nadu, including «manipulation» in the tender processes and «unaccounted» cash transactions worth Rs 1,000 crore through distillery companies. The federal agency claimed in a statement that it got «evidence» suggesting these corrupt practices after it raided the employees, corporate offices of distilleries and plants of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) on March 6. ED sources, on the day of the raids, had said the searches were also conducted against «key associates» linked to prohibition and excise department minister Senthil Balaji. The ED said it found «incriminating» data related to transfer postings, transport and bar licence tenders, indent orders «favouring» few distillery companies, excess charge of Rs 10-30 per bottle by TASMAC outlets, with the «involvement» of TASMAC officials, during the searches. It said this data shows «manipulation» in TASMAC's transport tender allocations where a «glaring» issue was the «mismatch» between the KYC details of the applicant and the demand draft (DD), suggesting that the final successful bidder did not even obtain the requisite DD before the application deadline. Tenders were awarded despite having only a single applicant in the final bid. TASMAC paid over Rs 100 crore annually to transporters, as per the ED.

legal guarantee for MSP and loan waivers for farmers. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that the Parliament Standing Committee of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing under the chairmanship of Charanjit Channi has released its Demand for Grants report for 2025-2026. «It has made some key recommendations — Reiteration of its earlier recommendations on legal guarantee for MSP and a loan waivers for farmers; extension of MSP to organic crops; financial assistance to farmers for crop residue management to avoid stubble burning,» Ramesh pointed out. The panel has also recommended universal crop insurance for small farmers and renaming the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as Department of Agriculture, Farmers and Farm Labourers Welfare to acknowledge the role of farm labourers, he said. The panel has also reiterated its earlier recommendation of incentives for farmers and farm labourers to care for non-productive cattle, Ramesh said. It has called for increasing the procurement limit under the Market Intervention Scheme from the current 25 per cent to 50 per cent of the total estimated production, the Congress leader said.

$5,000 stimulus checks in their bank accounts, because of the DOGE dividend proposal. The plan, which is being considered by the Trump administration, would give 20% of the savings from DOGE to taxpayers in the form of $5,000 checks, The Sun reported. Billionaire Elon Musk, the driving force behind DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency to reduce federal expenditure, has pledged to save US taxpayers $2 trillion, according to reports. The suggestion to return part of these savings to American consumers was initially brought forth by James Fishback, the CEO of investment firm Bay West Capital and has gained the attention of US president Donald Trump and Musk.

Macartney joined the firm in September 2020 from Columbia Threadneedle, where he had been a fund manager for almost six years in the UK equities team. Jupiter shuts down Mark Heslop and Philip Macartney's Pan European Smaller Companies fund An Invesco spokesperson said Macartney has joined as a maternity cover, and will be supplying additional support to the global equities team but is not replacing anyone as a named manager. According to his LinkedIn, Macartney took on a deputy fund management role at Invesco earlier this month, and a spokesperson from Jupiter confirmed his depart...

Holi festival in Jharkhand, a meteorological department official said on Thursday. Some districts in Kolhan and Palamu divisions may also experience a maximum temperature of around 40 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature is likely to increase by up to five degrees Celsius during the next four days, starting from Friday, he said. «A yellow alert of heatwave has been issued for the Kolhan division, comprising three districts Seraikela-Kharswan, East and West Singhbhum, for March 14. Ranchi Meteorological Centre in-charge Abhishek Anand said, „A similar condition may be experienced in Palamu division, mainly in Palamu and Garhwa districts along with Kolhan on March 15 and 16. The maximum temperature could reach 40 degrees Celsius in two divisions.“ Anand added that the maximum temperature might rise by three to five degrees Celsius across Jharkhand during the next four days due to the inflow of warm winds from the western region.

West Bengal government has imposed a ban on Holi celebrations at Sonajhuri Haat in Santiniketan’s Birbhum district. Officials have cited concerns over potential damage to the lush green cover of the area. The marketplace, a major draw for tourists, is located near Visva Bharati University, which holds UNESCO World Heritage status.

McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), spent work hours filming fashion content in her government office, according to CNN, even as thousands of colleagues lost their jobs.

Denmark. According to the poll results of the Greenland elections, released on Wednesday, the Demokraatit Party emerged victorious on 10 out of the 31 seats in the Inatsisartut parliament, gaining more than a three-fold increase in its legislative strength.

Introduced as part of broader government cost-cutting efforts, the idea has yet to gain firm ground in Congress, despite initial enthusiasm from some political quarters and the public.

Trump administration has ended $20 billion in funding for greenhouse gas reduction projects in a move that climate advocates and Democrats say illegally seizes money allocated for clean energy and transportation for disadvantaged communities. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin had publicized his campaign to claw back money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which Congress appropriated under the Biden administration to kick-start projects aimed at curbing pollution. In a statement late on Tuesday, the EPA said it had clawed back the funds, saying the program did not align with the agency's priorities and citing concerns with potential fraud, waste and abuse, although it gave no details. The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI are reviewing the program, it added. The EPA said it would work to use the funds «with enhanced controls» within the law but did not say specifically what it would do with the money.

West Bengal government has banned Holi celebrations at the popular Sonajhuri Haat in Birbhum district's Santiniketan this year, citing possible damage to the greeneries in the forest belt, an official said on Wednesday. The Sonajhuri Haat is located near Visva Bharati's Santiniketan campus, a UNESCO heritage site. Bolpur Divisional Forest Officer Rahul Kumar said several banners have been put up in the area, requesting people — a large number of whom could be foreigners and domestic tourists — neither to park vehicles nor celebrate the festival of colours there. Visitors were also requested not to videograph Holi festivities, he said. «The department will seek support of police and administration to enforce the ban but will also leave it to people for the better sense to prevail,» Kumar told PTI. A spokesperson of Visva Bharati, a central university, said the varsity authorities cannot open the campus area for lakhs of people on Holi, keeping in mind the UNESCO heritage status.

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According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the first has originated in Iraq and is moving towards the hilly regions of northern India, bringing rainfall to the area. At the same time, a second cyclonic circulation has developed over Bangladesh and will bring rainfall in eastern and north eastern states over the next five days. In contrast, the weather department has issued a heatwave alert for the western state of Gujarat. The state is expected to experience severe heat on Wednesday, with temperatures predicted to range between 37 to 41 degree Celsius in several areas. The IMD forecasts the heatwave till Thursday, which could extend until Friday.

Elon Musk in a high-profile event at the White House on Tuesday. The transaction took place on the South Lawn, where several Tesla models, including the Cybertruck, were on display. The President’s purchase was seen as an endorsement of Musk and his work, at a time when the billionaire is facing significant opposition. Trump, seated inside the Model X, admired the vehicle, stating, «That's beautiful.» He later pointed to the model and confirmed it as his choice. Musk, who also serves as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), showed the President around the vehicles, highlighting the Cybertruck’s bulletproof exterior. But experts warn the unusual presidential backing of a private company could backfire. “Tesla is becoming a political symbol of Trump and DOGE, and that is a bad thing for the brand,” said Wedbush Securities financial analyst Dan Ives, referring to the advisory group in charge of cutting government spending led by Musk. “You think it’s helping, but it’s actually hurting.”

Canadian snowbirds who drive across the border, with officials requiring visitors to stay for at least a month to register on the government's website, CTV News reported. Rosanna Berardi, managing partner of Berardi Immigration Law in New York's Buffalo, said snowbirds who are already staying in the US should also register on the website. In an interview with CTV News, Berardi said the new requirements will come into effect on April 11 and the US government will release a public notice online with more details on Wednesday. She cited information from a document that the US Department of Homeland Security provided in advance to her and other members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Berardi said that the registration process is «pretty straightforward» and it is free to register. However, she mentioned that the process is «a bit lengthy.» She further said that people of Canada have been exempted from providing fingerprints.

U.S. Department of Education said on Tuesday it would lay off nearly half its staff, a possible precursor to closing altogether, as government agencies scrambled to meet President Donald Trump's deadline to submit plans for a second round of mass layoffs. The terminations are part of the department's «final mission,» it said in a press release, alluding to Trump's vow to eliminate the department, which oversees $1.6 trillion in college loans, enforces civil rights laws in schools and provides federal funding for needy districts. Asked on Fox News whether the firings would lead to the department's dismantling, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said yes, adding that doing so «was the president's mandate.» The layoffs would leave the department with 2,183 workers, down from 4,133 when Trump took office in January. Before announcing the layoffs, the agency ordered offices in the Washington area closed to staff from Tuesday evening through Wednesday, according to an internal notice seen by Reuters. Similar closures served as a precursor to shuttering the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the humanitarian aid agency, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which protects Americans against unscrupulous lenders.

White House meeting, Musk—who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—reportedly sparred with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over aggressive federal workforce cuts. Trump downplayed the disagreements, calling both Musk and his Cabinet “special people” and suggesting occasional arguments were normal in a high-stakes administration.

Mark Kelly on Tuesday trained his guns at Elon Musk, who also heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), after the billionaire slammed his post on Ukraine. In a recent interview, Kelly suggested that the billionaire only owes allegiance to his own «checking account» and «pocket book» and to «ruining the life of veterans».