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BJP is looking to elect its heads in a number of key states in the coming days to pave the way for the election of its new national president, a process which has stretched longer than expected. Official sources said the party leadership is keen on a quick election of its presidents in big states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, among others, to finish the organisational exercise that began with the launch of a nationwide membership drive in September last year. The BJP's constitution requires the party to complete its organisational election in at least half of its state units, meaning that new presidents should be in place in at least 19 states, including union territories, before the exercise to choose the new national president begins. The BJP has 37 organisational states in total. When the party's membership drive began in September last year, it was largely believed that the election of the new president in place of incumbent J P Nadda would be over by January-February this year. However, a delay in electing its presidents in several big states as the party looks to build a consensus and take its ideological allies like the RSS into confidence has set back the process by several weeks.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Indian economy's performance showed some improvement in February as compared with the previous month, showed the 16-high frequency indicators tracked by Mint in its monthly macro tracker. The recovery was led mainly by tractor sales and Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).

Vietnam’s Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) has proposed a long-term visa program to the government to maintain its lead in Southeast Asia’s fast-evolving travel market. The recommendations, submitted to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, include a “golden visa” valid for five to ten years to compete with Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia—countries that already offer such schemes to long-stay travellers, Báo Văn Hóa reported. The proposal comes at a time when Vietnam has regained 98% of its pre-pandemic tourism levels, making it the fastest-recovering destination in the region. In 2024, the country welcomed 17.5 million international visitors, overtaking Singapore and trailing only Malaysia and Thailand. The advisory board also suggested introducing a 10-year investor visa with the possibility of permanent residency after five years, and a five-year talent visa with a simplified renewal process, as reported by Thanh Nien newspaper. These programs could be piloted in key tourism hubs like Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang.

Fred Ridley’s quiet diplomacy offers a temporary truce. Ridley, the chairperson of the Augusta National Golf Club, walks a careful line – safeguarding Augusta’s traditions while navigating golf’s deepest divide. The Florida man has emerged as an unexpected diplomat amid the sport’s most contentious civil war. His committee upholds strict qualification standards, demonstrating subtle flexibility that acknowledges golf’s evolving landscape without explicitly taking sides in the PGA TourLIV Golf dispute. Joaquin Niemann received a second consecutive special invite alongside Nicolai Hojgaard.

Brewers' Association of India (BAI) said in a letter to the state government. Taxes on beer have been increased three times in the last 18 months — in July 2023, February 2024, and January 2025, and as a result, the growth in sales of beer in the state, which has always been healthy, has «slumped to stagnation», it said. «After the third tax increase in January 2025, beer sales have actually started contracting for the first time,» said a letter by BAI Director-General Vinod Giri.

Ben Sears was the star for New Zealand, scalping five Pakistani batters and ending with 5-34, the same as his five-wicket haul in the previous ODI match. The match, reduced to 42 overs per side due to a wet outfield, saw Pakistan all out for 221 chasing New Zealand's 264-8. New Zealand’s Rhys Mariu scored a maiden half-century (58 off 61 balls) after the team was put in to bat by Pakistani skipper Mohammad Rizwan. The Kiwi team lost opener Nick Kelly early, but Mariu reached his half-century with ease. Mitchell fell shortly before reaching fifty, and Muhammad Abbas made a small contribution before Home team captain Michael Bracewell's late hitting. Bracewell added a quickfire 59 off 40 balls, including six sixes. For Pakistan, Akif Javed took 4-62 and Naseem Shah claimed 2-54.

The meeting was aimed at enhancing trust and cooperation between the Meiteis and Kukis and finding a roadmap to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur, sources said. The discussions also stressed on maintaining law and order and facilitating reconciliation between the two communities, they said. A six-member Meitei delegation comprising representatives from the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) and the Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) attended the meeting. The Kuki delegation comprised about nine representatives.

recession — a threat that could hit India where it hurts most: its tech-driven cities. As American companies rein in spending, Indian IT firms are grappling with slower project cycles and shrinking revenues. The impact is already visible, with the Nifty IT index plunging 9% this week — its biggest weekly drop in five years — sparking concerns that a downturn in the US could derail the ongoing recovery in technology spending. Experts warn that India cannot remain immune to global economic shocks. Chartered accountant Paaras Gangwal highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) that a US recession may trigger a domino effect, especially in IT hubs like Bengaluru and Pune. He pointed out that the real estate boom in these cities has been fuelled by IT growth, making them vulnerable to global tech disruptions. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), CA Paaras Gangwal wrote, “Bangalore, Pune Real Estate Market is linked with IT Sector. It is HOT because boom in the IT Sector in last 3-4 Year. Recession in USA may impact the Real Estate market of IT Cities too.”

IIM Shillong celebrated its 16th Annual Convocation Friday. The ceremony witnessed the conferment of degrees upon 475 graduating students, including 381 from the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) 2023–25 batch. Around 54 from the Post Graduate Programme for Executives (PGPEx) 2024–25 batch, and 35 from the Post Graduate Programme for Working Executives (PGPWE) 2023–25 batch. In addition, five scholars were awarded the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. Shishir Kumar Bajoria, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIM Shillong, extended his heartfelt congratulations to the graduating students and their families.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Climate Change & You’ is a fortnightly newsletter by Bibek Bhattacharya and Sayantan Bera. Subscribe to Mint's newsletters to get them directly in your email inbox. Dear Reader, Even a few years ago, it would have seemed ridiculous to suggest that Delhi might hit a daytime high of 40 degrees Celsius in late March.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday confirmed that the death toll from recent Russian strikes has reached 16 in Kryvyi Rih, including six children, while five others were killed in Kharkiv following a targeted drone attack. He further said that 34 people were also injured in the strike, which involved six «Shahed» drones. Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, «Rescue operations are currently underway in Kryvyi Rih following a Russian missile strike. As of now, 16 people are confirmed dead, including six children. In Kharkiv, rescue efforts continued all day after a targeted Russian drone strike. A deliberate attack by six „Shahed“ drones. Sadly, five people were killed. Thirty-four were injured. My condolences to all the families and loved ones. In Kherson — another targeted strike by a Russian FPV drone hit an energy facility — the Kherson thermal power plant.» He further said, «These strikes cannot be accidental — the Russians know exactly what they're hitting. They know these are energy facilities that should be protected from attacks under what Russia itself promised to the American side. Every Russian promise ends with missiles or drones, bombs or artillery. Diplomacy means nothing to them.»

St Louis Cardinals (4-2) and the Boston Red Sox (3-4).

Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday is only the third Formula 1 race of the season, and several plots are developing that promise a few twists. But the fresh storylines could be as fleeting as the cherry blossoms seen all over Japan at this time of the year. There's McLaren, which has been the early force after winning the first two races. Are Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri about to run away with the season just as Red Bull and Max Verstappen have in winning the last four drivers' titles? How about seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who moved this season from Mercedes and is looking for his first victory for Ferrari. He won the sprint two weekends ago in Shanghai. In Sunday's main race in China, he and teammate Charles Leclerc were disqualified for technical infringements. And back to the cherry blossoms in Japan — the season typically lasts for only about two weeks, from the initial blooms to its splendorous peak. A sellout crowd of about 115,000 on Sunday at Suzuka — the Honda-operated track in central Japan — will be following every lap of Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda was promoted to Red Bull last week from Racing Bulls, its feeder team. A Japanese driver has never won an F1 race.

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Traders are now betting the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at least four times this year, amid fears President Donald Trump's tariffs could tip the U.S. into a recession.

The S&P 500 was down 4.8% when markets closed yesterday, losing $2.5trn in market value throughout the day, while the Nasdaq fell almost 6%, taking it back to levels not seen since August 2024, according to data from MarketWatch. Futures have not recovered either, with both S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures down 0.7% and 0.4%, respectively, at the time of reporting. Markets plunge as Trump pushes ahead with global 'reciprocal' tariffs «With markets having suffered their worst week in five years, investors were hiding under their duvet on Friday (4 April) hoping the pain would go away,» sa...

India Fintech Foundation (IFF)—the proposed self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for the fintech industry, also known as the SRO-Fintech Development Foundation (SROFT-DF). Present at the the launch event was Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, Shri NS Viswanathan, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Non-Executive Chairman of Axis Bank and Sanjiv Singh, Joint Secretary, DPIIT. Kant formally unveiled the IFF logo, marking the official inauguration of the Foundation. The proposed SRO aims to bridge the regulatory gap by enabling innovation while ensuring responsible conduct and consumer protection. The chief guests emphasised the need for inclusive fintech growth anchored in effective industry-led self-regulation. Viswanathan will serve as Chairman of the IFF Board, guiding the long-term vision of the proposed SRO.

import duties on Indian goods from April 9, domestic exporters on Friday said they have started talks with their American buyers on ways to absorb these heavy taxes. According to them, communications between the Indian suppliers and American buyers have already started moving as these duties would hurt exports and job creation. «We have to talk to them about how to handle this unprecedented situation,» Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President SC Ralhan said. The Ludhiana-based hand tool (an engineering sector item) exporter also said that the sector will not be able to absorb the high duties because of the high steel cost in the domestic market. «Over this, the government is considering imposing a safeguard duty, which they should reconsider. The US duty will impact demand,» Ralhan said, adding that certain steel prices in India have jumped from USD 50,000 per tonne to USD 55,000 per tonne in the last five days only.

Gaurav Gogoi has highlighted the effect of social media on the mental health of the youth post-pandemic and sought a debate in Lok Sabha on the subject. Raising the issue in the House on Thursday, Gogoi also referred to the Netflix series 'Adolescence', which highlighted the issue, along with the rise of online influencers promoting toxic masculinity. Gogoi said mental health issues, exacerbated by growing dependence on online platforms post-pandemic, have become a growing concern among Indian youths. The Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha said due to the social media impact, stress has been increasing, anxiety is going up and all these have affected the mental health of the youth in a big way.

Sushant Dash, CEO, Starbucks India says «We are focussing on store count expansion. And when you are doing that, it requires investment. And that has an impact on the bottom line.» As of September 2024, the company has a new global CEO, Brian Niccol who took on the role after Laxman Narasimhan, who held the position since March 2023 and was replaced amid declining sales and stock prices, last September.