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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant and bowler Digvesh Singh have both been penalised following LSG’s IPL 2025 match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Pant has been fined INR 12 lakh for his team’s slow over-rate during the match, marking his first offence under the IPL’s Code of Conduct. According to Article 2.22 of the Code, which deals with minimum over-rate offences, captains are held responsible when their teams fail to bowl their allotted overs within the prescribed time limit. Additionally, Digvesh Singh has been fined 50% of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. This fine follows his second Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season. Singh had previously accumulated one demerit point in LSG’s match against Punjab Kings on April 1, 2025, bringing his total to two demerit points after this latest breach. For both players, the decisions made by the Match Referee are final and binding as per IPL regulations.

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, said Friday that Hegseth will participate in the 2025 Central American Security Conference. He said Hegseth will take part in meetings that «will drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our partnerships with Panama and other Central American nations toward our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere.» He did not mention the canal, which was built by the US in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington turned control over to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. Trump has claimed that Carter «foolishly» gave the canal away. After Trump's threats, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate has agreed to sell its controlling stake in a subsidiary that operates ports near the Panama Canal to a consortium including BlackRock Inc., effectively putting the ports under American control. The deal will give the U.S. investment management company BlackRock Inc. control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the Panama Canal. Other ports are in Mexico, the Netherlands, Egypt, Australia, Pakistan and elsewhere.

In a post shared on Truth Social and later reposted on X, Trump stated that “tremendous progress” has been made in negotiations but that more approvals are required before finalizing the agreement. “The deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days,” Trump said.

Act East Policy is the reflection of PM Narendra Modi’s foreign policy marked by dynamism and action. With the changing dynamics of the world, PM Modi in 2014, introduced a new vigour in India’s foreign policy. He transformed the Look East Policywith a more dynamic Act East Policy (AEP). Introduced in 1992, the Look East policy focused largely on economic ties with the Southeast Asia region. This shift was not just symbolic but marked a significant strategic approach that emphasized deeper diplomatic engagement, stronger trade partnerships, enhanced security cooperation, and cultural exchanges with Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. The Act East Policy placed India as an active stakeholder in regional affairs. Over the past 10 years, the Act East Policy has positioned India as an active and influential player in Southeast Asia. The Indian PM’s frequent engagements, high-profile summits, and strategic partnerships have strengthened India's presence in the Indo-Pacific, making India not just a participant but a leader in regional affairs. Modi has himself visited SE Asia multiple times. This include trips to Singapore (2015, 2018, 2024), which have strengthened economic and fintech collaboration, and visits to Indonesia (2018, 2022, 2023), where India expanded its maritime security cooperation.

U.S. Senate began an overnight "vote-a-rama" marathon on Friday aimed at eventually handing Republican President Donald Trump sweeping legislation to extend tax cuts and achieve budget reductions in the face of staunch Democratic opposition. Republicans and Democrats were due to vote on dozens of amendments aimed at altering a budget framework for Trump's tax, border, immigration and military agenda, with a vote to pass the resolution expected in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. Congress needs to pass the budget resolution to unlock a fast-track procedure to circumvent Democratic roadblocks and enact Trump's legislation in the months ahead. If the Senate approves the measure, it will move to the House of Representatives for consideration next week. Trump is pushing hard for Republicans, who narrowly control both chambers, to hand him what he calls «one big beautiful bill» that also would pay for additional resources for securing the U.S. border with Mexico, deporting immigrants and bolstering the military. Some Republicans said the path forward for Trump's agenda could be complicated by recession worries if financial markets continue to reel over the president's tariff policy.

Indian rupee appreciated past the 85/$1 mark to touch a four-month high of 84.96, before closing at 85.23 on Friday, 20 paise stronger from its previous close of 85.43. The unit weakened in the latter half of the day due to corporate hedging demand and a slight uptick in the dollar index. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) likely absorbed dollars as the rupee appreciated past the 85/$1 mark, traders said.

tariff war between the US and China led to a sharp downturn. The Nifty Metal index plunged 6.6%-its worst day since the announcement of general election results in June 2024.

Waqf Bill in both the Houses of Parliament has given a boost to the BJP ahead of Biar elections. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party got 240 seats and it is dependent on its NDA allies for their support, not only to run the government but also to sail through key legislations. In August last year, the Waqf Bill was presented in Parliament and was sent to a JPC.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) issued a framework for the Past Risk and Return Verification Agency (PaRRVA), designed to independently verify the risk and return metrics claimed by investment advisors (IAs), research analysts (RAs), and algorithmic trading providers. PaRRVA was introduced during Sebi's board meeting on 19 December to provide investors with independent verification of these services' risk and return characteristics before they invest.

Sebi has joined social media platform 'X' with its chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey launching the official account on Friday. The account goes with the username @SEBI_updates. Sebi, in a disclaimer said, content posted to the social media handle is not a rule, regulation, circular, guideline or statement of the Board, but merely for dissemination of information, which may otherwise be available on the official website.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. ANAESTHETICS THAT don’t put patients to sleep. Laxatives that fail to clear bowels.

A worrisome pattern observed is how Indians are serving their older loans by opting for new loans. RBI had also cautioned against such stress from the consumer credit segment spilling over to secured loans after its assessment showed nearly half the borrowers availing credit card and personal loans had another live mortgage or vehicle loan. «Given that a default in any loan category results in other loans of the same borrower being treated as non-performing by the lending financial institution, these larger and secured loans are at risk of delinquency from slippages in relatively smaller personal loans,» the regulator noted in the December 2024 edition of the bi-annual Financial Stability Report. Data showed that 11% borrowers originating a personal loan under ₹50,000 had an overdue personal loan and over 60% had availed of more than three loans during the current financial year. To control the problem, which is on the cusp of turning into a huge crisis, the government could probably try giving a fresh start to the borrowers. A report of Dvara Research regarding India's debt problem had said that lack of bankruptcy regime for the borrowers only offers partial relief, with the crucial need to remove such blanket ban of relief. Bloomberg Columnist Andy Mukherjee made a similar point by saying that with overborrowing occurring, it might be time to let some institutions fail. «Where the government needs to get involved is in allowing borrowers to shed unsustainable debt in an orderly fashion. The mechanism for that exists in India’s bankruptcy code; it’s yet to be implemented for individuals other than guarantors for corporate loans,» said Mukherjee.

US President Donald Trump imposed a series of sweeping tariffs on countries around the world that could drastically alter the landscape of global trade, and consumer goods like iPhones could be among the hardest hit, analysts said on Thursday, with increases of 30% to 40% if the company were to pass on the cost to consumers. Most iPhones are still made in China, which was hit with a 54% tariff. If those levies persist, Apple has a tough choice: absorb the extra expense or pass it on to customers.

Labor Party's Jerome Laxale won the Sydney seat of Bennelong from the Liberals at the 2022 election, votes from Chinese Australians angry about then-prime minister Scott Morrison's spat with Beijing were instrumental in his victory. Now Laxale and other politicians are using social media including Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle app also called RedNote, and other campaign strategies to appeal to Chinese communities who will again be a crucial bloc in the upcoming election. «If you want to communicate with your electorate, you need to go where your electorate are and some of them are on Xiaohongshu,» said Laxale, who has handed out 30,000 red envelopes with QR codes to his personal accounts on Xiaohongshu and another Chinese app, WeChat.

Laura Loomer raised concerns to him about staff loyalty. Even though Trump downplayed Loomer’s influence on the firings but Loomer during her Oval Office conversation with Trump urged the president to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently loyal to his “Make America Great Again” agenda, according to several people familiar with the matter, reports news agency AP. Here are ten things you need to know in the story: -Several members of President Trump's embattled National Security Council have been fired, multiple media reports said Thursday. The firing comes a day after conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer visited the Oval Office and pressed Trump to fire specific NSC staffers. ALSO READ: Elon Musk's DOGE found something 'horrible': Trump makes big claim, wants his 'first buddy' to stay with admin

cement maker Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd. Gujarat-based Vadraj Cement, formerly owned by ABG Shipyard, has admitted liabilities of Rs 9,633 crore, while the successful bidder’s plan proposes to pay about Rs 1,800 crore to acquire the company through the bankruptcy process. “No orders levying any tax, demand or penalty from the corporate debtor (Vadraj Cement) in relation to the period up to approval of the resolution plan shall be passed by any authority and such demand, if created, shall not enforceable as having extinguished in terms of approved resolution plan,” said the division bench of Justice VG Bisht and technical member Prabhat Kumar in its order of April 1.

A total of 682 Indian nationals has been deported from the US since January 2025 till date, the minister said in a written response to a question. «The vast majority of these deportees had attempted to enter the U.S. illegally, but were apprehended at the US border itself and thereafter deported to India after due verification. As such, these deportations may not have any impact on the overall remittance flows to India,» he said.

VVP-II) with a substantial financial outlay of Rs 6,839 crore, aiming to foster comprehensive development in villages located near international land borders. This Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Centre, is set to operate from the financial years 2024-25 to 2028-29. The scheme will cater to villages located in the blocks abutting international land borders other than the Northern border, which were previously covered under the first phase of the programme. The focus will be on select strategic villages across 15 States and Union Territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, and West Bengal. As per the government, the programme's primary objectives include creating better living conditions and adequate livelihood opportunities for residents, ensuring secure and prosperous borders, and curbing trans-border crime.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said there has been a rise in the number of instances of the Hindu temples being defaced with anti-India graffiti in the US in recent months. This information was shared by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in response to a written question in the Lok Sabha about the steps taken by the government to protect the Hindu temples in the US. «In recent months, there has been a rise in the number of instances of Hindu temples being defaced with anti-India graffiti in the United States of America,» he said. Singh said the government of India «accords highest priority to the welfare, safety and security of Indian citizens and the Indian community abroad». «All incidents of attack and vandalization of temples and places of worship are immediately taken up with the host government through diplomatic channels,» he added.

Kolkata Knight Riders splashed a whopping Rs 23.75 crore to secure Venkatesh Iyer at the IPL mega auction, the cricketing world went into a frenzy. The price tag made him KKR's most expensive player ever and the third costliest buy in the league's history. But after scoring just 9 runs in his first two outings this season, murmurs turned into full-blown debates—was he really worth the money? However, his innings against Sunrisers Hyderabad was enough to show the class player that he is. Iyer has finally opened up on the costly buy and the pressure it builds on players like him. «I won't lie, there is a little pressure. You guys talk so much,» Iyer quipped at the post-match press conference. «But being the highest-paid player (in KKR) does not mean I have to make runs in every match.» «It's about how I am winning for the team and what impact I am able to make. The pressure is not about how much money I am getting or how many runs I have to make. That's never been the pressure on me,» he said firmly.

US Department of Defence (Pentagon) will investigate Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth's use of Signal in a group chat with other national security officials to discuss military actions against the Houthis in Yemen last month, according to a letter from the IG's office on Thursday, CNN reported. In a letter to Hegseth, Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins notified him of an upcoming evaluation following a request from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Stebbins said that the evaluation is in response to recent public reports regarding Hegseth's use of an «unclassified commercial messaging application» to discuss military actions in Yemen in March. «The purpose of this memorandum is to notify you that we are initiating the subject evaluation. We are conducting this evaluation in response to a March 26, 2025, letter I received from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, requesting that I conduct an inquiry into recent public reporting on the Secretary of Defense's use of an unclassified commercially available messaging application to discuss information pertaining to military actions in Yemen in March 2025,» the letter stated. The letter further stated, «The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business. Additionally, we will review compliance with classification and records retention requirements.»