Social Financial News

Tamil actor-director Manoj Bharathiraja, son of legendary filmmaker Bharathiraja, passed away at his home in Chetpet, Chennai, on 25 March. He was 48. Reports suggest he had undergone bypass surgery a few days prior. At around 4 pm on Tuesday, he suffered a cardiac arrest. His untimely demise has left the Tamil film industry and fans devastated. Manoj is survived by his wife, Ashwathi alias Nandana, and their two daughters, Arshitha and Mathivathani. Details regarding his final rites are awaited.

Ayushman Bharat and will get health coverage of Rs 5 lakh. Preparations to provide the benefits of Ayushman Bharat to gig and platform workers are almost complete, Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Labour and Employment Ministry, told in an exclusive interview. India's gig and platform economy is expanding, offering new jobs in sectors like ridesharing, delivery, logistics, and professional services. NITI Aayog has projected that the gig economy in India will employ over one crore workers in 2024-25, subsequently reaching 2.35 crore by 2029-30. Recognizing the contribution of the gig and platform workers to the nation's economy, Union Budget 2025-26 announcements had provision for registration of online platform workers on e-Shram portal, issue of identity cards, and and healthcare coverage under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Dawra said schemes for gig and platform workers will be started soon.

Rajab Butt, one of Pakistan’s most prominent social media figures, is now at the centre of a blasphemy case. The controversy erupted after he launched a fragrance called «295,» directly referencing the blasphemy section of Pakistan’s penal code. A video promoting the perfume, now deleted from his accounts, quickly drew backlash. TLP leader Haider Ali Shah Gillani filed a formal complaint against Butt on Monday. “Our religious sentiments have been hurt,” he said. “There are numerous sections in the penal code, but why did he choose blasphemy-related sections to name a perfume?” Speaking to AFP, he added, “This means you acknowledge the offence and are celebrating it. This is essentially an attempt to normalise such actions.”

Here are the key April payment dates:

«Everything is a wide, no, 4 or 6 #IPL should just replace bowlers with bowling-machines,» said the Shark Tank judge in a post on X. The 18th edition of the IPL, the 2025 season, began on March 22 and will conclude on May 25. The tournament opened with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. A total of 74 matches will be played across various cities in India. The T20 league, first held in 2008, became one of the biggest sporting events and the most lucrative competition in the world, with a brand value of $12 billion, according to a report.

This increase acknowledges existing central social protection schemes that had not been considered earlier. India has made significant strides in enhancing its social protection coverage through a comprehensive data-pooling exercise led by the Ministry in collaboration with ILO. By utilising encrypted Aadhaar as a unique identifier across 34 major central schemes, such as MGNREGA, EPFO, ESIC, APY, and PM-POSHAN, over 200 crore records were processed to identify unique beneficiaries. According to the release, this exercise revealed that 65% of India's population (92 crore people) is covered by at least one social protection benefit (cash and in-kind both), with 48.8% receiving cash benefits.

CBS’ 60 Minutes, where the actor and director voiced concerns about press freedom and government interference. Trump, never one to stay silent, fired back on Truth Social, dismissing Clooney as a «second-rate movie star» and a «failed political pundit.» The timing couldn’t be more fitting—Clooney is promoting his Broadway adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck, a play inspired by journalist Edward R. Murrow’s takedown of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist hysteria in the 1950s. The parallels between McCarthyism and today’s media battles weren’t lost on Clooney, who warned that the press is facing an era of suppression, much like in Murrow’s time.

Donald Trump has confirmed that a journalist from The Atlantic magazine was included in a private social media chat about upcoming attacks on the Houthi armed group in Yemen. What could be described as a major foot-in-mouth moment for the Trump administration, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg claimed that he got to know about the plans of the US bombing the Houthis two hours before it actually happened because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by mistake texted him the war plan, according to multiple US media reports. On the Senate floor on Monday, the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, called it “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time” and urged Republicans to seek a “full investigation into how this happened, the damage it created and how we can avoid it in the future”. “Every single one of the government officials on this text chain have now committed a crime – even if accidentally,” the Delaware senator Chris Coons wrote on Twitter/X. “We can’t trust anyone in this dangerous administration to keep Americans safe.” ALSO READ: 'Maliciously false information': Elon Musk threatens Pentagon leakers over 'top-secret plans' for China war story

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Discussion around youth consumption in India has been largely focused around observed purchasing behaviour. Despite its enormous value in guiding marketers, two key questions have been left to the realm of assumption rather than data-led insights: one, the larger and more foundational question of where consumption is located in the overall canvas of life aspirations, dreams and emotions of ‘mass’ or mainstream young India.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As metaphors go, the complete closure of Europe’s busiest airport on Friday because of a fire in a suburban electricity substation is a timely one.

Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings wants more researchers and students to ask deep questions about artificial intelligence and its potential to upend human norms. To that end, Hastings has donated $50 million to Bowdoin College, his alma mater, to create a research initiative on «AI and Humanity» — the largest gift to the liberal arts college in Maine since its founding in 1794, the school announced Monday. The aim of the program, Hastings and school officials said, is to make Bowdoin a mecca for studying the risks and consequences of AI. The initiative also aims to help prepare students to grapple with emerging technologies that can manufacture humanlike texts and even produce formulas for potential new drug compounds.

Bipartisan Policy Center. That deadline, known as the «X-date» — the moment when the United States is unable to meet its financial obligations and might default on its debt — is a fiscal milestone that's among the most closely watched in Washington and on Wall Street. The date is subject to considerable uncertainty. It relies on estimates of how much wiggle room the Treasury has to use accounting maneuvers — known as «extraordinary measures» — to keep paying the government's bills by shifting money around. The Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank, provided estimates suggesting that the X-date could come as late as the beginning of October. Efforts to address the debt limit will likely consume Congress and the Trump administration later this year as Republicans race to enact trillions of dollars of tax cuts. The debt limit is a cap on the total amount of money that the United States is authorized to borrow to fund the government and meet its financial obligations.

George Clooney spoke about government interference in journalism during a ‘60 Minutes’ interview. He warned about efforts to limit press freedom and emphasized the role of journalists in holding power accountable. Clooney also defended his public statements on Joe Biden’s leadership. Donald Trump criticized Clooney’s remarks on social media.

Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old progressive social media influencer, has announced her candidacy for Illinois' 9th Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic veteran Jan Schakowsky. Abughazaleh, known for her biting political humour on TikTok and her work with the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America, is stepping into a race that could bring fresh energy to a district long dominated by Schakowsky, who has held the seat since 1999.

Car rally for road safety: The Constitution Club of India organised its annual car rally on Sunday, with parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju flagging off participants, along with civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu. BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who initiated this programme in 2010, underlined that the theme of the rally is road safety. The guests paid homage to prominent leaders, including former president Giani Zail Singh, Rajesh Pilot and Yerrain Naidu, who had lost their lives in road accidents. Others present on the occasion were former BJP MP Anurag Thakur and JDU leader KC Tyagi.

Lok Sabha could not take up any business in the first half of Monday as the House adjourned twice over the BJP's protest against Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar's reported statement about considering change in the Constitution to accommodate religion-based reservation. Accusing the Congress leadership of indulging in communal politics and trying to undo the constitutional position against religion-based reservation, Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju demanded the sacking of Shivakumar by referring to him as a «Congress leader holding a constitutional post» and asked the Congress leadership whether it stood by BR Ambedkar and Constitution's opposition to the religion-based reservation. As soon as the House commenced at 11am, the BJP MPs rose in protest over the issue and the Speaker adjourned the Lok Sabha till noon.

Congress on Monday filed notices for breach of privilege against parliamentary and minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and health minister JP Nadda over their statements in Parliament about Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar's purported remarks in the context of the four per cent quota for Muslims in government contracts in the state. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said none of his party colleagues spoke about changing the Constitution and claimed the BJP charge was a diversionary tactic to avoid discussion on the currency seizure from a Delhi High Court judge's residence.

Tiger Woods' relationship announcement with Vanessa Trump sparked debate, with Dave Portnoy criticising the golfer. On Sunday, Woods shared some photos with Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-wife, and made their relationship official on social media. Portnoy criticized Woods' demand for privacy by calling it a «ridiculous» move, Page Six reported. He also referenced Woods’ past cheating scandals.

Thomas Szasz has resurfaced online, stirring a fresh debate on mental health diagnoses. Known for his radical views on psychiatry, Dr. Szasz was a fierce critic of the way psychiatric labels were used to control individuals and justify social oppression. In the viral clip, he draws comparisons between historical «diseases» once used to suppress marginalized groups and modern psychiatric diagnoses—particularly Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Maharashtra police on Monday said they have arrested Nagpur journalist Prashant Koratkar, booked for making derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji, from Telangana. Koratkar was taken into custody in Telangana and is being brought to Maharashtra, an official said. «We have taken him into custody and a police team is bringing him to Kolhapur. Further legal procedure will follow,» said Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit said. A case was filed against Koratkar for making derogatory remarks about 17th-century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son, Chhatrapati Sambhaji. Koratkar was booked on February 26 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions for promoting hatred or enmity among groups on the basis of an audio conversation between Koratkar and Kolhapur-based historian Indrajeet Sawant. Koratkar had allegedly made the objectionable comments during this conversation, which Sawant had posted on social media, resulting in widespread outrage and calls for the former's arrest. While Additional Sessions Judge DV Kashyap granted him protection from arrest till March 1, Kolhapur police approached the Bombay High Court against the order and seeking cancellation of this interim protection. At the time, the Bombay HC asked the Kolhapur sessions court to hear the matter.

SOHO replaced its former investment manager in September last year following months of review into its management structures to assess whether it was delivering the most value for clients. Triple Point Social Housing REIT to replace manager with Atrato Atrato's arrival ushered in a new fee structure aimed at reducing shareholder costs and in the 2024 results for the year end 31 December, SOHO's chair said the board has asked it to conduct a «thorough» line-by-line review of the group's cost base to ensure that SOHO is «getting best value for money from all of its s...