Southern Financial News

Flights were suspended at the main airport in Japan's southern region of Okinawa on Wednesday due to a tsunami alert triggered by an earthquake in Taiwan, a government official said. Operations at Naha Airport were suspended from 9:25 am local time (0025 GMT) as a precautionary measure, a transport ministry official stationed at the airport told AFP.

Okinawa. "Tsunami waves of up to 3 meters were expected to reach large areas of Japan's southwestern coast," according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which put the quake magnitude at 7.5, as per Reuters report. Additionally, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck offshore Taiwan on the same day, shaking the capital city of Taipei and prompting tsunami warnings for the islands of southern Japan and the Philippines.

Cement producers across the country are set to hike prices by an average of Rs 10-15 per bag this month, even as demand is seen subdued due to a slowdown ahead of general elections. While price hikes could be sharper in some regions, including southern India, dealers do not see these sustaining and expect hikes of only around Rs 10-20 to hold up. Cement prices have corrected for five months in a row now, and average prices for the March quarter are 5-6% lower as compared to the December quarter, with price cuts sharpest in east and south India.

Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war across the Middle East, trading attacks by land, sea, air and in cyberspace. Iran has largely used foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests, while targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists have been a key part of Israel's strategy. Israel's strike in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed three top Iranian commanders Monday was the most brazen attack in years, raising fears of a wider confrontation. That would be particularly dangerous in a region already in turmoil on multiple fronts, including Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, cross-border skirmishes between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia against Western interests in the Red Sea. An escalation between Israel and Iran would also risk further entangling the United States, given the presence of U.S. troops in the region.

cement prices lately in eastern and southern regions. While prices have dropped across markets, the excess capacity in these two regions has meant a sharper drop vis-à-vis all-India average. Given Dalmia’s significant exposure in these regions, muted price trends have raised concerns about its realisation and profitability outlook.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, calling it a “terror channel” that spreads incitement, after parliament passed a law clearing the way for the closure

National Conference on Monday nominated its prominent tribal leader Mian Altaf as a candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Anantnag-Rajouri constituency spread across the Pir Panchal region. Altaf hails from Wangath area of Ganderbal in central Kashmir and his family has political and spiritual influence on the tribal community across J&K. His family has won nine assembly elections since 1967 which included his five assembly election wins since 1987. He also has close family relations with some influential tribal families in Rajouri, which fall in the same constituency. The announcement of the NC candidate has made the contest on this Lok Sabha seat interesting as the party’s opposition INDIA bloc partner People’s Democratic Party is likely to field party president Mehbooba Mufti from the same constituency. She has won this seat in 2004 and 2014, before the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and completion of delimitation exercise in 2022.

war in Gaza. Neither Qatar nor the broadcaster immediately commented. Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of unfair bias against Israel.

At the time Egypt’s pyramids were being constructed, one of the cradles of global civilization emerged the Indus Valley around the borders of Pakistan and India. Its grid-planned cities produced sewerage networks, delicate artworks and an undeciphered writing system. Then, a 900-year drought [is thought to have] emptied its urban areas and sent its population back to a simpler, poorer village life on the plains of the River Ganga.

Curiosity rover of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has begun exploring a new region of Mars i.e Gediz Vallis channel—appears to have been carved by an ancient river—it could reveal more about when liquid water disappeared once and for all from the Red Planet’s surface. The rover team is focusing on the Gediz Vallis channel and searching on for evidence that would confirm how the channel was carved into the underlying bedrock. The formation’s sides are steep enough that the team doesn’t think the channel was made by wind.

RIA Clearstead Advisors is boosting its status among top wealth managers as it secures the assets of Virginia-based Wilbanks Smith and Thomas Asset Management.

16 Handles CEO Neil Hershman discusses the impact of Gov. Gavin Newsons new minimum wage law on Varney & Co.

Arvind Kejriwal has been remanded in judicial custody till April 15 following his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case. GST collection data released on Monday indicated an 11.5% rise to ₹1.78 lakh crore while the Election Commission received complaints about Rahul Gandhi and the Trinamool Congress. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court refused to stay Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of Gyanvapi mosque and the India Meteorological Department issued a major heatwave warning.

Something grimly similar is happening right now. Tech professionals are leaving India’s IT hub of Bengaluru amid an intensifying drought that has gripped the city as it sweats through another torrid pre-monsoon season, the Deccan Herald reported this month. More than half of the wells the city depends on for groundwater have dried up after failed rains last year, leaving businesses and citizens dependent on trucked-in water tankers.

Gyanvapi mosque management committee's plea against an Allahabad High Court decision upholding a lower court's order allowing Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the mosque today, April 1. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud along and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, challenging the HC's February 26 decision. The committee manages the affairs of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

Apache helicopters, heralded for their ability to conduct missions in diverse weather and terrain conditions, is set to bolster the Indian Army's operational reach and aerial strike capabilities in the western sector, according to a high-ranking Army official. During an exclusive interview with PTI, Lt Gen A K Singh, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command, emphasised the significant impact of this move on the army's transformation and operational effectiveness. Marking a pivotal moment, the first medium lift attack helicopter squadron within the Southern Command region was established on March 15 this year. This squadron will be outfitted with cutting-edge Apache AH-64E helicopters manufactured by Boeing. A total of six contracted helicopters are scheduled for delivery to the country in two phases over the upcoming months.

Roman Storm, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, has submitted a motion to dismiss all three charges against him, claiming that he did not operate a money laundering business and did not violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on April 1 a Gyanvapi mosque management committee's plea against an Allahabad High Court decision upholding a lower court's order allowing Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the mosque. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the plea of Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the affairs of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, challenging the HC's February 26 decision. The high court had dismissed the committee's plea in which it had challenged the district court's January 31 order allowing Hindus to offer prayers in the cellar. While dismissing the plea of the mosque committee on February 26, the high court had observed that the Uttar Pradesh government's 1993 decision of stopping worship rituals inside the "Vyas Tehkhana" — located at the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi — was «illegal».

Army Sports Institute will be imparting rigorous training to young female athletes to help them compete at national and international level, Lt General Ajai Kumar Singh, General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command said on Sunday. Altogether 30 girls have been enrolled and will begin training at the institute in May, Lt Gen Singh said in an interview to PTI, on the eve of the Southern Command celebrating its 130th Raising Day on April 1. The army's initiative will contribute significantly to the holistic development of the sports landscape in India and also underscores the significance of gender equality and inclusivity in sports, Lt Gen Singh said.

army's Southern Command, according to Lt General Ajai Kumar Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command. The Southern Command, which celebrates its 130th Raising Day on April 1, is the oldest and the largest command of the Indian Army, covering 41 per cent India's landmass spread over 11 states and four Union Territories. In an interview to PTI, Lt Gen Singh, the 38th GOC-In-C of the Southern Command, also spoke about the Command's commitment to leverage technology as a catalyst for transformative change during the year 2024, being observed by the army as the Year of Technology Absorption. «This theme underscores our commitment to leverage technology as a catalyst for transformative change, as well as to use in-house expertise to innovate solutions to our operational and logistic requirements and give shape to these projects in collaboration with domestic defence industry,» Lt Gen Singh said.

elections. Celebrations over the passage of the landmark Bill were no less in Kerala, where over 1.40 crore voters are women and 50 per cent seats are reserved for them in local bodies. Although the Women's Reservation Bill would be implemented only after 2029 Lok Sabha polls, female politicians widely expected that they would get a remarkable representation in the candidates' list of the general elections. On the contrary, they continued to get a raw deal in the southern state from the parties that had waxed eloquent about the passage of the historic Bill. While the major fronts, the CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-led UDF, have given three and one seat respectively to women, the BJP-led NDA has set aside five seats for their female politicians in the upcoming LS polls.