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Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also said that appointments of judges to the Supreme Court and the 25 high courts are made under provisions of the Constitution, which do not provide for reservation for any caste or class of persons. The government is committed to enhancing social diversity, Meghwal said.

When Calls the Heart Season 12 is coming to an end with Episode 12, titled Must Be Gold. The episode will be available on March 23, 2025, at 9/8c on the Hallmark Channel. The series follows a fixed release schedule.

United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) has warned the organizers of the Bihu functions and prominent singers to avoid singing Hindi songs during the first seven days of the Rongali Bihu festival. Rongali Bihu (spring festival) is celebrated in April. Bohag is the first month of the Assamese calendar and the Bohag Bihu marks the beginning of the new Assamese calendar year. A statement issued by the Ulfa faction on Thursday said that as Hindi songs are in no way connected to the Bihu celebrations, they appeal to everyone to avoid performing Hindi songs during the first seven days of the Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu. During Rongali Bihu, many Bihu functions take place in makeshift pavilions with cultural functions for a couple of days “As the month of Bohag is coming, most of the Bihu organizing committees are busy making plans to organize the Bihu functions. However, of late there is a general tendency to organize functions which mainly focus on Hindi song performances. The Ulfa (I) would not allow this to happen,” said the state signed by the Assistant publicity secretary of the banned organization Ishan Asom.

Manappuram Finance said on Thursday investment firm Bain Capital would pick up an 18% stake in the gold loan provider for 43.85 billion rupees ($508 million). Bain Capital will make the investment through subscription to shares and warrants at 236 rupees apiece, implying a 30% premium over the six-month average trading price of Manappuram Finance.

TTP outfit were killed by Pakistan police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in different engagements from January 1 to March 15, official data released on Thursday said. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police lost 26 policemen in the line of duty while fighting against terrorists during the same period, according to the data released by the Central Police Line here. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a militant group having ideological similarities with Afghan Taliban. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities recently, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, after the TTP group ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Giving the break-up of those injured, the Central Police Line data said, 31 were injured in gunbattles. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police faced 29 attacks on their installations in January, 24 in February and 15 till March 15 this year. The number of attacks on police posts made in the same period are 16 while seven police stations were attacked too.

Gold of 99.5 per cent purity, which ended the previous session at Rs 91,500 per 10 grams, slipped by Rs 300 to Rs 91,200 per 10 grams on Thursday.

Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government the total expenditure incurred by Indian embassies on arrangements for the prime minister's foreign visits in the past three years. He also asked for visit-wise details of expenses under major heads such as hotel arrangements, community receptions, transport arrangements and other miscellaneous expenditures among others. The data on country-wise expenditure on foreign visits by the prime minister, including the expenditure on official, accompanying, security and media delegations, in 2022, 2023 and 2024 was shared in a tabulated form in his response. According to the data, an expenditure of Rs 22,89,68,509 was incurred on the visit of the prime minister to the US in June 2023, while the expenditure incurred was Rs 15,33,76,348 on the September 2024 visit to the same country.

Indian IT sector is experiencing a slowdown, and experts predict a longer period of moderate growth. Challenges from the global economy and technological changes are increasing risks to revenue. This weaker growth is expected to have a limited impact on the overall economy. Analysts note that growth is uneven across different IT companies, influenced by individual company circumstances. “Change in tech cycle is likely to create a transition phase for tech services companies (like 2016/17), causing growth to moderate in short term. We are lowering our dollar revenue growth forecasts by 100-200 bps and expect growth of 4.5% in FY26 and 6% in FY27 for large-cap IT companies,” analysts at Morgan Stanley reported. Jeffries, an investment firm, downgraded the IT sector due to growing concerns about the US economy. They cited a weaker US growth outlook and a declining US dollar, which could reduce a previous advantage for Indian IT firms related to currency exchange. Morgan Stanley added that while IT stocks have already declined, their valuations compared to the broader Indian stock market remain near their five-year average. They see potential risks to current revenue predictions and the possibility of lower valuations in the future.

DCM Shriram Industries Ltd.(up 4.10%), Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd.(up 3.82%) and Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd.(up 0.22%) stood among the top gainers.

Accenture raised the lower end of its annual revenue forecast on Thursday, betting on growing demand for its services to help clients integrate AI-powered tools into their operations. Strong demand for large-scale projects in cloud migration, artificial intelligence-led digital transformation and data security has helped companies such as Accenture.

Domestic benchmark index NSE Nifty ended 283.06 points up at 23190.65, while the BSE Sensex closed 899.01 points up at 76348.06.

Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day as soon as it reconvened at 2 pm on Thursday amid a row over DMK members wearing T-shirts with slogans written on them earlier in the day. The proceedings of the Upper House witnessed three adjournments during the pre-lunch period over the issue. «The House stands adjourned to meet at 11 am on Friday, 21st March,» Deputy Chairman Harivansh informed members. Earlier in the day, soon after laying of papers, chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings for an hour till 12 noon and called a meeting of floor leaders of various parties. However, the deadlock over the issue continued and when the House reassembled at 12 noon, deputy Chairman Harivansh announced that the proceedings had been adjourned again for another 15 minutes. At 12.15, he again came and announced that the House stands adjourned till 2 pm, amid the deadlock.

Ram Sutar has been chosen for Maharashtra Bhushan, the state government's highest civilian award, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the legislative assembly on Thursday. Sutar, who turned 100 last month, is a Padma Bhushan awardee and has designed the Statue of Unity which is the world's tallest statue with a height of 182 metres. Fadnavis said the decision to honour Sutar with the highest civilian award of the state was taken unanimously by a committee headed by him on March 12. «He is a centenarian but is still working on the Ambedkar statue at the Indu mill memorial project in Mumbai,» he said. The award comprises Rs 25 lakh and a memento. Sutar, who works with his son Anil, has been associated with many major projects like the Statue of Unity, the 251-metre tall statue of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, 153-feet high statue of Lord Shiva in Bengaluru and a 100-feet tall statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Moshi in Pune.

ICRA. International air passenger traffic for Indian carriers is projected to grow by 15-20 per cent in FY2025 and FY2026, against domestic air traffic growth of 7-10 per cent per year. This growth is driven by increasing e-visa and visa-on-arrival coverage, along with the Indian government's push for theme-based tourist centres and iconic destinations.

Any unpaid property taxes will incur a penalty equal to the pending tax amount, along with an interest rate of up to 15% annually, making it essential for property owners to pay before the penalty system is enforced on April 1. This stringent penalty structure comes as part of the BBMP's efforts to collect outstanding taxes for the 2024-25 financial year. According to the report, Special Commissioner for Revenue, Munish Moudgil, has directed zonal officers to take immediate action to recover dues before the penalty comes into effect. So far, BBMP has collected Rs 4,604 crore, reaching 88.4% of the target.

Earlier this month, U.S. representatives prevented the World Bank-linked Climate Investment Funds (CIF) from approving a $500 million disbursement to South Africa, the report added. The funding was expected to unlock an additional $2.1 billion from multilateral development banks and other financial sources and a fresh attempt to approve the disbursement may be made at CIF meetings in June, the report said. CIF is one of the world's largest multilateral funds aimed at scaling climate solutions in developing countries. If confirmed, the move would be among several actions by former President Donald Trump's administration to scale back participation in multilateral climate initiatives.

tax dues on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands between it and several mineral-rich states. The top court meanwhile deferred to April 24 the hearing on subsequent pleas of several mineral-rich states like Jharkhand seeking to recover royalty and tax dues on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands worth thousands of crore of rupees from the Centre and the mining firms. A special three-judge bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and MM Sundresh and Ujjal Bhuyan said it will decide on the sequence in which the pleas of several mineral-rich states would be heard. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said efforts were on to find a settlement of the issue and the pleas may be listed in the first week of May.

Rafale fighters armed with hypersonic nuclear missiles by the middle of the next decade to counter what it believes is the Russian threat from the east. Just days after proposing a nuclear umbrella to Europe in the event of US President Donald Trump withdrawing from the NATO military alliance, French President Emmanuel Macron on March 18 announced that an air base near the German border will have Rafale F5 combat jets armed with Air-Sol Nucleaire de 4eme Generation (ASN4G) hypersonic nuclear missiles. «By 2035, Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Air Base will be the first base to host the latest version of the Rafale fighter jet with a hypersonic nuclear missile, symbolising the renewal and modernisation of our nuclear deterrent forces that has begun.

The appointment is effective from March 19. Prior to his promotion as ED, Bhattacharyya was serving as Adviser in the Monetary Policy Department of the RBI.

If you’re planning to visit Japan soon, be prepared to adapt to this unique system, where cleanliness is maintained through personal responsibility and a deep respect for the environment. But why does Japan follow this system?

Modern wicketkeepers are expected to be all-round performers, delivering match-winning knocks, guiding bowlers, and often leading teams. In IPL 2025, several franchises are banking on their wicketkeepers to shape their campaign. Here’s a look at the key wicketkeepers for each team this season. 1. Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants — LSG) Rishabh Pant, now leading Lucknow Super Giants, is under pressure to justify his INR 27 crore deal. Despite missing out on the Champions Trophy 2025, Pant’s aggressive batting and leadership skills will be crucial for LSG. His ability to perform in high-pressure situations will be closely watched this season. 2. MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings — CSK) Though no longer captain, MS Dhoni remains a key figure for Chennai Super Kings. Under Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership, Dhoni’s experience and game awareness will be invaluable. His ability to finish games and guide younger players could be crucial for CSK’s title ambitions.