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Nasdaq leading losses, as megacap growth stocks fell ahead of a slew of economic data and several key events this week, including appearances from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 82.85 points, or 0.21%, at the open to 38,906.98.

DK Shivakumar on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court verdict quashing the money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) I 2018. «Today is a happy day for me in my difficult life,» Shivakumar, who is also the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) said, after hearing the news. «I have received a big relief from the Supreme Court,» he told the media, while offering his pranams to the court. The investigating agencies have been proved wrong, Shivakumar said. The Dy CM added that he heard the probe agency was preparing to appeal the verdict, and he was also prepared for a long battle.

registered companies in the northeastern region have so far opted to enrol their employees under the National Pension System (NPS), a senior government official said here on Tuesday. He said, however, it was not clear how many of the registered companies were still active or fell in the category under which firms were liable to extend pension benefits to their workers. Addressing a press conference Guwahati, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) chairperson Deepak Mohanty said, «A total of 85,000 employees of corporate and private sector firms, including 16,000 in Assam, have enrolled for NPS in the Northeast. The corpus fund under it is Rs 4,300 across the region, of which Rs 1,000 is in Assam.»

lower supplies, the borrowing cost for states fell to a 32-week low of 7.40 per cent Tuesday, down by 4 bps from the previous week's auctions. Throughout January, the interest rates were hovering at a two-year high of close to 7.9 per cent. Then rates started falling after states began to auction lower than earlier disclosed debt after the government cleared the Central share of tax devolution in early February. Eleven states raised Rs 28,000 crore from state government securities (SGS), which is 27 per cent lower than the Rs 38,200 crore indicated for this week in the auction calendar, according to a note by Icra Ratings. As a result, the weighted average cut-off eased by 4 bps to 7.40 per cent, the lowest in the past 32 weeks.

working women are keen to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses, finds a survey. A survey among more than 10,000 working women aged 24-55 across the metros, tier 1 and 2 cities has found that as many as 76 per cent of them expressed a desire to start their own businesses, according to Indialends, which is an online marketplace to provide data on personal loans and credit cards. As much as 86 per cent of the working women surveyed expressed a desire to learn and upskill themselves in areas like budgeting, investing, saving and other financial instruments. The survey also reveals stories of women entrepreneurs taking charge and 68 per cent of the women entrepreneurs surveyed said they manage their company accounts independently, and only 32 per cent of them are dependent on their professionals/ husbands/family members for this.

Indian man, Pat Nibin Maxwell, was tragically killed in a missile strike near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday. The attack, which targeted an orchard in northern Israel, also injured two other Kerala natives, Paul Melvin and Bush Joseph George. Maxwell, who hailed from Kollam, Kerala, had only been in Israel for two months, leaving behind his pregnant wife and five-year-old daughter. His family received the devastating news in a phone call from his wife on Monday evening, learning of his initial injury and later, his passing. «He was in Muscat and Dubai and then returned home,» Maxwell's father, Pathrose, recounted. «Then, he went to Israel. First my elder son went there. A week later, my younger son followed.»

pilots were injured as a small aircraft of the Indian Army landed on a field in Bihar's Gaya district on Tuesday morning moments after it took off, officials said. The microlight aircraft of the Army's Officers' Training Academy (OTA) landed on the field in Bagdaha village's Paharpur in Bodh Gaya sub-division around 9.15 am, they said. «During the training session, the aircraft experienced a malfunction and caused a massive sound. Eventually, it landed on the field,» a police officer said. Two trainee pilots were on board and they sustained minor injuries, he said.

Finance Minister Atishi said on Tuesday, adding she expects it to translate into more women votes for the AAP in the Lok Sabha polls. Atishi presented her maiden budget with an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore in the Delhi Assembly on Monday. In an interview to PTI, Atishi said the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana will be notified after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha polls is lifted and expressed hope that the scheme will roll out from September-October. Another key scheme that will be rolled out in the 2024-25 fiscal is the Business Blasters scheme in Delhi government-run universities.

Nifty on Tuesday ended 49 points lower to once again form a Doji candle on the daily chart. The index is now in the process of retesting the breakout of 22,300 it gave last week. The index should move towards the next resistance zone of 22,450-500 either continuously from the current levels or maybe after a minor dip. Support for the index is now seen at 22,250-300 and 22,125-150 levels, said Tejas Shah of JM Financial & BlinkX.

non-resident Indians, who don't own an Indian phone connection, one UAE fund decided to use a fake phone number to file for a tax exemption with Income Tax authorities only to be rebuffed. According to chartered accountants, the fake phone number — 9999999999 — is regularly used by non-residents to file their returns. In the case of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the number was flagged by tax authorities who doubted the veracity of the firm, having used the caller identification app Trucaller to find the 10-digit number marked as a spam caller.

Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said strict instructions have been issued to the West Bengal bureaucracy to ensure a level playing field for all political parties, and asserted that any form of violence will not be tolerated during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Kumar, addressing a press conference here, said the goal of the Election Commission is to ensure a free, fair and violence-free elections in the state. «There is no place for fear or intimidation in elections. Partisan approach of the bureaucracy will not be tolerated; we have made this clear,» he said. Kumar said sufficient number of central forces will be deployed in West Bengal, and it will be done in an «impartial manner».

Bengaluru residents.

Farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal have issued a nationwide call for farmers to converge in Delhi on March 6 for protests. Additionally, they have announced a four-hour 'rail roko' agitation on March 10 to amplify their demands. Both leaders have vowed to intensify protests at existing sites until their demands are met. The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) is spearheading the «Delhi Chalo» march, emphasizing the need for the government to guarantee MSP for agricultural produce. Pandher stressed the importance of farmers from distant states traveling to Delhi via trains and other means, particularly for those unable to access the capital with tractor trolleys.

power producers to import 6% of their coal requirements until June, despite adequate domestic availability, amid transport constraints and higher electricity demand, a power ministry note said on Tuesday. India last year had asked utilities to import 6% of their coal requirements until March due to an unprecedented surge in power and coal demand. Despite record production by state-run Coal India, which accounts for about 80% of India's domestic production of the fuel, constraints with the country's railway network necessitated imports, the note said.

Calcutta High Court on March 5 transferred the investigation into the attack on ED officials by Sandeshkhali incident accused Shajahan Sheikh in West Bengal to the CBI. The SC concluded its hearing of ED’s application to transfer the investigation into the assault of agency officers in Sandeshkhali from CID to CBI yesterday, but reserved its judgement. The allegations against the accused include land grabbing and sexual assault. The SC had taken cognizance of the case suo motu.

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi was greeted with chants of «Modi-Modi» when it was passing through Shajapur city in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, prompting the Congress leader to stop his convoy and meet the BJP workers who raised the slogans. Gandhi was also seen blowing a flying kiss to the BJP workers from his vehicle before it moved forward. Gandhi's yatra entered the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh on Saturday afternoon. While it was passing through Shajapur, a group of BJP workers led by corporator Mukesh Dubey were seen raising slogans of «Modi-Modi» in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on A B Road. Seeing them, Gandhi asked the vehicle to be stopped near them. The former Congress chief them disembarked from the vehicle and met them.

Reserve Bank of India has asked the country’s major state-owned refiners to press Persian Gulf suppliers to accept at least 10% of oil payments in rupees in the next financial year, three executives at the processors said. The move is aimed at promoting the Indian currency in international trade and cutting dependence on dollars, said the executives, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. The government is worried that India’s booming demand for energy will put downward pressure on the rupee, and also wants to leverage the growth in consumption to its own advantage, they said. The three refiners — Indian Oil Corp., Bharat Petroleum Corp. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. — have already approached oil exporters on the matter, but the suppliers are pushing back due to currency risk and conversion charges, the executives said. The central bank has asked the Indian refiners to bear part of the currency transaction charges, but they are also resisting the idea on the grounds it will erode margins, they said.

Israel on Tuesday advised Indians working in Israeli border areas to relocate to safe zones within the country. The advisory comes a day after an anti-tank missile attack near Israel's border with Lebanon killed one foreign worker and seriously wounded two Indians. «In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indians nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel,» said the embassy in a post on X. «The Embassy remains in touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals,» it added.

Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and many other cabinet ministers have received threat mails, as per ANI. CCB police have registered the case and investigations are going on. A bomb explosion in East Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe injured at least 10 individuals on March 1. Reports say the investigation into the explosion has now been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday critcised RJD chief Lalu Prasad's «no family» jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that people do not expect such comments from a senior leader like him. Speaking to reporters in Patna, Sitharaman said there is a need to maintain dignity in politics. «What the PM said is correct, the entire country considers him their family. The entire country is the PM's family. Making such petty statements is not correct and is highly condemnable,» she said. «He (Lalu Prasad) has spent decades in politics and was also a CM of the state. People don't expect such comments from a senior leader like him. It disheartens the people. One has to maintain dignity in politics. The BJP has given a befitting reply to the RJD chief for making such comments against the PM,» she added.

Bengaluru police arrested three individuals on Monday for allegedly raising “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans inside the Karnataka state secretariat Vidhana Soudha premises, after a Congress leader won the Rajya Sabha election last week. The police statement said the arrests were made based on the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, circumstantial evidence and witness accounts. Three supporters of Congress leader Syed Naseer Hussain had allegedly shouted pro-Pakistan slogans after his victory in the Rajya Sabha elections. Chief minister Siddaramaiah had ordered an investigation by the FSL to check the veracity of the allegations after some Congress leaders had said the visuals were fabricated as people actually were shouting “Naseer Saab Zindabad.” The sloganeering had sparked a row between the Congress and the opposition BJP, with the latter holding demonstrations to protest the pro-Pakistan slogans, calling them a direct reflection of the Siddaramaiah regime’s appeasement politics. BJP MLAs raised “Jai Sri Ram” slogans in the state assembly during their protest, to which Siddaramaiah responded with “Jai Sita Ram.”