Belgium authorities confirm India’s extradition request after Mehul Choksi’s arrest

Belgian authorities confirmed that they have Mehul Choksi, the fugitive diamond businessman, in custody after he was arrested over the weekend. He is wanted, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, in a case by Punjab National Bank alleging loan frauds worth more than ₹13,578 crore. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been pursuing his extradition since 2018 when he left the country. Mr. Choksi is an Antiguan citizen at present, and had moved to Belgium a few years ago, reportedly for cancer treatment.

Tahawwur Rana asked for pen, paper, Quran; NIA questioning him for eight to ten hours daily

Mumbai terror attacks key mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana is being interrogated for eight to ten hours daily by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths to unravel a larger conspiracy behind the dreaded strikes, official sources said. The NIA officials are ensuring Rana’s medical check-up and he is being allowed to meet his lawyer, according to the order of a Delhi court that had on early Friday (April 11, 2025) morning granted 18-day custody to the probe agency following his extradition from the U.S., they said.

Major banks cut lending, deposit rates following RBI’s repo rate cut

Major banks have cut their lending and deposit rates following Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 50 basis points cut in repo rate in 2025. The largest private sector bank HDFC Bank cut its deposit interest rates by 25 basis points. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage.

Telangana becomes first State to notify categorisation of Scheduled Castes after SC verdict

The Telangana government has notified the implementation of the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act 2025. The State has issued a gazette notification with April 14, 2025 as the appointed day for categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SC) into three groups.

Thousands gather at Deekshabhoomi, Chaityabhoomi to mark Ambedkar’s birth anniversary

Thousands of followers of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar thronged Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur and Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai to mark the 134th birth anniversary of the principal architect of the Indian Constitution. The day was observed with deep reverence, cultural programmes, and tributes. Simultaneously, Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai, where Ambedkar was cremated in 1956, also witnessed massive footfall.

PM flags off Hisar-Ayodhya flight, lays foundation stone for new terminal building of airport

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a commercial flight from Hisar to Ayodhya and laid the foundation stone of the new terminal building at the airport. PM Modi laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Agrasen Airport's new terminal building to be built at an estimated cost of over ₹410 crore.

ASI seeks to shed new light on Dwarka through underwater expeditions, scientific analysis of recovered antiquities

Seeking to shed new light on Dwarka, an important part of India’s “cultural history”, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has undertaken a project to ascertain the antiquity of the recovered objects there through scientific analysis of sediments, archaeological and marine deposits.

Law Minister says Mamata Banerjee’s remark of not implementing Waqf law in Bengal is ‘not right’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s assertion that the amended Waqf law will not be implemented in her State was “not right”, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Monday (April 14, 2025). His comments were in response to a question on the violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district over the Waqf (Amendment) Act and the subsequent statement by the Chief Minister.

West Bengal teachers rendered jobless take their protest to Delhi

A section of aggrieved teachers, from among the over 26,000 who lost their jobs following the recent Supreme Court order in the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam case, left for New Delhi. Broadening their agitation beyond West Bengal, they are journeying to the national capital in a bus, and intend to conduct leaflet campaigns in several States en route. The protesting teachers plan to conduct a sit-in demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on April 16.

Centre frames draft rules for gas meters

The Consumer Affairs Ministry has framed draft rules for gas meters under the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011, which make it mandatory for all gas meters used for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes to undergo testing, verification and stamping prior to their use in trade and commerce. “The re-verification of these gas meters is also prescribed under the rules to ensure their correctness when these are in use,” the Centre said in a press release here on Monday.

SC to hear matter related to tree felling in Hyderabad's Kancha Gachibowli forest on April 16

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on April 16 a matter in which it had asked the Telangana government to explain the "compelling urgency" for clearing a large tree cover on a land parcel next to the University of Hyderabad. While taking suo motu cognisance of the deforestation activities in the Kancha Gachibowli forest, the apex court on April 3 directed that until further orders, no activity of any sort, except the protection of the trees already existing there, shall be undertaken by the state or any authority.

Saudi Arabia ‘cancels’ 52,000 Hajj slots; J&K CM, Mehbooba urge MEA to intervene

Ruling and Opposition parties have come together to voice their concern after the reported cancellation of 52,000 Hajj slots by Saudi Arabia for Indian pilgrims and urged the central government to take up the matter with their leadership.

Bihar CM, Union Sports Minister unveil logo, mascot of Khelo India Youth Games 2025

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled the official logo of the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 in Patna. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya unveiled the Games’s mascot during the programme organised at the Samvad hall of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. Mr. Kumar said that it was a matter of great happiness that the Khelo India Youth Games is being organised in Bihar and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the event in Patna on May 4, 2025.

Katy Perry launches into space with all-female crew on Blue Origin rocket

Pop star Katy Perry and five other women launched into space on a Blue Origin rocket and successfully returned to Earth, marking the first all-female spaceflight in more than 60 years. The crew lifted off from West Texas at 9.31 a.m. ET (7.01 p.m. IST) and travelled to the edge of space, where they experienced a brief period of weightlessness before returning to Earth in a flight lasting around 11 minutes, according to a live broadcast by Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Nobel Literature Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa dies at 89

Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel literature laureate and a giant of Latin American letters, died Sunday (April 13, 2025). He was 89. He was a prolific author and essayist with such celebrated novels as “The Time of the Hero” (La Ciudad y los Perros) and “Feast of the Goat,” and won myriad prizes, including the 2010 Nobel.

China, Vietnam sign agreements on supply chains, railway cooperation

China and Vietnam signed dozens of cooperation deals, including on production and supply chains as well as railway cooperation, as Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Southeast Asian nation, footage of the signed documents seen by Reuters showed.

Iran’s Foreign Minister to visit Moscow to consult Russia on nuclear talks with U.S.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi will visit Russia this week, the foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday (April 14, 2025), and will consult with Moscow regarding the latest talks between Iran and the United States in Oman.

Trump’s commerce secretary says new electronics tariff exemptions are temporary, chip tariffs coming

Tariff exemptions announced Friday (April 11, 2025) on electronics like smartphones and laptops are only a temporary reprieve until the Trump administration develops a new tariff approach specific to the semiconductor industry, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday (April 13, 2025).

Hamas says will free hostages if end to Gaza war guaranteed

A senior Hamas official said on Monday (April 14, 2025) that the Palestinian group is prepared to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a “serious prisoner swap” and guarantees that Israel will end the war in Gaza.

Thousands gather to mark Ambedkar Jayanti in Hyderabad; memorial at 125-ft statue opens to public for a day

Despite the sweltering afternoon heat with temperatures touching 37 degrees Celsius in Hyderabad, thousands of people gathered at the125-foot Ambedkar statue near NTR Gardens on Monday (April 14, 2025) to commemorate the 135th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Blue flags fluttered in the air as chants of Jai Bhim echoed across the area, turning the occasion into a vibrant celebration of Ambedkar’s legacy.