India News & Trends

Murshidabad Violence: Three people have already died as a result of the violence surrounding the new Waqf law. Hargobindo Das, 72, and Chandan Das, 40, were slain after a crowd dragged them from their home.Murshidabad Violence Update: After communal violence erupted in West Bengal's Murshidabad last week, Saptami Mondol, 24, sat on a tarpaulin sheet in a high school classroom in Parlalpur with her eight-day-old infant on her lap. The school has since been turned into a shelter.Saptami, one of the 400 men, women, and children seeking safety at the school after escaping their houses, is not sure if she will ever make it back to her village, which is 60 kilometers away by road or across the Ganga.Three people have already died as a result of the violence surrounding the new Waqf law, including Hargobindo Das (72), a father, and Chandan Das (40), who were killed after being dragged from their home by a crowd.Those who left the troubled areas remain unsure, despite the fact that authorities say the situation is normalizing and that more than 200 arrests have been made. The mob threw stones at our house and set fire to our neighbor's on Friday. When the mob dispersed in the evening, my mom and I fled inside, hiding. By then, the BSF had begun patrolling. All we have is what we are wearing. With the assistance of the BSF, we managed to reach the ghat (makeshift jetty)," said Saptami, who resides in Dhulian and whose husband is a mason in Kolkata.We boarded a boat and crossed the river in the darkness. A family in this settlement on the opposite side provided us with clothing and overnight lodging. We arrived at this school the following day," recalled Saptami's mother, Maheshwari Mondol.While we were crossing the river, my infant got a fever. Others now control us," Saptami remarked. "We are now refugees in our own country." What if they assault us once more? We might never be able to return.  

During the horrifying Mumbai 26/11 assaults, Tahawwur Hussain Rana made sure his school mate David Coleman Headley prepared the plan but refrained from firing a shot himself. Rana had declared that the 26/11 terrorists "should receive Pakistan's highest military honor, the Nishan-e-Haider," and that "Indians deserved it."Rana is currently speaking within a National Investigation Agency (NIA) detention facility in the center of Delhi, seventeen years after the largest terror assault in Indian history. After much effort, India has finally apprehended a major conspirator in the 26/11 attacks and intends to reveal the Pakistani government's involvement in the plot. This extradition is the first one related to the 26/11 attacks. In the past, India successfully deported plotter Abu Jundal from Saudi Arabia and prosecuted and executed 26/11 shooter Ajmal Kasab.But Rana is much more knowledgeable than Kasab and Jundal, and she is more than just a gear in the wheel. Rana, a former doctor in the Pakistani Army who enjoyed showing off his Pakistani uniform, is seen by Indian establishment officials as having the ability to reveal clear connections between Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Pakistan's deep state.  

In order to confront the legal issues, the Shiv Sena leader invited Kunal Kamra to travel to Mumbai. Kamra is accused of making disparaging statements and has been granted temporary bail.When stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra visits Maharashtra, the party will greet him in "good Shiv Sena style," according to Rahool Kanal of the Shiv Sena's Yuva Sena (Shinde faction), who made the announcement on Monday. The comedian, a permanent resident of Villupuram town in Tamil Nadu, was asked to face the legal proceedings in Mumbai by Rahool Kanal, who was previously arrested and released on bail along with eleven other Sena workers for damaging Mumbai's Habitat studio where Kunal Kamra allegedly made a joke about Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.Renowned for his caustic humor and candid opinions, Kunal Kamra has been in legal hot water after being accused of making disparaging remarks. The comedian has sought legal protection from arrest while he gets ready to fight the charges after the FIRs were filed in Maharashtra.Kunal Kamra was granted temporary anticipatory relief by the Madras high court on Friday, subject to his executing a bond satisfactory to the judicial magistrate at Vanur in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district. Kamra had stated that he was "ordinarily a resident of this State (Tamil Nadu) since then" after relocating from Mumbai to Tamil Nadu in 2021 and that he was afraid of being arrested by Mumbai Police.Rahool Kanal told news agency ANI in response to the ruling of the Madras High Court, "We applaud the court's order that provides him relief, but it is only until April 7." He ought to appear before the law. Whatever protection he may have in Tamil Nadu, he will always be greeted with a warm "Shiv Sena style" when he visits Mumbai.  

On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, the Mumbai Police declined to comment on rumors that it had denied Kunal Kamra's request for an extension to appear in court. "We are looking into the situation. A senior police official informed The Hindu that it would not be prudent to remark at this time.The Mumbai Police have summoned Kunal Kamra in connection with the case, and he has asked for one week to appear before the authorities. According to sources cited by NDTV, the comedian has received more than 500 calls, some of which have threatened to murder and dismember him. His comments, which infuriated political workers, are said to be the source of many of these threats.After a video of Kunal Kamra's joke went viral, fans of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) had strong reactions, sparking the dispute.The comic, who did not reveal his identity, appeared to make fun of Shinde at his recent performance at the Habitat comedy club in Khar, Mumbai, by altering a song from the movie "Dil Toh Pagal Hai."  

51 people have been taken into custody by the police in relation to the violence in Nagpur; the same FIR names 500–600 unknown people in addition to 51 named offenders.The First Information Report (FIR) submitted at an area police station in connection with the incident claims that a guy who is suspected of participating in the violence in Nagpur, Maharashtra's ancient city, on Monday inappropriately touched a female police officer who was on duty.The FIR claimed that during the event, which allegedly started at 4 p.m. on March 17 and lasted until about 11.30 p.m., the Nagpur violence accused also made lewd gestures and misbehaved with other women, including police officers. The FIR claims that the accused misbehaved with the RCP squad official, made lewd gestures, and touched the uniform and body. Officials claim that throughout the mayhem, the crowd also threw bombs at the police."In Nagpur, five FIRs have been filed in relation to the violence. A number of individuals gathered at the city's Bhaldarpura chowk and began attacking the police officers, according to one of the FIRs submitted to the Ganeshpeth police station. Additionally, the crowd threw stones and petrol bombs at the police officers, according to an official.  

ConfirmTkt launches a brand-new television ad. Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, and Virat Kohli are featured in the advertisement. It advertises the Travel Guarantee. Refunds for unconfirmed train tickets are provided by this feature. Other travel choices are available for users to book. The promotional video will be accessible on internet, OTT, and television channels. The goal of the campaign is to make travel hassle-free.A dynamic television commercial featuring Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya, and Rajat Patidar has been released by ConfirmTkt, a prominent online site dedicated to train utilities and ticketing. The #TravelKiFullGuarantee campaign highlights ConfirmTkt's special Travel Guarantee feature, which allows users to book last-minute alternatives like flights or buses by offering up to three times the return on unconfirmed train tickets. The commercial film will be released on digital, OTT, and television channels.For the 2025 T20 season, ConfirmTkt and RCB have extended their collaboration as the Official Train Ticketing Partner. The new campaign highlights ConfirmTkt's core feature, Travel Guarantee, which is intended to provide travelers with waitlisted tickets with more protection and flexibility. It includes the RCB power players in a humorous short film with a catchy song. Virat intervenes to unveil the true game-changer, ConfirmTkt's Travel ensure, after the commercial hilariously addresses the prevalent problem of unconfirmed train tickets by showing supporters donning player masks to "guarantee" a seat."Our renewed partnership with RCB for the 2025 T20 season is a celebration of two things that India is truly passionate about - cricket and train travel," said Dinesh Kumar Kotha, CEO of ConfirmTkt & ixigo Trains, who spoke at the launch. We are excited to bring the idea of hassle-free travel to life in a way that is enjoyable, relevant, and significant, with Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya, and Rajat Patidar spearheading the effort in our new #TravelKiFullGuarantee campaign. The Travel Guarantee function was created to address uncertainty, a major problem for millions of train passengers. Our users can now make reservations with ConfirmTkt with the same degree of confidence as RCB supporters have in their team.  

Would you purchase a smartphone merely for its camera function? It's certain that many individuals do, particularly with regard to the flagship models from Samsung and Apple. Additionally, Xiaomi thinks it has a decent possibility of thriving in this market, just like a few other businesses. Despite being a flagship device in every way, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra may be attempting to pass itself off as a camera for artists with a lot of features. It's an intriguing idea, and I couldn't help but be tempted to look at this smartphone just to see how it looked from the camera.With its dual-tone silver and matte black rear finish and Leica branding, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is one of the most fashionable phones I've seen recently. In some respects, it looks like a vintage camera. The phone's camera is further highlighted by the oversized camera bezel and the rectangular main lens inside. There is a physical SIM tray at the bottom, and the power button and volume rocker are on the right side. Although it's one of the heavier phones I've used, it has a nice grip. Additionally, you can never lay the phone flat due to the large bulge of the camera module.In my opinion, this phone's true beauty lies in its included accessories, particularly the photography package, which comes with a gorgeous red metal back cover, an attachable camera grip with zoom and mode settings, and an extra battery.In addition to being more expensive, this unit offers a lot more, not to mention its ability to turn heads. I adored how the kit turned the phone into a real camera for all intents and purposes, allowing you to use the physical buttons on the phone to control every feature of the camera with one hand. Additionally, you may change a number of features of this attachment in the settings, such as how smoothly or jerkily the camera zooms. Even altering the rings surrounding the camera module will only have a cosmetic impact.  

In a letter to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Payments Council of India (PCI), which represents payment businesses, has asked that the merchant discount rate (MDR) be reinstated for payments made using RuPay debit cards and the Unified Payments Interface.Making headlines: The digital payments sector has demanded that MDR be restored for major retailers in a letter to the prime minister. In order to make its case, PCI has also requested a meeting with the prime ministe. The government announced a Rs 1,500 crore bank subsidy to boost UPI payments for small businesses in a gazette notice published on March 21. Nonetheless, the sector had projected a Rs 5,500 crore subsidy for the current fiscal year, which raised questions about the digital payments sector's long-term viability.Concerns regarding the financial viability of the digital payments sector were raised, nevertheless, as the industry had projected a subsidy of Rs 5,500 crore for the current fiscal year.  

For aluminum foil imports from China, the Finance Ministry has increased the temporary anti-dumping tariff from $619 to $873 per metric tonne (MT). According to a March 17 gazette notice, the charge would be imposed on aluminum foil up to 80 micron, with non-capacitor applications exempting foil less than 5.5 μ.These changes occur against the backdrop of reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States (US). In addition to this, last week the United States imposed a 25% duty on all imports of steel and aluminum. To shield the domestic industry from suspected dumping, India's Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has suggested levying a temporary anti-dumping tariff on Chinese imports of aluminum foil, with a range of $619 to $873 per tonne.After rising exports from the neighboring country took nearly a third of India's market share despite substantial local manufacturing capacity, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has suggested placing an anti-dumping charge on aluminum foil imported from China.  

The Asus ZenBook A14 is a computer that is capable of full productivity. With the intelligence of a smartphone, it can perform any task that a real Windows PC can.The other day, I saw an intriguing response at a café: excitement and a desire for a laptop, which is uncommon these days. I was caught off guard. And I'm willing to wager that the Asus ZenBook A14 will catch your eye as much as it did mine when you first saw it.The ZenBook A14 isn't a test product. It is a conventional laptop with a long battery life that works like a smartphone since it is so light—almost weightless. The features of this all-purpose laptop are designed to meet the needs of regular users, particularly those who are mobile and connected and have long desired these characteristics in a Windows device but have never been able to find them.I am aware that everyone is wondering if this laptop is the appropriate one for them and if it is worth the money. Ultimately, the ZenBook A14 is released concurrently with the new M4 MacBook Air. After using the Asus ZenBook A14 for a week, I have some observations.