The Indian stock market closed in the red on Tuesday due to profit booking, driven by valuation concerns and weakness across the Asian markets.

At the end of trading, Sensex was down 624.82 points or 0.76 per cent at 81,551.63 and Nifty was down 174.95 points or 0.70 per cent at 24,826.20.

The decline was led by FMCG, IT, auto and metal sectors. Nifty Auto index closed down 0.70 per cent, Nifty IT index 0.75 per cent, Nifty Financial Service index 0.64 per cent and Nifty FMCG index 0.88 per cent.

Unlike largecap, buying was seen in smallcap and midcap indexes. The Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 87.25 points, or 0.15 per cent, to close at 57,154.50, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index rose 17.35 points, or 0.10 per cent, to close at 17,725.15.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Tuesday reported a net profit of Rs 280 crore for the January-March quarter, making it the second consecutive profitable quarter after the loss-making telecom major surged out of the red for the first time in the October-December quarter of 2024-25.

BSNL had made a loss of Rs 849 crore in the fourth quarter of the previous financial year. The company’s loss for the full financial year 2024-25 has now been reduced by 58 per cent to Rs 2,247 crore in FY-25 from Rs 5,370 crore in FY-24.

The government-owned telecom major’s total income shot by 10 per cent to Rs 23,427 crore during 2024-25 from Rs 21,302 crore in 2023 -24.

The government’s support through strategic revival initiatives, including spectrum allocation, and capital infusion have played a key role in bolstering the company’s operations.

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) on Tuesday said the country is projected to reach the export figure of $1 trillion by the end of this fiscal (FY26).

This will constitute merchandise exports at $525-535 billion -- a growth of about 12 per cent from last fiscal -- and services exports at $465-475 billion, a growth of nearly 20 per cent.

India's export sector achieved a significant milestone in the fiscal year 2024–25, with total exports reaching a record $824.9 billion, marking a 6.01 per cent increase from the previous year's $778.1 billion.

Services exports surged 13.6 per cent to $387.5 billion in FY25, driven by strong performances in IT, business, financial and travel-related services.

Amid the surging number of cancer cases in women, a new study on Tuesday found its association with increasing global warming conditions.

In the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, scientists found that global warming in the Middle East and North Africa is making breast, ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer more common and more deadly.

While the rise in rates is small it is statistically significant and suggests a notable increase in cancer risk and fatalities over time.

“As temperatures rise, cancer mortality among women also rises -- particularly for ovarian and breast cancers,” said Dr Wafa Abuelkheir Mataria of the American University in Cairo.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will meet representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industry on Tuesday evening to discuss the roll out of reforms in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, according to sources.

The Finance Ministry will seek inputs and representations from industry leaders on the proposed rate rationalisation, the future of the compensation cess, and broad structural reforms as part of the GST 2.0 reforms.

The meeting will be attended by the Secretaries of the Ministry of Finance, and officials from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, sources said.

Ananya Panday took to social media to offer her fans an intimate glimpse into the world around her.

The actress shared moments that reveal a fresh and personal side of her life. The 'Kesari Chapter 2' actress posted a series of pictures and wrote, “Some of meeee and some of the world around meeee.” Her posts include solo pictures, candid moments with her furry friend, and stunning shots of beautiful landscapes.

In the first shot, Ananya is seen flaunting her makeup and hairstyle as she looks straight into the camera. In the next, she is seen posing with her hand resting on her face. Her collection of photos also features a cute picture of her cousin Alanna Panday’s son, River, along with some delicious cookies.

Having announced the candidate for the bypolls to the Kaliganj Assembly constituency in the Nadia district of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress is now considering fielding a candidate in the Nilambur seat in Kerala.

Party insiders said that in case Trinamool Congress decides to field a candidate in Nilambur, the choice would be the two-time Left Democratic Front candidate P.V. Anvar, who has moved away from the Left and is currently associated with Mamata Banerjee's party.

In October last year, Anvar severed his ties with the Left Front Democratic Front and floated a new political party christened Democratic Movement of Kerala. Later, the new political outfit merged with Trinamool Congress and Anvar also resigned from the chair of the legislator.

In light of the directives issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib regarding the Akali Dal's recruitment, former MP and senior Akali leader Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra, who arrived in Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, raised serious questions about the law and order situation in Punjab. He stated that today, no one feels secure due to the increasing incidents of violence, robbery, and extortion demands from common people.

In a significant development, 18 Maoists, including four associated with Battalion No. 1, surrendered in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, under the influence of the ‘Niyad Nellanar’ scheme.

According to Sukma SP, Kiran G Chavan, Naxals from four different battalions, including those active in South Bastar, chose to abandon insurgency.

He urged others to follow suit, highlighting that surrendered individuals would receive benefits from state government schemes aimed at rehabilitation.

After elimination of Basvaraju – the dreaded Maoist who was carrying a Rs 1.5 crore bounty on his head, more Maoists are expected to surrender, the officer said.

The surrender is an outcome of the ‘Lon Varratu’ campaign launched by the government and actively propagated by security forces.

In light of the forecast for continuous heavy rainfall and strong winds over the Bay of Bengal, the Kanyakumari district administration has issued a stern advisory to fishermen, urging them not to venture into the sea until Wednesday.

The advisory was issued by District Collector R. Alagumeena, citing weather conditions that include wind speeds of up to 55 kmph. Over the past three days, intense rain and gusty winds have caused significant damage across the district.

According to the Collector, 26 houses have been damaged in the taluks of Vilavancode, Thiruvattar, Thovalai, and Kalkulam.

Rescue and relief operations are ongoing, with fire and rescue personnel having cleared 61 uprooted trees across various locations.

Electric infrastructure has also taken a hit, with 181 electric poles reported damaged. Of these, 140 poles have already been replaced, and restoration work is underway for the remaining 41.