Director and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran has made it clear that his ‘L2: Empuraan’, the second instalment from his eagerly awaited ‘Lucifer’ franchise featuring Mohanlal in the lead, will also be a stand-alone film and that even if an individual who hasn’t watched the first part of the franchise watches the upcoming second part, they would still be able to completely understand the plot, story and narrative.

The director, who participated in a press meet in Chennai, recently was asked if whether audiences who hadn’t watched the first part would be able to understand the story of the second part.

In another blow to Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh, security forces have neutralised three Naxalites in a fierce gunfight near the Dantewada-Bijapur border.

The encounter, which reportedly took place along the banks of the Indravati River, marks another significant success in the ongoing battle against extremism in the region.

Gaurav Rai, Superintendent of Police, Dantewada district confirmed the development and told, “Three Naxalites were killed early Tuesday morning, and their bodies have been recovered.”

He added that the forces have established a commanding presence in the area, with operations continuing to ensure complete control.

Localised and community initiatives like TB Mukt Bharat can play a crucial role in fighting the menace of tuberculosis in India, said Anurag Thakur, BJP MP.

In a media article, he reflected on the country’s journey towards eliminating TB -- the world’s deadliest infection.

“Localised initiatives are reshaping perceptions about TB across India, echoing our national commitment to systematically expand TB elimination efforts in every state,” he wrote.

Besides TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the government has also expanded diagnostic capabilities through the increased use of CBNAAT and TrueNat machines, as well as strengthened treatment protocols, Thakur said.

In addition, the recent fiscal allocation of Rs 4,200 crore for the National TB Elimination Programme will further help the efforts.

Showing a resilient economy in the Asia-Pacific region amid global uncertainties, India’s GDP will grow at 6.5 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, S&P Global Ratings said on Tuesday.

This assumes the upcoming monsoon season will be normal and that commodity — especially crude — prices will be soft,” said the global financial institution in its latest quarterly economic update for Asia-Pacific economies.

“Cooling food inflation, the tax benefits announced in the country’s budget for the fiscal year ending March 2026, and lower borrowing costs will support discretionary consumption,” it added.

As tariffs tend to be levied on goods, trade will be more resilient in economies where a substantial share of exports is of services. This is the case for the Philippines and, especially, India.

The family of the woman Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer whose body was found near a railway track here has suspected foul play and registered a police complaint.

The woman, identified as Megha, was found dead on Monday morning.

Sivadasan, the uncle of 24-year-old Megha, said they suspected foul play in her death.

He said she had no problems of depression as was being reported by a section of the media, as being the reason for her suicide.

“We do not have any reason to believe that she was undergoing depression. We have now registered a complaint with the local police station to conduct a proper probe. We also have written to the IB officials to ensure there is a proper probe,” said Sivadasan.

India’s macroeconomic situation has bottomed out, and the country is set to see GDP growth around 6.5 per cent for the year ahead, according to a Bernstein note on Tuesday.

Amid geo-political risks like the possibility of a US recession and reciprocal tariffs, Bernstein’s India strategy offers a positive outlook for the economy in the coming year.

“Despite global uncertainties, India is well-positioned to benefit if a US recession materialises,” said the global brokerage in its note.

India’s growth trajectory has often been independent of the US economy, and past experiences show that India has typically recovered ahead of the US during economic slowdowns.

While the broader markets have faced corrections, India is expected to benefit as the global trade environment stabilises.

Over nine million updated Income Tax Returns have been filed over the last four years, which helped the government raise an additional revenue of Rs 9,118 crore, reflecting the success of the voluntary compliance scheme introduced by the Government, Parliament was informed.

The government in 2022 had introduced the option for taxpayers to file updated I-T returns (ITR-U) up to two years from the relevant assessment year (AY) by paying additional income tax as part of a scheme to encourage voluntary compliance,

Cumulatively, between AY 2021-22 to AY 2024-25, over 9.176 million ITR-Us were filed which fetched additional taxes of Rs 9,118 crore to the government, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland moved a step closer to her first title of the year with a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the Round of 16 at the Miami Open.

Swiatek needed 2 hours and 5 minutes to battle past former World No. 3 Svitolina, completing the quarterfinal lineup at the year's fourth WTA 1000 event on Tuesday morning, WTA reports.

Swiatek is eyeing her second Miami Open title -- she won this event in 2022 to complete the Sunshine Double (winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same year). The only other women to complete the Sunshine Double are Stefanie Graf (twice), Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka.

Swiatek will now face an unexpected opponent in the quarterfinals: 19-year-old wild card Alexandra Eala of Philippines, who is in her sixth WTA 1000 event

Deloitte on Tuesday announced a significant scaling of its Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Simulation Centre of Excellence (CoE) in India, which is part of its global investment of $3 billion in Generative AI (GenAI) through FY30.

Launched first in Bengaluru to serve Deloitte’s global network, the Simulation CoE aims to accelerate clients’ decision-making processes, mitigate potential risks, and maximise their return on investment (ROI).

It will power next-generation capabilities such as 5G, 6G, Internet of Things, Industrial Metaverse, Space Tech, Physical Robotics and Nanotech.

Using real-time insights, the CoE seeks to develop advanced visualisations, simulations and scenario modelling, digital twins and multi-agent systems.

The proportion of South Koreans considering marriage essential increased last year, a government report showed on Tuesday.

The report reflects a more positive perception of marriage in a country struggling with a demographic crisis, news agency reported.

In a biennial social survey, 52.5 per cent of South Koreans aged 13 and older viewed marriage as a necessity in 2024, marking a 2.5 percentage-point increase from two years earlier.

The figure had been on a steady decline since 2010, except for a brief uptick in 2020.

The report also showed that 68.4 per cent of respondents said having children is necessary after marriage, up 3.1 percentage points from two years earlier.

Separate data showed that 222,422 couples tied the knot last year, a 14.9 per cent increase from the previous year, marking the steepest annual rise since the agency began compiling related statistics in 1981.