As the maximum temperature in most parts of Rajasthan was recorded above normal, the Meteorological (MeT) Department on Wednesday issued a warning for hailstorms accompanied by rain for March 14 and 15 in parts of the state.

The weather is expected to start changing on March 13, with a yellow alert in place for hailstorms on March 15.

Barmer and Jalore registered extreme heatwave conditions, with temperatures soaring.

In the past 24 hours, Barmer recorded the highest temperature in the state at 41.2 degrees Celsius, while Jalore reached 40 degrees, which is 7 degrees above the average.

Other districts, including Jodhpur, Chittorgarh, Sirohi, Dungarpur, and Pali, also experienced intense heat, with temperatures around 39 degrees. The heatwave persisted for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka Masters, India Masters, West Indies Masters and Australia Masters have qualified for the semi-finals of the inaugural International Masters League.

India Masters, who are second in the points table with eight points from their five league games, will play the first semi-final at Raipur on Thursday. They will play the team that finishes third in the points table.

Sri Lanka Masters, who have topped the points table with eight points and a superior Net Run Rate, will play the team that finishes fourth at the league stage, in the second semi-final on Friday in Raipur.

The third and fourth places in the points table will become clear after the last league game between Australia Masters and England Masters, which will be played in Raipur later today.

South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it has decided to fine the country's three major mobile carriers a total of 114 billion won (US$78.5 million) for alleged collusion in mobile number portability (MNP).

SK Telecom Co., the local industry leader, was slapped with a fine of 42.7 billion won, while KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. were ordered to pay 33 billion won and 38.3 billion won, respectively, according to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), reports news agency.

The FTC said the three companies have allegedly monitored the net increase and decrease in MNP transfers on a daily basis to maintain a nearly equal distribution of switching customers between November 2015 and September 2022.

They regulated daily transfer numbers using sales incentives, or payments made to distribution networks and consumers switching carriers under MNP, to control market share and minimise competition.

The regulator noted that the companies had colluded to limit competition with each other in the NMP market, as the country's mobile subscription has been already saturated with virtually no new subscribers.

The Indian tech and durables sector sustained its growth momentum, registering 6 per cent volume and value growth in Q4 2024 compared to the same quarter of 2023, a new report showed on Wednesday.

Consumers are increasingly making value-driven choices, prioritising energy efficiency, durability, and advanced technology in their purchase decisions.

This shift is evident in the growing preference for high-efficiency appliances, with 4-star and 5-star ACs surging by 29 per cent and larger front-loading washing machines (8kg+) expanding by 39 per cent, according to NielsenIQ (NIQ), the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, in collaboration with GfK intelligence.

Under the ambitious ‘75 by 25’ initiative, India has treated 42.01 million people for hypertension or high blood pressure and 25.27 million for diabetes, said Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in the Parliament.

The Government had in May 2023 unveiled the "75/25" initiative which aims to provide standardised care to 75 million people living with hypertension and diabetes in the country by December 2025.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Jadhav informed that the country “has achieved 89.7 per cent of the target” of treating the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc. account for more than 70 per cent of deaths annually.

In a bid to help companies raise capital faster, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reduced the timeline for completing rights issues to 23 days from 126 days, effective from April 7.

In a circular, the capital markets regulator has also provided flexibility of allotment to specific investors in the rights issue.

“As part of the new framework, in terms of amended Regulation 85 of SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018 (SEBI ICDR Regulations), it is being specified that Rights Issues shall be completed within 23 working days from the date of Board of Directors of the Issuer approving the Rights Issue,” said SEBI.

Samsung ranked first in average salaries for outside directors among major listed companies in South Korea last year, a corporate tracker here said on Wednesday.

According to CEO Score, Samsung Electronics paid an average of 183.3 million won (US$126,000) per outside director in 2024, the highest among 247 companies surveyed out of the country's top 500 firms by market capitalisation.

Despite this leading position, the figure marked a 9.8 percent decline from the previous year, reports news agency.

The average salary was calculated by dividing the total payroll for outside directors by the annual average number of directors employed by the company, CEO Score added.

Holger Rune overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Indian Wells fourth round to snap the Greek’s seven-match winning streak.

Rune flashed his entire repertoire in a 6-4, 6-4 win over Tsitsipas that upped his record against the Greek Grand Slam finalist to 4-0. He pulled off perhaps one of the shots of the year in the second set, a tweener lob.

Rune is into his ninth Masters 1000 quarter-final, with his best result at this level a title run in Paris in 2022 when he was just 19. Having reached the same stage in Indian Wells last year, the 12th seed is the first Scandinavian since Stefan Edberg in 1994-95 to advance to consecutive quarter-finals in the California desert, ATP reports

The government said it has taken several steps to safeguard the domestic steel manufacturers and to strengthen competitiveness of India’s steel industry, as the US announces imposition of 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium products on most favoured nation (MFN) basis from March 12.

The government continues to engage with the US to achieve enhancement and broadening of bilateral trade ties in a mutually beneficial and fair manner, according to the Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

“Countervailing Duty (CVD) is in place for Welded Stainless Steel Pipes and Tubes from China and Vietnam. In the Union Budget 2024-25, Basic Customs Duty (BCD) has been reduced from 2.5 per cent to Nil on Ferro-Nickel and Molybdenum ores and concentrates which are raw materials for steel industry,” he informed.

Yemen's Houthi group announced the resumption of attacks against Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea on Tuesday said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the attacks were resumed to support the Palestinians and pressure Israel to reopen the border crossings for the entry of aid into Gaza.

On Friday, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi issued a four-day ultimatum to Israel, demanding the allowance of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave, or his group would resume naval attacks, news agency reported.