Overseas travel by Indian citizens remains strong, which is reflected in visa application volumes in India increasing by 11 per cent year-on-year in 2024, exceeding pre-pandemic levels (2019) by 4 per cent, according to figures compiled by VFS Global.

Popular destinations for Indian travellers in 2024 included Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

"India continues to show a strong demand for international travel, and it’s clear that this robust momentum will persist in 2025," said Yummi Talwar, Chief Operating Officer - South Asia, VFS Global.

Talwar stressed that applicants should avoid counterfeit websites and fake social media pages claiming to be VFS Global.

IIFA 2025 is set to commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of Indian cinema's most iconic films, “Sholay,” with a special tribute at Jaipur's renowned Raj Mandir Cinema.

This star-studded event not only celebrates the timeless classic but also marks the golden anniversary of the legendary theatre, which has been an integral part of India's cinematic history. The grand occasion promises to be a fitting homage to “Sholay” and the rich legacy of Raj Mandir Cinema. As part of the grand festivities at IIFA 2025, the event will honor Sholay. Renowned as a symbol of cinematic brilliance, Raj Mandir has stood as a cherished landmark in Indian film history, making it the ideal venue to celebrate the legacy of this legendary film.

This tribute will not only highlight Sholay’s lasting influence on Indian cinema but also mark Raj Mandir’s incredible five-decade journey as a revered sanctuary for movie lovers.

Celltrion, a major South Korean biopharmaceutical firm, said on Tuesday its two new bio-similars for bone disease treatment have obtained approval from the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Celltrion's Stoboclo and Osenvelt, biosimilar drugs to Prolia and Xgeva, respectively, in the form of subcutaneous formulations for sales in the US market, the company said in a press release, news agency reported.

The global market for Prolia and Xgeva was estimated to have reached a combined 9.2 trillion won ($6.6 billion) last year, it said.

The U.S. accounted for 6.15 trillion won, or 67 percent, of the two original drugs' sales last year.

Last month, Celltrion obtained approval from the FDA for U.S. sale of Avtozma, an autoimmune disease biosimilar to Actemra, in both intravenous and subcutaneous formulations.

Japanese Judge Iwasawa Yuji has been elected as the new President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, Netherlands. He will succeed former ICJ President Nawaf Salam, who resigned in January before his term expired.

The ICJ announced on Monday that Iwasawa Yuji had been elected as President of the Court by his fellow judges. President Iwasawa has been a Judge of the Court since June 22, 2018. Before joining the Court, President Iwasawa was a Professor of International Law at the University of Tokyo and Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

He became the second Japanese national to have taken the Court's top post, following Hisashi Owada, a former Japanese judge who served as the President of the ICJ from 2009 to 2012.

Speaking to NHK World Japan, Iwasawa said that he wants to contribute to the ICJ's efforts to promote the rule of law and peaceful solutions to disputes.

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Yogasana Bharat has announced the staging of the 2nd Asian Yogasana Championship from March 29 to 31, 2025 here at the Indira Gandhi Arena.

A minimum of 16 countries will be participating, with more expected to join, in the championship that aims to promote Yogasana as a sport on an international platform while embracing its rich heritage and deep-rooted cultural significance.

The aim is to promote Yogasana as a sport globally and create a roadmap towards inclusion in the Olympics as a competitive sport.

The championship is supported by leading organisations, including the Olympic Council of Asia, World Yogasana, Asian Yogasana and Yogasana Indraprastha. With a vision to establish Yogasana as a mainstream global sport, the event will offer a display of balance, strength, and flexibility, highlighting the immense potential of the sport.

Government-owned mining major NMDC has reported a 17.85 per cent increase in iron ore production in February this year to 4.62 million tonnes (MT) from 3.92 MT recorded in the same month of the previous year.

The cumulative iron ore production in the April-February period rose to 40.49 MT over 40.24 MT in the year-ago period, the filing said.

However, the company's iron ore sales slightly declined to 3.98 MT during the month compared to 3.99 MT in February 2024.

The sale of iron ore in February was at 3.98 MT, over 3.99 MT in the last February fiscal.

Hyderabad-headquartered NMDC is the country's largest iron ore mining company. The PSU alone caters around 20 per cent to the country's demand for the key steel-making raw material.

Hours after talks between the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and farm unions under the umbrella of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) failed, raids were being conducted on Tuesday at residences of farmer leaders, including Joginder Singh Ugrahan.

Some have been detained ahead of a weeklong protest by the farmers, starting in Chandigarh on March 5.

After the meeting, the SKM leaders announced they would go ahead with their call for a massive sit-in protest in Chandigarh.

South Korea's financial watchdog has imposed over 60 billion won ($41 million) in fines on global and local investors over illegal short selling over the past two years, data showed on Tuesday, with the country set to lift its temporary ban on the stock trading practice at the end of this month.

According to the data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and submitted to Rep. Lee Kang-il of the main opposition Democratic Party, the watchdog imposed a combined 63.5 billion won in fines in 58 illegal short selling cases from March 2023 to last month.

The figure may further rise as details of measures currently under review were not disclosed, reports news agency.

The FSS has been investigating 14 global investors and is planning to complete its probe before March 31, when the short selling is scheduled to resume.

The country imposed a temporary ban on the practice in November 2023 after a series of naked short selling violations involving several global investment banks were discovered.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz could play five-time tournament winner Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open as the draw for ATP 1000 event was made on Tuesday (IST).

The two superstars last met in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Australian Open, which was won by Djokovic in four sets. Both men will have to be ready to roll early in the event with tricky draws.

Alcaraz will begin his title defence against Frenchman Quentin Halys or a qualifier. The Spaniard has never played Halys. The first seeded opponent the 21-year-old could battle is in-form 27th seed Denis Shapovalov, who claimed his maiden ATP 500 crown in Dallas.

Djokovic could take on Nick Kyrgios in the second round. The Australian, who played Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, will open against a qualifier.

A most comprehensive global analysis to date, including India, has estimated that overweight and obesity rates in adults (aged 25 or older) and children and adolescents (aged 5-24 years) more than doubled over the past three decades (1990-2021), affecting 2.11 billion adults and 493 million young people worldwide in 2021, according to a study published in The Lancet.

Weight gain varies widely across the globe with more than half of the world’s adults with overweight or obesity in 2021 living in just eight countries — China (402 million), India (180 million), the US (172 million), Brazil (88 million), Russia (71 million), Mexico (58 million), Indonesia (52 million), and Egypt (41 million).

Without urgent policy reform and action, around 60 per cent of adults (3.8 billion) and a third (31 per cent) of all children and adolescents (746 million) are forecast to be living with either overweight or obesity by 2050, according to the major analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study BMI Collaborators, published in The Lancet.