Government-owned steel behemoth SAIL has recorded a standalone net profit of Rs 1,178 crore for the January-March quarter of 2024-25, which represents a 16.5 per cent increase over the corresponding figure of Rs 1,011 crore for the same quarter of the previous year.

The company has proposed a final dividend of Rs 1.60 per share (face value Rs 10 per share) subject to the approval of Shareholders at the ensuing annual general meeting (AGM).

SAIL’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 29,316 crore during the fourth quarter of 2024-25, which represents a 4.9 per cent increase over the corresponding figure of from Rs 27,958 crore during the same quarter of the previous year.

The public sector giant’s sale volume shot up to 5.33 million tonnes during the quarter compared to 4.56 million tonnes in the same period of the previous financial year.

In a major breakthrough, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested Jameel Ahmad, the alleged mastermind of a major drug trafficking syndicate who had been absconding for six years, it said on Thursday.

Ahmad’s arrest marks a significant milestone in the Delhi Police's ongoing crackdown on narcotics under its 'Zero Tolerance' policy and the broader objectives of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA).

The case dates back to June 2019, when the then Narcotics Cell (now ANTF) of the Crime Branch seized 500 kg of ganja from a truck at Metcalfe Bus Stand, Kashmere Gate. Three persons -- Aslam Khan and Mausam Khan, both from Nuh district in Haryana, and Jakam Khan from Alwar, Rajasthan -- were arrested in connection with the consignment.

At least five people were killed and four others severely injured in a road accident at Contai in West Bengal's East Midnapore district on Thursday.

They were all travelling by auto-rickshaw from Tamluk Railway Station to their respective residences in Contai in the morning. As the auto-rickshaw reached a bridge under Marishda Police Station, East Midnapore district, a speeding truck hit it from behind.

The auto-rickshaw overturned and was hit again by another speeding truck coming from the opposite direction. Because of the impacts of the two successive collisions, the auto-rickshaw crumpled totally, and the passengers travelling in it got stuck inside.

The local people started the initial rescue work, and were later joined by the personnel from the local Marishda Police Station.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Thursday it will continue to undertake liquidity management operations in sync with the monetary policy stance to keep system liquidity adequate to meet the productive requirements of the economy.

A benign inflation outlook and moderate growth warrant a monetary policy to be growth-supportive, while remaining watchful about the rapidly evolving global macroeconomic conditions, said the Central Bank in its 2024-25 annual report.

“It will deploy an appropriate mix of instruments to modulate frictional as well as durable liquidity, ensuring orderly movement of money market interest rates,” said the Reserve Bank.

With inflation falling below the target in February and March 2025, supported by a sharp fall in food inflation, there is now greater confidence about a durable alignment of headline inflation with the target of 4.0 per cent over a 12-month horizon.

The global economic outlook has worsened since the start of the year, as rising economic nationalism and tariff volatility fuel uncertainty, but South Asia, led by India, is seen as a growth driver, according to the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) report.

The ‘Chief Economists Outlook’ reveals that a strong majority (79 per cent) of surveyed economists view the current geoeconomic developments as signs of a significant structural shift for the global economy rather than a temporary disruption.

Amid trade tensions and a rise in nationalism, the world’s chief economists are unanimous in predicting a poor year for the global economy.

However, growth expectations diverge sharply by region, and optimism remains highest for South Asia, propelled by India, where 33 per cent of economists expect strong or very strong growth this year.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has moved an application seeking a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the renewal of his passport, which expired in 2018.

The plea, filed in light of the procedural requirements necessary for renewing a passport while in judicial custody, is currently under consideration by the Rouse Avenue Court.

In response, the court has issued notices to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), directing them to file their replies.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on June 4.

At least six people, including four children, were killed and more than 15 injured in two separate road accidents in Jharkhand’s Palamu and Latehar districts, officials said on Thursday.

Both accidents occurred within a span of a few hours.

The first accident took place late Wednesday night on the Tarhasi-Padma main road under the Tarhasi police station limits in Palamu district.

India’s foodgrain production is estimated to have reached 354 million tonnes in 2024-25, which is 6.6 per cent higher than last year’s (2023-24) production of 332 million tonnes, according to the third advance estimates.

The estimates are based on all major crops, including wheat, rice, maize, soyabean, pulses and groundnuts.

The data shows that rice production reached 1490.74 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), which is 112 LMT than the previous year. Wheat production estimation is 1175.07 LMT, higher by 42.15 LMT compared to the previous year. Coarse grains, which include jawar, bajra and ragi, recorded a 52.04 LMT increase in production at 621.40 LMT.

Unseasonal and continuous summer rain have severely impacted the tourism industry across the Western Ghats and southern districts of Tamil Nadu, causing widespread disruption and economic loss to those dependent on the sector.

With most popular tourist destinations temporarily closed, the hospitality and travel sectors have reported heavy cancellations and dwindling occupancy rates.

In the Nilgiris, a top tourist destination during the summer months, heavy rain has continued for nearly a week.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the district until Saturday, further dampening travel plans.

"It is still raining heavily. We have closed all the tourist destinations in Udhagamandalam. Though we opened the rose garden on Wednesday, only a handful of tourists turned up," said Durga Devi, tourism officer for the Nilgiris district.

Crisil on Thursday forecast India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 6.5 per cent in fiscal 2026, adding that improving domestic consumption is likely to support industrial activity.

“We expect domestic consumption demand to improve driven by healthy agricultural growth, easing inflation supporting discretionary spend, rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and income tax relief this fiscal,” the global ratings agency said in a note.

The India Meteorological Department expects an above-normal monsoon this fiscal (106 per cent of long-period average), which bodes well for agricultural production and inflation.

Furthermore, according to Crisil Intelligence, crude oil prices are expected to remain subdued this fiscal, averaging $65-$70 per barrel compared with an average of $78.8 per barrel in the prevoius fiscal.