Air traffic control towers to record controllers' video and background communications at international airports for safety investigations.
Recommendation to equip ATC towers at all international airports with devices to record video and background communications of controllers on duty, with recordings to be used solely for investigation purposes, prompted by an incident where an arriving aircraft lost ILS in poor visibility and landed on an unassigned runway while parallel runways were operated in arrival-only or departure-only modes and lacked active approach aids.

Devendra Fadnavis rebuts 'outsider' claim, credits Gadkari and BJP for Mumbai and Nagpur development and urges corporators to serve.
Devendra Fadnavis rejects an 'outsider' jibe by citing infrastructure-led development credited to Nitin Gadkari and to his own administration, stressing flyovers and the Worli-Bandra sea link as evidence. He instructs new corporators to eschew a proprietorial stance and adopt a service ethos, underscores patience in politics, and highlights Nagpur's 24/7 water supply, road and flyover networks, Mihan-driven employment, and investments spurred by the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway as exemplars of statewide development impact.

Air pollution enforcement: ten RMC plants shut and Rs 84 lakh recovered after inspections found regulatory violations.
Inspections by flying squads across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region led to orders to shut down 10 RMC plants, proposed directions to 17 plants, interim directions to four others, and recovery of Rs 84 lakh in penalties via bank guarantees; the campaign forms part of an ongoing enforcement drive that has inspected 240 RMC plants since December and recovered Rs 4.35 crore, using administrative shutdowns and bank guarantee recovery to enforce air pollution control measures.

Vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology to be introduced, 30 MHz spectrum approved and Motor Vehicle Act amendments proposed.
The government will implement vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology to enable real time exchange of speed, location, acceleration and braking data among nearby vehicles; a joint task force with the telecom authority has been formed and the Department of Telecom has agreed in principle to allocate 30 MHz in the 5.875-5.905 GHz band for V2V use. Parallel reforms include 61 proposed amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act, phased introduction of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), enhanced bus safety norms, a points based violation tracking system, and digital automated permitting for certain goods vehicles.

Pratik Jain, Trinamool strategist, was subject to Enforcement Directorate searches tied to a coal-related money laundering probe.
Pratik Jain, I-PAC cofounder and Trinamool Congress strategist, runs data-driven electoral and governance messaging and functions as a bridge between party and government. Enforcement Directorate teams searched his residence and office in connection with an old coal-linked money laundering probe, an enforcement action that intensified political scrutiny and prompted Mamata Banerjee's public show of support amid opposition claims that he operates a "shadow system" within the party.

ED searches of political consultancy I-PAC ignite clash over alleged money laundering and obstruction of probe.
The central agency conducted searches of a political consultancy and its director's residence in a money laundering probe tied to alleged coal smuggling, alleging hawala-linked payments to the consultancy and seizure of physical and electronic materials; it asserts that the state chief minister and police removed evidence, amounting to obstruction under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while the consultancy challenged the legality of the searches and both sides moved high court filings amid electoral sensitivity over party IT and campaign data.

US stock market drifts while defence stocks surge on proposed large military spending increase and an executive order limiting contractor buybacks.
Equity markets drifted while major defence contractors surged after the President proposed a significant military spending increase and signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to require contractor provisions preventing stock buybacks during periods of underperformance on government contracts; bond yields and oil prices also moved on mixed economic data and geopolitical developments.

Rupee weakens to 89.90 as foreign outflows and tariff fears boost dollar; central bank intervention eyed.
Rupee depreciated to 89.90 against the US dollar amid sustained foreign portfolio outflows, a stronger dollar, and apprehension over further US tariffs; traders noted equity sell offs and the prospect of Central Bank Intervention as key influences on dollar demand.

Mamata Banerjee alleged obstruction of ED raids and removal of evidence in a coal smuggling money laundering probe.
Allegations assert obstruction of an enforcement investigation and removal of physical and electronic evidence during active raids in a money laundering probe tied to coal smuggling. The agency claims the chief executive entered premises of a political consultancy leader and, with aides and police, removed documents and devices that the agency links to hawala transfers and proceeds routed to the consultancy's registered company, indicating alleged laundering of funds from an organised coal smuggling syndicate.

Vodafone area sales manager allegedly facilitated fraudulent bulk SIM issuance used to run mass SMS phishing campaigns targeting citizens.
An area sales manager is alleged to have facilitated the fraudulent issuance of about 21,000 SIM cards in violation of DoT rules by submitting KYC documents that misrepresented unrelated individuals as employees, with copies of Aadhaar found in the official's possession; those SIMs were controlled via an online platform to send mass SMS messages used in phishing campaigns offering fake loans and investments to steal personal and banking information.

US action in Venezuela condemned as violating sovereignty; Kerala CM criticises government's muted diplomatic response.
The Chief Minister asserts that US measures in Venezuela violate that nation's sovereignty, seek to displace an elected government, and coerce its people through economic sanctions, and he criticises the central government's muted, allegedly submissive diplomatic response that omitted naming the United States and failed to register protest.

US bill would authorize 500% tariffs on purchasers of Russian oil while the US withdraws from many international organisations.
A proposed US law would permit tariffs up to 500% on countries buying Russian oil, expanding sovereign sanctions and trade policy tools, while the US simultaneously withdrew from over sixty international organisations, altering multilateral participation. Related developments include Bangladesh suspending visa services in India, India US diplomatic engagement on counter terrorism and trade, Pakistan Saudi defence talks, and UK support for the seizure of a Russian flagged oil tanker, implicating consular, defence cooperation and maritime interdiction legal issues.

Cashless treatment scheme offers up to Rs 1.5 lakh for road accident victims for seven days, subject to eligibility review.
The scheme entitles any person injured in a road accident arising from motor vehicle use on any road to cashless treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh per victim per accident for up to seven days from the accident date, with eligibility determinations processed through claims and administrative review and payments made from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.

Court denies bail to husband of IPS officer accused of large-scale fraud and forged government documents.
The court refused bail to Purushottam Chavan, arrested by the Economic Offences Wing for allegedly cheating about Rs 24.78 crore by selling flats under a state quota; his medical-ground bail plea was rejected. Prosecution and complainant opposed bail, alleging a systematic conspiracy that involved forging government documents causing substantial loss to the state exchequer, and noting a separate allegation of fraud of about Rs 7.42 crore.

Air purifiers sought to be reclassified as medical devices and taxed at 5%; government resists judicial direction on GST policy.
The petition seeks classification of air purifiers as medical devices and reduction of GST from 18% to 5%; the Centre opposes judicial directions on GST rates, asserting that taxation and related recommendations fall exclusively within the GST Council and that judicial interference would violate the doctrine of separation of powers and undermine cooperative federalism, while characterising the plea as a colourable attempt at regulatory reclassification to confer commercial advantage.

ASEAN-India trade pact under review to boost market access and modernise AITIGA, including digital trade facilitation.
A comprehensive review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), led by the Department of Commerce, seeks to modernise the pact to enhance market access and make it more trade facilitating and responsive to current economic realities. Concurrent negotiations on a proposed Digital Economic Framework Agreement (DEFA) aim to enable cross border data flows and interoperable digital payments to create an integrated digital marketplace, supporting investment and supply chain integration across key sectors.

Bata India announces VRS for eligible Hosur unit workers as part of operational restructuring to assess financial impact.
The board approved a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) for eligible workers at the Bata Shatak Hosur unit as part of operational restructuring; implementation, eligibility mechanics, and financial impact will be assessed and disclosed under the company's materiality policy, and the proposal follows prior VRS measures that previously led to closures while some manufacturing sites are being retained.

ED raids on I-PAC and its director in a money laundering probe trigger a protest rally alleging political targeting ahead of elections.
Enforcement Directorate searches at I-PAC's office and its director's residence were carried out as part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam, with about ten premises raided across locations including Delhi and paramilitary teams present; the actions prompted a political response alleging targeted enforcement ahead of elections.

Tractor-motorcycle collision killed a rider and critically injured his daughter; driver fled and police are investigating.
A tractor struck a motorcycle near Ambari village, killing the rider and critically injuring his eight-year-old daughter. The tractor driver fled the scene; police have sent the body for post-mortem and are actively investigating to locate and apprehend the fleeing driver while securing medico-legal and medical evidence.

Customs fraud: fugitive arrested after two-decade evasion for false duty drawback claim.
The case involves an alleged false duty drawback claim filed in the 1990s and a broader scheme resulting in alleged losses of around Rs 58 lakh; a firm partner was chargesheeted in 2003. The accused evaded trial for nearly 22 years by changing identity documents and was declared a Proclaimed Offender in 2004 with a reward offered; he was recently arrested in Noida while living under an assumed identity.