In a significant operation, 14 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district. The operation, which took place late Monday night into Tuesday morning, resulted in the death of Chalpati, a senior Maoist leader with a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head. The encounter occurred in the Kularighat reserve forest, located along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, just 5 km from Odisha's Nuapada district. A joint team of security forces, includi

Retirement Planning: More Than Just Accumulating Wealth Retirement isn’t just about saving money, but ensuring it lasts through the years, considering inflation, medical expenses, and market fluctuations. A 2024 survey revealed that 68% of Indians aged 45-60 feel financially unprepared for retirement. The key to a secure retirement lies in managing investments wisely. The Reality of Retirement in India A large number of retirees

Waaree Energies Solar Module Supply Contract Waaree Energies Ltd. announced receiving a letter of award for supplying solar PV modules with a total capacity of 180 megawatt peak. The modules will be provided to a renowned customer in the renewable energy sector, specifically for the development and operation of renewable power projects in India. The supply is expected to start in the financial year 2025–26. Acquisition of Enel Green Power India

Elon Musk is being sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allegedly violating securities laws related to his purchase of Twitter shares in 2022. The SEC claims Musk waited 11 days beyond the required 10-day window to disclose that he had acquired more than 5% of Twitter’s common shares. According to SEC regulations, investors must inform the public of their significant stake

DCM Shriram Ltd. has scheduled a Board of Directors meeting on January 18, 2025, to discuss various financial matters, including the potential payment of a second interim dividend for the fiscal year 2024-25. The company will also review its unaudited financial results for both its standalone and consolidated entities for the quarter and nine months ending December 31, 2024. The record date for the second interim dividend, if approved, will be January 24, 2025, with payment expected

Jefferies predicts that 2025 will be a year of reckoning for Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) stocks, where actual earnings performance will determine the sector’s winners and laggards. While CDMO stocks saw remarkable returns in 2024, ranging from 20% to 80%, the brokerage points out that earnings were mixed, with some companies seeing upgrades, while others experienced sharp downgrades. Despite this, investor confidence remains strong, driven by long-term opt

Australian scientists have pioneered a potential new method for controlling tropical disease spread by genetically engineering mosquitoes with toxic semen. The "toxic male technique" works by breeding mosquitoes that express venomous proteins in their semen, which kills female mosquitoes after mating. Since only female mosquitoes bite and spread diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, this method targets them while leaving beneficial species unharmed. The method was fir

Infosys, the major IT company, has postponed its annual salary hike for the fourth quarter of FY 2024-25, following the last increase in November 2023. This delay highlights the ongoing uncertainties within the domestic IT sector. One of the key reasons cited for the slowdown is the lack of increased IT spending from clients, influenced by macroeconomic factors, including potential tariffs under the upcoming Donald Trump administration. Infosys is not alone in this move, as other large IT com

On December 13, 2024, the United States and China signed a bilateral science and technology agreement, revising a 45-year-old pact. However, this new agreement limits research collaboration and narrows the scope of topics allowed for joint study, reflecting heightened concerns over international research security. Governments worldwide, including the U.S., European Union, Canada, and Japan, have introduced stricter measures to safeguard sensitive scientific data from foreign interference, esp

The US Treasury Department confirmed that a China state-sponsored actor was responsible for a recent cyber breach, compromising its workstations and some unclassified documents. The incident occurred earlier this month when the actor gained access through a third-party cybersecurity provider, BeyondTrust. Once the breach was detected, Treasury swiftly contacted the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and began working with law enforcement to investigate the incident and assess

India’s Rising Defence Exports India’s defence exports have seen remarkable growth, with a ten-fold increase over the last decade. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that India’s exports now exceed Rs 21,000 crore, compared to just Rs 2,000 crore ten years ago. He outlined a vision to increase this figure to Rs 50,000 crore annually by 2029, demonstrating India’s ambition to become a global leader in defence manufacturing. Emphasis on Technologic

CTET 2024 Answer Key Release Details The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) 2024 answer key is expected to be released by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on January 1 or 2, 2025. Candidates who appeared for the exam can access the answer key and their response sheets via the official CTET website. If they find any discrepancies or errors, candidates will have the opportunity to raise objections. Steps to Check the CTET Answer Key To

Andhra Pradesh is set to welcome its new Chief Secretary, K Vijayanand, who will assume the role on December 31. Vijayanand, an IAS officer from the 1992 batch, will replace Neerabh Kumar Prasad, who is retiring after reaching the age of superannuation. Neerabh Kumar Prasad had been serving as Chief Secretary since shortly after the Andhra Pradesh elections in June 2024. His retirement has led to the swift appointment of K Vijayanand, a highly respected and experienced IAS officer.

Atul Subhash, a 34-year-old deputy general manager at a private firm in Bengaluru, tragically died by suicide on December 9, leaving behind a 24-page note accusing his wife and her family of harassment. In the note, Atul claimed that his wife had filed multiple false cases against him and his family since January 2021, causing immense mental anguish. He also alleged corruption within the judicial system, with a judge demanding ₹5 lakh to settle the case. Atul's father, Pawan K

On Friday, at least six schools in Delhi, including Delhi Public School in East of Kailash, Salwan School, Modern School, and Cambridge School, received bomb threats via email. This marks the second such incident this week, following a similar scare on December 9 when over 40 schools in the city received similar threats. The emails claimed that explosives had been planted within the school premises, warning of potential bomb blasts on December 13 and 14, particularly targeting schools with sc

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has unveiled a new initiative aimed at promoting cleanliness and sanitation across the state. Announced during the inaugural session of the collectors' conference in Amaravati, Naidu declared that every second Saturday of the month will be observed as a special day for the ‘Swachh Andhra Pradesh’ program. This initiative will include various cleanliness drives and sanitation-related activities across the state. Naidu em

The increasing integration of technology into workstreams is reshaping traditional job roles, with AI, machine learning, and analytics leading the charge. According to a recent report by Indeed and Nasscom, cybersecurity has emerged as the second-most sought-after domain, surpassing cloud technology. The report identifies the top five in-demand job roles as data scientist/analyst, AI/ML expert, cybersecurity specialist, cloud architect/engineer, and DevOps engineer. HR leaders empha

Axis Securities Ltd has entered into a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) agreeing to pay a sum of Rs. 14.62 lakh to resolve charges of front-running activities. SEBI's investigation uncovered that Vikrant Bhimrao Kadam, a dealer at Axis Securities, colluded with his associate Mandar Ulhas Bhatkar to execute trades ahead of orders from SVI Consolidated Pvt Ltd, their major client. These trades were made in both the equity and derivatives segments of the Nati

The Telangana Government has secured a landmark partnership with Google to establish India’s first Google Safety Engineering Centre (GSEC) in Hyderabad, making the city the second location in the APAC region to host such a facility, after Tokyo. This state-of-the-art cybersecurity hub will focus on cutting-edge research and AI-driven security solutions, aimed at improving online safety and protecting India’s digital infrastructure. Google’s commitment includes fostering skil

A 75-year-old retired ship captain from Colaba, Mumbai, fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud, losing approximately ₹11.16 crore between August and November 2024. The scam began on August 19 when the victim was added to a WhatsApp group named after a reputable financial services company. The group administrator, identifying herself as Anya Smith, shared investment strategies and stock market opportunities, convincing the victim of the group's legitimacy. Expressing intere