A Pakistani man accused of planning to kill President Donald Trump told jurors on Wednesday that he did not willingly work with Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to devise the plot, media said. ADVERTISEMENTThe Corps has a central role in Iran, with its combination of military and economic power and an intelligence network. The trial started last week, days before Trump ordered strikes on Iran carried out with Israel that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top officials in the Middle Eastern nation. Trump cited an alleged Iranian ​plot when he spoke to ABC News on Sunday about a joint U.S.-Israeli operation that killed Khamenei, saying, "I got him before he got me." Tehran has denied accusations that it targeted Trump and other U.S. officials.

Iran has postponed the public mourning ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran due to preparations for an expected massive turnout. Officials involved in organising the national mourning events said the delay would ensure the necessary infrastructure and security arrangements are in place. Iran’s government has already declared a 40-day period of national mourning to honour Khamenei’s decades-long leadership. Airstrikes and missile attacks have continued to hit strategic locations in and around Tehran, targeting military installations and government facilities. Several senior political and military figures in Iran were reportedly among those killed in the weekend strikes.

Rupee recovered from its lowest level and gained 48 paise to trade at 91.57 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, tracking positive momentum in domestic equity markets. However, higher crude oil prices, a strengthening American currency and intense selling of Indian equities by foreign investors amid escalating tension in the Middle East kept the local unit under pressure, forex analysts said. ADVERTISEMENTAt the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 92.16 and touched a high of 91.30 before trading at 91.57 against the American currency, registering a gain of 48 paise from its previous closing level. The Indian currency slumped 56 paise to close at its all-time low of 92.05 against US dollar on Wednesday, after logging a steep loss of 41 paise on Monday. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.20 per cent higher at 98.93.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha, sparking speculation about a leadership change in the state. Bihar may witness a significant political transition as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar prepares to file his nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election on Thursday. He emphasised that any decision about the shift would be taken solely by the Chief Minister himself. Possible Resignation After Rajya Sabha ElectionThe Rajya Sabha election is scheduled for March 16, and party sources suggest Kumar may continue as Chief Minister until then. Such a move would also give Kumar a unique distinction, having served in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and both Houses of the Bihar legislature during his long political career.

U.S. Senate Republicans backed President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran on Wednesday, voting to block a bipartisan resolution aiming to stop the air war and require that any hostilities against Iran be authorized by Congress. ADVERTISEMENTThe latest effort by Democrats and a few Republicans to rein in President Donald Trump's repeated foreign troop deployments, sponsors described the war powers resolution as a bid to take back Congress' responsibility to declare war, as spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. Opponents rejected this, insisting that Trump's action was legal and within his right as commander in chief to protect the United States by ordering limited strikes. "This is not a forever war, indeed not even close to it. Trump's fellow Republicans hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives, and have blocked previous resolutions seeking to curb his war powers.

The impact of the Iran conflict on energy markets will be temporary and a "small price" to pay for US military goals, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News on Wednesday. US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent response by Tehran have widened regional tensions and paralyzed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting vital Middle East oil and gas flows and sending energy prices higher. Oil prices rose on Thursday in Asia amid growing concern over the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. ADVERTISEMENT"This will definitely be temporary," Wright told the "Ingraham Angle" program on Fox News. US President Donald Trump has pledged to provide insurance and naval escorts for ships exporting energy from the region to contain soaring costs.

Compared with crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), LPG supplies are tighter and there are fewer fallback sourcing options. “Unlike crude, India does not maintain strategic LPG reserves of comparable scale, making LPG flows more logistically vulnerable.”He said India had limited room to manoeuvre in finding replacement LPG supplies. Russia’s deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, said on Wednesday that Moscow was ready to increase oil supplies to India and China. Higher crude prices feed directly into India’s import bill and may widen the trade deficit. Spot LNG prices in Asian markets have surged, with recent prices around $25 per million British thermal units, roughly double many long term contract rates.

RANIPET: Four workers fainted after allegedly inhaling toxic fumes from a sewage tank at the Ranitec Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in VC Motour, on Wednesday. According to sources, two workers entered the tank to clean it on Wednesday morning when they inhaled toxic fumes and fell unconscious. On noticing this, two other workers attempted to rescue them but also inhaled the fumes and collapsed. The Ranipet police have registered a case against the company’s managing director for allegedly directing the workers to enter and clean the tank. Meanwhile, relatives of the workers and the general public alleged that adequate safety equipment had not been provided at the facility.

More than 600 people were arrested between Tuesday and Wednesday for “disorderly conduct” from different parts of Calcutta during Holi celebrations. While 330 were arrested on Tuesday, the figure on Wednesday stood at 277, police said. Over 390 police posts were set up, with officers down from the rank of joint commissioner out on the roads. On Wednesday, police contingents were also posted in certain parts of the city, where Holi was celebrated. “The police stations have been instructed to stay alert even after the celebrations are over,” he said.

लेखक के बारे में अशोक उपाध्याय अशोक उपाध्याय, नवभारत टाइम्स ऑनलाइन में सीनियर ड‍िज‍िटल कंटेंट प्रोड्यूसर हैं। पत्रकारिता में 10 साल का अनुभव। साल 2014 में नवभारत टाइम्स हिंदी अखबार से पत्रकारिता के सफर की शुरुआत की थी। पॉलिटिक्स, खेल, क्राइम बीट पर रिपोर्टिंग में महारत। अमर उजाला देहरादून में भी सेंट्रल डेस्क पर काम किया है। साथ ही कई चुनावों में ग्राउंड रिपोर्टिंग की है। पिछले पांच साल से NBT डिजिटल में न्यूज डेस्क पर काम कर रहे हैं। गूगल ट्रेंड्स को पकड़ने और एआई टूल्स के इस्तेमाल की अच्छी समझ है। JIMMC नोएडा से पत्रकारिता की पढ़ाई की है।... और पढ़ें

The Indian market on Thursday opened with the Sensex up 380 points at 79,496 and Nifty rising 219 points to 24,699 in the pre-opening session. The Indian rupee is also stronger, opening at 91.57 per dollar, a gain of 57 paise from yesterday's close of 92.14. In the broader market indices on the NSE, Nifty 100 gained 0.54 per cent, Nifty Midcap 100 surged 0.71 per cent, while Nifty Smallcap 100 also rose 0.71 per cent during the opening session. Nifty Auto jumped 0.69 per cent, Nifty IT gained 0.82 per cent, Nifty Metal rose 0.69 per cent, Nifty PSU Bank added 0.67 per cent, and Nifty FMCG moved up 0.38 per cent, indicating positive buying sentiment across sectors. All three, Nifty 50, Bank Nifty and Sensex remain in an 'oversold" zone, ripe for a bounce.

लेखक के बारे में अशोक उपाध्याय अशोक उपाध्याय, नवभारत टाइम्स ऑनलाइन में सीनियर ड‍िज‍िटल कंटेंट प्रोड्यूसर हैं। पत्रकारिता में 10 साल का अनुभव। साल 2014 में नवभारत टाइम्स हिंदी अखबार से पत्रकारिता के सफर की शुरुआत की थी। पॉलिटिक्स, खेल, क्राइम बीट पर रिपोर्टिंग में महारत। अमर उजाला देहरादून में भी सेंट्रल डेस्क पर काम किया है। साथ ही कई चुनावों में ग्राउंड रिपोर्टिंग की है। पिछले पांच साल से NBT डिजिटल में न्यूज डेस्क पर काम कर रहे हैं। गूगल ट्रेंड्स को पकड़ने और एआई टूल्स के इस्तेमाल की अच्छी समझ है। JIMMC नोएडा से पत्रकारिता की पढ़ाई की है।... और पढ़ें

KOCHI: The postmortem report of Suraj Lama, a Bengaluru native who went missing after being deported from Kuwait to Kochi and was later found dead in a marshy area in Kalamassery, has revealed that there were no injuries on the available body tissues to account for the death. It concludes that the possibility of death due to drowning cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, the court has sought reports from the Immigration Department and the police in connection with the deportation and subsequent disappearance of the late Suraj Lama. The postmortem report stated that there was no evidence of poisoning. Changes in the mortal remains due to advanced decomposition precluded a definitive opinion on the exact cause of death.

लेखक के बारे में अभिजात शेखर आजाद अभिजात शेखर आजाद नवभारत टाइम्स डिजिटल में असिस्टेंट न्यूज़ एडिटर हैं, जिन्हें पत्रकारिता में 16 वर्षों से अधिक का गहन अनुभव है। वे अंतरराष्ट्रीय राजनीति (International Politics), वैश्विक कूटनीति (Global Diplomacy) और रक्षा रणनीति (Defense Strategy) के विशेषज्ञ माने जाते हैं।अभिजात ने अपने करियर में अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति चुनाव, रूस-यूक्रेन युद्ध और मध्य पूर्व (Middle East) के भू-राजनीतिक संकटों का सूक्ष्म विश्लेषण किया है। उनकी विशेषज्ञता केवल समाचार रिपोर्टिंग तक सीमित नहीं है, बल्कि वे जटिल अंतरराष्ट्रीय संबंधों को भारतीय दर्शकों के लिए सरल और प्रभावी ढंग से समझाने के लिए जाने जाते हैं।प्रमुख उपलब्धियां और विशेषज्ञता:रक्षा और सैन्य विश्लेषण: राफेल डील से लेकर अत्याधुनिक मिसाइल टेक्नोलॉजी और वैश्विक शक्ति संतुलन पर सैकड़ों विश्लेषणात्मक लेख।चुनाव कवरेज: कई भारतीय लोकसभा चुनावों और प्रमुख वैश्विक चुनावों की ग्राउंड और संपादकीय रिपोर्टिंग।पुरस्कार: पत्रकारिता में उत्कृष्टता के लिए दो बार प्रतिष्ठित ENBA अवार्ड से सम्मानित।इंटरव्यू: वैश्विक नीति निर्माताओं, पूर्व राजनयिकों और रक्षा विशेषज्ञों के साथ विशेष संवाद।अभिजात का लक्ष्य वैश्विक घटनाओं के पीछे छिपे 'असली कारणों' को उजागर करना है, ताकि पाठक केवल खबर न पढ़ें, बल्कि उसके दूरगामी प्रभावों को भी समझ सकें।... और पढ़ें

लेखक के बारे में अभिजात शेखर आजाद अभिजात शेखर आजाद नवभारत टाइम्स डिजिटल में असिस्टेंट न्यूज़ एडिटर हैं, जिन्हें पत्रकारिता में 16 वर्षों से अधिक का गहन अनुभव है। वे अंतरराष्ट्रीय राजनीति (International Politics), वैश्विक कूटनीति (Global Diplomacy) और रक्षा रणनीति (Defense Strategy) के विशेषज्ञ माने जाते हैं।अभिजात ने अपने करियर में अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति चुनाव, रूस-यूक्रेन युद्ध और मध्य पूर्व (Middle East) के भू-राजनीतिक संकटों का सूक्ष्म विश्लेषण किया है। उनकी विशेषज्ञता केवल समाचार रिपोर्टिंग तक सीमित नहीं है, बल्कि वे जटिल अंतरराष्ट्रीय संबंधों को भारतीय दर्शकों के लिए सरल और प्रभावी ढंग से समझाने के लिए जाने जाते हैं।प्रमुख उपलब्धियां और विशेषज्ञता:रक्षा और सैन्य विश्लेषण: राफेल डील से लेकर अत्याधुनिक मिसाइल टेक्नोलॉजी और वैश्विक शक्ति संतुलन पर सैकड़ों विश्लेषणात्मक लेख।चुनाव कवरेज: कई भारतीय लोकसभा चुनावों और प्रमुख वैश्विक चुनावों की ग्राउंड और संपादकीय रिपोर्टिंग।पुरस्कार: पत्रकारिता में उत्कृष्टता के लिए दो बार प्रतिष्ठित ENBA अवार्ड से सम्मानित।इंटरव्यू: वैश्विक नीति निर्माताओं, पूर्व राजनयिकों और रक्षा विशेषज्ञों के साथ विशेष संवाद।अभिजात का लक्ष्य वैश्विक घटनाओं के पीछे छिपे 'असली कारणों' को उजागर करना है, ताकि पाठक केवल खबर न पढ़ें, बल्कि उसके दूरगामी प्रभावों को भी समझ सकें।... और पढ़ें