Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on Monday for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to stay united and fulfill its responsibilities despite challenges from the Opposition-controlled political landscape.

Park made the remarks during a meeting with the PPP leadership at her home in the southeastern city of Daegu, expressing "deep concern" over the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to party officials.

The visit by the top PPP members, including Kwon Young-se, chief of the party's emergency steering committee, and its floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, came as the Constitutional Court is expected to deliver its final ruling on Yoon's impeachment over his December 3 martial law attempt later this month.

If upheld, Yoon will be removed from office, and a snap presidential election will be held within 60 days.

The Indian manufacturing sector's strong start to 2025 continued in February. Despite slowing to the weakest since December 2023, rates of expansion in output, employment and sales remained elevated in the context of the long-run average, according to the HSBC survey released on Monday.

Favourable domestic and international demand prompted firms to increase purchasing activity and hire extra workers at above-trend rates. However, demand buoyancy kept charge inflation at an elevated level despite softer cost pressures, the HSBC Manufacturing Purchase Manager’s Index survey states.

"India recorded a 56.3 manufacturing PMI in February, down slightly from 57.7 during the prior month, but still firmly within expansionary territory. Robust global demand continued to boost growth in the Indian manufacturing sector, which increased its purchasing activity and employment,” said Pranjul Bhandari, Chief India Economist at HSBC.

During Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha’s address in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday, the lone Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) MLA, Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad, staged a protest in the central hall.

As the Lt. Governor started delivering his address, holding a placard, AIP MLA Sheikh Khursheed vocally opposed several policies of the administration and demanded justice for the victims of recent killings in Baramulla and Kathua.

He also demanded the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, arguing that their abrogation had stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and rights.

Ahmad called for the release of all political prisoners and said that detaining leaders, activists and youth without trial was undemocratic.

He also sought justice for the families of two men killed in Baramulla and Kathua, urging the administration to conduct a fair probe and provide compensation to the victims’ families.

Ola Electric Mobility is reportedly laying off more than 1,000 employees and contract workers in its second round of job cuts within months.

The decision came as the company, backed by SoftBank Group Corporation, is working to reduce its growing losses.

The latest layoffs are happening across various departments, including procurement, fulfillment, customer relations and charging infrastructure, according to reports on Monday.

This is the second round of layoffs in less than five months. In November, the company had laid off around 500 employees.

The current layoffs account for more than a quarter of Ola's total workforce, which stood at 4,000 at the end of March 2024. The layoffs also include contract workers, who are not counted in the company’s public employee disclosures.

The report also revealed that as part of a restructuring effort, Ola Electric is automating parts of its customer relations operations.

The use of hallucinogens, such as ketamine and psychedelics can raise the risk of death by 2.6-fold, according to a study on Monday.

Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital in Canada noted that the use of hallucinogens including psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, and MDMA (ecstasy), has rapidly increased since the mid-2010s.

Increasing use may partially also reflect growing medical and societal interest in pairing psychedelics with psychotherapy for mental health and substance use disorders, said the team.

However, although psychedelic-assisted therapy trials have generally been safe, there is little data about whether hallucinogens might increase the risk of adverse events, such as thoughts of suicide and death, when used outside of carefully controlled clinical trial settings or in populations currently excluded from trials.

Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin, who will be seen in Netflix’s upcoming compelling mystery alongside actress Parineeti Chopra, said that he has always loved being a part of projects that look to disrupt.

Talking about his yet-untitled project, he said: “I have always loved being a part of projects that look to disrupt. This thriller-mystery web series is everything you want from an edge-of-the-seat entertainer that will surprise you at every step of the way.”

He went on to thank his producer and director.

“I’m thrilled that someone as acclaimed as Siddharth P. Malhotra and my director Rensil D Silva felt I would be the perfect choice to fit their vision. I have been a huge fan of their work, and it is an honour for me to join hands with them,” he said.

India's job market is witnessing a significant shift, with job opportunities for women soaring by 48 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year, a new report said on Monday.

The remarkable growth is largely driven by demand in key sectors such as information technology (IT), banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), manufacturing, and healthcare, alongside a rise in demand for specialised talent in emerging technology roles.

According to the report from foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), around 25 per cent of the jobs available to women in 2025 are for freshers. This suggests that early-career professionals are in high demand, especially in sectors like IT, human resources (HR), and marketing.

In terms of experience, the largest share of jobs for women falls in the 0-3 years category (53 per cent), followed by 4-6 years (32 per cent). Industries such as IT/computers - software, which accounts for 34 per cent of women's jobs, continue to dominate, the report added.

The leadership of the South Korea's ruling People Power Party (PPP) was set to pay a courtesy visit to former President Park Geun-hye on Monday, party officials said, ahead of the Constitutional Court's ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

The top PPP members, led by Kwon Young-se, chief of the party's emergency steering committee, and its floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, will travel to the southeastern city of Daegu to meet Park at her home later in the day, party officials said.

The visit comes as the Constitutional Court is expected to deliver its final ruling on Yoon's impeachment over his December 3 martial law attempt later this month. If upheld, Yoon will be removed from office, and a snap presidential election will be held within 60 days.

Park, who took office as president in 2013, was impeached and removed from office in March 2017 after the top court upheld her impeachment over an influence-peddling scandal involving her close associate, Choi Soon-sil.

At least four people, including a two-year-old child, were killed, and four others were injured in a road accident in Karnataka's Kolar district on Monday morning.

The accident occurred on the recently inaugurated Bengaluru- Chennai Expressway.

The deceased were identified as 45-year-old Mahesh, two-year-old Udvita, and 60-year-old Ratnamma, all of whom were traveling in an Innova car. The identity of the deceased bike rider is yet to be ascertained.

The injured -- Sushmita, Viruta, Sujata, and Sunil -- have been shifted to a private hospital in Kolar. According to the police, the deceased were residents of Kammasandra village near KGF in the Kolar district. They were traveling to their village from Bengaluru when the accident occurred within the limits of the Bangarapet police station.

The incident took place when a bike collided with the car near Kuppanahalli in Bangarapet taluk. All four victims, including the bike rider, died on the spot. Police have stated that overspeeding was the primary cause of the accident.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have unveiled a new-look jersey for the upcoming 18th edition of the Indian Premier League on Monday. As part of an unprecedented campaign, KKR released the official jersey launch video, where fans of the team are seen being obsessed with “Number 3”.

The video culminates into 'Three Stars' being woven into the fabric of the new jersey, depicting the three titles in KKR’s trophy cabinet. Cricketers Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Mayank Markande and Luvnith Sisodia feature in the video, sporting the new kit.

Apart from the newly added third star on top of the team crest, KKR’s jersey also carries a special golden IPL badge on the arm this year, introduced by the tournament to recognise the defending champions of the 2025 edition.