The Chief Ministers of northeastern states on Wednesday hailed the return of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and the Crew-9 astronauts to the Earth after spending nine months in space, saying that her resilience, dedication and pioneering spirit motivate millions of people.

In separate posts on their 'X' accounts, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his Tripura counterpart Manik Saha and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that space exploration is about pushing the limits of human potential, daring to dream, and having the courage to turn those dreams into reality.

Gujarat Titans are set for an electrifying IPL 2025 season, with skipper Shubman Gill leading from the front. In a pre-season press conference in Ahmedabad, Chief Operating Officer Col. Arvinder Singh, Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki, Head Coach Ashish Nehra, Assistant Coach Parthiv Patel, and Captain Shubman Gill shared insights on the team’s preparations, strategies, and vision for the upcoming campaign.

“Each IPL season brings renewed excitement, and this year is no different. As a franchise, our focus extends beyond just cricket—we are committed to delivering a best-in-class experience for fans inside the stadium. From engaging activities to seamless ticket access, we are ensuring that Titans fans get to be a part of something special this season,” said Arvinder.

Fans can purchase tickets online and offline tickets are available at multiple locations across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara. Beyond the cricketing action, Gujarat Titans are elevating the fan experience with innovative in-stadia activations and engagement zones.

Participating in the ongoing debate on demands related to water resources during the budget session of Parliament, Aam Aadmi Party Lok Sabha member from Sangrur Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer put forward important demands of Punjab. Despite being a riparian state, Punjab did not get its due share of water and after the reorganisation of the state of Punjab, Punjab did not get its due share from the Yamuna River.

Meet Hayer said that drinking water is getting polluted. He said that the entire Malwa region is struggling with clean drinking water and is suffering from cancer. The country's food banks were filled with the Green Revolution, but Punjab had to bear a huge loss. Punjab has completed the Jal Jeevan Mission of supplying water through taps, but the Malwa region needs a supply of canal water for drinking from the Bhakra Canal.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Malvinder Singh Kang has called for a collaborative and constructive approach to resolve the ongoing issues faced by farmers. He highlighted that Punjab's borders have been blocked for over a year, leading to significant economic losses, reduced investments, and a decline in tourism.

Speaking on the matter, MP Malvinder Singh Kang said, “Every Punjabi has always stood firmly with the farmers. Whether it was the black farm laws or any other challenge, the people of Punjab—urban and rural, youth, farmers, laborers, and businessmen—have supported the farmers’ movements wholeheartedly. The repeal of the black farm laws was a victory achieved through unity and resilience.”

Kang pointed out the adverse effects of the prolonged border closures on Punjab. “The closure of Punjab’s borders, particularly at Shambhu, has not only created economic hardships but also affected religious tourism. The number of devotees visiting sacred places like Darbar Sahib has declined. Furthermore, the biggest challenge is the lack of investment, which is directly tied to industrial growth and employment generation. This is a pressing issue as unemployment is one of the root causes of drug abuse in Punjab.”

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Wednesday partnered with DigiLocker to help investors track their securities holdings and reduce unclaimed financial assets.

This initiative, outlined in the SEBI’s circular titled "Harnessing DigiLocker as a Digital Public Infrastructure for Reducing Unclaimed Assets in the Indian Securities Market," aims to enhance investor protection and streamline access to financial holdings.

By integrating DigiLocker with the securities market, the SEBI is ensuring that investors can store and retrieve details of their demat accounts and mutual fund holdings securely.

DigiLocker, which already provides access to bank account statements, insurance policies, and National Pension System (NPS) details, will now serve as a centralised platform for investors to manage their securities information.

According to the government, a key feature of this initiative is the nomination facility.

As part of an intensified crackdown on organised crime, the Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell (SMC) has identified 15 major bootleggers and gambling offenders across the state, compiling a list of their illegal properties slated for demolition, the police said on Wednesday.

An official statement from the SMC confirmed that under the directive of the Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat's Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay, has ordered a 100-hour operation to take strict legal action against anti-social elements.

Ahead of stepping into his second IPL season as the captain of Gujarat Titans, opener Shubman Gill said his captaincy journey has been a continuous endeavour, adding that he gains new insights with every match and week in the tournament.

Under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, Gujarat Titans won 2022 IPL and became runners-up in the subsequent season. But after Pandya left for the Mumbai Indians and Gill was made the new GT captain, the side failed to make the playoffs last year by finishing in eighth place in the league – with five wins, seven defeats and two abandoned games due to rain.

Achieving a new milestone in government recruitments, Punjab government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday created history by giving 52,606 jobs to the youth merely in 36 months of assuming the charge of office.

Addressing the gathering in a function to hand over appointment letters to 951 ETT teachers, the Chief Minister congratulated all the youth for getting these jobs thereby becoming active partners in the social and economic development of Punjab. He said that the state government is working tirelessly for the holistic development of Punjab for which young and qualified youth are required. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that for this purpose only the state government has embarked this massive recruitment drive for putting the state on a high growth trajectory.

Ride-hailing major Uber India continued to struggle with profitability despite strong revenue growth, as rising expenses weighed heavily on its financial performance, its latest financials showed.

The company’s total expenditure surged by 26.4 per cent to Rs 3,977 crore in FY24, driven largely by employee costs, legal fees, advertising and operational expenses.

Employee costs alone accounted for nearly 68 per cent of overall spending, growing by 29.4 per cent to Rs 2,690 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2024.