After a helium leak, bad weather has delayed the Polaris Dawn mission, Elon Musk-led SpaceX announced on Wednesday.

The company is unlikely to launch the mission slated to perform the first-ever 'all-civilian' spacewalk on Wednesday and Thursday, as notified earlier.

“Due to unfavourable weather forecasted in Dragon’s splashdown areas off the coast of Florida, we are now standing down from tonight and tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch opportunities of Polaris Dawn,” SpaceX said in a post on X.

Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions under the "Polaris Programme” by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the commander of the first "all-civilian" space mission Inspiration4, launched in 2021.

While SpaceX has not announced a new target date, Isaacman said “we’ll wait for the best opportunity to ensure success”.

Khalda Petroleum Company announced a new oil discovery in the Kalabsha development area of Egypt's Western Desert.

In a statement on Tuesday, Khalda, a joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and US Apache Corporation, said the well was tested by drilling 270 feet into the Paleozoic sands.

The recovery on a 1-inch production opening was 7,165 barrels of oil per day with a quality of 44 degrees and 23 million cubic feet of associated gas, reports news agency.

The electrical logs of the well showed evidence of petroleum in the Paleozoic component, with a total net thickness of 462 feet, the company added.

Also on Tuesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced that the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company has launched a new international 2024 bid round for the exploration and exploitation of natural gas and crude oil in 12 blocks in the Mediterranean and Nile Delta.

India equity indices were trading flat following negative global cues from Asian peers.

At 9.40 a.m., Sensex was down 45 points or 0.05 per cent at 81,667 and Nifty was down 21 points or 0.10 per cent at 24,996.

The all-time high of Nifty is 25,078.

The market trend remains positive. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,470 shares are in the green and 620 shares in the red.

There is a buying trend in midcaps and smallcaps compared to largecaps. The Nifty Midcap 100 index is up 108 points or 0.18 per cent at 59,316 and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index is up 93 points at 19,426.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dedicated the foundation day of the Trinamool Congress’ student wing TMCP on Wednesday to the memory of the woman doctor of the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital who became the victim of a ghastly rape and murder earlier this month.

“Today I dedicate Trinamool Chhatra Parishad Foundation Day to our sister, whom we mourned the tragic loss of at RG Kar Hospital a few days ago. And please, our heartfelt condolences to the family of the sister who was brutally tortured to death and seeking speedy justice, as well as to all the women of all ages across India who have been subjected to such inhumane acts. Sorry,” the Chief Minister said in a message posted on her official X handle in the morning.

According to her, since students and youths have a great social role to play it is the task of student society to give the dream of a new day by keeping the society and culture awake and to inspire everyone around with the bright vows of a new day.

The 12-hour general strike called by BJP in West Bengal on Wednesday has made a major impact on normal life in pockets of the state.

The strike from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. has been called to condemn police action on the protesters who participated in the 'Nabanna Abhijan' (March to Bengal Secretariat) rally on Tuesday. The march was called to protest against the ghastly rape and murder of a woman doctor on the premises of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month.

The worst affected were suburban train services both at the Howrah and two sections of the Sealdah divisions, as BJP supporters blocked the railway at several places. Due to this a number of local trains remained static for a long time there.

At several places, there were minor scuffles between BJP supporters and the police personnel as the latter tried to remove the blockades. In many places, the BJP supporters even sat on the railway tracks and the police personnel had a tough time in removing them.

Sri Lanka has commenced the formulation of its first climate-smart agriculture (CSA) investment plan in a bid to combat the escalating challenges posed by climate change, according to a statement issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on Tuesday.

The initiative is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the FAO in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, news agency reported.

It aims to develop a comprehensive strategy to safeguard the country's agricultural sector from the adverse impacts of climate change, the statement said.

Sri Lanka, with its tropical climate, is highly susceptible to the effects of climate change, consistently ranking among the top 10 countries at risk of extreme weather events according to the Global Climate Risk Index.

Projections indicate significant shifts in weather patterns, including rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and increased frequency of extreme events, all of which have already begun to diminish agricultural productivity and water availability across the island, the FAO said.

The BJP on Tuesday released the third list of 29 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.

Of the 29 names announced in the third list, 10 candidates will try their luck in the second phase while the rest of the 19 will be in the fray in the third phase of polls.

With 15 names in the first list, one in the second and 29 in the third list, the party has so far announced 45 candidates.

The party has also unveiled the names of its 40 star campaigners who will led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The party's star campaigners include Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president J.P. Nadda and Union Ministers including Nitin Gadkari, Manohar Lal Khattar, G. Kishan Reddy, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jitendra Singh .

Scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, on Tuesday revealed a low-cost and portable smartphone-based sensor system that can assist in managing symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

People with Parkinson’s face a continuous decrease in neuron cells that reduces the levels of dopamine (neurotransmitter) in their body. L-dopa is a chemical that is converted to dopamine in our body and so acts as an anti-Parkinson’s drug.

A correct dosage of L-dopa ensures the disease remains manageable. When L-dopa decreases, Parkinson's symptoms return. On the other hand, too much of the chemical can cause serious side effects like dyskinesia, gastritis, psychosis, paranoia, and orthostatic hypotension.

A protest march was taken out from Mata Gujri College, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk in the city against the shameful incidents of rape happening in the country. Jathedar Jagdeep Singh Cheema, National General Secretary, Halka Incharge, Shromni Akali Dal, participated in the protest march.

Driven by India’s booming economy and shifting consumer preferences, co-branded credit cards (CBCCs) are projected to grow at the 35-40 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), outpacing the traditional plastic money by two times in FY28, a report said on Tuesday.

As consumers seek personalised financial products, co-branded credit cards have emerged as a key driver of engagement, offering tailored rewards and exclusive benefits through strategic partnerships between banks and brands.

The report by Redseer Strategy Consultants highlighted that in FY24, CBCCs accounted for 12-15 per cent of total credit cards, with projections showing this share could exceed 25 per cent by FY28.

This growth trajectory is twice as fast as that of traditional credit cards, according to the report, in collaboration with Hyperface.