India’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) exported goods worth Rs 9,52,023.35 crore in the current financial year up to September 2025-26, the parliament was informed on Thursday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises Sushri Shobha Karandlaje said the export data is based on MSME-related products identified from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics portal.

Tripura Police on Thursday arrested three persons, including two women, from Assam in connection with the assault of a delivery boy, who later died by suicide.

Police said the victim was publicly humiliated and beaten by the arrested individuals, along with two others, leading to the tragic incident on December 14.

“With the assistance of Assam Police, we arrested the three accused from Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj) district of southern Assam on Thursday. They will be produced before a court in Dharmanagar shortly,” a police official told the media.

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Thursday warned investors of unsolicited messages being circulated through social media, WhatsApp and calls regarding investment in 'A-1 Ltd'.

"Investors are advised to exercise due caution and refrain from dealing based on such Recommendations by unauthorised or unregistered entities, including received through WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, Calls, other Social Media platforms, etc," BSE said in an official statement.

The nation's oldest stock exchange stated that they have come across instances where unauthorised bodies issue investment recommendations through various channels for this particular stock.

In a tumultuous session marked by loud protests and sloganeering from Opposition benches, the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM-G Bill) via voice vote on Thursday.

A major and sensational theft has been reported from Gopalganj district in Bihar, where unknown thieves carried out a large-scale robbery at the renowned Thawe Durga Temple, one of the most revered religious sites in the region.

The incident has triggered widespread anger among devotees and raised serious concerns over temple security.

Security forces killed three Maoists, including one woman cadre, during an encounter in the forested hills under Golapalli police station limits in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday morning, police officials said.

The operation, led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG), was launched after specific intelligence indicated the presence of Maoist cadres in the area.

The winter session of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly is unlikely to take place within the current calendar year due to the pressure from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the upcoming festive season, sources said on Thursday.

The second phase of the SIR exercise began on Tuesday with the publication of the draft voters’ list.

Filmmaker Karan Johar has expressed his excitement about director Aditya Dhar’s next directorial venture, following the impressive success of his film “Dhurandhar.”

Addressing the media at India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.) event, the director praised Aditya saying he thoroughly enjoyed Dhurandhar and was delighted by its massive box office success as well as the widespread appreciation it received. Karan added that he is eagerly looking forward to seeing what Dhar takes up next. The filmmaker also congratulated the entire cast and crew for their efforts, singling out performances by Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt.

While cheese -- high in saturated fat and sodium -- is known to raise the risk of high cholesterol or blood pressure, a new study has linked it to a lower risk of developing dementia.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, showed that some high-fat dairy products, such as cheddar, Brie, and Gouda, as well as whipping cream, double cream, and clotted cream, may actually lower the risk of dementia. The findings challenge some long-held assumptions about fat and brain health.

The makers of director Shaneil Deo's eagerly-waited pan-Indian action drama 'Dacoit', featuring Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur in the lead, on Thursday released an entertaining teaser of the film, much to the delight of fans and film buffs.

Sharing the link to the teaser on his X timeline, actor Adivi Sesh, who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday wrote, "The #DacoitTeaser is HERE. BOOM. #DACOIT."

Late star Dharmendra’s final film “Ikkis” has been postponed to January 1, following the blockbuster second weekend of the spy thriller “Dhurandhar.” Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, whose grandson Agastya Nanda stars in the film, shared his thoughts on the delay.

“Ikkis” was first scheduled to release October 2, which was later shifted. It was then scheduled for a Christmas release on December 25 alongside Kartik Aaryan’s romantic comedy drama “Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri.” However, it is now set for a solo release on January 1.

 A team of researchers from Bose Institute in Kolkata has developed a peptide therapy that offers a promising, multidisciplinary approach to treating fungal keratitis -- a severe, sight-threatening infection of the cornea -- the clear front part of the eye.

The team, including researchers from the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, designed a 15-residue peptide, named SA-XV, derived from a larger host-defense peptide -- S100A12. This peptide, previously shown to inhibit fungal growth, has been characterised for its antifungal potency and mechanism of action.

Two cow smugglers were injured, and one was arrested in two separate police encounters in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur and Ballia districts, officials said on Thursday.

In Jaunpur, an encounter took place between police and cow smugglers in the Khuthan police station area late on Wednesday. During the exchange of fire, a notorious cow smuggler was injured by a bullet in police retaliation, while one of his associates was arrested after being surrounded by the police. A Swift car without a number plate, a country-made pistol, two empty cartridges and some cash were recovered from the spot, according to the police.

Thick smog continued to blanket Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday morning, with the capital witnessing a fresh deterioration in air quality as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 356, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Out of the 39 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, four reported AQI readings in the 'severe' category, while several others hovered close to the same range, underlining the persistence of hazardous air conditions across the city.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh has opened up about his upcoming film Raja Shivaji, calling it a humble tribute to the legendary warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He also said that he is “half way there”, but still a “long way to go.”

Riteish was responding to actor Suniel Shetty, who wished the actor on his 47th birthday.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in the national capital issued a passenger advisory on Thursday morning amid dense fog conditions, cautioning travellers that Low Visibility Procedures (LVP) had been implemented even as flight operations continued without major disruption.

In a travel advisory issued at 4.30 a.m., Delhi Airport authorities said foggy weather had significantly reduced visibility levels, leading to the activation of LVP to ensure the safety of aircraft operations. At the same time, officials clarified that flight services at the airport were functioning normally when the advisory was released.

US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping prescription drug price cuts under a “Most Favoured Nation” policy has put India’s pharmaceutical industry in focus, as Washington moves to benchmark US drug prices against those paid in other countries.

In an address to the nation on Wednesday (local time), Trump said his administration had negotiated sharp reductions in drug prices by directly confronting pharmaceutical companies and foreign governments, using trade pressure to force changes in global pricing.

Real Madrid edged into the fourth round of the Copa del Rey after a nervous 3-2 win away to third-tier Talavera.

Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead in the 41st minute from the penalty spot and then created the visitors' second, pulling the ball back from the byline for Manuel Farrando to turn into his own net.

Talavera pulled a goal back through Nahuel Arroyo in the 79th minute before Mbappe restored Madrid's two-goal cushion three minutes from time.

The Election Commission of India (ECI), from Thursday, will start sending notices for hearing on the claims and objections on the draft voters’ list in West Bengal, thus marking the end of the first stage of the three-part Special Intensive Exercise (SIR), which started from November 4.

The draft list was published on Tuesday. Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that to begin with, the ECI will send notices to the “unmapped” voters, which means those voters who have no connection with the voters' list for 2002, either through “self-mapping” or through ”progeny mapping".

Gold and silver prices slipped in the domestic futures market on Thursday morning as investors booked profits after the recent rally to record highs.

A slight rise in the US dollar and caution ahead of key US inflation data also weighed on precious metal prices.

The unified payments interface (UPI) transaction volumes rose 33.5 per cent (year-on-year) to 59.33 billion transactions in the July-September period, as transaction value grew 21 per cent to Rs 74.84 lakh crore, a report showed on Thursday.

India reached 709 million active UPI QRs, marking a 21 per cent increase since July 2024. Dense QR acceptance across kiranas, pharmacies, transport hubs, and rural markets has made scan-and-pay the default payment mode nationwide, according to the report by Worldline India.

Person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions continued to outpace person-to-person (P2P), reflecting UPI’s dominance in everyday retail payments.

Indian stock markets opened on a weak note on Thursday, extending their losing streak to a fourth straight session, as negative cues from Asian markets weighed on investor sentiment.

Traders are also cautious ahead of the weekly expiry of Sensex derivatives, which is adding to intra-day volatility.

At around 9:23 a.m., the 30-share Sensex was trading at 84,434.8, down 124.77 points or 0.15 per cent. The Nifty slipped 22.15 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 25,789.75.