Author: Indmedia

Ahmedabad: Gold has always glittered brightest in times of global turmoil. But bullion traders say the steepest rally in recent decades has unfolded in 2025, triggered by escalating tariff wars, geopolitical flashpoints and a structural shift in global reserve strategies. Domestic prices climbed as much as 75% in this period, contributing to a 74% annual rise.Traditionally viewed as a hedge against economic and political uncertainty, gold has surged during crises ranging from the 2008 financial collapse and the 9/11 terror attacks to the Covid-19 pandemic and even the Great Depression of 1929. However, market participants point out that the 2025…

Bhubaneswar: Rail and road traffic may be disrupted in Odisha on Thursday as central trade unions, farmer organisations and Left parties have called for a 12-hour Bharat Bandh from 6 am to 6 pm to protest against new labour codes and issues affecting farmers and workers.Banking services, govt offices, educational institutions, markets and other establishments may also be affected during the shutdown. Left parties — CPI, CPM, CPI(ML) Liberation and the All India Forward Bloc — jointly appealed on Wednesday for public support to make the bandh “completely successful.”Bhubaneswar: Industrial Boost, Caste Boycott, Tragic Elephant Attack & Hockey HeroicsThe call…

ERODE: The district civil supplies crime investigation department (Civil Supplies-CID) police on Thursday arrested three men for illegally storing PDS rice near Erode. They seized 12,000 kg of rice from a godown and a pickup truck.Civil Supplies-CID received complaints that ration rice was being stored for sale in rice mills in Sivagiri and surrounding areas. Polic engaged in intensive patrolling in the Sivagiri area on Wednesday night.The found rice stored in bundles in a godown owned by K Ramalingam, 52, at Rangasamudram near Sivagiri. Also, they found sacks of PDS rice on a pickup truck near the rice mill.Police arrested…

Gurgaon: The city authorities have decided to introduce a structured monitoring system aimed at “fixing accountability” for civic issues on the ground. The monitoring mechanism includes setting up a committee to be headed by the MCG commissioner. The committee — comprising officials from HSVP, GMDA, the corporation and other concerned departments — will be responsible for fixing clear accountability at the level of junior engineers (JEs).Repeated complaints of sewer overflows, leaking pipelines, sanitation gaps and unchecked encroachments have triggered the administrative action. The dedicated monitoring mechanism was mooted at a district coordination committee meeting, chaired by Haryana’s principal advisor for…

Dibrugarh: Hundreds of Anganwadi workers and helpers took part in a protest at Makum in Tinsukia district on Thursday, demanding recognition as regular govt employees with proper wages instead of honorarium.The protest was part of a statewide demonstration by the Assam State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers’ Association (ASAWHA), expressing strong dissatisfaction over what they termed as neglect in the Union Budget 2026–27.The demonstration highlighted the alleged deprivation of frontline workers operating under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), now redesignated as PM Poshan-2.The protesters alleged that the budget proposals remain silent on the rights and challenges faced by Anganwadi workers…

Jhansi: A 40-year-old woman, along with two men, including her paramour, was arrested in Jhansi for allegedly murdering her 44-year-old husband. The body of Jaghbhan Kushwaha, a railway vendor from Lalitpur’s Talbehat area, was found near Jhansi railway station on Feb 1. He had left home for work the night before. According to SP City Priti Singh, a case was lodged against an unknown person under Section 103(1), 61(2)a of BNS and Section 3/25/27 Arms Act at Nawabad police station. During the investigation, it emerged that Jaghbhan’s wife, Kiran, befriended Shiv Kumar Lodhi of Umrikala village through a social media…

Ludhiana: A consumer watchdog has slapped a Rs 10,000 penalty on a Reliance Smart Point store for selling a packet of expired instant poha worth just Rs 10.The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Ludhiana has ruled that the retail giant, a subsidiary of a large group, engaged in “unfair trade practices” and “deficient service” by selling food past its use-by date. The complainant, Naveneet Singh, purchased the 50-g packet of Masti Oye Instant Poha from the Atam Park outlet on Aug 23, 2025. Upon returning home, he discovered the product’s expiry date was listed as Aug 10 — nearly…

Pune: An allegedly unauthorised RCC (reinforced cement concrete) structure on Baner Hills continues to stand more than five years after Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) issued a demolition notice, prompting renewed concerns from residents and environmental groups about delayed enforcement and potential safety risks.A PMC notice, dated Dec 2020, had ordered the demolition of the structure after officials found an RCC construction on land in survey number 49 — an area reserved as a biodiversity park (BDP). The notice stated that the work had been carried out without civic approval and directed the occupants to remove the structure within 30 days,…

Panaji: Beef prices across Goa rose sharply, as boned beef retailed at Rs 400 per kg, while boneless beef climbed to Rs 500 per kg. Last month, it was being sold for Rs 350 and Rs 400 respectively.Traders say the rise is due to large-scale exports of Indian beef to foreign markets, which has made it very difficult for local businesses to procure animals at competitive rates.Bharat Bandh On Feb 12, Union Budget Impact On Infra, US Bill To End H1-B And More“Exporters are purchasing animals at very high prices for overseas markets. We cannot compete with that,” said Quraishi…

Chandigarh: In a rare show of unanimity, councillors of the BJP, Congress and AAP on Wednesday shot down the municipal corporation’s proposal to convert 213 free parking lots across Chandigarh into paid sites. The moment the agenda came up, members refused to even hear out the officials, insisting they would not impose any additional financial burden on residents.The MC had argued that the parking lots — spread across V-4 sector roads and market areas — were used by thousands of vehicles daily and could generate significant revenue if converted to paid parking. But councillors dismissed the plan outright.Municipal commissioner Amit…