In a shift in stance, the United States has told Ukraine that it can use American-supplied weapons to hit Russian forces "anywhere", its forces attack from across the border, and not just the region near Kharkiv, Politico reported, citing US officials.

This subtle shift, which according to the officials is not a change in policy, comes weeks after the US quietly signaled the green light to Kyiv to strike inside Russia in retaliation to a cross-border assault on the city of Kharkiv.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the world sees yoga as a powerful agent for global good as it helps people live in the present without carrying the baggage of the past.

Addressing a gathering at the 10th International Yoga Day event at the SKICC here, the prime minister said yoga has helped people realise that their welfare is linked to the welfare of the world around them.

Asian shares are ending the week with a whimper after a rally to 26-month highs earlier this week drew profit-taking, while the strength in the US dollar as central banks in Europe cut rates kept pressuring the yen towards the intervention zone.

Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates for a second time while the Bank of England opened the door to an easing in August after holding rates steady. Sterling, the Swiss franc and the euro fell, lifting the dollar broadly.

Seven-term parliamentarian and BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab was on Thursday appointed pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha, bucking the largely followed convention of appointing the senior most member to the post, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition Congress.

The pro-tem Speaker will administer the oath/affirmation to the newly elected members of the 18th Lok Sabha and preside over the Lower House till the election of the Speaker.

Question paper leak of UGC-NET is an "institutional failure" of National Testing Agency (NTA) and the government will set up a high-level committee to look into its functioning and recommend reforms, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Thursday amid a raging row over medical entrance exam NEET and cancellation of UGC-NET.

"The cancellation of UGC-NET was not a knee-jerk reaction. We got proofs that the paper had leaked on darknet and was circulating on Telegram and decided to cancel the exam," Pradhan said at a press conference.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday and offered to supply fossil fuels, including natural gas, to Vietnam during a state visit that comes as Moscow is seeking to bolster ties in Asia to offset its growing international isolation over its war in Ukraine.

Putin and President To Lam agreed to further cooperate in education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration and clean energy.

Karnataka BJP on Thursday held "Cycle Jatha" here, as part of its state-wide protest against the Congress government's decision to hike petrol and diesel prices.

BJP workers and leaders led by its state President B Y Vijayendra sought to mark their protest by riding bicycles from the party's state office 'Jagannath Bhavan' to 'Vidhana Soudha'.

Shares of fertiliser companies continued their northward movement for the second straight day, zooming up to 20 per cent on the BSE in Thursday’s intra-day trade backed by heavy volumes on expectations of a healthy outlook. In the past two trading days, fertiliser stocks have skyrocketed by up to 27 per cent. Most of the stocks were trading at their multi-year highs.

The Union Cabinet, in its second meeting under the Narendra Modi government’s third term, on Wednesday approved the Rs 76,220 crore Vadhavan Port project in Maharashtra after months of deliberations.

This will be one of the largest port projects in India and is expected to serve as a gateway port for the upcoming India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) and International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).

A senior leader of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said his party should get to contest at least 100 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena is part of the Mahayuti coalition which also includes the BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

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