The board of India's IDFC FIRST Bank has approved raising up to Rs 7,500 crore ($877 million) from affiliate firms of Warburg Pincus and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to fuel its next phase of growth, the lender said on Thursday.

The entities will invest the funds for a combined 15 per cent stake in the mid-sized private lender which has 971 branches, a loan book of Rs 2.31 trillion and a deposit base of Rs 2.27 trillion.

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre whether it is willing to allow Muslims to be part of Hindu religious trusts. The top court's comments come during the hearing of a bunch of petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan is hearing the petitions. The hearing is underway with senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners' side, making submissions.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, in connection with the National Herald money laundering case.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne, who received the chargesheet on April 9, has taken up the matter for cognisance and scheduled the next hearing for April 25.

Indian dairy firm Heritage Foods will increase the prices of its products this financial year to offset rising costs such as fuel and raw material expenses, its CEO told Reuters.

Consumer goods majors, including Nestle India and Cinthol soapmaker Godrej Consumer Products, are hiking prices to battle a double whammy of a slowdown in consumer spending and higher costs.

PhonePe has launched a feature enabling users to “create a circle” and make payments on behalf of their family, friends, or trusted contacts, said the fintech company on Wednesday.

Dependents in a family can use UPI Circle to create their own identity or profile in the digital payments service without a linked bank account, providing a secure financial service to “unbanked” individuals.

The Supreme Court will begin hearing a batch of 73 petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf Amendment Act today (April 16). The hearing, scheduled to start at 2 pm, will be conducted by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan, reported India Today.

The Waqf Amendment Act, which was passed by Parliament and signed into law by President Droupadi Murmu on April 5, has sparked widespread protests and legal challenges across the nation.

India and the United States have finalised the terms of reference for the initial phase of a bilateral trade agreement, Reuters reported, citing an Indian trade official.

The two nations had earlier agreed, in February, to collaborate on the first stage of the trade pact, aiming to finalise it by the end of this year. The broader goal is to boost bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has proclaimed April 14, 2025 as Dr B R Ambedkar Day in New York City, with its 8.5 million residents celebrating the day, a top official in the mayor's office said here.

Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs Dilip Chauhan made the announcement here in the presence of Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Ramdas Athawale, who delivered the keynote address at a special event organised at the UN headquarters on Monday to commemorate Dr Ambedkar's 134th birth anniversary.

The federal government says it's freezing more than USD 2.2 billion in grants and contracts to Harvard University, since the institution said Monday it won't comply with the Trump administration's demands to limit activism on campus.

In a letter to Harvard Friday, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies as well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity.

Union minister Gadkari has said the long-delayed Mumbai-Goa highway will be completed by June this year, which is expected to bring relief to daily commuters and Konkan-bound travellers who have endured years of pothole-ridden roads.

Speaking at an event here on Monday, the road transport and highways minister also reiterated that physical toll booths would be removed across the country soon and the Centre will come up with a new toll policy.

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