Russia invites PM Modi: Russia has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the May 9 celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of its victory against Germany during World War II, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said.

Russia’s state-run Tass news agency quoted Rudenko as saying on Tuesday, “It’s being worked out…He has an invitation.”

Russia has invited leaders of several friendly nations to attend this year’s Victory Day Parade.

Dadi Ratan Mohini, spiritual leader and chief administrator of the Brahma Kumaris, died at a private hospital in Ahmedabad early on Tuesday (April 8, 2025). Her 100th birthday was celebrated on March 25. She was unwell for the past week, and was shifted from Rajasthan’s Abu Road to Ahmedabad when her condition deteriorated.

Dadi Ratan Mohini’s body has been kept at the Brahma Kumaris’ headquarters, Shantivan, in Abu Road, to enable people to pay their last respects. She was earlier transferred for dialysis at the Trauma Centre in Shantivan before being shifted to Ahmedabad in neighbouring Gujarat.

The centenarian spiritual leader was the second chief of the Brahma Kumaris, said to be the world’s largest spiritual organisation, to reach the advanced age. She was the chief administrator of Brahma Kumaris since 2021. The first, Dadi Janki, passed away in 2020 at the age of 104.

Former test batsman Will Pucovski has confirmed his retirement from cricket at the age of 27 as the Australian continues to battle concussion symptoms more than a year after being struck by a ball in a domestic match.

The Melbourne native was once seen as the future of Australian cricket as he made a half-century on his test debut against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2021.

It was to prove his only international match, though, as he suffered a shoulder injury in the field and was never able to break back into the squad due to repeated instances of concussion.

Pucovski confirmed to radio station SEN on Tuesday that he was still suffering symptoms more than a year after being hit in the helmet by a delivery from Tasmania fast bowler Riley Meredith in a Sheffield Shield match in Hobart.

World Boxing has formed an interim committee to oversee the affairs of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), following requests from Indian boxing stakeholders outlining concerns regarding the governance of the national body.

In its letter, dated April 7, to BFI chief Ajay Singh, the global boxing body mentioned that World Boxing had received requests from Indian boxing stakeholders seeking stability in Indian boxing and the need for an interim framework that aligns with the statutes and vision of World Boxing.

The interim committee, headed by BFI president Ajay Singh, includes BFI vice president Narender Kumar Nirwan, BFI executive director Arun Malik, and Olympian L. Sarita Devi. One nominee of the National Olympic Committee (IOA) will be nominated in consultation with the president of the IOA. Fairuz, president of the Singapore Boxing Association, will serve as a representative from World Boxing as an observer “to observe and validate the work of the committee.”

In shooting, Vijayveer Sidhu has become the first Indian to win gold in the men’s 25-meter rapid fire pistol event of the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the women’s category Suruchi Singh claimed her maiden gold in the 10-meter air pistol event.

The double golds put India on top of the medals tally with four gold, one silver and a bronze.

World Homeopathy Day 2025: Observed annually on April 10, World Homeopathy Day commemorates the birth anniversary of Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, the German physician who founded homoeopathy. The day serves as a tribute to homoeopathy's contributions to the field of medicine and aims to raise awareness about this alternative system of healing.

Homeopathy is an alternative medical practice based on the principle of "like cures like." It suggests that substances causing symptoms in healthy individuals can, in minute doses, treat similar symptoms in those who are unwell. Though its roots trace back to ancient Greek medicine, it was in the 19th century that homoeopathy gained widespread recognition across Europe and North America.

Practitioners use highly diluted natural substances-often derived from plants and minerals- to stimulate the body's innate healing ability. In India, World Homeopathy Day is observed under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, to promote awareness and research in the field.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, launched a new digital facility that allows for the generation and activation of Universal Account Numbers (UAN) using Aadhaar-based Face Authentication Technology (FAT) through the UMANG mobile application.

In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the EPFO said the move aims to simplify the UAN allotment process, enhance data accuracy, and reduce reliance on employers for initiating UAN generation. The new system enables employees to independently generate and activate their UANs in a contactless and secure manner.

Previously, UANs were largely generated by employers using employee-submitted data. However, discrepancies in Aadhaar-linked information such as names, dates of birth, and mobile numbers often delayed services and created hurdles during claims processing. According to the EPFO, during the financial year 2024–25, out of 1.26 crore UANs allotted, only 44.68 lakh (35.3%) were activated by members.

In a landmark initiative to strengthen cybersecurity resilience in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector, CERT-In (MeitY), CSIRT-Fin and SISA, a global Cybersecurity company, collaborated to launch the Digital Threat Report 2024 for the BFSI sector, a comprehensive analysis of current and emerging cyber threats and defense strategies.

The report was launched by Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Shri M Nagaraju and Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Shri S Krishnan along with Director General, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) Dr Sanjay Bahl and Founder and CEO, SISA, Dharshan Shanthamurthy.

The Non Performing Asset (NPA) rate in the MUDRA Scheme is the lowest in the world for the segment. In an interview with an English Daily, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated this, adding that just 3.5 percent loans provided under the scheme have turned into NPA, which is an exceptionally low default rate in this segment worldwide. Mr. Modi said that while during the previous UPA rule, the banks were burdened with toxic assets and favoured select elites of those who were close to power centres, the MUDRA has redirected resources to the grassroots, fostering entrepreneurship without compromising financial stability. The Prime Minister highlighted that the MUDRA is part of a larger vision to ensure that the entrepreneurial ability, innovation, creativity and self-reliance of the people at the grassroots is respected and supported. He added that through the MUDRA Yojana, the government wanted to give a message to every Indian: The Centre would stand as a guarantee in their journey to fulfil their aspirations.

Talking about the banking system, Prime Minister Modi said the banks in the country are in good health, and many of them have touched record profits due to relentless banking reforms and the deft handling of the NPA crisis by the government. He added that over the last decade, programmes including MUDRA, PM-Svanidhi and Standup India have benefited from the improving health of the banks. He also stated that due to these schemes, India’s banking system has become more responsive towards the needs of small entrepreneurs. Mr Modi expressed confidence that India’s banking sector will continue to be a strong partner in the journey of ensuring financial inclusion and supporting entrepreneurship at the grassroots.

The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has notified the amalgamation of 26 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) under the “One State, One RRB” principle. This is the fourth phase of the RRB consolidation process. The Ministry of Finance rolled out the amalgamation plan in November last year, building on improvements in efficiency from previous phases.

Following consultations with stakeholders, 26 RRBs across 10 states and one Union Territory have been merged, focusing on enhancing scale, efficiency, and cost rationalisation. Currently, 43 RRBs operate across 26 states and two Union Territories. Post-amalgamation, there will be 28 RRBs covering 700 districts with more than 22,000 branches. Around 92 percent of these branches are located in rural and semi-urban areas.