The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to implement annual contracts for its players, effective from the 2026-2027 season onwards. The MCA has decided to introduce Grades A, B, and C, where players will be remunerated and the proposal was passed during the recent Apex Council meeting.

Grade A players will be paid between 12 lakh to 20 lakh per annum, Grade B cricketers will be paid between 8 lakh to 12 lakh, while Grade C players will get 8 lakh rupees. “We had earlier promised that MCA will bring up the contract system, and we have finalised it in the last Apex Council meeting. A lot of thought has gone into it, and we have tried to cover each area. All players don’t get the opportunity to play in the IPL. This contract will help many players of today’s time who play all formats of the game for Mumbai,” MCA President Ajinkya Naik said.

India and New Zealand will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) on April 27 here, an official said on Thursday.

The free trade pact aims to provide tariff-free access to the island nation's market for domestic exporters' goods and will bring in USD 20 billion in investment over the next 15 years.

The two countries on December 22 last year announced the conclusion of negotiations for the trade deal which aims at doubling bilateral trade to USD 5 billion in the next five years.

The official said that the pact will be signed on April 27 in Bharat Mandapam after a meeting of the India-New Zealand Business Forum.

The Supreme Court on Thursday (April 16) held that a woman or his family members could not be subjected to proceedings under the Dowry Prohibition Act for 'giving' dowry based on the averments made by them in their complaint against the 'dowry takers'.

A bench consisting of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice K. Vinod Chandran dismissed an appeal filed by a husband who sought to have an FIR registered against his wife and her family.

The husband argued that because his wife had admitted to providing dowry in her own legal complaint against him, she had effectively confessed to a crime under Section 3 of the Dowry Prohibition Act (DP Act), which penalizes the "giving" of dowry. However, the court rejected his attempt to use her allegations as a basis for criminal proceedings against her.

In an unprecedented move, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will be preparing to participate in a landmark high-level conference that will bring together the top leadership of India’s internal security apparatus. The conference will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, a first of its kind, signalling a strong push towards unified strategic thinking across the forces.

Senior officials familiar with the matter confirmed that the gathering is designed to give CAPF leadership a common platform to deliberate on their evolving mandate in the face of rapidly shifting internal security threats. From insurgency and left-wing extremism to the growing menace of cyber-enabled risks, the changing threat landscape has made coordinated responses more critical than ever.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, in collaboration with the Mehta Family Foundation (MFF), will introduce an undergraduate programme in Environmental Economics and Sustainable Engineering (EESE) from July 2026. The programme aims to integrate climate science, environmental economics, and engineering under one umbrella, according to the press release. The EESE programme is expected to admit 30 students through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced.

The programme is structured around three primary areas — environmental economics and policy, energy systems and battery technology, and water and climate systems, as per IIT Patna. It also places strong emphasis on systems modelling, data-driven decision making, and regular environmental monitoring, while providing internship opportunities across renewable energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors. This will lead to career opportunities in industries such as climate technology, sustainable infrastructure, ESG strategy, policy advisory, and green finance, as stated in the release by IIT.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for collective adoption of a set of nine behavioural commitments by the citizens in the country’s march towards progress.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Sri Guru Bhairavaikya Mandir in Adichunchanagiri Mutt in Mandya district, near Mysuru, on Wednesday, Mr Modi placed before the people nine resolutions aimed at strengthening social responsibility, health, sustainability and self-sufficiency.

He urged people to prioritise water conservation stressing upon optimum utilisation of available water resources.

China is once again pushing the boundaries of large-scale infrastructure with renewed momentum behind the proposed Bohai Strait Undersea Channel project, which might transform China’s connectivity within its northern coastlines. According to a report published by Daily Galaxy, the idea centers on building an undersea railway tunnel with a length of 120 kilometers connecting the port cities of Dalian, located in the Liaoning Province, and Yantai, which belongs to the Shandong Province. In case the idea becomes a reality, a train can travel through the tunnel at a speed of up to 250 kilometers per hour and complete a journey in just 40 minutes.

Historically, the Bohai Strait, located between the Liaodong and Shandong peninsulas, acted as a natural barrier for transportation through the region. Currently, most cargo and passengers travel via ferry boats whose operations are contingent on weather and other related factors; on the ground, the journey involves lengthy circumnavigation of the Bohai Sea. This project seeks to introduce an efficient and reliable alternative through the construction of a rail tunnel.

A knowledge paper on the cocoa sector, developed by Grant Thornton Bharat in collaboration with FICCI and released at the Cocoa Roundtable, has outlined a long-term vision to transform India into a self-sufficient, globally competitive cocoa economy by 2040-41.

The 2026-2040 roadmap towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in cocoa has recommended the establishment of a ‘National Mission on Cocoa’ and the need for research and development (R&D) and innovation in the sector. It also suggested policy and financial support measures, as well as trade and market reforms, in addition to digital transformation in the sector.

China has overtaken the US to emerge as India's largest trading partner in 2025-26, with bilateral trade reaching $151.1 billion, while the country's trade deficit with Beijing widened to $112.16 billion during the period, government data showed.

The US was India's largest trading partner for four consecutive years till 2024-25.

India's exports to China rose 36.66 per cent to $19.47 billion during the last fiscal year, while imports increased 16 per cent to $131.63 billion. The trade deficit swelled to an all-time high of $112.6 billion in 2025-26 as against $99.2 billion in 2024-25.

On the other hand, the country's outbound shipments to the US grew marginally 0.92 per cent to $87.3 billion during the last fiscal year, while imports increased 15.95 per cent to $52.9 billion. The trade surplus declined to $34.4 billion in 2025-26 from $40.89 billion in 2024-25.

In a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at the state secretariat on Wednesday, a decision was taken to constitute a committee to prepare the draft for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), marking the state’s formal move towards a unified personal law framework.

The committee will be headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. The Chief Minister has been authorised to nominate the remaining members of the panel.

Chhattisgarh follows various personal laws based on religion regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption. Citing Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, the state government noted that a unified law is essential to simplify legal procedures, ensure gender equality and remove discrepancies arising from diverse personal laws.