Stories from earlier this week and beyond.
The Indian rupee slid to a near one-month low as oil prices stayed firm and local importers maintained heavy hedging against further weakness. With the currency approaching the 95 per dollar level, the pressure reflects growing market unease about the rupee’s near-term outlook as energy costs and hedging demand continue to weigh on sentiment.
West Bengal gears up for Phase 2 polling on April 29, with the Election Commission stressing turnout and orderly voting. Polling stations will function from 7 am to 6 pm, and voters must carry a valid photo ID from the approved list. Strict booth guidelines— including limits on mobile phones and political symbols—are set to keep the process fair and smooth.
Your news, in seconds
Get the Beige app — every story in 60 words, updated hourly. Free on iOS & Android.
A tornado watch has been expanded after a powerful line of thunderstorms formed across the central United States and began moving east. Meteorologists attribute the escalation to warm, moisture-rich air streaming in from the Gulf, which is energizing the storm system. Several states now remain on heightened alert for potential tornado development as the weather line advances.
Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has announced a 10% water cut starting May 15 after forecasts of a below-normal monsoon. The city’s lake levels currently stand at 28.35%, prompting the move to secure supply until July 6, with possible extensions to August 17 if conditions worsen.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared new social media snippets from his visit to Gangtok, showing himself playing football with youngsters. The posts capture a lighter, off-script moment amid his public engagements in the northeastern state, offering viewers a glimpse of his interaction and playful side during the trip.
SpaceX’s board has approved a new compensation plan for Elon Musk that links his pay to major, hard-to-reach milestones. The targets include creating a permanent human colony on Mars and running large data centers in space, aligning incentives with the company’s long-term vision. The announcement also signals SpaceX is weighing an initial public offering.
Never miss a story
Set alerts for the topics and sources you care about. Download Beige for free.
Brigade Enterprises has acquired a 5.72-acre land parcel in Hyderabad’s Osman Nagar with plans for a premium residential development. The purchase boosts the company’s footprint in the city’s fast-moving real estate market and fits its broader expansion strategy across key southern locations. Brigade says it will focus on delivering high-quality projects at this strategic site.
Eternal’s quick commerce arm Blinkit delivered a dramatic sequential profitability leap in the March quarter, with adjusted EBITDA rising more than 9X to ₹37 crore. The surge came alongside fast scaling in order value and store expansion, even as the company warned that aggressive discounting is creating “poor-quality growth” and low-margin SKU dependence. Blinkit expects a stronger rebound in Q1 FY27.
The Delhi High Court granted Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, known as Engineer Rashid, one-week interim bail so he can visit his ailing father on ventilator support. Rashid had appealed after a Patiala House Court rejected a similar request earlier on April 24. The order temporarily allows him to travel for the specific purpose and duration.
Lenovo has launched the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 in India at ₹39,999, targeting buyers who want a mix of work, entertainment, and easy portability. The tablet features a large 13-inch display and runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. It goes on sale starting May 1.
Reading on mobile?
Open Beige in the app for a smoother experience — free on iOS and Android.
Food and grocery delivery firm Eternal says its B2C operations have crossed $10 billion in annual net order value, taking 18 years to reach the mark. The company now expects the figure to double to $20 billion within two years and targets $1 billion in adjusted EBITDA by FY29, signaling a push for faster scaling and profitability.
Aamir Khan has officially confirmed 3 Idiots part 2 is in the works, reuniting Rajkumar Hirani and writer Abhijat Joshi. Speaking at a promotional event, Khan said they’ve developed a “beautiful and unusual” story that brings back the beloved trio a decade after the original journey, setting up a new chapter with surprising developments.
The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth Rs 3,034 crore linked to Anil Ambani group companies RCOM and RInfra, including properties such as a Mumbai flat and a farmhouse in Khandala. With this latest action, the total value of assets attached across Reliance Anil Ambani Group cases has crossed Rs 19,344 crore, signaling the probe’s continued expansion.
India’s female employment is projected to rise to 39% by 2025, up sharply from 22% in 2017, according to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The Female Labour Force Participation Rate is also said to have climbed to 40%, signaling broader gains in women’s work participation and expanding opportunities.
Follow your favourite sources
Track sources, tags and categories — all in the Beige app.
Infosys has been ranked India’s top company for career growth in LinkedIn’s 2026 list, with Accenture and Amazon close behind. The report flags a shift in hiring: employers increasingly want professionals who pair technical skills with communication and problem-solving to work effectively alongside AI. The result is a career path guided as much by human capability as by code.
Bangladesh is set to begin loading uranium fuel on Tuesday for its first nuclear power station, the Rooppur plant. The 2,400 MW facility aims to relieve an overstretched power grid, with about 300 MW hoped to be generated early by August and full production targeted for late 2027. Construction started in 2017 for a roughly $11 billion project.
JP Morgan says the recent drop in global oil demand is being driven more by rising supply disruptions than by sub-$100 oil prices. The bank describes this as a “forced demand loss,” meaning demand is slipping because markets can’t reliably get supply, rather than because consumers are cutting usage due to high costs.
JPMorgan says April’s oil demand slump is a forced loss driven by supply disruptions rather than high prices. Supply problems surged in March and April, spare production capacity couldn’t be tapped, and global inventories fell sharply. The steepest demand drops hit the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with petrochemicals and aviation hit hardest.
Stay informed on the go
Bite-sized news from 100+ trusted sources, right in your pocket.
ONGC shares jumped over 4% for a second straight session as crude oil prices climbed, lifting investor sentiment. The rally is tied to escalating US Iran tensions and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, which are tightening supply expectations. With higher oil prices improving upstream realisations, traders are betting on a stronger earnings outlook.
Karnataka’s School Education Department has issued a directive banning students from performing dances to songs considered obscene or vulgar during school events. The rule covers cultural and educational programmes across government schools, aiming to protect students and maintain dignity in learning spaces. The order signals stricter scrutiny of music and performances at school functions statewide.
Ahead of the MCD mayoral polls on April 29, BJP MPs including Swati Maliwal met to finalize their strategy. AAP has opted out, while Congress has fielded a candidate. BJP’s Pravesh Wahi is widely seen as having an edge because the party holds a majority in the electoral college, with campaigns centered on administrative efficiency and civic projects.
Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet say they are facing severe financial strain and warn they may have to stop operations. Soaring aviation turbine fuel prices, airspace restrictions, and cash pressure have pushed them to seek government support, including a revised ATF pricing mechanism and temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF to stabilize costs.
Blinkit, India’s leading quick commerce firm, says it expects growth to moderate as its customer base and footprint expand. The company reported improving profitability for a second straight quarter. Founder Albinder Singh Dhindsa points to new geographies and product categories as major upside, but warns that heavy competition and aggressive discounting could dilute growth quality.
Maruti Suzuki has announced a record dividend of Rs 140 per share for FY26, with the total payout reaching Rs 4,401.6 crore. The record date for eligible shareholders is August 7, while dividend payment is scheduled for September 9, subject to approval at the AGM. The hike comes as a sharp jump from the prior year’s dividend.
Former AAP leader Swati Maliwal has formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva. She said the move was inspired by BJP’s work, while accusing the Aam Aadmi Party of mismanagement and corruption over the past decade. Maliwal thanked BJP leadership and pledged to focus on Delhi’s needs.
The Calcutta High Court criticized West Bengal for not complying with a previous order to hand over land to the BSF for fencing along the India-Bangladesh border. Despite the requirement of 127 km, only 8 km has been transferred. The court has now directed the state to file a detailed affidavit explaining the delay.
A new GTRI warning highlights how heavily India relies on China for industrial goods, with China accounting for over 30% of India’s industrial imports. The dependence is especially sharp in electronics and machinery, leaving India’s manufacturing exposed to supply shocks. Analysts say the widening China trade deficit makes diversification and faster domestic capacity-building urgent.
A chilling account from Mira Road’s Naya Nagar describes how an attacker allegedly asked the victim if he was Hindu, then returned to stab him and injured a supervisor. Maharashtra ATS is investigating the April 27 attack on 31-year-old Jaib Zubair Ansari, with two security guards still recovering after surviving the violence.
The Centre has told the Supreme Court it is stepping up action against digital arrest scams, citing WhatsApp’s ban of about 9,400 accounts since January. New safeguards include logo detection and warnings for calls from newly created accounts, while telecom firms move to quickly block suspicious SIM cards. The CBI is also setting a loss threshold for investigations.
Little Caesars is rolling out drone delivery with Flytrex, aiming to deliver full family meals in about 4.5 minutes. The partnership signals more than a gimmick, with plans to expand access dramatically, targeting delivery to as many as 100 million people in the future as drone logistics scale.
Police say a suspected IED blast late Monday night damaged a stretch of the Dedicated Freight Corridor in Punjab’s Patiala district, temporarily halting freight traffic. The man killed has been identified as Jagroop Singh. Investigators believe an undetonated device led to his death, and an undamaged phone played a key role in confirming his identity.
Indian weightlifters delivered a standout performance in Apia, Samoa, sweeping four gold medals across the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships and the Universal Cup. Sunil Singh, Aisangfa Gogoi, and Abhinob Gogoi claimed top honors in their categories, while Charu Pesi added another gold in the Universal Cup, underscoring India’s rising strength on the international stage.
Ahead of the second phase of voting in West Bengal, TMC candidate Jahangir Khan from Falta issued an alarming threat, promising to “settle the score” with violence during his campaign. The remarks come as election warnings circulate after Ajay Pal Sharma, nicknamed the “Singham” cop and an “encounter specialist,” cautioned against creating election-time nuisance.
A gunman opened fire at a social security office and later at a courthouse in Athens, leaving several people wounded, authorities said. Police are searching for the suspect, reportedly an 89-year-old man who fled after the first shooting. The motive is still unclear, though investigators say the attacker cited documents in connection with his actions.
With West Bengal campaigning wrapped up, the focus shifts to the voting window and the first exit poll signals. A media silence period runs until 6:00 PM on April 29, restricting election content. Multiple states exit polls will be released after 6:30 PM, while vote counting is set for May 4.
Indian banks will move to Expected Credit Loss ECL norms starting April 1, 2027, shifting provisioning from only past defaults to losses expected over time. Dinesh Kumar Khara says banks are already prepared and the impact is manageable. The change is expected to strengthen the system’s resilience against future economic stress by improving how credit risk is recognized.
A British startup, SailLink, is launching a new English Channel crossing between Dover and Boulogne-sur-Mer on a catamaran powered mainly by wind and tides. The eco-friendly trip takes about four to five hours and boards directly from town-centre marinas, aiming to prove wind powered transport can work for everyday passengers.
Ahead of West Bengal’s final phase of assembly elections, border movement has been restricted in North 24 Parganas. The Petrapole land port and other Bangladesh-linked routes are affected as authorities aim to curb cross-border influence. Medical emergencies and voter travel are exempt, allowing essential movement while reinforcing election integrity.
Japan’s Nikkei slipped off a record high as government bonds swung sharply and the yen strengthened. The move followed a hawkish tone from the Bank of Japan, which kept interest rates unchanged. Even without rate hikes, traders reacted to expectations of tighter policy, reshaping the day’s risk sentiment across equities and JGBs.
US gasoline prices inched up on April 28, with the national average climbing to $4.176 per gallon and staying above $4. California recorded the highest average at $5.965, while Oklahoma was the lowest at $3.570. The gap reflects differences in refining access and state taxes, leaving parts of the Midwest and South notably cheaper.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has laid out a 7 to 8 year timeline to connect Hyderabad and Amaravati by bullet train in about 70 minutes. Plans also include Amaravati to Chennai in roughly 112 minutes, with the South Coast Railway Zone scheduled for official notification on June 1. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh railway allocations are rising as stations are modernized to support the corridor.
A Hyderabad neurologist described a troubling case of a three-year-old who laughed frequently for a year, leading parents to believe he was simply happy. MRI later uncovered hypothalamic hamartoma, a rare condition that triggers gelastic seizures often mistaken for joy. Doctors now urge caregivers to get medical evaluation for repeated, unprovoked laughter to enable early diagnosis and care.
India’s power system is at a turning point as summer demand is growing faster than generation can flex, especially during evening peaks. Renewables handle daytime loads, but the grid struggles to balance later when power needs spike. Analysts warn that if storage capacity does not expand quickly, shortages could emerge while missed profits linger for developers who move first.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains today, expanding affordable long-distance rail links between Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The services connect Banaras to Hadapsar Pune and Ayodhya Dham (Ayodhya Cantt) to Mumbai LTT, with details on routes, stoppages, timings, coach features, and when commercial operations begin.
West Bengal is set for Phase 2 of its 2026 Assembly elections, with voting across 142 constituencies in seven districts. A total of 1,448 candidates are in the fray, making the battle wide and crowded. The headline fight is Bhabanipur, where Mamata Banerjee takes on Suvendu Adhikari, alongside other major contests featuring prominent leaders.
Blackstone-backed Bagmane Prime Office REIT plans to raise Rs 3,405 crore through an IPO opening on May 5. The move brings a major real estate investment vehicle to public markets, with investors watching the offer size and market timing. With Blackstone support, the launch signals strong appetite for income-generating office assets.
Kerala is observing a 12-hour statewide hartal on April 28 after the death of dental student Nithin Raj. Dozens of organizations are demanding justice, and the protest is already affecting public transport and daily commercial activity. Authorities say the shutdown will vary by locality, so commuters and shoppers need to plan ahead for what remains open.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged SCO members to confront state sponsored terrorism without double standards. Speaking at the regional forum, he flagged rising extremism and radicalism amid ongoing geopolitical upheavals. Singh called for coordinated global action to address evolving security threats, stressing that responses should be consistent across countries and conflicts.
NPCIL says Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit 3 has crossed a key commissioning milestone after starting the “Spillage to Open Reactor” process on 25 April 2026. The move signals progress toward bringing the unit online, as the operator highlights the step as part of India’s broader energy security and sustainability push.
Vadlapati Vijayalakshmi, known as “Silk,” left an abusive childhood marriage at 16 with only grit and determination. Dropping out after Class 4, she rose to become a box office force by 20, reshaping South Indian cinema’s glamour economy. Yet as her power faded, the very industry she helped grow is described as turning its back, leaving her to die feeling unloved.
Swipe through stories, personalise your feed, and save articles for later — all on the app.