The newly elected leader of ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Samrat Choudhary on April 15, 2026 was sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of the State, marking the end of outgoing CM Nitish Kumar’s decades-long political era. Two senior leaders from the JD(U), Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Vijay Kumar Choudhary, also took oath as Ministers.
Choudhary, 57, political career spans more than three decades and a number of parties. He was once a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bihar's main opposition party. He joined Kumar's JD(U) in 2014 but left in 2017 and joined the BJP - at a time when Kumar himself had realigned with the BJP after breaking with his previous allies.
After Kumar switched alliances again in 2022, Choudhary became one of his vocal critics. However, when the BJP and JD(U) renewed their alliance in 2024, Choudhary patched ties with the veteran, becoming deputy chief minister.
Choudhary was also home minister in Kumar's government, one of the most influential departments that oversees the state's police force.
Visa and HDFC Bank unveiled a limited-edition FIFA World Cup 2026 Pixel Credit Card and a nationwide Spend & Win campaign, giving Indian consumers a shot at live match packages and official merchandise through everyday card spending.
The announcement was made at a launch event in Mumbai, where former England striker Michael Owen was present.
The card, a variant of HDFC Bank’s existing Pixel Play digital credit card — carries FIFA-themed branding and is available to existing Pixel Play customers through the PayZapp app, as well as new applicants via the HDFC Bank website. Issuance began April 11.
Visa holds an official global partnership with FIFA, which underpins the initiative. Rishi Chhabra, Country Manager of Visa India, said the collaboration with HDFC Bank was designed to make the tournament accessible to fans across income and card segments, not just premium cardholders.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico and will feature an expanded 48-team format, making it the largest edition of the tournament to date.
The Iraqi parliament elected Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi as the country’s new president, following parliamentary elections held in November last year. Amedi is a former environment minister and has headed the political office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Baghdad since 2024.
Iraq is now due to choose a prime minister, a closely watched and sensitive pick. Under the country’s sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister is required to be a Shi’ite Muslim, the parliamentary speaker a Sunni Muslim, and the president a Kurd.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday permitted non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) to open branches without seeking prior approval from the central bank, unless specifically restricted.
India’s factory-gate inflation, measured by the wholesale price index (WPI), rose to a 38-month high of 3.88 per cent in March from 2.13 per cent in February, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The uptick was led primarily by increase in prices of crude petroleum, natural gas and manufactured products,
Although the price rise was broad-based across major groups, the sharpest increase was recorded in the primary goods segment. Inflation in the segment rose at a 14-month high of 6.36 per cent in March — prices had last recorded a higher rise in October 2024 at 8.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched today, i.e., 15th April 2026, a modern, accessible, and integrated website for the Department of Commerce (DoC), fully compliant with the Digital Brand Identity Manual (DBIM) 3.0 and the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW).
The new platform is designed to enhance service delivery for exporters, importers, and other stakeholders by providing seamless access to trade-related information and resources.
The initiative also includes a bilingual mobile application (Android/iOS) with offline access and GPS features.
Provision has been made for ongoing maintenance to ensure security, scalability, and continuous improvement.
This initiative aligns with India’s e-Governance vision, promoting transparency, efficiency, and ease of doing business in foreign trade.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) entered into a strategic partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in tackling the misuse of telecom resources in securities market frauds and investment-related scams.
At the heart of the agreement is a structured data-sharing mechanism aimed at early detection and disruption of fraudulent activities. DoT will share the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) with SEBI to help identify mobile numbers linked to suspicious patterns through multi-dimensional analysis.
The Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL) will also be shared automatically, enabling SEBI-regulated entities, including brokers and asset management companies, to ensure that investor accounts are associated only with active and valid mobile connections.
In a reciprocal arrangement, SEBI will provide inputs on telecom resources linked to accounts involved in cyber fraud, impersonation or money mule activities, allowing swift action in the telecom domain.
The MoU will facilitate the development of standard operating procedures for coordinated action and enable the sharing of red-flag indicators at an institutional level.
The Indian Navy Commanders’ Conference 01/2026 commenced at Nausena Bhawan on 14 Apr 2026 with an inaugural address by Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, to senior naval leadership, outstation Operational and Area Commanders, and Command Headquarters and Naval Headquarters staff.
The CNS commended the Navy’s achievements in safeguarding India’s maritime interests, including energy security amidst the ongoing conflict in West Asia, increased tempo of operations, and enhanced inter-service synergy. CNS laid emphasis on the continued focus on combat readiness and adapting emerging technologies to build a Future Ready force.
The CNS reiterated the Indian Navy's commitments in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond in the emerging geostrategic scenario, and the significance of Cohesive and Credible approach through proactive engagements with Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) in multilateral and bilateral exercises.
Shri. M. Nagaraju, IAS, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, launched the new LIC’s Customer App (MyLIC) and the mobile App for the sales intermediaries (LIC’s Super Sales Saathi) in the presence of CEO & MD Shri. R. Doraiswamy, Managing Directors Shri. Dinesh Pant, Shri. Ratnakar Patnaik, Shri. R. Chander and senior management of LIC of India.
MyLIC app brings together policy servicing, claims support, payments, documentation, and customer engagement into a single, intuitive 360-degree digital experience. It attempts to eliminate or minimize paperwork, and empowers policy holders to take charge of their financial protection journey.
The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali signed an agreement with Novartis Healthcare Private Limited (NHPL). The agreement was signed in the presence of Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in New Delhi.
As part of this collaboration, a faculty member from NIPER Mohali has been selected as the recipient of the Development Pioneer Grant for NIPERs, a prestigious initiative supported by NHPL. The grant aims to promote cutting-edge research and encourage innovation-driven partnerships between academia and industry.
In chess, India’s Grandmaster R. Vaishali won the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026 in Cyprus. The 24-year-old defeated Russia’s Kateryna Lagno in the final round, finishing with 8.5 points out of 14 to clinch the title. With this victory, Vaishali has earned the right to challenge China’s Ju Wenjun for the World Championship later this year.
In the Open section, Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov sealed victory in the Candidates Tournament with a round to spare, finishing on 9.5 points, two points ahead of the Netherlands’ Anish Giri. Sindarov has emerged as the challenger to reigning world champion D Gukesh and will face Gukesh later this year.
Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, chef Vikas Khanna, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have been named in TIME magazine’s 2026 list of the 100 most influential people.
Released, the list features a diverse array of personalities from various sectors, including finance, entertainment, technology, sports, activism, and academia.
