As many as 16,838 new COVID-19 cases and 113 deaths were reported in India in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Friday.

With 13,819 new discharges, the cumulative recoveries reached 1,08,39,894.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will hold a meeting to finalize the Chief Minister and constituency distribution in the forthcoming elections in Pondicherry, in two days, said BJP president V Saminathan on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at the BJP headquarters, Saminathan said: Union Minister McGowan had set up various working committees to expedite the work for the Pondicherry Assembly elections and that a 12-member committee headed by former minister Namasivayam had been set up to prepare the first phase election report.

Within 50 days of assuming office, US President Joe Biden has appointed at least 55 Indian-Americans to major leadership positions in his administration. On Thursday (local time), Biden lauded the team at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/California Institute of Technology, including Dr Swati Mohan, the Indian-American aerospace engineer, who was one of the many people who spearheaded the development and the landing system for Perseverance rover that landed on Mars last month.

The ministry of Road and Transport Highways (MORTH) on Thursday (March 4) issued a notification which said that people will not be needed to visit the RTO office for as many as 18 services including renewal of driver’s licence, vehicle registration, attaining a learner’s license, etc.

The Aadhaar-authentication based contactless service will provide convenient and hassle-free services to the citizens.

A severe 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the east of New Zealand's North Island in the early hours of Friday, prompting a tsunami warning. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said in its statement.

The US Geological Survey initially pegged the quake at 7.3, then revised it down to 6.9. It said that the quake occurred at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).

In a major relief for over 6 crore PF subscribers, the government has decided to keep the interest rates unchanged for FY21.

The decision was taken during a meeting EPFO's Central Board of Trustees. At present, the interest rate is 8.5%.

Earlier, it was expected that the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) might go ahead with the cut in interest rates.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has expanded its strategic partnership with VodafoneZiggo B.V. Netherlands to help the latter speed up its fixed fiber network roll out, enabling superior connectivity for subscribers and faster launch of new services. The financial details of the deals were not disclosed.

As part of the partnership, TCS will deploy AI and machine learning technology as well as TCS TwinX, its digital twin solution for enterprises.

Shares of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), on Thursday, rallied 6 per cent to hit a new high of Rs 765.70 on the BSE in intra-day trade after the company said it acquiring 31.5 per cent stake held by Warburg Pincus - in Gangavaram Port (GPL) for a consideration of Rs 1,954 crore.

GPL is located in the northern part of Andhra Pradesh next to Vizag Port. It is the second largest non major port in Andhra Pradesh with a 64 MMT capacity established under concession from Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) that extends till 2059.

Shares of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hit an all-time high of Rs 2,015, up 7 per cent on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Thursday, as analysts remain bullish on the counter.

The stock of the government-owned railways' catering and ticketing company, which surpassed its previous high of Rs 1,995, touched on February 25, 2020, has appreciated by 32 per cent over the past one month as compared to less than 1 per cent gain the S&P BSE Sensex.

Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka continue to report a surge in daily new COVID-19 cases, accounting for 85.51 per cent of fresh cases, the Union Health ministry said on Thursday.

A total of 17,407 new infections have been registered in a day.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.