Live: Britain to lead Strait of Hormuz talks, says Starmer

Silver prices surged by Rs 9,000 to Rs 2.46 lakh per kg, while gold jumped by Rs 3,500 to Rs 1.55 lakh per 10 grams on Wednesday (April 1), following firm global trends.

According to the All India Sarafa Association, the white metal appreciated by Rs 9,000, or 3.8 per cent, to Rs 2,46,000 per kg (inclusive of all taxes) from Monday's closing level of Rs 2,37,000 per kg.

Gold of 99.9 per cent purity also increased by Rs 3,500, or 2.3 per cent, to Rs 1,55,000 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). The yellow metal had settled at Rs 1,51,500 per 10 grams in the previous market session.

Gold continued to rise on Wednesday amid a rally that was fuelled by signs of easing tensions in West Asia, which are expected to lower the risk of further escalation and damage to energy infrastructure, Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst of Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.

The Indian Navy was minutes away from striking Pakistan from the sea during Operation Sindoor when they requested “stoppage of kinetic actions”, said Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Wednesday (April 1).

He was speaking at the naval investiture ceremony, where he awarded Yudh Seva Medals to two top naval officers for their distinguished service during Operation Sindoor conducted last year after the Pahalgam terror attack.

“It is now not a hidden fact that we were just minutes away from striking Pakistan from sea when they requested stoppage of kinetic actions,” he said on the Navy's role.

Talking about the West Asia conflict, he said that ever since the war involving the US, Israel and Iran began, more than 20 merchant vessels have been attacked in the region.

Nearly 1,900 vessels remain stranded amid the hostilities, he said, adding that the daily traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply to six-seven transits, compared to a pre-conflict average of about 130.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday (April 1) passed a bill to amend certain provisions in different laws for decriminalising and rationalising minor offences to further promote ease of doing business and living.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, was passed with a voice vote.

The bill proposes to amend 784 provisions of 79 Central Acts administered by 23 ministries. It seeks to decriminalise 717 provisions and amend 67 provisions to facilitate ease of living.

It also seeks to rationalise more than 1,000 offences, removing outdated and redundant provisions, thereby improving the overall regulatory environment.

Replying to the debate on the bill, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said it will help people and MSMEs.

Amendments moved by Congress member K Kavya were rejected by voice vote.

The Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi, near Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, received dual awards. The airport has been honoured with the 'Best Airport under RCS-UDAN' Award and has also secured a provisional GRIHA four-star rating, marking a significant milestone for aviation infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Best Airport under RCS-UDAN Award is conferred by the AAI to recognise airports that have demonstrated excellence in promoting regional air connectivity under the Centre's UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme.

The airport has also received a provisional four-star rating under the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) system, India's national green building certification framework, developed by The Energy and Resources Institute with support from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

GRIHA evaluates buildings based on energy efficiency, environmental impact and sustainable resource use throughout their life cycle.

Named after the indigenous faith of the state, Donyi (Sun) and Polo (Moon), it is the first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh and was developed at a cost of around Rs 645 crore to strengthen air connectivity in the frontier state.

A blast outside the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh on Wednesday (April 1) evening sent people panicking, with police saying a "crude" device appeared to have been hurled. No casualties were reported.

A team of the National Investigation Agency was at the site to investigate the blast, which occurred at around 5 pm, a police officer said.

A scooter parked outside the building in Sector 37 suffered damage in the blast. "Prima facie, it appears that a small crude-type device was thrown," Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur told reporters.

"We received information at around 5 pm that an explosion-like sound was heard near the Punjab BJP office," she said. "Our crime branch and the operation cell also reached here," she said, adding, a team of Central Forensic Laboratory was also rushed to the site.

The party's state media cell head Vineet Joshi Joshi, who heard the blast, said, "How did it take place? We could see some signs on the boundary wall. Only police can provide details." He told reporters, "It is a matter of concern if a blast took place outside the party office." The area also houses Law Bhavan and a petrol pump.

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and several other VIPs greeted the people of Odisha on the state's 90th foundation day on Wednesday (April 1).

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, leader of the opposition, Naveen Patnaik, also greeted people on 'Utkal Dibasa'.

On this day in 1936, Odisha became a separate province based on language by carving out parts of the erstwhile Bihar, Bengal and Madras. Odisha was the first state in the country to be formed on the linguistic basis following a three-decade movement.

Earlier, Odia-speaking regions were fragmented across the Bengal Presidency that included parts of Bihar and present-day Jharkhand, the Madras Presidency, and various princely states.