Brent oil rose above $75 per barrel on Thursday for the first time this year as quality concerns forced the suspension of some Russian crude exports to Europe while the United States prepared to tighten sanctions on Iran. Brent crude futures were at $75.22 by 0851 GMT, up 65 cents. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $66.09 per barrel, up 20 cents.

PM Modi promised to work "in mission mode" to rid Bundelhand of its water scarcity, while also claiming that the opposition will be reduced to 'zero battey sannata' in the LS-polls. "Opposition leaders are going with long faces after half of the polling is over as they know the outcome," he said at a public meeting here in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.

Quess East Bengal may enter into tie-up with Spanish giants Barcelona, chairman of the I-League runners-up Ajit Isaac has said in a statement on their official Facebook page. "Senior officials of the Spanish giants, FC Barcelona and Quess East Bengal Football Club team, met to explore the possibility of an association between the two clubs," Isaac was quoted saying on their Facebook page Wednesday.