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Mumbai: Mahindra & Mahindra has surpassed JSW MG Motor to become the second-largest electric carmaker in terms of monthly sales, according to March vehicle registration data.The manufacturer of BE 6 and XEV 9e sold 5,217 units of EVs the past month, narrowly ahead of JSW MG Motor's 5,113 units. For the financial year ended March 31, JSW MG Motor stayed at the second spot, show data from the government's Vahan portal.Long-time leader Tata Motors sold 8,224 electric vehicles in March, up 65% from a year earlier. But it ceded some ground to competitors, particularly Mahindra. Its market share declined to 39.2% in FY26 from 53.4% in FY25.Mahindra climbed to the second place within 12 months of entering the market with SUVs that run purely on electricity. A fast-paced launch of new models helped it grow sales 141%-from 2,166 units in March 2025 to 5,217 units a year later. Its market share for the fiscal year rose to 21.2% from 7.8% in FY25. 129961035 Mahindra previously had a short stint with limited success in the electric car space, after acquiring a majority stake in the urban mobility-focused Reva Electric Car company in 2010.JSW MG Motor's sales in March rose 21% from a year earlier. Its Windsor EV has been a consistent volume driver. Its fiscal -year market share, meanwhile, slipped to 26.4% from 28.0%.Kia Motors was among the standout movers. The brand sold 940 units in March 2026 against 25 a year earlier and posted 4,183 units for FY26 compared with 409 units the prior year. This lifted its market share to 2.1% from 0.4%.

New Delhi: In a move to curb imports of gold and other precious metal jewellery from Asean countries especially Thailand, the government Wednesday restricted their imports, which were “free” earlier. Jewellery studded with pearls, diamonds and other precious metals will now require a license to be imported except those units located in SEZs and Export Oriented Units provided such imported goods are not sold into the Domestic Tarifff Area, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said. In February, the government had restricted the imports of certain articles of platinum to curb illicit platinum blended with significant amounts of gold.“The import policy as amended above shall come into force with immediate effect and shall apply irrespective of any prior contract, irrevocable letter of credit, advance payment, or shipment status,” DGFT said in a notification.Last year, the government imposed import restrictions on platinum alloy with less than 99% purity to curb illicit imports of this precious metal blended with significant amounts of gold to exploit the tariff differential between gold and platinum“With this, all gold, silver and platinum jewellery imports are restricted. All loopholes due to zero duty imports from Asean under the free trade pact are now under license,” said an industry representativeThe most favoured nation duty on these goods is 20% and under the trade pact with the UAE, it is 17%, However, these products are imported duty-free from the 10-member Asean.

"We knew there could be an attack on the way, but we had to take that chance," said 27-year-old Ketan Mehta, recalling the moment he and fellow Indian sailors decided to flee a war zone in Iran after weeks of detention and uncertainty.What began as a routine voyage turned into a months-long ordeal that saw them first held on suspicion of smuggling and later caught in the middle of the West Asia conflict, before they finally made their way back home.On December 8, when oil tanker MT Valiant Roar, carrying 18 crew members - including 16 Indians - was intercepted in international waters en route to Khor Fakkan in the UAE, among those on board were Captain Vijay Kumar (45) from Meerut and third engineer Ketan Mehta from Ghaziabad.According to Mehta, Iranian authorities initially accused the crew of diesel smuggling, and later of transporting black oil, but neither allegation held up in court."During this period, we were kept in jail for around 50 days. The main difficulty was that we could not understand their language, and they could not understand ours," he told PTI. He said they received release papers on February 26.Even as relief followed their release, it was short-lived.Soon after, tensions in the region spiralled into open conflict, placing some sailors in Bandar Abbas while others in safer locations in the middle of a volatile war zone.Ketan Mehta said the Indian embassy stepped in, advising them that staying in Bandar Abbas was unsafe, suggesting evacuation through Armenia or Azerbaijan.His father, Mukesh Mehta, said the development caused immense anxiety for families back home."When the war started, we were very tense. Our children were in danger," he said.The sailors were initially confined at Bandar Abbas port even after their release, before Indian consulate officials facilitated their movement to safer places, arranging accommodation, food and other essentials.With the situation worsening and no immediate evacuation possible, the sailors decided to leave Iran by road, a journey that would stretch nearly 2,000 kilometres."They travelled all the way to Armenia by road, then flew to Dubai and finally reached Mumbai," Mukesh Mehta said, adding that families in India arranged funds for the journey as the crew had not been paid after leaving the vessel.Detailing the escape, Ketan Mehta said the embassy assisted in securing exit visas and coordinated with Indian officials in Armenia."We took a traveller vehicle towards the Armenian border near Julfa. Missiles were falling even in nearby areas. We thought if the situation is this bad here, it is better to try reaching the border, even if there was a risk on the way," he said.After reaching the border, the group had to wait for two to three days for documentation and clearance before finally crossing into Armenia on March 27. They then proceeded to the capital Yerevan, from where they boarded a flight to Dubai and subsequently returned to India.They landed in Mumbai on March 29.Captain Vijay Kumar said he had left Iran on March 22 and reached Mumbai on March 29, before arriving in Meerut on March 31."At present, I am heading to my village in Shamli for a prayer ceremony, so I am not in a position to share details," he briefly told PTI.Mukesh Mehta said his son returned home recently and was also asked to report to the shipping department office in Mumbai upon arrival to brief authorities about the developments in Iran before heading home.He also expressed gratitude to the Government of India, saying that the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian missions abroad played a crucial role in ensuring the sailors' safety.As the sailors reunite with their families, the memories of detention, missile strikes and a high-risk escape continue to linger, a stark reminder of how quickly routine journeys can turn into life-threatening ordeals.