Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) Maharashtra on Friday recorded 13 new cases of COVID-19, which took the tally of infections to 2,462, and one death, the health department said. A 65-year-old woman suffering from comorbidities, including rheumatoid arthritis, died in Kolhapur, an official said. Since January 1, the state has recorded 2,462 COVID-19 cases and 37 deaths, the department said. Of the fresh cases, five were reported from Pimpri Chinchwad, three from Nagpur, two from Pune and one each from Tha...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 27 (PTI) Congress leader Aryadan Shoukath, who won from the Nilambur assembly constituency in the recent bypoll there, was on Friday sworn in as an MLA, increasing the strength of the UDF opposition in the House to 42. The swearing-in ceremony, held at the Assembly complex here, was attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, Speaker A N Shamseer, Excise Minister M B Rajesh, Revenue Minister K Rajan and others. Shoukath, son of the l...Read More
Kochi, Jun 27 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the censor board what was wrong with the name 'Janaki' and directed it to submit in writing the decision of its revising committee regarding the Suresh Gopi-starrer movie -- 'Janaki Vs State of Kerala' (JSK) -- on June 30. The oral observation and direction by Justice N Nagaresh came on a plea by the film's production company Cosmos Entertainments against the delay in certification for the movie by the Central Board of Film Certification...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order that enhanced the compensation awarded for acquiring 537 acre of land for the establishment of a defence-related project near the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. A bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh passed the direction while hearing a plea filed by the Centre and others challenging a March 2025 order of the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court. The Centre told the bench that compensation to th...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution is not about dismantling it but about restoring its "original spirit", free from the "distortions" of the Congress' Emergency-era policies, according to an article published in an RSS-linked magazine on Friday. Citing the Constituent Assembly debate on the issue, it said Hosabale's call resonates with the democratic principles championed ...Read More
New Delhi: Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Paints' Rs 12,915-crore deal to acquire Dutch paint maker Akzo Nobel's India unit is among the biggest transactions in the country so far this year. JSW Paints on Friday announced that it will buy a 74.76 per cent stake in Dulux paint-maker Akzo Nobel India for Rs 8,986 crore, followed by an open offer to buy another 25 per cent from open market for up to Rs 3,929.06 crore, totalling tad over Rs 12,915 crore. It is slightly behind Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Bankin...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Gujarat-based Rayzon Solar has filed a draft paper with capital markets regulator Sebi to raise Rs 1,500 crore through an initial public offering (IPO). The IPO is entirely a fresh issue of up to Rs 1,500 crore with no offer for sale component. The offer also includes a subscription reservation with a discount to eligible persons in the employee reservation portion, according to the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) filed on Wednesday. Also, the company is looking to ...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 27 (PTI) Zumba dance, a high-energy fitness programme introduced in schools in Kerala by the General Education Department as part of its anti-drug campaign, is facing opposition from certain Muslim groups who argue that it goes against moral values. The programme was introduced in schools following a directive from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who stated that the dance -- which combines dance and aerobic movements performed to lively music -- would help reduce stress...Read More
Bhopal, June 27 (UNI) In a bizarre incident, 19 vehicles of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav's convoy broke down together after diesel allegedly mixed with water was filled in their tanks at a fuel station in the Ratlam district of the state late Thursday night. Authorities carried out an inspection of the fuel station, and subsequently it was sealed. The stalled vehicles, mostly Toyota Innovas, had to be towed away and a replacement fleet was summoned hurriedly from Indore, to be ...Read More
New Delhi: Shares of Akzo Nobel India jumped over 7 per cent on Friday after Sajjan Jindal's JSW Paints announced the acquisition of Dutch paint maker Akzo Nobel's India unit in a Rs 12,915-crore deal. The stock surged 6.65 per cent to settle at Rs 3,405 apiece on the BSE. During the day, it jumped 10.66 per cent to Rs 3,533. On the NSE, shares of the firm zoomed 7.20 per cent to end at Rs 3,419 each. The company's market valuation climbed Rs 967.28 crore to Rs 15,506.48 crore. JSW Paints on...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) FSN E-Commerce Ventures, the parent company of Nykaa, has set a break-even target of FY26 for its cash-burning fashion arm on account of marketing efficiencies, overhead leverage, and own-brand growth. Nykaa is also foraying into the quick-commerce arena with "Nykaa Now", which offers delivery times ranging from 30 to 120 minutes across seven major cities. The service is backed by a network of beauty warehouses, physical retail stores and rapid stores across the country....Read More
Srinagar, Jun 27 (PTI) Two former Jammu and Kashmir ministers on Friday returned to the Congress party after a brief stint with Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). Taj Mohiuddin and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori rejoined the Congress at the party office here. They were welcomed back to the party by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of J-K and Ladakh Naseer Hussain, Union Territory party chief Tariq Hamid Karra and other senior leaders. Mohiud...Read More
Jammu, Jun 27 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir administration has made arrangements to house over 50,000 pilgrims in various lodgement centres across the Jammu region for their comfortable pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the South Kashmir Himalayas beginning July 3, officials said. The 38-day-long Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to start on July 3 from the twin routes -- the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal rou...Read More
Guwahati, Jun 27 (PTI) The Assam government is mulling stricter Aadhaar card issuance rules for adults as part of its efforts to curb illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. Toughened Aadhaar card issuance rules will also further boost the state government's efforts in detecting and deporting illegal foreigners, he added. "Today, we discussed a proposal where Aadhaar cards for adults will be issued only after thorough verification. The Cabinet wi...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Women's Premier League side UP Warriorz have parted ways with its head coach Jon Lewis after a three-year association which started in 2023. The Warriorz, who finished at the bottom of the standings in the WPL 2025, informed the development in their Instagram handle. "From day one, you believed in us. Through the highs, the learnings, and everything in between, Thank You, Coach Jon Lewis, for leading with heart, calm, and belief. You will always be a part of the Warrior...Read More
Bengaluru, Jun 27 (PTI) Karnataka High Court on Friday set aside two criminal cases filed against BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which alleged he made objectionable remarks during a protest rally criticising the Waqf Board and the state government over alleged encroachment on farmers' and temples' properties. Justice S R Krishna Kumar, delivering the order, allowed Bommai's plea to quash the proceedings that had been initiated by Shiggaon police under Section 196(1)(a) o...Read More
Bengaluru, Jun 27 (PTI) The 10th edition of the Matrix Global Summit organised by TiE Bangalore will be held for two days from July 1 at NIMHANS Convention Centre here. This year, the summit will explore the deeptech ecosystem in India. The summit will convene leaders from government, industry, and the startup ecosystem to discuss India's path toward building a USD 1 trillion innovation-led economy, said a release issued by TiE Bangalore on Friday. TiE, which stands for The Indus Entrepreneur...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras' Zanzibar campus has launched a new Bachelor of Science (BS) programme in Chemical Process Engineering for the Academic Year 2025-26, officials said on Friday. The four-year full-time undergraduate degree programme in the Zanzibar campus is open to candidates of all nationalities, including Indians. "The programme offers a comprehensive curriculum blending core chemical engineering fundamentals with practical laboratory work, ...Read More
Noida, Jun 27 (PTI) Four maintenance staff members of a housing society in Greater Noida were arrested on Friday after a video purportedly showing them purportedly assaulting residents was circulated on social media, police said. The incident took place at Ecotech Village 1 Society in Bisrakh area, they said. In the video, members of the members of the maintenance team were seen thrashing and abusing residents with sticks. A woman was also heard asking, "Maar kyun rahe ho?" (Why are you beatin...Read More
Vijayawada, June 27 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state will emerge as the future destination for wellness and happiness. Addressing a tourism conclave in Vijayawada, Naidu said his goal is to make Andhra Pradesh a wealthy, healthy, and happy state. "Andhra Pradesh will be the future destination for wellness and happiness. My goal is a wealthy, healthy, happy Andhra Pradesh -- that is the goal I have set," the Chief Minister said. He unveiled an am...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty advanced for the fourth straight session on Friday, supported by buying in blue-chips ICICI Bank and Reliance Industries amid fresh foreign fund inflows. A strengthening rupee against the US dollar and softening crude oil prices in international markets also boosted investor confidence, according to traders. The BSE Sensex climbed 303.03 points or 0.36 per cent to reclaim the 84,000 level and settle at 84,058.90. During the day, it...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Realtors' body NAREDCO president G Hari Babu on Friday demanded that interest on home loans should come down to around 6 per cent to boost sales that have fallen during the first six months of this year across the top seven cities. He attributed the fall in housing sales to excess supply, sharp rises in prices of residential properties and global economic uncertainties. Real estate data analytics firm PropEquity has reported a 19 per cent drop in sales during the curren...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Friday said that he will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls if the party tells him to. Using a cricketing analogy, Kumar said that just like batting, bowling, and fielding are responsibilities that have to be fulfilled on the cricket field, fighting polls is also a responsibility in politics. "To fight polls, to make others fight polls and campaign, all are responsibilities that the party allots. If the party tells me to contest ...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) The rupee rose 24 paise to close at 85.48 (provisional) against the greenback on Friday on the back of strong FII inflows and firm domestic equity markets. Lower level of American currency index also favoured the Indian currency though an uptrend in crude oil prices capped its gain, forex traders said. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 12,594.38 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data. At the interbank foreign exchange...Read More
Kolkata, Jun 27 (PTI) The IMD on Friday forecast heavy to very rainfall in some districts of West Bengal, owing to a low-pressure area that is likely to form over north Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of the state. Heavy rainfall is likely in the south Bengal districts of North 24 Parganas, Purulia, East and West Bardhaman, Jhargram, Bankura and Hooghly till July 1, it said in a bulletin. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast very heavy rainfall in South 24 Parganas on J...Read More
Kolkata: The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the gang rape of a student inside a law college in the city and asked the Kolkata Police to file a detailed report within three days. NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar on Friday wrote to Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma directing him to initiate an immediate and time-bound investigation. She also directed Verma to ensure that the culprits were booked under relevant sections of the BNS and the victim was...Read More
Noida, Jun 27 (PTI) A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in Noida's Sector 2 on Friday morning, a fire department official said. Thick smoke and flames coming out of the factory were visible from a distance. Gautam Buddha Nagar's Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar Chaubey said information regarding the fire was received at 5:30 am. Seeing the intensity of the blaze, fire tenders Ghaziabad, Hapur and Meerut were roped in along with private firefighting teams, he said. No injury or cas...Read More
Bengaluru, Jun 27 (PTI) Jasprit Bumrah's possible absence from next week's second Test against England in Birmingham will rob India's bowling unit of control, not an ideal element to miss when the visitors are trying to go level at a ground where they have never won a red-ball match. The passage between overs 65 and 82 of the first Test at Leeds, which England won by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, will offer further validation to that grim fact. England were 286 for ...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) The BJP on Friday appointed 'state election officers' for overseeing its organisational elections in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Harsh Malhotra and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad have been assigned the task for the three states, respectively. The three MPs will be the central leaders in charge of the elections of presidents and national council members from these states, K Laxman, the national returning officer fo...Read More
Rudraprayag, Jun 27 (PTI) The body of another pilgrim was retrieved on Friday from the Alaknanda river as SDRF personnel on board rafts scoured its swirling waters in search of pilgrims who went missing after a 31-seater bus taking them to Badrinath fell into the river near between Rudraprayag and Gauchar on Thursday. The toll in the Thursday accident has mounted to four now with this recovery, Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police Akshay Prahlad Konde said. The fourth body retrieved on Friday ...Read More