Mumbai, July 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday termed BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's recent comments as "ill-advised," warning they could sow "confusion in the minds of people", as leaders cutting across party lines condemned the Jharkhand politician's statement. Fadnavis's reaction comes as Dubey's "inappropriate" remarks on the language issue drew sharp condemnation from across the political spectrum, including strong disapproval from within the state BJP and ruling al...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Banking, postal and other services are likely to face disruption on Wednesday as more than 25 crore workers affiliated with central and sectoral trade unions have announced to go on strike across the country to protest against new labour codes and privatisation, and press for demands such as minimum wage of Rs 26,000 and old pension scheme, according to union leaders. The general strike is expected to disrupt services in sectors like banking, insurance, postal, coal minin...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Indian skeet shooters came up with dismal performances on the third day of qualification rounds with none of them in the men's and women's sections making it to the finals of the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Lonato here on Tuesday. In men's skeet, 49-year-old veteran marksman Mairaj Ahmad Khan -- one of the senior-most shotgun shooters still competing professionally -- had rounds of 24, 25, 24, 25, 23 over three days as he aggregated 121/125 to finish 34th. Olympian Anant J...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Reliable, scalable, and efficient energy storage systems is key to ensure round-the-clock supply of renewable energy, engineering firm TKIL Industries said on Tuesday. India is targeting 500 GW of renewable energy over the next five years. Speaking at the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025, organised by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), Vivek Bhatia, Managing Director & CEO, TKIL Industries, said the country's energy sector is undergoing a transformation, driven b...Read More
Chandigarh, Jul 8 (PTI) Haryana's Energy Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday suspended six power discom officials for negligence after a farmer died of electrocution in the fields. According to an official statement, Vij has taken strict cognisance of the death of the farmer, Rajesh Kumar, due to electrocution in a field in Karnal's Haibatpur village recently. "He has issued orders to immediately suspend Mohit (Sub Divisional Officer), Sunil (Junior Engineer), Deepak, Ajit, Satyawan, and Vikas (linem...Read More
Hyderabad, Jul 8 (PTI) The Telangana Raj Bhavan, City Civil Courts and several other locations here received bomb threat emails on Tuesday, leading authorities to conduct searches. The Raj Bhavan staff received an email threat, prompting a thorough search of the premises that found nothing suspicious, police said. The email sent to City Civil Court warned of "4 RDX-based IEDs placed in your Civil Court/Judge Chambers and Gymkhana Club. Evacuate all judges/staff soon!". After receiving informa...Read More
Bhubaneswar, Jul 8 (PTI) The outbreak of diarrhoea at a village in Odisha's Ganjam district is "now under control", with one patient undergoing treatment in hospital, a health department official said on Tuesday. The first case of diarrhoea was reported from Ustapalli village in Digapahandi block of the district on July 6. Till Monday, 11 villagers were hospitalised with diarrhoea, while no new patient was admitted on Tuesday, said Nilakantha Mishra, Director, Public Health. Of the 11 patient...Read More
Bhubaneswar, Jul 8 (PTI) A day after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) completed repair and conservation work of the sacred Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Tuesday said the long-awaited inventory of valuables stored in the treasury may begin in August with the assistance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Responding to a question on the next step after ASI's conservation efforts, the minister said, "The inventory...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) The rupee rose 21 paise to close at 85.73 against the US dollar on Tuesday on the back of a decline in global crude oil prices and a weaker greenback against major rivals. Easing of foreign fund outflow and firm domestic equity markets further boosted the rupee, according to forex traders. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 85.75 against the US dollar and traded in a narrow range of 85.64-85.80 before settling at 85.73, up 21 paise from the previous clos...Read More
Chennai, Jul 8 (PTI) Ramco Systems FZ-LLC, the subsidiary of global payroll software provider Ramco Systems, has collaborated with MCA Management Consultants to enable organisations in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, to transform their payroll operations, a top official said on Tuesday. MCA Management Consultants is a leading professional services firm based out of the GCC region. The partnership leverages Ramco's innovative payroll platform and managed services in conjunction with the ex...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Spacetech start-up Suhora Technologies has joined hands with a US-based firm to provide operational hyper-spectral earth observation data across a wide spectrum to customers, claiming to be the first company to provide such services in India. The company, in a statement, said it has entered into a strategic partnership with US-based Orbital Sidekick (OSK), which operates a constellation of hyperspectral satellites with eight-metre spatial resolution across 472 bands. "Th...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 8 (PTI) The Congress-led UDF opposition on Tuesday said neither the Tourism Department nor the minister heading it can be blamed for inviting social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, suspected of spying for Pakistan, to the state for promoting its tourism sector. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said had the government known she was a spy, it would not have invited her to the state. "No one knew she was carrying out espionage when she was here. So...Read More
Bhubaneswar, Jul 8 (PTI) Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Tuesday launched a campaign for promotion of rooftop gardening and urban horticulture. Singh Deo flagged off a rath (vehicle) for promotion of rooftop gardening in five major cities of Odisha here at Krushi Bhavan. With fast growth and development in the state, the urban areas are growing across the state with construction of numerous concrete buildings reducing green spaces in cities, Singh Deo said. Through thi...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Since 2018, 15 sites across eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa have earned a UNESCO tag, and four new nominations from African countries will be examined at the ongoing session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Paris, Director General of the UN organisation, Audrey Azoulay, said. The spirit of the World Heritage Convention is also to reflect the "diversity and equal dignity of cultures" throughout the world. Yet, 27 States Parties still have no sites inscribed, ...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam on Tuesday insisted there is no discrimination between Marathi and non-Marathi communities when it comes to granting permission for rallies, but law and order cannot be compromised. The state government is committed to ensure law and order is maintained during such protests, he said. Speaking to reporters in the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan, Kadam said, "There is no difference in the treatment of non-Marathi and Marathi p...Read More
Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), July 8 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said that it would be beneficial for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to utilise a few hundred TMC of excess Godavari river water, which otherwise drains wastefully into the sea. Speaking at a public meeting in Nandyal district after offering 'jala harati' (ritual prayers) over the Krishna river and opening four radial gates of the Srisailam Project to release water downstream, Naidu stressed ...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union on Tuesday issued an open letter to the JNU faculty members, seeking their active support for students who have been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past twelve days to press their demands. The students' primary demand is the reinstatement of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE), which has been replaced with a UGC-NET-based entrance system in recent years. Addressing a press conference, JNUSU ...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Auto component makers are hopeful that India will soon seal a trade deal with the US, which is the single-largest market for Indian manufacturers, according to an industry official. The official also said that the government has been regularly consulting with the auto components industry amid the ongoing talks for an interim trade deal between India and the US. The comments have come against the background of the US suspending reciprocal tariffs until August 1. The earli...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday it will put in place a mechanism to curb whopping surge in air ticket prices, recently witnessed during the Maha Kumbh and post-Pahalgam terror attack, as the issue coupled with concerns over air safety after the Ahmedabad plane crash dominated proceedings at a parliamentary panel meeting. Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson told the committee his airline will complete retrofitting of its fleet in two years to address frequent comp...Read More
Kochi, Jul 8 (PTI) An order from Kerala's health department assigning three doctors to test food for Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during his recent visit has sparked anger, with the doctors saying they are not trained for the job and may protest. One of the doctors had to accompany food safety officers, police, and health officials to the catering firm and guest houses where the Vice President stayed. The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) said it is planning to submit a...Read More
Bengaluru, Jul 8 (PTI) The Karnataka government has said that it has approved the release of Rs 244.10 crore to cover additional expenses such as wholesale and retail margins and transportation charges under the Annabhagya scheme for the months of February to May, 2025. This fund allocation comes in addition to a previously released grant of Rs 2,082.99 crore, which was meant for the purchase of an extra five kg of rice per beneficiary and other related costs for the four-month period, a govern...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) on Tuesday announced the signing of a new 160-key greenfield hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan, which will be under Vivanta brand. "Fuelled by major infrastructure developments, Jaipur has rapidly evolved as a key regional hub, significantly boosting demand from business and MICE segments apart from the long-established leisure segment. "This signing aligns with IHCL's strategy to expand its presence in such high-growth micro markets of metros and ...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Bringing investment to the rural sector is a key priority for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), President Alvaro Lario said, adding that investment in agriculture is two to three times more effective in reducing poverty than in any other sector. In an interview with PTI, Lario stressed on the importance of bringing private capital to the rural sector, and said that globally, investments worth around USD 75 billion is required to adapt to the impa...Read More
Thane, July 8 (PTI) Maharashtra transport minister and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik on Tuesday said the police mishandled the situation at 'Marathi asmita' (pride) rally organised by the MNS in Mira-Bhayandar area. The march was organised under the aegis of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti (MES) to counter a protest staged by traders recently against the slapping of a food stall owner by MNS activists for not speaking Marathi, officials said. Members of MNS, Shiv Sena (UBT) and various organisat...Read More
Kohima, Jul 8 (PTI) Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio led a delegation to Japan, deepening bilateral cooperation through key MoUs and high-level engagements across sectors, an official said on Tuesday. The delegation had arrived in Tokyo on July 5. The MoUs include an agreement with Kochi Prefecture to promote human resource exchange, employment opportunities for Naga youth, agri-technology transfer, and capacity building, and another pact between Investment and Development Authority of Naga...Read More
Mangaluru (Karnataka), Jul 8 (PTI) A man has been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a college student, resulting in her pregnancy, in Puttur, Dakshina Kannada district, police said on Tuesday. Krishna J Rao (21), the main accused in the case, was apprehended on July 4 in T Narasipura, Mysuru district, and brought to Mangaluru for investigation. Further legal action is underway, police attached to Dakshina Kannada Women Police Station said. The alleged crime came to ligh...Read More
New Delhi: Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday disclosed that the Indian government had ordered the blocking of 2,355 accounts, including the official X handles of international news agency Reuters, on July 3, 2025. The move was directed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which demanded compliance within an hour, citing national security concerns. However, X proceeded with the blocking three da...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Tata group's jewellery and watchmaking brand Titan has reported a 20 per cent growth in its standalone revenue in the June quarter of FY26, according to the latest quarterly updates by the company. Its jewellery division, which contributes over 80 per cent of its revenue, reported an 18 per cent growth on a year-on-year basis. However, "gold price volatility" has affected the consumer sentiments and "buyer growth was flat" for its flagship brands Tanishq, Mia and Zoa (TM...Read More
Chennai, Jul 8 (PTI) Technology solutions provider Redington Ltd has signed a Revenue Acceleration Pilot (REAP) contract with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows it to extend the benefit it receives from AWS to other partners in its network. The REAP programme has been designed to help high-potential partners of Amazon Web Services Partner Network to tap into the combined technical expertise and strengths of both AWS and Redington. By leveraging shared resources, funding and strategic support...Read More
Surat, Jul 8 (PIT) A Jaipur-bound IndiGo flight from Surat got delayed by nearly 45 minutes after a swarm of honeybees was spotted on the door of the plane's luggage compartment prior to its departure, officials said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon, said A N Sharma, director of the Surat airport. "When the aircraft was stationed at the airport, the ground staff noticed a gathering of bees on the edge of the cargo door which was open when the luggage was being loaded in th...Read More