Author: Indmedia

A chimney rests on a pyre after it fell during the last rites of a 70-year-old man on Wednesday. Mira-Bhayander: A portion of a chimney at a civic crematorium in Mira Road collapsed onto a burning funeral pyre on Wednesday morning, triggering panic among mourners.The deceased’s relatives, who were standing close to the pyre during the last rites, had a narrow escape and no injuries were reported.The incident occurred around 11 am at the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) crematorium near Mira Road railway station.The funeral of 70-year-old Girish Shingare, a resident of Poonam Sagar in Mira Road, was underway when…

New Delhi: A Delhi court has allowed jailed activist Umar Khalid to resume two weekly video meetings (e-mulakats) with his family, accepting his plea that the facility had been reduced to one session a week from May 2026 despite there being no violation of prison rules on his part.Khalid had sought restoration of the earlier arrangement, submitting that he had been permitted two meetings every week for the past six years, but “all of a sudden since May, 2026” the facility was curtailed to one video meeting a week.Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai passed the order on July 13, restoring…

Emergent co-founders (L-R) Madhav Jha and Mukund Jha Bengaluru: AI startup Emergent has raised $130 million in a funding round that values the company at $1.5 billion, making it a unicorn less than a year after its public launch. The company, which enables users without coding skills to build web and mobile applications using AI, plans to use the capital for product development and global expansion.Private equity firm Creaegis led the round, with Manipal Group chairman Ranjan Pai’s family investment office Claypond Capital and Sentinel Global joining as co-lead investors. Existing backers Khosla Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Lightspeed and…

Hyderabad: Telangana will add another five lakh metric tonnes of warehousing capacity over the next two years to strengthen scientific storage facilities for farmers, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said on Wednesday.Reviewing the functioning of the Telangana State Warehousing Corporation (TGSWC), Markfed and HACA at the secretariat, the minister directed officials to prepare a comprehensive district-wise assessment of warehouse requirements for the next 20 years and align future construction plans accordingly.He also asked officials to adopt scientific storage practices to prevent deterioration in the quality of commodities and urged govt corporations to reduce interest liabilities while improving their financial health…

Chennai: Employers are increasingly hiring AI talents and talking about paying a premium over compensation for other talent, but workers are yet to witness the impact, according to a report by Indeed. It noted that while 66% of employers state they offer substantial salary premiums for AI-skilled roles, 54% of AI-exposed workers report that their compensation has either stagnated or actually decreased over the past year. It is based on a survey of 1,267 employers and 2,541 employees across India.Organizations state that AI-skilled positions command an 11%–30% and 31%-50% premium over non-AI roles, but 36% professionals saw zero change in…

Vadodara/Ahmedabad: After making global headlines for slowing ships in the Persian Gulf during the Strait of Hormuz crisis, barnacles—tiny shell-covered marine creatures that cling to rocks and ship hulls—are now exposing alarming levels of microplastic pollution along Gujarat’s coastline.A study by researchers from Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University (HNGU) and the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) has found that among 13 locations surveyed along the state’s coast, Shivrajpur recorded the highest concentration of microplastics in barnacles. Ironically, Shivrajpur is Gujarat’s Blue Flag-certified beach, internationally recognised for meeting the highest environmental, safety and cleanliness standards.Located about 12 km from Dwarka, the beach attracted…

UPRTOU VC Prof Satyakam (center) sharing details of 21st convocation scheduled on July 16 Prayagraj: Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UPRTOU) will confer degrees on 30,886 students at its 21st convocation ceremony to be held on July 17. The ceremony will be presided over by Uttar Pradesh Governor and Chancellor of the lone open university of the state, Anandiben Patel, while Padma Shri Malini Awasthi will deliver the convocation address as the chief guest.Talking to media on Wednesday, Vice-Chancellor Prof Satyakam said the university would award 26 gold medals, including 20 to female students and six to male students,…

Bhubaneswar: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the doubling of the Haridaspur-Paradip railway section in Odisha at a cost of Rs 2,542 crore.It also approved another multi-tracking rail project — the Rajkharsawan-Dangoaposi fourth line in Jharkhand, near the Odisha border — at an estimated cost of Rs 1,365 crore.“A major boost to connectivity and economic growth in Odisha and Jharkhand! The Cabinet has approved two important railway multi-tracking projects, the doubling of the Paradip-Haridaspur line and the fourth line between Rajkharsawan and Dangoaposi. These projects will further growth in Odisha and…

Gurgaon: A Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) enforcement team was allegedly attacked with an axe during an anti-encroachment drive in Bhangrola village on Wednesday afternoon, leaving a home guard personnel injured. Police have registered an FIR at Kherki Daula police station.The incident occurred around 2pm when the team, accompanied by duty magistrate and sub-divisional officer (SDO) Shashikant, reached the village to remove encroachments from govt land as part of the civic body’s ongoing enforcement drive.According to MCM officials, a group of local residents, identified as Sevaram, Billu, Ishwar, Saurav, Gaurav, Deepak and others, opposed the demolition. Despite attempts by the…

Guwahati: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes have been the biggest contributor to poverty reduction in the state and asserted that the govt aims to bring the multidimensional poverty rate down to a single digit.Replying to the discussion on the 2026-27 state Budget in the assembly , Sarma said Assam’s multidimensional poverty rate has fallen from 32.67% in 2015 to 14.47% at present. He said direct cash benefit transfers have played a significant role in reducing poverty and described DBT as the most effective way to address the issue directly. While development, agriculture and…