Three in four occupiers plan to expand their office portfolios in India over next two years

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New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Three in four corporate occupiers in India intend to expand their office portfolios over the next two years, as they are entering a phase of conviction-led growth, a report said on Thursday.Nearly 30 per cent of office occupiers plan ‘significant’ portfolio expansion in India, up from 18 per cent last year, the report from CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd. said.The report, drawn from a survey conducted between April and June 2026, showed a marked rise in conviction‑led exp…

L&T wins order worth up to Rs 5,000 crore for Dubai airport APM system

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New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Larsen & Toubro’s transportation infrastructure business has secured an order worth up to Rs 5,000 crore to design and build the Automated People Mover (APM) system for Phase 1 of Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, the company said on Thursday.The order has been won in a consortium with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) with L&T responsible for the turnkey delivery of the fully integrated APM system, including construction, supply, testing, commis…

Govt sets ball rolling for more approved test centres under metrology rules

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New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) The Centre’s Department of Consumer Affairs on Thursday announced that it has invited online applications from eligible industries, laboratories, engineering colleges, polytechnics, ITIs and testing facilities for recognition as Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) under the Legal Metrology Rules.With the application window currently open, eligible organisations are encouraged to submit their applications through the Department’s online portal emaap.gov.in/gatc bef…

Close alignment on India's MAHASAGAR, Japan's FOIP more important than ever before: Rajnath Singh

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New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that a close alignment between India’s MAHASAGAR vision and Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative is “more important now than ever before” and emphasised the deep strategic interlinkages between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. India’s MAHASAGAR vision stands for ‘Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions’.In his opening remarks during a meeting with Japanese Defence Minister Shinji…

K'taka CM Shivakumar highlights benefits of Mekedatu dam for TN in southern zonal council meet

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Mahabalipuram, Aug 20 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday highlighted the Mekedatu reservoir project at the Southern Zonal Council meeting, describing it as beneficial not only to Karnataka but also to farmers in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.Concluding his address to the 31st meeting of the council in Mahabalipuram, Shivakumar appealed for cooperation in resolving the long-running Cauvery water dispute.He said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had spoken to …

Met office predicts more rain in south Bengal till Sunday, heavy rain in north

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Kolkata, Aug 20 (IANS) Although the low pressure has weakened and moved towards the Jharkhand-Bihar region, conditions are still favourable for more rain over south Bengal districts in the next few days. The Met office said on Thursday that the southwest monsoon axis is active and it is over Jharkhand-Bihar and the western districts of West Bengal. Due to this, rain will continue in most districts of south and north Bengal for the next few days.Today, light to moderate rain and thunderstorms are…

Jharkhand: Students move HC against cancellation of recruitment exams, hearing on four petitions at 3 PM

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Ranchi, Aug 20 (IANS) The legal battle launched by affected candidates against Jharkhand government’s decision to cancel 22 recruitment examinations has intensified, with four petitions challenging the move filed in the High Court so far. The petitions are likely to be heard on Thursday at 3 PM. The petitioners include successful candidates from the 11th-13th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination, JSSC-CGL and the Food Safety Officer examination. The petitions have been filed by successful ca…

Bribe sought to prevent demolition of unauthorised construction in Gujarat; two held with Rs 3.15 lakh

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Ahmedabad, Aug 20 (IANS) Two persons were allegedly caught accepting Rs 3.15 lakh in bribe in Ahmedabad after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) laid a trap following a complaint from a citizen that money was being demanded after threatening him with demolition of an unauthorised roof at his property, officials said on Thursday.The trap was laid on August 19 by the Anand ACB Police Station team, with the complainant alleging that the accused had demanded money to prevent the demolition of new cons…

NCB secures conviction of 2 drug traffickers in Gandhinagar Mephedrone smuggling case

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Gandhinagar, Aug 20 (IANS) In a significant blow to inter-state drug trafficking networks, two individuals were pronounced guilty by a city court over their role in the smuggling of Mephedrone, a psychotropic substance prohibited under NDPS Act-1985. The Gandhinagar court on Thursday sentenced the two convicted individuals to 20 years and 10 years in prison respectively, for trafficking 198.90 grams of mephedrone.The case, investigated by NCB’s Ahmedabad Zonal Unit, involved the illegal transp…

K'taka govt urges public to report fake medicine networks; announces reward for leads

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Bengaluru, Aug 20 (IANS) Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader on Thursday appealed to the public to share information about the supply and sale of spurious and fake medicines, announcing cash rewards of Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 for credible inputs that help authorities uncover such networks.It can be noted that a racket involving spurious drugs allegedly carrying labels of multinational pharmaceutical companies was unearthed in Ramanagara district, with drugs worth over Rs 5 crore seized on Wedne…