Mumbai, Aug 7 (IANS) Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey reflected on the massive success of Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda starrer “Saiyaara” and the resultant increased demand for new faces in the industry.During an exclusive interaction with IANS, the director was asked, “Previously, there was a notion that newcomers are unable to deliver huge hits in the industry; but the unexpected success of ‘Saiyaar’ has challenged that belief. Your take on it.”Reacting to this, Neeraj shared that the people who say su…

Mumbai, Aug 7 (IANS) National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) shares extended their gain on Thursday and rose 20 per cent at the closing bell. The shares of the company are now around 28 per cent higher than their debut price.NSDL debuted in the stock market on Thursday, at a 10 per cent premium above the issue price of Rs 800. The listing premium was lower than grey market estimates of 16 per cent.The Rs 4,012 crore IPO saw strong participation from all investor categories. The overall issue w…

Mumbai, Aug 7 (IANS) Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the country’s largest life insurer, on Thursday reported a 3.91 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in its consolidated net profit for the June quarter of the current financial year (Q1 FY26). The profit rose to Rs 10,957 crore from Rs 10,544 crore recorded in the same period previous year (Q1 FY25), according to its stock exchange filing.LIC’s net premium income also showed steady growth. For the quarter under review, it stood a…

Vientiane, Aug 7 (IANS) Lao authorities and local communities are working side by side to aid thousands affected by widespread flooding and landslides across the country, as relief efforts are underway to distribute emergency supplies and restore damaged infrastructure. The Central Disaster Management Committee has issued a notice calling for public support to aid flood victims, following severe storms that brought heavy rainfall and widespread damage across Laos. The committee is urging all sec…

Accra, Aug 7 (IANS) Ghana has declared a three-day national mourning, beginning on Thursday, following a helicopter crash that killed the country’s Defence and Environment Ministers and six others. Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities and programmes for the rest of the week, following the national tragedy, according to a statement from the presidency late Wednesday.The government has directed that all flags must fly at half-mast until further notice, …

Hanoi, Aug 7 (IANS) Hailing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with India, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam appreciated the positive development of relations between the two countries in various fields, during his meeting with the Indian Ambassador in Hanoi.According to the Indian Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnamese leader also extended his wishes to the Indian people on the occasion of India’s 79th Independence Day, conveying his greetings to President Droupadi Mur…

Canberra, Aug 7 (IANS) New research led by Australian scientists shows small earthquakes in New Zealand’s central Southern Alps are more frequent in spring and summer due to underground water changes from glacier melt and rainfall. These microearthquakes, usually too weak to be felt, increase in frequency as meltwater from glaciers and seasonal snow infiltrates the “highly fragmented” mountain bedrock, raising groundwater levels and fluid pressure in the Earth’s upper crust, according to a state…

Kolkata, July 7 (IANS) Houses of three women BJP workers have been vandalised in the Dinhata area of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal, a day after the state Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s convoy was attacked in the same district, in which seven Trinamool Congress workers were arrested. On Thursday, the houses of BJP workers Juthika Barman, Maina Barman, and Purabi Barman were attacked, and they were chased away from their houses. The BJP alleged that Trinamool workers and miscr…

Mumbai, Aug 7 (IANS) A Mumbai woman working in a private bank has landed in police net for blackmailing and attempting to extort Rs 1 crore from her ex-partner and IT professional by filing a false rape case after a break-up, an official said on Thursday. Mumbai’s Charkop Police arrested Dolly Kotak, who, with the help of her brother and four others, accessed the IT professional’s data in the bank and ended up getting him arrested and sacked.Kotak and the five others, including her close friend,…

Bengaluru, Aug 7 (IANS) BJP Yuva Morcha National President and Bengaluru South Lok Sabha MP, Tejasvi Surya, said on Thursday that the Bengaluru Metro connectivity is set to reach nearly 100 km, thanks to the priority given to the city’s infrastructure by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the Prime Minister himself. The Karnataka Congress leaders, now are taking publicity tours to get credit, he added.Speaking at a press conference at the State BJP office — Jagannath Bhavan in Bengal…