Willem Dafoe opens up on playing a ruthless billionaire in his next project

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Los Angeles, Aug 5 (IANS) One of the most versatile actors, the four-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe has opened up on his portrayal of a billionaire. He might not seem like the obvious choice to portray a swaggering, playboy billionaire modeled on Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, and he also wasn’t too sure about playing the character, reports ‘Variety’.He said, “Me? Playing a Greek shipping tycoon? I don’t think so”.He is perhaps selling himself short. But for his l…

India’s household savings rise to Rs 54.6 lakh crore in FY24: MoS

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New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Household savings in India have risen steadily in value terms, reaching Rs 54.6 lakh crore in 2023-24 compared to Rs 38.5 lakh crore in 2019-20, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.Similarly, gross domestic savings have also grown in absolute terms — from Rs 59.4 lakh crore in 2019-20 to Rs 92.6 lakh crore in 2023-24, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.“In percentage terms, they have remained bro…

Indian stock market settles lower amid higher US tariffs concerns

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Mumbai, Aug 5 (IANS) The Indian stock market settled in negative territory on Tuesday amid a mixed reaction from investors following the US President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff threat and India’s stern reply to it.Sensex closed at 80,710.25, down 308.47 points or 0.38 per cent. The 30-share index opened the session slightly down at 80.946.43 against last day’s closing of 81,018.72. However, the index further extended the loss amid a mixed approach in Auto, and Consumer Durable stocks and sellin…

Adani’s Project Utthan to provide foundational learning to 1.5 lakh children across Mumbai Schools

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Mumbai, Aug 5 (IANS) In a significant step toward improving foundational education, the Adani Foundation and Adani Electricity have signed a Letter of Agreement with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for Project ‘Utthan’.The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative is designed to enhance Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) skills for 1.5 lakh students from 947 municipal schools across the city, marking a major commitment to strengthening the quality of early education…

Rejection rate of India’s goods exports fell by over 12 per cent in June: Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada told the Parliament on Tuesday that as a result of various measures taken by the Centre, the number of Indian products rejected by importing countries have registered a decline of 12.5 per cent in June this year compared to the corresponding figure for the same month of the previous year.He said that the steps taken by the government include measures to increase quality consciousness through Quality Control Orders …

Govt focusing on domestic growth drivers to keep economy on fast-track: Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) India has remained the fastest-growing major economy, averaging over 7 per cent GDP growth between 2014 and 2025 (excluding the Covid years) and in a global environment marked by protectionism, sustaining 7–8 per cent growth requires a sharp focus on domestic growth drivers, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.”To this end, the Government remains committed to a strategy centred on deregulation, infrastructure investment and MSME development; enhancing female labour f…

6 aircraft engine shutdowns, three Mayday calls this year: Civil Aviation Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) A total of six aircraft engine shutdown incidents and three Mayday call incidents have been reported this year, according to the civil aviation ministry.IndiGo and SpiceJet each experienced two engine shutdown incidents, while Air India and Alliance Air had one incident each, as per data shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol with the Rajya Sabha.Three Mayday call incidents have occurred, including one involving the Air India aircraft (London Gatwi…

E-commerce export hubs to lower logistics cost for Indian SMEs

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New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) The E-Commerce Export Hubs (ECEHs) initiative aims to provide dedicated zones that will reduce the cost and time associated with logistics and simplify regulatory processes, the government said on Tuesday.These hubs will boost cross-border e-commerce exports from India and simplify re-imports for e-commerce returns or rejects. Five ECEH pilot projects have been proposed for implementation, said Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada in a written reply t…

SEBI has ordered disgorgement of Rs 949 crore in 76 cases of fraud: Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has taken up 76 investment-related fraud cases during the five-year period from April 2020 to March 2025, in which the culprits were ordered to disgorge Rs 949. 43 crore as illicit gains, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.The highest disgorgement amount was levied in FY 2021-2022 at Rs 359.96 crore, while a sum of Rs 180.48 crore was ordered to be disgorged during 2024-25, data tabled by the Minister of State for Fina…

Andhra Pradesh witnessing strong economic revival, says Minister Lokesh

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Amaravati, Aug 5 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Human Resources Development and Information Technology Minister, Nara Lokesh, said on Tuesday that the state is witnessing a strong economic revival. Lokesh, who is the son of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, made the claim on social media platform X.In July 2025, the state clocked Rs 3,803 crore in GST collections — the highest ever since the GST regime began in 2017, and a 14 per cent year-on-year growth, he said.”This is also the highest GST growth …