Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) Indian equity markets opened lower on Monday as crude oil prices rebounded to near the $80-per-barrel mark amid renewed geopolitical tensions.Sensex began the session at 76,963.35, down over 600 points or 0.78 per cent, while Nifty started at 24,039.40, declining 167.50 points or 0.69 per cent.Sector-wise, most indices traded in the red, led by Nifty Auto and Nifty Metal, which fell up to 1 per cent. Nifty Consumer Durables, Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Private Bank also witne…

Bangkok, July 13 (IANS) A fire at a pub near Lat Phrao Road in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district killed 27 people and injured dozens of others, Thai media reported. The fire broke out at around 11:57 p.m. local time and was later extinguished. The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrived at the scene at around 1:44 a.m. on Monday and said most of the victims died from smoke inhalation, reports Xinhua news agency.An investigation into the cause of t…

Kolkata, July 13 (IANS) The West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, 2026, a law to prevent corruption, anti-social and rowdy activities in the state, has come into force after midnight on Monday.The West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, was tabled and passed in the Assembly on June 29. Thereafter, the Bill received the assent of the West Bengal Governor, following which it became an Act.The law gives more power to the police and…

Thiruvananthapuram, July 13 (IANS) Kerala on Monday joined the rest of the country in observing a day of State Mourning following the passing of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir of the State of Qatar.The observance assumes special significance in Kerala, which shares close economic and people-to-people ties with the Gulf nation through its large expatriate community.Acting on the directions of the Government of India, the Kerala government instructed all District C…

Lucknow, July 13 (IANS) BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Monday said that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ legislation is consulting political parties and government officials across the country to gather suggestions before finalising its report on simultaneous elections. The committee is currently in Lucknow as part of its nationwide consultations on the proposed electoral reform.Speaking to IANS in Lucknow, Thakur said, “The Joint Parliamentary C…

New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) As India and the European Union work towards the early implementation of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal embarked on a three-nation visit on Monday with a high-level business delegation.The visit to Spain, Belgium and Finland from July 13-17 underscores India’s commitment to strengthening economic partnerships across Europe, with a focus on trade, investment, technology, innovation and sustainability, according to an official stat…

Miami, July 13 (IANS) As England prepare to face Argentina, midfielder Reece James admitted that the Lions’s run to the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals is “what dreams are made of.” Thomas Tuchel’s men battled their way past Norway in the quarter-finals on, coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1 after extra-time courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s brace.Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead in the first half when his delivery from the left flew across Jordan Pickford’s box and crashed off the far po…

Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) Actor Riteish Deshmukh, who is currently seen as a jailor in “Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa”, recalled a piece of advice from veteran screenwriter Salim Khan on the reality show. Riteish was addressing contestant Akanksha Chaudhary, as she was upset over being punished at last week’s judgement day over her behaviour with Shreya Kalra.Akanksha was upset because she was “at risk” and wouldn’t be able to play in the “crackdown” to save herself this week due to her fight…

Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) Bollywood star Jackie Shroff paid tribute to legendary Marathi and Hindi actor Nilu Phule on his 17th death anniversary on July 13.Remembering the iconic performer, the actor posted a heartfelt social media post where he shared a vintage picture of the late actor and wrote, “Remembering Nilu Phule ji on his death anniversary,” accompanied by folded hands emoticon.Talking about Nilu Phule, the actor is touted as one of Marathi cinema and theatre’s most celebrated actors.He …

Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) Maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has written a message for Akhil Akkineni, son of superstar Nagarjuna, and said that he is the “best actor” in the Akkineni family. RGV took to his X, formerly called Twitter, to heap praise on Akhil and his latest release “Lenin,” directed by Murali Kishor Abburu.He wrote: “Hey @AkhilAkkineni8 Just saw #Lenin, and apart from the FILM being GREAT , I realised that you are the BEST ACTOR in the #Akkineni family.”The filmmaker sa…