Maharashtra

Pune, Aug 9 (PTI) Over 2.85 lakh people have been evacuated due to the devastating floods in Western Maharashtra's five districts including the worst-hit Kolhapur and Sangli, with the death toll reaching 29 on Friday.

The region is being pummeled by rain over the last few days, and major rivers including the Krishna and Panchaganga are in spate.

Divisional commissioner Dr Deepak Mhaisekar said flood waters had begun to recede in Kolhapur and Sangli. "In Kolhapur, the water level has decreased by two feet and in Sangli it has decreased by 3 inches," he said.

Thane, Aug9 (PTI) A woman has been booked for allegedly abandoning her newborn baby in a public toilet near here in Maharashtra, police said on Friday.

The baby, a girl, was spotted by a woman who heard her cries in the wee hours of Thursday when she went to the toilet in Mumbra town to answer nature's call, they said.

Later, with the help of a social worker, the child was shifted to Kalwa Civic Hospital, the police added.

Palghar, Aug 9 (PTI) A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court here in Maharashtra for repeatedly raping a teenage girl.

Judge A U Kadam convicted the accused under relevant sections of the IPC and also the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the accused, a resident of Vasai in Palghar district.

Mumbai, Aug 7 (PTI) The Reserve Bank on Wednesday cut key interest rate for the fourth consecutive time, as it reduces repo rate by 35 basis points to 5.40 per cent to boost the slowing economy.

The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) also maintained the accommodative stance on the monetary policy.

Mumbai, Aug 5 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by a witness in the alleged fake encounter case of suspected gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kasuar Bi and their aide, challenging the acquittal of 22 people in the case by a special court here.

The witness, Mahendrasinh Zala, had challenged the December 2018 order of the sessions court acquitting 22 accused, 21 of them junior-level policemen from Gujarat and Rajasthan, in the case, which was probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Mumbai, Aug 5 (PTI) The Nationalist Congress Party on Monday appointed Nawab Malik as its Mumbai unit chief.

The announcement was made by NCP Maharashtra president Jayant Patil.

The post was lying vacant after Sachin Ahir joined the ruling Shiv Sena.

Malik was the party's national spokesperson before being chosen to lead its Mumbai unit.

Mumbai, Aug 5 (PTI) Domestic equity benchmarks BSE Sensex fell over 531 points to trade below 37,000-mark in early trade on Monday following persistent foreign fund outflows amid negative global cues.

Kashmir issue also spooked investors' sentiment after the authorities stepped up security at vital installations and in sensitive areas, suspended mobile internet services and either "arrested" or "detained" several leaders in fast-paced developments on Sunday night.

Mumbai, Aug 5 (PTI) The rupee was trading down by 77 paise at 70.37 against the American currency on Monday, amid uncertainty over Kashmir Issue and US-China trade related concerns.

In a highly volatile trade, the rupee opened at 70.20 at the interbank forex market and touched a low of 70.59 and a high of 70.18 against the American currency.

The domestic currency was trading at 70.37 against the American unit, down 77 paise over its previous closing price at 1211 hours.

The rupee had settled at 69.60 against the US dollar on Friday.

Nagpur, Aug 2 (PTI) The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to hold day- to-day hearing of Ayodhya dispute, expressing hope that legal obstacles in the way of construction of Ram temple will be removed soon.

The apex court, earlier in the day, ordered day-to-day hearing from August 6 of the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, noting that mediation efforts have failed.

Mumbai, Aug 2 (PTI) The rupee dived 54 paise on Friday to close at an over six-week low of 69.60 against the US dollar as soaring crude oil prices and a fresh flare up in US-China trade tensions weighed on emerging market currencies.

Global markets tumbled and safe-haven assets like the Japanese yen gained after President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that the US will impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on USD 300 billion worth Chinese imports, which Beijing vowed to retaliate.