The Reportline

Mumbai: Indian equity benchmarks opened slightly lower on Wednesday as investors weighed mixed global cues and continued selling by foreign funds. The Nifty started at 22,665, down about 50 points, or 0.23 per cent. The Sensex opened at 72,441.15, off 87.92 points, or 0.12 per cent. In early trade, the Nifty MidSmall IT & Telecom index led sectoral gains with a rise of more than 1 per cent.

Apple has launched Apple Pay in India, bringing its contactless payments service to one of the world’s largest digital payments markets. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, said customers can now complete transactions with eligible iPhones, Apple Watches and iPads. The service is opening first to holders of eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Apple said more banks and Mac support will be added in the months ahead.

Mumbai - The Special Investigation Team of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested four more people in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission Drug Inspector exam question-paper leak case, taking the total number of arrests to 11. The latest detainees are two candidates, Sajid Sande and Vijay Kinger, and two alleged middlemen, Sandeep Khalate and Bhairavnath Kadam. Sande was arrested in Sangli and Kinger in Buldhana. Khalate and Kadam were picked up in Navi Mumbai, investigators said.

Dubai: India Women sealed a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title with a 72-run win over Sri Lanka in Sunday’s final, capping a campaign in which they won every match. Put in to bat, India posted 183/5. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put on 129 — the highest stand for any wicket in Women’s Asia Cup history and the highest partnership in a women’s T20I final. Shafali made 68 off 39 (nine fours, two sixes), reaching fifty in 24 balls, the fastest in the tournament’s history.

— Three newborns died early Monday after a ventilator exploded and sparked a fire in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at Amravati District Women’s Hospital, hospital officials said. The blaze broke out at about 3:30 a.m. on the third floor, where 39 infants were receiving treatment. Doctors, nurses and other staff sprang into action, disconnecting equipment and evacuating babies from the ward as smoke spread through the unit.

Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu), Aug 20, 2026 — Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council (SZC) in Tamil Nadu, bringing together chief ministers and senior representatives from the region to discuss matters of common interest. The meeting, hosted by the Tamil Nadu government, was held at the Taj Fisherman’s Cove hotel in Kovalam, Chengalpattu district.

Delhi, 12 August 2026, Shares in Tata Group companies have fallen sharply following the announcement that chairman N Chandrasekaran will not seek reappointment when his term ends in February 2027. In a statement released on Wednesday, the 63-year-old said the Tata Sons board was unable to reach a consensus on a five-year extension of his term — a proposal that had been on the table for months.

Patna, August 3, 2026 - In a stunning upset, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar to wrest control of the Bankipur Assembly constituency in Bihar, ending the party's continuous grip on the seat since 1995. Kishor, making his electoral debut, secured 63,203 votes to win by a margin of 18,953 votes. He polled 63,203 votes while BJP's Neeraj Kumar secured 44,250 votes. RJD candidate Rekha Kumari stood third with 14,085 votes, trailing the winner by 49,118 votes.

Washington, August 3, 2026 U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he called off a planned military strike on Iran after key Gulf allies — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — urged him to give diplomacy another chance.

: A newborn was allegedly buried alive in a heap of dung to conceal an unmarried woman’s pregnancy in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district, while the infant’s grandfather allegedly attempted suicide after the incident, police said on Sunday. The incident took place within the Waraseoni police station limits and came to light after villagers alerted the police on Friday over suspicious circumstances. The infant’s body was exhumed on Saturday, police said.