Polling began Wednesday morning in the Maharashtra assembly elections, where the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine is hoping for a strong comeback. Voting began in all the 288 assembly seats at 7 am and will end at 6 pm, an election official said. The votes will be counted on November 23.

Polling began Wednesday morning in the Maharashtra assembly elections, where the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power

Maharashtra polls: Polling underway in 288 assembly seats

Biocon Group Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was conferred the prestigious Jamsetji Tata Award by the Indian Society for Quality (ISQ) on Saturday for pioneering the biosciences movement in India.
"This award holds a very special meaning to me as it is named after one of India's greatest visionaries - a man whose legacy of excellence, innovation, and nation-building continues to inspire us all. Jamsetji Tata's commitment to quality and his belief in the transformative power of industry to serve society resonate deeply with my own journey," said Mazumdar-Shaw.
The Jamsetji Tata Award, instituted in 2004 by ISQ recognises business leaders who have made significant contributions to Indian society.
The Award was announced at the ISQ Annual Conference 2024, held in Bengaluru.
Mazumdar-Shaw received the award from Janak Kumar Mehta, President of ISQ and Chairman and Managing Director, TQM International.
"This Lifetime achievement award is being presented to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for being

The Jamsetji Tata Award, instituted in 2004 by ISQ recognises business leaders who have made significant contributions to Indian society

Kolkata-based jewellery retail chain Senco Gold Limited said it raised Rs 459 crore through a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP) by allotting 40.8 lakh equity shares.
The QIP committee of the company's board approved the issuance and allotment of equity shares of Rs 10 were issued at a price of Rs 1,125 per share, including a premium of Rs 1,115, Senco Gold said in a regulatory filing on Friday evening.
Post the QIP, the company's paid-up equity share capital has increased to Rs 81.80 crore, comprising 8.18 crore shares, from Rs 77.72 crore (7.77 crore shares), the company added.
Among the major allottees, four funds under Tata AIA Life Insurance Co. grabbed 14.49 per cent of the issue size. On a standalone basis, Tata Multicap Fund received the largest portion with 8.77 per cent of the issue size, followed by Tata AIA Life Insurance Co. Ltd's Emerging Opportunities Fund (6.40 per cent) and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co. Ltd (6.54 per cent).
Other significant investors ...

The QIP committee of the company's board approved the issuance and allotment of equity shares of Rs 10 were issued at a price of Rs 1,125 per share, including a premium of Rs 1,115

The 26-year-old Indian American had accused OpenAI of using copyrighted content to train its AI models. Details

Apple is one of Broadcom's biggest customers, accounting for roughly 20 per cent of revenue

Catch all the latest happenings from around the world here

Delhi government has forwarded all 14 pending reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General to the LG for his approval to table them in the assembly after more than one and half years of delay, Raj Niwas said on Saturday.
The Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta has already asked the AAP government to call a special session of the assembly, which will be completing its five years tenure in February next year, for the tabling of the CAG reports.
Gupta in a petition filed in the high court earlier, sought directions to the government to lay 14 long-pending CAG Reports in the assembly.
No immediate reaction was available from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party on the issue.
"It took the fear of an adverse order by the Delhi High Court for the AAP government to hurriedly submit the long-pending CAG Reports to the LG to seek his permission, for making it possible for the reports to be made public, by placing them in the Assembly," the office of the Lieutenant Governor said in 

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta has already asked the AAP government to call a special session of the Assembly for the tabling of the CAG reports

Stakeholders from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sought a reduction in GST, technology upgrade, and production-linked incentive scheme benefits for various segments in a pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.
The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1.
Members from the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE); Karnataka SC and ST Entrepreneurs' Association; Plant-Based Food Industry Association (PBFIA); Ambala Scientific Instruments Manufacturers' Association (ASIMA); Rajasthan Footwear Manufacturers' Association were among the participants at the meeting.
The All-India Plastics Manufacturers' Association; All India Manufacturers' Association; Gujarat Chamber of Small Industries Association; Federation of Associations of Cottage and Small Industries (based in West Bengal); Federation of Andhra Pradesh Small and Medium Association; and Laghu Udyog 

The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1

Call for reining in food inflation and raising investment in pre-Budget  talks

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

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After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
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Brazil elections

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

Maharashtra polls: Polling underway in 288 assembly seats

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