The Union Cabinet is learnt to have cleared the Draft Indian Telecommunications Bill, according to two people familiar with the development.

The Cabinet is also learnt to have cleared the Postal Services Bill, 2023 dealing with the functioning of post offices in the country, which will replace the Indian Post Office Act of 1898, they said. This bill is slated to be taken to Parliament for approval in the ongoing monsoon session.

Lender State Bank of India (SBI) reported a 178 per cent rise in its net profit to Rs 16,884 crore in the April-June 2023 quarter against Rs 6,068 crore reported same period last year.

The state-owned lender’s net interest income during the quarter rose by 24.71 per cent to Rs 38,905 crore. It was at Rs 31,196 same quarter of last year.

Former Nepali national cricket team captain Gyanendra Malla announced his retirement from national as well as international cricket on Friday.

“I might have replaced someone during my cricket career now it’s my time to be replaced. I am retiring from cricket from today and embarking on a new journey,” the former national team captain announced in a press meet as his eyes were filled with tears.

McDonald’s India (West & South) has launched the nation’s first-ever Airport Drive-Thru Restaurant in Mumbai. Strategically located just 100 meters from Terminal 2 (T2) of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), this is also the first McDonald’s restaurant in Mumbai to operate 24×7. This Experience of the Future (EOTF) restaurant is all set to provide quality food, convenience, and quick service to travelers and locals alike.

The Airport Drive-Thru Restaurant will cater to thousands of travelers in T2, airport staff, and local residents, meeting their demands for quick and delicious meals at any time of the day.

The Supreme Court on Friday appointed former Delhi High Court judge, Justice Jayant Nath, as the interim chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC).

The order was passed by a bench headed by Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, which was told by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Delhi Government, that the apex court could pick anyone for the post.

England batsman Alex Hales has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 34, drawing the curtain on a controversial career on Friday.

The right-hand batsman, who played 11 Test matches, 70 one-day internationals and 75 Twenty20s for England, was dropped from England’s 2019 ODI World Cup squad after news of a failed recreational drugs test broke a month before the tournament and spent nearly three years in exile.

He was called back for the 2022 T20 World Cup as a replacement to replace the injured Jonny Bairstow, a tournament England went on to win.

The West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023 was passed in the Assembly on Friday amid opposition by the BJP. Under the Bill, the Chief Minister shall, by virtue of his office, be considered the Chancellor of all state-aided universities, replacing the Governor.

It should be noted that this is the second time the controversial bill was passed in the Assembly. The bill was passed last year however the Governor was yet to give his assent to the Bill.

India aims to have its first Polar Research Vessel (PRV) in the next five years in order to sustain its bases in Antarctica, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday.

Replying to a query in the Rajya Sabha, he said a proposal regarding the ship is expected to go for Cabinet approval during the current financial year.

He noted that in 2014, the Cabinet had approved Rs 1,051 crore to acquire the vessel. A tender was also floated for the same.

Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwari has announced his retirement from all formats of the game. He represented India in 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is.

Tiwary, who hold the position as West Bengal Sports Minsiter, also led Bengal to Ranji Trophy 2022-23 final.

“Goodbye to the game of cricket. This game has given me everything, I mean every single thing which I had never dreamt of, starting from the times when my life was challenged by different forms of difficulties. I will always be grateful to this game and to the GOD, who has always been by my side throughout,” Tiwary said in an Instagram post.

Noted Marathi poet and lyricist Namdeo Dhondo Mahanor, popularly known as Na Dho Mahanor, died at a hospital in Maharashtra’s Pune on Thursday morning, his family said. He was 81.

Mahanor was undergoing treatment at Ruby Hospital in Pune and was on life support systems for the last few days, his grandson Shashikant Manohar said.

Mahanor was best known for his poems and lyrics for Marathi movies.

Born in 1942, Namdeo Dhondo Mahanor was awarded Padma Shri in 1991.