A state judge in Oregon has overturned a jury's $260 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said she got mesothelioma, a deadly cancer linked to asbestos exposure, from inhaling the company's talc powder, the company said on Monday.

Judge Katharine von ter Stegge in Portland granted J&J's motion to throw out the verdict and hold a new trial in the case at a hearing late on Friday, according to a spokesperson for the company.

Four persons, including a three-year-old girl and a woman, were killed in a sudden explosion at a firecracker godown-cum-factory in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district, police said on Tuesday.

Six persons were injured in the incident, which took place in the factory located in the Naushera area under Shikohabad police station limits on Monday night, a senior police official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to launch the Odisha government's flagship women-centric initiative, Subhadra Yojana, besides other railway and national highway projects during his visit to the eastern state on Tuesday.

PM Modi's visit to Odisha on his 74th birthday would be the first after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on June 12.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that facts need to be taken on board in the context of the controversy involving chairperson of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Madhabi Puri Buch.

Speaking at a News18 event, the finance minister said that Buch along with her husband had answered quite a few of the allegations levelled against her by the Congress party and both of them have put forth the facts.

Shares of Eraaya Lifespaces were locked in their upper circuit for the 14th straight trading day, up 5 per cent at Rs 1,620.20, on the BSE on Monday. In the past three weeks, the BSE listed stock has zoomed 102 per cent from a level of Rs 801.05 seen on August 26. Currently, Eraaya Lifespaces is trading under 'XT' group on the BSE. The stock is not listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

The 'XT' group on the BSE is a sub-segment for securities in the Trade-for-Trade (T) group. The 'T' group is a surveillance measure that requires securities to be settled on a trade-to-trade basis. The 'XT' sub-segment is reviewed every six months.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Monday retracted its earlier statement blaming "external elements" for recent employee protests against its “work culture” and calls for the resignation of the regulatory body’s chief, Madhabi Puri Buch.

“Sebi addresses employee-related matters through appropriate internal mechanisms. Following constructive discussions with representatives of all grades of officers, Sebi and its employees have reaffirmed that such issues are strictly internal and will be managed in accordance with the organisation’s high standards of governance and within a time-bound framework,” the regulatory body said in a press release.

The AAP has scheduled a series of meetings, including that of its political affairs committee, on Monday evening to decide on a new chief minister for Delhi, a day after Arvind Kejriwal's surprise announcement of quitting the post.

Senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia reached Kejriwal's official residence to discuss with him the names of probables for the chief minister's post, AAP leaders said.

Industrialist Gautam Adani-led Adani Group on Monday said it has not issued any press releases linked to its operations in Kenya, rejecting the “fraudulent” press releases that have been circulating. The company blamed “vested interests with malicious intent” for the incident, noting that a viral press release titled ‘Adani Group denounces baseless accusations and threats’ is fake.

“We categorically state that neither the Adani Group nor any of its companies or subsidiaries have issued any press releases related to Kenya,” the group said, urging the public to disregard such press releases.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday issued separate orders suspending three senior IPS officers, including a DG rank, for their alleged involvement in "hastily arresting" and "harassing" a Mumbai-based actor-cum-model without proper investigation in a case filed against her.

Former intelligence chief P Sitharama Anjaneyulu (DG rank), former Vijayawada Police Commissioner Kranti Rana Tata (IG rank) and Vishal Gunni (SP rank).

A 24-year-old student has died from the Nipah virus in the southern Indian state of Kerala, a local medical official said on Monday, and 151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

This is the second death caused by Nipah in Kerala since July. Nipah is classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of its potential to trigger an epidemic. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and no treatment to cure it.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.