The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has announced plans to table a new law against sacrilege during a special session of the state legislative assembly scheduled for July 10 and 11, news agency ANI reported.

The decision is being described by the state as “historic for Punjab” and is aimed at addressing the longstanding demand for stricter laws against sacrilegious acts.

Health authorities in Kerala on Friday issued an alert across three northern districts after two people showed possible signs of Nipah virus infection, reviving fears of an outbreak that the state has battled in the past.

Health alerts have been issued in the districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Palakkad, officials said.

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) from six countries: Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The investigation follows an application filed by the Chemicals and Petrochemicals Association of India (CPMA), representing Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) and HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL), and supported by Reliance Industries Limited.

Indian students planning to study in Canada will soon need to show more money in their bank accounts. Starting September 1, 2025, those applying for a Canadian study permit must demonstrate access to at least CAN $22,895 (₹14 lakh) for living expenses, up from the current CAN $20,635.

The new rule was announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on June 2, 2025, and will apply to all international students heading to provinces and territories outside Quebec.

Air India has denied claims that it coerced families of the June 12 Flight AI171 crash victims into prematurely signing legal documents related to compensation. The airline labelled the accusations as “unsubstantiated and inaccurate”, India Today reported.

The controversy arose after bereaved families accused the airline of pressuring them during the compensation process.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (local time) that his administration may begin sending letters to trading partners as early as Friday, mentioning unilateral tariff rates ahead of the July 9 deadline.

According to a Bloomberg report, Trump made this announcement while addressing reporters before leaving Washington for Iowa. He said, “We’re probably going to be sending some letters out, starting probably tomorrow, maybe 10 a day to various countries saying what they’re going to pay to do business with the US.”

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved 10 major capital acquisition proposals on Thursday. The total value of these approvals is around ₹1.05 trillion through indigenous sourcing.

The approvals, known as Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), cover the procurement of Armoured Recovery Vehicles, an Electronic Warfare System, an Integrated Common Inventory Management System for the Tri-Services, and Surface-to-Air Missiles.

E-commerce company Meesho has confidentially filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to launch an initial public offering (IPO), Reuters reported on Thursday.

The SoftBank-backed firm plans to raise $497.30 million (₹4,250 cr) through the listing, the report added. Some existing investors are also expected to pare their stakes as part of the offer.

In a setback to Apple’s India expansion plans, Foxconn Technology Group has been sending hundreds of its Chinese engineers and technicians back home from its iPhone factories in India, it is learnt. This is likely to affect the Cupertino major’s production plans of iPhone 17, expected to be unveiled in mid-September.

This comes at a time when the Taiwanese contract manufacturer — Apple’s largest — is expanding its capacity in India.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday passed an interim order directing Patanjali Ayurved to take down advertisements that allegedly disparage Dabur's chyawanprash products, Bar and Bench reported. This came in response to a suit filed by Dabur India Ltd in December 2024, accusing Patanjali Ayurved of making misleading claims about its flagship Ayurvedic product.

Justice Mini Pushkarna issued the order after finding that the contested advertisements were problematic under the law governing commercial speech and product representation

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