Mid-Day Top News at this hour: Why voting for Maharashtra elections 2024 was a breeze; Sensex, Nifty tumble in early trade and more

Widely distributed polling booths in Kurla. Pics/Rajendra B. Aklekar

Welcome to Mid-Day's Top News at this hour! We bring you a curated selection of the most significant and compelling news from around the globe. Stay informed with the latest developments in the nation, Mumbai, entertainment, sports, and more. Let's dive into the headlines shaping our world today.

Sensex, Nifty tumble in early trade; Adani group stocks crack

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled in early trade on Thursday amid sharp fall in Adani group stocks and unabated foreign fund outflows. Weak trends from Asian peers also drove the markets lower during the initial trade. The BSE benchmark Sensex tumbled 468.17 points to 77,110.21 in early trade. The NSE Nifty declined 179.75 points to 23,338.75.

Maharashtra elections 2024: Why voting was a breeze

Quick and efficient: While there were long queues and numerous issues during the Parliamentary elections held in May earlier this year, the voting process this time was faster and smoother, with no major complaints from most citizens. This time, polling booths were more widely distributed compared to the previous election. Read more.

Maharashtra elections 2024: Mumbai sees marginal increase in turnout

Despite a slew of measures and voter awareness campaigns by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to tackle urban apathy, efforts to motivate Mumbaikars to step out and vote appear to have yielded. The island city and suburbs recorded a lacklustre voter turnout of 53.18 per cent by the end of election day, reflecting the persistent challenge of engaging urban voters. Read more.

India deal with sure scrap

The gigantic Optus Stadium is a new cricketing venue, having hosted just four Tests since Australia locked horns with India in the inaugural five-day game here in December 2018. It's an impressive but intimidating structure, a modern monstrosity of sorts inside which one can get the feeling of being trapped in a maze. It has also become somewhat of a modern bastion for the Australians, who have won all four previous Tests here and have therefore chosen its pace, bounce and carry with which to attack India in the latest showdown between the two cricketing powerhouses. Read more.

R Madhavan to play a 40-year-old virgin opposite Fatima Sana Shaikh in new film

There is a new romance brewing in the city, albeit for the cameras. Only last month, it was reported that R Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh were set to team up for a love story. Now, mid-day has learnt that the project has gone on floors. So, what is the actors' maiden collaboration all about? From what we've heard, it's a May-December romance of sorts, with Madhavan's character coming across a younger woman on a dating app. Sources tell us that it is tentatively titled Tharki. Read more.