Mid-Day Top News at this hour: Markets give up initial gains dragged by sharp fall in Kotak Bank; Neglected spaces below Mumbai flyovers endanger women and pedestrians and more

Old, abandoned vehicles parked under the Kurla Signal flyover/ Aditi Haralkar

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.

Markets give up initial gains dragged by sharp fall in Kotak Bank, unabated foreign fund outflows

Equity benchmark indices began the trade on a buoyant note on Monday, helped by buying in blue-chip HDFC Bank, but later gave up all the initial gains amid a sharp fall in Kotak Mahindra Bank and unabated foreign fund outflows. The BSE Sensex jumped 545.27 points to 81,770.02 in early trade. The NSE Nifty climbed 124.25 points to 24,978.30. However, soon the benchmark indices succumbed to profit-taking and were trading lower. The BSE benchmark gauge quoted 136.52 points down at 81,060.86 and the Nifty traded 100.70 points lower at 24,753.35.

Mid-Day Special: Neglected spaces below Mumbai flyovers endanger women and pedestrians

More than two years after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) unveiled an ambitious plan to transform spaces beneath the city's flyovers into recreational zones and green areas. Today, these spots are as neglected as ever. In a two-part series, mid-day reveals how these zones, particularly in the western suburbs, have deteriorated into junkyards for clunkers and dimly lit haunts for anti-social elements. Read more

Exclusive| Dating app scam: Kingpin tells Mumbai Police, ‘Made Rs 20 Lakh/day for clubs'

Ankur Meena, alias Happy, also known as "Meena Defaulter," the alleged mastermind behind a massive dating app scam in India, has revealed shocking details during police interrogation. Meena claimed that he would generate up to Rs 20 lakh in business for clubs in a single day. Recently arrested by Bangur Nagar police, Meena confessed that club members were fully aware of the fraudulent activities, motivated by the desire to increase their profits. Read more

Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Maharashtra skipper Gaikwad inspires fightback, but Mumbai hold strong

Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (145, 16x4, 2x6) led from the front to stage a fightback against Mumbai, but it was not enough as the hosts are on the verge of beating their arch-rivals in the Group ‘A' Ranji Trophy game at the Mumbai Cricket Association's Bandra-Kurla Complex ground. Read more

Kanu Behl on directing 'Despatch': ‘Idea criss-crossed with violence against journos'

On Saturday, director Kanu Behl's Despatch had its Indian première at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. But the filmmaker's journey of the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer began in 2016 as he, with co-writer Ishani Banerjee, set out to explore the world of journalism. "Stories about journalism often end up being one-dimensional - there are God-like protagonists fighting to break a story. I always felt that a better understanding of how the world looked from the inside was missing. I had been toying with the idea, and it criss-crossed with so much violence happening with journalists, starting with Gauri Lankesh. The world around us was changing so much. So, I decided to do a Faustian piece about a journalist, who is breaking a story, but not only with an altruistic purpose. Ishani and I dove into eight-nine months of research, looking into several cases of journalists getting [killed]." Read more