The toll in rain-related deaths in Kerala touched 20 on Thursday as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan postponed Saturday's annual Nehru boat race in Alappuzha in view of heavy showers forecast.

The Supreme Court on Thursday approved the draft Constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and granted full permanent membership to the Railways, the Tri-Services, and Association of Indian Universities among others.

Taking a cue from global markets, the key Indian equity market indices on Thursday opened higher.

The Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which had closed at 37,887.56 points on Wednesday, opened higher at 37,994.51 points. Minutes into trading, it was quoting at 38,005.35 points, up by 117.79 points, or 0.31 per cent.

Former BJP ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie on Wednesday alleged that the Rafale jet deal was "unilaterally" finalized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by violating mandatory procedures, and this defence scandal was "larger than any thus far."

Observing that India'a near-term macroeconomic outlook is "broadly favorable", the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the country is on course to hold its position as one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday was told by the firecrackers' manufacturers that firecrackers alone were not the sole reason for rising pollution levels during Diwali though it was one of the contributing factors, and that an entire industry can't be shut down.

The strong statement comes days after the managing editor and two anchors of a prominent TV channel resigned

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders paid their last respects to former Union Minister R.K. Dhawan at the Congress headquarters on Wednesday.