India has made notable progress in enhancing its competitiveness and making its manufacturing sector more attractive to global investors, an S&P Global report said on Monday.

While manufacturing value added accounts for a modest 17.2 per cent of the country’s real gross domestic product (GDP), the government has implemented targeted policy interventions to build domestic manufacturing capacity and strengthen India’s role in global supply chains.

Beyond the near-term impact, therefore, India can benefit from the increasing trade protectionism, which may catalyse supply-chain diversification, according to the report.

Television actress Disha Parmar took to social media to share a candid glimpse into her life as a mother, revealing she hasn’t had a proper night’s sleep in over two years.

The 'Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2' actress is embracing the joys and challenges of motherhood, and she’s not shying away from sharing the real side of it. In a recent candid post, Disha spoke about how her sleep schedule has completely changed since becoming a mom. On Monday, the actress took to her Instagram stories and shared a note that read, “It’s been over 2 years since I last slept well! That uninterrupted 8–9 hrs of sleep... I don’t remember what that’s like or waking up fresh without the cries! Urgh. Waiting for that to come back… hopefully soon!”

At least five people were killed in two separate road accidents in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Monday, officials said.

Three people were killed in an accident in Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh, while two died in an accident in Telangana’s Mulugu district. A total of 18 people were injured in the two accidents.

A car overturned in the Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh, killing three people and injuring three others. The accident occurred near Pododdi village in Peapully mandal.

The deceased have been identified as Santosh (47), Lokesh (37), and Naveen (37), all residents of Tumakuru in Karnataka.

The injured were admitted to a hospital in Nandyal. They belonged to the same family and were returning to Karnataka via Dhone after a darshan at Srisailam and Mahanandi temples.

India's apparel and home textiles exports to the UK are expected to double from the current levels in the next 5-6 years, with the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) scheduled to become operational in calendar year 2026, according to an ICRA report.

Currently, Indian textile exports to the UK face 8-12 per cent duties, but with 99 per cent of goods, including textiles, gaining zero-duty access under the FTA, India will achieve parity with competitors like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Pakistan, the report states.

China leads UK textile imports with a 25 per cent market share, closely followed by Bangladesh, which has a 22 per cent share. Turkey and Pakistan, with 8 per cent and 6.8 per cent share respectively, are the other major exporters. The FTA will enable India’s textile exports to become more competitive in the UK, leading to an increase in market share.

India is currently the 12th largest trading partner of the UK and ranks fifth in apparel and home textiles imports, with $1.4 billion worth of exports in 2024, which constitutes a 6.6 per cent share of the UK’s textile imports.

RVAI Global, a new venture in the AI Services space and a next-generation AI services firm, on Monday, announced its official launch with a mission to empower global enterprises in becoming AI-led organisations.

The company aims to simplify the AI journey for businesses through cutting-edge solutions, deep-tech capabilities, and a customer-first approach.

Founded by Vijay Sivaram, part of the founding team at Quess Corp, and Rohit Himatsingka, formerly with Essar’s Black Box, RVAI Global is poised to address the dynamic technology landscape by delivering practical, scalable, and future-ready AI solutions.

“It is estimated that 92 per cent of enterprises intend to increase their investments in AI. The future of enterprises and their workforce will be shaped by agentic platforms working seamlessly alongside human talent. This synergy will unlock new levels of productivity, efficiency, and decision-making -- placing RVAI at the heart of this transformation,” said Vijay Sivaram, Co-founder, RVAI Global.

Following healthy collections from customers along with receipt of overdue payments, credit rating agency ICRA on Monday revised the outlook on the Indian telecom tower industry to ‘Stable’ from ‘Negative.’

The industry was earlier facing headwinds owing to elongated receivables, on account of delays in payments by some of the telecom service providers.

However, the situation has improved materially with consistent timely payments to the tower companies resulting in reduction of receivable days to around 45-60 days, lower than the ICRA’s negative outlook threshold of 80 days.

This, coupled with recovery of the past overdues, has enhanced the liquidity profile of the telecom tower industry and moderated the reliance on external debt, which is likely to translate into improvement in the return metrics of the industry.

ICRA expects the tower industry to report an operating income growth of 4-6 per cent with operating margins (adjusting for energy revenues) at around 70-75 per cent for FY2026.

Veteran Congress leader and former Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, P.J. Kurien, on Monday criticised Shashi Tharoor, the four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, for his recent actions that appear to defy the party line.

“What Tharoor should not forget is that he was invited by the Modi government to lead the country’s delegation because he is an MP. He has not criticised the government’s policies, and he should also remember that it was the Congress that fielded him,” said a visibly upset Kurien.

“If people suspect Tharoor is leaning towards the BJP, no one can blame them for thinking so,” he added.

Kurien further stated that Tharoor should have shown basic courtesy by informing the party leadership before accepting the government’s invitation.

“That’s the least a Congress leader should do. But that wasn’t done,” he said.

Actress Alia Bhatt has described a dull Monday that got a boost courtesy to an energizing pool boot camp.

She shared a picture. The photograph shows Alia in a swimming pool alongside her fitness trainer Ishaan Mehra. Both are smiling as they lean on the edge of the pool and pose for the camera.

Alia captioned the post: "Gloomy Monday + A Pool boot camp powered by @ishaanmehra.”

On the movie front, Alia will be seen in the upcoming all-female super spy film “Alpha”.

Directed by Shiv Rawail, “Alpha” will mark the seventh film in Yash Raj Films' expansive spy universe. This universe began with the “Tiger” franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, starting with “Ek Tha Tiger” and followed by “Tiger Zinda Hai.” The saga continued with "War," “Pathaan,” and “Tiger 3.” Upcoming films in the franchise include “War 2,” directed by Ayan Mukerji, “Pathaan 2,” and “Tiger vs. Pathaan.

Two people were killed and one person remains missing after multiple pedestrians were struck by a train in Fremont, Ohio, authorities confirmed.

The tragic incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Sunday near the Miles Newton Bridge in Fremont, a city located between Toledo and Cleveland along Lake Erie.

The Fremont Police Department, in coordination with other emergency responders, launched a search operation in the area, focusing on the Sandusky River, where one individual is believed to be missing.

Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez confirmed the two fatalities, noting that both victims were adults. However, the identities of the deceased have not yet been released, pending notification of their families.

The domestic benchmark indices opened flat on Monday amid mixed global cues, as selling was seen in the IT sector in the early trade.

At around 9.32 am, Sensex was trading 3.88 points or 0.00 per cent up at 82,326.71 while the Nifty climbed 14.70 point or 0.06 per cent at 25,034.50.

Nifty Bank was up 134.25 points or 0.24 per cent at 55,489.15. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 57,203.80 after rising 143.30 points or 0.25 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 17,701.75 after climbing 141.35 points or 0.80 per cent.

According to analysts, “they now have only the October 2024 peak ahead at 25,235, which is in close vicinity, before 26,277, the lofty peak of September stares at us. This warns us to be guarded against sudden withdrawal in risk appetite and buying interest as we push ahead”.