A daily dose of a commonly used, safe, and inexpensive antibiotic may help reduce preterm births (born at 37 weeks’ gestation or before), in women with HIV, according to a study of almost 1,000 pregnant women in Zimbabwe.

An international group of researchers, from the UK and Zimbabwe, found that women living with HIV who took the antibiotic trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole during their pregnancy had larger babies who were less likely to be preterm.

Trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent with anti-inflammatory properties that are widely used in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study showed that for babies born to a small group of 131 women with HIV, the reduction in premature births was especially marked, with only 2 per cent of births in the trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole group preterm, as compared with 14 per cent in the placebo group.

The domestic benchmark indices surged on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.50 per cent and cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 100 basis points (in four tranches).

Sensex gained 746.95 points or 0.92 per cent at 82,188.99 and the Nifty rose 252.15 points or 1.02 percent to close at 25,003.05.

The rise was led by banking stocks. Nifty Bank closed at 56,578.40, up 817.55 points or 1.47 per cent. During the day, Bank Nifty touched the level of 56,695, which is the highest level of the main banking index so far.

Along with largecaps, midcaps and smallcaps also witnessed a rise. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was up 707.30 points, or 1.21 per cent, at 59,010.30, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index was up 149.85 points, or 0.81 per cent, at 18,582.45.

Australia’s fast-bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc said he was comfortable with his decision to leave IPL 2025, when it was paused for a week following growing cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

Starc had picked 14 wickets in 11 games for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, before the competition paused. After that, he and fellow Australia player Jake Fraser-McGurk, who came to New Delhi along with other DC and Punjab Kings players, as well as other important stakeholders, via a bus and train trip from Dharamshala. Subsequently, Starc didn’t come back for the remainder of IPL 2025, and DC failed to enter the playoffs.

“I’m comfortable with my decision and how I felt about the whole situation and how it was handled. That’s why I made my decision post-that, and my focus changed to red-ball cricket for about a week prior to coming over here. Time will tell with repercussions or how it looks with guys that didn’t return.

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed an application filed by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) seeking permission to schedule the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-PG 2025 on August 3.

A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Augustine George Masih took note of the submission that August 3 was the earliest possible available date given by its technology partner for conducting the NEET-PG 2025 examination in terms of the recent apex court order.

Allowing the application filed by the NBE to conduct the NEET-PG 2025 examination on August 3, the Justice Mishra-led Bench clarified that no further time extension will be allowed by the top court.

In an order passed on May 30, the Supreme Court deprecated the practice of conducting the NEET-PG exam in two shifts and opined that holding the examination in two shifts leads to arbitrariness and cannot give a level playing field to the candidates.

Ecom Express, once a rising star in India’s e-commerce logistics space, has gone from planning an IPO to being sold off in what many are calling a 'fire sale' -- leaving minority shareholders blindsided and independent board members furious.

The inside story began to unravel during the 24th Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Ecom Express, held virtually, according to multiple reports.

At the meeting, Chairman and Independent Director, V. Anantharaman, reportedly announced that a deal had been finalised in April 2025 for Delhivery to acquire nearly the entire company.

Anantharaman expressed concern that the agreement was reached without informing the company’s board or its minority shareholders.

He later stepped down from his role as Chairman. Following his resignation, Ecom Express CEO Ajay Chitkara chaired the meeting.

The number of registered startups has reached 1.76 lakh in the last 11 years, with 118 unicorns (startups with $1 billion valuation and above), thus fueling youth entrepreneurship, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday.

In a post on social media platform X, the Finance Minister said that "youth in India are building startups and creating jobs".

This is "a glimpse of the work done for the youth in the last 11 years under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi", she posted.

Gujarat Environment Management Institute (GEMI), under the Forest and Environment Department, concluded a statewide campaign themed #BeatPlasticPollution, which ran from May 22 to June 5. According to data released on Friday, as many as 1,640 citizens came together to clean 12 beaches across Gujarat, collecting more than 18,350 kgs of waste, including large quantities of plastic.

The campaign saw public participation across beaches, urban neighborhoods, and villages, aiming to reduce plastic pollution and promote sustainable lifestyles.

Clean-up activities were conducted at coastal sites including Dwarka, Shivrajpur, Umargam, Dandi, Dumas, Mahuva, Porbandar, and Ravalpir.

Shares of IndusInd Bank rose as much as 5.3 per cent on Friday, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the problems at the private sector lender are likely to settle soon.

However, the stock later gave up some of its early gains. During mid-day trade, around 1:45 pm, IndusInd Bank shares were seen consolidating and were trading at Rs 827.85, up by Rs 24.65 or 3.07 per cent on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

The bank had been facing scrutiny due to past accounting issues.

RBI Deputy Governor J Swaminathan said that things should return to normal at IndusInd Bank soon.

Actress Malavika Mohanan, who plays the lead along with actor Karthi and actress Rajisha Vijayan, in director P S Mithran's eagerly-awaited spy thriller ‘Sardar 2’, is now shooting for the film in Bangkok.

On Friday, the actress shared a picture from the sets of the film in Bangkok on her Instagram stories. Sources say that the unit of Sardar 2 will be shooting a few action scenes and a song in this final schedule.

It may be recalled that Malavika had in May, this year, disclosed during a question and answer session with fans that she would be wrapping up 'Sardar 2' in June.

Interestingly, the unit has been shooting this film for over a 100 days. In fact, the unit completed a 100 days of shooting in April this year.

Women with early onset of periods, and later menopause -- which means a longer reproductive span -- can have a healthier brain ageing in life, according to a study.

The study showed how a woman’s reproductive years may shape brain health later in life and also reduce the risk of dementia.

It also suggested the role of oestradiol (or the lack thereof) in the development of dementia.

Oestradiol levels rise at puberty, remain high during most of a woman’s reproductive life, and then decline sharply around menopause. This drop in oestradiol has been linked to an increased risk of dementia and other age-related brain conditions.