Mumbai News Updates: No CET for arts, science and commerce colleges, says Maha minister Uday Samant

The Mumbai police's crime branch has apprehended an absconding accused in a sexual assault case involving a minor girl, an official said on Wednesday.According to the police, the accused had allegedly assaulted a minor girl inside a toilet on the second floor of a transit building in suburban Ghatkopar in September last year, and had been absconding since.The accused, who is a history-sheeter, was out on parole at the time of the incident, he said.Based on the complaint lodged by the victim's mother, the police registered an FIR under relevant sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said.

There will be no Common Entrance Test (CET) for non-professional courses and admission to arts, science and commerce colleges will be on the basis of Class 12 marks, the Maharashtra government said on Wednesday. Read more...

Photo: Twitter/@CMOMaharashtra

The owners of restaurants, bars and hotels across Maharashtra have decided to hold a silent protest march on August 10 as a last resort if the state does not restore their operation timings to their original, at least 10 pm. Read more...

Maharashtra reported 6,126 new coronavirus positive cases and 195 deaths on Wednesday, while 7,436 patients recovered from the infection during the day, a health official said. Read more...

A 32-year-old woman became the latest victim of an online gift scam after she befriended a person on social media who claimed to be a UK resident employed on a merchant ship (Prime Cargo Shipping). The victim, residing in Mumbai's Andheri (East) area, was duped off Rs4.29 lakhs that she has paid to collect the gift that claimed to have got stuck at the Delhi airport customs. Read more...

Maharashtra PWD minister Ashok Chavan on Wednesday said giving the power to states and UTs to make their own OBC lists will not pave the way for restoring the Maratha quota which was quashed by the Supreme Court but the Centre should lift the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations. Read more...

Over 80 police personnel from various departments stayed back for 12 hours and scanned through the US consulate premise in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) after the security officer received a call warning about the security lapse on Tuesday. Read more...

During the day, 72 people were discharged from hospitals after making a recovery. So far, 101,019 people have recovered. READ MORE

The civic body said that during the action, the construction of stilt plus five-storey illegal building in Kasarvadavli area under Majiwada-Manpada ward was demolished. READ MORE

Mumbai's first genome sequencing laboratory at civic-run Nair Hospital will offer the city an added advantage in the battle against coronavirus as the new facility can analyse a large number of samples in a short period and also identify mutants, something that will be especially useful in hotspot areas, the hospital said on Wednesday. READ MORE

After reporting no cases on Tuesday, Dharavi reported two new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. The total number of cases in Dharavi reached 6,985, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

While the victims claimed they were attacked by villagers because they were wearing shorts and undertaking the trip to the hilltop shrine despite a ban, the police said they were looking into their complaint. READ MORE

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said efforts are being taken to expedite vaccination in four districts, including Pune, where the COVID-19 positivity rate was high. He said necessary directives in this regard have been issued to the administration of these four districts - Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune. The spike in COVID-19 cases in these districts was higher than the rest of the state, the minister said.

One person with co-morbidities and above the age of 60 succumbed to the virus. The overall death toll stands at 2,067. READ MORE