The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) added 19.94 lakh net members in the month of July, marking the highest recorded increase since payroll data tracking began in April 2018, data from the Ministry of Labour and Employment showed on Monday.

The EPFO added 10.52 lakh new members in July, a 2.66 per cent increase over June and a 2.43 per cent rise compared to the same month last year.

The surge in new memberships can be attributed to growing employment opportunities, increased awareness of employee benefits, and EPFO’s successful outreach programmes, said Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

About 14.65 lakh members who had exited the system rejoined EPFO in July. This figure represents a 15.25 per cent year-over-year increase. These members opted to transfer their provident fund accumulations rather than withdraw them, thus maintaining their long-term financial security.

Unprecedented rainfall in Japan's Ishikawa has claimed seven lives as of Monday afternoon, with several people still missing as rescue operations continue at full speed.

The torrential downpour, which began on Saturday, has severely impacted the region, which is still recovering from a significant earthquake earlier this year.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and reassured the public that the government is making every effort to assist those affected. Addressing a press briefing, Hayashi detailed the rescue efforts and ongoing relief operations.

"As of 8:00 a.m. today, we have received reports that seven people have died, two are missing, and eight others are unaccounted for, some of whom may still have a connection to the disaster," Hayashi stated.

Reiterating India's longstanding stance on expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in both permanent and non-permanent categories, as well as reform in its working methods, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called for "concrete actions" to adapt the international organisation to the contemporary world realities.

The outgoing Japanese PM, while addressing the 'Summit of the Future' in New York on Monday, Japan time, stated that the world stands at a "historical inflection point" and there is an urgent need to collectively take actions to safeguard the interest of present and future generations.

"The Summit of the Future is witnessing a clear call from Member States for action on reform, with a majority supporting the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent seats. A great majority are also acutely aware of the Security Council's vital role in international peace and security and the urgent need to reform it and restore confidence in its effectiveness," said Kishida.

The real estate market is expected to play a pivotal role in the economic growth trajectory of India. It will potentially be a $10 trillion market by 2047, accounting for a 14-20 per cent share in the country’s GDP, according to a report on Monday.

The interplay between real estate and India’s economic growth journey over the next few decades is explored in the latest report by Colliers in collaboration with the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) and released at the CREDAI NATCON event in Sydney.

The report noted that along the accelerated journey till 2047, various real estate segments will evolve and continue to proliferate, growing and maturing by varying degrees.

Six people were killed and four others injured in a vehicle collision on a highway in the Indonesian province of Central Java early Monday morning.

The accident took place in the province's Pati region at around 2 a.m. local time, involving a passenger bus and two semi-trailer trucks, according to a preliminary report by Pati Traffic Police.

Chief of Pati Traffic Police Asfauri told local media that the bus was carrying 28 people when the accident occurred. Four passengers and the driver were killed. The other deceased was a truck driver.

Bodies of two medical students who drowned in a swollen stream in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju district were recovered on Monday while the search was on for a third student, police said.

The bodies of two female students were recovered on Monday morning from the Maredumilli stream near Jalatharangini waterfalls and they were identified as of B. Amrutha, 21, of Bobbili in Parvathipuram Manyam district and K. Sowmya, 21, of Bapatla, an official said.

The search was on for missing student C.H. Hardeep, 20, of Markapuram of Prakasam district by a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

According to police, a group of 14 students of MBBS Second Year from ASRAM College in Eluru went for a fun trip to Maredumilli on Sunday. They stopped at Jalatharangini waterfalls on the way to Chintur from Maredumilli, a picturesque destination in the Eastern Ghats.

India's retail credit growth moderated in the June quarter as financial institutions tightened the supply of credit, particularly on consumption-led products like credit cards, consumer durable loans, and personal loans, a report said on Monday.

A TransUnion CIBIL Credit Market Indicator (CMI)1 report said that there was a "continued decline in new-to-credit (NTC) volumes, especially when younger consumers are entering the credit marketplace for the first time".

The share of originations for NTC consumers has declined consistently over the past five years. The share of NTC consumers in originations dropped from 16 per cent in the quarter ending June 2023 to 12 per cent in the June quarter. The report showed overall originations continued to grow at a moderated rate, home loan originations dropped by 9 per cent in volume, while credit card originations declined by 30 per cent YoY. Two-wheeler loans were the only credit product that had double-digit growth in volume and value originations.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick expressed his concern about star goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, admitting that the injury looked serious but refrained from speculating about how long he would be sidelined.

Barcelona extended their perfect start to the La Liga season with a commanding 5-1 victory over Villarreal on Sunday but the triumph was marred by a potentially season-ending injury to their goalkeeper. The German shot-stopper suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury, casting a shadow over the celebration of their sixth consecutive win.

“It looks like a serious injury. He felt it, you could see it on the pitch,” Flick said. “I’m very sad about what happened. Please understand that I don’t want to answer any questions about replacements right now. Marc is our captain, and we have to see what happens next.”

The recruitment of 1158 Assistant Professors and Librarians in Punjab has been approved. The Punjab government has got a big relief from the double bench of the High Court.

In fact, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has given green signal to the recruitment of 1158 Assistant Professors and Librarians in Punjab. Earlier, a single bench of the High Court had rejected this recruitment. After this, the government challenged this decision in a double bench.

ਸੀਐਮ ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਓਐਸਡੀ ਓਂਕਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੂੰ ਅਹੁਦੇ ਤੋਂ ਹਟਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਓਂਕਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਮੰਡੀ ਬੋਰਡ ਵਿੱਚ ਠੇਕੇ ’ਤੇ ਸੀ।

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ (ਆਪ) ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦੇ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਅੱਜ ਫੇਰਬਦਲ ਹੋਣ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ। CM ਭਗਵੰਤ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਕੈਬਨਿਟ 'ਚੋਂ 4 ਮੰਤਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਬਰਖਾਸਤ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ 5 ਵਿਧਾਇਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਵੇਂ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ। ਇਹ ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਅੱਜ ਸ਼ਾਮ 5 ਵਜੇ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਵਜੋਂ ਸਹੁੰ ਚੁੱਕਣਗੇ।

ਕਰੀਬ 3 ਮਹੀਨੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹੋਈਆਂ ਲੋਕ ਸਭਾ ਚੋਣਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦੇ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮੰਡਲ ਦਾ ਫੇਰਬਦਲ ਤੈਅ ਹੋਣਾ ਸੀ, ਪਰ ਜਲੰਧਰ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ ਉਪ ਚੋਣ ਕਾਰਨ ਇਸ 'ਚ ਦੇਰੀ ਹੋ ਗਈ। ਹੁਣ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ ਚੋਣਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਪੰਚਾਇਤੀ ਚੋਣਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਠੀਕ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਇਸ ਬਦਲਾਅ ਨੇ ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਹੈਰਾਨ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ।