Thane: A Lok Adalat in Thane on Saturday settled a motor accident claim, awarding compensation of Rs 2.1 crore to the family of a software engineer who died in a road accident on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. The Lok Adalat also settled another accident claim, and awarded a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the family of an assistant security manager who was killed in a road accident in 2024, a court official said on Sunday. These were among the 83,424 cases settled, wherein settlements collectively worth Rs 187 crore were facilitated on Saturday. Omkar Joshi, a software engineer employed with a private automation company, was travelling with his colleague, when a speeding car rammed into their vehicle, leading to his death. The matter was settled through mediation, with the insurance company agreeing to pay the compensation to the victim’s legal heirs. In the second case, assistant security manager Anand Rajan Nadar was going on a motorcycle from his residence in Thane city to his workplace at Padgha in the Bhiwandi area. A speeding tempo coming out of a petrol pump crashed into his motorcycle. Nadar was rushed to a hospital in Bhiwandi where he was declared dead.Around 101 benches were constituted across the district, which took up over 5 lakh matters. Of these, 54,591 pre-litigation matters and 28,833 pending cases were disposed of. “Among the disputes resolved, electricity bill disputes accounted for the highest at over 2.6 lakh cases, while 3,966 bank recovery matters saw collective settlements worth more than Rs 62 crore. The MACT alone accounted for over Rs 35 crore in settlements,” said a statement issued by the TDLSA. (With inputs from PTI)

Thane: Actor Vishakha Subhedar and her son Abhinay, met Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his residence, on Sunday, and expressed their gratitude for facilitating Abhinay’s safe return from Kuwait. “The assistance extended to stranded residents was part of my responsibility to support citizens from Maharashtra who were in distress, whether in India or overseas,” Shinde said. Shinde and Shiv Sena functionaries took initiatives to assist 164 Indians stranded in Dubai to return safely amid tensions in the Gulf. Shinde also intervened to assist citizens from Maharashtra stranded in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir following a terror attack there last year.

Mumbai: A mangrove and coastline clean-up drive at Carter Road on Saturday saw volunteers remove nearly 250 kg of marine litter, including plastic debris, bottles and discarded bean bags, from the shoreline.The drive, held on March 14, was organised by Environment Life Foundation with support from Jotun India Pvt Ltd and the Mangrove Foundation.More than 35 volunteers participated in the initiative. Among the waste collected were large quantities of thermocol balls scattered across the shore, which volunteers said took considerable time to gather due to their small size and wide spread.Representatives of the Mangrove Foundation appreciated the effort and reiterated their support for initiatives aimed at protecting mangroves and coastal ecosystems.Dharmesh Barai, founder of Environment Life Foundation, said that the ecological importance of mangroves is not fully realised even to this day. “Rapid development is taking place, but mangroves are often cut without understanding their ecological value. These silent soldiers protect our coastlines and biodiversity. While planting mangroves is important, the least we can do is avoid polluting our surroundings,” he said. Barai added that a large portion of waste reaching the sea travels through drains, rivers and creeks, urging authorities to act. “We request the newly elected Mayor to take bold steps to stop waste before it reaches creeks and eventually the ocean,” he said.Madhvi Marathe, marketing head at Jotun India Pvt Ltd, said the drive helped participants better understand the role of mangroves. “After learning about the importance of mangroves through this drive, we feel motivated to contribute towards protecting this precious ecosystem,” she said.

Mumbai: After 4 days of heatwave conditions in the first half of March 2026, ie on March 5, 9, 10 and 13, the city is likely to see near-normal temperatures in the coming week. The weather forecast issued for the next 5 days on Sunday also stated that dry weather conditions would persist.Daytime maximum temperatures recorded by the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatories were 33.2 deg C and 31.9 deg C, which were 0.5 deg C and 1.3 deg C below normal.Night-time temperatures, meanwhile, remained on the higher side, with the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatories recording maximum temperatures of 24 deg C and 23.5 deg C, which were 1.3 deg C and 2.6 deg C above normal. Relative humidity also remained on the higher side, with the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatories recording 86% and 84%, respectively.The Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday was 92, which falls in the satisfactory range. An AQI reading between 0 and 50 is regarded as “good”, 51-100 is “satisfactory” (green), 101-200 is “moderate” (yellow), 201-300 is considered “poor” (orange), 301-400 is “very poor” (red), and above 400 the AQI is “severe” (red).Locations which recorded an AQI below 100 included Kurla (94), Powai (43), Vile Parle (50), Borivali (East) (100), Worli (95), Sion (117) and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) (96).

Mumbai: Deonar police arrested a man in Govandi for allegedly selling commercial LPG cylinders at inflated rates. Based on a tipoff, civil supplies department officials seized some illegally stored commercial gas cylinders on Saturday. An inspection of the area led officials to a parked tempo whose doors were locked. After attempts to contact the driver failed, the team sought police help. Deonar police helped open the door. Officials found a filled 21kg commercial LPG cylinder and two empty ones. During questioning, the owner, Mohammad Farooq Sheikh, said he had been buying cylinders from gas agencies and black-marketing them, earning a cut of around Rs 200 per cylinder. TNN

Mumbai: Tilak Nagar police arrested two Govandi men for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl who had sought help with procuring a ration card. The suspects, who are in their 50s, claimed to be social workers. One of them lured the unsuspecting girl to a secluded spot in Tilak Nagar in Chembur under the pretext of offering help with getting her a ration card and called the other man to the site, said police. They allegedly sexually assaulted her and threatened her. The girl confided in her aunt, with whom she lives. The aunt took her to police, who lodged an FIR. Various provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, besides Protection of Children from Sexual offences Act, have been invoked against the two men. They were produced in court and sent to police custody. TNN

Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday warned it would “pursue and kill” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were “still alive.”In a statement published on its website Sepah News, the IRGC described Netanyahu as a “child-killing criminal.”“If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,” the statement read, according to AFP.

The remarks came after the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a clarification amid speculation about Netanyahu’s health, saying the premier is “fine.”“These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,” the office told Anadolu Agency when asked about social media posts claiming Netanyahu had been killed in retaliation for the recent Israeli and US strikes on Iran.

Speculation intensified after a video of Netanyahu circulated online, with some users claiming he appeared to have “six fingers.” The unusual detail led many to suggest the clip might be AI-generated and fuelled rumours about his whereabouts, with some falsely claiming he had died.On February 28, the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes across Iran, targeting key military and leadership sites. The attacks killed the Islamic Republic’s then-Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and triggered the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.Also read: ‘Hearing he’s not alive’- Trump’s big claim on Mojtaba Khamenei amid US-Israel strikes on Iran
Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter were also killed in the strikes that targeted him.The IRGC likely branded Netanyahu a “child-killer” because of Khameini granddaughter’s killing.

Mumbai: The panic booking of LPG cylinders amid shortage of commercial supply has led to roadside snack vendors in some areas hiking prices by Rs 5-10, sources said. Vadapav was selling for Rs 25 per piece. Traders dealing in Gudi Padwa-related items said business has been hit and some temples said preparation of prasad has also been affected.Govt has been ensuring that domestic LPG supplies is “secured” and “uninterrupted”. As part of measures to prevent hoarding, the Centre has barred homes with piped natural gas (PNG) connections from applying for, retaining or refilling an additional domestic LPG cylinder as an alternative fuel. Around 28 lakh households across MMR have PNG connections. Sources in Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) said it is not known how many domestic PNG consumers have an additional LPG cylinder but estimated it to be a significant number. Panic buying continued in some areas on Sunday as many residents rushed to dealer outlets, reportedly fearing a supply squeeze, leading to serpentine queues in parts of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane. In Sanpada, Navi Mumbai, a queue for LPG cylinders stretched for nearly 1km, while consumers were also seen waiting for hours at outlets in Kandivli and parts of Thane despite receiving OTP confirmations for delivery or refill. Many arrived carrying empty cylinders, hoping to secure refills. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Nirupam made a surprise visit to an LPG outlet in Goregaon for a “reality check”. He said he was told 300-400 cylinders were being supplied daily to consumers. After the inspection, he said there was no supply crisis and that panic among citizens had worsened the rush. Nirupam said the 25-day refill gap may have created the impression of a shortage, but the problem was worsened by rumours. He urged residents not to panic or fall prey to misinformation. Dealers were happy about the passage of two ships from Strait of Hormuz, but said 28-30 ships still lay in wait.