Singer Sona Mohapatra, who is known to speak her mind, has come up with a new song, her own badass version of Raees' Zaalima. The singer's soulful voice is a perfect fit for love ballads, case in point Ambarsariya, Naina, Bolo Na and many of her hits. While, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, very few female solo songs are released nowadays in film soundtracks, it came as a pleasant surprise to see this reprise and refreshing version of the the Shah Rukh Khan's film, Raees' popular love song.

Sona has an unique ability to infuse newness in songs and her version of Zaalima is quite different from the original version, sung by Arijit Singh. As per her post, she had created this in-house video with some interesting 'gender-political' messaging about the state of the music industry some time ago and is all set to release it to spread cheer and even some laughs to drive away the lockdown blues, now!

Sona says, "Musicians have been hit the hardest in recent times. There are no residuals or royalties for creators here unlike the west and unless we step out to play concerts on stage we don't make money. It's only sweat labour in India. The lockdown and post COVID era will hit the musicians even harder with no stages to play in and the economy focusing on essentials. In these grim times, most artists in my community have been setting aside their own emotional state and performing online to spread joy and love and I am so proud of all of them! In these times you realise that it's mostly musicians who have the craft and talent to deliver without too many resources or people helping them. My DIY video should be taken with a pinch of salt although any good comedy does come from a truthful place; our film-music has completely sidelined the strong solo female voice in the last decade and it's time for all of us to notice."

"Few know that I had been called to sing the last few lines of the film version but couldn’t fathom why only the last few lines were reserved for the female voice considering it was a romantic duet!" - she wrote on her YouTube channel, while sharing the song. 

A user commented - "I didn't know who's voice was this? Also, I was a huge fan of Sona Ma'am. But now I'm flat. And now after this rendition, I'm completely dead."

Another user commented: Thank goodness she didn't end up singing the actual song.

Tell us your views about the new version of Zaalima!

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After the lockdown started, everyone has seen fitness bloggers actively posting home exercise videos, seeking to encourage the rest of us to budge on the couch and do a squat. Bollywood celebrities, who won't be left behind when it comes to fitness fever, have taken to social media to give us all the big workout goals. Like most of us, during this time away from offering ourselves inane reasons for not exercising, celebrities quickly turned their homes into gyms to keep themselves lean and mean. while in the midst of this Bollywood Star, Urvashi Rautela focuses solely on her wellbeing and fitness, and her Instagram posts are real proof of this.

Quarantined or not, Urvashi has to maintain her Greek god bod. She is one of the fittest celebrities in Bollywood and there is no denying that. The actress has also become famous for her intense fitness sessions. Her workout routines are easy to follow during the quarantine period. And though she's at home, she manages to interact with her followers either through her heavy weight lifting exercise videos or by sharing some of Backwalkover videos.

 

 

 

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What hurts the most in life? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #love #UrvashiRautela

A post shared by URVASHI RAUTELA 🇮🇳Actor🇮🇳 (@urvashirautela) onApr 29, 2020 at 12:11am PDT

On the work front, Urvashi Rautela will be next seen in an untitled film which is the remake of 2017's super hit Tamil film Thiruttu Payale 2. Helmed by director Susi Ganeshan, the film also stars Akshay Oberoi and Vineet Kumar. Urvashi Rautela will be essaying the role of a girl next door in the untitled.

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In a relief to the makers of Vir Das' latest web series "Hasmukh", the Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant an interim stay on the streaming of the show on the OTT platform Netflix. The stay had been sought after allegations that the show makes disparaging comments against lawyers, particularly in episode four of season one, titled "Bambai Main Bambu".

"The very essence of democracy is that a creative artist is given the liberty to project the picture of the society in a manner he perceives. One of the prime forms of exposing the ills of the society is by portraying a satirical picture of the same," said a single judge bench of the High Court presided by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva.

"Stand-up comedians perform that very purpose. In their portrayal they use satire and exaggerate the ills to an extent that it becomes a ridicule. In the humorous portrayal of the ills of the society the stand-up comedians use satire," the bench observed.

While dismissing the application, the court stated that the "plaintiff has not been able to show that the impugned comment in any manner refers to the plaintiff or refers to a definite group of individuals or lawyers out of the entire class of lawyers to which the plaintiff belongs".

The plea filed by Advocate Ashutosh Dubey sought the court's directions to the web series producers, directors and writer to tender unconditional apology online, saying that the web series had "maligned the image of the lawyers' community, which includes judges as they too had been lawyers at one point of time".

The plea further read: "The said remarks have caused utmost damage to legal profession and impugn the image of lawyers in the eyes of millions of viewers/ subscribers who visit the streaming website where the show is being streamed."

The plea also sought deletion or removal of certain objectionable content from the series, especially from season one, episode four.

The plea alleged that in the said episode, the makers have alleged lawyers to be "thieves, scoundrels, goons and have had the indecency to address, lawyers as rapists".

Advocate Priyanka Khimani, who represented defendant in the case, seemed extremely happy and welcomes the court's decision.

"This is a welcome decision that reinforces artistic and cinematic freedom of speech and expression, without which the world of storytelling would not survive. The content universe today thrives on its ability to express and communicate freely, as it rightly should in any free-thinking and free-speaking nation. So this decision is a gentle reminder of the fact that that freedom and ability are still, very much, intact," Khimani said

"Hasmukh" also stars Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa, Ravi Kishan and Amrita Bagchi.

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ZEE5’s franchise ‘Abhay’ earned much praise for its first season. The second season is set to bring to the forefront of ruthless crime stories. While the audience braces up for ‘Abhay 2’, the announcement video is an early gut punch to kickstart the hunger games. Kunal Khemu will be seen essaying the role of Abhay Pratap Singh, who understands a criminal’s mindset. The video starts with him asserting that the stakes are not only higher but it's his unrequited fight with the demons inside these criminals. There is also a bigger threat that is looming over Abhay this season, watch this space for more.

The largest OTT player in India, ZEE5, just released the announcement video of season 2. The announcement promo keeps the audience nerves incited and promises a lot of spine-chilling action & drama. Abhay is back, testing his limits again and trying to overcome bigger and newer challenges.

Produced by B.P. Singh’s Firefly productions and directed by Ken Ghosh, ‘Abhay 2' will premiere this year, exclusively on ZEE5.

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Pictures for representational purposes

The popular slang term, 'Mile High Club', which is the act of indulging in sexual intercourse while on board a flying aircraft has been the subject of numerous studies and researches over the years.

Some experts opine that the vibration of the plane may speed or improve sexual arousal of some commuters, who would then be motivated to engage in on-flight sexual activity. Other researchers have deduced that it may be occur due to a simple need of acting out a sexual fantasy or fetish about planes themselves. Most 'mile-high club' members reveal that the thrill of doing something taboo and the risk of being discovered excites them.

A recently conducted survey by a UK travel website found that the most common saucy act involved couples entering the lavatory together followed by “lots of banging and squealing,” although sneakier activities underneath a blanket were also quite popular.

Much debate still surrounds the legality of the practice of joining the mile-high club, although research indicates there’s a dependence on individual country laws and also just how visible the act is to other passengers which can fall under “public sex” laws.

Two respondents said they watched couples being escorted by police from flights in Australia as a results of their raunchy mile-high antics.

An Indian Air Force Cheetah helicopter headed to Chandigarh with medical samples made an emergency landing on Outer Ring Road here following technical snag, official statement said on Thursday. The chopper was proceeding from Hindon to Chandigarh on a COVID-19 task of carrying test samples of Leh.

Approximately 3 NM out of Hindon, the aircraft developed technical snag and carried out a safe precautionary landing on Outer Ring Road highway.

"The actions taken by the pilots were prompt and correct. No damage to any property has been reported. Recovery aircraft was launched immediately from Hindon. The aircraft was rectified and recovered back promptly and safely at Hindon," the statement added.

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The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) has suggested commencement of regular and normal working of courts in a phased manner with compliance of social distancing norms and wearing of masks after lifting of COVID-19 lockdown."We believe that physical court hearings, albeit in a phased manner, have to be commenced with meticulous and scrupulous compliance of social distancing norms, wearing of masks, maintaining the highest standards of sanitisation and hygiene etc," the DHCBA said in a statement.

The suggestions by the DHCBA in a letter to the committee headed by senior High Court judge Justice Hima Kohli include:

Courts have to be operational not only to extent of providing "urgent relief" but also to cater to other legal remedies which may be availed by common litigants. Scope of matters that may be listed includes injunctive reliefs, bail applications, suspension of sentence, objections to arbitration awards, execution petitions, writ petitions of all types, criminal appeals etc.

By notification by the court and judicial orders by Supreme Court, limitation periods have ceased to run during lockdown period, to avoid last minutes rush of filings when courts do reopen, ordinary e-filings/online filings of all matters be allowed, though they might not be heard till normalcy is restored. Petition boxes be used to acknowledge filings made therein.

Till normalcy is restored, litigants and interns shall not be permitted to access court/chamber blocks. Restriction may continue on advocates representing a party.

Lawyers, operating from their chambers and offices need access to chambers to prepare their cases, access their files, records, books and infrastructure. Client conference may be permitted after court hours.

Kiosks and shops inside court complexes may be kept closed. However, cafeterias and kitchens catering to chamber blocks may only be permitted to service lawyers by offering 'take away' options.

Only one entry point may be allowed per courtroom building. Entrants may be subjected to thermal temperature scanning. The option of making entrants pass through sanitisation tunnels may also be explored.

Public conveniences must be maintained with the highest level of sanitisation and for using these social distancing norms can be employed. An adequate number of sanitisers may be provided at various points throughout the court buildings.

Both District Legal Services Authority and Mediation Centres require the physical presence of litigants, the same may not be functional till normalcy is restored. As arbitration proceedings can go on without the presence of litigant, arbitration centre may be functional.

The Bar Association also assured the court of its utmost cooperation.

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Indian Navy joined the entire nation to express gratitude and salute the Corona Warriors on Sunday May 3rd, 2020. Expressing gratitude and appreciation of the entire nation - while representing the Indian Armed Forces - towards the determination and committed efforts of our Corona Warriors - the medical professionals, health workers, policemen, government staff and media, for their relentless efforts against COVID-19 through a number of activities on ground, in air and on water.

On Land

Station Commanders & Senior Naval Officers across the three Commands (Western, Southern and Eastern Naval Commands) and in Andaman and Nicobar Command met the Health Care professionals, policemen, sanitation workers and other frontline Corona Warriors to convey the appreciation on behalf of the Indian Navy and applauded their efforts in successfully treating the COVID 19 patients and also thanked for their relentless efforts.

Human Word Chain: 1500 Indian Navy personnel at INS Hansa, Goa expressed their appreciation by forming a Human Word Chain and thank the Corona Warriors.

Naval Band: Earlier in the day, the SNC band played some famous numbers on a warship berthed opposite the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and near the Vikrant-Venduruthy Bridge, epochal landmarks of Kochi. Naval Bands also performed onboard Ex-Viraat in Mumbai and in Visakhapatnam Harbour.

Air

Kochi: As part of the Thanksgiving gesture, Chetak helicopter of the Navy showered flower petals on the District Hospital in Kochi. Subsequently, 07 aircraft flypast consisting of 02 Dornier aircraft, 01 SeaKing helicopter, 02 Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and 02 Chetak helicopters of Indian Navy was conducted over the city's renowned landmark, Marine Drive which was immediately followed by steampast by 07 Fast Interceptor Crafts of the Navy, in the channel, displaying a banner thanking the Corona Warriors.

Vizag: A Chetak helicopter from INS Dega showered flower petals over Andhra Medical College, Govt Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD) and GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (GIMSR).

Mumbai: Indian Navy Chetak helicopter carried out flypast with showering of petals over Kasturba Gandhi hospital and Asvini Naval hospital in Mumbai.

Goa: Indian Navy Chetak helicopter carried out flypast with showering of petals over Goa Medical College and E.S.I Hospital (along with ICG Helps).

Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Indian Naval aviation assets carried out fly past along with the Air Force and Coast Guard across various parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

At Sea

Eastern Naval Command. INS Jalashwa and INS Savitri on their Mission Based Deployments saluted the Corona Warriors for their relentless fight against the COVID pandemic while at sea Western Naval Command.

Indian Navy personnel in Arabian Sea onboard Mission Deployed ships expressed their appreciation and thanked the Corona Warriors for their unwavering commitment in the fight against corona.

Indian Navy personnel onboard INS Vikramaditya off Karwar expressed their appreciation by forming a Human Word Chain in thanking the Corona Warriors.

Southern Naval Command. Steampast by 07 Fast Interceptor Crafts of the Navy, in the channel, in Kochi displaying a banner thanking the Corona Warriors.

Illumination of Ships at Anchorage

The day's events culminated with 25 Indian Naval warships across nine port cities including those in Andaman & Nicobar Islands carryied out illumination along with firing of flares and sounding of sirens from 7:30 PM onwards.

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A 48-year-old dentist from Satara was killed in an accident, when he rammed into a truck, while cycling on the Pune-Satara highway on Saturday. The deceased, identified as Sandeep Shivram Lele, was a well-known runner, cyclist and swimmer.

According to Tejaswini Satpute, superintendent of police, Satara, the incident took place on Saturday morning, when Lele was cycling on the highway. "During our initial investigations, we were told that he was hit by a moving truck," she said. However, eyewitnesses claimed that he rammed into a stationary vehicle. Satpute added, "We are still investigating the incident, and a case will be registered after that."

Also Read: Pune: 32-year-old cyclist on way to rally killed in car mishap

Lele sustained injuries to his neck and was rushed to Yashwant Hospital in Satara, but was declared dead on arrival. He is survived by his wife, Dr Namita Lele, a gynaecologist, and 15-year-old son, Parth.

News of his untimely death has shocked the running community in Maharashtra. Lele was the founder of the Satara Hill Half Marathon and ambassador for H2O Run-Half Marathon. He also competed in several marathons, including the Comrades' Marathon-South Africa 2014, Gold Coast Marathon and Zurich Marathon.

Nikhil Shah, a friend and co-runner, said, "I have known Sandeep since 2013. He was very passionate about cycling and running, and would spend a good part of his weekend on the road." Dr Sandeep Kate, who co-founded the Satara Hill Half Marathon, said that Lele had been preparing for the Ironman Triathlon. "On Saturday, too, he was training along with his friend, when the incident took place. He was an inspiration, and his death is a huge loss for us."

Cyclist dies of heart attack in Pune

In a separate incident, a Pune-based cyclist and trekker Yashodhan Natekar, 35, died of a heart attack at Sinhagad fort on Saturday morning. Natekar had travelled to the fort on his bicycle, and was climbing up the fort, when he collapsed. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was declared dead.

Also Read: Mumbai crime branch solve three-year old murder case

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On this day in 1995, former Australian batsman Steve Waugh played his highest Test innings as he scored 200 against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston. the final Test of the four-match series, playing against a fearsome West Indies attack spearheaded by Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Waugh stood firmly at one end and guided the side to post 531 runs in the first innings after bundling the hosts for 265. Waugh's double ton was studded with 17 fours and one six.

In the second innings, Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne scalped four wickets each to bundle Windies at 213. The visitors won the match by an innings and 53 runs under the leadership of Mark Taylor, Waugh was awarded as the Player of the Match for his spectacular batting performance. Australia also won the series by 2-1 after one match ended as a draw and became the first side to defeat the invincible Caribbean team in 15 years.

Waugh played 168 Tests and scored 10,927 runs at an average of 51.06. He is at the eleventh spot in the all-time run-scorer list of the longest format. In 325 ODIs, the middle-order batsman amassed 7569 runs. He hammered 35 centuries and 95 fifties across all formats.

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India is projected to record the highest number of births in the 9 months since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March, with more than 20 million babies expected to be born in the country between March and December, according to top UN body. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that pregnant mothers and babies born during the pandemic across the world were threatened by strained health systems and disruptions in services. An estimated 116 million babies will be born under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF said on Wednesday, ahead of Mother's Day, observed on May 10.

These babies are projected to be born up to 40 weeks after COVID-19 was recognised as a pandemic on March 11. The highest numbers of births in the 9 months since the pandemic was declared are expected to occur in India, where 20.1 million babies are projected to be born between March 11 and December 16. Other countries with the expected highest numbers of births during this period are China (13.5 million), Nigeria (6.4 million), Pakistan (5 million) and Indonesia (4 million), it said. "Most of these countries had high neonatal mortality rates even before the pandemic and may see these levels increase with COVID-19 conditions," UNICEF said.

It is estimated that there will be 24.1 million births in India for the January-December 2020 period. UNICEF warned that COVID-19 containment measures can disrupt life-saving health services such as childbirth care, putting millions of pregnant mothers and their babies at great risk. Even wealthier countries are affected by this crisis. In the US, the sixth highest country in terms of expected number of births, over 3.3 million babies are projected to be born between March 11 and December 16.
"New mothers and newborns will be greeted by harsh realities," UNICEF said, adding they include global containment measures such as lockdowns and curfews; health centres overwhelmed with response efforts; supply and equipment shortages; and a lack of sufficient skilled birth attendants as health workers, including midwives, are redeployed to treat COVID-19 patients.

"Millions of mothers all over the world embarked on a journey of parenthood in the world as it was. They now must prepare to bring a life into the world as it has become ¿ a world where expecting mothers are afraid to go to health centres for fear of getting infected, or missing out on emergency care due to strained health services and lockdowns," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "It is hard to imagine how much the coronavirus pandemic has recast motherhood" Fore said.
UNICEF said its analysis was based on data from World Population Prospects 2019 of the UN Population Division.

An average full-term pregnancy typically lasts a complete 9 months, or 39 to 40 weeks. For the purposes of this estimate, the number of births for a 40-week period in 2020 was calculated. The 40-week period of March 11 to December 16 is used in this estimate based upon the WHO's March 11 assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic. UNICEF warned that although evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not more affected by COVID-19 than others, countries need to ensure they still have access to antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.

Similarly, sick newborns need emergency services as they are at high risk of death. New families require support to start breastfeeding, and to get medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy, it said. "This is a particularly poignant Mother's Day, as many families have been forced apart during the coronavirus pandemic, but it is also a time for unity, a time to bring everyone together in solidarity. We can help save lives by making sure that every pregnant mother receives the support she needs to give birth safely in the months to come," Fore said.

Issuing an urgent appeal to governments and health care providers to save lives in the coming months, UNICEF said efforts must be made to help pregnant women receive antenatal checkups, skilled delivery care, postnatal care services, and care related to COVID-19 as needed. Ensure health workers are provided with the necessary personal protective equipment and get priority testing and vaccination once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available so that can deliver high quality care to all pregnant women and newborn babies during the pandemic, it said.

While it is not yet known whether the virus is transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy and delivery, UNICEF advised all pregnant women to follow precautions to protect themselves from exposure to the virus. Closely monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and seek advice from the nearest designated facility if they have concerns or experience symptoms. Pregnant women should also take the same precautions to avoid COVID -19 infection as other people: practice physical distancing, avoid physical gatherings and use online health services, it said.

UNICEF said even before COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 2.8 million pregnant women and newborns died every year, or 1 every 11 seconds, mostly of preventable causes.
The agency called for immediate investment in health workers with the right training, who are equipped with the right medicines to ensure every mother and newborn is cared for by a safe pair of hands to prevent and treat complications during pregnancy, delivery and birth.

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J.B.CHEMICALS share price has hit a 52-week high at Rs 625 (up 2.0%).

Meanwhile, the BSE 500 Index is at 12,146 (up 1.7%).

Among the top gainers in the BSE 500 Index today are J.B.CHEMICALS (up 2.0%) and ICICI SECURITIES LTD (up 10.5%).

CYIENT (down 5.6%) and RELIANCE CAPITAL (down 5.0%) are among the top losers today.

Over the last one year, J.B.CHEMICALS has moved up from Rs 331 to Rs 625, registering a gain of Rs 294 (up 87.64%).

The BSE 500 has moved down from 14,958 to 12,146, loss of 2,812 points (down 18.8%) during the last 12 months.

The top gainers among the BSE 500 Index stocks during this same period were ADANI GREEN ENERGY (up 435.7%), ABBOTT INDIA (up 145.8%) and NAVIN FLUORINE (up 122.8%).

What About the Benchmark Indices?

The BSE Sensex is at 32,089 (up 1.8%). The top gainers among the BSE Sensex stocks today are HUL (up 3.0%), INDUSIND BANK (up 2.9%) and BAJAJ FINANCE (up 2.8%). Other gainers include AXIS BANK (up 2.7%) and RELIANCE IND. (up 2.5%). The most traded stocks in the BSE Sensex are RELIANCE IND. and SBI.

In the meantime, NSE Nifty is at 9,383 (up 1.5%). DR. REDDYS LAB (up 4.1%) and INDIABULLS HOU. FIN. (up 3.8%) are among the top gainers in NSE Nifty.

Over the last 12 months, the BSE Sensex has moved up from 38,277 to 32,089, registering a gain of -6,188 points (up -16.4%).

J.B.CHEMICALS Financial Update...

J.B.CHEMICALS net profit stood at Rs 622 million for the quarter ended December 2019, compared to a profit of Rs 464 million a year ago. Net Sales rose 9.3% to Rs 3.9 billion during the period as against Rs 3.5 billion in October-December 2018.

For the year ended March 2018, J.B.CHEMICALS reported 24.8% decrease in net profit to Rs 1.4 billion compared to net profit of Rs 1.8 billion during FY17.

Revenue of the company grew 3.3% to Rs 14 billion during FY18.

The current Price to earnings ratio of J.B.CHEMICALS, based on rolling 12 month earnings, stands at 20.0x.

This article (J.B.CHEMICALS at 52 Week High; BSE 500 Index Up 2.0% ) is authored by Equitymaster.

Equitymaster is a leading 'independent' equity research initiative focused on providing well-researched and unbiased opinions on stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Asian stock markets are higher today as Chinese and Hong Kong shares show gains. The Shanghai Composite is up 0.6% while the Hang Seng is up 0.9%. The Nikkei 225 is trading up by 1.8%. Wall Street's indices climbed on Thursday, with the Nasdaq erasing losses for 2020, following a clutch of upbeat earnings reports led by PayPal as investors looked past more weak jobs data caused by the coronavirus-induced economic downturn.

Trends on SGX Nifty indicated a positive opening for the index in India with a 91 points gain.

India share markets opened higher. The BSE Sensex is trading up by 542 points while the NSE Nifty is trading up by 158 points. The BSE Mid Cap index and BSE Small Cap index opened up by 0.9% and 0.6% respectively.

All sectoral indices are trading in green with metal stocks and banking stocks witnessing maximum buying interest.

Note that the�coronavirus impact�has shaken markets worldwide. For the�BSE Sensex, FY20 was the second worst year post FY08, the year of the global financial crisis.

Good Time to Start Investing Now?

Naturally, there is an atmosphere of fear all round.

Is it time to sell stocks now? Will the correction get worse?

History has shown that after years like the one we had just now, the next 3 years are good for the markets. In fact, these corrections are the rare times when you find businesses with solid fundamentals at reasonable valuations.

If you can�find good businesses�that can survive the current crisis, you will do well in the long run.

Moving on, the rupee is currently trading at 75.57 against the�US$.

Gold prices are currently trading up 1.7% at Rs 46,161.

Gold prices in India edged lower in yesterday's trade though it remained in a narrow range.

On MCX, June gold futures fell about Rs 30 to Rs 45,340 per 10 gram, extending losses to the third day.

Gold prices had fallen about Rs 426 per 10 gram in the previous session. Silver futures also gave up early gains and were down 0.1% to 41,803 per kg.

In global markets, gold prices edge higher today after a sharp fall in the previous session.

Spot gold climbed 0.3% to US$1,690.19 per ounce, after a 1% fall in the previous session. Despite bleak economic data, the dollar's strength is weighing on gold.

The US dollar today touched a more than one-week high against a basket of major currencies. Besides firmer dollar, some bullion refineries restarted have production, easing supply-side concerns.

Moving on to mutual funds sector. Investors pumped Rs 837.8 billion in equity-oriented mutual fund (MF) schemes in FY20, registering a decline of 25% from the Rs 1.11-trillion inflows in the preceding year.

However, this was the sixth successive year of net inflows in equity mutual funds, according to data by the Association of Mutual Funds in India.

The flows into equity funds in the last fiscal were lower than the flows in 2018-19 primarily because of the equity markets displaying volatility, which made some investors take a break from making fresh equity investments.

Net inflows in these funds were Rs 1.7 trillion in FY18, Rs 703.7 billion in FY17, Rs 740.2 billion in FY16, and Rs 710.3 billion in FY15. However, they had witnessed a net outflow of Rs 92.7 billion in FY14.

To know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent�share market updates here.

J.B.CHEMICALS share price has hit an all-time high at Rs 635 (up 4.2%).

Meanwhile, the BSE HEALTHCARE Index is at 15,318 (up 1.3%).

Among the top gainers in the BSE HEALTHCARE Index today are J.B.CHEMICALS (up 4.2%) and ABBOTT INDIA (up 0.3%).

CADILA HEALTHCARE and DISHMAN CARBOGEN AMCIS LTD (down 0.1%) are among the top losers today.

Over the last one year, J.B.CHEMICALS has moved up from Rs 331 to Rs 635, registering a gain of Rs 304 (up 91.7%).

The BSE HEALTHCARE has moved up from 14,034 to 15,318, registering a gain of 1,284 points (up 8.7%) during the last 12 months.

The top gainers among the BSE HEALTHCARE Index stocks during this same period were ABBOTT INDIA (up 145.2%), J.B.CHEMICALS (up 91.7%) and IPCA LABS (up 62.9%).

What About the Benchmark Indices?

The BSE Sensex is at 32,089 (up 1.4%). The top gainers among the BSE Sensex stocks today are INDUSIND BANK (up 4.3%), HUL (up 3.3%) and KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK (up 2.9%). Other gainers include ICICI BANK (up 2.8%) and BAJAJ FINANCE (up 2.4%). The most traded stocks in the BSE Sensex are SBI and INDUSIND BANK.

In the meantime, NSE Nifty is at 9,383 (up 1.3%). The top gainers in the NSE Nifty include DR. REDDYS LAB (up 3.9%), INDIABULLS HOU. FIN. (up 3.6%) and INDUSIND BANK (up 3.6%). Other gainers include HUL (up 3.3%) and KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK (up 2.8%).

Over the last 12 months, the BSE Sensex has moved down from 38,277 to 32,089, registering a loss of -6,188 points (up -16.7%).

J.B.CHEMICALS Financial Update...

J.B.CHEMICALS net profit stood at Rs 622 million for the quarter ended December 2019, compared to a profit of Rs 464 million a year ago. Net Sales rose 9.3% to Rs 3.9 billion during the period as against Rs 3.5 billion in October-December 2018.

For the year ended March 2018, J.B.CHEMICALS reported 24.8% decrease in net profit to Rs 1.4 billion compared to net profit of Rs 1.8 billion during FY17.

Revenue of the company grew 3.3% to Rs 14 billion during FY18.

The current Price to earnings ratio of J.B.CHEMICALS, based on rolling 12 month earnings, stands at 20.4x.

This article (J.B.CHEMICALS at All Time High; BSE HEALTHCARE Index Up 1.3%) is authored by Equitymaster.

Equitymaster is a leading 'independent' equity research initiative focused on providing well-researched and unbiased opinions on stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Share markets in India are presently trading on a positive note. Benchmark indices advanced today tracking firm global cues.

Further, talks of an economic stimulus for small businesses battered by the coronavirus outbreak improved sentiment.

Reportedly, the government may unveil fiscal stimulus amounting to 0.3% of the country's gross domestic product, focusing on small and medium sized businesses, real estate firms and banks.

The BSE Sensex is trading up by 524 points while the NSE Nifty is trading up by 146 points.

The BSE Mid Cap index and the BSE Small Cap index are trading up by 0.9% and 0.7%, respectively.

Sectoral indices are trading mixed with stocks in the energy sector and telecom sector witnessing buying interest, while power stocks are witnessing selling pressure.

The rupee is currently trading at 75.44 against the US$.

Gold prices are currently trading down by 0.1% at Rs 46,134.

Speaking of the current stock market scenario, after a sharp rally in the past few weeks, the markets have turned volatile again.

You would be interested in knowing when the market will likely bottom out.

Vijay Bhambwani, editor of Weekly Cash Alerts, has the answer and he has recorded a video about it.

You can check the same here - This is When the Stock Market Will Bottom Out

Moving on, market participants are tracking Shree Cement share price, TCI Express share price, and SBI Cards and Payment Services share price as these companies are scheduled to announce their March quarter results (Q4FY20) later today.

You can read our recently released Q4FY20 results of other companies here: Ambuja Cement, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Marico, Kansai Nerolac, NIIT Technologies, Persistent Systems, SKF India.

In news from the banking sector, public sector banks (PSBs) sanctioned loans worth Rs 5.66 lakh crore for the March-April period to 41.81 lakh accounts, according to the finance ministry.

The borrowers represented the micro small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs), retail, agriculture and corporate sectors.

Reportedly, PSB loans amounting to Rs 265 billion have been sanctioned in 2.37 lakh cases for MSMEs.

This is part of the PSB initiative to prioritise pre-approved emergency credit lines and enhanced working capital requirements to the sector.

Meanwhile, PSBs sanctioned loans worth Rs 773.8 billion to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs) between March 1 and May 4.

Including the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) targeted long term repo operations (TLTRO) window, PSBs extended Rs 1.08 lakh crore of financing to ensure business stability and continuity.

The finance ministry said that the three-month loan moratorium facility announced by the RBI has been availed by 3.2 crore PSB accounts.

On Thursday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Indian economy is poised to recover from the recent crisis brought upon by the coronavirus pandemic with PSB sanctioning loans worth Rs 5.66 lakh crore in just two months.

Speaking of the banking sector, the low access to credit for micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) tells us there is a huge opportunity for lenders.

This is evident from the chart below:

India's Huge Lending Opportunity

Of the 60 million MSMEs in India, only 11% had access to credit from organised lenders. Most of them are self-financed or get credit from unorganised sources.

Here's what Tanushree Banerjee wrote about this in one of the editions of The 5 Minute WrapUp...

• Self-financing limits the growth of these MSMEs. On the other hand, high interest rates from unorganised sources makes it difficult for them to earn profits.
  
  The Modi government is looking at various ways to correct this problem. Mudra loans, online loans facilities are being made available to MSMEs.
  
  Slowly but surely, lenders are sensing the huge opportunity that lies ahead for this sector.
  
  Banks and other financial firms with prudent lending practices and strong distribution networks will benefit from this megatrend.

Tanushree is counting on 7 top stocks from the Indian stock market that will benefit from this megatrend.

As per her, now is the right time to buy these stocks to profit from the Rebirth of India. You can read about them here.

Moving on to news from the FMCG sector, shares of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) rose 4% today after institutional investors bought stake in the company via open market on Thursday.

The NSE bulk deal data showed that foreign portfolio investor Societe Generale, a French multinational investment bank and financial services company, bought 129 million shares of HUL at an average price of Rs 1,902.

UK-based Glaxo-SmithKline (GSK) offloaded its stake in HUL via block deals, yesterday.

According to the term sheet, over 133 million shares were offered in the range of Rs 1,850-1,950 to investors through a special block window.

The deal is valued roughly between Rs 246 billion to Rs 259 billion.

Note that last week, HUL reported a 7% decline in volumes in Q4FY20. The company's profit before tax fell 10.6% to Rs 19.9 billion, while net profit declined 1.2% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 15.2 billion.

HUL share price is presently trading up by 3%.

To know more about the company, you can HUL's latest result analysis on our website.

And to know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent share market updates here.

Indian share markets ended their trading session on a positive note today.

Benchmark indices edged higher, tracking overnight gains in the US market and positive Asian stock markets.

Further, talks of an economic stimulus for small businesses battered by the coronavirus outbreak improved sentiment.

Reportedly, the government may unveil fiscal stimulus amounting to 0.3% of the country's gross domestic product, focusing on small and medium sized businesses, real estate firms and banks.

At the closing bell, the�BSE Sensex�stood higher by 199 points (up 0.6%) and the�NSE Nifty�closed higher by 52 points (up 0.6%).

SGX Nifty�was trading at 9,260, up by 64 points, at the time of writing.

The BSE Mid Cap�index ended up by 0.1%, while the�BSE Small Cap�index ended the day down by 0.5%.

On the sectoral front, gains were seen in the energy sector and FMCG sector, while power stocks witnessed selling pressure.

Asian stock markets�finished on a strong note as of the most recent closing prices.

The�Hang Seng�was up 1% and the Nikkei was trading higher by 2.6%. The Shanghai Composite was up 0.8%.

European markets were trading on a positive note. The DAX was trading up by 0.8%, while the CAC 40 was trading up by 0.7%.

The rupee was trading at 75.55 to the US$ at the time of writing.

Gold prices�are currently trading up by 0.2% at Rs 46,274.

Speaking of the current stock market scenario, Indian stock markets have seen a stunning recovery over the last 5 weeks.

From its all-time high levels of 42,274 touched on January 20 this year, the Sensex crashed 39% to a multi-year low at 25,639 on March 23. Later, the index made a rapid recovery till April 30 as it added 4,250 points.

Thereafter, in just two sessions of this month, Sensex lost 7%.

Excluding this week's 7% fall, of all the rebounds after a 35%-40% fall in the market, the current one has been the biggest by a distance.

This is evident from the chart below:

Sensex: From Bear to Bull in 30 Days

While the Sensex has rebounded sharply, there are still many stocks out there that are trading at attractive valuations.

Co-head of research at�Equitymaster, Rahul Shah, believes this is a good time to get into stocks, even if you missed the rally because the market is fairly valued.

History has shown that after years like the one we had just now, the next 3 years are good for the markets. In fact, these corrections are the rare times when you find businesses with solid fundamentals at reasonable valuations.

If you can�find good businesses�that can survive the current crisis, you will do well in the long run.

Moving on, market participants were tracking�Shree Cement share price,�TCI Express share price, and�SBI Cards and Payment Services share price�as these companies announced their March quarter results (Q4FY20) today.

You can read our recently released Q4FY20 results of other companies here:�Ambuja Cement,�IndusInd Bank,�Axis Bank,�Tech Mahindra,�Reliance Industries,�Marico,�Kansai Nerolac,�NIIT Technologies,�Persistent Systems,�SKF India.

In news from the banking sector, RBL Bank share price was in focus today.

The private lender on Thursday reported a 54% decline in its March quarter net profit to�Rs 1,143 million on the back of higher provisions.

The bank's total provisions trebled on a year-on-year (YoY) basis and stood at�Rs 6.1 billion in Q4FY20. It holds�Rs 1,079.5 million of provisions in excess of what RBI has mandated for covid-19 related moratorium.

The lender logged a 37% YoY growth in its operating profit at Rs 7.7 billion compared to Rs 5.6 billion a year ago.

The bank's total revenue jumped 33% YoY to Rs 15.2 billion from Rs 11.5 billion reported in Q4FY19.

RBL Bank's net interest margin (NIM) stood at 4.93% in the March quarter. Its net interest income (NII) grew 38% YoY to�Rs 10.2 billion in Q4FY20.

The bank's deposits fell 1% to�Rs 578.1 billion in Q4FY20. Current and savings account (Casa) deposits grew 17% and 2% sequentially to�Rs 171.1 billion in the March quarter.

The private lender's advances increased 7% to�Rs 580.2 billion.

For the financial year 2019-20, the bank's total income stood at Rs 55.4 billion, up 39% YoY from Rs 39.8 billion, while its operating profit jumped 42% YoY to Rs 27.5 billion.

To know more, you can read RBL Bank's Q4FY20 result analysis on our website.

Moving on to news from the pharma sector, shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories rallied 8% today to hit a 52-week high of Rs 4,132, after the company received the Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from US health regulator for its manufacturing plant at Srikakulam.

In a regulatory filing, the company said it has received EIR from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), for the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) manufacturing plant at Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh (CTO VI).

The site was issued warning letter in November 2015 after the inspection in 2014, and was under "Official Action Indicated" classification till now.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories share price ended the day up by 3.8%.

In other news, Laurus Labs share price witnessed selling pressure today. Stock of the company�slipped 10% today after more than 30 million equity shares of the pharmaceutical company changed hands via multiple block deals.

As much as 19.1 million shares were traded on BSE, while on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), about 15.3 million shares changed hands.

Last week, the company had reported its consolidated net profit at Rs 1.1 billion, which more than doubled from Rs 430 million reported in the year-ago quarter.

The company's board also recommended for the sub-division of equity shares of the company from existing face value of Rs 10 each to face value of Rs 2 each, subject to regulatory approvals.

Speaking of the pharma sector, in December 2019, co-head of Research at�Equitymaster, Tanushree Banerjee had predicted that pharma could be the sector to see a�big rebound in 2020.

And rightly so, most�pharma companies�have re-emerged as the safer bets for investors in the ongoing market turmoil. Last month, the Indian rupee touched a new record low of Rs 76.92 against the US dollar. Most�pharma companies�generate their revenues through exports. Hence, a depreciating rupee is a positive development for them.

As per Tanushree, in a�post Covid-19 world, healthcare expenditures globally will see a big rejig.

Tanushree has her eyes on an exciting tech stock. The company in question is developing its medical division. It's focusing on telemedicine, which Tanushree believes will be a huge growth driver in a post Corona world.

Looking at the potential upside in the stock, over a period of five to ten years, Tanushree believes investors could become a�One Stock Crorepati.

To know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent�share market updates here.

Belgium, Denmark, and Germany have the highest personal income tax burdens, at over 35 percent, among OECD countries, according to the latest OECD Taxing Wages report, which says that just over half of countries made small increases to their average personal tax rates last year.

Sensex, Nifty Live News Today: SBI Cards and Payment Services, Adani Gas, Shree Cement, Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care, Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Home Finance, Reliance Capital among others will be reporting their March quarterly results today

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In a study involving rats, a high sugar diet during pregnancy altered levels of sex steroid hormones (e.g. progesterone) and dopamine in their brains,

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HIV patients have higher chances of acquiring specific age-related diseases such as the increased occurrence of heart disease, COPD, and bone fractures.

Chances of tooth decay are higher in young adults who are born with HIV, finds a new study. The findings of this study are published in the IMicrobiome/I journal.

Elite athletes have poor oral health despite brushing their teeth more regularly than most people, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the iBritish Dental Journal/i.

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Two-thirds of transgender teenagers are at an increased risk of depression, suicidal thoughts and self-injuring behavior, revealed research accepted for

In Singapore, nonmedical healthcare personnel who were caring for patients with COVID-19 are at an increased risk for psychological distress related to the pandemic.

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In India, in the past 24 hours, 2,293 new coronavirus cases have been reported, the most in a single day so far, taking the total number of cases to 37,336, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

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New device developed at UBC is showing promise as a method to recognize "super donors," potentially aiding over 4.5 million patients who need blood transfusions