LIVE: Nitish top choice for CM's post, says India Today pre-election survey

The three farm legislations along with proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are clearly against interests of farmers & landless workers, said Punjab CM. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

1:51 AM

Presidential debate commission adopts rules to mute microphones

Ahead of the final US presidential debate, the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates has announced new rules under which it will mute microphones for two minutes of the rival speakers so as to give them uninterrupted opening remarks.

 

Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, 74, and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden, 77, are slated to face their final debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee on October 22.Under the new rules, Trump and Biden will each have two minutes of uninterrupted time to speak at the beginning of every 15-minute segment of the debate.

 

"The only candidate whose microphone will be open during these two-minute periods is the candidate who has the floor under the rules," the commission said in a statement on Monday.

12:24 AM

Wall Street bolstered by stimulus bet

Shares on Wall Street climbed on Tuesday on growing optimism that talks among US lawmakers are progressing with respect to a US stimulus package aimed at cushioning the economic shock from the coronavirus pandemic.

 

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was optimistic Democrats could reach a deal with the White House that could get aid out by early next month. She added there should be an indication of a possible agreement later on Tuesday.

 

Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will also talk at 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, according to a source.

 

King Lip, chief investment strategist at Baker Avenue Asset Management in San Francisco, said he doesn't believe a full stimulus package would be passed though.

 

"It's kind of hard to bridge the gap between $1.8 trillion and $2.3 trillion, but a deal could at least get us through the elections or until December," Lip said. "By that time, we may have a comprehensive package."

10:40 PM

Rajasthan govt to bring bill against Centre's farm laws: Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said his government will bring a bill against the Centre's farm laws on the lines of Punjab.

 

The chief minister announced this on Twitter, hours after the Punjab assembly unanimously passed four bills and adopted a resolution against the Union government laws.

10:17 PM

5.6-magnitude earthquake hits Iceland, no injuries reported

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Iceland on Tuesday, shaking buildings in the capital, Reykjavik. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

 

The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the quake struck at 1:43 p.m. (1343GMT) and was centered near Krysuvik, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Reykjavik.

 

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir was speaking at a live Zoom event hosted by the Washington Post when she paused mid-sentence at the time the quake struck. Oh my god, there is an earthquake, she said.

10:11 PM

Violations of law cannot be condoned under pretext of human rights: India to UN Human Rights chief

10:08 PM

Fraud attempts against businesses in India doubled in lockdown: Report

There was a doubling of online fraud attempts against businesses in India during the initial days of the lockdown and the same went down subsequently as the economy began unlocking, an American information and insights company said on Tuesday.

 

TransUnion found that suspected online fraud attempts against Indian businesses increased 121 per cent in the first phase of the pandemic (between March 11 to May 18), as compared to before the pandemic (between January 1 to March 10).

 

As businesses began reopening (May 19 to July 25), there was a 29 per cent decrease in suspected digital fraud attempts in India against businesses when compared to the first phase of the lockdown, it added.

9:46 PM

FDI up 16% to $27.1 billion in Apr-Aug compared to $23.35 billion year ago: Govt data

9:43 PM

Congress says Punjab has given Centre another opportunity to rectify 'blunder' of farm laws

9:37 PM

Assam govt committed to restore normalcy in border with Mizoram : Official

9:14 PM

Congress demands that Prime Minister Narendra Modi come out with concrete solutions to control Covid-19 pandemic and revive economy, instead of giving "plain speeches"

9:04 PM

Cyber crimes in India caused Rs 1.25 trillion loss last year: Official

Cyber crimes in India caused Rs 1.25 trillion loss in 2019 and cyber threats will continue to increase as the country starts developing smart cities and rolling out 5G network, among other initiatives, National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt Gen (Dr) Rajesh Pant said on Tuesday. He said that there are only a few Indian companies who are making some of the cyber security products and there is a big vacuum in the sector.

 

Further, Pant called for setting up a dedicated industry forum for cyber security to develop trusted indigenous solutions to check cyber attacks.

 

"Last year, our official figures were Rs 1.25 trillion lost due to cyber crimes in India. Ransomware attacks are increasing everyday and these criminals have been working from home. They have no qualms. They are heartless people. They are attacking hospitals because they know in an emergency hospitals will pay," Pant said at an event organised by industry body Ficci.

8:58 PM

Railway employees stage protest across India over delay in payment of bonus

Thousands of railway employees staged protests across the country on Tuesday against the "inordinate delay" in payment of productivity-linked bonus, defying warning of stringent action by the Railway Board, according to the All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF).

 

The AIRF has said if the bonus is not released immediately, they will be compelled to intensify their protest and take "direct action".

 

"Today all affiliated unions of AIRF have launched various agitational programmes all over the country to strongly protest the inordinate delay in payment of PLB (productivity-linked bonus) to railwaymen and condemned the government for this delay," AIRF general secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra said in a statement. Read more

8:46 PM

Bihar elections: NDA projected to win 133-143 seats

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is projected to win between 133 to 143 seats in Bihar elections, according to a survey done by India Today and Lokniti-CSDS before the state votes. The state Assembly has 243 seats and the halfway mark to form a government is 122 seats. The Opposition led Mahagatbandhan (Grand Alliance) is projected to get between 88 to 98 seats. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which pulled away from the NDA in the state to contest elections on its own, is expected to get between 2 to 6 seats. Other parties will get 6 to 10 seats, says the survey.
 

Bihar will vote in three phases on October 28, November 3 and 7. Votes will be counted on November 10.

8:38 PM

Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Vadodara leading cities in mobile gaming: Opensignal

Ahmedabad, Navi Mumbai and Vadodara have been rated as top Indian cities in terms of overall mobile gaming experience, according to a ranking released by mobile analytics and insights company Opensignal on Tuesday. Opensignal analysed the mobile network experience in 48 of India's largest cities to see how they stacked-up on its games experience metrics.

 

The ranking represented how users perceive real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on cellular networks - on a scale of 100 - across some of the most popular genres. "The best games experience was enjoyed by our users in Gujarat's metro city of Ahmedabad with a score of 71.7, followed by Navi Mumbai (70.1) and Vadodara (69.8)," Opensignal said releasing its findings. Read more

8:30 PM

NDA projected to win 38% vote share, Mahagatbandhan to get 32%: Survey

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is projected to win 38 per cent of the vote share in Bihar, according to a pre-election survey done by India Today and Lokniti-CSDS. Opposition led Mahagatbandhan (Grand Alliance) gets 32 per cent of the vote share. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which pulled away from the NDA in the state to contest elections on its own, gets 6 per cent of the vote share. The Grand Democratic Secular Front (GDSF) gets 7 per cent of the vote share and other parties 17 per cent

8:24 PM

DU: 4,800 students apply on day 2 of admissions under second cut-off list

Over 4,800 students applied for admission in undergraduate courses at Delhi University on the second day of admissions under the second cut off list on Monday, according to officials.

 

"A total of 4,882 students applied today. Yesterday, 9,785 students had applied out of which 2,580 admissions were approved. Today, 6,024 admissions were approved," a senior varsity official said.

 

The Delhi University released its second cut-off list on Saturday with admissions to many courses being closed and some programmes seeing a minor decline in the score required for admission. Lady Shri Ram College for Women had pegged 100 per cent score for three courses -- BA (Honours) Psychology, BA (Honours) Political Science and BA (Honours) Economics.

 

Seats are available under the three courses with aspirants requiring 99 per cent for BA (Honours) Economics and 99.75 per cent for both BA (Honours) Psychology and BA (Honours) Political Science.

8:16 PM

Digital on-line fraud attempts dip 29% in unlocking phase: Study

Online fraud attempts have declined by 29 per cent during the unlocking (reopening) period in India. Such attempts had risen sharply right before pandemic and during the early part of pandemic by 121 per cent, says a TransUnion study.

 

“With the rush for businesses to go digital as many were forced to move completely online almost overnight, fraudsters tried to take advantage,” said Shaleen Srivastava, EVP and Head of Fraud, Solutions and Alternate Data at TransUnion in India.

 

There was a marked increase in suspected online fraud attempts in India, against businesses, after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Read more

8:10 PM

UN rights chief expresses concern over restrictions on NGOs, arrest of activists in India

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday expressed concern over the restrictions on foreign funding for the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India and the arrest of activists in the country.

She appealed to the Indian Government to "safeguard the rights of human rights defenders and NGOs, and their ability to carry out their crucial work on behalf of the many groups they represent.

"India has long had a strong civil society, which has been at the forefront of groundbreaking human rights advocacy within the country and globally," she said in a statement. "But I am concerned that vaguely defined laws are increasingly being used to stifle these voices."

Bachelet specifically cited as "worrying" the use of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which prohibits the receipt of foreign funds "for any activities prejudicial to the public interest."

8:04 PM

India, Japan now part of 'Air Bubble' system, Air India announces schedule

7:51 PM

Sweden bans Huawei, ZTE from upcoming 5G networks citing security threat

Sweden on Tuesday banned on security grounds the use of telecom equipment from China's Huawei and ZTE in its 5G network ahead of a spectrum auction scheduled for next month, joining other European nations that have restricted the role of Chinese suppliers.

 

Telecoms regulator PTS said the decision followed advice from the country's armed forces and security service, which described China as "one of the biggest threats against Sweden".

 

European governments have been tightening controls on Chinese companies building 5G networks, following diplomatic pressure from Washington, which alleges Huawei equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. Huawei has repeatedly denied being a national security risk. Read more

 

7:38 PM

Over 50% farmers oppose farm laws, one-third of them have no info: Survey

Amid a political furore over the three new farm laws, a Gaon Connection survey has found that more than half of the country's peasantry oppose these, but one-third of them did not know details of the legislations. Similarly, of the 35 per cent respondents supporting the agri laws, almost 18 per cent were not informed about them.

 

The survey, "The Indian Farmer's Perception of the New Agri Laws", found that out of the 52 per cent who opposed them 36 per cent did not know the details of the legislations.

 

The new farm laws promise, among other things, freedom to farmers to sell their produce in the open market.

7:27 PM

Bihar polls: 30% voters want Nitish as CM, Tejashwi Yadav at 27%, shows survey

Pre-election survey by India Today and Lokniti-CSDS says 30 per cent of respondents in Bihar wanted incumbent Nitish Kumar to be their next chief minister. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav followed him, with 27 per cent respondents wanting him to be the chief minister. LJP president Chirag Paswan was the CM choice among 5 per cent respondents. Deputy CM and BJP leader Sushil Modi was approved by 4 per cent respondents, according to the survey.

7:17 PM

Bihar Elections: Nitish Kumar is first choice among voters, but popularity down

Nitish Kumar is the first choice among Bihar's voters for the chief minister's post, says India Today, Lokniti-CSDS opinion poll. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is the second choice and LJP president Chirag Paswan is third, says the pre-election survey. But the popularity of Bihar CM has gone down significantly, shows the survey.

Bihar will vote in three phases on October 28, November 3 and 7. Votes will be counted on November 10

7:10 PM

LJP releases third list of candidates for upcoming Bihar Elections

7:04 PM

7-day festive sales set to break all records amid order surge

With the one-week festive sales in the Covid-hit year set for grand finale on October 21, the online retailers and e-commerce marketplaces have seen a massive shopping surge coming from small-town India and into newer categories.

According to industry experts, the momentum is at an all-time high and the seven-day sales are likely to witness over $4.8 billion (nearly Rs 35,273 crore) in sales -- an amount that took online retailers a month to reach last year.

"There is huge demand from across the spectrum, especially the smaller cities and towns. The online retailers are set to witness about $4.8 billion in these seven days of the first festive sales. The traction is into newer categories that are beyond gadgets and fashion -- into groceries, home appliances etc.," Satish Meena, Senior Forecast Analyst at global market research firm Forrester, told IANS.

6:37 PM

Bengal CM provides Rs 2 cr financial assistance to Telangana

6:32 PM

"I pray to all of you, I want to see all of you and your families safe and happy. I want to see festivals bring cheer your lives," says PM.

 

6:24 PM

Recently, we saw many photos and videos where it is seen that people are not careful anymore. They are noto wearing masks. This is not right. If you step out without mask, you put your families at risk. We must remember - whether it is America or Europe, cases declined & then there was sudden spike: PM

 

6:18 PM

PM on status Covid-19 in India

The country has over 9 million beds for Covid-19 patients. There are 12,000 quarantine centres, 2,000 nCoV testing labs. Number of tests will cross 100 million soon.

Today, the recovery rate in the country is good. The fatality rate is low. 5,500 people per million population in India are infected, whereas in countries like the US & Brazil this figure is around 25,000: PM Modi

6:17 PM

PM Modi on status of Covid-19 vaccine

All countries are working on war-footing for making coronavirus vaccine. Government is planning to make the vaccine accessible to every Indian as soon as it is made available: PM