LIVE news: Parliament monsoon session from Sept 14 to Oct 1, say reports

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3:01 AM

United States: Governor declares emergency after police shooting of Blake

Wisconsin's governor declared a state of emergency Tuesday after some protesters vandalised businesses and set dozens of buildings on fire in a city where police shot a Black man multiple times, apparently in the back in view of his children.
 

The shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday in Kenosha was captured on cellphone video and ignited new protests over racial injustice in several cities, just three months after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police touched off a wider reckoning on race.
 

Blake's father, also named Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times that his son is paralysed from the waist down and has "eight holes" in his body. The elder Blake said he didn't know if his son's paralysis was permanent.
 

Wsconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for protesters to be peaceful, while also saying the National Guard presence would be doubled from 125 to 250 in Kenosha after crowds destroyed dozens of buildings and set more than 30 fires on Monday night.
 

"We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue,” said Evers, who is facing mounting pressure from Republicans over his handling of the unrest that has followed the shooting.
 

2:35 AM

Delhi Assembly panel to summon Facebook officials on hateful content issue

A Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony decided on Tuesday to summon Facebook officials as it initiated proceedings over complaints about the social media giant's alleged "deliberate and intentional inaction to contain hateful content" in India, an official statement said.

 

The development comes in the backdrop of a report published in the Wall Street Journal recently, citing interviews with unnamed Facebook insiders to claim that one of its senior India policy executives intervened in internal communication to stop a permanent ban on a BJP MLA from Telangana after he allegedly made communally charged posts.

2:34 AM

After US, Facebook plans to launch news service in UK, India, Brazil

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it plans to launch its news service in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, India and Brazil in the coming months, after having introduced the feature in the United States last year.

 

The social media giant’s news service currently pays U.S. publishers for content and has original reporting from more than 200 outlets, including thousands of local news organizations.

2:33 AM

Ant Group files for HK-Shanghai IPO; first-half profit rises 1,000%

Billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Group filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong and Shanghai to bankroll its expansion in financial services and bolster its lead as China’s large­st online payments platform.

 

The company will issue no less than 10 per cent in new shares of its total capital, according to its filing with the Shanghai excha­nge.

 

The financial technology powerhouse reported profit of 21.9 billion Chinese yuan ($3.2 billion) on total revenues of 72.5 billion yuan in the first half of the year, according to the exchange filing. That represented a more than 1,000 per cent jump in profits from the same period a year ago, when the company raked in 1.9 billion yuan. Revenues were also up significantly, climbing about 38 per cent from the 52.5 billion yuan the firm made in the first half of 2019. The simultaneous listing could mark one of the biggest debuts in years, and even top Saudi Aramco’s record $29 billion IPO, a person familiar has said.

1:47 AM

Two-wheelers merit GST rate revision, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council would look into the auto industry’s demand for lowering the tax rate on two-wheelers, which are now taxed at the highest slab rate of 28 per cent. The assurance came during an interaction she had with members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

 

“Since two-wheelers are neither a luxury nor a sin product, they merit a rate revision. Consequently, this will be taken up with the GST Council,” the CII quoted Sitharaman as saying.

 

The Council, slated to meet on Thursday, has the single-point agenda of compensation to states, but sources familiar with the developments said the meeting on September 17 might take up the two-wheeler rate issue to spur sales ahead of the festive season. Read more

 

10:21 PM

Death toll rises to 13 in building collapse incident in Raigad, Maharashtra

10:20 PM

CISF takes over security of Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat

10:13 PM

Don't make Prashant Bhushan 'martyr' by punishing him, his lawyer urges SC

Seeking ‘judicial statesmanship', senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court not to make Prashant Bhushan a 'martyr' by punishing him for contempt over his tweets criticising the judiciary after the activist-lawyer rejected fresh suggestions from the court for an apology.
 

As the top court reserved its verdict on the sentence to be awarded to Bhushan, Justice Arun Mishra, who presided over a three-judge bench, at the fag end of the nearly three hour-long hearing also asked why he cannot seek an apology and what was wrong in using this word. Justice Mishra is demitting office on September 2.
 

Dhavan, representing Bhushan, suggested that the top court recall the August 14 verdict convicting him for contempt of court and not impose any sentence and urged it to not only close the case but also to bring an end to the controversy. He said it is the duty of all of us to make responsible criticism and this court can only survive on responsible criticism.
 

Attorney General K K Venugopal requested the court to forgive Bhushan with a message that he should not repeat this act.

10:12 PM

Heavy rain likely to batter south Bengal, weather may improve from Thu afternoon: Met dept

Heavy rain is likely to lash South Bengal districts over the next two days under the influence of a low-pressure system over the north Bay of Bengal, a senior Met department official said.
 

The system, which lay centred near the West Bengal- Bangladesh shores, will trigger downpour on Wednesday in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East and West Bardhaman, Midnapore and Jhargram, Regional Met Director G K Das said.
 

The low-pressure area is then expected to move northwestwards gradually, causing heavy showers in the interior south Bengal districts of Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, East and West Bardhaman, he said.
 

The weather is likely to get better from Thursday afternoon with the low-pressure system set to move away from the state, Das said.
 

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till August 27.

10:11 PM

Need to identify dual-use technologies that can be used for military applications: Army Chief

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday pitched for carrying out a reality check on military technologies that are required to be fielded operationally in the Indian context.
 

He said the Indian armed forces will have to pay adequate emphasis on the available "disruptive technologies" that have dual use and are being driven by commercial entities and innovations.
 

Addressing a seminar organised by the Army, Gen Naravane said that an overarching national mission to identify the needs and congruence of products into military applications must form the modernisation strategy for the armed forces.
 

His comments came in the backdrop of the defence ministry's renewed emphasis on ensuring self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

10:10 PM

Another regional party emerges in Assam to take on BJP-led govt

A new regional party emerged in Assam on Tuesday to take on the BJP-led government in the next year's assembly elections.
 

The party, named Sanjukta Anchalik Dal, Asom, was formed at a public convention organised by social organisation Anchalikatabad Suraksha Mancha in Tezpur that was attended by several prominent citizens, including National Award-winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua, sources said.
 

The name of the party was decided after several hours of intense closed-door discussion after the public convention, a source who attended that meeting said.

10:05 PM

Congress panel to start hearing grievances of Rajasthan's disgruntled MLAs next week

Days after the Rajasthan crisis ended, a three-member central panel set up by the Congress to address issues of disgruntled MLAs including Sachin Pilot met here for the first time on Tuesday and decided to start from next week the process of redressing their concerns.
 

Sources said the new AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken would also visit four divisional headquarters of the state starting Sunday in the first phase and would hear out senior leaders, office-bearers of the party's state unit, former and present legislators and ex-MPs.
 

The aim of the visit is to strengthen and reorganise the party at the block and district level.
 

During the meeting, it was decided that the process of redressing concerns of disgruntled leaders will start from next week.
 

They are also learnt to have discussed the modalities of going about resolving pending issues of all factions in the state Congress.
 

The panel would also help evolve a mechanism to ensure better coordination between the government and the party as well as between all factions of leaders in Rajasthan.
 

Some of the disgruntled legislators are also eyeing a come back in the government and some may be adjusted in the reorganised party in Rajasthan.

9:55 PM

Govt allows PSUs to clear goods imported by them through Customs, pay duty later

9:53 PM

JEE (Main) and NEET (UG) exams will be held on the dates announced earlier

8:59 PM

Union Minister Kishan Reddy's personal website hacked

Union Minister of state for Home G Kishan Reddys personal website has been hacked and city police have been informed about it, an official in his office said on Tuesday. The site -- "http://kishanreddy.com" -- was hacked on August 15 and has been down since then, he said.

 

"It was his personal website which has all the details of his programmes and activities with regard to his constituency. The site was hacked on August 15. We have informed the Hyderabad City Police about this, the official told PTI.

8:46 PM

Patient, baby carried on a palanquin for 15-km to reach ambulance due to non-availability of roads in Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh

8:42 PM

IPL 13: Mobile Premier League signs on as sponsor for Royal Challengers Bangalore

eSports and mobile gaming platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) announced on Tuesday that it has signed as a sponsor for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The T20 league is set to start on September 19 and will be played in the UAE, according to an IANS report.

 

"We are delighted to have Mobile Premier League as one of our partners. RCB's biggest strength lies in the love and support the team gets from their fans and it would be exciting to open avenues for them to engage with the team and we share this ethos with MPL of being committed to our fans to bring continuous at-home cricket experiences for them," said RCB Chairman Sanjeev Churiwala.

 

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad unveiled a spate of existing and new sponsors for the 13th edition of the IPL.

8:26 PM

Two-wheelers neither luxury nor sin goods, merit GST rate revision: FM Sitharaman

Two-wheelers are neither a luxury nor sin goods and so merit a GST rate revision, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at an industry interaction on Tuesday. According to a statement issued by CII, which was also issued by the finance ministry's spokesperson, Sitharaman said a rate revision proposal would be taken up by the GST Council. Two-wheelers currently attract 28 per cent GST, according to a PTI report.

 

"Responding to a question about the need for lowering GST rates on two-wheelers, she assured that this was indeed a good suggestion as this category is neither a luxury nor a sin good and hence merits a rate revision," the statements said.

8:05 PM

Govt says deadline to submit bids for Air India extended by two months to October 30

The government has extended by two months the deadline for placing bids for Air India till October 30 as the Covid-19 fallout has disrupted economic activity globally.

 

The process of stake sale in the national carrier was initiated on January 27. This is the fourth extension given by the government for putting in bids.

 

Issuing a corrigendum to the Expression of Interest (EoI) for sale of Air India, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management said the deadline has been extended in view of the "request received from the IBs (interested bidders) in view of the prevailing situation arising out of Covid-19". READ MORE...

7:59 PM

Monsoon session of parliament to be held from September 14 to October 1

observing precautions related to COVID-19, sources said on Tuesday. The decision on the dates of the session was taken in a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, sources told ANI.

 

The sources said provision has not been kept for holidays or weekly offs during the 18-day session but a final decision on "no-leaves during the entire session" will be taken at the all-party meeting.

 

7:45 PM

17th Meeting of India-Vietnam Joint Commission was held via video-conference today: MEA

7:31 PM

Intense rainfall activity expected over north, central and east India during next 4-5 days: IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted very heavy rainfall over east, north and central India during the next five days and issued a red alert for Odisha for August 26 and for Chhattisgarh, a day later, according to a PTI report.

 

It said a low pressure area (cyclonic circulation) over north Bay of Bengal and its neighbourhood is very likely to move west-northwestwards during the next four-five days.

 

Under the influence of this system, widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls are very likely over Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand till August 28 and over Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and west Rajasthan during August 26-28, the IMD added.

7:24 PM

MGNREGA monthly wages double to Rs 1,000 per person amid pandemic: Report

The rural distress following the pandemic has seen the average monthly income per person under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) doubling to around Rs 1,000 in the first four months of the fiscal from Rs 509 in FY2020, according to an analysis by Crisil.

 

The April-July period typically sees around 25 per cent more work execution in terms of person-days under the scheme compared to the rest of the year, thereby aiding rural income. This is understandable as tens of millions of workers have returned home jobless from cities due to the pandemic driven lockdowns, according to a PTI report.

7:00 PM

Land acquisition for commercial mining may come under coal law of 1957

In order to ease the coal mining process for the upcoming commercial coal auction, the Centre is mulling to allow land acquisition under the Coal Bearing Areas Act, 1957. This would entail the Centre acquiring land and then giving it on lease to the miners.

 

Speaking at a stakeholders’ discussion on commercial coal mining held by Ficci, the nominated authority for coal auction said the Centre can only assist, and that it is the miners who need to persuade the state government for land acquisition.

 

“The Centre is thinking on an initiative wherein land acquisition would be allowed under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957 and the land could then be given to private miners on lease,” said M Nagarau, joint secretary, ministry of coal and nominated authority for commercial coal auction. READ MORE...

6:53 PM

Water-logging reported in several areas of Gujarat's Surat following rainfall

6:35 PM

Death toll in building collapse in Maharashtra's Raigad district rises to 10: Police

6:23 PM

Latest News LIVE: Rs 2,000 currency notes not printed in FY20, says RBI

Currency notes of Rs 2,000 were not printed at all in financial year 2019-20, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The central bank's Annual Report for 2019-20 also showed that the supply of banknotes during the period was lower by 23.3 per cent than in the previous year, mainly due to the disruptions caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 and the ensuing lockdown, according to an IANS report.

 

The number of Rs 2,000 notes in circulation came down from 329.10 crore pieces in March 2019 to 273.98 crore notes in March 2020.

 

The quantity of Rs 2,000 denomination notes constituted 2.4 per cent of the total volume of notes at end of March 2020, down from 3 per cent at end-March 2019. Further, in terms of value, the share of Rs 2,000 notes has come down to 22.6 per cent at end of the financial year 2019-20, down from 31.2 per at the end of the previous financial year.

6:10 PM

Amount in bank fraud up 159% to Rs 1.85 trn in 2019-20: RBI annual report

Bank frauds, in value terms involving an amount of Rs 1 lakh and above, have more than doubled in 2019-20 period to Rs 1.85 trillion from Rs 71,543 crore in 2018-19 period, up 159 per cent. In volume terms, however, the total fraud cases have jumped 28 per cent to 8,707 in 2019-20 from 6,799 in 2018-19, revealed the annual report of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the year 2019-20.

 

While the increase in the number of fraud cases and the amount involved is substantial, the RBI has said that the date of occurrence of these frauds is spread over several previous years. “Frauds have been predominantly occurring in the loan portfolio (advances category), both in terms of number and value”, the RBI noted in its annual report. READ MORE...

6:04 PM

Ex-gratia of Rs 500,000 each to families of the deceased in Maharashtra's Raigad building collapse incident

6:02 PM

Prashant Bhushan contempt case: SC reserves verdict on quantum of sentence

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved the verdict on the quantum of sentence to be given to advocate Prashant Bhushan, convicted for contempt of court for his tweets against the judiciary, according to an IANS report. A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari reserved the verdict after a detailed hearing on the matter.

 

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Bhushan, contended before the bench that the top court can say that it does not agree with Bhushan and exercise restraint while making statements in the future. Justice Mishra said, "We thank you, Dr Dhavan. Even Prashant Bhushan has shown respect in some part of his statement."

 

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal submitted before the bench that his suggestion would be to close the matter without punishing Bhushan.

 

Justice Mishra observed that for how long the system would suffer this. The bench noted that judges are condemned and their families are humiliated. "They cannot even speak," noted the bench.