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2:00 AM

Samajwadi Party announces candidates for six seats in UP assembly bypolls, RLD to contest one seat

1:50 AM

Under Trump, US no longer leads world on refugee protections

For decades, America led the world in humanitarian policies by creating a sanctuary for the oppressed, admitting more refugees annually than all other countries combined.

 

That reputation eroded during Donald Trump's presidency as he cut the number of refugees allowed in by more than 80%, and Canada replaced the US as No. 1 for resettling people fleeing war and persecution.

 

Trump has arguably changed the immigration system more than any US president, thrilling supporters with an America first message and infuriating critics who call his signature domestic issue insular, xenophobic and even racist.

 

Before November's election, The Associated Press is examining some of Trump's biggest immigration policy changes, from halting asylum to stepping back from America's humanitarian role.

1:25 AM

'Nuclear-free world is in everyone's interest': Dalai Lama welcomes ratification of UN treaty banning nuclear weapons

1:04 AM

Dunkin’ Brands in talks to sell itself and go private, says report

Dunkin’ Brands, the parent company of the Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins chains, is nearing a deal to sell itself to a private equity-backed company, Inspire Brands, that could be announced as soon as Monday, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said.

 

The deal being discussed would take Dunkin’ Brands private at a price of $106.50 a share, these people said.

12:00 AM

Govt to bring new law to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR

The government will soon bring in a new law to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, a top official from the Ministry of Environment said on Monday.

"The new law will be only for Delhi and NCR. It will come out soon. I cannot comment on what penalties it will entail. It's a new law to curb pollution in Delhi-NCR region only. Air Act is for the nation and it will be as it is," Environment Secretary R P Gupta told PTI.

The response from him came after the Supreme Court, which had raised concern over the worsening air quality in Delhi-NCR, was told by the Centre that it will bring a new legislation to curb pollution and submit a proposal before it in four days.

11:57 PM

In fight with Amazon, Future Retail sees liquidation if Reliance deal fails

India's Future Retail Ltd (FRL) will go into liquidation if its deal to sell assets to Reliance Industries fails, the group told a Singapore arbitrator while arguing against Amazon.com Inc's bid to scupper the deal, a legal order seen by Reuters showed.

 

Amazon on Sunday won an injunction from a Singapore arbitrator to halt FRL's deal to sell assets to Reliance. Amazon alleged FRL had breached certain contract provisions it entered into last year in a separate deal with the US firm.

 

The dispute centres around FRL's decision in August to sell its retail, wholesale, logistics and some other businesses to Reliance for $3.38 billion, including debt.

 

Amazon argues that a 2019 deal it had with a Future unit had clauses saying the Indian group couldn't sell its retail assets to anyone on a "restricted persons" list including any firms from Reliance chief Mukesh Ambani's group. The deal specified any disputes would be arbitrated under Singapore International Arbitration Centre rules.

11:52 PM

60,000 in Southern California to evacuate after blaze grows

A fast-moving wildfire has forced evacuations for 60,000 people in Southern California as powerful winds across the state prompted power to be cut to hundreds of thousands to prevent utility equipment from sparking new blazes.

 

The smoky fire in Orange County broke out just before 7 am on Monday and quickly threatened neighbourhoods in Irvine, a sprawling city of about 280,000 people.

11:43 PM

India, US to ink landmark defence pact BECA during 2+2 talks on Tuesday

10:12 PM

Hearing through video-conferencing successful, says SC, allows HCs to decide on virtual proccedings

10:12 PM

EAM Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Pompeo discussed issues of mutual concerns, interests including stability, security in Asia: Report

10:11 PM

Air quality 'severe' in parts of Greater Noida, 'very poor' in Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad

10:06 PM

Exporters raise concerns over rising freight charges, container shortage

10:06 PM

New education policy gives impetus to learning of foreign languages: Shringla

9:39 PM

Govt decides to extend validity of licence for tur import till Dec 31

The government on Monday said it has decided to extend the validity of licence for import of tur till December 31 this year.

 

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a public notice said the cut-off date for ICLC (Irrevocable Commercial Letter of Credit ) for the import shall accordingly be December 1, 2020.

 

It said eligible and verified applicants who have been issued licences will have to ensure that their import consignments of tur reach the Indian ports on or before December 31.

9:36 PM

Clear 10-year roadmap for clean energy needed to boost innovation: Amitabh Kant

9:30 PM

Delhi: Operator for EV charging stations to be hired through centralised tendering system

9:13 PM

US new home sales fall in September; prices continue to rise

9:00 PM

Major setback to PDP in Jammu; three senior leaders resign

In a major setback to the People's Democratic Party (PDP), three of its senior leaders, including a former MP, on Monday announced their resignation from the party, days after its president Mehbooba Mufti stoked a controversy by her remarks on the national flag, according to a PTI report. In a joint letter to Mehbooba, former MP T S Bajwa, Ved Mahajan and Hussain Ali Waffa said, "We feel uncomfortable and suffocated, forcing us to take a difficult decision of leaving the party."

 

Waffa, is a former PDP state secretary, and Mahajan a former MLC.

 

In her first press conference after over 14 months of detention, former chief minister and PDP supremo Mehbooba on Friday had said she was not interested in contesting elections or holding the tricolour till the constitutional changes enforced on August 5 last year were rolled back.

8:49 PM

India, US to ink landmark defence pact on Tuesday: Officials

India and the US will ink a landmark defence pact on Tuesday that will provide for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between their militaries, officials said after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held wide-ranging talks with his US counterpart Mark T Esper here.

 

During the talks, Singh and Esper explored ways to further deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, enhance military-to-military ties, and reviewed key regional security challenges including in India's neighbourhood, officials said. The sources said, while deliberating on regional security challenges, the two sides briefly touched upon India's border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

 

"The two ministers expressed satisfaction that agreement of BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) will be signed during the visit," the defence ministry said in a statement.

8:40 PM

Delhi's air 'very poor' for fourth day on trot, likely to remain so till Oct 31

A layer of toxic haze lingered over the national capital on Monday as the city recorded its air quality in the 'very poor' category for the fourth consecutive day. A central government air quality monitoring agency said the air quality was likely to remain 'very poor' till October 31. The city recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 353 on Monday. It was 349 on Sunday, 345 on Saturday and 366 on Friday.

 

Most of the air quality monitoring stations in the city recorded the air quality in the 'very poor' category, while pollution levels rose to 'severe' levels at Vivek Vihar (AQI 414), Wazirpur (404) and Anand Vihar (418).

8:33 PM

Hathras case: SC to deliver verdict on Tuesday on pleas seeking court-monitored probe

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its judgment on Tuesday on a batch of pleas which have sought a court-monitored probe into the Hathras case, in which a Dalit girl was allegedly brutally raped and died of injuries, and transfer of trial to Delhi, according to a PTI report.

 

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde, Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian had on October 15 reserved its verdict on a public interest litigation (PIL) and several intervention pleas of activists and lawyers who have argued that a fair trial was not possible in Uttar Pradesh as the probe has allegedly been botched up.

 

The lawyer, appearing for the victim's family, had told the apex court that trial in the case be shifted out of Uttar Pradesh to a court in the national capital after completion of investigation.

8:32 PM

Encounter breaks out between militants, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district: Army

8:20 PM

PM Narendra Modi calls for 'responsible' pricing of crude oil

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the world needs to move towards responsible pricing of crude oil. In his address at the inauguration of the India Energy Forum, he said that there should be efforts to move towards transparent and flexible markets for oil and gas.

 

"For too long, the world has seen crude prices on a roller-coaster. We need to move towards responsible pricing. We have to work towards transparent and flexible markets for both oil and gas," he said.

 

Noting that the Indian energy sector has moved towards reforms and transparency in the past six years, the Prime Minister said that the drivers have been efforts to move towards a gas-based economy, cleaner use of fossil fuels, particularly petroleum and coal, and greater reliance on domestic sources to drive bio-fuels among others.

8:07 PM

Lockdown to be imposed in Aizwal Municipal Corporation from 4:30 am tomorrow till 4:30 am of November 3

8:00 PM

India on track to meet renewable energy target: PM Narendra Modi

India is on track to meet its renewable energy target of adding 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy to its electricity grid by 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

 

"We are well on track to meet the commtiment we made to the global community," Modi said at the India Energy Forum by IHS CeraWeek, adding that the country would continue to "fight climate change"

7:45 PM

Latest News LIVE: UK court again rejects Nirav Modi's bail in PNB scam case

In a major setback to fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, a UK court on Monday again rejected his bail plea.

 

This is the seventh time that the UK court has rejected Nirav Modi's bail plea.

 

Nirav Modi, who is wanted in India by Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case and has been at London's Wandsworth Prison since his arrest in March 2019, will appear before a court next month, via video-link, for the second phase of his extradition trial.

 

Last month, the UK court has extended the remand of the diamantaire till the next scheduled hearing in his ongoing extradition trial on November 3.

7:43 PM

EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

7:29 PM

India will drive global energy demand: PM Narendra Modi

India will drive the global energy demand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he showcased his government's recent reforms in the sector to global investors. Speaking at the India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, Modi said the coronavirus pandemic had resulted in global energy demand falling by one-third, investment decisions being impacted and predictions of a contraction in demand over the next few years.

 

But India is likely to see energy consumption double over the long term, he said. This at a time when the country fast embraces cleaner and renewable sources of energy.

 

India, he said, was on track to meet its COP21 commitment of raising electricity generation from renewable energy sources to 175 gigawatts by 2022.

7:14 PM

Jack Ma's Ant Group seeks to raise $35 billion in biggest-ever IPO

Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co. is set to raise almost $35 billion through initial public offerings in Shanghai and Hong Kong, a blockbuster listing that will rank as the world’s biggest share sale ever.
 

The fintech priced its Shanghai stock at 68.8 yuan ($10.27) apiece and its Hong Kong shares at HK$80 ($10.32) each. Ant will be valued at about $280 billion before the IPO, and will raise about $34.5 billion from Shanghai and Hong Kong before exercising its green shoe option, based on filings Monday.
 

The company’s much-anticipated IPO is on track to surpass Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion sale last year. READ MORE...

7:05 PM

Ban on public events can bring down Covid-19 transmission rate by 24%: Lancet study

Ban on public events can bring down the COVID-19 reproduction number (R) number -- a key measure of virus transmission -- by 24 per cent in less than a month, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet journal. An R value above 1 indicates a growing outbreak, whereas an R value below 1 indicates a shrinking outbreak.

 

The research using data from 131 countries suggests that individual measures, including closure of schools and workplaces, ban on public events and gatherings of more than ten people, requirements to stay at home, and internal movement limits, are associated with a reduction in transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

 

However, combined measures are more effective at reducing transmission, according to a PTI report.