LIVE: TN govt to transfer Tuticorin custodial death case to CBI, says CM

Oil companies did not hike the petrol prices during the day breaking the 21-day-chain of successive hikes in petrol and diesel prices. Stay tuned with Business Standard for the latest news of today

12:48 AM

Exit poll: Andrzej Duda leads in Poland's presidential election

An exit poll shows the conservative Polish president, Andrzej Duda, with the most votes in Poland's presidential election on Sunday, but short of the 50% required for an outright win the first round.

If the poll is confirmed by official results, Duda will face centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski in a runoff on July 12.

According to the projection by the Ipsos polling firm, Duda won 41.8 per cent and Trzaskowski 30.4 per cent in Sunday's vote. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Poland's state electoral commission has said it would release the final results by Wednesday evening at the latest.

11:50 PM

J&K govt dispels speculations, says LPG stock order issued due to monsoon

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday said an order regarding increasing the stock of LPG in the valley was issued in view of frequent closures of highway due to rainfall during this time of the year, dispelling speculations over it.

"We all know that the NH-44, between Ramban-Jawahar Tunnel stretch, behaves in an unpredictable manner during the rains. Currently, we maintain stock of nearly a month in Kashmir," an official spokesman said.

"We have requested the LPG companies to explore the feasibility of maintaining the stock for nearly two months to prevent any panic situations that may arise in the event of highway closure for longer duration or on multiple occasions during the next three months," he said.

The spokesman said some people are spreading rumours by referring to the letter for "ensuring adequate stocking of LPG in Kashmir", written by the director of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department in Kashmir to nodal coordinators for oil companies. Read full story here

11:44 PM

Huge spike in demand, profits make Bigbasket re-evaluate fundraising

Online grocery firm Bigbasket is having a relook at its earlier plan to go for a funding round in July because of the changed business environment. The company, which has started generating profits, is also seeing a huge spike in demand after the relaxation of the lockdown.

The Bengaluru-based firm in January had appointed Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to assist it in raising $150 million in a funding round towards June-July. 

While these bankers had initiated talks with perspective investors, the grocer is in two minds whether it actually needs to go for such a large funding round now, Hari Menon, co-founder and chief executive officer of Bigbasket, told Business Standard. Read full story here

11:39 PM

RIL steps on the gas in agritech business, expands farm-to-fork model

Reliance Industries (RIL) is foraying into the growing agritech business through a combination of online technology, leveraging the strength of its new partner Facebook and collaborations in farm equipment innovations as part of its move to expand its “farm to fork” model.

For its own retail supply for Reliance Fresh and other stores and also for the soon-to-be-launched e-commerce play through JioMart, the focus is on ensuring a 12-hour delivery schedule between the harvest to the store by sourcing nearly 50 per cent of all vegetables required by consumers shopping in modern retail.

Facebook has picked up a 9.9 per cent stake in Jio Platforms and has also signed an agreement of collaboration with Reliance Retail. Read full story here...

10:18 PM

Will urge PM Modi to honour late P V Narasimha Rao with Bharat Ratna, says Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao

10:18 PM

New domicile law for J&K illegal: Farooq Abdullah

The new domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir is illegal and unconstitutional and it is not acceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference leader and Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah said on Sunday.

 

When we are saying that we are united against everything that they have done, which is illegal, unconstitutional, how do you think am I going to accept what is unconstitutional, Abdullah said in Anantnag district of south Kashmir in response to a question by reporters on the new domicile law for the union territory.

 

As per the new domicile law, non-permanent residents who have residency proof of at least 15 years in J-K are entitled to get domicile certificates. Prior to the nullification of Article 370 and Article 35A, only state subjects were allowed to buy land and apply for government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Abdullah, the National Conference president, also batted for talks between India and China as well as India and Pakistan to address their concerns.

10:15 PM

10:14 PM

Guwahati landslide kills one; people asked to shift to safer places

A woman student was killed in a landslide near Raj Bhawan here on Sunday, prompting the administration to ask people living in vulnerable areas to move to safer places, officials said.

 

The administration also closed down a hospital temporarily near Raj Bhawan, a guard wall of which has become vulnerable due to gradual sliding of land, they added.

 

The governor's residence located in Kharghuli area of the city, however, is safe.

 

Another incident of landslide took place at Gita Nagar locality. A road and a house were damaged but no casualty was reported from there.

 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and assured him of all help.

 

Officials said the college student Priyanka Boro was outside her home when a huge chunk of landmass from the hill above came down and buried her, killing her instantly.

8:55 PM

DGCA issues show cause notice to AirAsia India executive after pilot alleges safety violations

The aviation regulator DGCA has issued a show cause notice to a top executive of AirAsia India two weeks after one of its pilots, who runs a popular YouTube channel called Flying Beast, alleged violations of safety norms by the low-cost airline, senior officials said on Sunday, PTI reported.

 

"A show cause notice has been issued to Manish Uppal, Head of Operations, AirAsia India after the pilot's allegations," the DGCA officials said. AirAsia India did not respond to PTI's request for a statement on this matter.

 

Captain Gaurav Taneja, a popular Youtuber, tweeted on June 14 that he has been suspended by AirAsia India "for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers". On June 15, he posted a detailed video on YouTube titled "Reasons behind suspension from my pilot job".

 

Taneja alleged in the video that the airline has asked its pilots to do 98 per cent of landings in "Flap 3" mode, which allows it to save fuel. He said if a pilot does not do 98 per cent of landings in "Flap 3" mode, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP). Flaps are part of wings of an aircraft and they are engaged to create a drag during a landing or a take-off.

8:48 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Around 70% of locust swarm eliminated in Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun

Around 70 per cent of the locust swarm that entered Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun was eliminated in a six-hour-long operation, an Agriculture Department official said on Sunday. Jalaun Deputy Director (Agriculture) RK Twari said chemicals were sprayed on the swarm of locusts which entered Jalaun from Jhansi on Saturday night. The anti-locusts operation continued for six hours from 10 pm to 4 am. In the operation, 70 per cent of the locusts were killed," he said.

 

The rest of the swarm flew towards Kalpi tehsil of the district, he said. Tiwari said since the locusts invaded in the evening, no damage was caused to crops. If the swarm had invaded in the morning, there would have been difficulties in dealing with it," he said, adding that officials are maintaining a watch on locusts and efforts are being made to ensure that crops are not damaged.

 

Meanwhile, UP's Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi told PTI, "In the morning, there was news of locusts from Sant Kabir Nagar and Kushinagar. Late night, operations were undertaken to kill a swarm of locusts. Generally, the insects fly in the morning and settle during night, when anti-locust operations are initiated.

8:36 PM

Latest News LIVE: Bangladesh braces for massive floods; Brahmaputra flowing 55 cm above danger level

Weather officials in Bangladesh have predicted massive floods in the northwest and southeast portions of the country bordering India, as incessant rains have inflated rivers, posing serious threat to life and damage to farmland. Heavy rains in Meghalaya and Assam in Indian in the last two days have resulted in huge inflows into Bangladesh which is downstream. The Brahmaputra, called Jamuna in Bangladesh, is flowing 55 cm above the danger level and is reported to have already displaced thousands of people in overnight showers on Saturday.

 

A Bangladesh Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) spokesman told PTI: "We predict a major deluge as water levels in all major rivers are rising. Many have surpassed their danger marks, inundating villages along the river banks particularly in northwest and southeast regions."

 

According to a FFWC report, the transboundary Brahmaputra in the northwest and rivers in the Meghna delta in northeast are expected to swell further with heavy inflow from the upstream and predicted downpour in the coming weeks.

 

Monsoon has begun in Bangladesh, which is mainly aided by the southwest seasonal currents. The last week has seen heavy downpour in Bangladesh and adjoining upstream regions in India. The FFWC has said simultaneous flooding of the Ganga-Padma basin and the Meghna basin was unlikely. However, the centre said meteorological data suggested a steady rise in water levels in the Ganges-Padma river.

8:34 PM

Latest News LIVE: Real estate developers resort to layoffs, pay cuts as Covid-19 hits sales

Hit by the coronavirus pandemic, real estate developers have resorted to layoffs and pay cuts and are focusing on cost control measures as sales are likely to remain muted in the coming months, according to industry experts.

 

The real estate sector has been facing headwinds since the past three-four years following demonetisation, RERA and GST rollout as well as delays in approvals. The Covid-19 crisis has further impacted market sentiment and sales.

 

According to industry estimates, the realty sector employs 6-7 million people, including 300,000 white-collar employees. As per estimates by MyHiringClub.com and Sarkari-Naukri.info, around 200,000 employees (including the white-collared) in the real estate sector are expected to be laid off due to the coronavirus crisis. More than 60,000 jobs have been slashed so far, they added. READ MORE...

8:29 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Wreath laying ceremony of CRPF soldier in West Bengal

8:13 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Mercury crosses 40-degree Celsius-mark in Delhi

The mercury breached the 40 degrees Celsius-mark in the national capital on Sunday as rains continued to elude the city. The Meteorological Department, however, has predicted light rain and partly cloudy skies over the next four to five days. On Sunday, the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figuresfor the city, recorded a maximum of 40.2 degrees Celsius, three notches more than normal.

 

Humidity levels oscillated between 46 per cent and 85 per cent. The weather stations at Palam, Najafgarh, Ayanagar, and Pusa recorded the maximum temperature between 40 degrees Celsius and 44 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department on Thursday declared the onset of monsoon in the national capital, two days earlier than the usual date of June 27.

 

However,Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting service, said the rains would remain subdued for now and dry weather wouldprevail for some days.

8:01 PM

LIVE: Members of an NGO in Mumbai today dressed as cartoon characters and distributed food and books among children

7:38 PM

Fully prepared to deal with any locust attack: Haryana govt

The Haryana government is fully prepared to deal with any locust attack, state Agriculture Minister J P Dalal said on Sunday, as he credited officials for a timely response to tackle an infestation of the short-horned grasshoppers in Rewari district.

He also said the Rewari district administration will conduct a survey to assess the damage caused to crops by locusts. The locust swarms have been coming in waves into Rajasthan from Pakistan over the last one and a half months and devouring crops along their path as they cross from one state to another.

"We have sufficient stocks of insecticides, pesticides, machinery to deal with locust attacks. Our officials swing into action as soon as these insects settle down on vegetation, trees, soil, etc," Dalal said.

He said the administration managed to eliminate 35 per cent of a swarm of locusts which had entered Rewari around 5 pm on Friday and settled in the villages around Jatusana at night.

"We were apprehending that they will move towards Rohtak and Sonipat, but due to a change in the wind direction they moved towards Gurgaon, Delhi and then towards Uttar Pradesh," he said.

Dalal, who visited fields in Bohatwas Bhondu and Parkhotampur villages in Rewari's Jatusana on Saturday, said the farmers have been assured that the administration is assessing the damage caused to their crops due to the locust attack.

7:28 PM

Northeast India likely to receive widespread rainfall in next 4-5 days: IMD

Northeast India is likely to receive widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rains over the region in next four to five days as the eastern end of monsoon trough continues to run along the foothills of Himalayas with the convergence of strong southerly/south-westerly winds from Bay of Bengal over the northeast and adjoining east India, said India Meteorological Department (IMD).

 

"Eastern end of monsoon trough continues to run along the foothills of Himalayas with convergence of strong southerly/south-westerly winds from Bay of Bengal over the northeast and adjoining east India. It is most likely to cause widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over northeast India during the next four to five days. Extremely heavy falls also most likely over Assam and Meghalaya during next 24 hours," said IMD

 

Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity over East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during next five days. Isolated heavy to very heavy falls also very likely over the above areas during the next two days and heavy falls subsequent three days, according to IMD.

 

"Fairly widespread rainfall very likely over central India during the next five days. Isolated heavy falls also very likely over Madhya Pradesh during the next five days, over Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha on 29th and 30th June 2020," said IMD.

 

Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy falls very likely along the west coast during next five days. Subdued rainfall activity over Western Himalayan Region and adjoining northwest India very likely to continue during next three to four days, according to IMD.

 

Meanwhile, IMD senior scientist Naresh Kumar said, "Bihar and northeastern states will receive heavy rainfall activity in the coming two days. There will be no heavy rainfall in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi NCR in the coming five days. Central India is likely to receive moderate rainfall in coming days."

7:14 PM

SC dismisses plea seeking cancellation of remaining two papers of Class 10 examination of Rajasthan board

7:14 PM

DCB Bank plans to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore via equity, debt instruments

DCB Bank is planning to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore through equity and debt instruments, and will seek shareholders' approval in its ensuing annual general meeting (AGM) next month. The private sector lender's AGM will take place on July 11 through video conferencing (VC) and other audio-visual means, DCB Bank said in its annual report 2019-20.

 

The bank plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore by issue of equity shares to qualified institutional buyers through qualified institutional placement, and an equal amount is slated to be raised by issuing bonds, debentures or securities on a private placement basis, DCB Bank said in the annual report 2019-20.

 

On fundraising via equity share issuance, it said the board of directors will seek consent from shareholders "to create, offer, issue and allot in one or more tranches by way of a qualified institutions placement of equity shares to qualified institutional buyers... for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 500 crore," DCB Bank said.

7:07 PM

Phrase in UN 75th anniversary draft declaration changed after objection by India, five others

UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande has changed a phrase in the draft declaration to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations after India along with countries including the UK and the US raised objection to the sentence, understood to be similar to wording used by the Chinese Communist Party.

Muhammad-Bande circulated the draft declaration to UN Member States under silence procedure, under which if no Member State raises any objections to the draft within a specified time period, the text is adopted.

According to United Nations AssociationUK (UNA-UK), a charitable company focusing on UK action at the UN, Britain's acting ambassador Jonathan Allen broke the silence procedure on June 24 "on behalf of the members of the 'five eyes' intelligence community - the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India.

It said that the six countries objected to one phrase towards the end of the declaration that read - "to realise our shared vision for a common future". The countries wanted this wording to be replaced with "to realise our shared vision for a better future as envisaged in the preamble of the UN Charter."

7:03 PM

Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi stresses on importance of indoor games

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed on the importance of indoor games in India, saying these traditional games should be presented in a new avatar.

 

"We should present the traditional indoor games of India in a new and attractive avatar. Those mobilising their sources pertaining to these games, the suppliers and start-ups associated with these traditional indoor games will become very popular, and, we have to remember that, our Indian sports are also local, and we have already pledged to be vocal for local," the Prime Minister said while Addressing the nation through the 'Mann Ki Baat' radio broadcast.

 

"Our country has a rich heritage of traditional sports. For example, you may have heard the name of a game called 'Pachisi'. This game is played as 'Pallanguli' in Tamil Nadu, is called 'Ali Guli Mane' in Karnataka and is known as 'Vaman Guntlu' in Andhra Pradesh," PM Modi said.

 

"Now that it has come to studying online, in order to strike a balance and also to get rid of online gaming we must do so for the sake of our children. Herein also lies a strong opportunity for our start-ups and even for our younger generation," the Prime Minister said.

 

Modi also shed light on another traditional Indian game, called "Moksha Patam" or "Param Padam" and "Gutta". He also stated that there are some indoor games which doesn't need any equipment and are easy to play at home.

6:50 PM

Real estate companies must pay GST on shortfall in input procurement by June 30: Govt

Real estate companies that opted for lower GST rates of 1 per cent and 5 per cent from April 1, 2019, but could not procure 80 per cent of the total supplies from registered dealers, will have to pay tax on the shortfall in such procurement by June 30.

 

The GST Council had allowed real estate players to shift to 5 per cent GST rate for residential units and 1 per cent for affordable housing without the benefit of input tax credit (ITC) from April 1, 2019. However, they were mandated to procure at least 80 per cent of the inputs from registered dealers.

 

Any shortfall in the procurement would be subject to goods and services tax (GST) to be paid by real estate developers at the rate of 18 per cent on supplies used as inputs or input services and 28 per cent for cement. READ MORE...

6:40 PM

LIVE: Delhi records 2,889 fresh coronavirus cases, taking tally to over 83,000; death toll climbs to 2,623

6:40 PM

China begins reviewing heavily criticised Hong Kong security bill

China's legislature on Sunday began reviewing a controversial national security bill for Hong Kong that critics worldwide say will severely compromise human rights in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

 

The National People's Congress Standing Committee took up the matter at the start of a three-day session, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. China has said it is determined to enact the law, and its passage is expected by Tuesday.

 

The US says it will respond by ending favorable trading terms granted to the former British colony after it passed to Chinese control in 1997. The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill to impose sanctions on businesses and individuals including the police that undermine Hong Kong's autonomy or restrict freedoms promised to the city's residents.

 

6:25 PM

Delhi government allows restro-bars, clubs to sell beer stock expiring by July 15 to liquor shops

The Delhi government has allowed the city's restro-bars, hotels, and clubs to sell their stock of beer expiring by July 15 to liquor shops in a bid to minimise their financial losses, an official said on Sunday.

 

There are around 950 hotels, clubs and restro-bars in the national capital which have an excise license but have not been allowed to open since March 25, when the nationwide lockdown was announced. Earlier this month, the government had allowed the owners of such establishments to sell to liquor shops their stock of beer expiring in June.

 

"The department has now allowed restro-bars, hotels and clubs to sell their stock of beer expiring by July 15 to liquor shops in the city," the official said.

 

The shelf life of beer in Delhi is around six months, the official said.

 

"Hotel, clubs and restaurants licensee shall prepare an inventory of all beer stock, with barcode, which is to be transferred at licensed vend," the excise department said in an order. "The licensee from hotels, clubs and restaurants shall then submit the barcode list of beer stock and consent letter obtained from licensed vend to excise department with the request for allowing transfer of beer stock," it said.

 

According to the process, the owners of restro-bars, clubs, and hotels will have to reach an agreement with the liquor vend owners.

6:19 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 3,940 new Covid positive cases and 54 deaths today; state tally rises to 82,275

6:17 PM

LIVE: Rain lashes parts of Pune; IMD predicts cloudy sky with moderate rain in the city

6:01 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Drones in Uttar Pradesh to help control locust

Drone-as-a-Service (DAAS) provider Garuda Aerospace will soon start spraying anti-locust pesticide in several parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Noida near Delhi, said a top company official.

 

"We have got the order to deploy five drones for anti-locust operations from Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Uttar Pradesh. We will be sending 10 pilots for operating the drones. The mandate is to deploy the drones for a total of 50 hours at the locations specified by the University," Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Managing Director of city-based Garuda Aerospace, told IANS.

 

He said the company has already deployed its drones in Rajasthan in locust control operations.

 

"This is the first time drones are being used in locust control measures in India. It is a new case scenario," Jayaprakash said.

 

According to him, there are two methods of spraying the pesticide -- one by flying above the swarm of locust and spraying on them and the other is to spray the pesticide beforehand on the areas where the locusts are expected to land.

 

He said the state government agencies predict the flight path of the locust and give us one/two days notices on the location where the drones are to be used. Sometimes the notice is very short. Jayaprakash said the locust hit percentage is about 70 per cent as per the state government officials.

5:47 PM

India to block Chinese Taipei, Japan's WTO panel request in ICT tariff case

India will block the requests of Japan and Chinese Taipei for setting up of a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against New Delhi's customs duties on imports of certain information and communications technology (ICT) products, an official said. The requests of both the countries are scheduled to come up on Monday in the dispute settlement body meeting in Geneva and "we will block it", the official added.

 

According to the trade dispute norms of the WTO, if these countries would come with their requests for second time, the panel will be set up in the case, PTI reported.

 

In May last year, both the countries filed a case against India in the WTO over the import duties imposed on certain electronic goods, including telephones for cellular networks; machines for reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data; and parts of telephone sets. They have alleged that imposition of import duties on these products by India infringes WTO norms as India has committed zero per cent bound tariffs on these products. India has strongly opposed these allegations.

 

While bound tariffs or duties refer to the ceiling over which a WTO member country cannot impose import duty, the applied tariff is the duty which is currently in place. India has stated that these ICT products are part of WTO's Information Technology Products (ITA-2) agreement, and New Delhi is not part of this pact. India is a part of ITA-1, signed in 1997, in which it did not contain any obligation to eliminate customs duties on these products.

 

According to the minutes of the meeting of the dispute settlement body, which was held in February and March, India had stated that it was fully committed to its ITA-1 commitment and had been abiding by it over the years.

5:40 PM

Tuticorin custodial death case: Tamil Nadu govt for CBI probe into death of father, son after alleged police torture

The Tamil Nadu government has decided to trasfer the probe into the death of a father-son duo, alleged victims of police torture in Tuticorin district, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Sunday. The government's decision will be informed to the Madras High Court, which is seized of the matter, and secure its approval before transferring the case to the central agency, he told reporters here.

 

"The government has decided that the CBI will probe the case," Palaniswami said.

 

P Jayaraj and his son Fennix, arrested for 'violating' lockdown norms over business hours of their cellphone shop, died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on June 23, with their relatives alleging they were severely thrashed at the Sathankulam police station by police personnel earlier.

 

The incident has triggered a national furore, leading to the suspension of four policemen, including two sub- inspectors.