Live updates: BCI slams Prashant Bhushan, says no one can't ridicule SC

Live news updates: Indian athletes produced a sensational show in Birmingham, claiming 61 medals, including 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze

11:25 PM

Security tightened in Kashmir ahead of Independence Day

Security has been beefed up in Kashmir ahead of Independence Day celebrations with drones, snipers and policemen in plain clothes deployed for surveillance and vehicles being checked at several places, according to officials.

Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength at many places in the city and elsewhere in the Valley to thwart any attempts by militants to disrupt the celebrations, officials said on Saturday.

11:01 PM

Salman Rushdie on ventilator, likely to lose an eye; suspect charged with attempted murder

Salman Rushdie was on a ventilator with damaged liver and may lose an eye after the Mumbai-born controversial author was stabbed in the neck and abdomen by a man who apparently sympathised with Shia extremism and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Rushdie, who faced Islamist death threats for years after writing "The Satanic Verses", was stabbed by a 24-year-old New Jersey resident identified as Hadi Matar, a US national of Lebanese origin, on stage on Friday while he was being introduced at a literary event of the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York.

9:44 PM

Delhi reports 2,031 new cases, 2,260 recoveries, and 9 deaths

9:23 PM

ATF price fall would benefit aviation sector: Scindia

The dip in the air turbine fuel (ATF) price and the continuation of this trend will benefit the aviation sector, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday.

He said the fall in the ATF rates will have a good impact on airlines under pressure.

8:19 PM

'Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas': JP Nadda to participate in silent march on Sunday in Delhi

BJP national president JP Nadda to participate in a silent march tomorrow on the occasion of 'Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas' from Jantar Mantar to Connaught Place's A Block, ANI reported.

7:25 PM

BCI raps Prashant Bhushan, says no one has authority to ridicule SC, its judges and judiciary

The Bar Council of India has slammed activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan for his recent reported remarks against the judiciary in a webinar, saying no one has the authority to ridicule the Supreme Court and its judges and the Lakshman Rekha' should not be crossed by lawyers.

In a press statement, BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra alleged that people like Bhushan "are misusing the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression" and indulging in anti-India tirade.

7:07 PM

Will apprise Centre of demand to restore old pension scheme: HP CM to govt employees

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday assured protesting government employees that he would apprise the Centre of their demand to restore the old pension scheme, an official spokesperson said.

A delegation of the New Pension Scheme Employees Association (NPSEA) called on the chief minister and put forward their various demands.

6:09 PM

Kerala CM lashes out at ED, charges central agency of trying to destroy KIIFB

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday made a scathing attack on the Enforcement Directorate saying its move against the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), the government's special purpose vehicle (SPV), was to scuttle the development programmes initiated by them and thereby check the progress of the state.

While speaking in a party programme here, he said it was with the funds received through the KIIFB that the development programmes are now implemented in the state.

5:25 PM

403 new Covid cases in Odisha

Odisha's Covid-19 tally rose to 13,22,183 on Saturday as 403 more people, including 48 children, tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said.

The Covid-19 death toll remained at 9,154 as there was no new death. Fifty-three other patients have died due to comorbidities so far, the health department said.

5:20 PM

Airtel gets shareholders' nod for re-appointment of Gopal Vittal as managing director for 5 years

Bharti Airtel's shareholders have approved the re-appointment of Gopal Vittal as managing director of the company for a period of five years with effect from February 1, 2023.

Over 97 per cent of total votes polled were in favour of the resolution, and the same "has been passed with requisite majority", the telco said in a regulatory filing on the outcome of its Annual General Meeting (AGM).

4:41 PM

TMC youth wing protest against ED & CBI near state BJP headquarters

4:17 PM

CCI approves merger of HDFC Bank, HDFC Ltd

Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the merger proposal of HDFC Bank and its parent HDFC Ltd.

The proposed combination envisages the merger of HDFC Investments and HDFC Holdings with HDFC Ltd in the first step and subsequently, the merger of HDFC Ltd into HDFC Bank.

4:00 PM

CCI clears acquisition of ACC, Ambuja Cements by Adani Group

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has given its approval for the acquisition of Holcim's stake in Ambuja Ltd and ACC Ltd by the Adani Group.

In a tweet on Friday, the watchdog said it has approved the "acquisition of the stake in Holderind Investments, Ambuja Cements and ACC by Endeavour Trade and Investment".

 

3:33 PM

Spending on health, education can't be freebies: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday said the expenditure incurred by the government on education and health cannot be construed as freebies and stated such measures were being extended to the poor and those living in the fringes.

He also took an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opposing freebies but said he did not want to talk much about it as "it will become politics."

3:10 PM

Rajiv govt decision to ban Rushdie's book was justified, taken for law & order reasons: Natwar Singh

K Natwar Singh, who was a Union minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government that banned Salman Rushdie's controversial book "The Satanic Verses", strongly defended the decision on Saturday asserting it was taken "purely" for law and order reasons.

 

With focus back on Rushdie's book in the wake of the attack on him in New York, Singh, who was the minister of state for external affairs when the book was banned in 1988, said he was part of the decision and had told the then prime minister the book could cause serious law and order problems as feelings were running very high.

 

Singh (91) rejected as "rubbish" the charge by critics the Rajiv Gandhi government's decision to ban the book was driven by appeasement towards Muslims.

 

"I don't think it (the decision to ban the book) was wrong because you see it had led to law and order problems, particularly in Kashmir. In other parts of India also there was disquiet," Singh told PTI.

3:01 PM

Seepage in MP dam poses risk, prompts evacuation

The continued seepage of water from the newly-constructed Karam Dam in Madhya Pradesh has prompted the evacuation of 6,000 people from 18 villages, with officials concerned over the risk it poses.

 

State and Central government experts have been involved to find a solution to protect the dam and to save the lives of the residents of Dhar and Khargone districts.

 

According to official reports, two Air Force helicopters reached the spot late Friday.

 

At least three teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and seven from the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) have also been deployed for evacuation operation.

2:53 PM

Ukraine Pres Zelensky proposes extending martial law, general mobilisation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed to Parliament to prolong the current martial law and general mobilisation in the war-torn country for another 90 days.

Two separate drafts on extending the martial law and general mobilisation have been submitted to Parliament for consideration, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ukrainian Parliament imposed a martial law after the start of the ongoing war with Russia on February 24 and has extended it three times since then.

The general mobilisation of the population was introduced in Ukraine on February 24 and was prolonged in May for another three months.

2:39 PM

Occasion to mark 75 years of Independence reduced to glorifying 'sarvagyaani': Cong

The Congress on Saturday attacked the government for not holding special functions at Parliament's historic Central Hall to mark the 75th year of Independence, and alleged the occasion has been reduced just to "glorifying the sarvagyaani".

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there were special functions in Parliament's historic Central Hall to mark the 25th, 50th and 60th anniversary of Independence.

"Sadly, nothing like that has been organised for the 75th anniversary, which has been reduced to an occasion to glorify the Sarvagyaani (one who knows it all)," he said.

2:18 PM

Foreign investors bought highest amount of shares on Aug 12 since starting of month

Foreign institutional investors (FII) has bought highest amount of shares on August 12 since the beginning of this month.

As per data, FII bought shares worth Rs 3,040.46 crore on Friday, however, domestic investors sold Rs 839 crore in Indian equity market.

"The sentiments in the market have turned bullish due to the sustained buying by FPIs. FPIs turned net buyers in July and they have turned aggressive buyers in August. India is a preferred destination since India has the best growth prospects among large economies of the world. FPIs have turned buyers in autos, capital goods, FMCG and telecom. They continued to sell in IT," said Dr. V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

Foreign investors bought Rs 18,828 crore worth of stocks up to August 12, as per NSDL data.

2:14 PM

I-Day celebration: 7,000 invitees expected at Red Fort, Delhi Police beefs up security

A multi-layered security cover has been put in place and facial recognition system (FRS) cameras installed at the entry point of the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Independence Day, officials said on Saturday.

According to the police, around 7,000 invitees will arrive at the Red Fort, while over 10,000 police personnel will be deployed around the monument on Monday.

The Delhi Police has deployed over 400 kite catchers and fliers on rooftops and other sensitive locations in the fort area to counter any threats from sub-conventional aerial platforms. A five-kilometre area around the Red Fort has been marked as a "no kite flying zone'' till the tricolour is hoisted.

Anti-drone systems from Defence Research and Development Organisation and other security agencies are also being installed, police said.

2:02 PM

CUET-UG phase 4 postponed for 11K candidates to accommodate choice city for exam centre

The CUET-UG for more than 11,000 candidates who were scheduled to appear in the fourth phases has been deferred to August 30 to accommodate their choice of city for exam centre, officials said Saturday.

 

The fourth phase of the Central Universities Entrance Test-Undergraduate was scheduled from August 17-20 and a total of 3.72 lakh candidates were set to appear.

 

The National testing Agency (NTA), which is responsible for conducting the exam, had announced earlier all phases of the exam will conclude on August 28.

 

2:01 PM

Oppn has already prepared 'waiting list' of two dozen PM candidates without vacancy: Mukhtar Naqvi

In a swipe at the Opposition, senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said it has already prepared a "waiting list of two dozen prime ministerial candidates" without even a vacancy for the post.

Addressing a program in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, Naqvi said those suffering from the "political disease of Modi phobia" will vanish soon.

"Posturing and pretence" of "pessimist political players" can never defeat the hard work and honesty of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he asserted.

The Opposition has already prepared a "waiting list of two dozen prime ministerial candidates", he said, taking a dig at Opposition parties.

1:54 PM

Caste panel gives clean chit to ex-NCB officer Sameer Wankhede, says he is from SC community not Muslim

Former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede, who was being probed for allegedly submitting a fake caste certificate for getting a government job, was given a clean chit by the caste scrutiny committee, an official said on Saturday.

The order was issued by the Social Justice Department of the Maharashtra government on Friday, an official said.

The order says that Wankhede, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, was not a Muslim by birth and it has been proven that he belongs to Mahar caste, which is a Scheduled Caste (SC).

1:43 PM

PM Modi hosts India's Commonwealth Games contingent

The golden period of Indian sports is knocking on the doors, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday as he hailed the gutsy show of the Indian contingent which returned with 61 medals from the Commonwealth Games.

Modi on Saturday hosted the Indian contingent at his residence to felicitate the players here.

The Indian athletes produced a sensational show in Birmingham, claiming 61 medals, including 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze.

"The real assessment of this performance can't be made with just number of medals, our athletes competed neck-to-neck. There may have been a difference of 1s or 1cm but we will make that up I am confident of that," Modi said during his speech.

"It is just a start and we are not going to just sit quietly, golden period of Indian sports is knocking on the doors."

"We have the responsibility of making a sporting system which is the best in the world, inclusive, diverse and dynamic. No talent should be left out as they are all assets."

1:38 PM

Researcher hacks Musk's Starlink system with $25 homemade device

A cyber-security researcher has hacked the Elon Musk-run Starlink satellite-based internet system by using a $25 homemade device.

Belgian security researcher Lennert Wouters revealed the first-ever hacking of Starlink's user terminals or satellite dishes located at homes and buildings.

At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas in the US, Wouters successfully hacked the Starlink internet system using a homemade circuit board or modchip that cost around $25 to develop, reports Wired.

1:30 PM

CUET-UG phase 4 postponed for 11K candidates to accommodate choice city for exam centre

The CUET-UG for more than 11,000 candidates who were scheduled to appear in the fourth phases has been deferred to August 30 to accommodate their choice of city for exam centre, officials said Saturday.

 

The fourth phase of the Central Universities Entrance Test-Undergraduate was scheduled from August 17-20 and a total of 3.72 lakh candidates were set to appear.

 

The National testing Agency (NTA), which is responsible for conducting the exam, had announced earlier all phases of the exam will conclude on August 28.

 

1:27 PM

BJP leaders join 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign across country

BJP leaders including Union ministers joined the "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign across the country on Saturday as the three-day exercise began to mark the 75th anniversary of India's independence.

 

Home Minister Amit Shah hoisted the national flag at his residence and posted on Twitter a picture of him and his wife with the tricolour.

 

Union minister Bhupender Yadav visited Ballia in Uttar Pradesh to pay tributes to freedom fighter Chittu Pandey.

 

Party leaders were also scheduled to attend different programmes, including 'Prabhat pheri' and tiranga rally, at various places.

 

1:26 PM

Sonia Gandhi tests positive for COVID-19 again

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Saturday tested positive for COVID-19 again and will remain in isolation.

Earlier this week, her daughter and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also tested positive.

"Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi has tested positive for Covid-19 today. She will remain in isolation as per Govt. protocol," Congress general secretary Jaiam Ramesh said in a tweet Saturday.

Sonia Gandhi had tested positive for COVID-19 in early June as well.

Days after she had tested positive, the 75-year-old leader was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here on June 12. She was discharged on June 20.

12:53 PM

Zoom installer flaw can give attackers root access to Mac: Report

A security researcher has found a way that an attacker could leverage the macOS version of Zoom to gain access over the entire operating system.

According to The Verge, details of the exploit were released in a presentation by Mac security specialist Patrick Wardle at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas this week.

Zoom has already fixed some of the bugs involved, but the researcher also presented one unpatched vulnerability that still affects systems now.

12:45 PM

Bengal has potential to earn Rs 20000 crore from seafood export in next 5 years

West Bengal has the potential to earn Rs 18000 crore to Rs 20000 crore from seafood exports in the next five years and the state government's recent ban on use of 20 anoitibiotics in shrimp aquaculture will go a long way in boosting revenue from the sector, an official of seafood exporters body said.

Traces of antibiotic residue are a major headwind for exports and a step toward preventing marine exports from the state, Seafood Exporters Association (SEA) president (West Bengal) Rajarshi Banerji said.

"The state government has banned 20 antibiotics in the state for use in aquaculture farming. We have achieved the feat after a decade-long fight," he said on Friday.