LIVE: Govt bonds inclusion in JP Morgan index will widen investor base: CEA

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11:21 PM

Polls conducted for DUSU central panel, college unions; counting on September 23

Delhi University students cast their votes for the DUSU's central panel after a gap of almost four years amid heavy police presence and last-ditch efforts by organisations to woo voters. Voting for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) concluded late on Friday and the results of all four central panel posts -- president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary -- will be announced on Saturday. The DUSU elections were last held in 2019. The polls could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 while possible disruptions to the academic calendar prevented their conduct in 2022.

11:04 PM

All gates of Thane's Bhatsa Dam opened amid heavy rains as storage capacity touches 99.47%

All five gates of Bhatsa dam in Thane district were opened on Friday for water discharge amid heavy rains in the region, an official said. The district official said the live storage of the dam was presently 99.47 per cent of its capacity. "The water level is 141.89 metres. All five gates have been opened to 100 centimetres. The total discharge from these five gates is 18,794 cusecs or cubic foot per second," he said.

10:54 PM

Drone mapping of over 7,100 revenue estates to be completed by Dec: Haryana Chief Secy

Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal on Friday said that the work to map 7,102 revenue estates using drones would be completed by December. Presiding over a review meeting here of the Haryana Large Scale Mapping and Svamitva schemes, Kaushal said that the drone mapping work has been completed in Karnal, Sonipat, Kaithal, Jind, Panipat, and Panchkula districts.

10:39 PM

Delhi Police to organise Raahgiri Day in Connaught Place on Sunday

The Delhi Traffic Police Friday said it will organise the Raahgiri Day in Connaught Place on Sunday to promote the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. In a traffic advisory issued here on Friday, the police said the Raahgiri Day "aims at promoting the safety of pedestrians and cyclists by making a particular stretch of road vehicle-free and opening up the street for citizens to celebrate health, well-being and fitness by indulging in activities such as walking, cycling, skating, and street games".

10:22 PM

Rapido aims to rope in over 200 women as auto-rickshaw 'captains'

Bike and auto-rickshaw aggregator Rapido has drawn up plans bring on board 200 women drivers over the next three months, the company said on Friday. Currently, Rapido Auto has engaged 50 female 'captains' hailing from diverse backgrounds in the city for its ride-hailing service, and it aims add more than 200 active captains in the next three months through collaborations with various Coimbatore-based non-governmental organisations, the company said in a release.

 

10:05 PM

Delta Corp gets tax notice for $1.34 bn along with interest, penalty

Indian casino operator Delta Corp said on Friday it has received a notice from the government to pay tax of 111.4 billion Indian rupees ($1.34 billion) along with interest and penalty for the period July 2017 to March 2022. The tax notice comes at a time when the company, valued at over $566 million, is already facing heat over the recent move in July by the country's Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council to impose a 28% indirect tax on the money collected by gaming companies from customers.

9:50 PM

Luca Marini tops second FP2 of IndianOil Grand Prix of India

Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider Luca Marini registered the fastest timing on the last lap during the second free practice session of the IndianOil Grand Prix of India MotoGP race at the Buddh International Circuit here on Friday. The Italian clocked one minute, 44.7820 seconds to pip Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing. Martin settled as the second fastest rider finishing 0.008 seconds slower than Marini. With one minute, 44.8330 seconds, Aprilia Racing's Aleix Espargaro had set the tone for the day in the second session.

9:38 PM

ICC select seven venues in Caribbean to host men's 2024 T20 World Cup

The ICC on Friday said seven venues in the Caribbean and three cities of USA will co-host the next year's men's T20 World Cup from June 4-30. The seven Caribbean venues shortlisted by the ICC are Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago. Besides three places in the USA -- Dallas, Florida and New York will co-host the event.

8:52 PM

B-team of BJP in Ktaka has officially become ND's part: Cong on JD(S) move

After the JD(S) joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Congress on Friday said the "B-team of the BJP" in Karnataka has officially become part of the coalition. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said their assertion made during the recent Karnataka assembly poll campaign in this regard has been vindicated today.

 

8:38 PM

OCA takes up visa denial matter with China, Anurag Thakur cancels visit

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday cancelled his upcoming visit to Hangzhou for the Asian Games as a mark of protest against China's decision to deny visas to three Indian wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh while the Olympic Council of Asia's (OCA) is actively pursuing the matter with the Chinese authorities. The three female wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh -- Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu -- have been denied accreditation, which also works as visa, for the Asian Games that officially gets underway on Saturday.

8:21 PM

Volume growth returning, rural demand seeing green shoots: Procter & Gamble

With softening of inflation, volume growth is finally returning and rural demand is witnessing green shoots, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd (PGHHL) said on Friday. PGHHL, which reported a 12 per cent sales growth in FY23 and 3 per cent sales growth in the first quarter this fiscal, said FMCG consumption in the June quarter was the fastest in the last six quarters.

 

8:09 PM

Delhi CM approves Rs 10-crore contribution to Himachal disaster relief fund

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved a Rs 10-crore contribution to the Himachal Pradesh government's disaster relief fund to aid its rehabilitation and relief efforts following the devastation caused recent heavy rains in the hill state, officials said on Friday. The file in this regard will now be sent to Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for his approval. The donation of Rs 10 crore is from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

7:50 PM

Emissions from Tata Steel's Dutch plant reduce life expectancy: Research

People living close to Tata Steel's Dutch steelworks have a life expectancy that is 2.5 months lower than the average for the Netherlands due to the plant's emissions, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said on Friday. The Institute said its research showed that exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide increases the risk of lung cancer and that 4% of the new cases in the area could be attributed to the emissions from the plant. The research also showed that 3% of new cases of asthma in children were due to the emissions.

7:40 PM

Govt bonds inclusion in JP Morgan index will widen investor base: CEA

Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran on Friday said inclusion of Indian government bonds into JP Morgan's benchmark emerging market index from next year will widen investor base, and may lead to appreciation of rupee. He also said there is potential for currency appreciation following inclusion of Indian bonds in JP Morgan index. Global financial firm JP Morgan has said that it plans to include Indian government bonds or government securities (G-Secs) into its benchmark emerging market index from June, 2024, a move that will bring down borrowing cost for the government.

7:30 PM

NCP split: Ajit faction submits disqualification plea against Sharad's MLAs

The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party has submitted a petition to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar seeking disqualification of 10 MLAs affiliated to party founder Sharad Pawar. The petition was filed on Thursday by Anil Bhaidas Patil, who is the chief whip of the Ajit Pawar faction. The 10 MLAs named in the petition are Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad, Rajesh Tope, Rohit Pawar, Anil Deshmukh, Prajakt Tanpure, Balasaheb Patil, Sunil Bhusara, Sandeep Kshirsagar and Suman Patil, said Anil Bhaidas Patil.

 

7:12 PM

Farmers protest across Punjab to demand compensation for losses caused by floods

Farmers in Punjab held dharnas in many places on Friday to demand adequate compensation for losses suffered during the recent floods.The farmers had gathered in Amritsar in response to a call from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and organised a protest in front of the deputy commissioner's office to press for fair compensation.

6:12 PM

Monsoon likely to start retreating from northwest India by Sept 25: IMD

Typically, the southwest monsoon makes its onset over Kerala by June 1 and covers the entire country by July 8. It starts retreating from northwest India around September 17, withdrawing entirely by October 15.

5:44 PM

Amazon Prime Video to roll out ads across multiple countries in early 2024

Amazon Prime Video will next year join streaming rivals in rolling out ads and introducing a higher-priced ad-free tier, as the industry grapples with a slowdown in subscriber growth since the pandemic. The U.S. tech giant said on Friday ads will be introduced in the U.S., the UK, Germany and Canada in early 2024, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia later in the year.

5:34 PM

Indian Potash sees no Canada supply hit amid row, hopes to extend deal

Indian Potash does not expect supplies of Canadian potash to be affected by the diplomatic row between the India and Canada, its managing director said on Friday, and hopes to extend a contract with Canadian supplier Canpotex beyond the end of September. India is a leading fertiliser importer to support its vast agriculture sector, which employs about half of its 1.4 billion people and accounts for nearly 15% of its $3 trillion economy.

4:35 PM

Will speak to CM Shinde, Fadnavis on muslim quota in education: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said he will discuss a five per cent quota in educational admissions for the Muslim community with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. The then Congress-led government had, in 2014, provided five per cent reservation to the Muslims in admissions to educational institutions when it introduced a quota in jobs and education for the Maratha community. But the subsequent BJP-Shiv Sena government dropped the Muslim quota when it brought in a legislation to provide reservation to the Marathas.

4:15 PM

Gold prices plunged by Rs 170 to Rs 60,000 per 10 grams in Delhi

Gold plunged by Rs 170 to Rs 60,000 per 10 grams in the national capital on Friday amid fall in precious metal prices in overseas markets, according to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the yellow metal had settled at Rs 60,170 per 10 grams.

3:51 PM

'China issued invalid visas to three Indian athletes for Asian Games'

India on Friday strongly protested China's decision to issue invalid visas to some of its athletes for the Asian Games, India's foreign ministry said in a statement, a day before the competition begins in Hangzhou. The three athletes, competing as wushu fighters from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, were issued stapled visas instead of stamped ones, according to India's foreign ministry. India does not accept stapled visas as valid. Wei Jizhong, chairman of Olympic Council of Asia's ethics committee, told reporters that China did not refuse entry to the athletes.

 

3:10 PM

Confident of 6.5% growth in FY24 despite symmetric risks: Finance Ministry

The finance ministry on Friday exuded confidence that the country will achieve 6.5 per cent growth in FY24 on the back of improved corporate profitability, private capital formation and bank credit growth, notwithstanding the risks of rising crude oil prices and monsoon deficit.

1:57 PM

Ruling TMC hails high court relief to Abhishek, Oppn reserves comments

The ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday hailed a Calcutta High Court judgement granting relief to party leader Abhishek Banerjee, by ruling against coercive action by the Enforcement Directorate while conducting its probe into the state's school jobs scam.

Opposition Congress and ruling CPI(M) reserved comments on Calcutta High Court's order about TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee but the TMC hailed the judgements.

1:44 PM

SC issues notice on plea seeking FIR against TN Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin

The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Tamil Nadu government and its minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on a plea seeking an FIR against him for his "eradicate Sanatan Dharma" remark.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi issued notices on a plea filed by B Jagannath seeking an FIR against the Tamil Nadu minister on grounds that the remarks are akin to hate speech and that the top court had in similar matters passed several directions, including registration of FIR.

1:23 PM

Govt aims to meet 70% of country's IT hardware need through local production in 3 yrs: MoS IT

The government aims to meet up to 70 per cent of the country's IT hardware requirement through local production in the next three years and reduce dependency on imports from non-trusted sources, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, Chandrasekhar said Ministry of Electronics and IT will share a draft of IT hardware import rules with industry players later in the day as it looks to curb dependence on supplies from non-trusted sources

12:55 PM

Women's reservation bill be implemented immediately: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded that the women's reservation bill be implemented immediately and alleged that the government does not want to do this while distracting from the demand for caste census.

The Women's reservation bill is a good thing, but two "footnotes" of census and delimitation have been attached, Gandhi told a press conference here a day after the women's reservation bill was passed by Parliament.

12:37 PM

Nari Shakti Vandan Bill proclamation of new India's commitment: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is not an ordinary law but a proclamation of New India's democratic commitment.

PM Modi was addressing the Nari Shakti Vandan-Abhinandan Karyakram at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Delhi.

12:28 PM

AP court extends remand of Chandrababu Naidu in Skill Development scam till Sept 24

A court here on Friday extended the judicial remand of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the case pertaining to AP Skill Development Corporation scam till September 24.

Additional Advocate General Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy told PTI that the special court for Anti-Corruption Bureau here extended the former Chief Minister's remand by two days.

12:18 PM

SC to hear pleas on marital rape in mid-October

The Supreme Court on Friday said it would list pleas on the issue of marital rape for hearing in mid-October. The pleas raise the legal question of whether a husband enjoys immunity from prosecution for the offence of rape if he forces his wife, who is not a minor, to have sex.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandarchud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of lawyer Karuna Nundy that the pleas needed to be heard.