Highlights: Maharashtra CM's name to be declared on eve of govt's swearing-in on Dec 4

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10:16 PM

White House defends Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter

The White House on Monday defended President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter, and said the president believed his political opponents would have kept persecuting his son going forward. "They would continue to go after his son," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One during a trip to Angola.

9:49 PM

I feel Maharashtra will get BJP chief minister: Party's central observer Vijay Rupani

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, one of the two central observers of the BJP for its legislature party meet in Maharashtra, on Monday asserted efforts will be made to unanimously elect a leader and said he feels the neighbouring state will get a 'BJP CM'.

 

9:33 PM

US to send Ukraine $725 mn more in counter-drone systems, anti-personnel land mine

The US is preparing to send Ukraine an additional $725 million in military assistance, including counter-drone systems and munitions for its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which could indicate more of the longer-range missiles are headed to the battlefield.

9:07 PM

French government faces collapse after opposition says will vote no-confidence

The French government is all but certain to collapse later this week after far-right and left-wing parties said they will vote for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Their move came after Barnier said he would try to ram a social security bill through parliament without a vote as a last-minute concession was not enough to win support for the bill from the far-right National Rally (RN).

8:28 PM

CM Mamata Banerjee reasserts authority in TMC, calls for discipline

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday reaffirmed her position as the ultimate decision-maker in the party, issuing a stern warning to party leaders against indiscipline and unwarranted remarks. Speaking at a legislative party meeting in the state assembly, Banerjee declared that as long as she was in charge, all key decisions in the TMC would be made by her.

8:09 PM

Firmly opposes US chip export control measures, say Chinese officials

China firmly opposes the United States' chip export control measures and has warned it will take necessary actions to firmly protect its rights, the commerce ministry said on Monday. The US has launched its third crackdown in three years on China's semiconductor industry, restricting exports to 140 companies to prevent China from accessing chips that could boost AI for military use or threaten US national security.

7:50 PM

Supreme Court bats for permanent solution to air pollution in Delhi-NCR

The Supreme Court on Monday stressed on finding a permanent solution to the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region, saying a similar situation arose every year between October and December. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said it had perused the orders passed by the apex court from time to time in the pollution matter and it emerged a similar situation arose every year between October and December.

7:41 PM

ICRA expects sequential revenue growth for India Inc in Q3

Rating agency ICRA on Monday said it expects sequential revenue growth for India Inc in the December quarter, led by improved rural demand and uptick in government spending, additionally supported by the festival season. However, headwinds such as uneven urban demand and evolving global uncertainties could weigh on growth in the second half of the fiscal, it said.

7:23 PM

Steel ministry proposes 25% safeguard duty on import of certain steel items

Taking up the concerns of domestic steel industry, the steel ministry on Monday proposed for a 25 per cent safeguard duty on import of certain steel items into the country. The proposal came at a meeting between Union Minister of Steel H D Kumaraswamy and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in the national capital

6:59 PM

BJP murdering Parliament, session after session, says TMC's Derek O'Brien

As the government and the opposition reached an agreement on ending the impasse in Parliament, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Monday lashed out at the BJP, blaming the ruling party for the repeated adjournments in the two Houses. "BJP is murdering Parliament, session after session," the TMC's Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Party leader said.

 

6:44 PM

'Deeply regrettable': India on breach of premises of Bangladesh mission in Agartala

India on Monday described as "deeply regrettable" an incident of breach of premises at the Bangladesh assistant high commission in Agartala and said consular properties should not be targeted under any circumstances. The comments by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came hours after thousands of people took out a massive rally around the Bangladeshi mission in the capital city of Tripura.

6:34 PM

GST authorities book Rs 722 cr evasion case against crypto platform Binance: MoS Finance

GST authorities have booked a Rs 722.43 crore tax evasion case against crypto exchange and Binance Group Company, Nest Services Ltd, Parliament was informed on Monday. In total, cases have been booked against 17 cryptocurrency exchanges for GST evasion of Rs 824.14 crore. Recovery of Rs 122.29 crore in interest, penalty and taxes has been made by GST authorities

6:13 PM

RBI removes ban on Navi Finserv from sanctioning, disbursing new loans

RBI has removed restrictions it had imposed on non-banking finance company (NBFC) Navi Finserv against any fresh loan sanctions and disbursals with immediate effect. Navi Finserv, started by e-commerce platform Flipkart founder Sachin Bansal, and three other NBFCs were barred in mid-October for their "usurious" pricing and charging a significant mark-up over their funding costs.

5:49 PM

Sebi orders attachment of bank, demat accounts of Reliance Big Entertainment

Capital markets regulator Sebi on Monday ordered the attachment of bank accounts as well as shares and mutual fund holdings of Reliance Big Entertainment to recover dues of Rs 26 crore. Before this, the markets watchdog on November 14 sent a notice to Reliance Big Entertainment Pvt Ltd (now known as Rbep Entertainment Pvt Ltd) and asked the entity to pay dues within 15 days in a case pertaining to illegal diversion of funds

5:24 PM

Base year for GDP calculation to be changed to FY23: Govt tells Parliament

India is set to update the base year for calculating gross domestic product (GDP) to fiscal 2023 from fiscal 2012, Minister for Statistics Rao Inderjit Singh told Parliament on Monday. An advisory committee on national accounts statistics has been formed to identify new data sources and advise on the methodology for the revised series, the minister informed lawmakers.

5:04 PM

Maha CM's name to be declared on eve of Mahayuti govt's swearing-in on Dec 4

The name of the Maharashtra chief minister will be announced on Wednesday, a day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the Mahayuti government, after the BJP elects its legislature party leader, a senior functionary said. The BJP on Monday named Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for its Maharashtra legislature party's meeting, where the MLAs will elect their leader.

4:45 PM

Court convicts 5 of culpable homicide in 2020 Delhi riots case

A court here has convicted five men of culpable homicide and unlawful assembly charges in a 2020 northeast Delhi rioting case where a mob brutally killed a man. The court, however, acquitted two men of all charges. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing the case registered by the Dayalpur police station against the seven accused.

4:36 PM

News update: 56 people died in a soccer stampede in southern Guinea

4:25 PM

AAP more interested in liquor sales than heath of Delhi citizens: Union Minister Mandaviya

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday hit out at the AAP dispensation for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme and said it is more interested in liquor sales than the health of Delhi's citizens. The Delhi assembly polls are slated for early next year. The minister's remarks also assume significance as they come a week after the Delhi High Court sought the AAP government's stand on a plea by Delhi's BJP MPs seeking implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

4:11 PM

Sitharaman, Rupani to be BJP's central observers for Maha MLAs meet to elect leader

The BJP on Monday named Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for its Maharashtra legislature party's meeting, where the MLAs will elect their leader, who is likely to be the state's next chief minister. Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said that the oath-taking ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5 evening at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

3:47 PM

'Treat Muslims as equals': NC chief Farooq Abdullah urges Centre to stop acts that spark communal tension

National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the Centre should put a stop to activities that can spark communal tension in the country, and treat Muslims as equals. "There is a need to stop (incidents like Sambhal). I will tell the government of India to stop (such acts) because they cannot throw the Muslims (of India) into the sea. Where will they throw 24 crore Muslims? Treat Muslims as equals, that is what our Constitution stands for. If they fiddle with the Constitution, how will India survive," Abdullah said.

3:39 PM

SC asks NCR states, to appear virtually to tell if compensations are paid to constriction workers.

Chief secretaries, NCR states including Delhi, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan, to appear virtually before SC on Dec 5.

3:26 PM

Massive congestion at Delhi-Noida border as police set up barricades ahead of farmers' march

Massive traffic snarls caused inconvenience to commuters crossing the Delhi-Noida border on Monday as police set up multiple barricades in view of the farmers' protest march towards the national capital. A senior police officer said checking was underway at the borders and drones were being used for surveillance. Additional Commissioner of Police (east) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, "We have made adequate arrangements in east Delhi borders and have taken all precautionary measures, including anti-riot equipment. We are using drones for vigilance and are also coordinating with traffic police for smooth vehicular movement in the area." 

2:54 PM

Monks protest at Indo-Bangla border over release of Hindu spiritual leader

Over 1,000 monks from across West Bengal are taking part in a demonstration at the Petrapole border in North 24 Parganas on Monday to protest against the attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh, and the release of arrested spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in the neighbouring country. The monks, under the banner of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, started arriving since morning at the protest site, about 800 meters from the Petrapole border checkpost.

2:45 PM

Hardly any implementation of Grap-IV to deal with air pollution in Delhi, says Supreme Court

The top court asked Delhi government about the number of officers deployed by it to implement Grap-IV restrictions

2:38 PM

Supreme Court apprehends 'pressure' on witnesses after DMK's Senthil Balaji becomes minister

Expressing its concern over the appointment of DMK leader V Senthil Balaji, as a minister in the Tamil Nadu government days after he was granted bail in the money laundering case related to the cash-for-job scam, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea raising apprehensions on independence of witnesses in the case. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, however, refused to interfere with the September 26 order of the apex court granting bail to Balaji on a plea filed by one of the complainants seeking its cancellation.

2:23 PM

Bengaluru, parts of Karnataka to receive rainfall for next two days

Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka will continue to receive rainfall for the next two days owing to the impact of Cyclone Fengal that has now weakened, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday. Bengaluru has been receiving rain since Sunday evening and as per IMD officials, Coastal Karanataka and parts of South Interior Karnataka are likely to experience widespread rainfall today, while light to moderate rainfall on Tuesday.

1:55 PM

West Bengal Governor administers oath to six newly elected TMC MLAs

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Monday administered oath to six newly elected Trinamool Congress MLAs at the Assembly. Bose administered the oath in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Speaker Biman Banerjee.The six legislators who won the November 13 bypolls are Sangita Roy from Sitai, Jayprakash Toppo from Madarihat, Sanat De from Naihati, S K Rabiul Islam from Haroa, Sujoy Hazra from Medinipur and Falguni Singhababu from Taldangra.

1:46 PM

Centre scraps windfall tax on petrol, diesel exports

Introduced in July 2022, the windfall tax is a levy on domestic crude oil production to capture revenue from windfall gains made by producers.

1:30 PM

VHP Delhi unit holds protest against attacks on Hindu in Bangladesh

The Delhi unit of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar here against the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. The protest was joined by several people, raising slogans demanding safety of Hindus in Bangladesh. It was was led by VHP Delhi unit head Kapil Khanna.

Minority Hindus in Bangladesh, who constitute only about eight per cent of the 170 million population, have faced over 200 attacks in 50-odd districts since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government on August 5.