LIVE: Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi charged, can be held until Feb 15

Latest News LIVE updates: The charges against Suu Kyi appear to carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

12:55 AM

Budget allocated Rs 6,913 crore for rail projects in northeast, says Pink Book

In a big boost to rail development in the northeast region, the Union budget has allocated Rs 6,913 crore for projects covering over 2,000 km in the region, according to the Pink Book released on Wednesday.
 

Among the states, Uttar Pradesh has been allocated the highest amount of Rs 12,696 crore for ongoing projects which include 83 new lines, gauge conversion, and doubling projects, which will be completed at a cost of Rs 96,697 core and covering a distance of 7,143 km.
 

In the northeast states, ongoing projects include 19 new lines and doubling projects, covering 2,008 km.
 

The highest allocation among the states after Uttar Pradesh is for Madhya Pradesh (Rs 7,700 crore) followed by Maharashtra (Rs 7,107 crore).
 

States like Andhra Pradesh have got Rs 5,812 crore, Chhattisgarh Rs 3,650 crore, Bihar Rs 5,150 crore, Gujarat Rs 4,418 crore, Haryana Rs 1,201 crore, Himachal Pradesh Rs 770 crore, Jharkhand Rs 4,079 crore, Karnataka Rs 3,897 crore, Punjab Rs 2,262 crore, Odisha Rs 5,528 crore, Rajasthan Rs 4,986 crore besides Delhi got Rs 310 crore.
 

The states going to poll this year like West Bengal has been allocated Rs 6,636 crore where ongoing projects include 53 new lines, gauge conversion and doubling projects for 4,463 km.
 

Kerala, where elections are scheduled this year, has been allocated funds to the tune of Rs 871 crore for ongoing projects which include nine new lines nd doubling projects costing Rs 8,799 crore for 458 km.
 

Poll-bound Tamil Nadu has been allocated Rs 2,972 crore - ongoing projects include 27 new lines, gauge conversion, doubling projects costing Rs 30,961 crore for 3,128 km.
 

Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been given Rs 4,294 crore for ongoing projects which include three new lines and doubling projects costing Rs 28,480 crore, covering 481 km.
 

8:51 PM

Jeff Bezos to step down, hand over Amazon reins to cloud chief Andy Jassy

Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday said founder Jeff Bezos would step down as CEO and become executive chairman, as the company reported a third consecutive record profit and quarterly sales above $100 billion for the first time.

 

This summer, Bezos, 57, will hand the keys of the world’s largest online retailer to Andy Jassy, head of its cloud computing division. The announcement ends a long-running question about who would succeed the world’s second-richest person at the company’s helm.

 

Jassy, 53, joined Amazon in 1997 after Harvard Business School, founding Amazon Web Services (AWS) and growing it to a cloud platform used by millions, the company’s website said. He had been a clear contender for the top job since Amazon created two CEO roles reporting to Bezos, the other held by recently retired consumer CEO Jeff Wilke. READ ON...

8:22 PM

Home Minister Amit Shah says no propaganda can deter India's unity

8:09 PM

I-T dept detects Rs 200-crore evasion after raids in Assam

The Income Tax Department has detected tax evasion of more than Rs 200 crore after it raided three "leading" entities of Assam involved in construction and tea garden businesses, the CBDT said on Wednesday. The search and survey operation was carried out on January 29 at about 20 locationsin Guwahati, Tezpur, Nalbari (all in Assam), Delhi, Gurugram, and in West Bemgal's Kolkata, Siliguri and Alipurduar.

 

"Total evasion of income in these cases exceeds Rs 200 crore. Nine bank lockers have been found, which are yet to be operated," a CBDT spokesperson said in a statement.

 

Cash worth Rs 42 lakh was also seized during the operation, it added. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) frames policy for the tax department.

7:33 PM

Sebi bars Kishore Biyani from accessing securities market for one year

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Wednesday prohibited Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani from being associated with securities market in any manner for a period of one year.

 

The Sebi order is related to the case of alleged insider trading between March and April 2017. Biyani won't be allowed to buy, sell or deal in securities of Future Retail for a period of two years. Sebi also barred FCRL Employee Welfare Trust and 4 others from securities market for 1 year.

 

The market regulator stated that Biyani, along with some other parties, is involved in disgorging an amount of over Rs 17 crore to it. Sebi also said that the decision was reached after probe into use of unpublished price sensitive information to trade in Future Retail. READ MORE...

 

7:18 PM

Bharti Airtel back in black after 18 months with Rs 854 crore net profit in Q3

Nearly 18 months after it slipped into red, Bharti Airtel on Wednesday bounced back by reporting a net profit of Rs 854 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2020, helped mainly by a robust addition in its user base.

 

“Despite the unprecedented volatility that we have confronted through the year, we delivered another strong performance this quarter. This consistency in performance was across every part of our portfolio, as reflected in market share growth across all our business segments. The main highlight of the quarter was the 13 million 4G customers we added in our Wireless business. As a result, we grew our revenues by 25% over the same period last year and margins expanded,” Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, India & South Asia, said. READ MORE...

6:55 PM

Maharashtra: Colleges to start with 50% capacity from February 15

Colleges in Maharashtra can start physical classes with 50 per cent capacity from February 15, state Minister for Higher and Technical Education Uday Samant said on Wednesday. All hostels may not reopen from February 15 as some of them are being used as quarantine centres, he said, speaking to reporters.

 

Physical classes in colleges stopped after the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic last March. Universities can conduct examinations online as well as off-line as per the coronavirus situation in respective areas, the minister said. "Colleges in the state can resume physical classes from February 15 with 50 per cent capacity". READ MORE...

5:45 PM

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi charged, can be held until Feb 15

Police in Myanmar have charged deposed national leader Aung San Suu Kyi with having several illegally imported walkie-talkies in her home, legally allowing her to be held until Feb. 15, AP reported on Wednesday. Suu Kyi was detained Monday along with other senior politicians when the military staged a coup the day the newly elected Parliament was supposed to open its session. Party officials say she has not been moved from her residence, where she was being held under house arrest.

 

The charges against Suu Kyi appear to carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The charge sheets indicate the unregistered walkie-talkies were for use by Suu Kyi's bodyguards.

 

National League for Democracy spokesman Kyi Toe confirmed the charge on his Facebook page. He also said the country's ousted president, Win Myint, was charged with violating natural disaster management law. An NLD lawmaker, Phyo Zayar Thaw, also confirmed the charges. Police and court officials in the capital Naypyitaw could not immediately be contacted.

5:29 PM

GST shortfall: FinMin releases weekly installment of Rs 6,000 crore to states

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday released the 14th installment of Rs 6,000 crore to states to meet the GST compensation shortfall, taking the total amount of fund released so far to Rs 84,000 crore.

 

Till now, 76 per cent of the total estimated GST compensation shortfall has been released to states and 3 UTs.

 

Out of this, an amount of Rs 76,616.16 crore has been released to 23 states and Rs 7,383.84 crore to the 3 UTs with Legislative Assembly (Delhi, J&K, Puducherry). The remaining 5 states, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, do not have a gap in revenue on account of GST implementation. READ MORE...

5:00 PM

Aero India 2021: Showcasing the country's super-efficient fighter aircraft

4:29 PM

Twitter risks penal action for defying govt's legal orders under IT Act

The government said Twitter may face penal action for not complying with legal orders to remove tweets and content about to a farmer protest-related hashtag that contained the word 'genocide'.

 

In a communication to the microblogging platform on Tuesday evening, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said Twitter "unilaterally" unblocked tweets and accounts that were using #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide beginning Saturday.

 

According to sources, the MeitY notice on Tuesday told Twitter in a written communication, "The direction to block the hashtag “#ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide” has been found to be instigating people to commit cognizable offences in relation to public order and security of the State. It may be noted that the impracticability or disproportionality of the said measure cannot be decided at the instance of Twitter, which is an intermediary bound by the orders of the Central Government." READ ON...

3:45 PM

LIVE: 38 workers hurt in Uttam Galva plant accident in Maharashtra

Thirty eight workers were injured, six of them critically, after coming in contact with hot air and coal particles from a furnace at the Uttam Galva Metallics steel plant near Wardha on Wednesday. Wardha District Collector Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that the injured workers were admitted to two nearby hospitals, while those in critical condition were shifted to Nagpur for further treatment.

 

An official statement said the furnace was shut on Tuesday evening for annual maintenance. At 5.30 am on Tuesday, 50 workers were removing the fly ash from the furnace when some of them came in contact with hot air and coal particles, the statement said. While 28 injured were taken to the Vinoba Bhave hospital at Savangi, 10 were shifted to the Kasturba hospital at Sevagram in Wardha, the statement said. Six workers, who sustained over 40 per cent burn injuries, were later shifted to an intensive care unit.

3:10 PM

Rajnath kicks off Aero India, projects India as major defence power

Inaugurating the Aero India 2021 air show in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed the promise of a powerful India that was gearing itself to project power and influence across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
 

“India has a vast coastline, but our interests also lie beyond our shores. It includes our people who reside and work across continents, especially in the IOR. It is our bounden duty to remain capable and willing to assist them in times of natural calamities and security challenges.”
 

The inauguration was followed by a carefully choreographed fly-past by Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, including by the Suryakiran and Sarang aerobatics teams. READ MORE...

 

2:39 PM

LIVE updates: Union Cabinet meeting begins through video conference

Union Cabinet meeting begins through video conference

1:45 PM

Despite pandemic, French majors participate with intensity in Aero India 2021 exhibition

The Aero India 2021 is the first major defence and aerospace exhibition to be held, one year since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and French companies have come in force despite the adverse global public health situation, the French Embassy in India said on Wednesday, according to ANI.
 

"With 28 exhibiting companies, France once again notches the strongest foreign representation at Aero India. This reaffirms the French industry's keen interest in this event, despite the adverse global public health situation," it said.

 

The statement said that France's participation reflects the enduring commitment of French companies to contributing to developing India's aerospace and defence industry.

 

The statement further said that French companies invest, design and make in India to produce aircraft and high-tech parts. Over 60 French defence and aerospace companies are present in India through industrial facilities and/or India representation offices. Their activities contribute to the strategic partnership that unites our two countries.