Budget 2018-19

  Twitter removed former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad’s tweet, for violating its rules banning the glorification of violence, shortly after a violent knife attack in Nice, which left three people dead Social networking platform Twitter on Thursday removed former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s tweet, for violating its rules banning the glorification of violence, shortly after a violent knife attack in Nice, which left three people dead. In a series of tweets, Mahathir Mohamad had said that “Muslims have a right to be angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past”. It sparked an angry outburst on social media with many users calling out the former Malaysian prime minister. Cedric O, France’s Secretary for Digital Sector also condemned the post and urged Twitter to suspend the account of the former Malaysian prime minister and said in a tweet: “If not, Twitter would be an accomplice to a formal call for murder.” “I just spoke with the Managing Di...

  Taiwan holds the world’s best virus record by far and reached the new landmark on Thursday, even as the pathogen explodes anew in Europe and the US While many countries around the world are hitting new highs in coronavirus cases, Taiwan has achieved a different kind of record — 200 days without a locally transmitted case. Taiwan holds the world’s best virus record by far and reached the new landmark on Thursday, even as the pathogen explodes anew in Europe and the US. Taiwan’s last local case came on April 12; there has been no second wave. What did this island of 23 million people do right? It has had 553 confirmed cases, with only seven deaths. Experts say closing borders early and tightly regulating travel have gone a long way toward fighting the virus. Other factors include rigorous contact tracing, technology-enforced quarantine and widespread mask wearing. Further,  Taiwan ’s deadly experience with SARS has scared people into compliance. “Taiwan is the only major count...

  India has dealt with the ‘worst crisis’ in decades along its border with China with ‘firmness and maturity’ India has dealt with the “worst crisis” in decades along its border with China with “firmness and maturity” despite facing the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday. In an address at a leading think-tank in Paris, Shringla mentioned two recent terrorist incidents in France, one of which he said had its origins in Pakistan, noting that the civilised world needs to act with firmness to address the threat of terrorism. Shringla said India and France face similar non-traditional security threats in the form of radicalism and terrorism, and the fight today is not against specific communities or individuals but against a “radical politico-religious ideology”. Delving into major geo-strategic issues, he said the immediate challenges have not been able to distract India from broader strategic goals, especially in the Indo-P...

  The world map on the new 20 Riyal banknote does not feature Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh as part of India. India has asked Saudi Arabia to take corrective steps on the misrepresentation of its territorial boundaries on a new bank note. The world map on the new 20 Riyal banknote, released to mark Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20 grouping, does not feature Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as part of India. MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India has asked Saudi Arabia to take “urgent corrective steps” in the matter, and emphasized that the entire Union Territories of  Jammu and Kashmir  and Ladakh are integral parts of the country. “We have seen the banknote referred by you which gives an incorrect depiction of India’s external territorial boundaries. The note was issued by Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority on October 24 to mark the occasion of Saudi presidency of the G20,” the MEA spokesperson said. “We have conveyed our serious concern to Saudi Arabia, both thro...

  The map shows a border between Pakistan and the region. So far, there was no reaction from the Pakistan government In its new 20 riyal banknote to mark the Saudi presidency of the G-20 summit next month, the Kingdom has removed Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan from Pakistan’s map. The banknote on its back carries a world map showing G-20 members in a darker shade The map shows a border between Pakistan and the region. So far, there was no reaction from the Pakistan government. Pakistan’s ties with Saudi Arabia, one of its closest allies, have been strained over the past couple of years, especially since the Kingdom’s “lukewarm” response to the Indian government scrapping provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution. According to  Pakistani  media, Saudi Arabia’s increasing proximity with India and Israel is assumed to be one of the reasons for the changing dynamics of the Saudi-Pakistan diplomatic relationship. Media reports say that Saudi Arabia’s ...

  “Sham!” and “who the hell are you” scoldings dominated a Senate hearing where the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google took heat in a talking match with US lawmakers over the idea of free speech “Baloney!”, “sham!” and “who the hell are you” scoldings dominated a Senate hearing on Wednesday where the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google took heat in a talking match with US lawmakers over the idea of free speech and alleged anti-conservative bias on the companies’ mighty platforms. The Congressional grilling quickly shifted into the realm of political circus around the social media content moderation dumpster fire. With less than a week to go for the US election, Republican lawmakers got an earful from critics for the timing of the “sham” hearing. At the heart of the heated arguments were 26 words tucked away in a 1996 US law – Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Section 230 states that “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as th...

  Doctors of North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run hospitals who have been agitating for the last several days over their pending salaries called off their stir, officials said Doctors of North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run hospitals who have been agitating for the last several days over their pending salaries called off their stir on Wednesday, officials said. While five resident doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital had been sitting on a relay hunger strike since Friday, the senior doctors of the North Corporation-run facilities had gone on an indefinite strike on Tuesday. Their associations had joined hands in solidarity since Tuesday. “The strike by agitating doctors was called off as North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash offered juice to the medics on hunger strike. Salaries of all doctors have been released, till September,” the NDMC said in a statement. The late night decision was reached after a long meeting of representatives of the Hindu Rao Hospital RDA and MCDA with the NDMC commissi...

  PM Modi spoke on a range of issues and called the latest labour reforms as very pro-worker Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured that everyone will be vaccinated and no one will be left behind. The statements came in an interview with The Economic Times, days after the BJP promised free vaccination in its poll manifesto in Bihar. “First and foremost, I would like to assure the nation that, as and when a vaccine becomes available, everyone will be vaccinated. None will be left behind, Modi said. Talking about the economy he said that India is on its way to economic recovery as farmers have broken all records of production along with record-high FDI inflows followed by auto and tractor sales that are either reaching or surpassing previous year levels. “We will take all measures needed to constantly stimulate the economy in a timely manner while ensuring overall macro-economic stability,” Modi said adding “we are still not over with the pandemic. Yet, our economy has shown ...

  NEET counselling 2020 will start today and the payment facility will be available till Nov 2 for Round 1 NEET Counselling 2020: The Medical Council Committee (MCC) will conduct National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test – NEET (UG), 2020 counselling from today. NEET Counselling 2020 was earlier scheduled for October 27, however, it was postponed due to technical error. The counselling schedule has been released for 15% all India quota (AIQ) and seats offered by Central and Deemed Universities, AIIMS and JIPMER institutes.For state quota seats, NEET counselling 2020 will be held by the respective state authorities separately. Who is eligible for NEET Counselling 2020 Candidates who have scored a minimum of 50th percentage (40th percentile for SC/ST/OBC and 45th percentage for General-PH) will be eligible for NEET 2020 counselling round. The following is the detailed schedule for all the rounds of NEET 2020 counselling: NEET 2020 :  Round 1 Registration, payment and choice of fill...

  The blast occurred at the seminary in Dir Colony in interior Peshawar city A powerful bomb blast ripped through a seminary in northwest Pakistan’s Peshawar city just after the morning prayers on Tuesday, killing at least seven children and wounding over 70 others, senior police officials said. The blast occurred at the seminary in Dir Colony in interior Peshawar city. A bag filled with explosive materials was kept close to wall of the seminary by some unknown person which went off, killing 7 children and injuring over 70 others, superintendent of police in Peshawar city Waqar Azeem said. He said the bag is believed to have had an IED device that went off when the children started filling in the seminary. An official from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said 4 to 5 kilogramme explosives were used in the blast. Most of the children who died and were injured in the bast were aged between 7-11 years, the official said, adding that many of them were from Afghanistan. The hospit...

  Andhra govt distributed Rs 1,115 crore to 5 mn farmers under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme, along with an additional Rs 136 crore for compensating crop loss due to heavy rain in the state Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday distributed Rs 1,115 crore to 50 lakh farmers under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme, along with an additional Rs 136 crore for compensating crop loss due to heavy rain in the state. “Continuing the policy for the second consecutive year under the leadership of Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, around Rs 1,115 crore has been directly credited to around 50.47 lakh farmers, including Rs 11,500 each to the state’s ROFR patta holders. A sum of Rs 4,000 has been credited to each beneficiary’s account under the second instalment,” said an official release of the state government. The release added that the CM also released input subsidies for the farmers (both agriculture and horticulture) who lost their crops from May to September due to heavy rainfall in ...

  India has reached a recovery rate of 90 per cent and the positivity rate has declined to around 7.61 per cent. The central government on Tuesday asked states not declare any place free of the coronavirus and take a national approach to a future vaccine, reacting after free inoculation politics gathered pace in Bihar and Tamil Nadu. “The statements of the state governments have to be respected. From our end we are trying to fine tune the blueprints for vaccine distribution. Preparations are being made,” said V K Paul, member of  NITI Aayog  and chairman of the government’s committee on vaccines. Paul’s statement came as the number of coronavirus cases in India in a single day dropped below 40,000 on Tuesday after over three months. Paul said resources will not be an issue when it comes to accessing the coronavirus vaccine, reacting to a question on whether the inoculation will be free. “Prioritisation will be done based on availability. Vaccine scenario is very dynamic a...

  Giriraj Singh lashed out at Tejashwi Yadav over his jobs’ promise and asked how many jobs he had created when his party had over 12 ministers in the administration Bihar Assembly Elections 2020:  Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday lashed out at Mahagathbandhan chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav over his jobs’ promise and asked how many jobs he had created when his party had over 12 ministers in the administration. “I want to ask Tejashwi Yadav why after flaunting his father’s political legacy does he not talk of his father’s crimes. I’d like for him to show the number of people whom he’s given employment to in 20 months when he had over 12 ministers in administration,” Singh told reporters. In its party’s manifesto for Bihar polls, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has promised to provide 10 lakh jobs for youth if it comes to power in the state.

  Pakistan summoned the French ambassador in Islamabad as anger spread on Monday over President Emmanuel Macron’s reaction to the murder last week of a French teacher by an Islamist Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Facebook to ban Islamophobic content on its platform, warning of a spike in radicalisation amongst Muslims, hours after he hit out at the French president for “attacking Islam”. Pakistan summoned the French ambassador in Islamabad as anger spread on Monday over President Emmanuel Macron’s reaction to the murder last week of a French teacher by an Islamist Khan, in an open letter posted on Twitter on Sunday, said “growing Islamophobia” was encouraging extremism and violence worldwide, especially through social media platforms. “I would ask you to place a similar ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam on Facebook that you have put in place for the Holocaust,” Khan said. “One cannot send a message that while hate messages against some are unacceptable, these...

  The group also faces strike action at one of its oldest plants, at Barnoldswick in Lancashire in the UK, in protest at proposals to shift some production to Singapore (Reuters) – British aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc plans to temporarily close factories, reduce working hours and cut benefits as part of new cost-cutting measures, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The group also faces strike action at one of its oldest plants, at Barnoldswick in Lancashire in the UK, in protest at proposals to shift some production to Singapore, the Financial Times said. Rolls Royce staff were notified last week by email that the company was looking at new measures in its current cost-cutting drive to cope with the collapse in aircraft demand in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. While confirming the email, Civil Aerospace head Chris Cholerton said the company intends to cut management costs by a third, but no ne...

  The discovery comes on the back of several other observations made in the past, including by Chandrayaan-1. Here’s why it is of critical importance In one of the biggest astronomical discoveries of the decade, Nasa confirmed the presence of water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), for the first time, confirmed that water may be distributed across the moon and not just limited to cold, shadowed places. The water molecules were found on Moon’s Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth. Scientists believe that the majority of the water detected must be stored within glasses or in voids between grains sheltered from the harsh environment, allowing the water to remain on the lunar surface. The discovery was published in Nature Astronomy on late Monday night. Nasa in a teleconference said, “SOFIA has detected water molecules (H2O) in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located i...

  The second and final presidential debate shaped the way for November 3 election in the US President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden faced off for the last time before the Nov. 3 election. Bloomberg News is checking the facts behind their claims in Thursday’s debate: Trump claims Biden supports the Green New Deal Biden has never offered a full-throated endorsement of the far-reaching progressive climate plan known as the Green New Deal, but he has released a climate plan that aligns with many of its environmental goals. The $2 trillion clean energy plan offered by Biden in July calls for achieving a carbon-free power sector by 2035, as well as spending to build renewable energy infrastructure, get cleaner cars on the road and create zero-emission mass transit systems. Other investments would boost sustainable home building, clean energy innovation and conservation. By contrast, the sweeping Green New Deal, proposed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democr...

  Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday spoke to his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering and underscored the importance Pakistan attaches to its ties with Bhutan Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday spoke to his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering and underscored the importance Pakistan attaches to its ties with Bhutan. Khan highlighted the significance of regular bilateral contacts and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest, including COVID-19, according to a statement by the PM Office.  Imran Khan  also extended an invitation to the Bhutanese prime minister to visit Pakistan. He commended measures taken by the leadership of Bhutan to contain the coronavirus pandemic. He highlighted the adverse economic impact of COVID-19 on the developing countries, for which he had also called for the Global Initiative on Debt Relief. Appreciating the Bhutanese model of tourism promotion and conser...

  DMK will hold a protest outside the Raj Bhavan to demand Tamil Nadu Governor give his immediate assent to the bill for reservation to government school students in medical college admissions DMK President M.K. Stalin on Thursday said his party will hold a massive protest outside the Raj Bhavan on Saturday to demand Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit give his immediate assent to the bill for reservation to government school students in medical college admissions. Stalin made the announcement after he received a reply to his letter in this regard from the Governor on Thursday. In his letter, Purohit had said that he needs three to four weeks time to arrive at a decision on the Bill that provides 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation in medical college admissions to those who had studied in government schools. “The same has also been informed to the delegation of Ministers who called on me recently,” he told Stalin. Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly,...

  India has crossed the 100 million-mark in conducting tests for the detection of Covid-19 as with an average testing of more than 1 million samples per day in the last 17 days, ICMR said Current Affaors : India has crossed the 10 crore-mark in conducting tests for the detection of COVID-19as on Thursday with an average testing of more than 10 lakh samples per day in the last 17 days, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said. Till now, 74,000 tests per million population have been conducted. India has conducted last 5 crore sample testing in only 45 days, LokeshSharma, scientist and media coordinator at ICMR said. As on September 8, India had tested 5 crore  COVID-19  samples, and in less than 50 days on October 22, it has reached the 10 crore-mark, Sharma said. “This has been enabled by rapidly increasing testing infrastructure and capacity across the country. The ICMR has been enhancing COVID-19 testing capability across the country by expanding and diversifyi...

  As violence keeps rising, Nato says won’t leave until conditions allow At least 25 security personnel were killed in northeast Afghanistan. The attack has been blamed on the Taliban, according to officials. One official said that the fighting is ongoing and that the Taliban itself has suffered heavy causalities. The security forces were on their way for an operation when they were attacked by the terror group. The Taliban have not commented on the attack, yet. Nato chief rules out rushed, early exit As rising violence threatens to derail Afghan peace talks, the head of Nato said Wednesday that the military alliance will not leave  Afghanistan  until security conditions allow, even as some US troops might be hoping to be back home in time for Christmas. “We will make a decision together, coordinate our efforts based on the principle ‘in together, adjust together, and when the time is right, when the conditions are met, then we will leave together,’ but not before,” Nato ...

  At least five people were killed and 28 others sustained injuries in a massive explosion due to a gas leak in a multi-storey residential building near Maskan Chowrangi in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal At least five people were killed and 28 others sustained injuries in a massive explosion due to a gas leak in a multi-storey residential building near Maskan Chowrangi in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Geo News reported. While all the injured people have been shifted to nearby hospitals, three have been reported to be in critical condition. The intensity of the explosion had caused confusion regarding the cause of the explosion, however, an investigation by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) concluded that the blast occurred due to leakage of natural gas, Geo News said. “A stove burner was found at the crime scene. The burner has been handed over to area’s police,” the BDS was quoted as saying in its report. The explosion has severely damaged the first two floors of the building. Geo News report...

  Pakistan is unlikely to exit the Financial Action Task Forces (FATF) grey list as it has been unable to comply with six of the 27 points in the global watchdogs action plan, according to reports The FATF had given Pakistan a total of 27 action plan obligations for completely checking terror financing of which so far it has cleared 21 but has failed in some of the key tasks. The obligations included action against two of India’s most wanted terrorists Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed. Besides, FATF has strongly noted the fact that there was sudden disappearance of the names of more than 4,000 terrorists from its original list of 7,600 under Schedule IV of its Anti Terrorism Act. The Paris-based global watchdog is holding its virtual plenary session on October 21-23. It will take the final call on  Pakistan’ s continuation on its grey list after a thorough review of Islamabad’s performance in fulfilling the global commitments and standards in the fight against money launde...

  RedSeer said the first few days of this year’s online sale season saw a more explosive start compared to the last year- and is on track to meet its forecast of $4 billion by end of the event E-commerce giants Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal have witnessed blockbuster festive season sales. The pandemic accelerated the shift to e-commerce, with an increasing number of consumers shopping online at a higher frequency. The online festive sales received a strong response from October 15-19. New estimates by RedSeer Consulting on Wednesday showed that $3.1 billion (Rs 22,000 crore) of goods were sold from brands and sellers in the first 4.5 days of the event. This means 77 per cent of RedSeer’s projected online sales were already achieved during the said timeframe. The firm had earlier projected total festive sales of e-commerce firms to cross $7 billion. RedSeer said the first few days of this year’s online sale season saw a more explosive start compared to last year — and was on track ...

  Overall, it will cut 8,500 positions, or 24% of its normal headcount, but that includes 2,600 roles currently unfilled due to cost reduction initiatives SYDNEY (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Wednesday it would slash 5,900 jobs and end its regional Cathay Dragon brand, joining peers in cutting costs as it grapples with a plunge in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. The airline would also seek changes in conditions in its contracts with cabin crew and pilots as part of a restructuring that would cost HK$2.2 billion ($283.9 million), it told the stock exchange. Overall, it will cut 8,500 positions, or 24% of its normal headcount, but that includes 2,600 roles currently unfilled due to cost reduction initiatives, Cathay said. “The global pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on aviation and the hard truth is we must fundamentally restructure the group to survive,” Cathay Chief Executive Augustus Tang said in a statement. Cathay shares jumped...

  In the absence of significant national opposition, voters have been willing to give Modi a very long leash India is battling one of the world’s highest coronavirus caseloads, its worst-ever economic slump, shuttered factories, farmer protests and the deadliest border fighting with China in decades. Yet Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  appears to remain as popular as ever. Opinion polls in Bihar, where from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7 he faces his first major electoral test since the pandemic, show his coalition comfortably retaining control of the state government. A separate India Today “Mood of the Nation” poll in August said 78% rated his performance as “good to outstanding” compared with 71% last year. One of those supporters is Sanjay Kumar, 22, a carpenter who was beaten by police in April for violating India’s strict lockdown while cycling from the capital New Delhi to his village in Bihar — a journey of more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) — after he lost his job. He’s st...