Budget 2018-19

  The arrests were made following the recovery of the three-wheeler involved in the incident Two persons were on Thursday arrested in connection with the hit-and-run case in Dhanbad, which left Judge Uttam Anand dead during his morning jog, a top police officer said. The arrests were made following the recovery of the three-wheeler involved in the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police, Dhanbad, Sanjiv Kumar, said. CCTV footages showed that Anand, district and sessions judge-8 of Dhanbad court, was jogging on one side of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk early on Wednesday when a heavy auto-rickshaw veered towards him, hit him from behind and fled the scene. Locals took him to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival. According to sources in the  Dhanbad court , Anand, known to be strict judge, had recently declined bail pleas of some gangsters, and the incident could be a fallout of this decision. “We have arrested two persons, auto driver ...

  India remains on the red list under the international traffic system, which bans travel and imposes a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine for returning British residents Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and European Union (EU) countries will be able to avoid a 10-day compulsory quarantine when they arrive in England from next Monday, the UK government said on Wednesday. Currently, only people who received their Covid-19 vaccine in the UK can avoid quarantine when arriving from these “amber list” countries under the government’s traffic list travel system. “We’ve taken great strides on our journey to reopen  international   travel  and today is another important step forward. Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade — this is progress we can all enjoy,” said UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. “We will of course continue to be guided by the latest scientific data but th...

  Officials have confirmed that the new outbreak is caused by the Delta strain The rise of the highly-contagious  Delta variant  is challenging even the most aggressive Covid-19 containment regimes, an ominous sign as economies look to open up and return to pre-pandemic life. An outbreak that started at an airport in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing is testing that country’s zero-tolerance measures, which are some of the most sweeping and comprehensive in the world. New infections are rising by the dozens and seeding subsequent clusters around China despite well-honed systems of mass testing and stringent quarantines. Beijing reported its first locally-transmitted infection in six months Thursday, linked to an outbreak in the southern province of Hunan among people who’d recently been to Nanjing. The variant is scaling some of the toughest virus defenses, with “Covid Zero” places —countries that had snuffed out the virus within their borders — still seeing outbreaks de...

  International community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that were not immediately available in the country, the govt said International community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that were not immediately available in the country during the second wave of COVID-19 and material from 52 countries have been received till date, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in a written reply that India has imported 31.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 1 and 4.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 2 vaccine till date. “During the unprecedented crisis of the second wave of COVID pandemic, the International community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that weren’t immediately available in country till such time our own domestic production improved,” he said. ...

  The heavier deal flow has provided an uptick in fees to the banks China’s regulatory crackdown threatens to reverse a surge in underwriting fees for US investment banks like  Goldman Sachs Group Inc ., Bank of America Corp. and Morgan Stanley. Companies based in China have been the most prolific foreign issuers of equity in New York during the pandemic. But the budding $50 billion flow of US initial public offerings and secondary stock sales is at risk after new regulatory scrutiny surrounding cybersecurity firms. “China’s increased oversight of overseas listings by Chinese companies, announced by the State Council on July 6, could halt unicorn listings in 2H in Hong Kong and the U.S,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sharnie Wong wrote in a note. “Their combined share of  Chinese IPOs  may drop to less than 40 per cent of deal value in 2H from 55 per cent in 1H, assuming deal value halves sequentially.” Investment banks have raised $49.2 billion in US stock offering...

  The GATE-2022 for admission into MTech courses will be held in February next year, IIT-Kharagpur announced on Wednesday The GATE-2022 for admission into MTech courses will be held in February next year, IIT-Kharagpur announced on Wednesday. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), 2022 will be held on February 5, 6, 12 and 13, it said.  IIT-Kharagpur  is the organising institute for GATE-2022. Two new subject papers will be available to the candidates — GE (Geomatics Engineering) and NM (Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering), taking the total number of GATE papers to 29. Eligibility criteria to appear for GATE-2022 have been expanded to include those having BDS and MPharm degrees. “The two new papers will provide direct benefits to our graduates in these two areas, especially when the country needs human resources with advanced capabilities in shipbuilding industries and geo-informatics,” Director of IIT-Kharagpur VK Tewari said. “Further, the  GATE ...

  To invest Rs 260 crore for a 40% stake in low-cost airline Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwa­la is investing over Rs 260 crore for a 40 per cent stake in a low-cost airline promoted by Vinay Dube, Jet Airways’ former chief executive officer. Dube has put in place a team of senior executives in commercial, engineering and finance roles, and negotiations are underway with both Airbus and Boeing for an aircraft order. The proposed airline christened ‘Akasa Air’ is scheduled to start next summer and have 70 aircraft in four years. Jhunjhunwala has already put in Rs 15 crore in the venture. The infusion was made earlier in the month and unsecured convertible debentures were allotted to his wife Rekha. Regulatory filings show that debentures would be compulsorily converted into equity shares of the airline immediately upon receipt of investment of Rs 247.5 crore from  Rakesh Jhunjhunwala  or his affiliates in the equity shares of the company within an agreed period. Jhun...

  The announcement covers 98.3% of all deposit accounts and 50.9 per cent of the deposit value, Finance Minister   Nirmala Sitharaman   said The Cabinet has approved changes to the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act that will allow depositors to withdraw up to Rs 5 lakh in 90 days. The announcement will cover 98.3 per cent of all deposit accounts and 50.9 per cent of the deposit value, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. This compares with global deposit insurance coverage of 80 per cent for all accounts, and 20-30 per cent coverage by deposit value. Even if there is a moratorium on a bank, this measure will step in, Sitharaman said. The first 45 days, after the bank is placed under moratorium by the Reserve Bank of India, will go for the lender to collect all depositor claims and submit it to DICGC. The corporation will process the claims real time, and within 90 days the process will be completed even when the bank resolution is ongoing...

  Pakistan’s Balochistan province, battered by a harsh winter, a locust invasion, COVID-19, and drought-like conditions, faces a food emergency for about 500,000 people, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday Pakistan ‘s Balochistan province, battered by a harsh winter, a locust invasion, COVID-19, and drought-like conditions, faces a food emergency for about 500,000 people, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday. “An estimated 500,000 people are facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity while another 100,000 people require immediate life-saving assistance. The dry spell and reduced water availability are destroying crops and threatening the survival of livestock which are the main livelihood and food source for many families in the affected areas,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Meteorologists forecast drought-like conditions through the end of the year for southwestern Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan. “Low rainfall during Octobe...

  Eighteen people were killed when a truck rammed into a double-decker bus on the Lucknow-Ayodhya National Highway under the Ram Sanehighat police circle. Eighteen people were killed when a truck rammed into a double-decker bus on the Lucknow-Ayodhya National Highway under the Ram Sanehighat police circle. Fifteen persons have been seriously injured and have been referred to the Trauma Centre in Lucknow. According to reports, the accident took place in the early hours of Wednesday. The bus was going from Haryana to Bihar. According to reports, the double-decker bus on the Kalyani River bridge on the  Ayodhya  border, was halted following an axle breakdown. Due to heavy rains and poor visibility, a truck coming from Lucknow at a high speed hit the bus. The collision was so strong that most of them died on the spot. Most of the bus passengers had got down from the bus and were sleeping on the roadside when the accident took place. ADG Zone, Lucknow, S N Sabat confirmed the ...

  Around 10 people are reported missing in flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in   Himachal Pradesh ‘s tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti, a senior disaster management official said on Wednesday. Around 10 people are reported missing in flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh’s tribal district of  Lahaul-Spiti , a senior disaster management official said on Wednesday. The incident took place at Udaipur in Lahaul at around 8 PM on Tuesday, state disaster management director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said. Two tents of labourers and a private JCB have been washed away, he said, adding that a 19-year-old labourer, Mohammad Altaaf, was injured while around 10 people are reported missing. Altaaf, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, has been referred to a nearby hospital. The state police and the ITBP teams were dispatched for searching the missing people but a heavy flow of water hampered the search operation on Tuesday night, the official said, adding that the sear...

  As per British law, a bankruptcy trustee takes charge of a bankrupt person’s financial and physical assets The Insolvencies and Companies Court of London High Court on Monday declared fugitive business baron Vijay Mallya a bankrupt person as per UK laws. Legal experts explain what this means for 65-year old Mallya’s personal liberties, his legal battle against extradition to India to face trial, and for the consortium of Indian lenders – at whose behest the bankruptcy proceedings were initiated in the UK courts. What are the consequences for  Vijay Mallya , lenders: As per British law, a bankruptcy trustee takes charge of a bankrupt person’s financial and physical assets, including his credit, debit cards, bank accounts, etc. The trustee would reconcile all assets and liabilities to pay off debtors. Till a person is on the bankrupt list, there are restrictions on personal spending by the bankrupt person. Such a person would also need court’s permission to engage in business ...

  As many as six Assam Police personnel have died in an exchange of fire with their Mizoram counterparts, said Assam BJP MLA Kaushik Rai on Monday. As many as six Assam Police personnel have died in an exchange of fire with their Mizoram counterparts, said Assam BJP MLA Kaushik Rai on Monday. Rai, who visited the Silchar Medical College where the injured are admitted said that at least 40 people were injured including three to four civilians. “40 people injured including 3-4 civilians. As per doctors, 6 policemen have died. The Chief Minister has directed State Minister Pijush Hazarika to visit the border area,” said the  BJP  MLA. However, according to Assam Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, around 80 people were injured in the firing from the  Mizoram ‘s side. “6 Assam Police personnel have died and around 80 people have been injured in the firing. There was no firing from our side. Firing from the Mizoram side was...

  Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hailed weightlifter Mirabai Chanu for creating history by winning a first day medal at the Tokyo Olympics Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hailed weightlifter  Mirabai Chanu  for creating history by winning a first day medal at the Tokyo Olympics, an unparalleled feat by an Indian athlete in the history of the games. “First day, first medal, nobody did it. You brought smiles in the faces of 135 crore Indians and the entire nation is proud of you,” Thakur said during a felicitation ceremony of the diminutive weightlifter and her coach Vijay Sharma at his residence here. Chanu, who returned to the country on Monday evening, lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) in the 49kg category to better Karnam Malleswari’s bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics on Saturday. With that performance, she exorcised the ghosts of the 2016 Games where she had failed to log a single legitimate lift, leaving her shattered. “You made history. It’s a bi...

  Bombay High Court will be hearing Shilpa Shetty’s husband and businessman Raj Kundra’s plea challenging police custody and seeking bail on Tuesday in connection with pornography racket. Bombay High Court will be hearing  Shilpa Shetty ‘s husband and businessman Raj Kundra’s plea challenging police custody and seeking bail on Tuesday in connection with pornography racket. His police custody in the case ends today. Kundra, 45, was arrested by the police on July 19 along with 11 other people on charges related to the alleged creation of pornographic films. Meanwhile, Crime Branch has appointed a financial auditor to probe the money trail of  Raj Kundra  and Shilpa Shetty and their alleged involvement in the pornography racket case. “In the investigation, the Crime Branch has found transactions worth crores were done from the joint account of Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra. The Crime Branch suspects that the earnings from ‘Hotshots’ and ‘Bolly Fame’ app used to come into...

  VP M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday paid tributes to former president A P J Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary and said his stellar contribution strengthened India’s defence and space capabilities. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday paid tributes to former president A P J Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary and said his stellar contribution strengthened India’s defence and space capabilities. The former president was a nuclear scientist, writer, poet and educationist, who had excelled in different fields and served the nation till his demise on this day in 2015 at the age of 83. Kalam was conferred with the Bharat Ratna for his contribution to nuclear science and came to be known as the people’s president. “My humble tributes to former President,  Dr APJ Abdul Kalam  on his Punya Tithi today. He was a distinguished scientist, a visionary statesman & above all a great human being,” Naidu said on his official Twitter handle. “His stellar contribution strengthene...

  Chinese blue chips shed 4.4% to their lowest since December Asian shares skidded to their lows for this year on Monday as concerns over tightening regulations upended Chinese equities and strong U.S. corporate earnings sucked funds out of emerging markets into Wall Street.  Chinese blue chips shed  4.4% to their lowest since December, in what was also the biggest daily decline in more than a year, as the education and property sectors were routed on worries over tighter government rules. “We believe China’s economy, and specifically its financial system, will face significant risks in coming months due to the unprecedented tightening measures applied to the property sector,” economists at Nomura warned in a note. That dragged MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan down 2.0% to its lowest since last December. Japan’s Nikkei did bounce 0.9%, but that was off a seven-month low. In contrast, Nasdaq futures were off just 0.1% from historic ...

  Chinese blue chips shed 4.4% to their lowest since December Asian shares skidded to their lows for this year on Monday as concerns over tightening regulations upended Chinese equities and strong U.S. corporate earnings sucked funds out of emerging markets into Wall Street.  Chinese blue chips shed  4.4% to their lowest since December, in what was also the biggest daily decline in more than a year, as the education and property sectors were routed on worries over tighter government rules. “We believe China’s economy, and specifically its financial system, will face significant risks in coming months due to the unprecedented tightening measures applied to the property sector,” economists at Nomura warned in a note. That dragged MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan down 2.0% to its lowest since last December. Japan’s Nikkei did bounce 0.9%, but that was off a seven-month low. In contrast, Nasdaq futures were off just 0.1% from historic ...

  Business Standard brings to you the top headlines on Monday Zomato’s market capitalisation breached the Rs 1-trillion mark, overtaking some of India’s biggest companies. The blockbuster listing that led to this milestone will pave the way for other food tech firms, such as Swiggy, to go on a similar road. Read more on this and other top headlines for the day. ‘Zomato’s stellar IPO to have positive impact on foodtech firms’ valuation’  The blockbuster listing of online food delivery company  Zomato  is expected to set the stage for many food technology (foodtech) firms, including Swiggy, to follow suit. The stellar listing is expected to have a positive impact on their valuations if they plan to list or raise funds, said analysts and experts Zomato, the Gurugram-based company, is operating in a nascent industry. However, its Rs 9,375-crore maiden offering is now considered a test case for other foodtech start-ups planning to go public. Zomato’s initial public offeri...

  The “barbaric” murder of Noor Mukaddam, the daughter of a former ambassador has triggered outrage across   Pakistan   and raised questions over the safety and security of women in the country v The  “barbaric” murder  of Noor Mukaddam, the daughter of a former ambassador has triggered outrage across Pakistan and raised questions over the safety and security of women in the country. Noor Mukaddam’s murder reignited a debate on violence against women as thousands of people took to social media to demand justice, recalling other femicide victims whose deaths sparked less furore, including at least two killed in the recent past. The victim’s father, Shaukat Mukaddam, has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan. TRT World reported that Mukaddam, 27, was found murdered in a house in an upscale neighbourhood in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on July 20. Police, however, arrested a suspect, Zahir Jaffer, a friend of th...

‘Not out of grief, but with happiness,’ says Karnataka BJP leader about decision. v Karnataka Chief Minister  B S Yediyurappa  said he would resign today—the second anniversary of his government—as he spoke in the state assembly about his tenure “I will resign after lunch,” he said in a tearful speech in which he talked about the “trial by fire” he had faced as chief minister. “Don’t take me otherwise, with your permission… I have decided that after lunch I will go to the Raj Bhavan and submit my resignation as the Chief Minister to the Governor,” said 78-year-old Yediyurappa. “Not out of grief, but with happiness,” he said, as he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President J P Nadda. Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot accepted Yediyurappa’s resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker CM till the next CM takes oath.b Yediyurappa termed his tenure for two years as “trial by fire”, recalling that he had to r...

  The prevalence of Delta variant of Covid-19 among specimens sequenced over the past four weeks exceeded 75 per cent in many countries worldwide, including India, China, Russia, Israel and the UK The prevalence of the highly-transmissible  Delta variant  of COVID-19 among specimens sequenced over the past four weeks exceeded 75 per cent in many countries worldwide, including India, China, Russia, Israel and the UK, the WHO has said. In the COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update published July 20, the World Health Organisation said that despite efforts to extend vaccination coverage, many countries across all six WHO regions continue to experience surges in coronavirus cases. Over the past week, the highest numbers of new cases were reported from Indonesia (350,273 new cases; a 44 per cent increase), the UK (296,447 new cases; 41 per cent increase), Brazil (287,610 new cases; 14 per cent decrease), India (268,843 new cases; 8 per cent decreas...

  At least 13 construction workers have died in a flooded highway tunnel in China’s Guangdong province, local media reported At least 13 construction workers have died in a flooded highway tunnel in  China ‘s Guangdong province, local media reported on Wednesday. The rescue team on Tuesday discovered three bodies and another 10 were found on Wednesday, Chinese newspaper Global Times reported Last week, 14 workers were reported to have been trapped in a waterlogged tunnel section of an under-construction highway in Zhuhai city. The tunnel has been under construction since 2019 and is expected to be finished by 2021. Meanwhile, the death toll from torrential rains in central China’s Henan Province has risen to 25 and seven people have been missing. So far, about 1,00,000 people have been relocated to safe places. More than 160 trains stopped services at Zhengzhoudong Railway Station, stranding a large number of passengers. The record rainstorm in the region is said to be the hea...

  The provincial weather bureau raised the storm alert for four cities in north of Henan – Xinxiang, Anyang, Hebi and Jiaozuo – to red, highest tier of a four-step colour-coded weather warning system Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated from flood-hit regions of central China   on Thursday as officials raised the death toll from heavy rains that have deluged Henan province for almost a week to 33 people. More cities were inundated and crops destroyed as the severe weather spread northwards, with the official Xinhua news agency reporting direct economic losses of 1.22 billion yuan ($189 million) so far. The provincial weather bureau on Thursday raised the  china storm   alert for four cities in the north of Henan – Xinxiang, Anyang, Hebi and Jiaozuo – to red, the highest tier of a four-step colour-coded weather warning system The fatalities included 12 people who were killed when the subway in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou, about 650 k...

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait left for Singhu border where farmers will gather from across all protesting sites and will then move towards Delhi to hold ‘Kisan Sansad’ at Jantar Mantar Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday left for Singhu border where farmers will gather from across all the protesting sites and will then move towards Delhi to hold ‘Kisan Sansad’ at Jantar Mantar. While speaking to ANI, Rakesh Tikait said that they will hold ‘Kisan Sansad’ at Jantar Mantar and will also monitor Parliament proceedings. “I, along with eight others (protesting farmers) will leave for the Singhu border, and then will go to Jantar Mantar. We will hold ‘Kisan Sansad’ at Jantar Mantar. We will monitor Parliament proceedings,” said BKU leader before leaving for Singhu border. Meanwhile, heavy security deployment at Singhu border and Tikri Border in view of  farmers’ prote st  against at Jantar Mantar amid monsoon session of Parliament. Amid the ongoi...

  More than 1.5 million children in 21 countries, including 119,000 from India, lost their primary and secondary caregivers to Covid-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic, according to Lancet More than 1.5 million children in 21 countries, including 1,19,000 from India, lost their primary and secondary caregivers to COVID-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic, according to a study published in The Lancet. The study funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stated that 25,500 children in India lost their mother to COVID-19 while 90,751 lost their father and 12 lost both their parents. The study estimates that 1,134,000 children lost a parent or custodial grandparent due to COVID-19. Of these, 10,42,000  children  lost their mother, father or both. Most lost one, not both parents. Overall, 1,562,000 children are estimated to have experienced the death of at le...