Budget 2018-19

  Under new IT rules, large digital platforms – with over 5 million users – will have to publish periodic compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken Google received 36,934 complaints from users and removed 95,680 pieces of content based on those complaints in July, the tech giant company said in its monthly transparency reports released on Tuesday. In addition to reports from users, Google also removed 5,76,892 pieces of content in July as a result of automated detection. The US-based company has made these disclosures as part of compliance with India’s IT rules that came into force on May 26. On Tuesday, Google said it had received 36,934 complaints in July from individual users located in India via designated mechanisms, and the number of removal actions as a result of user complaints was 95,680 – the highest so far. In June,  Google  had received 36,265 complaints and removed 83,613 pieces of content as a result of us...

  Nine new judges, including three women, were on Tuesday administered oath of office as judges of the Supreme Court, taking its strength to 33 Nine new judges, including three women, were on Tuesday administered oath of office as judges of the Supreme Court, taking its strength to 33. It is for the first time in the history of the apex court that nine judges took oath of office at one go. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana administered the oath of office to the new judges in a swearing-in ceremony held in the auditorium of the Supreme Court’s additional building complex. With the swearing-in of the nine new judges, the strength of the  Supreme Court  has risen to 33, including the CJI, out of the sanctioned strength of 34. The nine new judges who were administered oath of office as apex court judges include Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B V Nagarathna. Besides them, Justice C T Ravikuma...

  There are nearly 10 million children in Afghanistan “in desperate need of humanitarian aid”, said UNICEF Afghanistan Representative, adding these children are deprived of right to a healthy childhood There are nearly 10 million children in  Afghanistan  “in desperate need of humanitarian aid”, said UNICEF Afghanistan Representative, Herve Ludovic De Lys, adding that these children are deprived of their right to a healthy and protected childhood. “Those least responsible for this crisis, are paying the highest price — including the children killed and injured in a series of atrocities in Kabul since last Thursday”, the senior UN Children’s Fund official told correspondents. “Again, today, I heard of more unsettling reports – of unaccompanied children across the country…more reports of grave violations, including children being recruited by armed groups…All this in a year in which more than 550 children have been killed, and more than 1400 injured.” He said that against a...

  The last US troops are due to pull out of Kabul by Tuesday, after they and their allies mounted the biggest air evacuation in history, bringing out 114,000 of their own citizens and Afghans US anti-missile defences intercepted rockets fired at  Kabul airport  early on Monday, as the United States flew its core diplomats out of Afghanistan in the final hours of its chaotic withdrawal. The last US troops are due to pull out of Kabul by Tuesday, after they and their allies mounted the biggest air evacuation in history, bringing out 114,000 of their own citizens and Afghans who helped them over 20 years of war. Two US officials said the “core” diplomatic staff had withdrawn by Monday morning. They did not say whether this included top envoy Ross Wilson, expected to be among the last to leave before the final troops themselves. A US official said initial reports did not indicate any US casualties from as many as five missiles fired on the airport. Islamic State — enemies of ...

  Twelve of the 13 US service members killed in the August 26 Kabul airport bombing were “9/11 babies”, according to media reports Twelve of the 13 US service members killed in the August 26 Kabul airport bombing were “9/11 babies”, according to media reports. The Pentagon released their names and biographies on August 28. The victims, mostly aged from 20 to 25 years old, were born within a few years of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which led the US to launch two lengthy and painful wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Xinhua news agency reported. “They never knew a US that was not at war, never lived in the world before the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, a country without ID checks in office buildings, metal detectors at schools, shoes X-rayed at the airport,” said a Washington Post report on Sunday. “Our generation of Marines has been listening to the Iraq/Afghan vets tell their war stories for years,” Mallory Harrison, a f...

  Afghan children have paid the heaviest price in recent weeks of increased conflict and insecurity, said a UN Children’s Fund senior official, adding that the world “cannot abandon them now” Afghan children have paid the heaviest price in recent weeks of increased conflict and insecurity, said a UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) senior official, adding that the world “cannot abandon them now”. George Laryea-Adjei, Regional Director for UNICEF South Asia, said: “Now, with a security crisis, skyrocketing food prices, a severe drought, the spread of COVID-19, and another harsh winter just around the corner, children are at greater risk than ever.” The children have been deprived of basic healthcare that can protect them against polio, tetanus, and other diseases. With the conflict in the country intensifying, many have been forced from their homes and cut off from their schools and friends, UN News reported. The UNICEF has predicted that if the current trend continues, one million under-fi...

  An independent Covid-19 vaccine safety monitoring board considered that the woman’s death was due to myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine New Zealand on Monday reported what authorities said was the country’s first recorded death linked to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. The information was released by the health ministry following a review by an independent Covid-19 vaccine safety monitoring board of the death of a woman after receiving the vaccine. The ministry’s statement did not give the woman’s age. The board considered that the woman’s death was due to myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of the  Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine , the statement said. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can limit the organ’s ability to pump blood and can cause changes in heartbeat rhythms. “This is the first case in  New Zealand  where a death in the days following vaccination has been linked to the Pfizer ...

  The Taliban wants to maintain Afghanistan’s trade, economic and political relations with India, senior leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai said while describing it’s an important nation in the region The Taliban wants to maintain Afghanistan’s trade, economic and political relations with India, senior leader of the outfit Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai has said while describing it as an important country in the region. In a video address in Pashto, Stanekzai said consultations with various groups and political parties are going on to form a government in  Kabul  that will have representations from people from “different walks of life”. “We attach great importance to our trade, economic and political relations with India and want to maintain that relation,” Stanekzai said on Saturday. “We also need to keep the air trade open,” he was quoted as saying by Pakistani media outlet Independent Urdu. The Taliban leader was referring to the air corridor between India and Afghani...

  The risk of blood clots is higher after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus than after immunisation with Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines, according to a study The risk of developing adverse events such as blood clots is considerably higher after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus than after immunisation with Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, according to a large UK study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Friday. The team led by researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK conducted the study on thrombocytopenia — a condition with low platelet counts — and thromboembolic events or blood clots following COVID-19 vaccination with  Oxford-AstraZeneca  and Pfizer-BioNTech preventives. Some of these events have led to restricted use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield in India, in a number of countries. The researchers compared rates of adverse events after vaccination with rates of the same events after a positive SAR...

Two officials in Uttarakhand have been suspended for their alleged involvement in the fake COVID-19 testing scam during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. Two officials in Uttarakhand have been suspended for their alleged involvement in the fake COVID-19 testing scam during the  Kumbh Mela  in Haridwar. Then Mela officer (medical and health) Dr Arjun Singh Sengar and then officer-in-charge (medical and health) Dr N K Tyagi were suspended on Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s orders Thursday night. The action is based on the recommendation of a probe committee set up by the Haridwar District Magistrate to look into the fake testing scam. “Corruption and carelessness at any level will not be tolerated. Stern action will be taken against anyone who is found guilty in connection with the scam,” Dhami said. The probe panel found the officials to have been hand in glove with the companies involved in carrying out the fake rapid antigen tests during the Kumbh Mela in   Haridwar . It ...

  India was trying to evacuate as many people as possible from Afghanistan, the minister said Evacuating Indian personnel from Afghanistan, where the situation is “critical”, was a top priority, the government said on Thursday at the all-party meet, convened to brief on the Afghan situation. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed the leaders on the latest situation in  Afghanistan  after the Taliban captured power there last week. Besides Jaishankar, Union minister and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi were also present during the briefing in the Parliament House Annexe. India was trying to evacuate as many people as possible from Afghanistan, the minister said and asserted that evacuating Indian personnel was a “top priority”, according to some of the participants at the meeting. The government also described the situation in the war-torn country as “critical” and said the Taliban has broken the promi...

  The Islamic State group claims responsibility for the killings; the Taliban were not believed to have been involved in the attacks. Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to  Kabul ‘s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said. The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. About 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield, McKenzie said. The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely ...

  Having faced racial abuse in Australia, India’s new pace sensation Mohammed Siraj on Wednesday had spectators ‘throwing a ball at him’ while fielding at the boundary line Having faced racial abuse in Australia, India’s new pace sensation  Mohammed Siraj  on Wednesday had spectators “throwing a ball at him” while fielding at the boundary line, teammate Rishabh Pant revealed at the end of first day’s play in the third Test against England The TV cameras showed an angry Kohli asking Siraj stationed at boundary to throw the object out. When asked Pant did reveal what happened. “I think, somebody (from the crowd) threw a ball at Siraj, so he (Kohli) was upset. You can say whatever you want, chant, but don’t throw things at fielders. It is not good for cricket, I guess,” Pant said at the end of the first day’s play where England were 120 for no loss after bowling India out for 78. The 27-year-old Siraj, who played a key role in the team’s win the second Test at Lord...

  Officials said since Indian missions in Afghanistan are shut, the applications will be examined and processed in New Delhi The Union home ministry on Wednesday announced that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan. The decision comes days after the government introduced a new category of visa called “e-Emergency X-Misc visa” for the Afghan nationals after the  Taliban  captured power in that country. “Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the ‘e-Emergency X-Misc visa’, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa,” a home ministry statement said. The home ministry also announced that keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan national...

  Among their targets are celebrities, scientists, feminists and public figures, who can suffer censorship, blacklisting or loss of income Chinese virologist   Zhang Wenhong, is among a slew of recent high-profile targets in a campaign by nationalist web users to harass anyone they deem critical of China’s government and pressure officials and websites to censor them. They say Zhang undermined Beijing’s Covid-zero strategy by suggesting that China must learn to live with the virus. Internet users dug up his 20-year-old thesis and accused him of plagiarism. His alma mater, Fudan University in Shanghai, later said the allegation was false. Zhang’s case shows the widening scope of China’s keyboard nationalists who scour the web for posts or individuals they deem unpatriotic or subject to foreign influence. Among their targets are celebrities, scientists, feminists and public figures, who can suffer censorship, blacklisting or loss of income. Frequently, the irate netize...

  The militant group has been holding meetings in Kabul with Hamid Karzai, the first president after the U.S. invasion, and Abdullah Abdullah, No. 2 in the ousted administration The Taliban’s military takeover of  Afghanistan  was swift and decisive. Forming an inclusive government to avoid another civil war is proving to be much harder. The militant group has been holding meetings in Kabul with Hamid Karzai, the first president after the U.S. invasion, and Abdullah Abdullah, No. 2 in the ousted administration, after leader Ashraf Ghani fled the country earlier this month. The Taliban’s membership is drawn largely from the majority ethnic Pashtun population, which is most dominant in the southern part of the country. Despite having the upper hand now, the Taliban realizes any stable governing formation will need to include influential warlords and representatives from ethnic Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras. Without that, the country risks falling into the s...

  Hours after he was arrested over his controversial remarks against Uddhav Thackeray, Union minister Narayan Rane was granted bail by a court at Mahad on late Tuesday night Hours after he was arrested over his controversial remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray which triggered a political row and protests across Maharashtra, Union minister  Narayan Rane   was granted bail by a court at Mahad on late Tuesday night. The magistrate’s court denied the police’s request for his custody, but asked Rane to attend the Mahad police station on two days. The BJP leader had said during the Jan Ashirwad Yatra of his party on Monday that he would have slapped Thackeray over the latter’s ‘ignorance’ of the year of India’s independence.  “ Satyamev Jayate ” (truth always prevails), Rane tweeted after getting bail and on his way back to Mumbai. After his arrest on Tuesday afternoon, Rane was taken to Mahad in Raigad district, 165 km from Mumbai, where an FIR was r...

  A case has been registered against Karvy Stock Broking Ltd promoter C. Parthasarathy and others for allegedly cheating ICICI Bank to the tune of Rs 563 crore. A case has been registered against Karvy Stock Broking Ltd promoter C. Parthasarathy and others for allegedly cheating ICICI Bank to the tune of Rs 563 crore. According to a press release issued by the police on Tuesday night, the case was booked under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420, r/w 34 ( cheating) of IPC against the accused. Funds raised by KSBL by pledging shares of its six bankers were transferred to the firm’s own bank accounts, and not into Stock Broker Client Account’, which is in contravention with the SEBI guidelines, the police said. Further, all pledges on securities were closed without approval and securities were transferred to end clients of KSBL thereby severely impacting security of all lenders including  ICICI Bank , it said. The case was transferred to Economic Offences Wing...

  Youth Congress activists protested in Aizawl over the steep hike in power tariff, demanding the resignation of state power minister R Lalzirliana. Youth Congress  activists protested in Aizawl over the steep hike in power tariff, demanding the resignation of state power minister R Lalzirliana. Leading the demonstration outside Vanapa Hall here on Tuesday, state Youth Congress president Lalmalsawma Nghaka accused the government of robbing the people by hiking power tariffs and issuing bogus power bills. “The power minister should take responsibility for the hike and bogus bills and must oblige to resign from his office for failing to look after his department efficiently,” he said He said the government has hiked power tariff by 20.7 per cent, which came into effect in April, at a time when people are facing hardship and livelihood crisis due to the pandemic. Lalmalsawma claimed that power bills issued in August were mostly high and some poor families, who consumed very less ...

  Trump has slammed Biden on his Afghan policy and expressed concerns that thousands of terrorists might have been flown out of Afghanistan as part of the evacuation process Former US President Donald Trump has slammed his successor Joe Biden on his Afghan policy and expressed concerns that thousands of terrorists might have been flown out of Afghanistan as part of the evacuation process. Biden surrendered Afghanistan to terrorists and left thousands of Americans for dead by pulling out the military before our citizens, Trump said in a statement on Tuesday. Now we are learning that out of the 26,000 people who have been evacuated, only 4,000 are Americans. You can be sure, the   Taliban ,  who are now in complete control, didn’t allow the best and brightest to board these evacuation flights. Instead, we can only imagine how many thousands of terrorists have been airlifted out of Afghanistan and into neighbourhoods around t...

  There is no meaningful evidence that the Taliban are feeling any existential crisis, much less that they care about making money or running an economy Joe Biden doesn’t know what to make of the Taliban. Asked in an ABC News interview last week if he thought the Afghan insurgents had changed, the U.S. president gave a tortured answer that amounted to, “Yes, no and maybe.” It is worth examining his exchange with George Stephanopoulos in some detail for a full appreciation of Biden’s self-delusion: Q: What happens now in Afghanistan? Do you believe the Taliban have changed? A: No. I think… let me put it this way: I think they’re going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government. I’m not sure they do. Q: They care about their beliefs more? B: Well, they do. But they also care about whether they have food to eat, whether they have an income that th...

  Aid agencies say it is critical that medical and food supplies reach some 300,000 people displaced in Afghanistan over the past two months amid advances by Islamist Taliban insurgents More than 500 tonnes of medical supplies including surgical equipment and severe malnutrition kits due to be delivered to Afghanistan this week are stuck because of  Kabul airpor t  restrictions, the World Health Organization said on Monday. Aid agencies say it is critical that medical and food supplies reach some 300,000 people displaced in Afghanistan over the past two months amid advances by Islamist Taliban insurgents that culminated in their capture of Kabul on Aug. 15. Nearly 18.5 million people – half the population – rely on aid and the humanitarian needs are expected to grow due to drought. But the closure of Kabul airport to commercial flights has held up deliveries, WHO regional emergency director Dr. Richard Brennan told Reuters...

  Delta is not the end of the story for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Here’s what evolutionary theory tells us happens next The COVID-19 pandemic is a dramatic demonstration of evolution in action. Evolutionary theory explains much of what has already happened, predicts what will happen in the future and suggests which management strategies are likely to be the most effective. For instance, evolution explains why the  Delta varian t  spreads faster than the original Wuhan strain. It explains what we might see with future variants. And it suggests how we might step up public health measures to respond. But Delta is not the end of the story for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Here’s what evolutionary theory tells us happens next. Remind me again, how do viruses evolve? Evolution is a result of random mutations (or errors) in the viral genome when it replicates. A few of these random mutations will be good for the virus, conferring some ad...

  The Shenzhen Stock Exchange suspended more than 30 IPO plans on Aug. 18 slated for its ChiNext board, including a public share sale application from BYD Co’s semiconductor business Chinese bourses have halted processing more than 40 initial public offering (IPO) plans in Shanghai and Shenzhen amid an investigation into four intermediaries in the deals including a law firm and a broker, according to exchange disclosures. The Shenzhen Stock Exchange suspended more than 30 IPO plans on Aug. 18 slated for its ChiNext board, including a public share sale application from BYD Co’s semiconductor business, according to the official exchange filings. The  Shanghai Stock Exchange ,  meanwhile, has pressed the pause button on eight IPOs targeting the city’s tech-focused STAR Market since Aug. 19, exchange filings showed. The companies attributed the halt to an investigation by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) ...

  Ashok Kumar Saxena, 71, said in legal documents that he had invested $27,500 in Paytm parent One97 Communications two decades ago, but was never allotted any stock An Indian court on Monday has given police three weeks to conclude an investigation into claims from a former  Paytm  director who said he co-founded the digital payment platform but did not receive shares owed. Ashok Kumar Saxena, 71, in legal documents said he invested $27,500 two decades ago in Paytm parent One97 Communications but was never allotted any stock, Reuters reported this month  https://reut.rs/3j746WJ .