Budget 2018-19

  Senior Karnataka Congress leader KR Ramesh Kumar made a sexist and unsavoury comment on rape in the state Assembly Senior  Karnataka Congress leader  and former Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Thursday made a sexist and unsavoury comment on rape in the state Assembly. Speaking in the Assembly, Kumar said, “There is a saying that when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it. That is exactly the position in which you are.” The senior Congress MLA’s remark was made when MLAs began to demand time from Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri to discuss farmers’ issues in the Assembly. When the Speaker asked how the Session would be conducted if the time was allotted to everyone. “Whatever you decide I will say yes. What I am thinking is that let us enjoy the situation. I can’t control or regulate the system, my concern is about the business of the house, it has also to be covered,” the Speaker told the members. To this, the  Congress MLA  Ramesh Kumar mad...

  Two South Florida men have pleaded guilty in Ohio to leading a nationwide scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $35 million in COVID-19 relief loans Two South Florida men have pleaded guilty in Ohio to leading a nationwide scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $35 million in  COVID-19 relief loans .James Stote, 55, of Hollywood, Florida, and Phillip Augustin, 52, of Coral Springs, Florida, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Akron, Ohio, federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to court records. They each face up to 20 years in prison. While many businesses in our communities relied upon relief funds to keep their doors open and employees paid, these defendants profited off a scheme that stole millions of taxpayer dollars intended for struggling businesses and spent it lavishly on themselves, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio said in a statement. According to court documents, Stote and Augustin led a group that ...

  Congress MLA K R Ramesh Kumar, who had courted controversy by saying “enjoy rape when it is inevitable”, apologised for his ‘off the cuff remark’ Senior  Congress MLA  and former Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, who had courted controversy by saying “enjoy rape when it is inevitable” inside the Karnataka Assembly, apologised for his ‘off the cuff remark’ on Friday. “I would like to express my sincere apologies to everyone for the indifferent and negligent comment I made in today’s assembly about ‘Rape!’ My intention was not trivialise or make light of the heinous crime, but an off the cuff remark! I will choose my words carefully henceforth!” Ramesh Kumar tweeted. During the discussions on rain and flood related damages in the  Karnataka assembly  on Thursday, many MLAs wanted to speak to highlight the plight of people in their constituencies. Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri found himself in a fix as he wanted to wind up the discussion at the earl...

  The world famous Saibaba Temple at Shirdi in Ahmednagar is all set to receive Union Home Minister Amit Shah . The world famous S aibaba Temple  at Shirdi in Ahmednagar is all set to receive Union Home Minister Amit Shah who arrives on a two-day visit to Maharashtra starting Saturday, officials said here on Friday. A trust official said Shah is likely to take ‘darshan’ of Saibaba Samadhi Temple prior to the pre-noon ‘aarti’ to ensure there is no disturbance to the regular devotees who throng here from all over the country daily. The trust is planning to felicitate the Union Home Minister — who has been a frequent visitor to the temple in the past — in Maharashtrian traditions with a shawl, coconut, Saibaba’s ‘vibhuti’ (holy ash) and a miniature statue of the saint revered by all communities. Several other engagements are lined up for Shah in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmednagar during his trip. Besides the  Shirdi Temple , Shah — who is also the Union Cooperatives Minister — will...

  Amid the Omicron scare, the Mumbai police have said prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 will be imposed in the city from December 16 to December 31 Amid the Omicron scare, the Mumbai police has said prohibitory orders under CrPC  section 144  will be imposed in the city from December 16 to December 31, a period covering Christmas and New Year eve, banning large gatherings as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. They also said only people up to 50 per cent of the capacity at a venue will be allowed to attend any event and organizers of programmes should be fully vaccinated against coronavirus. An order imposing section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) within the Mumbai commissionerate limits from Thursday was issued by the deputy commissioner of police (operations) on Monday. The section prohibits the gathering of five or more persons at one spot and holding of public meetings, among other things. According to the order, people have to fo...

  Employees of public sector banks went on two-day strike against the move to privatise public sector banks impacting normal banking operation across the country Employees of  public sector banks  (PSBs) on Thursday went on two-day strike against the move to privatise public sector banks impacting normal banking operation across the country. Many branches across different parts of the country were shut as the United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions including All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) had given two day strike call. As a result, services such as deposits and withdrawal at branches, cheque clearance and loan approvals might be affected due to the strike. But ATMs are expected to function as usual. Public sector lenders, including State Bank of India, had informed customers that services in their branches might be affected due to ...

  Research shows that the number of air quality monitors in India per million people is lower than other highly populated countries. This prevents it from gauging the true extent of various pollutants With its size, population and aggravating air pollution, India needs 1,600 to 4,000 air quality monitors but has only 804 as of September 16, 2021, most of which are concentrated in urban areas, shows research. This, experts say, prevents India from knowing the true extent, scale and geographical spread of various pollutants, and limits the government’s ability for preventive public health measures. India has nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, but with 200 particulate matter (PM) 2.5 monitoring sites in operation during the 2010-2016 period, India’s air quality monitor density–about 0.14 monitors per million people–is below China (1.2), the United States of America (3.4), Japan (0.5) and Brazil (1.8), according to research from 2019. As a consequence, India does not acc...

  About 2.5 million ceremonies are estimated to have taken place since mid-November, around a quarter of this year’s expected annual total. A quick glance at social media feeds in India over the past month shows a flurry of weddings as couples rush to tie the knot following a lifting of some virus curbs. About 2.5 million ceremonies are estimated to have taken place since mid-November, around a quarter of this year’s expected annual total, after the government eased some restrictions around gatherings. It’s a stark turnaround for India’s jewelers, who have seen demand hammered for almost two years as the coronavirus led to the postponement of many weddings — a key source of demand for the nation that considers buying and gifting of gold as auspicious — while broader financial hardship further curbed purchases. The bumper festival season may help push India’s gold imports to as much as 900 tons this year, the highest in six years , Metals Focus Ltd  said. That’s up from about 3...

  US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) said that Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill mark a significant step forward in the path out of the pandemic. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) said that Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill mark a significant step forward in the path out of the pandemic.v”I am encouraged by the promising data released by Pfizer today, showing that its antiviral pill is effective at reducing the risk of severe illness in people infected with  COVID-19 . This news provides another potentially powerful tool in our fight against the virus, including the Omicron variant,” read a statement from the President on Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill. “Getting vaccinated and getting your booster shot to remain the most important tools we have to save lives. But if this treatment is indeed authorized — and once the pills are widely available — it will mark a significant step forward in our path out of the pandemic,” added the statement. Earlier on Tue...

  Gangster Suresh Pujari, wanted in several extortion cases in Mumbai region and Karnataka, has been deported to India, a senior police official said on Wednesday. Gangster  Suresh Pujari , wanted in several extortion cases in Mumbai region and Karnataka, has been deported to India, a senior police official said on Wednesday. Pujari, also wanted in extortion cases in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Dombivli near Mumbai, was brought back to India late Tuesday night after he was arrested and extradited from the Philippines. Intelligence Bureau (IB) and CBI officials took his custody after he landed at Delhi airport, the official said. He will be handed over to Mumbai Police after the central agencies interrogate him, the official said. A Mumbai crime branch team is already in Delhi to take his custody. Mumbai and Thane police had issued red-corner notices against him in 2017 and 2018 respectively after several extortion cases. Pujari, who was on the run for over 15 years, ...

  After the Ganga in Kanpur and Varanasi, the Saryu in Ayodhya, and Yamuna in Vrindavan are all set to become pollution-free. After the Ganga in Kanpur and Varanasi, the Saryu in  Ayodhya , and Yamuna in Vrindavan are all set to become pollution-free as the drains falling into these rivers have been tapped. The water of the drains connecting to the sewage treatment plants (STP) is being treated and purified. The water of as many as 37 drains in prominent cities have been prevented from falling into rivers. New STPs have been set up on the banks of rivers. In the last one year, total 72 drains have been tapped. According to officials, water quality of major rivers, including Ganga, has improved significantly due to the work being carried out under the ambitious Namami Gange programme. A new STP of 50 million litres per day (MLD) capacity has been prepared in Ramna in Varanasi at a cost of Rs 161.31 crore and three drains falling into the  Ganga  have been tapped. Prin...

  The pledge builds on the collaboration between   Oxford University , AstraZeneca and SII, the world’s largest maker of vaccines Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) has pledged 50 million pounds ($66.2 million) to the University of Oxford for setting up a research campus that would also house the institute behind the  AstraZeneca -Oxford COVID-19 shot. The investment was made through the Indian company’s Serum Life Sciences unit, Oxford University said on Wednesday. The research building would be named after Serum’s billionaire owners, the Poonawalla family. The pledge builds on the collaboration between Oxford University, AstraZeneca and SII, the world’s largest maker of vaccines and the producer of a version of the British duo’s COVID-19 shot for low- and middle-income countries. SII has also agreed with the Jenner Institute, which was behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, to produce and develop Jenner’s R21/Matrix-M malaria shot on a large scale. Th...

  Oil prices fell on Tuesday due to investor worries about demand after renewed restrictions were imposed in Europe and Asia amid a rise in coronavirus cases Oil prices fell on Tuesday due to investor worries about demand after renewed restrictions were imposed in Europe and Asia amid a rise in coronavirus cases. Brent crude oil futures eased by 34 cents, or 0.5%, to $74.05 a barrel by 0401 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell by 35 cents, or 0.5%, to $70.94. “Energy traders don’t want to bet against OPEC+ but all the short-term risks from Omicron to Fed tightening is proving to be very disruptive to the short-term outlook for oil prices,” said Edward Moya, senior analyst at OANDA. “The virus spread across Europe is delivering a bigger hit than expected and when you calculate family gatherings for the holidays, the short-term outlook could get slashed over the next month.” Governments around the world, including most recently Britain and Norway, were tig...

  The NDPS (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by a voice vote and some amendments moved by opposition members were rejected Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to rectify errors that had crept into the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act with Finance Minister  Nirmala Sitharaman  asserting that the retrospective provision made in the bill was not substantive in nature. The NDPS (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by a voice vote and some amendments moved by opposition members were rejected by the House. Responding to concerns raised by members that the provision for implementing the law with retrospective effect was in violation of Article 20 (1) of the Constitution, Sitharaman said according to the opinion of the Solicitor General, the amendment could be permitted as it was not substantive, but clarificatory in nature. She said the retrospective amendment was allowed as the government did not want to create a new law but only correct a mistake… Read Mor...

  “Everyone ran out into the street,” Agustinus Florianus, a resident of Maumere town on Flores island, told Reuters. A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Friday triggering a tsunami warning, the meteorological department said, but there was no immediate word on any casualties or damage. The US Geological Survey later said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3. “Everyone ran out into the street,” Agustinus Florianus, a resident of Maumere town on Flores island, told Reuters. Tsunami warnings were issued for the areas of Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and Southeast and South Sulawesi, after the quake hit 112 km (69.59 miles) northwest of Larantuka, in the eastern part of Flores, at a depth of 12 km. A 5.6-magnitude aftershock hit Larantuka after the first quake, the agency said. Alfons Hada Betan, head of East Flores Disaster Mitigation agency in Larantuka said there were no immediate reports of damage and the quake was felt for several minutes ...

  Post listing, the stock has moved higher by up to Rs 614.95, up 12 per cent against the issue price of Rs 550 per share on the BSE Anand Rathi Wealth (ARWL), one of the leading non-bank wealth solutions firms in India, has made a decent stock market debut, with its equity shares listed at Rs 602.05, a 9 per cent premium over its issue price of Rs 550 per share on the BSE. The stock opened at Rs 600 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Post listing, the stock moved higher to Rs 614.95, up 12 per cent versus the issue price. At 10:01 am; it was traded at Rs 611 on the BSE. A combined around 4 million equity shares changed hands on the NSE and BSE in early trades.Commenting on the market deubut, “We expect a sharp decline in the stock post-listing. My advice to investors is to book listing gain profit and re-enter at around Rs 420 per share levels,” said Ravi Singhal, vice-chairman at GCL Securities. The initial public offering (IPO) of ARWL had received good response from the inve...

  The Taliban on Sunday shot dead a 20-year old boy, Faisal who was attending an engagement function in Police District two of the Afghan capital Kabul. The Taliban on Sunday shot dead a 20-year old boy, Faisal who was attending an engagement function in Police District two of the Afghan capital Kabul. Eyewitnesses and his uncle of whom the killed Faisal was attending the wedding said, they were directed to stop for check post and they did but were shot at, reported Khaama Press. “We were returning from my engagement function and were directed to stop in a check post of the Taliban in  Quwa-e-Markaz . We stopped and were searched by the Taliban and then they allowed us to go, when we went there were four other Taliban who started shooting and shot dead Faisal”, said Faisal’s Uncle. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior Affairs Saeed Khostai confirmed the incident and added that two culprits have been arrested. “The people were asked to stop to a check post and the Mujahidee...

  The Central Board of Secondary Education (SBSE) had referred the matter to subject experts on Sunday and sought their feedback. The CBSE on Monday dropped a comprehension passage and the accompanying questions from the Class-10 English exam and decided to award full marks for it to students, following an outrage over the board allegedly promoting “gender stereotyping” and supporting “regressive notions”. The  Central Board of Secondary Education  (SBSE) had referred the matter to subject experts on Sunday and sought their feedback. In the Class-10 exam conducted on Saturday, the question paper carried a comprehension passage with sentences such as emancipation of women destroyed the parents’ authority over the children” and “it was only by accepting her husband’s way that a mother could gain obedience over the younger ones”, among others.Excerpts from the passage have gone viral on social media platforms with users calling out the board for supporting “misogynistic” and...

  Chinese e-commerce major Alibaba has fired an employee who accused her boss and a client of  sexually assaulting  her on a business trip after getting her drunk Chinese e-commerce major  Alibaba  has fired an employee of who accused her boss and a client of sexually assaulting her on a business trip after getting her drunk, media reports said on Sunday. The dismissal letter said she had “spread falsehoods that had damaged the company’s reputation”, the BBC reported. The employee went public with her allegations in August, saying the company had failed to take action on the incident which occurred in July. Her boss was subsequently fired, but did not face criminal charges. The client is still thought to be under police investigation. The employee told government-backed newspaper Dahe Daily that she was fired late last month. It published a copy of what she said was her termination letter. The letter said she had spread false information about the assault and ab...

  The merged entity would have a combined AUM of over Rs 1.5 trillion, distribution network of over 3,500. All of these would be serviced by 50,000 employees Shriram group will merge  Shriram Capital Ltd  (SCL) and Shriram City Union Finance Ltd (SCUF) with Shriram Transport Finance Ltd (STFC) as part of restructuring in the group. The new entity will be named Shriram Finance Ltd. The merged entity would have a combined Assets Under management (AUM) of over Rs 1.5 trillion and a distribution network of over 3500. All of these would be serviced by a team of 50,000 employees. Pursuant to the merger, Shriram Transport will issue 1.55 shares for every one share of SCUF and 0.097 shares for every one share of SCL, STFC said in filing with BSE. The boards of three companies have approved the merger of SCL & SCUF with STFC. The merger is subject to the approval of shareholders of three companies and regulatory bodies like  Reserve Bank of India  and National Housin...

  A cargo truck jammed with people rolled over and crashed into a pedestrian bridge over on a highway in southern Mexico on Thursday, killing at least 49 A cargo truck jammed with people who appeared to be Central American migrants rolled over and crashed into a pedestrian bridge over a highway in southern Mexico on Thursday, killing at least 53 people and injuring dozens more, authorities reported. The federal Attorney General’s Office said the preliminary estimate lists 53 dead, with three of the injured in critical condition. Luis Manuel Moreno, the head of the Chiapas state civil defense office, said about 21 of the injured had serious wounds and were taken to local hospitals. The crash occurred on a highway leading toward the Chiapas state capital. Photos from the scene showed victims strewn across the pavement and inside the truck’s freight compartment. Video footage showed the dead and injured migrants jumbled into a pile inside the collapsed freight container, with some str...

  Fuel demand rose in October to a seven-month peak, while gasoline sales surged to an all-time high, as festivals boosted mobility and economic activity (Reuters) – India’s fuel consumption fell in November after scaling a seven-month peak last month, government data showed on Thursday, as demand eased in the world’s third biggest oil consumer after festival season. Fuel consumption, a proxy for oil demand, totalled 17.13 million tonnes, down 4% from October and was 11.4% lower than a year before, data from the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell showed. Fuel demand rose in October to a seven-month peak, while gasoline sales surged to an all-time high, as festivals boosted mobility and economic activity. “Drop-off in demand points to seasonal factors,” said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at brokerage OANDA. “However,  fuel demand  outlook remains upbeat going into 2022 as COVID is not really impacting the country and good growth outlook on continued reope...

  COVAX needs a new set of rules in the long term to prevent the hoarding of vaccines by high income and vaccine-producing countries, a WHO senior advisor said COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing network, needs a new set of rules in the long term to prevent the hoarding of vaccines by high income and vaccine-producing countries, a senior advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. COVAX , which is co-led by the WHO and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), suffered as high-income countries used their purchasing power to steer the flow of vaccines, while manufacturing countries prioritised domestic distribution, said Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the WHO Director General. “You can’t vaccinate one part of the world and then make low-income countries wait,” he told media on the sidelines of meetings for the G20’s financial track on the Indonesian island of Bali.COVAX has since January largely allocated doses of  COVID-19 vaccines  prop...

  Musk said during a conference call in January that he that he expects to be the CEO of Tesla for ‘several years’. Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer  Elon Musk  is “thinking of” leaving his jobs and becoming an influencer, the world’s richest man tweeted on Thursday. “thinking of quitting my jobs & becoming an influencer full-time wdyt,” Musk said in the tweet, without elaborating. It was not immediately clear if Musk, a prolific user of the social media platform, was being serious about quitting his roles. Musk, who is also the founder and CEO of rocket company SpaceX, and leads brain-chip startup Neuralink and infrastructure firm The Boring Company, said during a conference call in January that he expects to be the CEO of  Tesla  for “several years”.

  Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday expressed his condolences over the demise of Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday expressed his condolences over the demise of Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, who along with his wife was among the 13 persons who were killed after an IAF chopper they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. Taking to twitter, Shah said, “A very sad day for the nation as we have lost our Chief of Defence Staff, General  Bipin Rawat  Ji, in a very tragic accident. He was one of the bravest soldiers, who served the Motherland with utmost devotion. His exemplary contributions and commitment cannot be put into words. I am deeply pained.” In another tweet, he said: “I also express my deepest condolences on the sad demise of Smt. Madhulika Rawat and 11 other Armed Forces personnel. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. May God give them the strength to bear t...

A preliminary laboratory study demonstrated that three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant while two doses show significantly reduced neutralization titers. A preliminary laboratory study demonstrated that three doses of the  Pfizer-BioNTech  COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529 lineage) while two doses show significantly reduced neutralization titers. Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE announced results from an initial laboratory study demonstrating that serum antibody induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant after three doses. Data indicated that the third dose of BNT162b2 increased the neutralizing antibody titers by 25-fold compared to two doses against the  Omicron variant ; titers after the booster dose are comparable to titers observed after two doses against the wild-type virus which are associated with high levels of protection, reported Pfizer and B...

  Rawat and his entourage had flown in the morning in an Embraer Legacy jet from Delhi to Sulur Air Force Base, near Coimbatore The country’s most senior serving soldier, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General  Bipin Rawat , was killed in a helicopter crash in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, when he was flying to give a lecture at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington.vWith him in an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17V-5 helicopter were his wife, Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other armed forces personnel. The only survivor was the pilot, Group Captain Varun Singh, who is battling for his life in Military Hospital Wellington. Paying tributes to General Rawat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “an outstanding soldier” and “a true patriot” who greatly contributed to modernising India’s armed forces and security apparatus. “As India’s first CDS, General Rawat worked on diverse aspects relating to our armed forces including defence reforms,” he said. Ra...