Temple in UP 'purified' with 'Gangajal' after woman BJP MLA's visit

A temple in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur town was purified with 'Gangajal' and statutes of deities were sent to Allahabad for purification after the visit of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Manisha Anuragi.

"Till today no women had entered the temple. Women are not allowed here. When Manisha Anuragi entered the premises, I was not there, otherwise, I would not have allowed her to enter," the priest of the temple told ANI.

Manisha Anuragi visited the temple on July 12 while she was in her assembly constituency to attend a function.

Commenting on the same, Manisha Anuragi said: "It's an insult to women if such things have happened. These are deeds of half-witted people."

The locals believe that the temple is from the Mahabharat era.

"Since there is a ban on women entering the temple, they can stand outside and pray," a local said.

Can't provide Info on Nirav Modi's passport due to privacy clause: MEA

Want to understand how exactly billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi managed to travel around the world despite his passport being “cancelled”? Well, a Right to Information query to the Ministry of External affairs will not yield any answers.

Ever since he left India, Nirav Modi has reportedly been travelling through various countries, even as his passport was under suspension and eventually cancelled.

In June, an RTI query with multiple questions was submitted to the ministry to unravel the mystery of Nirav’s international travel itinerary despite him being a fugitive.

The questions were whether the MEA knew Nirav’s passport number, the date of its suspension, details of his multiple passport booklets, including issuing authority, if he held them. There were also queries about the route that Nirav Modi had travelled to flee India, whether Indian passport can be used to trace a person’s route and if the ministry had used this method. Lastly, MEA was asked whether it was aware of Nirav Modi’s location in June.

In the 20th century, secular chicken came before the economic egg

We have known for decades that secular countries tend to be richer than religious ones. Finding out why involves unpicking a complex knot of cognitive and social factors – an imposing task. So my small research team thought we’d ask a more straightforward question: was it the secular chicken that came first, or the economic egg?

Our recent paper in Scientific Advances shows that, in the 20th century, secularisation occurred before economic development and not the other way around. Although this doesn’t prove secularisation makes a country wealthier, it does rule out the reverse. The arrow of time points in one direction, so economic performance cannot be expected to influence people’s opinions in the past.

Global Gallup surveys give us a clear view of the relationship between secularisation and economic development – that the world’s poorest countries are also its most religious. But before the days of modern surveys, the steam-powered scholars of the early 20th century had already noticed that industrialised societies tended to be less religious than agrarian ones; though they disagreed on the interpretation.

Odisha soon to join list of states having own 'Palace on Wheels' train

Indian Railways is all set to cash in on the tourism potential in Odisha's pristine beaches, cultural and heritage sites and charming wildlife. The eastern state may soon own a luxury train — similar to the iconic Palace on Wheels — showcasing the beauty of places like Puri, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack and Konark to the outside world.

With this, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) is set to enter the elite league of states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka that manage luxury trains targeting overseas consumers. The ministry of railways had invited proposals from around 15 states to own tourism trains in the month of February. However, only Odisha had responded to this ambitious plan.

The plan was finalised after a meeting between the railway officials and Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi in Bhubaneswar in July. A team of OTDC may visit Delhi in August to finalise the model of ownership. At present, Indian railways operate five luxury trains namely Palace on Wheels, Heritage Palace on Wheels (both by Rajasthan), Deccan Odyssey (Maharashtra), Golden Chariot (Karnataka) and Maharajas’ Express (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation).

Imran Khan's PTI mulls inviting Modi, other SAARC leaders for oath ceremony

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is considering inviting the leaders of the SAARC countries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his oath taking ceremony as the premier next month, a party official said today.

The PTI, led by 65-year-old Khan, has emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly after the July 25 elections, but it is still short of numbers to form the government on its own. Khan yesterday said that he would take oath as prime minister on August 11.

"The core committee of Tehreek-i-Insaf is considering inviting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) heads including Mr Modi and a decision on this is expected shortly," a leader of Khan's party told PTI.

Government seeks Parliament nod for Rs 117 bn additional expenditure

The government today sought Parliament's approval for additional gross additional expenditure of Rs 116.97 bn for the current fiscal.

As per the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants, 2018-19 tabled in the Lok Sabha, the net cash outgo totals Rs 5.95 trillion and gross additional expenditure aggregates to Rs 5.74 trillion.

Besides, the government has sought a token provision of Rs 10 million for enabling re-appropriation of savings in cases of new service or new instrument of service.

The government is seeking Parliament's nod to spend Rs 17.91 bn for the Agriculture Ministry, Rs 15 bn of the Textiles Ministry and Rs 10.57 bn for the Defence Ministry.

The government is also seeking Rs 17.08 bn for the Petroleum Ministry. The money would be given towards grants for the creation of capital assets under various schemes.

Under the head 'technical supplementary demands for grants', the government has sought Rs 9.8 bn for infusion of equity in Air India under the "turn around plan".

No SIT probe into Judge Loya death case as SC dismisses review plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking review of its April 19 verdict that had held that Special CBI judge B H Loya had died of "natural causes" on December 1, 2014, and had rejected PILs seeking an SIT probe into the death, questioning their motive.  

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud did not find any merit in the review petition filed by Bombay Lawyers Association, one of the petitioners in the case.

"We have carefully gone through the review petition and the connected papers, but we see no reason to interfere with the order impugned. The review petition is, accordingly, dismissed," the Bench said.

The apex court had rejected the PILs seeking a probe into the death of Loya, ruling that he had died of "natural causes", and held that the petitions were moved by political rivals to settle scores, which was a serious attempt to scandalise the judiciary and obstruct the course of justice through a "frontal attack" on its independence.

Vijay Mallya returns to UK court for closing arguments in extradition trial

Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, wanted in India on fraud charges, returned to Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Tuesday for closing arguments in his high-profile extradition trial.

The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 90 bn.

He arrived at the court along with his son Siddharth.

"At the end of the day, the courts will decide," Mallya tells reporters outside the court.

At the last hearing in the case on April 27, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had received a boost in the case as Judge Arbuthnot confirmed that the bulk of the evidence submitted by the Indian authorities will be admissible in the case.

The CBI had submitted a detailed set of documents to the UK court, which includes its case of conspiracy against former IDBI Bank Deputy Managing Director BK Batra, who was referred to in court as a new "villain" of sorts in the case.

In case of ambiguity, assessee must prove eligibility for tax exemption: SC

In a judgment that will benefit the revenue department, a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Monday said tax assessees will have to show clear proof to the Revenue Department that they are eligible for availing a tax exemption and the benefit of any ambiguity in exemption provision/notification would fall in the favour of the tax man.

The five-member bench, comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi, NV Ramana, R Banumathi, Mohan M Shantanagoudar and S Abdul Nazeer, was constituted to look into what is the rule to be applied while interpreting a tax exemption provision or notification when there is an ambiguity.

The bench put responsibility on the assessee to prove a tax exemption where the guidelines aren’t clear and said he cannot claim the benefit of any such ambiguity in provisions.

While overruling a judgment in the Sun Export case that had held a contrary view, the bench, in an 83-pages judgement, said “exemption notification should be interpreted strictly; the burden of proving applicability would be on the assessee to show that his case comes within the parameters of the exemption clause or exemption notification”.

After public concerns over 'bail-in' clause, govt to withdraw FRDI bill

The government has decided to withdraw the controversial FRDI bill and has informed about it to the Chairman of the parliamentary panel examining the proposed legislation.

Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Ray said in the Lok Sabha that Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has written to the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, saying the government has decided to withdraw the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill.

The Union Cabinet had earlier this month decided to withdraw the legislation in view of the concerns expressed by certain sections of people, including politicians, over the 'bail-in' clause, which they feared would harm the interest of depositors.

"Minister Piyush Goyal has written to the Chairman of the Committee saying that the government has decided to withdraw the bill... This is a victory of the opposition," Ray said while participating in a debate on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (2nd Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Assam NRC just a draft, no coercive action against those left out: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the publication of the complete draft NRC of Assam cannot be the basis of any coercive action against anyone since it is merely a draft.

It also directed the Centre to formulate standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with claims and objections.

The apex court directed the Centre to place the SOP before it for approval and said it should be fair and giving reasonable opportunity to contest exclusion.

A bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi and R F Nariman said the Centre should place the SOP before it by August 16 and that a local registrar has to give notice to those who have filed claims and objections, and give them reasonable opportunity for hearing.

At the outset, Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) coordinator Prateek Hajela placed before the court its status report giving details of publication of the draft NRC yesterday.

To this the bench asked what was the future course of action.

UK court wants video of Mumbai jail where Vijay Mallya might be kept

A UK court on Tuesday asked the Indian authorities to submit within three weeks a video of a cell at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai where they plan to keep Vijay Mallya post-extradition, as it set September 12 for closing arguments in his high-profile extradition trial.

Mallya, wanted in India on fraud charges, appeared before the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London where both defence and prosecution presented clarifications on Barrack 12 at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, where Mallya is to be held post-extradition.

After hearing the arguments, Judge Emma Arbuthnot asked the Indian authorities to submit within three weeks a video of the Barrack 12 of the Arthur Road Jail.

The Judge set the next hearing, for closing submissions, on September 12 and extended Mallya's bail until then.

Earlier, Mallya said the allegations of money laundering and stealing money against him are "completely false."

Gujarat is at the number one spot for making quality drugs in India

Gujarat is at the number one spot when it comes to manufacturing quality drugs in the country.
At 1.69 per cent of the total, it had the least share of non-standard-quality (NSQ) among states in 2017-18. In comparison, the national average of NSQ is around 4.62 per cent.
According to the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), of the 3,616 drug samples tested for quality compliance, only 395 were found to be of NSQ.
The state improved the quality compliance of drugs manufactured there — from 2.52 per cent NSQ drugs in 2013-14 to 1.69 per cent in 2017-18.
Gujarat has been doing well for the last five years or so. The percentage of NSQ drugs has been around 2-2.5 per cent compared to an all-India average of 5-6 per cent.
The regulator checks the drugs for quality out of random samples collected from the market.

These are then checked for quality compliance and to detect fake or spurious drugs.

Walmart to open 30 wholesale cash-and-carry stores in the next three years

US Retail major Walmart will open 30 wholesale cash-and-carry stores in the next three years, a top company official said on Monday.

The company, which opened its second fulfilment centre here, is also in the process of opening some more in India to tap its growing business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce business here.

We would launch two stores this year, eight stores next year and 10 stores a year after that, said Walmart India President and CEO Krish Iyer.

Walmart has plans to add 50 stores in next five to seven years, Iyer added.

Besides, the company has a signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of UP to have 15 stores in next few years in the state, lyer said.

We have already finalised three sites and six more are in the pipeline, Iyer added.

Tata Harrier to take architecture cues from Jaguar Land Rover: Details here

Tata Motors, a home-grown automobile manufacturer, has showcased the H5X sports utility vehicle (SUV) design prototype at the Auto Expo 2018. Now, based on the new design language, the carmaker is working on the first consumer-ready vehicle that is scheduled for launch early next year.

Named the Tata Harrier, the upcoming SUV would be the first vehicle from the stable of Tata Motors to showcase the company’s IMPACT Design 2.0 philosophy. The IMPACT Design 2.0, as defined by Tata Motors, is a contemporary expression of the company’s design language that grabs the attention of the viewer with unique proportions, expressive surfaces and details. The Tata Harrier will bring extraordinary exterior design, plush interiors and future-ready connectivity and infotainment.

Maruti Suzuki's Gurugram, Manesar plants together roll out 20 millionth car

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) on Monday said it has crossed cumulative production of 20 million vehicles in India from is Gurugram and Manesar facilities since inception.

The feat has been achieved in 34 years and 6 months since start of production in December 1983, the company said in a statement.

MSIL is the first car-maker in the country to cross the milestone.

"The 20 million production milestone is a testimony of trust in brand Maruti Suzuki," MSIL Managing Director & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said.

Out of the 20 million units, 14.37 million vehicles were manufactured in Gurugram, while 5.62 million vehicles were from the Manesar facility, the company added.

The company had achieved the one million production in March 1994, nearly after a decade after start of manufacturing cars.

Apple vs Amazon in race to surpass $1 trillion market capitalisation

As we head into the heat of earnings season this week, two technology giants sit at the threshold of a monumental achievement: surpassing $1 trillion in market capitalization.

Apple Inc., still the world’s most valuable company, sported a $941 billion valuation at the end of trading on Friday. The iPhone maker reports its third-quarter earnings results after the close of trading on July 31 and needs just a 6 per cent increase in stock price to hurdle over the magical mile marker. Amazon, reporting on Thursday, is a few paces behind with an $880 billion market cap. Though it needs a 13 per cent stock boost, it could conceivably get across the finish line first.

The potential photo finish could come down to the relative strength of their results.

To move the needle forward next week, Apple will need to show annual sales growth with its pricey, top-of-the-line iPhone X and to surpass 41 million iPhones sold during the third quarter last year. But in the past several years, the third quarter has been Apple's weakest for iPhone sales. Consumers know the company announces new iPhones every fall and often hold out for the very latest model or discounts to older ones.

Analjit Singh appointed as chairman of Max Financial Services Ltd

At its meeting earlier Monday, the Board of Max Financial Services (MFS), holding company of life insurance business of $3 billion Max Group announced the appointment of Analjit Singh as non-executive chairman of the company in a filing to stock exchanges.

Max Financial Services is the listed holding company for Max Life Insurance Company and was formed soon after the demerger of Max India Limited. That demerger resulted in the creation of three independent listed entities, namely, Max Financial Services, Max India Limited and Max Ventures & Industries Limited, collectively comprising the Max Group.

Analjit Singh is the sponsor and principal shareholder of MFS, Max India and MVIL. He replaces Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai who was appointed Chairman of Max Financial Services on 15th January, 2016.

McDonald's to recycle cooking oil into biodiesel for powering supply trucks

Hardcastle Restaurants, the master franchisee for McDonald's in the western and southern markets, is planning to recycle the used cooking oil and convert it into biodiesel for powering its refrigerated supply delivery trucks, a top company official said on Monday.

The company is currently piloting the project here, and is also looking at Bengaluru.

"We will soon bring all our 277 outlets under the recycling programme," Vikram Ogale, director, supply chain and quality assurance, Hardcastle Restaurants (HRPL), told reporters here.

The company started the pilot last year, with Unicon Biofuels, and has so far scaled it up to cover 85 restaurants in the city, converting over 35,000 litres every month into biodiesel, he said.

Piramal to invest Rs 6.5 bn as structured debt in hotel operator Samhi

Piramal Capital & Housing Finance, a unit of Piramal Enterprises, said on Monday that it will invest Rs 6.5 billion in Gurugram-based hotel operator Samhi Group.

The Samhi Group owns about 29 hotels. This structured debt investment will allow Samhi Group to support its growth plans and refinance existing lenders across three assets -– The Courtyard and Fairfield by Marriott in Bangalore, the Sheraton in Hyderabad and the Hyatt Regency in Pune, Piramal said in a release.

This is the third major investment made by Piramal in the hospitality sector over last six months. Prior to this, it had invested Rs six billion with the Gurugram-based Vatika Group and Rs six billion with Advantage Raheja Group.

Piramal has also concluded five other transactions, totalling to Rs 4.5 billion against five hotel assets, operated by top tier brands such as Taj, Hyatt, and Radisson, across regions like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Shimla and Goa. Of this, Rs one billion will be extended as last-mile funding towards completion of the first Taj Luxury Resort in Himachal Pradesh coming up in Theog, near Shimla.

Walmart expects timely clearance from CCI for Rs 16 bn Flipkart deal

Walmart expects timely approval from authorities for its $ 16 billion deal to acquire Flipkart, a top company official said.

The company is awaiting approval from fair trade regulator CCI, where its mega deal to acquire 77 per cent stake in leading e-commerce player Flipkart is pending.

This should happen in reasonable time... we are expecting timely approvals, said Walmart India President and CEO Krish Iyer.

He further said:"Basic approval is from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and its already in progress.

When asked how soon the company expects to complete the transaction, Iyer said,"We have not put any timeline for that. It is basically based on the law.

The company has already engaged counsel to pitch its case before the fair trade regulator.

Walmart to use blockchain technology to procure farm produce in UP

Global retail major Walmart intends to use the cutting edge blockchain technology in procurement of farm and agri produce in Uttar Pradesh.

Walmart India president and CEO, Krish Iyer, told Business Standard that blockchain architecture would help in the validation of transactions and efficient delivery management.

The blockchain project would be implemented as a pilot in UP, where Walmart has long been engaging with the farmers both at the level of procurement of farm produce for selling as well as social connect, he informed.

“The proposal would be discussed with the state government soon before being implemented,” he said adding such a pilot had been implemented by Walmart China.

Iyer maintained Walmart intended to make greater efforts to integrate more farmers to its systems and ensuring lucrative prices for agri commodities coming to its platform.

Apple engaging third party to make a few iPhone sets in Bengaluru: Govt

Technology major Apple has started making certain models of iPhone in Bengaluru through a contract manufacturer, Parliament was informed on Monday.

"While Apple has already started manufacturing of certain models of iPhone in Bengaluru through a contract manufacturer, details of private business decisions are not maintained by the Centre," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

The government has received representations seeking concessions including duty exemption on manufacturing and repair units, components, capital equipment and consumables for smartphone manufacturing, which have not been accepted, he said.

In a separate reply, the minister said as on July 15, 16,324 applications have been received of which 11,129 have been recognised as startups.

Maryam refuses to shift to Sihala, won't leave father Nawaz Sharif

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz has refused to move from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi to the rest house of Sihala Police Training College in Islamabad. According to Geo TV, Maryam told authorities that she would prefer staying with her father and husband, Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar at the Adiala jail. The jail administration wants to relocate Maryam to the Sihala rest house as the Adiala jail does not have facilities for female prisoners, as per the report. Earlier on Wednesday, sources told Geo TV that Sharif and Maryam were likely to be shifted from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi to Sihala rest house in Islamabad. The Islamabad chief commissioner had earlier declared the rest house as a sub-jail to keep the two figures.

Project 'Fuchsia': Google is quietly working on a successor to android

For more than two years, a small and stealthy group of engineers within Google has been working on software that they hope will eventually replace Android, the world’s dominant mobile operating system. As the team grows, it will have to overcome some fierce internal debate about how the software will work. The project, known as Fuchsia, was created from scratch to overcome the limitations of Android as more personal devices and other gadgets come online. It’s being designed to better accommodate voice interactions and frequent security updates and to look the same across a range of devices, from laptops to tiny internet-connected sensors. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has set his company in this direction — toward artificial intelligence services that reach consumers everywhere. Yet its prime operating systems, which depend on scores of hardware partners, haven’t kept up.

Microsoft soars past $800 bn in value after bumper growth in software biz

Shares of Microsoft Corp were set to open at a record high on Friday, after the company reported another blockbuster quarter, backed by growth in its legacy software business and Azure cloud computing services. Shares of one of the technology world's oldest and best-known names rose 4 per cent to $108.50 in trading before the bell, potentially adding nearly $32 billion to a market capitalisation that was already $802 billion at close on Thursday. At least six brokerages raised their price targets on the company's stock after the results. Helped by a boom in demand for cloud-based software, Microsoft has more than doubled in value since Satya Nadella took over as chief executive in 2014 and refocused the software behemoth on newer businesses. While Microsoft's core productivity and business processes unit, which includes the Office 365 software suite, rose 13.1 per cent to $9.67 billion, revenue for the Azure cloud service jumped 89 per cent.

SC rejects bail plea of juvenile accused in Gurgaon schoolboy murder

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a bail plea of a juvenile, accused of killing a seven-year-old boy in a private school in Gurgaon.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and Indu Malhotra rejected the plea which sought default bail on the ground that charge sheet was not filed within 60 days.

The bench said it is a heinous offence under section 302 of IPC and the time limit for filing the charge sheet was 90 days and not 60 days.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had on June 6 dismissed the bail plea of the 16-year-old student, accused of killing a seven-year-old boy in a private school in Gurgaon in September last year.

The high court had also rejected the accused's submission that he deserved the benefit of statutory bail on the ground that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed to conclude its probe within the prescribed limit of 60 days.

The accused had challenged in the high court the February 5 order of a Gurgaon sessions court which had rejected his plea saying that the stage was not fit for granting bail.

Rajya Sabha passes the amended anti-graft bill; here's all you should know

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013, that makes provisions for punishment to those giving bribe to a public servant, through a voice vote.

The Bill amends the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 redefining definitions and penalties for offences such as taking a bribe, being a habitual offender and abetting an offence.

Here are the changes and highlights of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2013:

1. Giving bribe is a specific and a direct offence.

2. It makes provision for protection to 'coercive' (forced to pay bribe) bribe givers if the matter is reported to the concerned law enforcement agencies within a week.

3. The Bill also redefines criminal misconduct and will now only cover misappropriation of property and possession of disproportionate assets.

4. The amended law proposes safeguards and protection to public servants, including those retired, from prosecution and makes it mandatory for investigative agencies to take prior approval from relevant authority before commencing any enquiry against them.

Supreme Court stays Madras HC order awarding grace marks to NEET students

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order of the Madurai bench of Madras High Court awarding 196 grace marks to NEET students who had opted to write the examination in the Tamil language on account of error in translation.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao stayed the order and issued notice on a plea of the CBSE challenging the high court order.

The bench posted the matter for hearing after two weeks and asked the parties to come out with a solution to deal with the situation, saying, "We cannot dole out marks in this fashion".

ALSO READ: Breach of privacy: Data of 250,000 NEET students being sold online
The bench observed that it appears that after the judgment, the students who opted for the Tamil language are in the advantageous position over others.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had on July 10 ordered the CBSE to grant 196 marks -- 4 marks each for 49 erroneously translated questions -- in the Tamil version of this year's NEET to the students who took the exam in the regional language.

India pushing ahead with Sustainable Development Goals: Syed Akbaruddin

India is pushing ahead with its efforts to meet the Sustainable Devolvement Goals by undertaking one of the highest rates of renewable energy expansion and building 11 million homes under the world's largest affordable housing programme, India's top envoy to the UN Syed Akbaruddin has said.

Speaking at the 'High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development' at United Nations on Thursday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN said India was looking forward to engaging constructively in global efforts for the achievement of the goals encapsulated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

"Our rapidly transforming world is pluralist and diverse but all our people have common aspirations for better lives," Akbaruddin said.

He said the country was "pushing ahead" on the Sustainable Devolvement Goals (SDGs) with strong political commitment and execution by all stakeholders.

Rahul Gandhi rakes up Rafale in Parliament, says PM Modi lied to nation

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said French President Emmanuel Macron had told him that there was no secrecy pact with India on the Rafale jet deal, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had lied to the nation about it.

"I personally met the French President and asked him if there was a secrecy pact with India. He told me that no such pact was signed between the two countries. He said he had no hesitation in saying this and that I can tell this to my country," Gandhi thundered in the Lok Sabha.

ALSO READ: No-confidence motion LIVE: Rahul Gandhi hugs PM Modi after fiery speech
Gandhi said the price per plane during the UPA regime was Rs 520 crore (Rs 5.2 billion) but when Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to France and "with some magic" powers, the price per plane increased to Rs 1,600 crore (Rs 16 billion).

"Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is here. She said she would reveal the price. But after that, she said clearly she cannot because the French and Indian governments have a secrecy pact."

Smartphone radiation may adversely affect memory in adolescents: Study

Long-term exposure to radiation from mobile phones may adversely affect memory performance of certain brain regions in adolescents, a study has found.

The study, appearing in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, involved nearly 700 adolescents in Switzerland.

Scientists at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) looked at the relationship between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from wireless communication devices and memory performance in adolescents.

The study found that cumulative RF-EMF brain exposure from mobile phone use over one year may have a negative effect on the development of figural memory performance in adolescents, confirming prior results published in 2015.

Figural memory is mainly located in the right brain hemisphere and association with RF-EMF was more pronounced in adolescents using the mobile phone on the right side of the head.

Delhi court to consider ED chargesheet in Agusta chopper case on July 23

A Delhi court will consider on July 23 whether to take cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged AgustaWestland VVIP chopper bribery case related to money-laundering.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar fixed the matter for Monday while noting that the investigating officer was also not present.

The Enforcement Directorate said they have recorded unimpeachable evidence supporting allegations against all accused persons.

The probe agency had on July 18 filed a supplementary charge sheet in a Delhi court accusing former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, and ex-IAF chief S P Tyagi of money laundering in a VVIP chopper bribery scam case.

It accused 34 Indian and foreign individuals and companies, including Tyagi, Italian middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, lawyer Gautam Khaitan and Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, of laundering money to the tune of around 28 million Euro.

SC Collegium reiterates Justice KM Jospeh's elevation as apex court judge

The Supreme Court Collegium has reiterated its decision to recommend Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph's name for elevation as apex court judge.

The five-member Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, said that there was "nothing adverse" regarding the suitability of Justice Joseph as has been pointed out in the letters of the Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The resolution of the Collegium meeting held on July 16 and uploaded on Friday said that the two letters written by the Prasad to the CJI while returning the recommendation of Joseph was "carefully considered".

ALSO READ: SC collegium defers reiteration of Justice Joseph's elevation to top court
Besides the CJI, other members of the Collegium are justices Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and A K Sikri.

Justice Sikri has replaced Justice J Chelameswar, who retired on June 22 and was member of the Collegium when Justice Joseph's name was recommended for the first time.

Railways to have 100% bio-toilets by 2019 to eliminate defecation on tracks

Indian Railways will have 100 per cent bio-toilets by next year that will make tracks safe and eliminate defecation on the rail lines, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.

He said that bio-toilets were one of the most successful stories of the Railways as 60 per cent of the coaches has already been fitted with it so far.

"The toilets on the entire rail network, whether passenger trains, express, Duronto, Rajdhani or unreserved ones, will be replaced with bio-toilets. We have already completed almost 60 per cent of the coaches.

"The work on the balance is going on expeditiously and by next year, it will be 100 per cent bio-toilets in the railways," the Minister said.

He said this will completely eliminate defecation on the tracks, which is not only unhygienic but affects rail safety because the uric acid damages them, causing accidents.

PLA holds ground combat drills in Tibet to test their skills

The special forces of the Chinese military have conducted drills in Tibet, including ground training for helicopter pilots, to test their skills in the high altitude region, state-run media reported on Friday.

The training simulated a behind-enemy-lines infiltration mission at an elevation of 4,000 metres in Tibet, the PLA Daily, the official organ of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) reported.

"Pilots and special forces rappelled down to the ground from helicopters and conducted the mission together," the report said yesterday.

This is the second military drill highlighted by the Chinese official media in over a fortnight in Tibet.

On June 29, an official media had reported that Chinese military units stationed in Tibet carried out a drill testing armament support capabilities as well as military civil integration in the Himalayan region bordering India.

No-confidence motion LIVE: No vacancy for PM post in 2019: Ram Vilas Paswan

The Lok Sabha on Friday took up a no-confidence motion against the government for debate and voting, two days after the start of the monsoon session. Top guns of the Opposition and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took part in the debate, which will conclude with a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress President Rahul Gandhi also gave a fiery speech during the debate.  

Seven hours have been set aside for the debate, which began shortly after 11 am and will continue without any lunch break.

The Modi government is expected to have a smooth sailing. In the 545-member (including the Speaker) Lok Sabha, the BJP-led NDA can bank on around 311 members, including the 273 of the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD's) 4, Shiv Sena's 18, Lok Janshakti Party's (LJP's) 6, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party's (RLSP's) 3, Janata Dal (United)'s (JD-U's) 2, Apna Dal's 2, All India N R Congress' 1, Sikkim Democratic Front's (SDF's) 1, and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party's (NDPP's) 1.  

No-confidence motion against BJP govt LIVE: Modi wants constructive debate

The Lok Sabha is taking up a no-confidence motion against the government for debate and voting on Friday, two days after the start of the monsoon session. Top guns of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will take part in the debate, which will conclude with a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is expected to speak during the day. Seven hours have been set aside for the debate, which will begin at 11 am and continue without any lunch break. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has allocated 3.5 hours to the BJP, 38 minutes to the Congress and 13 minutes to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). These figures, calculated based on the strength of a party in the House, were provided by officials to news agencies on Thursday. The Modi government is expected to have a smooth sailing. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) appears confident about its numbers, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar saying that it will be "NDA plus" at the end of voting. On the other hand, the Congress has said that it will use the occasion to "expose" the government's "failure"

What is a no-confidence motion? Find out as BJP govt, Opposition square off

The Lok Sabha will on Friday debate the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led government, moved by N Chandrababu Naidu-led former ally, the Telegu Desam Party (TDP). Seven hours have been set aside for this debate, which will begin at 11 am. On the first day of Parliament's monsoon session, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted the TDP's no-confidence motion against the Centre over the Andhra Pradesh special status row. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last faced a no-confidence motion under the leadership of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003. The Vajpayee-led government had defeated the motion with an overwhelming majority. What is a no-confidence motion? While Article 75 of the Indian Constitution specifies that the council of ministers shall be collectively responsible to the House of the People, there is no mention of a no-confidence motion in the Constitution: All it means is that the majority of the Lok Sabha members must be with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

Tariffs not the only reason Trump is attacking EU and siding with Russia

Donald Trumpa didn’t fly to Europe to meet with NATO, European leaders, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He got there by stepping through the looking glass. Once on the other side, Trump made a series of extraordinary statements that have effectively turned U.S. foreign policy upside down. He accused Germany of being “totally controlled by Russia.” He declared that the European Union is a “foe” of the United States. He told British Prime Minister Theresa May that she should forget about negotiating with the EU and sue the institution instead. And, just days after the U.S. intelligence community and special counsel Robert Mueller confirmed once again that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 elections, Trump said that he believed in Putin’s claims of Russian innocence. Why on earth would Trump embark on this surrealistic misadventure in foreign policy? True, his first instinct seems to be to disrupt. His statements also reveal his preference for “strong” leaders over “weak.” Perhaps, as some intelligence community insiders claim, the Russian president even has some dirt with which to blackmail Trump. In fact, Trump’s statements and actions on this European trip aren’t just his own idiosyncratic style. Trump’s erratic behaviour reflects a very specific worldview. Trump is attacking Europe and siding with Russia for political — and not just personal — reasons.

How new is Congress' new CWC? Rahul may have missed a chance

Rahul Gandhi has reconstituted the Congress Working Committee (CWC) – the highest decision-making body of the party – seven months after taking over the reins of the grand old party. The 84th plenary of the All India Congress Committee held in March had authorised Gandhi to set up a new committee. The new CWC is on the lines of the 34-member Steering Committee, formed and functional since February after dissolving the previous CWC. With the new team taking charge with less than a year to go for the general elections, the long-pending demand of a generational change in the party hasn’t become a reality. The speculations of an “old-guard” (swearing allegiance to Sonia Gandhi) being daggers drawn with ‘Team Rahul’ has also come a cropper, as many among the “old-guard” are still very much part of the new CWC. The new CWC has a total strength of 51 – 23 members, 18 ‘permanent invitees’ and ten ‘special invitees’ – compared to the 36 members in the previous committee. It has also been clarified that all the Congress ‘in-charges’ of states (who haven’t been accorded the position of a general secretary) will be ex-officio members of the committee. Likewise, five out of the ten ‘special invitees’ are also ex-officio positions reserved for the frontal organisations (National Students Union of India, Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, Indian National Trade Union Congress and Seva Dal) of the Congress.

News digest: LIC-IDBI Bank deal, anti-graft Bills, Bombay House, and more

RBI gives in-principle nod to LIC for acquiring majority stake in IDBI Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given an in-principle nod to Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) for acquiring a majority stake in IDBI Bank, sources said. The government-owned insurance behemoth had sought the banking regulator’s nod before it had approached the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) for seeking regulatory approvals, a senior government official said. Read more here Infosys loses 44% of its investment in Panaya, may see further erosion Infosys, the country’s second-largest IT services company, on Thursday said the fair value of its subsidiary Panaya at the end of 2017-18 stood at $130 million, a sharp drop of 44 per cent of the investment the company had made in the Israeli automation company. In a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the regulator in the US, the company, basing itself on its negotiations with prospective buyers, said it might see a further erosion in Panaya’s fair value. Read more here

Digital retail lending may reach $1 trn in the next 5 years, says report

Digital retail lending in the country could reach $ 1 trillion over the next five years, with annual digital disbursements witnessing a five-fold increase, said a report. Digital retail lending has seen explosive growth both globally and in the country, a report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said on Thursday, adding while the juggernaut was led by fintechs, traditional lenders have now joined the fray. It said technological advancements will transform the face of front-end consumer experience, as well as enable full-scale digitization of operations. Fueled by these shifts, BCG expects lending firms to witness a dramatic shift in power bases. "A confluence of these factors could drive over $ 1 trillion being disbursed digitally in the coming five years with annual digital disbursements increasing fivefold from current levels," the report said.

Diesel price rise, toll fees: Nationwide truckers strike begins today

Millions of truckers from across the country are set to go on an indefinite strike on Friday, demanding a slew of actions from government, including lowering diesel prices and toll fees, a union leader said on Thursday. Unionised truckers claim over 9.3 million members and the strike was announced on May 17. Government is engaged in last ditch efforts to persuade truckers in the highly road transport concentrated economy not to go ahead with their call, officials said. "We held a meeting with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari today but that was inconclusive. We are meeting finance minister Piyush Goyal at 2130 hrs today," Bal Malkit Singh, chairman of the All-India Motor Transport Congress core committee, told PTI over phone. He, however, sounded sceptical if any solution can be found during the late night meeting and added that the strike will go on as announced.

US confirms September 6 as date for holding first '2+2 dialogue' with India

The inaugural 'two-plus-two dialogue' between India and the US will be held on September 6 in New Delhi, the State Department announced today. Last month, the US had postponed the dialogue due to "unavoidable reasons". "The United States is pleased to announce that the inaugural US-India '2+2 dialogue' will be held in New Delhi, India, on September 6," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

After Google fined $5 bn, Trump says EU 'taking advantage of the US'

US President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized the European Union over a record $5 billion fine EU antitrust regulators imposed on Google, saying the bloc was taking advantage of the United States. EU officials on Wednesday also ordered Google to stop using its popular Android mobile operating system to block its rivals, adding to trade tensions between Washington and Brussels. Trump took to Twitter over the decision: "I told you so! The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!" In an interview aired on Sunday by CBS, Trump labelled the EU a "foe" with regard to trade. Two former antitrust enforcers said it was unusual but not unheard of for officials to comment on decisions by enforcers in other jurisdictions. "This is totally counterproductive. Whether or not you like the result, this is law enforcement in Europe and we wouldn't like anyone interfering with law enforcement in the US," said Gene Kimmelman, a Justice Department veteran now with advocacy group Public Knowledge. "I see it doing no good for Google or anyone else."

Burberry burns products worth $37 mn so that 'wrong people' don't buy them

Designer fashion label Burberry burns $37 million worth of its luxury products every year to stop "wrong people" from buying them. Burberry does so to protect the brand and to prevent it from being sold at discount prices on the "grey market" and to the "wrong people", reports thesun.co.uk According to a report by The Times, the upmarket clothing line, famous for its checked design, has destroyed 90 million pounds of products in the past five years. Retailers describe it as a measure to protect intellectual property and prevent products from being stolen or sold at discounted prices. Burberry says it uses special incinerators which harness the energy.

Trump calls Helsinki summit a great success, may host Putin in Washington

US President Donald Trump, under fire over his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin, doubled down on Thursday by saying he looks forward to meeting the Russian leader again -- with talks already underway for a visit to Washington in the fall. Trump has come in for bipartisan criticism for what many saw as his unsettling embrace of the Russian strongman this week -- and the seeming disavowal of his own intelligence agencies and their assessment that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election. The backlash has thrust Trump onto the defensive, leading to days of conflicting statements from both the president and the White House. But Trump has largely shrugged off the criticism and took aim at the "fake news media" Thursday for failing to recognize his achievements. "The Summit with Russia was a great success, except with the real enemy of the people, the Fake News Media," Trump said on Twitter. "The Fake News Media wants so badly to see a major confrontation with Russia, even a confrontation that could lead to war." The Summit with Russia was a great success, except with the real enemy of the people, the Fake News Media. I look forward to our second meeting so that we can start implementing some of the many things discussed, including stopping terrorism, security for Israel, nuclear........

Donald Trump says he is 'not thrilled' with Federal Reserve's rate hikes

US President Donald Trump on Thursday told CNBC that he was unhappy about the Federal Reserve's decision to hike interest rates, saying he was concerned about their potential impact on the US economy and American competitiveness. "I'm not thrilled," he said in an interview on the television network. "Because we go up and every time you go up they want to raise rates again. I don't really - I am not happy about it. But at the same time I'm letting them do what they feel is best." "I don't like all of this work that we're putting into the economy and then I see rates going up," he said. Trump added that he was concerned that the Fed's rate hikes may put the United States at a "disadvantage" while the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank keep their monetary policy loose. This was not the first time Trump departed from a long-standing practice of US presidents steering clear of commenting on Fed policy and the value of the dollar, a custom he dismissed on Thursday. "Now I'm just saying the same thing that I would have said as a private citizen," he said. "So somebody would say, 'Oh, maybe you shouldn't say that as president.' I couldn't care less what they say, because my views haven't changed."

Why EU order against Google may open new doors for Samsung, Lenovo

A European Union antitrust judgement against Google on Wednesday invites more competition from software developers including Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, but still leaves them at a disadvantage, industry executives and analysts told Reuters. The EU found that the Alphabet Inc unit illegally bolstered its dominance in the mobile business since 2011 by forcing Android device makers to pre-install Google Search and its Chrome browser together with its Google Play app store, paying them to pre-install only Google Search, and blocking them from using modified versions of Android. ALSO READ: Google to appeal against $5 bn penalty by EU in Android antitrust case The ruling aims to open the door for Samsung, Lenovo Corp and other phone makers that have been tied to selling devices full of Google applications to start using some alternative software from the likes of Microsoft and Amazon without the device losing too much of its consumer appeal, according to EU press statements and EU sources on condition of anonymity.