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Congress will hold countrywide protests today to oppose the government's decision to hold NEET 2020, JEE Main exams during the coronavirus pandemic. Stay tuned for LIVE news updates

The Supreme Court on Friday held that state governments will not be allowed to promote students without holding final year university examinations amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Court gave states the discretion to approach the University Grants Commission (UGC) for an extension of the deadline by which, final year exams should be completed.

The Bench held today that the decision taken by the State of Maharashtra to cancel exams amid the pandemic under the Disaster Management Act shall prevail. In its revised guidelines, the UGC mandated that all final year exams be conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while following the Standard Operating Procedure.

An SC Bench had earlier reserved its judgement on whether final-year degree examinations at universities should be held before September 30 in accordance with the UGC guidelines.

The Congress, meanwhile, will hold countrywide protests today to oppose the government's decision to hold NEET 2020, JEE Main exams during the pandemic.

Also today, the Punjab Assembly will meet for a truncated, one-day session with strict protocols in place due to the pandemic. A total of 30 state legislators, including four ministers, have tested positive for coronavirus, though a few of them have recovered now.

Stay tuned for the latest news of the day

3:37 AM

India's area under kharif crops hits all-time high of over 108 mn hectares

Sowing of kharif crops touched an all-time high area of 108.22 million hectares during the week ended August 28, raising hopes of a bumper harvest in excess of 149 million tonnes during the season.

 

The last all-time high kharif acreage was in the kharif season of 2016, at 107.57 million hectares. Read more

 

3:34 AM

States' market borrowing set to get costlier; SDL yields rise 24 bps

States will find it costlier to raise money from the bond market, following the Centre’s offer on Thursday. States were told by the Centre to borrow from the market, amid the shortfall in GST revenues. Read more

3:33 AM

Decisive moves defy setbacks as India beats Armenia in chess to enter semis

On August 22, India was playing Mongolia in the online chess Olympiad, a mega event organised by the World Chess Federation (Fide) and hosted at the Chess.com website. The Indians looked to be winning comfortably, when disaster struck.

 

Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Vidit Gujrathi suffered near simultaneous power outages, with Humpy playing from Vijayawada and Gujrathi from Nashik. Both lost on time, while 30,000 Indian fans watched the debacle helplessly. Read more

3:33 AM

How IndiGo CEO sees aviation shaping up amid worst crisis in history

In 2002-03, when Jet Airways was at its peak but beginning to smell competition, Air Sahara was trying to stabilise its ship and IndiGo was still in embryo stage, the founders of all three airlines — Naresh Goyal, Subrata Roy and, subsequently, Rahul Bhatia — tried to convince Ronojoy Dutta, better known as Rono Dutta, to take over the reins in India. Read more

IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta

3:31 AM

Buying Tata products on super app to fetch benefits, says MD Sunil D'Souza

Tata Consumer Products, whose fare includes salt, tea coffee, spices, foods, and water, was created this year with the merger of Tata Global Beverages and Tata Chemicals and has announced its plans to become a broader FMCG player. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sunil D’Souza tells Pavan Lall that the company, with market cap of Rs 51,000 crore, will use a bolt-on engine to reach “deep rural” markets and sell its products on Tata Group’s new “Super App” and that the goal is to become one of the group’s more important businesses. Read more

3:30 AM

Multiplex chain PVR found guilty of profiteering, but escapes penalty

The goods and services tax (GST) profiteering watchdog has held multiplex chain PVR guilty of not passing on the benefit of lower GST rates to consumers. However, it has decided against imposing any penalty. This is because PVR, Telangana, voluntarily deposited Rs 13.72 lakh along with interest worth Rs 35,800 to the consumer welfare fund, in compliance with the anti-profiteering rules under GST. Read more

11:43 PM

INS Nireekshak, a diving support vessel of Indian Navy, docks at Port Louis

11:43 PM

Retired IAS officer Utpal Kumar Singh appointed as Lok Sabha Secretary

11:38 PM

Barcelona star Messi remains silent after Bartomeu's offer to resign

While the wait to hear from Lionel Messi goes on, Barcelona continues to do everything it can to try to convince him to stay.
 

The club has told Messi that president Josep Bartomeu will resign if that is what it takes to keep the playmaker, but Barcelona said on Friday there was no word yet from Messi on the offer.
 

Bartomeu is willing to step down on the condition that Messi publicly says that the president was the reason for the Argentina star wanting to leave, Barcelona said while confirming reports from Spanish media. Messi on Tuesday expressed his desire to leave by sending Barcelona a burofax — a certified document similar to a telegram — invoking a contract clause that allowed him to depart after the end of the season.
 

Barcelona said the clause expired on June 10 and told Messi it wants him to stay until the end of his contract in June 2021.
 

Without directly accusing Bartomeu, Messi has been outspoken against the club's decisions this season, the team's first without a title since 2007-08.
 

9:58 PM

SC upholds UGC guidelines, says no State, university can promote students in final year without exams

Upholding the UGC guidelines, the Supreme Court on Friday held that no State and University can promote students in the final year/terminal semester without holding the examination, observing performance in such exams are a “reflection of competence” of the students.
 

The court also ruled that the directives by the University Grants Commission(UGC) to universities and colleges to hold final year exams by September 30 was well within its domain.
 

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R S Reddy and M R Shah said if any State/Union Territory in exercise of their jurisdiction under the Disaster Management Act(DMA) has taken a decision that it is not possible to conduct the final year/terminal semester examination by September 30, then they can make an application to the UGC for extending the deadline.
 

The application shall be considered by the UGC and the rescheduled date be communicated to such State/Union Territory at the earliest, it said.
 

It held that the State Governments or State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) in exercise of powers under the Disaster Management Act(DMA), 2005 has no jurisdiction to take a decision that the students of final year/terminal students should be promoted on the basis of earlier year assessment and internal assessment.
 

9:57 PM

Waterlogging in several areas after rains in Delhi

Heavy rains in Delhi on Friday led to waterlogging in several parts of the city, according to municipal reports.
 

In north Delhi, waterlogging took place at seven different locations in areas, including Karala, Burari and Prem Nagar.
 

Trees fell at four different locations, according to a monsoon report released by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
 

In south Delhi and east Delhi too, waterlogging occurred in several areas.
 

In areas falling under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, water stagnation was recorded at Devli Extension, Nizamuddin West Market, among other places, the SDMC report said.
 

Falling of trees was reported from seven different locations, including Madangir, Maharani Bagh and Saket Court area.

9:57 PM

Manufacturing defect leads Boeing to ground several 787 jets

Boeing has found manufacturing defects on some of its 787 long-range airliners in areas where parts of the fuselage are joined together, the latest setback for the aircraft maker whose 737 Max is still grounded after two deadly crashes.
 

The company said Friday that eight planes must be inspected and repaired before they are allowed to fly, and it contacted the airlines, which removed those planes from service. The airlines were not identified.
 

Boeing Co. said that it discovered “two distinct manufacturing issues” toward the rear of certain 787s that means the planes don't meet design standards. The company said it notified the Federal Aviation Administration and is trying to determine the cause of the problem.
 

The issue was first reported by The Air Current, which said it was the first known instance of a structural problem with the plane's mostly carbon-fiber fuselage causing Boeing to tell airlines to ground 787s.

Photo: Shutterstock

9:56 PM

Turkish lawyer dies on hunger strike demanding fair trial

A human rights lawyer on hunger strike in a Turkish prison to demand a fair trial for herself and colleagues has died, an attorney's group said.
 

Ebru Timtik, 42, died in an Istanbul hospital late Thursday, the Progressive Lawyers' Association said. She had been fasting for 238 days.
 

The lawyer and 17 of her colleagues were accused of links to the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP/C, a militant group designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. She was convicted in March 2019 and sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison.

Her case was under review by an appeals court.
 

Timtik started the hunger strike in February to protest alleged unfair proceedings during the trial, along with another colleague, Aytac Unsal, who is reported to be in a critical condition.
 

9:55 PM

India co-sponsors UN resolution calling for greater participation of women in peacekeeping forces

India, one of the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, has co-sponsored a Security Council resolution that calls for "full, effective and meaningful participation" of women personnel in peacekeeping operations.
 

India's Permanent Mission to the UN, in a tweet on Friday, said "India is proud to co-sponsor" the resolution which was put forth by Indonesia.
 

"We are proud to co-sponsor the UN Security Council Resolution on ‘women in peacekeeping' that calls for full, effective and meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping operations," the Indian mission said.
 

"In line with the priorities we (India) have set for ourselves, during our tenure in the Security Council beginning 2021, India will continue to push for greater involvement of women in all areas,” the Indian mission said.
 

In June, India was elected non-permanent member of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2021. It will serve as the president of the powerful 15-nation UN body for the month of August, 2021. India will preside over the Council again for a month in 2022.
 

9:55 PM

Sushant Singh Rajput Death Case: Rhea Chakraborty, brother leave from Santa Cruz Police Station