LIVE updates: Govt launches 24X7 helpline to provide psychological support

Large amount of arms and ammunition were recovered from two terrorists of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI): Delhi Police Special Cell. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the New Education Policy focuses on learning instead of studying and goes ahead of the curriculum to focus on critical thinking. Speaking on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 during the inaugural session of the Governors' Conference through video conference, he said the policy aims at reducing pressure on students.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to announce the financial parameters of its proposed loan restructuring scheme soon.

Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, who has been lodged at a prison in London since his arrest in March last year, is set to appear via videolink for the second leg of his extradition trial at a UK court today.

In another news, Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty was summoned again today as the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which had arrested her brother Showik on Friday, continued its investigations in the drugs angle emerging in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
 

Meanwhile, with India continuing to see a surge in Covid-19 cases amid 'Unlock 4', the parliamentary standing committee on health is meeting today to discuss the pandemic and measures to deal with it.

Stay tuned for the latest news of the day.

2:47 AM

India-China clash: Firing takes place on LAC in eastern Ladakh, says report

An incident of firing took place on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh sector where troops of India and China have been engaged in a stand-off for over three months, sources said on Tuesday.

 

India recently outflanked China by taking control of strategic height near Pangong lake's southern bank. It thwarted an attempt by the Chinese army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh. Read more

2:46 AM

IT services firms look to change staff mix by hiring more freshers

Information technology (IT) services providers in the country are likely to increase fresher hirings substantially to balance out the percentage of senior employees in their workforce. This is crucial at a time when companies are exploring all avenues to cut costs and address client benefits to scale up demand.

 

The employee pyramid at some of the large Indian IT companies has significantly inverted. Read more

2:41 AM

Rising bond yield could alter risk-reward play, scupper stock market rally

Rising yields on the 10-year government security (G-sec) could be speed-breaker for the current stock market rally, given it would alter the risk-reward equation.

 

In recent weeks, yield on the 10-year G-sec has risen as much as 40 bps to trade above the 6-per cent mark. Read more

2:28 AM

VW CEO says no deal cooking after meeting Elon Musk in Germany

Volkswagen AG CEO Herbert Diess took to LinkedIn on Monday to clarify that there was no deal in the works after he met Tesla CEO Elon Musk last week in Germany.
 

“We just drove the ID.3 and had a chat - there is no deal/cooperation in the making,” he wrote on the social network, posting a selfie with a smiling Musk.
 

The two auto executives met for about two hours on Thursday evening at a small airport in Braunschweig where Musk test-drove VW’s ID.3 electric-car. Diess has praised Musk’s achievements several times in the past.
 

“Thanks for the visit, Elon!” Diess wrote in a separate comment on LinkedIn where he teased Musk for trying to drive the ID.3 like a sports car on the runway. “For this you should try our Porsche Taycan. Looking forward to our next meeting!”
 

2:26 AM

China to launch initiative to set global data-security rules

China is launching an initiative to set global standards on data security, countering US efforts to persuade countries to ringfence their networks from Chinese technology, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
 

Under its "Global Initiative on Data Security," China would call on all countries to handle data security in a "comprehensive, objective and evidence-based manner," the Journal said, citing a draft that it had reviewed.
 

The initiative would urge countries to oppose "mass surveillance against other states" and call on tech companies not to install "backdoors in their products and services to illegally obtain users' data, control or manipulate users’ systems and devices."
 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to announce the initiative on Tuesday at a seminar in Beijing on global digital governance, the report said.
 

Chinese diplomats have approached a number of foreign governments to seek their support for Beijing's new initiative, according to the report.
 

The administration of US President Donald Trump in recent months has tightened its restrictions on Chinese companies, citing national security concerns.

Washington also rolled out a "Clean Network" initiative to exclude Chinese tech firms perceived as threatening national security.
 

2:24 AM

US FAA investigating manufacturing flaws in Boeing 787 jetliners

The US Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday it is investigating manufacturing flaws involving some Boeing 787 Dreamliners but said it was too early to say if it will require new inspections.
 

Boeing said in August airlines operating its 787 Dreamliners had removed eight jets from service as a result of two distinct manufacturing issues in fuselage sections.
 

The FAA could require inspections covering hundreds of 787 jetliners after production issues at one plant, a person briefed on the matter confirmed. The Wall Street Journal reported the potential inspections earlier, citing an internal government memo and people familiar with the matter.
 

"The agency continues to engage with Boeing," the FAA said Sunday. "It is too early to speculate about the nature or extent of any proposed Airworthiness Directives that might arise from the agency’s investigation."
 

Boeing said Sunday "the rest of the in-service fleet has been determined to meet limit load capability, and we are inspecting production airplanes to ensure any issues are addressed prior to delivery."
 

Boeing said some airplanes have shims that are not the proper size, and some airplanes have areas that do not meet skin flatness specifications.

10:53 PM

India successfully tests hypersonic technology demonstration vehicle

Any contemporary list of cutting-edge military technologies has hypersonic, air-breathing, scramjet vehicles close to the very top. Only three countries — Russia, USA and China — have flown a vehicle in the atmosphere at a hypersonic speed: Six times the speed of sound (Mach 6), or 2 kilometres (km) per second. Read more

9:09 PM

ED arrests Chanda Kochhar's husband in money laundering case

Businessman Deepak Kochhar, husband of former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, has been arrested in a money laundering case, said media reports on Monday.

 

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Deepak Kochhar after an investigation into his dealings with Videocon Industries. “He has been taken into the agency’s custody for custodial interrogation and will be produced tomorrow in the sessions court,” said an ED official. Read more

8:54 PM

Plan to recruit 14,000 staff this year; VRS not cost-cutting exercise: SBI

The State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday said it proposes to recruit 14,000 employees during the current year and its 'on tap VRS' is not a cost-cutting exercise.

 

The country's largest lender has planned a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) under which about 30,190 employees are eligible. The proposed VRS is not a cost-cutting exercise, an SBI spokesperson said in a statement.

The bank "has been employee friendly and is expanding its operations and requires people, which is evidenced by the fact that Bank has plans of recruiting more than 14,000 employees this year", the statement added.

 

8:44 PM

People should use more electric vehicles to curb pollution: Javadekar

The Centre has upgraded the fuel standard to BS-VI to fight pollution, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday and urged people to shift to electric vehicles.

 

Javadekar, while addressing a webinar on the first ever International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, said, "We did not have to celebrate blue skies day earlier, but with industrialisation and huge increase in population, number of vehicles, waste and dust, pollution has gone up." He also said that more public transport could lessen pollution.

8:35 PM

Vodafone, Idea converge into Vi in branding exercise amid telecom war

Two of the country's popular telecom brands Vodafone and Idea ceased to exist on Monday after the two names were converged into 'Vi' in a branding exercise, which marked the final lap of the merger between the two companies.
 

"Vodafone Idea came together as a merged entity two years ago. We have, since then, focused on integrating two large networks, our people and processes. Today, I am delighted to present Vi, a unified brand," Ravinder Takkar, managing director and chief executive officer, Vodafone Idea, said in a virtual press conference.

Pronounced as 'we', the new brand, said Piyush Pandey, chief creative officer, worldwide and executive chairman, India, Ogilvy, was an apt 'metaphor' for the merger. Ogilvy is Vodafone Idea's ad agency. It conceptualised and executed the rebranding. Read more

8:24 PM

Oil tanker off Sri Lankar coast reignite, fire-fighting efforts underway

8:08 PM

SBI denies VRS meant to save cost, says it plans to hire 14,000 this year

The State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday said that the 'On Tap VRS' scheme proposed by it had been incorrectly interpreted as a cost-cutting measure and the bank’s intent to reduce workforce.

 

An SBI spokesperson said that bank was employee-friendly, was expanding its operations and required people, as evidenced by the fact that it was planning to recruit more than 14,000 employees this year. Read more

7:56 PM

RBI accepts Kamath committee recommendations on loan restructuring

A week after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) to roll out a loan restructuring scheme for companies facing Covid-19-related stress, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday announced the financial parameters for the resolution plans under the scheme.

 

The committee has made recommendations for 26 sectors that could be factored by lending institutions while finalizing loan resolution plans. Read more

7:43 PM

National Education Policy lacks roadmap for implementation: Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday the new National Education Policy (NEP) lacks the roadmap for implementation and needs proper planning so that it is not reduced to just a wonderful idea.

 

Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, made the comments at the 'Governors' Conference on the Role of NEP in Transforming Higher Education'.

 

"The new national education policy lacks the action plan to implement it. The implementation of this policy should be carefully planned so that it is not limited to just a wonderful idea. It is necessary to put national education policy into practice rather than restricting it to only wishful thinking," he said.