Bengal polls LIVE: EC imposes 24-hour campaign ban on two BJP, TMC leaders

The bar on campaigning by the leaders will be in force from 7 pm on April 18 to 7 pm on April 19. Stay tuned for all LIVE updates on latest news here.

3:33 PM

Modi demonstrating his role as party campaigner, not India's PM: CPI(M) on BJP rallies in Bengal

The CPI(M) on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for continuing to campaign in the West Bengal assembly polls despite the surge in COVID-19 cases, alleging that he is demonstrating his role as a partisan party campaigner and not that of the country's PM.

 

As we Indians suffer under a raging pandemic, we unfortunately don't have a union government. What we have is a PR company, with an electoral campaigner, callously and brazenly unleashing pain, misery and devastation over the masses.

 

Modi demonstrating his role as a partisan party campaigner is more important than that of India's prime minister. That's why his priority is the election campaign, if any time is left, he does something perfunctory for TV images & headlines. A sorry state, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a series of tweets.

2:20 PM

Mamata demoralised as BJP way ahead of TMC after five phases: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that the BJP will bag more than 122 of the 180 seats that went to polls in West Bengal in five phases. Shah, while addressing a rally here in Purba Bardhaman district, claimed that Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will have to make an exit after losing the Nandigram seat to the BJP.

"Didi looks demoralised after five phases of elections as it has been established that the BJP, with more than 122 seats, is much ahead of her. READ MORE...

1:48 PM

Will change Bengal model of 'Bum, Bandook aur Barood' to 'Vishwas, Vikaas aur Vyapaar': Amit Shah

Asserting that the BJP wants to change the model of 'Bum, Bandook aur Barood' in the poll-bound West Bengal to 'Vishwas, Vikaas aur Vyapaar', Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah expressed confidence in his party outperforming the TMC in the elections, stating that with 122 seats his party is much ahead of 'Mamata didi'.

 

Addressing a public meeting in Purba Bardhaman ahead of the sixth phase of Assembly polls, Shah said, "It is clear that BJP with 122 seats is way ahead of Mamata didi. We want to change the model of 'Bum, Bandook aur Barood' with 'Vishwas, Vikaas aur Vyapaar."

 

Accusing the West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee of spending time abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and him and cursing the security forces, Shah stated that she has no agenda for the development of the state.

1:30 PM

Modern retail severely dented due to 2nd wave of Covid: SCAI

The second wave has severely impacted the modern retail industry, said a statement by the Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI). In a statement, the industry body noted that it has been urging the government to support the industry with financial waivers and allow shopping malls to operate once they reopen the other markets. In order to supplement the government's effort in carrying out an extensive vaccination drive, SCAI has also approached the state governments to conduct the vaccination camps at malls. "The industry body has also urged to treat mall employees as frontline workers and should be vaccinated on priority irrespective of their age," it said.

 

1:17 PM

NASA's Mars helicopter to take first flight on Monday

After a series of delays, NASA is targeting to launch the first powered, controlled flight of its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on Monday, the US space agency said in a statement. It will begin its flight approximately at 3:30 a.m. EDT (12:30 a.m. PDT). The mini-helicopter flew to Mars while being attached to the belly of NASA's Perseverance rover, which made a February 18 touch down on the Red Planet. The original flight date of April 11 shifted as engineers worked on preflight checks and a solution to a command sequence issue. It also survived its first night alone on Mars' frigid surface. For the first flight, the helicopter will take off a few feet from the ground, hover in the air for about 20 to 30 seconds, and land. That will be a major milestone: The very first powered flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, NASA said.

1:08 PM

Modern retail severely dented due to 2nd wave of Covid: SCAI

The second wave has severely impacted the modern retail industry, said a statement by the Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI). In a statement, the industry body noted that it has been urging the government to support the industry with financial waivers and allow shopping malls to operate once they reopen the other markets. In order to supplement the government's effort in carrying out an extensive vaccination drive, SCAI has also approached the state governments to conduct the vaccination camps at malls. "The industry body has also urged to treat mall employees as frontline workers and should be vaccinated on priority irrespective of their age," it said.

1:01 PM

Flavoured milk taxable at 12% under GST: AAR rules in Amul dairy case

Flavoured milk is basically 'beverage containing milk' and will attract 12 per cent GST, the Gujarat Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR) has said. Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, which markets dairy product under Amul brand, had approached the AAR on the taxability under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) of flavoured milk which the company sells under trade name Amul Kool /Amul Kool Cafe. The applicant had submitted before the AAR that the process of the flavoured milk is standardisation of fresh milk according to the fat contents and then heating at certain temperature followed by filtration, pasteurisation and homogenisation and then mixing of sugar and various flavours and finally bottling.

12:54 PM

Steel prices may take two years to cool down: JSPL MD

Steel prices might take at least two years to cool down as its demand is consistently increasing, a top industry excecutive said. During the current financial year, the demand for steel in India is also expected to exceed the production numbers, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) Managing Director V R Sharma told PTI. While the demand in the financial year 2021-22 will be in the range of 140-150 million tonnes (MT), the country's production is expected to be somewhere around 125 MT, he said. When asked about an estimated time for the steel prices to cool down, he said, "It (prices) will take around two years (to ease), because of the demand." While hot-rolled coil (HRC) in India is trading at around Rs 58,000 per tonne in April, the international steel prices are hovering around USD 735-740 per tonne since April 1, 2021.

12:45 PM

Religious events: Minister writes to CM for relaxations

Karnataka Minister for Muzrai and Backward Classes Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary has urged Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to relax the conditions of the ban imposed on religious programmes in the wake of increasing Covid-19 cases. In a letter to the Chief Minister, Poojary, who is also DK district-in-charge Minister, said religious events in the coastal districts have been badly affected with the ban and sought concessions in the rules. Poojary said 'Yakshagana' performances to meet the religious vows of devotees, Nemotsavas, consecration of idols and Brahmakalashotsava have been severely hit as permission was not being given to hold them even in a symbolic manner.

12:40 PM

Aircel, RCOM steering towards liquidation, resulting in Rs 60,000 Cr NPA for Indian and Foreign Banks

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) ruling of last week in the Aircel Vs. Department of Telecommunications (DOT) case has cast a shadow on the resolution plans of Aircel and Reliance Communication Ltd. (RCOM). According to experts, based on the NCLAT Judgement, the Resolution Plan of UV Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd. (UVARCL) for Aircel, which was approved in June 2020, will be unworkable and the company will be heading for liquidation, resulting in zero recovery for Rs 18,000 crore owed to the lenders. The biggest loss will be State Bank of India of Rs 5,000 crore followed by Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank and China Development Bank.

12:14 PM

Biden defends not immediately raising refugee cap, says US 'can't do two things at once'

US President Joe Biden on Saturday explained his initial decision to not increase the limit on refugee admissions to the United States stating that his administration "couldn't do two things at once". Biden while speaking to reporters in Delaware said that he couldn't initially increase the cap due to burdens that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is facing because of a rise in unaccompanied child migrants at the southern US border. "We're going to increase the number. The problem was that the refugee part was working on the crisis that ended up on the border with young people," Biden said according to a White House pool report, as cited by The Hill. "We couldn't do two things at once. But now we are going to increase the number," he continued.

11:52 AM

Rahul Gandhi suspends all public rallies in West Bengal

11:45 AM

Farmers fear crop damage due to delay in procurement

11:36 AM

Gold imports rise by 22.58% to $34.6 bn in 2020-21

Gold imports, which have a bearing on the country's current account deficit (CAD), rose by 22.58 per cent to USD 34.6 billion (about Rs 2.54 lakh crore) during 2020-21 due to increased domestic demand, according to the Commerce Ministry data. Silver imports during the last fiscal, however, dipped by 71 per cent to about USD 791 million. Imports of the yellow metal stood at USD 28.23 billion (about Rs 2 lakh crore) in 2019-20, the data showed. Despite growth in gold imports, the country's trade deficit narrowed to USD 98.56 billion during 2020-21 as against USD 161.3 billion in 2019-20. Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Chairman Colin Shah said that increasing domestic demand is pushing up imports of gold.

11:19 AM

Biden ignored Commanders' advice in decision to exit Afghanistan: Report

Top US military commanders were recommending against a full withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, advising to try to cement a peace agreement first, but US President Joe Biden did not share their concern. Sputnik, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that according to US officials, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US forces in the Middle East, Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller, who leads NATO forces in Afghanistan, and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all recommended retaining the current force of 2,500 troops while stepping up diplomacy to try to cement a peace agreement. Officials also said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, himself a retired military commander for the region, shared the concerns of the senior officers, cautioning that withdrawing all US troops would suspend what amounted to an insurance policy for maintaining a modicum of stability in the country.