LIVE: Trump aide promises 'professional transition' to Biden administration

Trump's national security advisor promised peaceful transition to Biden administration as President continued to deny US election results. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news today

2:24 AM

Putin, Macron discuss situation in Nagorno-Karabakh over phone

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday discussed over phone the ongoing efforts to secure the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire. Putin told Macron that the ceasefire, agreed upon by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, is being honored and the situation in the region has generally stabilised, the Xinhua news agency reported.
 

As co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, both parties agreed to coordinate their efforts on Nagorno-Karabakh. The two leaders also touched upon humanitarian matters such as the return of refugees to places of permanent residence and the necessity to restore infrastructure and preserve Christian churches and monasteries.

1:41 AM

Hate crimes in US reach highest level in more than a decade: FBI report

Hate crimes in the US rose to the highest level in more than a decade as federal officials also recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting that data in the early 1990s, according to an FBI report released Monday. There were 51 hate crime murders in 2019, which includes 22 people who were killed in a shooting that targeted Mexicans at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, Texas, the report said.

suspect in that August 2019 shooting, which left two dozen other people injured, was charged with both state and federal crimes in what authorities said was an attempt to scare Hispanics into leaving the United States.

There were 7,314 hate crimes last year, up from 7,120 the year before and approaching the 7,783 of 2008. The FBI's annual report defines hate crimes as those motivated by bias based on a person's race, religion or sexual orientation, among other categories.

1:39 AM

Hungary, Poland block 2021-2027 EU budget, recovery package

Hungary and Poland on Monday blocked the adoption of the 2021-2027 budget and recovery fund by European Union governments because the budget law included a clause which makes access to money conditional on respecting the rule of law. The veto is likely to cause a delay in the launch of the 1.8 trillion euro package that combines the EU's long-term budget and the bloc's economic recovery plan, but is unlikely to derail it altogether, a senior French official said.

"Hungary and Poland blocking the European budget doesn't put into question our determination on the recovery and the rule of law," French Europe Minister Clement Beaune said on Twitter. "A solution will be found in the coming weeks, France is fully involved to find one."

Ambassadors of EU countries on Monday accepted a deal struck with the European parliament which establishes a clear link between EU money and the respect for the rule of law. They agreed because this vote required only a qualified majority and the opposition of Warsaw and Budapest could not stop it.

1:26 AM

Congress Special Committee to meet tomorrow via video conference

Congress Special Committee, which was set up to assist party president on organisation & operational matters, to meet tomorrow through video conferencing. Senior Congress leaders including AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal & RS Surjewala are members of the committee.

12:51 AM

Congress leader Sampath Raj arrested in DJ Halli, KG Halli violece case: Crime Branch

Congress leader and former Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj has been arrested in DJ Halli and KG Halli violence incident case, says Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner, Central Crime Branch

10:48 PM

Kerala Accountant General issues 'CAG report on State Finances for the year ended March 2019'

Office of the Accountant General, Kerala issues "report of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India on State Finances for the year ended March 2019 to Govt of Kerala on 6 November, to be tabled on November 6."


This comes after Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac last week accused the Centre and the Opposition UDF of trying to sabotage the developmental activities, using central agencies and Comptroller and Auditor General of India 

9:46 PM

Donald Trump aide promises 'very professional transition' to Biden adminisration

President Donald Trump's national security adviser promised a very professional transition to the administration of President-elect Joe Biden in an interview broadcast Monday, even as Trump continues to falsely claim he won the November election.

Speaking to the Global Security Forum hosted in part by Qatar, Robert O'Brien several times mentioned the transition and referred to recent peace deals that Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates struck with Israel as a great legacy for the president to have as he leaves office. While caveating that Trump did have outstanding court challenges, O'Brien's comments signaled some of the firmest statements yet from a senior administration official acknowledging Biden's win in the Nov 3 vote.

If the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner obviously things look that way now we'll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council. There's no question about it, O'Brien said. They're going to have very professional folks coming in to take these positions. He added: We've passed the baton and had peaceful, successful transitions even in the most contentious periods.

9:03 PM

Militants lob grenade on police post in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir

Militants on Monday hurled a grenade towards a police post in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no loss of life, police said. Militants hurled a grenade towards Police Post Frisal in the south Kashmir district in the evening, a police official said.

 

He said the grenade missed the intended target and exploded outside the building. There was no loss of life in the incident.

8:50 PM

Next Parliament session likely in 2021, may merge winter with budget session

With soaring COVID figures in Delhi that forced CM Arvind Kejriwal to rush to seek the Centre's help for additional ICU beds and more doctors, the government is "actively considering" not convening Parliament's winter session this year.

 

Senior government sources privy to deliberations say that the next Parliament's session is going to take place in the last week of January, 2021. However, there are deliberations taking place about whether to merge the winter and budget sessions together and have a relatively long session or go straight to the winter session.

 

"Nothing has been finalised yet. But the worry over the Covid situation in the national capital remains. All the more so, given the current spate of cases which are much more than in September when the government was forced to cut short the session even when cases in Delhi were far less," a top government source said. READ ON...

8:43 PM

'We will work together and serve the people', says Nitish Kumar after taking oath as Bihar CM

Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar was on Monday sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth straight term at a ceremony here in which saw attendance by Union Home minister Amit Shah and BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda. BJP leaders Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi were also sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar, replacing Sushil Kumar Modi who had been Nitish Kumar's deputy for 15 years.

 

Governor Phagu Chauhan administered the oath of office to Kumar, along with a 14-member council of ministers. The main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) boycotted the swearing-in ceremony stating the mandate was against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). After taking oath, the chief minister said, "Based on the public's decision, NDA has once again formed the government in the state. We will work together and serve the people".

 

On Sushil Modi not returning as his deputy, Kumar told ANI, "It is the decision of the BJP to not field Sushil Modi as the Deputy Chief Minister. They should be asked about this."

 

8:32 PM

Slaying the dragon: 71% Indians boycotted Chinese goods this Diwali

Heeding the call to boycott China from various quarters, Indian consumers have mostly stayed away from purchasing China-made products this festive season. According to a LocalCircles survey, 71 per cent of local consumers did not purchase goods that carried a ‘Made in China’ tag.

 

The survey — conducted by the community social media platform among 14,000 Indian consumers spread over 204 districts — shows only 29 per cent of consumers purchased one or more China-made products. Of these, 11 per cent were unaware while purchasing them, while 16 per cent were informed buyers.

 

China-made products — from smartphones and electrical components to home décor items — gained traction here since the mid-2000s, when they flooded the markets with their cheaper alternatives. READ ON...

8:24 PM

SC is trying to discourage use of Article 32 after surge in petitions: CJI

The Chief Justice S.A. Bobde on Monday, during the hearing of a plea filed for release of Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, said the court is trying to discourage petitions filed under Article 32.

 

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), submitted Kappan has been in Jail since October 5 and the FIR does not even mention his name. Sibal emphasised that lawyers have not been able to meet Kappan and it is essential to meet him to understand the matter.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian asked Sibal, "why did you not approach the High Court?" As Sibal began to argue on merits of the case against Kappan, the Chief Justice told him that the court is not hearing the matter on merits. "We are trying to discourage Article 32 petitions", added Chief Justice. Sibal replied that the court had interfered under Article 32. READ ON...

8:14 PM

Nitish Kumar sworn in as CM of Bihar for the seventh time in two decades

8:10 PM

Nitish Kumar admits he is missing Sushil Kumar Modi in new cabinet

After taking oath as the chief minister of Bihar here on Monday, Nitish Kumar said he is missing his trusted colleague Sushil Kumar Modi in the new cabinet. Sushil Modi, who has been Deputy Chief Minister in Nitish Kumar's cabinets several times, hasn't been included in the cabinet this time.

 

"We have a combination of old and new faces in the cabinet and we will work towards a better future for Bihar," Kumar said. Asked whether he was missing Sushil Kumar Modi this time, Kumar replied in the affirmative.

 

Kumar took the oath on Monday, along with Tar Kishore Prasad and Renu Devi (likely to be deputy chief ministers) and 12 other ministers. These include Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Mewa Lal Chaudhary, Ashok Chaudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Sheela Kumari, Mangal Pandey, Amarendra Pratap Singh, Ram Preet Paswan, Jivesh Kumar, Ram Surat Kumar, Santosh Kumar Suman and Mukesh Sahani.

7:56 PM

PM Modi congratulates Nitish Kumar, says NDA family will work together for progress of Bihar