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2:03 AM

Harsh Vardhan to address IISF 2020 curtain raiser on Dec 4

Setting the tempo for India International Science Festival 2020 (IISF-2020) scheduled for December 22-25 on the virtual platform, Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan will address a curtain-raiser session of the event hosted by Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here on December 4. Giving a big thrust to the nation's AtmaNirbhar Bharat initiative, the theme of IISF 2020 is "Science for Self-reliant India and Global Welfare."

The event is being organized by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Vijnana Bharati, according to an official release. A series of seven curtain-raiser sessions have been planned in top science and technology institutions across the country ahead of IISF.

1:11 AM

Bihar police registered 730 rape cases in 2019: SCRB data

The State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) of Bihar has published the data for 2019 which showed that Bihar Police had registered 730 cases of rape and gang-rape last year. In 2018, the Bihar Police had filed 651 cases of rape in 2018. Bihar Police DGP A.K. Singhal released the data on Tuesday evening, which showed that the police had registered 2,69,109 cases across state from January 2019 to December 2019, including 1,97,935 cases filed under different sections of the IPC. The SCRB, on the line of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), publishes crime data every year.

The maximum number of rape cases was registered in North Bihar and the Seemanchal districts such as Supaul, Darbhanga, Araria, Khagaria, Katihar, Purnea and Kishanganj. Besides, the number of rape cases were also high in Bhagalpur, Shekhpura, Nawada, Alwal, Jahanabad and Patna. The SCRB data further said that as many as 3,138 murder cases were registered in 40 police districts of the state in 2019. A total of 15 districts, including Siwan, Mujffarpur, Vaishali, Bhojpur, Patna, Jahanabad, Gaya, Shekpura, Nalanda, Lakhisaray, Begusarai, Madhepura and Purnea, reported the highest number of murder cases in the state.

In addition, the Bihar Police registered 7,262 cases for rioting in 2019, compared to 10,276 cases filed in 2018. The districts which reported high number of rioting cases included Siwan, Saran, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Jahanabad, Gaya, Nalanda, Patna, Nawada and Shekhpura. The police also registered 1,120 case under the Dowry Act in 2019, compared to 1,107 cases filed in 2018.

11:58 PM

Former Pak PM Zafarullah Jamali dies at 76

Pakistan's former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali passed away at a military hospital in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, his family has said. He was 76. Jamali was on a ventilator in the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology & National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) after suffering a heart attack a few days ago.

His relative Senator Sana Jamali told the media that the former premier died in the evening. Jamali served as the prime minister from November 2002 until June 2004 when Former military dictator Pervez Musharraf was the president of the country. Hailing from the impoverished province of Balochistan, Jamali was a veteran politician who started political career in 1964. He was last elected as Member of Parliament in 2013. He resigned from the National Assembly only days before the completion of the assembly's term, citing health concerns.

11:21 PM

Cyclone Burevi is very likely to move nearly west-northwestwards: IMD

Cyclone Burevi is very likely to move nearly west-northwestwards thereafter, emerge into Gulf of Mannar and adjoining Comorin area on 3rd December morning: Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai

10:15 PM

Board exams in 2021 will be in written mode only and not online: CBSE officials

9:57 PM

MeitY issues order directing Wikipedia to remove link showing wrong map of J&K

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued an order under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 directing Wikipedia to remove the link from their platform that has shown the wrong map of Jammu and Kashmir.

9:49 PM

Former Gujarat minister Kantibhai Gamit and 17 others, including his son, arrested in state's Tapi district after video showing over 2,000 people attending his granddaughter's engagement ceremony went viral on social media: Police

9:30 PM

Bengal BJP to launch campaign highlighting misdeeds of TMC: Dilip Ghosh

BJP to launch campaign to highlight alleged misdeeds of TMC dispensation in West Bengal in response to Mamata Banerjee govt's 'Duare Sarkar' programme: State BJP president Dilip Ghosh

8:55 PM

India, Russia hold talks on UNSC issues, vow to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism

India and Russia on Wednesday held consultations on UN Security Council related issues and agreed to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism at multilateral platforms. The consultations come ahead of India taking up the non-permanent seat at the UNSC for the period 2021-22.

 

The Indian delegation for the consultations was led by Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, while the Russian delegation was led by Sergey Vasilyevich Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and included other Russian Foreign Ministry officials. The Russian side welcomed India taking up the non permanent seat at the UNSC for the period 2021-22, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

 

Both sides held wide ranging discussions on issues on the UN Security Council agenda and recent developments, the MEA said. The Indian and Russian sides agreed to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism at multilateral platforms.

8:47 PM

India, Russia hold consultations on UN Security Council related issues

8:24 PM

Tata-Mistry tussle: Supreme Court to hear final arguments on Dec 2

The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to put the legal battle related to appointment of Cyrus Mistry as the executive chairman of Tata Group. In December 2019, the National Company Appellate Law Tribunal (NCLAT) had passed the order restoring Mistry as executive chairman and held the appointment of Natarajan Chandrasekaran as executive chairman illegal. On January 10, the apex court had stayed the NCLAT order.

 

Senior advocate C.A. Sundaram, representing Mistry, today informed the apex court that they have filed an intervention application (IA). Sundaram submitted that the new IA only seeks an additional relief, as the earlier IA did not cover this.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian told Sundaram, "Why have you filed the IA...why don't we go ahead with the final hearing?" The bench reminded him that it had kept the matter today for final hearing, yet an IA has been filed. "You file an IA, which requires replies and argument", said the Chief Justice, citing that the court had kept the matter for final hearing. After a brief hearing in the matter, the top court said "We will list it for December 2 for final hearing."

 

8:15 PM

SC directs Centre to install CCTV cameras in offices of CBI, ED and NIA

The Supreme Court directed the Centre on Wednesday to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment at the offices of investigating agencies, including the CBI, the ED and National Investigation Agency (NIA), which conduct interrogations and have the power of arrest.

 

A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman said that states and Union Territories (UTs) should ensure that CCTV cameras are installed at each and every police station, making them imperative at all entry and exit points, main gate, all lock-ups, all corridors, lobby and reception area as also areas outside the lock-up room.

 

The apex court, which had earlier ordered installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to check human rights abuses, said that as most of the probe agencies including Narcotics Control Bureau, Department of Revenue Intelligence and Serious Fraud Investigation Office carry out interrogation in their offices, CCTVs be compulsorily installed in all offices where such questioning takes place and accused are kept.

8:06 PM

SC adjourns to Dec 3 hearing on pleas seeking loan moratorium extension

The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned to Thursday the hearing on the pleas seeking an extension of the loan moratorium period and waiver of interest on interest on term loans in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, fixed the matter for further hearing to tomorrow. Utsav Trivedi, the lawyer for one of the petitioners, said that these are difficult times and the government must step in to help at this time.

 

Advocate Vishal Tiwari, one of the petitioners, said that after this situation many accounts will become non-performing assets. He asked how can these situations be handled?

 

He also stated that the moratorium period must be extended till March 2021, keeping in view the current situation and difficulties people are facing, Tiwari said and added that the stay on non-performing asset (NPA) must continue as the condition imposed for financial restructuring that on the date which borrower and lending Institution agrees on a resolution plan.

 

The apex court had earlier directed that the bank accounts as on August 31 should not be declared as NPAs until the disposal of the pleas seeking an extension of the moratorium period.

7:34 PM

LIVE: Cyclone Burevi to strike coasts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu on Thursday

Cyclonic storm Burevi is expected to cross the south Tamil Nadu coast amidst Pamban and Kanniyakumari between December 3 and December 4 with a wind speed of 70-80 kmph, gusting at 90 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.

 

In a weather bulletin, the IMD said Burevi, over southwest Bay of Bengal, moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 25 kmph during past six hours and lay centred, as at 11.30 a.m., about 140 km east of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 370 km east-southeast of Pamban (India) and 550 km nearly east-northeast of Kanniyakumari (India).

 

It is very likely to cross Trincomalee coast on Dec 2 evening/night. According to the IMD, on December 3 noon, Burevi will be centred close to Pamban. The IMD has warned of squally weather, with wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph and gusting to 65 kmph, over Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts on Wednesday.

 

Similarly for Thursday and Friday, it has warned of squally weather with wind speed, reaching 70-80 kmph and gusting to 90 kmph, as likely to occur over Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts.

7:01 PM

PM Modi spoke to Kerala CM on conditions prevailing due to Cyclone Burevi