LIVE: Indian forces foiled Pakistan plot for terror attack, says PM Modi

Terrorists were planning a 'major attack' on the anniversary of the 26/11 terror attack. Stay tuned for latest news LIVE

2:02 AM

US President-elect Joe Biden appoints Indian American Mala Adiga as Policy Director for Jill Biden.

1:51 AM

Sony wins TV rights of Lanka Premier League

Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India has acquired exclusive pay television and IPTV broadcast rights of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives and non-exclusive Free-to-air (FTA) rights for the same countries, excluding Sri Lanka, Sony announced on Friday. Five franchisee teams, named after Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna, will compete in the LPL, which is scheduled to be played between November 26 and December 16 at Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium (MRIC) in Hambantota. In all, 23 matches will be played over 15 day period. Colombo will take on Kandy in the opening match and the final will be played on December 16.

12:57 AM

Digital Taxi Services to be rolled out in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is gearing up to roll out digital taxi services. Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, B V R Subrahmanyam, on Friday chaired a meeting along with the administrative secretaries of the departments of Housing and Urban Development, and Transport, Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Commissioners of Srinagar and Jammu, and RTO, Jammu. The meeting was held to review preparations for the rollout of the taxis services.

The Transport Department informed that any company registered under the Companies' Act or a firm registered under the Partnership Act can apply for a license. The Department will, however, give preference to a registered company or a firm of IT professionals from Jammu and Kashmir.As per the notified rules in the official press release, the applicants are required to be in operation for at least three years, have valid GST and PAN besides a fleet of at least 50 taxies or autos, a developed MIS system or 24X7 control room or web- portal/mobile app for operation along with audited financial statements, and a registered office in the area of operation.

12:56 AM

APEC leaders, including Trump, agree on free trade

Leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, including US President Donald Trump, pledged Friday to work toward free, open and non-discriminatory trade and investment to revive their coronavirus-battered economies. The leaders cast aside differences to issue their first joint statement since 2017, in which they agreed to further deepen regional integration by working toward a massive free trade agreement involving the 21 APEC economies.

This year's host, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, told a news conference that the US-China trade war that had hampered talks in the past has been eclipsed" by the COVID-19 pandemic. With growth in the Asia-Pacific region expected to slump 2.7% this year, from a 3.6% growth in 2019, he said APEC's focus was on accelerating economic recovery and developing an affordable vaccine. The health risks and its impact on the global economic ecosystem has been the major priority agenda for all APEC economies this year," he said.

APEC, whose members account for 60% of global GDP, has also pledged to refrain from backtracking and resorting to protectionist measures to keep markets and borders open," he added.

12:38 AM

12 special trains cancelled due to farmers' agitation in Punjab: Railways

The Railways has cancelled 12 festival special trains due to the farmers' agitation in Punjab while route of a train was diverted.

North Western Railway chief public relations officer Sunil Beniwal said pairs of trains on Jammu Tawi-Ajmer, Barmer-Rishikesh, Bathinda-Delhi, Sri Ganganagar-Delhi, Ajmer-Amritsar biweekly and Bandra terminus-Jammu Tawi weekly had been cancelled for different time periods. He said the Dibrugarh-Lalgarh train service, which departed on Thursday, would run the converted route via Rohtak-Bhiwani-Hisar-Sadulpur-Hanumangarh.

 

12:35 AM

Amarinder Singh invites agitating farmers for meeting on Saturday

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has invited protesting farmers for a meeting here on Saturday, a day after seeking the Union government's support to create a "congenial environment" for ending their prolonged agitation against the the Centre's new farm laws.

"The farmers' bodies have been invited for a meeting by the chief minister in Chandigarh. In this regard, we have kept a meeting at Kisan Bhavan here on Saturday and whatever will be the consensus regarding the chief minister's invitation in that meet we will act accordingly, said Bharat Kisan Union (Dakaunda) state general secretary, Jagmohan Singh on Friday. With farmers refusing to allow movement of passenger trains in the state, Amarinder Singh had on Thursday urged the Centre to show magnanimity and not link restoration of freight services with movement of passenger trains.

Singh had also urged the Union government to support his government in creating a congenial environment for ending the prolonged farmers' agitation, which had grave repercussions for the state and the nation.

12:34 AM

Bob Dylan papers, including unpublished lyrics, sell for $495K

A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter's musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for $495,000. Boston-based R R Auction said Friday the collection privately held by the late American blues artist Tony Glover, a longtime Dylan friend and confidante, was sold Thursday to a bidder whose identity was not made public.

The collection included transcripts of Glover's 1971 interviews with Dylan and letters the pair exchanged. The interviews reveal that reveal that Dylan had anti-Semitism on his mind when he changed his name from Robert Zimmerman, and that he wrote Lay Lady Lay for Barbra Streisand. Dylan, 79, was close with Glover, who died last year. The two men broke into music in the same Minneapolis coffeehouse scene. Glover's widow, Cynthia Nadler, put the documents up for auction online.

The reclusive Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2016 after giving the world Blowin' in the Wind, Like a Rolling Stone, The Times They Are a-Changin' and other anthems of the turbulent 1960s.

12:09 AM

Shipping ministry to be renamed as Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Ministry of Shipping is being expanded and renamed as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Ro-Pax ferry service between Hazira in Surat and Ghogha in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, which will reduce the 370-km road distance between the two places to 90-km by sea route.

The service will also cut the travel time between the two places to about four hours from 10 to 12 hours. Modi said work is being done so that the country's sea area emerges as an important part of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India). "To boost the government's effort, one more big step is being taken. Now, the Ministry of Shipping is being renamed as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways," he said. "It (the ministry) is being expanded. In developed economies, in most places, the shipping ministry also takes care of ports and waterways. In India, the shipping ministry does a lot of work related to ports and waterways. Clarity in name will also bring about clarity in work," he further said.

11:10 PM

Railways allows teaching, non-teaching staff to travel in trains

Ministry of Railways grants permission to teaching and non-teaching staff carrying valid id cards, students carrying valid hall tickets for Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Education Examinations, to travel by suburban services over Mumbai Suburban network up to December 10.

Back on track: The Railways on Monday resumed suburban train services in Mumbai for essential staff. The Central Railway and Western Railway decided to run ‘selective suburban services’ over the main line. Photo: PTI

10:16 PM

TN government promulgates ordinance banning "online gaming" involving betting

An ordinance to "ban online gaming" involving betting, was promulgated by the Tamil Nadu government on Friday in the backdrop of suicides by gamers who allegedly lost money.

 

The ordinance was promulgated by Governor Banwarilal Purohit based on a proposal from the state government It provides for provisions including "banning the persons who are wagering or betting in cyber space using computers or any communication device or resource," a Raj Bhavan release here said.

9:49 PM

Two drones came from the direction of Pakistan and crossed International Border in Samba sector of Jammu & Kashmir at around 6 pm today. BSF troops fired upon them. Jawans are keeping strict vigil: BSF sources

8:54 PM

DGGI to write to ICAI against three CAs arrested in alleged fake invoice cases

GST investigation arm DGGI is in the process of writing to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to take necessary action for alleged professional misconduct against three chartered accountants who have been arrested in alleged GST fake invoice cases, sources said.

 

Sources at DGGI and Central GST Commissionerates said 41 GST invoice fraudsters have been arrested as part of the nationwide drive to check evasion by issuing fake invoices. This included three chartered accountants (CAs) - two from Hyderabad and one from Ludhiana.

 

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) is in the process of informing ICAI to take necessary action for alleged professional misconduct against three CAs who have been arrested in the GST fake invoice cases, during the nationwide drive in last few days, PTI reported.

8:40 PM

Maharashtra reports 5,640 new coronavirus cases, tally rises to 17,68,695

8:36 PM

IPL becomes first sports tournament to surpass 400 bn viewing minutes: BARC

The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has shattered a few records. Not only is it the biggest-ever IPL edition in terms of viewership, it is also the first sports tournament to surpass 400 billion viewing minutes, the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC), said on Friday.
 

Last year, the IPL recorded 326 billion viewing minutes, while the 2019 Cricket World Cup registered 344 billion viewing minutes. The spurt in IPL viewership, said BARC, from a year ago has been nearly 23 per cent, pointing to high tune-ins.
 

Nearly 31.57 million people watched the tournament this year, with broadcaster Star Sports saying the property was high on engagement despite being played in empty stadia as part of the Covid-19 protocols and stringent sanitisation norms. READ ON...

 

8:31 PM

Rs 2,000 fine in Delhi for spitting in public places, quarantine rules violation and not maintaining social distancing