LIVE: TN govt to transfer Tuticorin custodial death case to CBI, says CM

Oil companies did not hike the petrol prices during the day breaking the 21-day-chain of successive hikes in petrol and diesel prices. Stay tuned with Business Standard for the latest news of today

12:48 AM

Exit poll: Andrzej Duda leads in Poland's presidential election

An exit poll shows the conservative Polish president, Andrzej Duda, with the most votes in Poland's presidential election on Sunday, but short of the 50% required for an outright win the first round.

If the poll is confirmed by official results, Duda will face centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski in a runoff on July 12.

According to the projection by the Ipsos polling firm, Duda won 41.8 per cent and Trzaskowski 30.4 per cent in Sunday's vote. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Poland's state electoral commission has said it would release the final results by Wednesday evening at the latest.

11:50 PM

J&K govt dispels speculations, says LPG stock order issued due to monsoon

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday said an order regarding increasing the stock of LPG in the valley was issued in view of frequent closures of highway due to rainfall during this time of the year, dispelling speculations over it.

"We all know that the NH-44, between Ramban-Jawahar Tunnel stretch, behaves in an unpredictable manner during the rains. Currently, we maintain stock of nearly a month in Kashmir," an official spokesman said.

"We have requested the LPG companies to explore the feasibility of maintaining the stock for nearly two months to prevent any panic situations that may arise in the event of highway closure for longer duration or on multiple occasions during the next three months," he said.

The spokesman said some people are spreading rumours by referring to the letter for "ensuring adequate stocking of LPG in Kashmir", written by the director of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department in Kashmir to nodal coordinators for oil companies. Read full story here

11:44 PM

Huge spike in demand, profits make Bigbasket re-evaluate fundraising

Online grocery firm Bigbasket is having a relook at its earlier plan to go for a funding round in July because of the changed business environment. The company, which has started generating profits, is also seeing a huge spike in demand after the relaxation of the lockdown.

The Bengaluru-based firm in January had appointed Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to assist it in raising $150 million in a funding round towards June-July. 

While these bankers had initiated talks with perspective investors, the grocer is in two minds whether it actually needs to go for such a large funding round now, Hari Menon, co-founder and chief executive officer of Bigbasket, told Business Standard. Read full story here

11:39 PM

RIL steps on the gas in agritech business, expands farm-to-fork model

Reliance Industries (RIL) is foraying into the growing agritech business through a combination of online technology, leveraging the strength of its new partner Facebook and collaborations in farm equipment innovations as part of its move to expand its “farm to fork” model.

For its own retail supply for Reliance Fresh and other stores and also for the soon-to-be-launched e-commerce play through JioMart, the focus is on ensuring a 12-hour delivery schedule between the harvest to the store by sourcing nearly 50 per cent of all vegetables required by consumers shopping in modern retail.

Facebook has picked up a 9.9 per cent stake in Jio Platforms and has also signed an agreement of collaboration with Reliance Retail. Read full story here...

10:18 PM

Will urge PM Modi to honour late P V Narasimha Rao with Bharat Ratna, says Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao

10:18 PM

New domicile law for J&K illegal: Farooq Abdullah

The new domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir is illegal and unconstitutional and it is not acceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference leader and Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah said on Sunday.

 

When we are saying that we are united against everything that they have done, which is illegal, unconstitutional, how do you think am I going to accept what is unconstitutional, Abdullah said in Anantnag district of south Kashmir in response to a question by reporters on the new domicile law for the union territory.

 

As per the new domicile law, non-permanent residents who have residency proof of at least 15 years in J-K are entitled to get domicile certificates. Prior to the nullification of Article 370 and Article 35A, only state subjects were allowed to buy land and apply for government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Abdullah, the National Conference president, also batted for talks between India and China as well as India and Pakistan to address their concerns.

10:15 PM

10:14 PM

Guwahati landslide kills one; people asked to shift to safer places

A woman student was killed in a landslide near Raj Bhawan here on Sunday, prompting the administration to ask people living in vulnerable areas to move to safer places, officials said.

 

The administration also closed down a hospital temporarily near Raj Bhawan, a guard wall of which has become vulnerable due to gradual sliding of land, they added.

 

The governor's residence located in Kharghuli area of the city, however, is safe.

 

Another incident of landslide took place at Gita Nagar locality. A road and a house were damaged but no casualty was reported from there.

 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and assured him of all help.

 

Officials said the college student Priyanka Boro was outside her home when a huge chunk of landmass from the hill above came down and buried her, killing her instantly.

8:55 PM

DGCA issues show cause notice to AirAsia India executive after pilot alleges safety violations

The aviation regulator DGCA has issued a show cause notice to a top executive of AirAsia India two weeks after one of its pilots, who runs a popular YouTube channel called Flying Beast, alleged violations of safety norms by the low-cost airline, senior officials said on Sunday, PTI reported.

 

"A show cause notice has been issued to Manish Uppal, Head of Operations, AirAsia India after the pilot's allegations," the DGCA officials said. AirAsia India did not respond to PTI's request for a statement on this matter.

 

Captain Gaurav Taneja, a popular Youtuber, tweeted on June 14 that he has been suspended by AirAsia India "for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers". On June 15, he posted a detailed video on YouTube titled "Reasons behind suspension from my pilot job".

 

Taneja alleged in the video that the airline has asked its pilots to do 98 per cent of landings in "Flap 3" mode, which allows it to save fuel. He said if a pilot does not do 98 per cent of landings in "Flap 3" mode, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP). Flaps are part of wings of an aircraft and they are engaged to create a drag during a landing or a take-off.

8:48 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Around 70% of locust swarm eliminated in Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun

Around 70 per cent of the locust swarm that entered Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun was eliminated in a six-hour-long operation, an Agriculture Department official said on Sunday. Jalaun Deputy Director (Agriculture) RK Twari said chemicals were sprayed on the swarm of locusts which entered Jalaun from Jhansi on Saturday night. The anti-locusts operation continued for six hours from 10 pm to 4 am. In the operation, 70 per cent of the locusts were killed," he said.

 

The rest of the swarm flew towards Kalpi tehsil of the district, he said. Tiwari said since the locusts invaded in the evening, no damage was caused to crops. If the swarm had invaded in the morning, there would have been difficulties in dealing with it," he said, adding that officials are maintaining a watch on locusts and efforts are being made to ensure that crops are not damaged.

 

Meanwhile, UP's Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi told PTI, "In the morning, there was news of locusts from Sant Kabir Nagar and Kushinagar. Late night, operations were undertaken to kill a swarm of locusts. Generally, the insects fly in the morning and settle during night, when anti-locust operations are initiated.

8:36 PM

Latest News LIVE: Bangladesh braces for massive floods; Brahmaputra flowing 55 cm above danger level

Weather officials in Bangladesh have predicted massive floods in the northwest and southeast portions of the country bordering India, as incessant rains have inflated rivers, posing serious threat to life and damage to farmland. Heavy rains in Meghalaya and Assam in Indian in the last two days have resulted in huge inflows into Bangladesh which is downstream. The Brahmaputra, called Jamuna in Bangladesh, is flowing 55 cm above the danger level and is reported to have already displaced thousands of people in overnight showers on Saturday.

 

A Bangladesh Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) spokesman told PTI: "We predict a major deluge as water levels in all major rivers are rising. Many have surpassed their danger marks, inundating villages along the river banks particularly in northwest and southeast regions."

 

According to a FFWC report, the transboundary Brahmaputra in the northwest and rivers in the Meghna delta in northeast are expected to swell further with heavy inflow from the upstream and predicted downpour in the coming weeks.

 

Monsoon has begun in Bangladesh, which is mainly aided by the southwest seasonal currents. The last week has seen heavy downpour in Bangladesh and adjoining upstream regions in India. The FFWC has said simultaneous flooding of the Ganga-Padma basin and the Meghna basin was unlikely. However, the centre said meteorological data suggested a steady rise in water levels in the Ganges-Padma river.

8:34 PM

Latest News LIVE: Real estate developers resort to layoffs, pay cuts as Covid-19 hits sales

Hit by the coronavirus pandemic, real estate developers have resorted to layoffs and pay cuts and are focusing on cost control measures as sales are likely to remain muted in the coming months, according to industry experts.

 

The real estate sector has been facing headwinds since the past three-four years following demonetisation, RERA and GST rollout as well as delays in approvals. The Covid-19 crisis has further impacted market sentiment and sales.

 

According to industry estimates, the realty sector employs 6-7 million people, including 300,000 white-collar employees. As per estimates by MyHiringClub.com and Sarkari-Naukri.info, around 200,000 employees (including the white-collared) in the real estate sector are expected to be laid off due to the coronavirus crisis. More than 60,000 jobs have been slashed so far, they added. READ MORE...

8:29 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Wreath laying ceremony of CRPF soldier in West Bengal

8:13 PM

Latest News LIVE update: Mercury crosses 40-degree Celsius-mark in Delhi

The mercury breached the 40 degrees Celsius-mark in the national capital on Sunday as rains continued to elude the city. The Meteorological Department, however, has predicted light rain and partly cloudy skies over the next four to five days. On Sunday, the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figuresfor the city, recorded a maximum of 40.2 degrees Celsius, three notches more than normal.

 

Humidity levels oscillated between 46 per cent and 85 per cent. The weather stations at Palam, Najafgarh, Ayanagar, and Pusa recorded the maximum temperature between 40 degrees Celsius and 44 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department on Thursday declared the onset of monsoon in the national capital, two days earlier than the usual date of June 27.

 

However,Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting service, said the rains would remain subdued for now and dry weather wouldprevail for some days.

8:01 PM

LIVE: Members of an NGO in Mumbai today dressed as cartoon characters and distributed food and books among children