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2:45 AM

Trump call for voting twice sparks warning from state official

North Carolina’s top elections official warned voters against trying to vote twice after President Donald Trump encouraged people who mail in their ballots for November’s election to also go to the polls on Election Day.
 

Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of North Carolina State Board of Elections, issued a long statement on Thursday warning that “it is illegal to vote twice in an election” and asked mail-in voters to verify their ballot was received without showing up in person on Nov. 3.
 

Trump, during a Wednesday visit to Wilmington, North Carolina, told supporters, “If you get the unsolicited ballots, send it in and then go make sure it counted and if it doesn’t tabulate, you vote. You just vote, and then if they tabulate it very late, they’ll see you voted and it won’t count.”
 

“Send it in early and then go and vote,” Trump added. “And if it’s not tabulated, you vote and the vote is going to count.”
 

The president’s suggestion marks the latest salvo in his denunciation of mail-in voting, an option expected to be used by far more Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. He argues, without substantiation, that voting by mail carries a risk of fraud and would put his Republican Party at a disadvantage.

2:40 AM

Sumit Nagal loses to birthday boy Thiem, exits US Open

Sumit Nagal got a taste of top-level tennis during a 3-6 3-6 2-6 defeat at the hands of world number three Dominic Thiem as the young Indian exited the US Open here on Thursday.
 

Playing against the second seeded Austrian, the Indian lost in straight sets to Thiem, who celebrated his 27th birthday with a commanding performance in the second round at the Athur Ashe stadium.
 

Thiem, this year's Australian Open finalist, had said that he has seen videos of Nagal's game and knew that he has a ripping forehand. Well prepared, he came out with a clear strategy of not giving many balls on the forehand side of the Indian.
 

Nagal came into the contest after giving India a rare singles main draw match win at a Grand Slam but it was always going to be a daunting task for him to challenge someone who has made two French Open finals.
 

Slow off the blocks, Nagal was broken early but the slogger that he is, he kept Thiem under pressure, creating as many as five chances to break back in the fifth game that lasted 10 minutes.
 

He converted the fifth breakpoint when Thiem made an unforced error and made it 3-3 with an easy hold, riding momentum.
 

Playing with a lot of energy and stinging strokes, those were the best two games that Nagal played as the gap between him and the top players was on display after that.

2:39 AM

GLOBAL MARKETS: Techs lead stock sell-off, dollar edges up

A gauge of global stocks fell on Thursday from a record high in its biggest one-day decline in nearly three months as the technology sector sold off, while the dollar continued its bounce from more than two-year lows.
 

The S&P technology sector, up more than 35% on the year as the best-performing of the 11 major sectors through Wednesday, dropped 5.83% as investors fled expensive stocks that have pushed major averages higher. The group contains some of the world's largest publicly traded companies.
 

Investors have been concerned about the narrowing leadership of the market rally that pushed the S&P 500 up 60% from its March 23 low through Wednesday, with gains on Wall Street largely driven by names such as Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp.
 

"There was this chase to get long and people are jealous of the gains that they were missing out on and they just poured in," said Mike Zigmont, head of trading and research at Harvest Volatility Management in New York. "And eventually that behavior exhausts itself and what we're seeing is the exhaustion today." Signs the U.S. economy's rebound from coronavirus-driven lockdowns could be stalling in the absence of another round of fiscal stimulus also weighed.
 

While weekly initial jobless claims fell more than anticipated, they remained extremely high. In addition, the methodology used in the weekly report to address seasonal fluctuations has changed, which analysts said led to fewer claims than over the past two months.
 

Investors will closely watch Friday's August employment report for further signs of labor market stagnation.
 

Other data showed slower growth in the services sector last month, as the boost from fiscal stimulus and business reopenings faded, although it remained above the level signifying growth.

2:38 AM

Bt brinjal approval rekindles debate on inadequate protocols and rules

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)'s green signal to additional field trials to two new varieties of Bt brinjal a few months back has rekindled the debate on genetically modified crops and whether India has sufficient bio-safety standards to allow commercial cultivation of such produce.

 

GEAC had, in a meeting held a few months back, approved additional field trials of two new indigenously developed varieties of Bt brinjal called Janak and BSS-793 containing Bt Cry1Fa1 gene (Event 142). Read more

2:36 AM

Infosys to acquire US-based firm Kaleidoscope Innovation for $42 million

IT services firm Infosys is set to acquire Kaleidoscope Innovation, a product design and development firm that operates in medical, consumer and industrial markets.

 

Infosys will pay $42 million for acquiring 100 per cent stake in the Cincinnati-headquartered company and the amount includes earn-out, management incentives and bonuses, according to the exchange filing. The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of fiscal 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Read more

2:35 AM

ED probe 'finds diversion' of Rs 310 cr from MIAL through shell companies

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has found close to a dozen shell companies and non-functional entities were being used for allegedly siphoning off Rs 310 crore from Mumbai International Airport (MIAL). A portion of this was routed back to the promoters of the GVK Group in the joint venture company through multiple complex transactions. Read more

2:33 AM

FASTag may be made mandatory for buying third-party insurance from April

Come April 1, car owners might not be able to obtain a third-party insurance cover if they do not have FASTags for their cars.

 

Though the proposal is still in the works, a release issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sought to amend Form 51 (certificate of insurance) for capturing the details of FASTag ID. The draft notification has been sent to various stakeholders for feedback. Read more

9:41 PM

India has undertaken far-reaching reforms to make business easier and red-tapism lesser: PM

9:23 PM

Aatmanirbhar Bharat ensures India's strengths act as a global force multiplier: PM Modi

'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' merges the local with the global. It ensures India's strengths act as a global force multiplier: PM Modi at US-India Strategic Partnership Forum

9:21 PM

You are looking at a government with commitment to democracy: Modi

9:20 PM

You are looking at a government which belives in ease of doing business as much as it does on ease of living: Modi

9:19 PM

You have a government which belives in delivering results: Modi

9:17 PM

India scaled up its Covid-19 facilities in record time; current situation demands a fresh mindset which is human-centric: PM Modi

9:14 PM

The current situation demands new mindset, spirit of co-operation among everyone: PM Modi

9:14 PM

We should keep our focus on ramping up our capacities, securing the poor and future-proofing our citizens : PM Modi