LIVE: GST Council to maintain status quo on tax on online gaming, casinos

GoM given 15 more days to iron out the issue of the valuation mechanism and submit the report, says FM Sitharaman

11:28 AM

Sindhu wins, Saina loses in Malaysia Open

Two stalwarts of Indian women's badminton, PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, suffered contrasting fates at the Malaysia Open Super 750 tournament with the former progressing to the second round and the latter bowing out after losing her opener here on Wednesday.

If Sindhu, a former world champion, dished out a fine performance to outwit Thailand's world number 10 Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-13 21-17, London Olympics bronze medallist Saina went down fighting against American Iris Wang, ranked 33rd in the world, 11-21 17-21 in 37 minutes.

Sindhu, seeded seventh, set up a clash with Phittayaporn Chaiwan, a 21-year-old from Thailand, who held the number one ranking in world junior ranking and also was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the Uber Cup in Bangkok.

10:45 AM

Maha Governor's floor test order 'unlawful', MVA will move SC for 'justice', says Raut

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday termed the Maharashtra Governor's order for a floor test of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government as "unlawful", saying that the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs.

He said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the ruling coalition of Sena, NCP and Congress, will approach the Supreme Court and seek justice on this issue.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has issued a letter to the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary late on Tuesday night, directing him to hold a floor test of the Shiv Sena-led government at 11 am on June 30.

10:35 AM

Manish Tewari supports defence reforms; Congress distances

The Congress on Wednesday distanced itself from its MP Manish Tewari's endorsment of the Centre's Agnipath scheme at a time when the party has launched nationwide protest demanding its rollback.

Asserting that the party will oppose the scheme with all its might, Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said: "Manish Tewari, INC MP, has written an article on Agnipath. While @INCIndia is the only democratic party, it must be said his views are entirely his own & not of the party, which firmly believes Agnipath is anti-national security & anti-youth, bulldozed through without discussion."

Speaking to IANS, Tewari had said that the process of Defence reforms, including right sizing the military started in the US way back in 1975 when Donald Rumsfield was the Defence Secretary in the Ford Administration and every successive administration has seen it through.

10:25 AM

Anti-Asian hate crime events in California up 177.5 pct in 2021: Report

Reported Anti-Asian hate crime events in California, the most populous state in the United States, increased by 177.5 per cent from 89 in 2020 to 247 in 2021, said a report by the California Department of Justice.

The state, home to around 40 million residents, reported 1,763 hate crime events in 2021, a rise of 32.6 percent from 2020, and the highest since 2001, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the report titled "2021 Hate Crime in California."

Reported hate crimes targeting Black people remained the most prevalent and increased by 12.5 percent from 456 in 2020 to 513 in 2021, while those anti-Hispanic or Latino increased by 29.6 percent from 152 in 2020 to 197 in 2021, the report said on Tuesday.

10:24 AM

Govt probe panel finds safety flaws behind EV 2-wheeler fires

As fires in electric vehicles (EVs) continue unabated in the country, an expert committee set up by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has found safety system flaws in batteries of electric two-wheelers.

The electric two-wheeler manufacturers took shortcuts in order to bump up the production and meet the growing demand rather than looking into ensuring safety for the riders.

The expert panel, which has already shared safety recommendations with the EV manufacturers to fix bigger issues, is set to make its findings public anytime soon, according to sources.

10:23 AM

US sues Walmart for facilitating money transfer scams worth $197 mn

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued retail commerce giant Walmart for allegedly allowing its money transfer services to be used by fraudsters, who fleeced consumers out of more than $197 million.

In its lawsuit, the FTC alleged that for years, the company turned a blind eye while scammers took advantage of its failure to properly secure the money transfer services offered at Walmart stores.

"The company did not properly train its employees, failed to w

10:05 AM

Maha: MVA will have to move SC against Governor's letter for floor test, says Cong's Prithviraj Chavan

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said Maharashtra's ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will have to move the Supreme Court against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's letter mandating the Uddhav Thackeray-led dispensation to face a floor test on June 30.

Governor Koshyari has asked the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary to hold a floor test of the Shiv Sena-led government at 11 am on Thursday.

Talking to PTI, Chavan said the apex court has maintained status quo over the case till July 11.

9:57 AM

MVA countdown: Maha Guv orders CM Thackeray to prove majority on June 30

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-Nationlaist Congress Party-Congress to take a floor test and prove its majority on June 30 (Thursday).

A letter to the effect was issued to the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary by the Raj Bhavan late Tuesday -- soon after a delegation of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met the Governor and urged him for immediate directions to the MVA to prove its majority.

The Governor has convened a Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly Thursday with a single point agenda of a trust vote against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

9:46 AM

India records 14,506 news COVID cases, 30 deaths in 24 hours

With 14,506 new COVID infections in the last 24 hours, India's total tally of such cases rose to 43,433, 345, and that of the active cases to 99,602, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

India recorded 30 deaths due to the coronavirus, and with it the death toll has climbed to 525,077, the data updated at 8 am stated.

Active cases comprise 0.23 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.56 per cent, the health ministry said.

An increase of 2,902 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 3.35 per cent, almost equal to the weekly positivity rate, which was recorded at 3.36 per cent, according to the health ministry

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease rose to 4,28,08,666, while the overall fatality rate was recorded at 1.21 per cent.

9:29 AM

After Russian missile strike on mall, India says civilian deaths 'deeply disturbing'

In the aftermath of Russia's missile attack on a crowded Ukrainian shopping mall, India has called the deaths of civilians "deeply disturbing".

 

India's Deputy Permanent Representative R.Ravindra said on Tuesday: "Reports of deaths of civilians in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict are deeply disturbing and in this regards we express our grave concern. In recent years, critical civilian infrastructure in urban areas have become easy targets in situations of armed conflict".

 

"The issue of the protection of civilian objects in armed conflicts should be considered within the framework of applicable international laws," he said, during a briefing on the Ukraine situation while not naming Russia as the perpetrator of the attack.

 

9:28 AM

India logs 14,506 Covid-19 cases, 30 deaths in 24 hours

Summary of MoHFW data

 

Active cases: 99,602 (Net increase: 2,902)

Deaths: 525,077 (Net increase: 30)

Cured: 42,808,666 (Net increase: 11,574)

Total cases: 43,433,345 (Net increase:  14,506)

Total vaccination: 1,974,657,138 (Increase over previous day: 1,344,788)

 

9:07 AM

Eknath Shinde says his group of MLAs will be in Mumbai on Thursday for floor test

Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said he will reach Mumbai on Thursday for floor test against the beleaguered Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra.

There has been no formal announcement from Raj Bhavan that the floor test is slated for Thursday, though a letter specifying June 30 as the floor test date, purportedly written by the Governor, went viral on Tuesday.

Shinde told reporters in Guwahati, where a large group of MLAs backing him is camping since a week, that he will reach Mumbai along with all his group legislators.

9:02 AM

Canada losing billions of dollars in unpaid tax each year: Report

The Canadian government is losing billions of dollars, or nine percent of federal tax revenue overall each year, according to a new tax gap report from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

The report analysed Canada's tax gap from 2014 to 2018, which is the difference between the tax that would be paid if all obligations were fully met in all instances, and the tax actually collected, Xinhua news agency reported.

The report showed that for tax year 2018, the total gross tax gap was estimated up to 40.4 billion Canadian dollars ($32.3 billion). However, the CRA's compliance and collection activities were reducing the tax gap. After accounting for these activities, the total net tax gap for tax year 2018 was estimated to be up to 23.4 billion Canadian dollars ($18.7 billion).

9:01 AM

School shootings in US rise to highest number in 20 years: Report

School shootings in the 2020-21 school year rose to the highest number in 20 years, said a new report released.

A total of 93 school shootings with casualties occurred at public and private elementary and secondary schools during last school year, including 43 school shootings with deaths and 50 school shootings with injuries only, according to the 31-page report published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is located within the US Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences.

In addition, there were 53 reported school shootings with no casualties during the school year, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the report.

8:59 AM

PM Modi to launch several schemes on June 30 to ramp up MSME sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the 'Udyami Bharat' programme and will launch several schemes on June 30.

Prime Minister will launch the 'Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance' (RAMP) scheme, 'Capacity Building of First-Time MSME Exporters' (CBFTE) scheme and new features of the 'Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme' (PMEGP).

Prime Minister Modi will also digitally transfer assistance to beneficiaries of PMEGP for 2022-23, announce results of MSME Idea Hackathon 2022, distribute National MSME Awards 2022, and issue Digital Equity Certificates to 75 MSMEs in the Self Reliant India (SRI) Fund.