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On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons (resolution 45/106). This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly. In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons (resolution 46/91). In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and to promote the development of a society for all ages. The composition of the world population has changed dramatically in recent decades. Between 1950 and 2010, life expectancy worldwide rose from 46 to 68 years. Globally, there were 703 million persons aged 65 or over in 2019. The region of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia was home to the largest numbe

It was a dramatic change of fortunes for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 12 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as they slumped to a heavy 37-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Dubai. Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith won the toss and put KKR in to bat. Shubman Gill ‘s 47 at the top of the order and Eoin Morgan’s 34 at the death helped KKR post a challenging 174/6. In reply, Rajasthan lost Steve Smith (3) and Sanju Samson (8) cheaply and Sharjah’s hero Rahul Tewatia too for 14 as they were restricted to 137/9. The middle order failed miserably for RR on a day their reliable top three didn’t fire. Jos Buttler was dismissed for 21 by Shivam Mavi, who also accounted for Samson, inside the first seven overs. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mavi’s teammate from India’s 2018 U-19 World Cup squad, tore through the Rajasthan middle order by dismissing Robin Uthappa (2) and Riyan Parag (1). Tewatia was bowled by Varun Chakravarthy, who also got the big-hitting Jofra Archer for six, as Rajasthan

US biotech firm Moderna won’t seek an emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine before November 25, its CEO told the Financial Times on Wednesday. The news deals a blow to President Donald Trump’s hopes of having an injection ready before the election to give his campaign a much-needed boost. Stephane Bancel told the newspaper: “November 25 is the time we will have enough safety data to be able to put into an EUA file that we would send to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) – assuming that the safety data is good, i.e. a vaccine is deemed to be safe.” Trump, whose approval has taken a hit over his handling of the Covid-19 crisis, has frequently hinted a vaccine could be ready before the November 3 vote. This has raised concern among experts that his administration may attempt to interfere with the regulatory process for political reasons. The Republican repeated his claim on Tuesday night, during a debate with his Democratic rival, former vice president Joe Biden. “It

A team of US astrophysicists has produced one of the most precise measurements ever made of the total amount of matter in the Universe, a longtime mystery of the cosmos. The answer, published in The Astrophysical Journal on Monday, is that matter accounts for 31.5 percent, give or take 1.3 percent, of the total amount of matter and energy that make up the Universe. The remaining 68.5 percent is dark energy, a mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate over time, and was first inferred by observations of distant supernovae in the late 1990s. Put another way, this means the total amount of matter in the observable Universe is equivalent to 66 billion trillion times the mass of our Sun , Mohamed Abdullah, a University of California, Riverside astrophysicist and the paper’s lead author, told AFP. Most of this matter, 80 percent, is called dark matter . Its nature is not yet known, but it may consist of some as-yet-undiscovered subatomic particle. The lates

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday said he has pledged to donate his organs. Bachchan, 77, took to Instagram and posted a picture from the sets of his game show “Kaun Banega Crorepati” with a green ribbon to mark the gesture. “The distinction of the wear of the green ribbon. I am a pledged organ donor! Bearing the giving of life to another,” the actor captioned the picture. Earlier in the day, the “Gulabo Sitabo” star tweeted that he was off to shoot for the the show with necessary precautions, including face mask. Writing in Hindi, Bachchan posted, “Off we go to work, wearing a mask. Will have to work for 15 hours, that’s our only task.” Bachchan resumed shooting for “KBC” last month after recovering from COVID-19.

The government is opening up the economy for greater participation of the private sector and has been working in different ways to remove entry barriers for new investments, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday. He said the government has opened up defence manufacturing for the domestic industry in a much bigger way and coal mining for commercial engagement. It has also made a number of changes in single brand retailing to promote new businesses, the minister said adding the other sectors where steps have been taken include civil aviation, agriculture and financial services. “The government is opening up the economy for greater private sector engagement. Railways is also opening up for greater private sector partnerships…Government also has been working in different ways to deregulate, remove entry barriers for new investments,” he said while addressing the Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Goyal also said reforms in the agriculture sec

Twenty-eight years after the Babri Masjid was razed, a court here acquitted all 32 people including BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti accused of being involved in the demolition of the mosque they believed occupied the spot where Lord Ram was born. In a judgment that ran to 2,300 pages with enclosures, the special CBI court on Wednesday said there was no conclusive evidence against the 32 accused of being involved in any conspiracy to bring down the disputed structure in Ayodhya. Delivering the verdict on the day of his retirement, special Judge S K Yadav did not accept newspaper reports and video cassettes as evidence. The court also observed that the late Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal wanted to save the structure because Ram idols were inside. The 16th century mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992, triggering riots that left hundreds dead in the country and widening rifts between the communities. Twenty-six of the accused were present in the Lucknow c

China is preparing to launch an antitrust probe into Alphabet’s Google, looking into allegations it has leveraged the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition, two people familiar with the matter said. The case was proposed by telecommunications equipment giant Huawei  last year and has been submitted by the country’s top market regulator to the State Council’s antitrust committee for review, they added. A decision on whether to proceed with a formal investigation may come as soon as October and could be affected by the state of China’s relationship with the United States, one of the people said.

Google Pixel 5 has been launched as the tech giant’s 2020 flagship phone. The new Pixel phone comes alongside the Pixel 4a 5G that is a 5G version of the Pixel 4a. Both the new smartphones are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC and include Titan M security chip. The Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G both come with the same dual rear cameras as well as an 8-megapixel selfie camera and features a hole-punch display design. The company also unveiled a Portrait Light feature and an Extreme Battery Saver mode (with only a small set of active apps) that can increase battery life by up to 48 hours. As a superior option in the lineup, the Pixel 5 features wireless charging support. The smartphone also comes with an aluminium body that is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. Google Pixel 5, Pixel 4a 5G price Google Pixel 5 price starts at $699 (roughly Rs. 51,400), whereas the Google Pixel 4a 5G starts at 499 (roughly Rs. 37,000). Both phones will be limited to 5G markets – Australia, C

Schools and colleges, shut since March as lockdown was announced across the country, will be allowed to re-open from October 15, the Centre said on Wednesday while announcing the next phase of lifting of coronavirus-related restrictions. The final call, however, has been left to the states and the institutions involved. Online and distance learning shall continue to be the preferred mode of teaching and shall be encouraged, the Centre said. The government also gave a go ahead to cinema halls, multiplexes, and exhibition halls, but their reopening will be tempered with certain restrictions. Cinemas, theatres and multiplexes will have to operate “with up to 50 per cent seating capacity”, for which separate guidelines will be issued, said the government, which had so far kept these places shut over concerns about crowds. What still remains barred is international air travel. Lockdown will be strictly enforced in containment zones till October 31, the government said. Children below 10 be

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has now allowed general and standalone health insurers to offer the Arogya Sanjeevani Policy as a group insurance product. Once insurance companies launch this policy as a group cover, organisations may soon be able to buy this cover for their employees. Among other things, the Arogya Sanjeevani Policy also covers the treatment cost of Covid-19.

YouTuber and talk show host Lilly Singh recently celebrated her 32nd birthday, and she was surprised with a cake that encapsulates the pains of growing up. No, we are not talking about heartaches or the pain of figuring out your taxes. This cake is a tribute to the very real, physical pains that come with age – the creaking kneecaps and constant backaches that have become a staple of millennial humour. On Tuesday, Lilly Singh took to Instagram to share three photos of the hilarious cake that she was surprised with. Her pictures show a cake shaped to resemble a supersized replica of the famous pain-relieving ointment Tiger Balm. It has gone viral on social media, collecting several amused reactions and comments from people who found her post relatable. “Was told that my surprise birthday cake ‘was totally me’ and it did not disappoint,” Lilly Singh, also known by her YouTube moniker ‘Superwoman’, wrote on Instagram while sharing pics of the cake. “Not an ad, just a reality of getting ol

OnePlus 8T will launch with OxygenOS 11, based on Android 11, out-of-the-box, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed through a forum post released on Tuesday. Lau also claimed that the new OnePlus phone will be the first global smartphone to launch with Android 11 — aside from Google’s own Pixel phones. In addition to the official confirmation about its software version, the OnePlus 8T supposedly reached benchmark site Geekbench with 12GB RAM. The Geekbench listing of the OnePlus 8T suggested the presence of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. However, earlier reports hinted at the Snapdragon 865+ SoC powering the new smartphone. Pete Lau in a forum post said that with OxygenOS 11 running out-of-the-box on the OnePlus 8T, the smartphone would offer improved one-handed gestures as well as an overall more refined experience over the existing OnePlus 8. “We’ve introduced a new layout that moves touch controls closer to your thumbs for easier access, a wide range of Always on Display options to let you cus

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is all set to launch its all-new premium motorcycle on September 30, 2020. Expected to be called the Honda H’Ness, a stylised word for Highness, the new model is likely to have a displacement between 300 cc to 500 cc. The new motorcycle, expected to be a cruiser motorcycle, will go up against Royal Enfield bikes, particularly the upcoming Meteor 350. Globally, Honda already sells the Rebel range of cruiser bikes, offered in both 300 cc and 500 cc option, and we expect the new bike, coming to India, will be a re-worked model, sharing the engine and platform. Of course, it will come with the new brand name – Honda H’Ness.

The Union Health Ministry has said it does not agree with the ₹ 80,000 crore figure cited by Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India – the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume and which is conducting trials of Covid vaccine candidates ahead of mass production – for buying and distributing the vaccine in the country. The Ministry also claimed that it has sufficient funds for the vaccine. While addressing the media on Tuesday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan was asked for a response about Mr Poonawalla’s tweet highlighting challenges in vaccine production and distribution in the country. On September 26, Mr Poonawalla had tweeted, “Quick question; will the government of India have 80,000 crores available, over the next one year? Because that’s what @MoHFW_INDIA needs, to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India. This is the next concerning challenge we need to tackle”. He had also tagged the Prime Minister’s Office’s official Twitter handle in his

A 20-year-old woman, who died on Tuesday in Delhi two weeks after she was gang-raped and tortured in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, was cremated by policemen last night, allegedly as her family and relatives were locked up in their homes. A disturbing sequence of events captured in overnight visuals shows the family arguing with cops, female relatives throwing themselves on the hood of the ambulance carrying the body and a mother weeping helplessly as cops insist on taking her daughter straight to cremation, without allowing a last look. The woman died in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital yesterday morning. She had suffered multiple fractures, paralysis and a gash in her tongue in the horrific assault that drew parallels to the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape. But long after her death, her family had to endure a night of unending horror.

Taxes are an essential part of every working individual’s life. Many professionals are likely to pay taxes on time, especially when they have their finances sorted, as per Income Tax Act, 1961. While most people can file ITR on their own, some of you might still be unclear on planning your taxes, which is why you must be afraid that you might end up making mistakes. Before you begin your tax planning on the wrong foot, let’s look at these top five mistakes about taxes that you can avoid easily: Starting Tax Planning Quite Late A sound financial plan is incomplete without tax planning. So, it will be best if you start planning your taxes as you plan your short-term and long-term financial objectives. By this, we mean that you should begin filing your tax as early as possible instead of waiting until the very end of the financial year. Starting early on tax will allow to you plan your finances ahead in the year. In addition to this, you will have enough time to list down all the deductio

Affordable range of energy efficient fans with higher air delivery and performance New Delhi, 29 th September, 2020: Usha International, one of India’s leading consumer durables brand today launched the AIROSTRONG range of fans. The high lift angle of the blades of these fans ensure wider air spread and uninterrupted power-packed performance for the consumers making them perfect to beat the heat. The new AIROSTRONG range offers two variants – AIROSTRONG Curve and AIROSTRONG Angle – both of which operate very well even at low voltage, ensuring energy efficiency. With enhanced life expectancy, the fans come in appealing metallic shades that do not rust/dull over timeand add a superior touch to well-designed homes. Additionally, these fans function at a high-speed of 390 RPM, with high air delivery of 220 Cubic meter per minute. The entire range of fans has been designed keeping in mind the needs of today’s consumers who desire that their homes have a high visual quotient and will e

The panel discussions and workshops provided valuable insights on data as a tool Delhi: Arthan, a social enterprise, recently organized an online conference on Data and Technology for Impact on September 15, 2020. This conference is part of Arthan’s initiative called ‘Building Civil Society Organisations of the Future’ an online-to-offline initiative, which is long term, future-oriented and multi-stakeholder and seeks to address ecosystem challenges and opportunities, in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, progress towards which has been pushed back as a result of the pandemic. The event brought together speakers from organizations across the country. It focused on how to make data driven decisions to create robust programs and create inter-generational impact through panel discussions and masterclasses. Some of the organizations who participated included Thoughts in Gear, International Innovation Corps, Salesforce, 60 Decibels, Vera Solutions, IDFC institute, CivicDataLa

By Tariq Carrimjee   The author is a financial consultant and emerging market specialist. Tariq Carrimjee is Bombay born and raised, US-educated, and has 25 years of experience in the banking & financial services industries. Now based in Dubai, Tariq runs a successful business, advising clients on investment opportunities in emerging markets. As investors and market watchers it usually pays to look at the possibilities and eliminate the ‘unlikelihoods’ to arrive at the probabilities of events to consider exposures and risks involved. Banks follow strict exposure limits and scientifically assess the risks in each category of exposure and set aside capital and stop loss limits for their traders. Investors do not- usually, follow as rigorous a risk assessment as banks do and yet- as we have seen in the past, banks have also got it horribly wrong. The entire decad

Poco X3 will be going on its first sale today at 12pm (noon) via Flipkart. The smartphone, launched in India last week, will be offered in three storage configurations and two colour options. Key features of the Poco X3 include a large 6,000mAh battery, a quad rear camera setup featuring a 64-megapixel primary shooter, and the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G SoC. The phone is the successor to the Poco X2 that was launched in February this year. Poco X3 price in India, sale offers The Poco X3 will be going on sale via Flipkart today from 12pm (noon). It is priced at Rs. 16,999 for the base 6GB + 64GB storage model and at Rs. 18,499 for the 6GB + 128GB storage model. The top-tier variant, with 8GB + 128GB, is priced at Rs. 19,999. The phone will be sold in two colour variants – Cobalt Blue and Shadow Grey. Sale offers for the phone include a 5 percent discount on ICICI Credit Card EMIs, 5 percent cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card, no cost EMIs starting at Rs. 1,889 per mont

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced amendments to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) in a bid to use more of information technology and electronic monitoring for enforcing traffic rules and less harassment of drivers and citizens. This was required after the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 was passed and was published on August 9, 2019. Accordingly, the rules for amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 for certain provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 were published through GSR 584 (E) dated September 25, 2020. The amendment inter-alia provides for the definition for Challan, Portal inserted as requirement for providing the services through IT and further the enforcement of electronic monitoring and enforcement. All details of driving licences disqualified or revoked by the licensing authority will be recorded and updated chronologically in the VAHAN portal. The new amendments also make provisions for producing and obtaining cert

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had to wait until the Super Over to defeat Mumbai Indians (MI) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 fixture, at the Dubai International Stadium. In what was touted as a Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma clash, fans had to wait until the last minute in this drama-filled encounter. Before the Super Over, RCB looked set to win the match, but a last ditch blitzkrieg by Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard tied the match. MI won the toss initially and elected to bowl. Devdutt Padikkal once again notched a half-century, while AB de Villiers and Shivam Dube ensured a 201-run total for RCB. Meanwhile Washington Sundar proved to be crucial for Kohli’s side. After being sent in to bat first, Padikkal and Aaron Finch gave RCB a good start, with the Australian also slamming 52 runs off 35 deliveries. Padikkal also hit seven boundaries, which consisted of five fours and two sixes. The Indian batsman registered 54 off 40 balls. Meanwhile, Finch hit seven fours and a six.

COVID-19 has shown that the excessive dependence of the global supply chain on any single source is risky, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an apparent reference to China. PM Modi made the remarks during a virtual bilateral summit with his Denmark counterpart, Mette Frederiksen. The Prime Minister went on to add that India is working with Australia and Japan to diversify the supply chain, noting that like-minded countries are welcome to join the initiative. “The pandemic showed the risk involved in excessive dependence of the global supply chain on any single source,” PM Modi said without naming any country or source. India has been seeking to attract businesses looking to relocate from China in the aftermath of the Coronavirus outbreak. The government has already lowered taxes on companies to among the lowest in Asia, seeking to attract new investments in an economy which marked its first contraction in more than four decades this year. The virus first emerged in the Chinese city

Around fifty farmers from Uttar Pradesh were stopped from entering neighbouring Haryana’s Karnal district on Monday to sell their paddy crop at government-run mandis (wholesale markets), despite the controversial farm bills – which promise barrier-free trade at markets and prices of the farmer’s choice – having been signed into law on Sunday night. The Karnal Deputy Commissioner, Nishant Yadav, issued orders on Saturday to prevent farmers crossing the state border to sell non-basmati varieties of rice – which the Haryana government buys at a MSP (minimum support price) but the UP government does not. The district administration was reportedly looking to ensure that the same crop grown by local farmers is given preference – something that has not happened in previous seasons. The Haryana government, however, has said that farmers looking to sell non-basmati varieties of rice will be allowed but only after registering on a state-run portal and waiting for their turn. “There is no law whi

The panel of Delhi’s prestigious All-India Institute of Medical Sciences has submitted their findings on the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, sources. The panel, headed by Dr Sudhir Gupta, was constituted on the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation to study the autopsy and viscera reports. “A detailed meeting held today during which the AIIMS doctors’ panel submitted its conclusive findings to the CBI,” sources. Sources also said that the conclusions of the AIIMS panel are being corroborated with the CBI’s findings over the last 40 days. The findings of the AIIMS panel will be taken as expert opinion in this case and the doctors would be prosecution witnesses, sources said. Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai flat on June 14. Though the Mumbai police had said it was a case of suicide, there was speculation that it could be murder  The CBI, which is investigating the case with clearance from the Supreme Court after several twists in the case, said it was cove

The question of budget crosses everyone’s mind while purchasing a gift. Every festive year, you might not be able to splurge money on expensive gifts for your relatives and friends. The wisest thing you can do is have a strict budget to control your expenses. Following a stringent budget does not have to be boring at all. Our list of interesting Diwali gifts is light on everyone’s pocket. Let’s look below: Glass bowl set Are your loved ones hosting a grand Diwali party this year? If that’s the case, give them a sleek glass bowl set as a Diwali gift that lets them serve their guests snacks and other desserts in style. A designer set will leave a long-lasting impression on their guests at the party. Fancy penholder A work station looks dull without a penholder placed on a desk. So, present your loved ones with a vibrant penholder on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. If you’re gifting it to your employees or clients, emboss your brand’s logo or their initials to add a personal touch to i

Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab throws an interesting matchup between a captain who is been there done that and one who is just beginning his journey in leading a world-class outfit. Steve Smith and KL Rahul will be up against each other, both having led their teams to impressive wins in their previous matches. Steve Smith along with Sanju Samson blitzed the Chennai Super Kings bowling attack while KL Rahul smashed an unbeaten century to blow away Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore. The two teams are packed with a plethora of talent in the batting department, RR may be a little more than KXIP, which makes for a mouthwatering encounter in Sharjah. RAJASTHAN ROYALS Sanju Samson: The wicketkeeper-batsman from Kerala was in scintillating form in the match against Chennai Super Kings. He scored a brilliant 74 off just 32 balls, blasting a four and a whopping nine hits over the fence. Samson’s knock proved crucial as Rajasthan Royals ended up with a score 216 for seven off their

Hyundai Motor Company has introduced the next-generation electrified RM20e sports car to the world at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2020. The RM nomenclature refers to the N prototype model’s “Racing Midship” rear-drive, midship powertrain configuration. This RM platform facilitates an engineering “rolling lab” for testing high performance technologies, with outstanding connection to the tarmac at all speeds and driving conditions. In 2012, Hyundai embarked on project RM to develop and connect new high-performance motorsports technologies with future N models. Since the initiation of project RM, there has been a progressive evolution of the RM series, including: RM14, RM15, RM16 and RM19. In 2019, Hyundai’s first electric race car was developed for the eTCR electric touring car series: ‘Veloster N eTCR’, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. RM models have progressively undergone extensive testing to validate advanced technologies, observe their effective increase in

While Apple is busy preparing for the 2020 iPhone family, the rumour mill has now suggested that the smallest in the new series would be called none other than the iPhone 12 mini. This could be the fourth model in the iPhone 12 range that is likely to debut as soon as next month. The iPhone 12 mini title makes some sense if we look at Apple’s product line that includes the iPad mini and Mac mini; there was also an iPod mini in the past. The Cupertino company has so far avoided the “mini” moniker for its iPhone series, though. Tipster who uses a Twitter handle L0vetodream initially suggested the existence of the iPhone 12 mini earlier this week. A tweet was posted by the tipster calling four new iPhone models the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro , and the iPhone 12 Pro Max . On Friday, another tipster, who last month shared photos of an iPad Air brochure that turned out to be true , posted an image allegedly showing stickers from unreleased silicone iPhone cases. One of those

A meeting between former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday has set off a huge buzz, though both sides have denied it was anything political. The meeting at a luxury hotel in the western suburbs of Mumbai has raised eyebrows at a time both leaders have sparred bitterly in public over a range of issues, the latest being the Sushant Singh Rajput case and the demolition at actor Kangana Ranaut’s office. Sanjay Raut, confirming the meeting, said it was for an interview for the Shiv Sena mouthpiece “Saamana” — which he is in charge of – and that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was aware of it. “Devendra Fadnavis is not our enemy. We have worked with him. I met Fadnavis for his interview for Saamna. This was a pre-decided meeting. Even Uddhav Thackeray was aware of this,” Mr Raut told reporters. “Is it a crime to meet Fadnavis, who is a former chief minister and now the Opposition leader in the state Assembly? We have ideologi

Mobile phones of actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh are among those seized by the Narcotics Control Bureau in its probe into allegations of drug abuse in Bollywood triggered by the death of movie star Sushant Singh Rajput. Ms Padukone, one of the biggest names in the Hindi film industry, was questioned for six hours on Saturday by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai. She was summoned, along with actors Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan. The NCB has also seized phones of talent manager Jaya Saha and fashion designer Simone Khambatta and sent them for forensic examination in the case that has relied on recovered chat messages and has not led to discovery of any contraband so far. Ms Padukone was questioned at the Evelyn Guest House in Mumbai’s Colaba, where the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Special Investigation Team has set up a base. Ms Kapoor and Ms Khan were also questioned separately at the NCB’s Ballard Estate office. The probe into Bollywood’s drugs

Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) on Friday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PSU major National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) for supplying of calcined petroleum coke (CPC) for five years with an annual estimated sale of 40,000 metric tonne. Both the companies will benefit from the agreement with NRL gaining a dedicated market and NALCO ensuring raw material security for itself, it said. The MoU was signed on Thursday at NALCO Bhawan, Bhubaneswar. NALCO Chairman and Managing Director Sridhar Patra and NRL Managing Director S K Barua and other senior officials of both the companies were present during the signing of the agreement NRL produces around 70,000-75,000 metric tonne of CPC per annum by processing raw petroleum coke generated in the refining process. The material will be dispatched from NRL’s marketing terminal at Numaligarh in Assam to NALCO’s smelter plant at Angul in Odisha by railway rakes, the statement added.

Finance ministry sources have countered CAG audit finding of central government wrongly retaining Rs 47,272 crore of GST compensation cess meant for states, saying temporary retention cannot be termed as diversion. Days after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged that the Centre in the first two years of the GST implementation wrongly retained GST compensation cess that was meant to be used specifically to compensate states for loss of revenue, ministry sources said compensation due for the year 2017-18 and 2018-19 was fully paid to states. Time taken in reconciliation of compensation receipts can’t be termed as diversion of GST cess fund when the dues to states were fully released by the central government, they said. Sources said that in 2017-18, Rs 62,611 crore was collected, out of which the government released full compensation dues of Rs 41,146 crore to the states and union territories (UTs). In 2018-19, an amount of Rs 95,081 crore was collected, out of which Rs 69,2

Stock markets are expected to consolidate in near-term due to economic uncertainty and a host of factors such as RBI monetary policy, car sales and macroeconomic data and global cues would dictate the direction in this holiday-shortened week, analysts said. They said that despite a relief rally on Friday markets are likely to remain volatile amid resurging coronavirus cases in Europe. The RBI’s monetary policy review on October 1 and auto sales numbers would be among the key events for investors. The RBI’s monetary policy committee will be meeting for three days from September 29. Indian equity benchmark index Sensex declined by 3.83 per cent or 1,457.16 points and the broad-based Nifty tumbled 4.04 per cent last week. The stock indices declined for six straight sessions to Thursday, plunging by more than 7 per cent due to growth concerns after resurgence in coronavirus cases globally. The markets, however, cut short their losses and rallied over 2 per cent on Friday after reports that

India’s COVID-19 caseload neared 60 lakh with 88,600 fresh infections being reported on Sunday, while the number of people having recuperated from the disease crossed 49 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 82.46 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 59,92,532, while the death toll climbed to 94,503 with 1,124 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, data updated at 8 am showed. The total recoveries have surged to 49,41,627, and there are 9,56,402 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 15.96 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. The COVID-19 case fatality rate was recorded at 1.58 per cent. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and it went past 50 lakh on September 16. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 7,12,57,836 samples have been tested up to September 26

Former Union minister Jaswant Singh, a close associate of ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, died here on Sunday following a long spell of illness. He was 82. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders paid rich tributes to Singh, saying that he served India diligently and will be remembered for his unique perspective on matters of politics and society. Singh, a former Army officer, had been ill after a fall at his home in August 2014 and was admitted to the Army Research and Referral Hospital. He had been in and out of the hospital and was admitted again in June this year. “It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Hon’ble Major Jaswant Singh (Retd), former Cabinet Minister of Government of India at 0655 hours on 27 September 2020. He was admitted on 25 Jun 2020 and being treated for Sepsis with Multiorgan Dysfunction Syndrome and effects of Severe Head Injury old (Optd) had a Cardiac arrest this morning,” the hospital said in a statement. Despi

A counter culture narrative towards emotional wellbeing amidst the pandemic New author on the block Roshan Shetty, a 38-year old seasoned corporate professional, today announced the launch of his self-help book titled “Shift Left” which offers methods and hacks to improve an individual’s mental wellbeing. The book has chapters on a wide spectrum of topics which shape our current beliefs and habits that take us away from real happiness. It has the potential to offer you pathbreaking solutions to manage the conundrum created by the current pandemic. Dr Ajay Sankhe, Director and Dr. Devendra Save, Physiatrist of Bhaktivedanta Hospital along with actor, director producer Avantika Khattri launched the book at Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Meera Road Mumbai. Krescendo Communications will manage the books communications and marketing portfolio in ASIA.  Published by White Falcon, the title of the book has a narrative which entices readers to understand their thoughts and actions better with deep an

Sanju Samson will like to continue his dream form while the presence of Jos Buttler puts Rajasthan Royals on even keel with Kings XI Punjab in an IPL game which promises to be yet another six-hitting contest . Coming into the match after morale-boosting victories, both KXIP and the Royals would look to build a winning momentum after starting the tournament as underdogs. Buttler, who missed the first match due to quarantine rules as he reached the UAE separately with his family, is expected to open alongside Yashashvi Jaiswal while Steve Smith will take David Miller’s position in the batting order. Tom Curran and Jofra Archer will again complete the four-player overseas quota. “I am really excited to play my first game, it was great to be back in training with the boys, there’s a great vibe around the team so I’m really looking forward to taking the field,” Buttler said on the eve of the match. “The atmosphere and energy around the squad is fantastic, obviously lots of confidence afte