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Fri, 23 August 2019
RSS body slams withdrawal of surcharge on FPIs
Timeline Refresh
23:40
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with Minister of School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare Ashish Shelar during the release of special postal cover of Bandra Railway Station, in Mumbai, on Friday. Photograph: Sahil Salvi
23:13 Ramdev's aide Balkrishna admitted to AIIMS
Yoga guru Ramdev's close aide Balkrishna was on Friday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh after he complained of chest pain and giddiness.
Balkrishna, 47, who heads Patanjali Yogpeeth, was first taken to a hospital in Haridwar from where he was referred to AIIMS in Rishikesh, sources in the yoga institute said.
He was admitted in the ICU around 4.15 pm, AIIMS Medical Superintendent Brahmaprakash told reporters.
Balkrishna was admitted in a state of 'altered consciousness', a medical condition in which the patient fails to recognise his immediate surroundings.
He was restless, Brahmaprakash said. "Some tests have been done which show that his vital parameters are normal. A neurophysician and a cardiologist have examined him and he is stable."
"However, some reports are still awaited including the ones on enzymes in the blood stream. He is under the observation of a specialist team. He will be kept at the hospital as of now," Brahmaprakash said.
Later, in a video message, Ramdev thanked people for showing their concern about Balakrishna's health.
He said that Balkrishna took ill after eating a peda offered by a visitor at Patanjali on the occasion of Janmashtami.
"He fainted and began showing symptoms similar to that of food poisoning like nausea. However Acharya shri (Balkrishna) is improving and will soon be fine," Ramdev said. -- PTI
22:10 RSS body slams withdrawal of surcharge on FPIs
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch said withdrawal of super-rich surcharge on foreign investors is a result of 'an act of blackmailing' of the government by overseas investors, and if the situation permits the Centre should reimpose this tax after some time.
The remarks of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an economic wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party's ideological parent RSS, came after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced to roll back the enhanced surcharge, imposed on foreign portfolio and domestic investors in the 2019-20 Budget, as part of a slew of measures to boost sagging economic growth.
"Under the circumstances where the country's economy is dependent on investment from foreign investors or foreign portfolio investors... they always try to blackmail you.
"Removal of the tax should be seen in that direction," SJM co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said.
"The SJM sees it as a result of an act of blackmailing by foreign investors," he said, adding if the situation permits the 'government should reimpose the tax after a gap'.
He also suggested that in the long term, the government should substitute imports to minimise its foreign exchange requirement 'so that the future dispensations are able to take decisions in the best interest of the country as they had done earlier in this case, but they were pressured'.
Mahajan said the dependence on FDI and FPI has to be reduced so that 'foreign investors are not able to blackmail you'.
"We need to reduce our dependence on our foreign investment so that nobody is able to impose restriction. We have seen in the last couple of weeks there have been pressure from FPIs," he said.
The move to roll back the enhanced surcharge imposed on foreign portfolio and domestic investors will dent government revenues by Rs 1,400 crore.
Sitharaman had in her maiden Budget hiked the surcharge on income tax paid by super-rich individuals.
The surcharge, levied on top of the applicable income tax rate, was hiked from 15 per cent to 25 per cent for those with taxable income of Rs 2-5 crore, and to 37 per cent for those earning more than Rs 5 crore.
This increased the effective tax rate for these two groups by 3.12 per cent and 7 per cent to 39 per cent and 42.74 per cent, respectively.
Some 40 per cent of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) automatically came under the higher tax rate as they have been investing as a non-corporate entity such as trust or association of persons (AOPs), which in the Income Tax law are classified as an individual for the purpose of taxation.
The SJM, however, welcomed the government's decision that all the pending GST refunds to micro, small and medium enterprisies (MSMEs) till date shall be paid within 30 days, while future refund matters will be sorted out within 60 days. -- PTI
21:58 Inter-ministerial central team to visit K'taka to assess flood damage
An inter-ministerial central team will visit Karnataka for four days beginning Saturday to assess the damage caused by the recent floods, officials said on Friday.
The decision has been taken after Home Minister Amit Shah conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Karnataka.
"An inter-ministerial team will be visiting Karnataka from August 24 to 27 to assess the flood damage and relief operations," a Home Ministry official said.
Officers from the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance, Road Transport, Rural Development and Jal Shakti will be part of the team.
On August 19, a high-level meeting, chaired by the Home minister had decided to immediately constitute and send inter-ministerial central teams (IMCTs) to 11 states to asses the damage caused by the recent floods.
As per the decision, the teams will be immediately constituted and sent to Assam, Meghalya, Tripura, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.
It is a significant departure from the existing practice of deputing an IMCT after the receipt of memorandum from the state in the wake of any severe calamity.
The IMCT will henceforth be constituted immediately in the aftermath of any natural calamity of severe nature, which will visit the affected areas in the state so as to have a first-hand assessment of damages caused and relief work carried out by the state administration, a statement said.
The team will again visit the state after submission of the memorandum for detailed assessment of the damages and relief operations conducted for making final recommendations for allocation of additional funds.
At present, the team visits the affected state only once after the receipt of memorandum from the state. -- PTI
21:40 Govt confessed economy under stress: Cong
The Congress on Friday said the government has 'confessed' that the Indian economy is under stress and questioned the 'silence' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari also demanded the government lists out the steps it intends to take to revive the economy.
He said Niti Ayog vice chairperson Rajiv Kumar deserves to be congratulated for 'admitting' that the current stress in the financial sector is 'unprecedented'.
This 'confession', he said requires a slight amendment as 'it is not just the financial sector, (rather) it is the Indian economy that is under stress. The current situation in the Indian economy is unprecedented, something of the sort has not been seen in the past 70 years'.
"When you have the Indian economy enter its choppiest phase perhaps, the silence of the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are deafening. All you see is deflection, politics of vendetta, undeclared emergency across the country," he told reporters in New Delhi.
Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Thursday the government was considering a number of measures which will be taken at an appropriate time to deal with financial stress and unleash animal spirit in the economy.
Tewari said on Friday over 3 crore people are currently facing a threat of becoming unemployed.
"Every sector of economy is under grave stress. The textile industry has been putting out advertisements on a daily basis for past one week, explaining that this is perhaps the worst period which the textile industry has seen in the past seven decades," the Congress leader said.
The primary reason for this is that the government does not have a clue as to how it will handle this crisis which is intensifying on a daily basis, Tewari said.
"Much that the BJP-NDA government would like us to believe that this is because of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, unfortunately that is not the case. This is the making of the NDA-BJP government in the past five years," he said.
He said there is a 'shadow-banking crisis' because of insecurities, and private consumption which constitutes 60 per cent of the gross domestic product is at historic low.
The crisis in the automobile sector is very well documented as 3,50,000 people stand retrenched in the auto sector and Maruti Suzuki alone has cut its production by 25% for the sixth consecutive month in a row, he noted.
"The growth of the Indian economy has slowed down to 5.7 per cent, the worst performance in the past 5 years and this is 5.7 per cent with 2011-2012 as the base year," he said.
Later in a tweet, Tewari said, 'A structural problem bedevils the fundamentals of Indian economy because of lag effect of Demonitisation/GST coupled with spectre of terror unleashed on even honest businesspersons juxtaposed with lack of understanding of economic issues by successive Finance Ministers of NDA/BJP.' -- PTI
21:38 Imran discusses Kashmir issue with Merkel
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday held a telephonic conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the Kashmir issue.
During the talks, the prime minister 'emphasised that India scrapping the special status to Jammu and Kashmir has serious implications for peace and security in the region and the international community has the responsibility to act urgently', the Foreign Office said.
Merkel said Germany was closely observing the situation and underlined the importance of de-escalation of tensions and resolution of the issue peacefully, it stated.
India has categorically told the international community that removing the special status to Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also 'briefed' his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid on the Kashmir issue, the Foreign Office said.
Qureshi urged Maldives to play a constructive role for peace and stability in the region and peaceful settlement of disputes, it said.
The Maldivian foreign minister said they were closely watching the situation. The two leaders agreed to continue to work together for peace and stability in the region, the Foreign Office said. -- PTI
21:14 BJP protests non-Hindu pilgrimage ads on bus tickets in Tirupati
Bus tickets carrying advertisements of Jerusalem yatra and Haj pilgrimage issued to devotees proceeding to the famous Lord Venkateswara temple at nearby Tirumala tiggerred a protest by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tirupati on Friday against the state-run transport corporation.
As a controversy broke out over the issue, Endowment Minister Vellampalli Srinivas said the tickets were not meant for Tirupati and an inquiry has been ordered.
The BJP workers raised slogans and staged a sit-in at the office of the Regional Manager of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).
Later, they submitted a letter seeking a detailed probe into the matter and sought stringent action against those involved in the distribution of the tickets.
Reacting to the issue, Andhra Pradesh Endowment Minister Vellampalli Srinivas said the tickets meant for Nellore in the state were printed during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime for promotion of pilgrimage of other religions under a government-sponsored scheme.
A probe was ordered into the issue, he said in a press release adding those responsible would be identified and punished.
BJP State Secretary G Bhanu Prakash Reddy told PTI it was not good on the part of APSRTC to issue bus tickets carrying advertisements of other religions to the visiting devotees of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati and sought a detailed probe.
In Telangana, BJP's lone MLA Raja Singh condemned the issuance of the tickets and urged Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to take action against those responsible.
"... As per rules, any campaign about non-Hindu religions cannot be done at a revered place like Tirupati.. I ask Jagan Mohan Reddy ji to take action against those who committed this," a report from Hyderabad quoted him as having said in a video message.
The over 2,000 year-old Lord Venkateswara shrine in Tirumala is a major pilgrim centre for Hindus and draws lakhs of devotees throughout the year from across the country and abroad.
The APSRTC alone operates buses to Tirumala from Tirupati. -- PTI
20:54 Rahul, Oppn leaders to visit Kashmir tomorrow
A delegation of Opposition party leaders to visit Srinagar tomorrow.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Communist Party of India's D Raja, Communist Party of India-Marxist's Sitaram Yechury, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Manoj Jha will also be a part of the delegation.
More details awaited. -- ANI
20:51 Kathua: Major curbs imposed on WhatsApp groups
Kathua district administration has asked the administrators of social media groups to register their groups with concerned station house officers immediately.
An order by District Magistrate Dr Raghav Langer has been issued to this effect in order to 'check and keep a vigil over rumor mongering on social networking sites'.
'Each WhatsApp group admin shall immediately enable message uploading status to 'only admins can send messages' from today till October 21,' the order by district magistrate said. -- ANI
An order by District Magistrate Dr Raghav Langer has been issued to this effect in order to 'check and keep a vigil over rumor mongering on social networking sites'.
'Each WhatsApp group admin shall immediately enable message uploading status to 'only admins can send messages' from today till October 21,' the order by district magistrate said. -- ANI
20:00 'Scattered protests' after prayers in Srinagar
The situation in Kashmir's main city and the rest of the Valley remained mostly peaceful on Friday except for scattered protests after the afternoon prayers, officials said as authorities imposed fresh restrictions to ward off trouble.
About 300 people protested in Soura on the outskirts of Srinagar city after the Friday prayers.
However, the crowds were dispersed with security forces making repeated announcements and a 'mild lathi charge', the officials said.
Restrictions in several parts of Srinagar and other places in the Valley were reimposed after posters issued by separatists came up, calling on people to march to the local United Nations military observer group (UNMOGIP) office, they said.
In the posters, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JLR) of the separatists asked people to march to the UNMOGIP office to voice their protest against the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
The separatists claimed the Centre's move to scrap Article 370 is an attempt to change the demography of the state.
Barricades and concertina wires were erected at many places to prevent people from marching to Lal Chowk and Sonawar, where the UN office is located, the officials said, adding that the security forces had been deployed at strength at many places to maintain law and order.
Earlier this week, curbs were eased in most areas of Kashmir with barricades being lifted and the movement of people and traffic increasing gradually.
Markets have been shut and mobile and Internet services suspended since August 5, when the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Several leaders, including former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been kept in preventive custody since then. -- PTI
19:29 IAF postpones admission test at Srinagar centre
The Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT), scheduled to be held in Srinagar on August 24, has been postponed, the IAF said on Friday, citing failure of the candidates to download hall tickets due to the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley.
However, the examination to be held at centres established in Leh and Jammu would be conducted as per the fixed schedule, a statement issued by the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.
Internet and mobile services are suspended across the Kashmir Valley since August 5 following restrictions imposed as a precautionary measure after the BJP-led NDA government scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the state into two union territories.
"IAF has postponed AFCAT 02/2019 examination which was scheduled to be held on August 24 at Srinagar centre. The fresh date for the examination would be notified later.
"Due to prevailing situation, the candidates are not able to download their hall tickets for the examination and the decision has been taken to postpone the examination for the convenience of candidates who have been allotted Srinagar centre," the statement said.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said the States Taxes Department has extended the last date for furnishing return in the Form GSTR-3B for month of July to September 20 so as traders get more time to file their returns.
"The States Taxes Department has notified that the return of Form GSTRB-3B for the month of July for registered persons whose principal place of business is in Jammu and Kashmir shall be furnished electronically through common portal on or before September 20," he said, adding that the notification shall be deemed to have come into force with effect from August 20. -- PTI
However, the examination to be held at centres established in Leh and Jammu would be conducted as per the fixed schedule, a statement issued by the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.
Internet and mobile services are suspended across the Kashmir Valley since August 5 following restrictions imposed as a precautionary measure after the BJP-led NDA government scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the state into two union territories.
"IAF has postponed AFCAT 02/2019 examination which was scheduled to be held on August 24 at Srinagar centre. The fresh date for the examination would be notified later.
"Due to prevailing situation, the candidates are not able to download their hall tickets for the examination and the decision has been taken to postpone the examination for the convenience of candidates who have been allotted Srinagar centre," the statement said.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said the States Taxes Department has extended the last date for furnishing return in the Form GSTR-3B for month of July to September 20 so as traders get more time to file their returns.
"The States Taxes Department has notified that the return of Form GSTRB-3B for the month of July for registered persons whose principal place of business is in Jammu and Kashmir shall be furnished electronically through common portal on or before September 20," he said, adding that the notification shall be deemed to have come into force with effect from August 20. -- PTI
19:28 Modi govt has rewritten grammar of change: Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said the Narendra Modi
government has rewritten the grammar of change, with dozens of signature
policy initiatives which have brought significant improvement in
people's lives and also 'pitchforked' India as a global growth engine.
The Union home minister also took a swipe at the Congress, saying it
has had eight opportunities to serve India with full majority
governments, but not even 10 of their measures stand out for ushering in
transformational change.
In an article that appeared in The Times of
India on Friday, Shah said the Modi government attached importance to
the business community as the prime minister has always believed that a
country cannot advance if 'the business community does not lead this
progress'.
Modi's emphasis on the role of wealth creators in a
nation's growth underlines the importance this government attaches to
the business community, he said.
The BJP chief cited the decision to
nullify Article 370 and Article 35A, both of which gave special status
to Jammu and Kashmir, to assert that it exemplify the government's
determination as Modi's hallmark has been his strong-willed approach.
The government's decision on Article 370 and Article 35A, and the
passage of the relevant Bills in both houses of Parliament illustrate
Modi's resolve and political statesmanship to actualise the 'one
nation-one Constitution' principle, and lead Jammu and Kashmir into a
new era of development, he said.
Likewise, moves such as
demonetisation, implementation of Goods and Services Tax, abolition of
the evil practice of triple talaq, conducting air strike and surgical
strike on terror launch pads across the border, giving one rank one
pension, which were hitherto seen as difficult asks, were executed by
the Modi government, he said.
He also listed among them direct benefit
transfer, institutionalisation of chief of defence staff (CDS), passage
of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act amendment bill and granting
constitutional status to OBC Commission.
"These moves certainly make
him the most strong willed prime minister India has ever seen," Shah
said.
"PM's popularity shows that when tough measures are taken with
popular welfare as the sole consideration, people reward you with
wholesome support. The overwhelming mandate in 2019 that bettered even
the 2014 record is a testimony to this," he said. -- PTI
18:37 Naresh Goyal not cooperating in probe: Centre
Naresh Goyal, founder of the now-grounded Jet Airways, is not cooperating in the investigation in a case of alleged fraud of Rs 18,000 crore, the Centre claimed in the Delhi high court on Friday.
The government's submission came during the hearing of Goyal's plea for withdrawing his earlier petition which sought permission to travel abroad.
Goyal, in his fresh application, said the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has started its probe into the case of alleged fraud of Rs 18,000 crore and he was extending full cooperation to the agency in the investigation and accordingly, was and not pressing for the permission to go abroad at this stage.
To this, central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul said: "He (Goyal) is not cooperating in the investigation of the case."
However, Justice Navin Chawla did not express anything on merits of the case and said the petition is "dismissed as withdrawn".
The hearing took place amidst the news that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the premises of Goyal in connection with a case of alleged contravention of the foreign exchange law.
Besides seeking permission to travel outside India, Goyal had also challenged in the court a look out circular (LOC) issued against him on the ground that as on May 25, when he was off-loaded from a flight to Dubai, no ECIR/FIR was registered against him.
Goyal said he came to know of the LOC on May 25 when he and his wife Anita were off-loaded from a flight to Dubai with an onward connection to London.
He said when he had filed the petition in July, he was in an urgent need to travel abroad and thereafter, he received summons from SFIO for recording of statement regarding the investigation which has been initiated.
"The petitioner (Goyal) is participating and fully cooperating in the investigation and has appeared before the authorities on three occasions.
"As the investigation has commenced and since the petitioner is extending full cooperation, he is not pressing the present writ petition at this stage for permission to travel outside India," it said, adding that he be given liberty to avail of the appropriate remedies in future.
18:17
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman: Next week we will be coming with one more set of announcement. You may expect us to talk to you twice more in the near future.
18:14 Leg up for ailing auto industry
Boost for the auto industry:
-- Finance minister says depreciation rate hiked on vehicles purchased till March 2020 to 15 per cent.
-- Govt lifts bans on purchase of new vehicles for govt departments.
-- Euro IV-compliant vehicles purchased till March 2020 to remain operational till registration lasts.
-- Government to consider measures including scrappage policy for auto sector.
18:12
Sitharaman's GST gift
18:00 Measures to boost the economy
A glance at the table will show you the finance minister's plans to boost the economy with regard to banks, MSMEs and NBFCs.
17:58 GST refunds in 60 days
Finance minister: -- Rs 70,000 crore released for PSU banks' recapitalization. "We are releasing 70,000 crores upfront. Additional lending and liquidity to the tune of Rs 5 lakh crores can be made available by providing this capital for the PSPs.
-- Home and car EMIs to cost less.
-- Enhanced surcharge on capital gains tax to go.
-- All pending GST payments due to MSMEs till now will be paid in 30 days. For future GST refunds will be sorted out within 60 days.
17:47 FPI surcharge, capital gains tax rolled back
Highlights:
-- CSR will only be treated as a civil matter, and all I-T notices will be sent through a centralized computer from October 1, 201
-- There will be faceless scrutiny from 'Vijay Dashmi' this year, which will mean that there shall not be even, that one odd over-enthusiastic officer who might go and sit & talk about things, which may be construed as harassment.
-- Enhanced surcharge on FPI is rolled back. In order to encourage investment in the capital market, it is decided to withdraw enhance surcharge levied by the Finance No. 2 Act 2019. In simple words, the enhance surcharge on FPI goes, surcharge on domestic investors in equity goes. Pre-budget position is restored. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced higher surcharge on FPIs, who have sold Indian stocks net worth over $3 billion over last two months.
-- Long-term and capital gains tax on equity transactions.
-- Domestic investor surcharge to go.
-- Banks to pass on all rate cuts to borrowers. The RBI has always maintained that the benefits of interest rate reduction is not passed on to customers.
-- CSR violations will not be treated as a criminal offence and instead be as civil liabilities. On or after 1st October 2019 all the Income-tax orders, notices, summons, letters, etc shall be issued through a centralised computer system.
-- No Angel Tax on start-ups.
17:35 Tax scrutiny will be humane: Sitharaman
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressing a press conference on the economy. She begins the conference saying there are 32 slides compartmentalised into six sections.
Sitharaman says India still the fastest growing economy. Global growth is weak at 3.2 per cent. India's growth more than US, China.
She says India's reforms will continue and despite weak global cues the Indian economy is performing better than other countries.
India will move from the prosecution route to a more humane route in terms of tax collection and scrutiny.
Nirmala Sitharaman underscores PM Modi's Independence Day 'we respect wealth creators' statement, and says that is the philosophy with which Budget was presented and says there will be faceless scrutiny for income tax after Dussehra, October 8.
Image: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman with MoS Finance Anurag Thakur.
17:17 Publicly thrash those insulting Savarkar, says Uddhav
Those who do not respect Veer Savarkar should be thrashed publicly in chowks, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday, a day after the student wing of the Congress claimed it blackened the freedom fighter's bust in the Delhi University.
Thackeray said public thrashing of those insulting Savarkar, a revered figure in Maharashtra, will make them understand the value of freedom. "Those who do not respect Savarkar should be once thrashed publicly, in chowks (square). Till then they will not realise who had toiled to what extent to attain freedom for the country," Thackeray said.
"These people, who insulted Savarkar -- whom Rahul Gandhi too had insulted -- will not understand value of freedom till then," he added. The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) had on Thursday said it blackened the bust of Savarkar while garlanding those of Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, installed by the ABVP-led Delhi University Students' Union at the Delhi University.
The DUSU had installed these busts outside the Arts Faculty building on Tuesday. The NSUI and the Left-backed All India Students' Association had criticised the move, saying Savarkar cannot be kept on the same pedestal as that of Bose and Singh. -- PTI
17:14 Markets in the green ahead of Fin Min's meet
Snapping its three-session falling streak, market benchmark BSE Sensex rebounded 228 points on Friday on expectations of FPI tax rollback and some measures by the government to boost growth.
The 30-share index, which had dropped over 350 points in opening trade, reversed course following an announcement that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will address a presser after market hours. This fuelled speculations that the government would unveil measures to support the sagging economy and address tax concerns of market participants, traders said.
The BSE Sensex closed higher by 228.23 pts or 0.63 per cent at 36,701.16. The broader NSE Nifty rose by 88 points or 0.82 per cent to settle at 10,829.35, with 41 of its 50 constituents closing with gains. However, both the key indices finished with losses for the week. The Sensex lost 649.17 points, or 1.74 per cent, while the Nifty shed 218.45 points, or 1.98 per cent, during the week. -- PTI
17:00 Our lawyer-MPs failed to bail out PC, jeers Diggi's brother
Lakshman Singh, Congress veteran Digvijay Singh's brother, on Friday took potshots at senior party leaders who, as lawyers of former Union minister P Chidambaram, failed to get relief for him from the courts. Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi were among the lawyers who defended Chidambaram who yet failed to get anticipatory bail and was arrested in the INX Media case by the CBI on Wednesday.
"I hope Chidambaram comes out as innocent and the party's image stays clean, but I am saddened that all our mathadhish (stalwart) lawyers who got Rajya Sabha berths repeatedly failed to get bail for him," Singh, a Congress MLA, said without naming anyone.
Singh had mocked his own party leaders earlier too. In April last year, when the Congress high command was about to appoint Kamal Nath as chief of the Madhya Pradesh unit, Singh tweeted that Nath leading the party in assembly polls was "like playing HMV record in an age of bluetooth technology". -- PTI
16:58 FATF's Asia-Pacific wing blacklists Pak
Financial Action Task Force (FATF)'s Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering has put Pakistan in the lowest category called Enhanced (Expedited) Follow Up, ANI reports quoting sources.
'Enhanced (Expedited) Follow Up' of FATF's Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering is a category for countries having major deficiencies in their Anti-Money Laundering and counter financing of terrorism framework and implementation. -- ANI
16:33 Chidambaram moves SC against CBI remand
Former finance minister P Chidambaram has moved the Supreme Court against his remand in the CBI.
In the CBI case, a special court on Thursday sent Chidambaram for custodial interrogation after he was arrested on the night of August 21.
Solocitor General Tushar Mehta said that Chidambaram cannot be arrested in the ED case till Monday as he is already in the custody of the CBI and a person cannot be arrested simultaneously by two agencies.
Chidambaram, who was Union home minister and also finance minister during the UPA rule from 2004 to 2014, was arrested on Wednesday night after he failed to get protection from the Supreme Court, which did not list for an urgent hearing his appeal against the Delhi High Court verdict dismissing his anticipatory bail plea on Tuesday.
The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as the finance minister. Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering case in this regard in 2018. -- PTI
15:34 Aircel Maxis case: Court reserves order on anticipatory bail plea for Sep 3
A Delhi Court Friday refused to adjourn the Aircel-Maxis case against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti on the pleas by CBI and ED, which sought the adjournment saying that another case pertaining to INX Media involving them was pending before the Supreme Court. Special Judge O P Saini took strong objection to the agencies seeking repeated adjournments, saying "things have become very embarrassing for me".
The court then reserved order on Chidambarams anticipatory bail application for September 3, extending the interim protection from arrest to them till then. It, however, gave liberty to CBI and ED to argue anytime before that date.
"I do not find any merit in the application of agencies to adjourn the matter. Why you (CBI, ED) asking adjournments day after day? You are making such arguments for an year. "Thing have become very embarrassing for me. You have been seeking adjournment day after day. Put up for orders for September 3. They can argue before that whenever they may argue," the court said. It said that both the matters Aircel Maxis and INX Media --were different. On agencies' argument that both cases involved FIPB approvals, the court said there were hundreds were such matters. -- PTI
15:30 Relief chopper crashes in Uttarakhand, no casualties
Uttarakhand: A relief helicopter crashed in Tikochi area near cloud burst hit Arakot, today. People on board including the pilot and co-pilot have sustained minor injuries.
This comes just two days after another relief with three people on board crashed in Uttarkashi. All the three were killed. Read the report here.
14:53 I'm unlike other netas, says PM amid Modi chants
PM Narendra Modi addresses the Indian community in Paris, at the UNESCO HQ:
"I have come to a nation of football lovers, you very well know the importance of a goal, that is the ultimate achievement. You know the value of a goal. In the last five years, we have laid such goals that were earlier considered impossible
"When India or France get an achievement, we are happy for each other. The number of supporters of France's football team in India may not be more than that in France.
"Since France is a football playing country, let me stay on the metaphor of goals. To achieve victory you need goals. In past 5 years or so we in India have set goals for ourselves which we are working at break neck speed to achieve. Ye naya Hindustan hai. This is the new India.
"I want to tell you that India is now surging ahead, mandate we got is not merely for running a govt but for building a new India. In new India, the way in which action is being taken against corruption, dynasty politics, loot of people's money, terrorism, this has never happened before. Within 75 days of the new Govt coming to power we took many strong decisions.
"I salute all those including the great Indian nuclear physicist Homi Bhaba, who lost their lives in the two crashes (Air India plane crashes, in 1950 and 1966 in France's Saint Gervais).
"I am not like other politicians, "says PM amid 'Modi, Modi 'chants.
"The relationship between India and France is hundreds of years old. Our friendship rests not on any selfishness but on solid ideals of 'Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. For me Infra means India-France."
14:33 Centre will tackle slowdown: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that he has full faith on the central government that it will take concrete steps to deal with the economic slowdown. This is one situation where the country has to stand as one and repair the economy, he said.
"I have full faith that in the coming times, the Centre will take concrete steps on it (economic slowdown). This is one situation where the country has to stand as one and repair the economy. Whatever steps the Centre will take to repair the economy, the Delhi government will give them full support. I am personally worried about the job losses," Kejriwal said on the sidelines of an event.
"It is a matter of grave concern, especially for auto sector, textile, real estate and others where we are seeing slowdown is becoming deeper," he said. The remarks came amid demand by India Inc for stimulus package to deal with the slowdown in various sectors of the economy. PTI
14:33 ED searches Naresh Goyal's offices in Delhi, Mumbai
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches on Friday at the premises of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal in connection with a case of alleged contravention of the foreign exchange law, officials said.
They said the searches are being carried out under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act and are aimed at gathering additional evidence. Jet premises in Mumbai and Delhi are being searched, they said.
A full-service carrier, Jet Airways shuttered operations on April 17 after running out of cash. A Ministry of Corporate Affairs inspection report had found large-scale irregularities, including diversion of funds, at the airline, sources had said in July. In March, Goyal stepped down as chairman of the airline. Currently, Jet Airways is undergoing resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. -- PTI
13:50 India to receive first Rafale aircraft next month: PM
The first Rafale aircraft will be handed over to India next month, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday.
"We are happy that the first of the 36 Rafale fighter aircraft will be handed over to India next month," said Modi, during a joint interaction after his bilateral meeting with the French President Emmanuel Macron.
In September 2016, India had signed a deal with the French government and Dassault Aviation to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets for over Euro 7.8 billion to arrest the fall of combat squadrons and meet urgent requirements on the eastern and western fronts. The aircraft will start arriving in India from May next year. -- PTI
13:38 Stocks recover from early sharp losses
Market benchmark BSE Sensex pared early sharp losses on the back of a rebound in oil, IT and banking stocks amid reports that the government may roll back the surcharge on foreign portfolio investors.
The 30-share index was trading higher by 20.06 points or 0.05 per cent at 36,492.99 points in the afternoon session as 20 of its constituents gained. The broader NSE Nifty rose by 34.55 points or 0.32 per cent to 10,775.90 with 36 of its scrips trading in the green.
Stocks had dived in the opening session with the benchmark indices declining up to 1 per cent due to fading hopes of any stimulus package by the government to boost the sagging growth. Media reports suggesting that the government may roll back the tax surcharge on foreign portfolio investors helped revive the equities.
A rebound in Reliance Industries, SBI, Yes bank and IT stocks also aided the recovery. IT stocks TCS, Infosys and Tech Mahindra rose up to 1.28 per cent after the rupee declined to eight-month lows. -- PTI
13:25 5 IAF officers found guilty in 'friendly fire' chopper crash
Five Indian Air Force officers have been found guilty by a court of inquiry for the shooting down of a Mi-17VF chopper over Srinagar on February 27 in which six personnel were killed.
Former Western Air Commander Air Marshal Hari Kumar was the in-charge of entire operations when the crash took place due to friendly fire from the Spyder air defence missile system.
"Five officers including one Group Captain, two Wing commanders and two Flight Lieutenants have been held blameworthy by the court of inquiry by the Air Force headed by a senior officer," sources said.
The officers have been found guilty of charges including negligence and not following correct procedures while shooting down the Mi-17 V5 chopper.
The inquiry was ordered by the Air Force Headquarters under an Air Commodore-rank officer as the crash resulted in the death of six of its personnel.
The top brass of the Air Force and the government are of the view that strictest punishment should be meted out to personnel who are found guilty.
Sources said that during the probe, it had emerged that the officers handling air defence responsibilities at the Srinagar air base mistook the chopper returning midway from a mission as an incoming missile towards the base.
On February 27, a Mi-17 V-5 chopper of the Srinagar-based 154 Helicopter Unit crashed within 10 minutes of taking off even as a dogfight raged over 100 km away between intruding Pakistani jets and the IAF, in which Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was involved.
Six IAF personnel on board and a civilian on the ground had lost their lives in the crash.The court of inquiry was also delayed to some extent as the black box of the chopper was stolen by the villagers in Budgam where some of the hostile elements had also reportedly pelted stones at military vehicles after the crash. -- ANI
12:55 Both pleas by Chidambaram to be heard on Monday
Kapil Sibal says the Delhi HC judgment is verbatim of what is in the ED note. "Comma for comma, full stop for full stop. Everything is a copy, so the note becomes the basis of denying bail to Chidambaram," Sibal tells teh court.
SG Tushar Mehta says, "CBI had statements from Indrani Mukherjea stating that Peter Mukherjea and Indrani Mukherjea went to meet P Chidambaram and were told that FIPB approvals will be given.
"We have evidence in electronic form to show that there was an "exchange" of money and money was transferred through money laundering. There were shell companies creates overseas by people close to P Chidambaram.
"We are opposing bail on concrete grounds. The High Court judge has gone through the case diary and then passed the order," the Solicitor Generalsaid in the Supreme Court.
The SG also said that they have traced the money trail. "There are 10 properties abroad. 17 bank accounts in other countries. With the strength of the people behind us, we can confront him saying these are your men. Persons behind shell cos have executed wills in favour of Chidambaram's granddaughter, but destroyed it."
The SC has also adjourned the hearing of Chidambaram's plea against ED arrest till Monday. Which means the ex-FM cannot be arrested till the hearing on Monday.
The SC also adjourned Chidambaram's plea against custodial interrogation by the CBI till Monday.
12:39 PC to spend weekend in custody, hearing on Mon
Hearing begins in Supreme Court on petitions filed by former Union Minister P Chidambaram against the Delhi High Courts order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea in connection with INX media case probed by CBI and ED.
The Supreme Court says it will hear Chidambaram's appeal against arrest on Monday, August 26.
Kapil Sibal tells the court that Chidambaram's fundamental right to access to justice has been frustrated by the way in which the plea against the Delhi HC verdict was not heard despite moving the SC on time.
"After arguments were over, Solicitor General gave a note to Justice Gaur, the HC judge. We were not given chance to reply on that," Sibal told the court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says, "Don't make false statements, I didnt give it after the arguments were over."
Sibal says he has stated it on oath. He says the HC judge copy-pasted the Enforcement Directorate's note. Sibal says there is not a shred of evidence in the ED's note.
12:22 Manmohan Singh takes oath as RS member
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha. The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
Top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel and Anand Sharma were among those who were present during the oath taking in the Chairman's chamber. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and some BJP leaders were also present.
Singh, 86, has come back as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. He was elected unopposed as the BJP did not put up a candidate against him. -- PTI
12:02 Rupee recovers from early lows; up 9 paise at 71.72
The rupee recovered from early low levels to trade higher by 9 paise at 71.72 against the US currency in late morning trade on Friday. The rupee for the first time in nine months breached the 72-mark against the US dollar in opening trade due to heavy losses in stock markets. The rupee opened lower at 71.93 and touched a low of 72.05 later.
A recovery in equity markets on the buzz that the government may consider relaxation to FPIs from the super-rich tax helped the local currency cut losses. The rupee recovered to a high of 71.67 in the late morning session before quoting at 71.72 to the US dollar, showing gains of 9 paise over the last close of 71.81. The US dollar was trading firm against its global rivals. The US dollar index measuring its strength against global peers was up 0.16 per cent.
11:48 Now, Singhvi says, 'demonising Modi wrong'
The BJP was quick to react with Amit Malviya, the party's national head I-T, tweeting to say, "The law is catching up with Sonia Gandhi's courtier seems to have had a sobering effect on other Congress leaders, including Chidambaram's lawyer, who like a canary, are suddenly singing praises of Prime Minister Modi..."
After Jairam Ramesh, senior Congress leader, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, has said today that "demonizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi is wrong" and that acts should be judged "issue-wise and not person-wise".
Abhishek Manu Singhvi was reacting to comments by Jairam Ramesh, who, at a book launch yesterday, sought to analyse the positives of the Modi government and asserted that not acknowledging his achievements would not help the opposition.
"Always said demonising PM Modi wrong. Not only is he the PM of the nation, a one-way opposition actually helps him. Acts are always good, bad and indifferent - they must be judged issue wise and not person-wise. Certainly, Ujjawala scheme is only one amongst other good deeds," Mr Singhvi said in a tweet tagging Jairam Ramesh.
11:24 SC agrees to examine validity of Triple Talaq
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine the validity of a newly enacted law which makes the practice of instant divorce through triple talaq among Muslims a punishable offence entailing imprisonment of up to three years.
A bench of justices N V Ramana and Ajay Rastogi issued a notice to the Centre on a batch of petitions which has sought to declare The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act 2019 as "unconstitutional" on grounds that it allegedly violates the provisions of the Constitution.
"We will examine this," the bench told senior advocate Salman Khurshid, who was appearing for one of the petitioners. Khurshid told the bench that there were many dimensions, including making the practice a punishable offence and jail term of up to three years, which was required to be examined by the top court. -- PTI
11:03 Pak stands ready to open Kartarpur Corridor: Qureshi
Pakistan on Friday said that despite tensions with India, it stands ready to open the Kartarpur Corridor and welcome the Sikh pilgrims to take part in celebrations in connection with the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said this while speaking to a delegation of civil society and parliamentarians of Afghanistan, which is currently visiting Pakistan for the 'Track-II dialogue, Beyond Boundaries'. Tension between India and Pakistan has escalated after New Delhi revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories on August 5.
"Despite our tensions with India, we have decided go ahead with Kartarpur Corridor and we stand ready to welcome the Sikh pilgrims for the 550th anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak," Qureshi told the delegation.
The Kartarpur corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Guru Nanak Dev. Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak up to the border will be constructed by India. -- PTI
10:47 TN on alert after intel of Lashkar terrorists'
Security has been tightened across Tamil Nadu following intelligence inputs that members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba had infiltrated into the state, police said on Friday.
The reports suggested six members of the terror outfit infiltrated into the state by sea from Sri Lanka and moved to different cities, including Coimbatore, according to the police.
Security has been stepped up at many places, including airports, railway stations, bus stands and places of worship across the state. An alert has been sounded, especially in coastal districts, to prevent any further possible intrusion, the police said.
There has been tight patrolling across Coimbatore district. Vehicle checks have been intensified in the city and border areas, the police said. Though the identity or the nationality of the intruders were yet to be ascertained, sources said one person belonged to Pakistan. -- PTI
10:41 Sensex, Nifty decline on fading hopes of stimulus package
Market benchmark BSE Sensex declined by 345 points in early session on Friday due to heavy losses in financial, FMCG and auto stocks amid fading hopes of a stimulus package for slowdown-hit sectors.
The 30-share index dropped 345.55 points or 0.95 per cent to 36,127.38 in early session with 19 of its constituents trading in the red. The broader NSE Nifty dropped 94.30 points or 0.88 per cent to 10,647.05 points, dragged down by losses in ICICI Bank, Cipla and auto major Maruti. FMCG, auto, banking and financial sector stocks came under heavy selling pressure after government officials virtually ruled out a stimulus package to arrest a slowdown and boost growth.
Among Sensex stocks, ICICI fell the most by 2.62 per cent. HDFC Bank, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, SBI and IndusInd Bank also dropped up to 1.7 per cent. Maruti lost 2.27 per cent, ITC 1.83 per cent, Bajaj Finance 2.17 per cent and Reliance Industries by 1.40 per cent. The rupee breached the 72 mark in early trade which also hit the market sentiment. -- PTI
10:28 Unprecedented liquidity crunch, warns Niti VC
Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar has termed the ongoing situation in financial sector as unprecedented and called for extraordinary steps to tackle it.
"This is an unprecedented situation for the government. In the last 70 years, we have not faced this sort of liquidity situation where the entire financial sector is in a churn, and nobody is trusting anybody else," Kumar said.
"Within the private sector, nobody wants to lend to anybody else. Everyone is sitting on cash," he said while speaking on Thursday at the Mindmine Summit 2019, the flagship event of the Hero Group.
Kumar said the government must do whatever it can to remove apprehensions of the private sector.
"The whole nature of the game has changed in the past four years after demonetisation, GST and IBC. In the earlier period, you had 10, 20, 30, 35 per cent of cash sloshing around which used to help people. That has become much less now," he said.
10:13 Economic policies must be less populist: Murthy
Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy speaking at an event in Gorakhpur gives a thumbs up for the economy but with riders. "Our economy is growing at 6 to 7 per cent this year. India has become the software development centre of the world. Our foreign exchange reserve has crossed 400 billion dollars.
"Investor confidence is at a historic high. Our governments have to become more citizen friendly and remove obstacles to entrepreneurs to create larger and larger number of jobs. Our economic policies have to be less populist and more based on expertise. We have to shun jingoism. While it's easy to drape ourselves in our national flag and shout 'Mera Bharat Mahaan' or 'Jai Ho', it is difficult to practice values. We have to identify ourselves as Indians first and rise above states, religion and caste."
10:07 I am Lord Ram's descendant: Lawyer
Chhattisgarh High Court advocate Hanuman Prasad Aggarwal has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court claiming himself to be a descendant of Lord Ram.
"Recently the Supreme Court asked if there are any descendants of Lord Ram? So I filed an affidavit after collecting evidence from the internet," he said.
Citing Agar Bhagwat, the advocate said Agarwals who are sons and grandsons of Maharaj Agrasen are Lord Ram's descendants.
"It is written in Agar Bhagwat that Maharaja Agrasen, who is the ancestor of the Agrawal community, is the 34th generation of Kush, son of Lord Ram. All Agarwals, who are sons and grandsons of Maharaj Agrasen, are Lord Ram's descendants," he said.
A week ago, BJP MP and member of the erstwhile Jaipur royal family Diya Kumari and another erstwhile Mewar-Udaipur royal family made similar claims.
According to the genealogical document provided by Kumari's family, King Dashrath appears on the 62nd number in the family tree, while Lord Ram and Kush appear on the 63rd and 64th numbers respectively. Sawai Jai Singh, Madho Singh and other rulers of the Jaipur royal family too appear on the documents provided by them. -- ANI
09:38 Restrictions imposed in Srinagar after march call to UN office
Restrictions were imposed in Srinagar city on Friday after posters issued by the separatists called on people to march to the local United Nations military observer group office, officials said.
Restrictions were eased in most areas of Kashmir this week, with barricades being lifted and the movement of people and traffic increasing gradually, but markets remained shut and mobile and Internet services suspended for the 18th day on Thursday.
Posters had appeared in certain localities of the city, in which the Joint Resistance Leadership conglomerate have asked peoples to march to the UN military observer group to protest against the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status. The separatists have claimed that the Centre's move to scrap Article 370 was an attempt to change the demography of the Muslim-majority state.
Barricades and concertina wires were erected at many places to prevent people from marching to Lal Chowk and Sonawar, where the UN office is located, the officials said, adding that the security forces had been deployed at strength at many places to maintain law and order.
Several leaders in the Valley have been kept in preventive custody after the Centre had on August 5 revoked almost all the provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the state, and bifurcated it into Union territories.
-- PTI
09:13 Economy in ICU, govt issuing look out notice for those defending civil liberties: Sibal
Targetting the Centre over slowdown in the country's economy and the arrest of former Union minister P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday said while the economy is in Intensive Care Unit, the government has issued a "look out notice" for all those defending civil liberties.
Taking to Twitter, the former law minister said the developments in the last few weeks have shown that both the economy and the cause of liberty need a "stimulus package". "The economy is in ICU and government has issued a "look out notice" for all those defending civil liberties," he tweeted.
This comes a day after Sibal had expressed his discontent over Chidambaram's arrest and termed it "drama" and "political persecution".
On August 21, the Delhi high court dismissed Chidambaram's plea for bail. The Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate had issued a look-out notice against him on Wednesday in the INX media case. A special anti-corruption court on Thursday sent the Congress leader to CBI custody till August 26.
In July, Sibal had said the economy was going through a "very difficult" phase as many sectors were in doldrums which are "not good" signs so far as the government's five trillion dollar economy target was concerned.
-- ANI
08:53 SC to hear Chidambaram's plea on bail today
Former Union Minister P Chidambaram's plea challenging a Delhi high court verdict that turned down his appeal for protection from arrest in the INX Media case will be heard by the Supreme Court today.
His appeal would be heard by a bench comprising Justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna.
The Congress leader had approached the top court on Wednesday for a prompt hearing, but the case was scheduled for Friday. The same evening, he was arrested by the CBI from his residence in south Delhi amid high drama.
On Thursday, a special CBI court allowed the investigation agency to have his custody until August 26 for questioning.
Chidambaram has been accused of facilitating a huge infusion of foreign funds into a television company, INX Media, in 2007 at the behest of his son Karti Chidambaram, who allegedly received kickbacks for this. At the time, he was the country's finance minister in the UPA government. Chidambaram has denied any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, repeated attempts by Chidambaram's lawyers to get an urgent hearing from the Supreme Court the same day were thwarted by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the request, saying that he did not have the documents needed to argue his stand.
08:19 Months ahead of Olympics, world body suspends India's dope testing lab
The World Anti-Doping Agency has suspended the accreditation of the National Dope Testing Laboratory for six months in what could be a massive blow to anti-doping movement in the country with less than a year left for Tokyo Olympics.
It is understood that National Anti-Doping Agency can still carry on with sample collection (blood and urine) but will have to get it tested by a different WADA accredited laboratory outside India during the suspension period of NDTL.
"This suspension has been imposed due to non-conformities with the International Standard for Laboratories as identified during a WADA site visit," WADA stated in a media release on its website.
The WADA also stated that it's Laboratory Expert Group initiated a disciplinary proceedings with regards to status of WADA accredited laboratories.
"In May 2019, disciplinary proceedings were initiated by WADA's Laboratory Expert Group and subsequently carried out by an independent Disciplinary Committee, which was mandated to make a recommendation to the Chair of the WADA Executive Committee regarding the status of the laboratory's accreditation. This process is now complete," WADA informed.
The NDTL has been instructed to stop all testing procedures with immediate effect and all the samples need to be safely moved to an accredited lab.
"The suspension, which took effect on 20 August 2019, prohibits the NDTL from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including all analyses of urine and blood samples.
-- PTI
07:47 Trump wants to hear Modi's plan on Kashmir at G7
US President Donald Trump is "ready to assist" India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue if both sides ask for it, the White House said on Thursday, even as Washington was "very closely" monitoring the situation.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories on August 5.
"The United States is watching the situation in Kashmir very closely. We are continuing to call for calm and restraint, including on rhetoric," a senior administration official said ahead of the bilateral meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G7 Summit in France over the weekend.
India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
According to the official, Trump is "very focused" on the situation in Kashmir because of the broader implications of the developments in Jammu and Kashmir and the potential for increased stability in the region.
"What he (Trump) has indicated that he is ready to assist if both sides are interested in helping to reduce their tension. But we just know that India has not requested any formal mediation, the official said requesting anonymity.
The official said that US President Trump, during his meeting with Modi in France will likely want to hear how he intends to calm regional tensions in the aftermath of his decisions on Kashmir.
"The US president will likely want to hear from Prime Minister Modi on how he plans to reduce regional tensions and uphold respect for human rights in Kashmir, as part of India's role as the world's largest democracy," he said.
Trump on Tuesday said that he was willing to either mediate or do something to resolve the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.
But New Delhi has made it clear to the US that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there was no role for a third party.
00:44 Pak shells forward posts, villages along LoC
Pakistani troops violated ceasefire for the third consecutive day on Thursday and resorted to firing mortars and small arms on forward posts and villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, inviting a befitting reply from the Indian Army.
"Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and shelling with mortars in the Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district at about 2045 hours Thursday," a defence spokesman said.
He said the Indian Army is retaliating befittingly and the exchange of fire between the two sides was continuing when last reports were received.
On Wednesday, Pakistan troops fired mortars and small arms on villages and forward posts along LoC in the Sunderbani sector.
Mohammad Addul Karim was critically injured when a mortar shell, fired by Pakistan Army, hit his house at village Dabraj in Mendhar sector late Tuesday night, officials said, adding he was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.
Mendhar and Krishna Ghati sectors witnessed heavy mortar shelling and firing from across the LoC on Tuesday, resulting in the death of Army soldier Naik Ravi Ranjam Kumar and injuries to four other personnel. Nearly half a dozen houses were also damaged in the Pakistani firing, which had forced closure of schools within the firing range in the two sectors.
On August 17, an Indian Army jawan suffered fatal injuries in the Pakistani firing in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.
The defence spokesman said Indian Army has also inflicted heavy casualties on the Pakistani army in the retaliatory action over the past four days of border skirmishes.
On August 15, Pakistan said its four personnel were killed in Indian firing along the LoC. -- PTI
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