Puducherry Assembly likely to convene special session on statehood demand in September

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Puducherry, Aug 21 (IANS) The Puducherry Legislative Assembly is likely to convene a special session in the first or second week of September to deliberate on the long-pending demand for statehood for the Union Territory. The move, being initiated after pressure from ruling All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) legislators, is expected to give fresh momentum to a demand that has been at the centre of Puducherry’s political discourse for decades.The decision follows a petition submitted on July 9 by AI…

GoM accepts 2-slab GST structure proposal, final decision with Council meet next month

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New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) A key meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST rate rationalisation on Thursday ended with state finance minister accepting the Centre’s plan to reduce the number of tax slabs.The proposal, placed before the six-member GoM led by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, aims to replace the current four rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent with just two main slabs.Under the new structure, ‘merit’ goods and services will attract 5 per cent GST, while most other …

Kerala police probe e-cigarette bomb threats at Kozhikode, Kottayam collectorates

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Kozhikode, Aug 21 (IANS) The police launched massive security checks on Thursday after district collectorates of Kozhikode and Kottayam received bomb threats via email, the police said.The anonymous threats, which were reportedly sent to the official email IDs of the two collectorates, prompted the police to take immediate action.The police confirmed that the email specified a bomb, described as being in the shape of an e-cigarette, was set to detonate at 1.30 pm.In Kottayam, the threat targeted…

BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul hospitalised with respiratory issues; condition stable say doctors

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Kolkata, Aug 21 (IANS) The BJP’s West Bengal General Secretary and MLA Agnimitra Paul has been hospitalised with respiratory issues. The Asansol South MLA fell ill after attending a programme on Wednesday evening. She was admitted to the hospital at midnight as her condition was critical.According to sources, the BJP leader had several programmes in Asansol in West Burdwan District. However, she suddenly started having breathing problems. As the situation was serious, she was brought back to K…

Space mission achieved all technical objectives, results encouraging: Shubhanshu Shukla (lead)

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New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Thursday said that his mission to the International Space Station (ISS) — a first ever by an Indian — has achieved all technical objectives, and the results are very encouraging.On June 26, Shukla became the first from the country to reach the orbiting lab. His 18-day stay aboard the ISS was packed with several experiments led by ISRO and other activities on the orbital lab.Speaking at a press briefing in the national capital, Shu…

Earthquake measuring 3.5 felt in J&K; no damage or casualties reported

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Srinagar, Aug 21 (IANS) An earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was felt in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, although no report of any casualty or damage to property has been received from anywhere so far.Officials said the earthquake, which occurred at 1.41 p.m., had its epicentre in the Kupwara area of the Valley.“The intensity of the earthquake was light, and its coordinates are latitude 34.68 degrees north and longitude 74.39 degrees east. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the …

Delhi HC rejects CBI, SFIO, ED probe into Westland Trade franchise ‘scam’

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New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has disposed of petitions seeking a probe by the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) into the alleged multi-crore Westland Trade Pvt. Ltd. franchise scam.In its judgment, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna noted that there were no exceptional circumstances or inter-state ramifications in the matter warranting an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).It observed that although the accused comp…

PM Modi to inaugurate Rs 1,870 cr Aunta–Simaria 6-lane Ganga bridge during Bihar visit

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Patna, Aug 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar’s Gaya, Patna and Begusarai districts on August 22 and during the visit, he will inaugurate the much-awaited Aunta–Simaria 6-lane bridge project built over the Ganga River in Begusarai.The project, constructed at a cost of over Rs 1,870 crore, includes an 8.15 km stretch on NH-31 and a 1.86 km long, 6-lane bridge parallel to the old Rajendra Setu.The bridge is expected to transform connectivity between Mokama (Patna district)…

Convert 'crisis' arising out of US tariff imposition into opportunity, CM Fadnavis

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Mumbai, Aug 21 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday asked the administration to convert the “present crisis” arising due to the imposition of US tariffs into an opportunity and explore alternative markets. He was speaking at the meeting to discuss the measures being taken in line with the global import-export policy, especially after the US move.”America has tried to put India in trouble by imposing tariffs on goods imported from India. However, under the leadership of…

CM Naidu to meet FM Sitharaman, seek financial support

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Amaravati, Aug 21 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Friday to seek financial support from the Centre for various projects in the state. The Chief Minister will be leaving for Delhi on Wednesday evening.According to an official statement, he is scheduled to depart from Gannavaram Airport, Vijayawada at 6 p.m.He will meet the Union Finance Minister to discuss key development initiatives being undertaken in …