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On Wednesday, TMC Lok Sabha MP Nusrat Jahan slammed the Centre for imposing a ban on Chinese video-sharing social networking App TikTok. Mentioning that TikTok is an "entertainment" App, she termed the ban as an "impulsive decision". Claiming that unemployment will increase due to this, she alleged that people would suffer like demonetisation. Maintaining that she did not have an issue with the ban as it is for safeguarding national security, Jahan urged the Union government to disclose the strategic plan to deal with China. 

Tamil Nadu chief minister M Edappadi K Palaniswami announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakhs each to the families of those who lost their lives in a boiler explosion at Neyveli Lignite Plant on Wednesday. Rs 1 lakh has been announced as compensation for those who have sustained severe injuries while those with minor injuries will be provided with Rs 50,000. At least six people were killed and 17 other got injured in the boiler explosion that took place in Tamil Nadu earlier in the day. The six men were aged between 25 and 42 years, according to an official…

New Delhi: Amid the heightened tensions with China following the border standoff, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday that India will not allow Chinese companies to participate in highway projects, including those through joint ventures. Gadakri also said the government will ensure that Chinese investors are not entertained in various sectors like Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The senior minister's assertions assume significance against the backdrop of border standoff between India and China in Ladakh that also saw the death of 20 Indian Army personnel last month. Amid escalating tensions, the government on Monday banned 59 apps, mostly having…

As the month-long 'Unlock-1' ends on Tuesday, India reported nearly 66 per cent of its COVID-19 cases in June alone, and a concerned Prime Minister Narendra Modi said people not strictly adhering to rules and precautions as they did during the lockdown was a cause of worry. India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 5,85,493 with a single-day spike of 18,653. The death toll rose to 17,400 on Tuesday after 507 new fatalities. It was the seventh day in a row that over 15,000 cases have been reported in the country. From June 1, when relaxations were introduced under Unlock-1, the country has…

Days after India banned 59 China-linked mobile apps, India'S online news publishers association has asked the government to extend the ban to online news platforms and applications funded by China or Chinese companies. In a statement released on Wednesday, Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) said the Indian government should take a hard look at the online news sector and ban all news apps and platforms in India funded by investment by China or its investors. This is important to ensure that biased information shouldn’t reach Indian users, the organisation of the digital arms of media companies said. Pawan Agarwal, DNPA…

A BJP MLA from Goa has tested positive for coronavirus, a senior state health official said on Wednesday. The legislator was admitted to Margao-based ESI Hospital, a specially designated facility for COVID-19 patients, after his test came out positive on Tuesday, the official said. Last month, a former state health minister tested positive for coronavirus and has been undergoing treatment at the ESI Hospital. Till Tuesday, Goa reported 1,315 COVID-19 cases and three deaths due to the disease, as per official data. 

Washington DC: Disgruntled retired and serving Chinese Army cadres, who are hurt by the treatment meted out by the government, can launch an "armed" anti-regime action against Xi Jinping's government, said Jianli Yang, a Chinese dissident and son of a former Communist Party leader. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Jianli Yang, the founder and president of Citizen Power Initiatives for China, writes that Beijing fears that the admitting that it had lost troops, that too more in number than its opponent, could lead to major domestic unrest that can even put the regime of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)…

At least four people have been killed and 13 others injured in an explosion that took place at a thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district on Wednesday.  The explosion took place in the boiler of the central government-owned NLC India Limited (formerly known as Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited), which is located about 180 km from Chennai.  The explosion took place in stage-2 of the thermal power plant and the injured have been taken to NLC lignite hospital. The plant was not functional and an investigation has been launched into the incident.  This is the second explosion at the plant in the last…

Patna: More than 100 people who attended a wedding in Bihar on June 15 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, in an incident being widely described as yet another example of community transmission. Samples from the bridegroom, who died a day after the wedding, have yet to be tested. 111 guests attended the wedding of a man from Paliganj block of Patna district early this month. The groom, who was an engineer in Gurgaon, drove down for his big day. However, during the wedding his condition deteriorated and he was treated at a Patna hospital for diarrhoea - a possible…