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Archives for September 2020

Google Pay rolls out NFC-Based tokenized card payment in India, available to Axis, SBI Card users

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NEW DELHI: Google Pay in collaboration with Visa and banking partners on Monday rolled out tokenisation across its platform, enabling users to safely transact with their cards and use Tap-to-pay feature on near-field communication (NFC)-enabled point of sale (POS) terminals and online merchants.

The feature is now available to users of Axis and SBI Card, with Kotak and more banks expected to follow suit very soon.

With tokenisation, Google Pay Android users can use their debit or credit card to make payments through a secure digital token attached to their phone without having to physically share their credit or debit card details.

“We are hopeful that the tokenisation feature will further encourage users to transact securely and safely in the current times, and expand merchant transactions both online and offline,” said Sajith Sivanandan, Business Head: Google Pay and NBU-India.

The feature also works with online merchants, delivering more native and seamless OTP experiences without any redirects to 3D Secure sites.

With tokenisation, Google Pay will enable NFC-capable Android devices to make contactless payments at over 2.5 million Visa merchant locations.

It will allow users to scan and pay at more than 1.5 million Bharat QR enabled merchants and the customers can pay bills and recharges from within their Google Pay app using their card.

“Visa recently crossed over 1 billion token credentials globally and with Google Pay live in India, we expect these numbers to rise significantly. We are excited to partner with Google to further accelerate digital payment innovations in times to come for the Indian market and beyond,” said TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, Visa, India & South Asia.

To enable the tap and pay feature using the smartphone phone, users will have to do a one-time set up by entering their card details and follow it by entering the OTP they get from the bank to add their card to the Google Pay app.

After the registration, the feature can be used to make payments at NFC-enabled terminals, the company said.

“We are already live for Axis and SBI Card holders with Visa payments network and are working closely with Kotak and other banking partners to further expand the adoption of card-based payments with tokenisation in India,” Sivanandan added.

Ganja worth nearly Rs 14 lakh seized in Kolar district

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The Ganja was being transported in an Innova car from Andhra Pradesh Kadapa District to Bangalore via Kolar Srinivaspur.

KOLAR: 27.5 kilos of Ganja valued at nearly Rs 14 lakh was seized by a special team of Cyber crime, Economic and Narcotic (CEN) division under the supervision of Kolar Superintendent of Police, Karthick Reddy. 

The Ganja was being transported in an Innova car from Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa District to Bengaluru via Kolar’s Srinivasapura.

Based on credible information, the vehicle was waylaid by CEN Inspector S R Jagdeesh, his team found the Ganja and arrested a person while the drugs and the car was seized. 

Kolar Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy said that based on credible information, the car was tracked near Thadi Gol Cross of Srinivasapura taluk, which borders Andhra Pradesh, by a team of officers headed by Jagdeesh and arrested the driver of the vehicle Sheik Abdul (30) a resident of Rayachoti.

Karthick Reddy said during investigation that it was revealed that the Ganja was being transported to Bengaluru from Rayashuti. 

The police is investigating who is behind the situation and to whom exactly it is being transported to. 

Central Range Inspector General of Police Semanth Kumar Singh said, “Two separate teams will be formed, one in Bengaluru to investigate the call records and another will rush to Rayashuti and take up investigation with the help of AP Police.

Semanth Kumar said, in all the six regions in Central Range including KGF, Kolar, Ramanagara, Bengaluru, Hassan and Chikballapura, the Superintendent of Police were instructed to uproot the Ganja menace in their respective regions.

He added that police officers are working to uproot the drug mafia with the help of informers.

Rajya Sabha suspends 8 MPs over unruly behaviour; Naidu rejects motion of no confidence against Harivansh

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The eight suspended members are Derek O’Brien, KK Ragesh, Dola Sen, Syed Nazir Hussain, Sanjay Singh, Rajiv Satav, Ripun Bora and Elamaram Kareem.

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha on Monday suspended eight MPs, including TMC leader Derek O’Brien and Sanjay Singh of AAP, for the remaining part of the Monsoon session over their “unruly behaviour” during the passage of farm bills.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu termed the behaviour of members during the passage of the bills on Sunday as “very unfortunate, unacceptable and condemnable” and one that has “tarnished the image of Parliament, particularly elders’ House.”

Following the ruckus, the house was also adjourned for the day after resuming briefly at 12 noon as legislative discussions could not take place amid the disturbing atmosphere.

Earlier in the day, some members managed to raise issues during Zero Hour. The House witnessed five adjournments as some opposition members continued protests over the suspension of members.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu termed the behaviour of members during the passage of the bills on Sunday as “very unfortunate, unacceptable and condemnable” and one that has “tarnished” the image of Parliament, particularly the House of Elders.

He also rejected the notice for a no-confidence motion moved by Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and 46 other MPs against Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in the chair during the bedlam on Sunday, saying it was not in proper format and does not give the required 14-day notice period.

Two key farm bills were on Sunday passed by Rajya Sabha with voice vote amid unprecedented unruly scenes by protesting opposition members who were demanding that the proposed legislation be referred to a House panel for greater scrutiny The government on Monday moved a motion seeking suspension of Derek O’Brien (TMC), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Rajeev Satav (Congress), K K Ragesh (CPM), Syed Nazir Hussain (Cong), Ripun Boren (Cong), Dola Sen (TMC) and Elamaram Kareem (CPM).

Amid opposition, the motion was adopted by voice vote and the Chairman asked them to leave the House but they remained present and protested against the ruling.

Naidu called for taking up of call attention motion on GST compensation to states where O’Brien, Ragesh and Kareem were listed as movers.

But with members protesting, he moved on to the next listed business saying they were not interested.

As the protests continued, he adjourned the proceedings for 20 minutes.

The House saw three more adjournments as the suspended members remained present in the House and opposition parties protested against the decision.

Soon after the Zero Hour, Naidu said he was “pained” at the happenings during the passage of the two bills.

He condemned the unruly behaviour of some members and also “physically threatening” the deputy chairman.

As some opposition members wanted to put across their point of view, Naidu asked them to obey the chair and not speak in between.

He rejected their point of order and when they persisted, he named O’Brien and asked him to leave the House.

“It was a really bad day for democracy,” he said.

“Some members came to the well of the House and also threw papers. They wrenched the mike of Deputy Chairman. They hurled some papers on the Deputy Chairman. They abused Deputy Chairman, according to the Deputy Chairman,” he said, adding the “Rule book was also thrown on him”.

“Climbing on the table, dancing, shouting in the well, tearing papers, breaking the mike, obstructing deputy chairman from doing his duties, throwing papers, rule book on dy chairman, is it a parliamentary standard,” he asked.

“I only suggest to members of Parliament please do some introspection and is it a way to conduct ourselves,” he said.

Naidu said marshals prevented ugly scenes.

“If marshals were not called on time what would have happened to the deputy chairman. I am worried. He says he was abused with objectional words. This is very unfortunate. This should not be allowed. If you have any problem, the way (out) is to discuss, debate and decide.

If you have numbers vote against the resolution. Deputy Chairman also stated that you please go to your seat he will conduct voting. It is on record.” he said.

He said, “the deputy chairman was “physically threatened. So I am worried he would have been harmed also. Keeping this in mind, the government wants to move a resolution.”

Naidu said he had received a letter expressing no confidence against the deputy chairman.

“I have gone through the entire proceedings of the House yesterday. In light of allegations made by the Leader of the Opposition and other members, I observe that the deputy chairman had persistently requested the members to go to their seat and participate in the debate and move amendments.

“Obviously in view of the continuous disruption of the House, the division could not have taken place. Certainly, the conduct of some members grossly crossed all barriers of parliamentary decorum and etiquette and thereby bringing down the prestige of the House,” he said.

He said after carefully going through the provisions of the Constitution, rules of the House and past precedence, it is “observed at the outset that the motion is not in a proper format.”

“As per provision of Article 90(C) of the Constitution, a notice period of 14 days is required for moving a resolution of the motion. As the House is going to be adjourned sine die on October 1 the notice does not complete the required period of 14 days. Hence I rule that motion is not admissible,” he said.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a resolution that eight members be suspended for the remaining part of the session “for their unruly behaviour especially with the chair.”

“And their gross disorderly conduct in the violation of rules and etiquette of Rajya thereby bringing disrepute to the this House and causing insult to the office of deputy chairman,” he said reading out the motion.

Amid protests, the motion was passed by voice vote and the Chairman said the eight members are suspended for the remaining part of the session.

Naidu also noted that COVID-19 precautions were violated by some members on Sunday.

COVID-19 likely to become a seasonal disease, say scientists

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The authors reviewed these seasonal viruses, examining the viral and host factors that control their seasonality as well as the latest knowledge on the stability and transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

WASHINGTON: COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, will likely become seasonal in countries with temperate climates, but only when herd immunity is attained, suggests a new review published in Frontiers in Public Health.

Until that time, COVID-19 will continue to circulate across the seasons. These conclusions highlight the absolute importance of public health measures needed just now to control the virus.

“COVID-19 is here to stay and it will continue to cause outbreaks year-round until herd immunity is achieved. Therefore, the public will need to learn to live with it and continue practicing the best prevention measures, including wearing of masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene and avoidance of gatherings,” said senior author of the study Dr. Hassan Zaraket, of the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

Collaborating author Dr. Hadi Yassine, of Qatar University in Doha, affirms and states that there could be multiple waves of COVID-19 before herd immunity is achieved.

We know that many respiratory viruses follow seasonal patterns, especially in temperate regions. For instance, influenza and several types of coronaviruses that cause common cold are known to peak in winter in temperate regions but circulate year-round in tropical regions.

The authors reviewed these seasonal viruses, examining the viral and host factors that control their seasonality as well as the latest knowledge on the stability and transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers explain that virus survival in the air and on surfaces, people’s susceptibility to infections, and human behaviors, such as indoor crowding, differ across the seasons due to changes in temperature and humidity. These factors influence transmission of respiratory viruses at different times of the year.

However, in comparison to other respiratory viruses such as the flu, COVID-19 has a higher rate of transmission (R0), at least partly due to circulation in a largely immunologically naive population.

This means that unlike the flu and other respiratory viruses, the factors governing seasonality of viruses cannot yet halt the spread of COVID-19 in the summer months. But, once herd immunity is attained through natural infections and vaccinations, the R0 should drop substantially, making the virus more susceptible to seasonal factors.

Such seasonality has been reported for other coronaviruses, including those that emerged more recently such as NL63 and HKU1, which follow the same circulation pattern like influenza.

“This remains a novel virus and despite the fast-growing body of science about it there are still things that are unknown. Whether our predictions hold true or not remains to be seen in the future. But we think it’s highly likely, given what we know so far, COVID-19 will eventually become seasonal, like other coronaviruses,” adds Zaraket.

“The highest global COVID-19 infection rate per capita was recorded in the Gulf states, regardless of the hot summer season. Although this is majorly attributed to the rapid virus spread in closed communities, it affirms the need for rigorous control measures to limit virus spread, until herd immunity is achieved,” Dr. Yassine said.

Karnataka: Schools to open on Monday under Covid-19 shadow

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Amid the Covid-19 surge, schools in the state are all set to reopen from September 21 for the current academic year.

MYSURU: Amid the Covid-19 surge, schools in the state are all set to reopen from September 21 for the current academic year. However, regular classes will commence only after the Union Government issues guidelines in this regard.Primary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Friday said schools will be open from 9 am to 12 noon and students can interact with teachers to clarify doubts, as they have been attending only online classes for the past two months. Wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing will be mandatory. The admission process for classes 1 to 10 will be completed before September 30, he pointed out. 

On the trend of children from private institutions joining government schools, he said this is a positive development and assured that the government is prepared to provide all facilities to students. If private school managements refuse to issue transfer certificates, the BEOs are empowered to issue them in time to help children join schools of their choice, he said.

The Education Department’s Widyagama and Sethubanda programmes, being aired on Doordarshan, have had an overwhelming response, which may have also prompted parents to rethink about admitting their wards in government schools, he felt.

Israel returns to COVID-19 lockdown as cases mount

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The three-week lockdown, which began at 2 PM (1630 IST), will require the closure of many businesses and set strict limits on movement and public gatherings.

JERUSALEM: Israel went back into a full lockdown on Friday to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has steadily worsened for months as its government has been plagued by indecision and infighting.

The three-week lockdown, which began at 2 PM (1630 IST), will require the closure of many businesses and set strict limits on movement and public gatherings.

The closures coincide with the Jewish High Holidays, when people typically visit their families and gather for large prayer services.

In an address late Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that even stricter measures may be needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.

There are currently more than 46,000 active cases, with at least 577 hospitalised in serious condition.

“It could be that we will have no choice but to make the directives more stringent,” Netanyahu said.

“I will not impose a lockdown on the citizens of Israel for no reason, and I will not hesitate to add further restrictions if it is necessary.” Under the new lockdown, nearly all businesses open to the public will be closed.

People must remain within 1 kilometer of home, but there are several exceptions, including shopping for food or medicine, going to work in a business that’s closed to the public, attending protests and even seeking essential pet care.

Israel has reported a total of more than 175,000 cases since the outbreak began, including at least 1,169 deaths.

It is now reporting around 5,000 new cases a day, one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world.

Israel was among the first countries to impose sweeping lockdowns this spring, sealing its borders, forcing most businesses to close and largely confining people to their homes.

That succeeded in bringing the number of new cases down to only a few dozen per day in May.

But then the economy abruptly reopened, and a new government was sworn in that was paralyzed by infighting.

In recent months authorities have announced various restrictions only to see them ignored or reversed even as new cases soared to record levels.

The occupied West Bank has followed a similar trajectory, with a spring lockdown largely containing its outbreak followed by a rise of cases that forced the Palestinian Authority to impose a 10-day lockdown in July.

The PA has reported more than 30,000 cases in the West Bank and around 240 deaths.

The Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, was initially insulated from the pandemic.

But authorities detected community spread last month, and there are now more than 1,700 active cases in the impoverished territory of 2 million, straining its already fragile health system.

At least 16 people have died.

In Israel, the government has come under withering criticism for its response to the virus and the economic crisis triggered by the earlier lockdown.

Netanyahu, who is also on trial for corruption, has been the target of weekly protests outside his official residence.

Israel’s insular ultra-Orthodox community, which has a high rate of infection, has also been up in arms about the restrictions, especially those targeting religious gatherings.

In Tel Aviv, hundreds of people protested the renewed lockdown on Thursday, including doctors and scientists who said it would be ineffective.

Dr.Amir Shahar, head of an emergency department in the city of Netanya and one of the organizers of the demonstration, said the lockdown is “disastrous” and would do “more harm than good.”

Want to expand cabinet before assembly sessions: Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa

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On his Delhi visit, CM said it’s been fruitful. The union government has given nod for many of the state government’s demand.

BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa who is returning to Bengaluru today said he wants to expand the cabinet before the legislator’s session that will begin on Monday.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday in Delhi before taking a flight to Bengaluru, CM said on Friday he discussed with BJP National President JP Nadda about cabinet expansion. He is expected to discuss the same with prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and update BSY by evening. Once he gets the approval he is likely to announce the names by Saturday evening or Sunday.

On his Delhi visit, CM said it’s been fruitful. The union government has given nod for many of the state government’s demand. He also said for many projects and approval, met many union ministers who have positively responded ” he added 

COVID-19: India’s single-day recovery more than fresh cases as record 95,880

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With the latest inclusions, the total caseload mounted to 53,08,014 and the recoveries to 42,08,431, pushing the recovery rate to 79.28 per cent.

NEW DELHI: India’s single-day recovery outstripped the number of new infections as nearly 96,000 people recuperated from the novel coronavirus, even as the total number of cases went past 53 lakh, according to the Union Health Ministry data on Saturday.

The figures updated at 8 am showed that while 95,880 people recovered from the virus in a span of 24 hours, 93,337 new infections were recorded during the period.

With the latest inclusions, the total caseload mounted to 53,08,014 and the recoveries to 42,08,431, pushing the recovery rate to 79.28 per cent.

The death toll, meanwhile, climbed to 85,619 with the virus claiming 1,247 lives in a span of 24 hours, the updated data showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further dropped at 1.61 per cent, the data showed.

There are 10,13,964 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, which constitute 19.10 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

The country’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, the 30-lakh mark 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, a cumulative 6,24,54,254 COVID-19 samples have been tested up to September 18 — 8,81,911 of them on Friday.

NIA arrests nine Al-Qaeda terrorists after raids in Kerala’s Ernakulam, West Bengal

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They were radicalised on social media by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National Capital Region.

KOCHI: Nine Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), after simultaneous raids in West Bengal’s Murshidabad and Ernakulam in Kerala. The arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country.

The module was actively indulging in fundraising and was planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. They were radicalized on social media by the Pakistan-based terrorist organization and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National Capital Region.

Leu Yean Ahmed and Abu Sufyan from West Bengal and Mosaraf Hossain & ​Murshid Hasan from Kerala are among the nine Al-Qaeda terrorists arrested by National Investigation Agency

A release by the NIA said the three arrested from Kerala were Murshid Hasan who was taken into custody from Pathalam near Kalamassery, ​while Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hosse were arrested near Perumbavoor, all three were residing in Ernakulam.

The six picked up from Murshidabad were identified as Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, ​Leu Yean Ahmed,​ Al Mamun Kamal and ​Atitur Rehman. The NIA officials are verifying their nationality to check whether they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh. 

The surprise raid started at around 2 am. According to sources, the trio was working at various factories and also went for manual works in the Perumbavoor area. The trio will be produced at NIA Court in Kochi for transit warrant and will be taken to New Delhi soon.

Three NIA officials seized digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive from their possession. 

“As per the preliminary investigation, they were radicalised on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National Capital Region. For this purpose, the module was actively indulging in fundraising and a few members of the gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. These arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country,” said an official statement.

Earlier, NIA had arrest Jamaat-UL-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorists from various parts of Kerala. Even Intelligence agencies have alerted that terrorists are using Kerala as a hideout as a large number of persons from West Bengal and Assam reach Kerala for employment in Kerala. 

RJD MLA’s controversial comment on Sushant Singh Rajput causes embarrassment to party ahead of Bihar Assembly election

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PATNA: A controversial comment of RJD’s Saharsa MLA Arun Yadav on late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput triggered a major outcry in Bihar against the RJD and its MLA ahead of Assembly polls.

The MLA said that a person belonging to the Rajput caste cannot commit suicide.

The comment came a few days after the letters written by Dr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh caused a major faceloss to the party.

The RJD officially distanced itself from the controversial comment of Arun Yadav but the NDA allies continued to slam the RJD and its MLA for such objectionable comment and demanded an apology.

The RJD MLA, who is also known as a loudmouth, passed the controversial comment on the sidelines of inauguration of a road under his assembly constituency on Wednesday that triggered a mass outcry.

Yadav’s comment caused more embarassment to the party after the recent comment of Lalu’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Dr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh comparing him with a pot of water in the RJD that is an ocean.

“It has become clear that RJD will not get the votes from a major chunk of Rajput caste after recent two controversial statements of its leaders.The party’s senior leaders belonging to the same caste are also hurt and have gone silent over this,” said a senior party source anonymously.

BJP spokesperson Dr Nikhil Anand lambasted the RJD for promoting a politician of such casteist mentality in politics.

“What can we expect from the leaders of a party like RJD wherein no decency is maintained in speaking about people like Sushant Singh Rajput and Dr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh? Arun Yadav’s comment at a time when the CBI is investigating the case of SSR, who was the son of Bihar’s soil, has bluntly exposed the RJD’s cunningness on the SSR death,” he said.

Slamming the RJD, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, JD-U spokesperson said that the RJD ought to tender a written apology on behalf of Arun Yadav or the MLA himself.

Vijay Kumar Yadav, RJD spokesperson, told the media that the party does not owe any allegiance to this comment passed by the party MLA Arun Yadav. He said that party will ask him as to what transpired him to make such comment on the SSR death case without party’s consent.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Kumar Singh, senior JD-U Rajput leader, accused the RJD of always being anti upper-castes right from its chief Lalu Prasad to its MLA like Arun Yadav.

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