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free trade agreement negotiations are set to be defined this week as UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected in India on Tuesday, the first high-profile visit under the newly elected Labour government in Britain. The free trade agreement (FTA) talks began in January 2022, under the then Conservative government, with a target to significantly boost the GBP 38.1 billion a year bilateral trading partnership but hit a block in the fourteenth round of negotiations to make way for general elections in both countries. A report in 'The Daily Telegraph' on Sunday quotes a New Delhi source to claim the Indian side would seek clarity on whether the Labour government intends to pick things up from where they were left off or start afresh in some way. «India is keen to resume talks on a positive note, but the date needs clarity,» the source told the newspaper.

mortality data from the National Family Health Survey 2019-21 and concluded that nearly 12 lakh additional deaths occurred in 2020, which is eight times higher than the official Covid-19 death toll reported in India for that year. The Health Ministry has rejected this estimate, calling it «exaggerated and misleading,» and has criticized the study for its flawed methodology. According to the study published in open access journal Sciences Advances, the authors found that in the subsample they studied, there was a reduction in life expectancy at birth of 2.6 years between 2019 and 2020, larger than reductions documented in any high-income country. This reduction was substantial even relative to trends in India: overall life expectancy at birth in 2020 was equivalent to all-India levels over a decade earlier. Relative to the 1.3-year life expectancy loss among high-caste Hindus, the loss for Muslims was 5.4 years.

Bangladesh’s top court on Sunday scaled back a controversial quota system for government job applicants after it led to nationwide unrest and deadly clashes between police and protesters that have killed scores of people. The Supreme Court in its verdict ordered 93% of the government jobs to be allocated on a merit-based system, leaving the remaining 7% for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 and other categories. Earlier, the system reserved 30% of such jobs the relatives of war veterans. Sunday's verdict comes after weeks of demonstrations — mostly led by students — that turned deadly on Tuesday after protesters began clashing with police. During the week, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets and hurled smoke grenades to scatter stone-throwing protesters who filled the streets and university campuses. Sporadic clashes in some parts of Dhaka, the capital, were reported on Saturday but it was not immediately clear whether there were any fatalities.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange continued in Antarwali Sarati in Maharashtra's Jalna district on the second day on Sunday. He is seeking immediate implementation of the state government's 'sage soyare' (kin by blood and marriage) notification, which will pave the way for the Maratha community to avail OBC quota benefits after getting Kunbi certificates. Speaking to reporters, Jarange slammed BJP MLC Pravin Darekar for some the latter's statements. Darekar has been given a contract to break the Maratha movement, Jarange alleged. «If they put me in jail, ensure all BJP candidates are defeated in the assembly polls. Darekar is acting on the behest of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Science Advances journal on 19 July, says that life expectancy at birth was 2.6 years lower and mortality 17% higher in 2020 compared to 2019. This is for a subsample of 14 states and Union territories, but the authors said that if other states followed the same trends, it would add up to 1.19 million excess deaths across India in 2020. The study found that life expectancy declined more for women than for men, and also more for children and for marginalized groups.

Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday accused BJP of «messing» with the health of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is lodged in Tihar jail. Addressing a press conference, Singh said that Kejriwal's medical report shows that anything can happen to him anytime. «The BJP is messing with Kejriwal's health. Initially, they were saying that he is eating sweets and trying to spike his sugar levels but now they are saying that he has reduced his food intake. Why will someone do this and pose a threat to their own life?» Singh said.

In the past few years, there has been a gradual positive shift in the right direction. The government has provided clarity on taxation, and crypto exchanges are now reported entities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). However, the tax rate remains high, which is negatively impacting the growth of the ecosystem. This situation has led to a migration of trading volume to international exchanges, posing higher risks in terms of compliance and customer protection.

Infosys reported robust Q1 numbers, leading to a host of positive brokerage views on the counter. The Nifty50 index on Friday closed 1.09% or 270 points lower at 24,530 while the S&P Sensex closed the day nearly 1% or 739 points lower at 80,604.65.

rainfall distribution during June and July has been uneven, resulting in significant rain deficits ranging from 20-49% in nine states, including Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Odisha, and Bihar. Six states, predominantly in the south peninsula, have reported excess rainfall from June 1 to July 20, reported The Times of India. Jharkhand has faced the highest deficit at 49%, while Tamil Nadu has seen an 83% surplus compared to their normal rainfall levels.

BJP's local unit in Meerut, the district administration requested the removal of award-winning Urdu poetess Shabeena Adeeb from the list of invitees to the renowned 'All India Mushaira,' citing «law and order issues.» The decision was made on the eve of the event. Members of the ruling party in Meerut had accused Adeeb of making «anti-Modi and anti-Yogi remarks» in the past, and her support for anti-CAA protesters in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh locality reportedly aggravated their concerns. BJP district president Suresh Jain Rituraj told TOI, «A controversial video of Adeeb has emerged, leading us to suspect that her presence could pose a threat to the law and order situation in Meerut. We communicated our concerns to the administration, and they acted to prevent her attendance.» Chief Development Officer (CDO) Nupur Goel stated, «If the presence of an individual creates a law and order problem, we must address it.»

Tata Education Trust, later renewed. This event cast a spotlight on the instability and challenges faced by India’s philanthropies and nonprofits. Shortly after, the Centre for Financial Accountability's parent trust had its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence revoked. Many prominent NGOs and think tanks in India are now struggling, along with the communities they serve. In the past few years, the sector has faced administrative hurdles, financial losses, and workforce reductions, retreating from various areas of service. Accurate data on the sector's impact is hard to come by due to the broad definition of civil society organisations, encompassing grassroots groups, large networks, faith-based organisations, research bodies, social movements, and youth groups.

UPSC candidate with muscular dystrophy has been denied any service despite having cleared the examination four times, reported TOI. This comes amid the controversy over IAS officer Puja Khedkar allegedly misusing the disability quota. IIT Roorkee graduate Kartik Kansal, who has been using a wheelchair since he was 14 years old, was selected for the civil services four times in 2019 (rank 813), 2021 (271), 2022 (784) and 2023 (829). Kansal is currently a scientist in Isro, a post for which he was selected through all-India central recruitment. In 2021, he ranked 271 even without a disability quota and should have got IAS as ranks 272 and 273 got IAS in that year. However, in 2021, muscular dystrophy was not included in the list of conditions in functional classification eligible for IAS.

NGOs run by the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh will not set up their annual relief camps for kanwariyas this year. This comes amid controversy over name plates mandated outside businesses, reports TOI. Relief camps were set up every year in which thousands of kunwariyas were served food, shelter, medical aid and even foot massages. Kunwariyas walk long distances along roads and highways.

bullet for democracy," former US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, addressing a first rally after he was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt on his life last week, The Hill reported. Trump returned to the campaign trail in Michigan's Grand Rapids, days after accepting the Republican nomination for president at the Republican National Convention. «I don't want to know anything about it. But what they do is misinformation and disinformation, and they keep saying he's a threat to democracy,» Trump continued, referring to Democrats. 'I'm saying, 'What the hell did I do for democracy? Last week, I took a bullet for democracy," Trump said.

JD Vance said he had served in the United States Marine Corps but «what the hell Kamala Harris has done other than collect a check?» In his address at the rally in Michigan's Grand Rapids on Saturday (local time), Vance said, «There's some bad news actually, Vice President Kamala Harris, she doesn't like me.» «Kamala Harris said something to the effect that… I have no loyalty to this country. Well, I don't know, Kamala, I did serve in the United States Marine Corps and build a business. What the hell have you done other than collect a check?» Vance said.

Karnataka’s only registered union of IT/ITeS sector employees has called for the state government to reconsider its plan to extend the working hours of employees in the IT/ITeS/BPO sector, terming the move “inhuman” and an “attempt to impose slavery”. Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union, which has more than 10,000 members, also said the plan to amend the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961 is an “open challenge” to the 2 million employees working in the IT/ITeS sector in the state.

online shopping experience increasingly frustrating. “Every app I visit has some form of dark pattern,” says the 26-year-old media and entertainment lawyer from Mumbai. “I can’t find a single safe app that lets me pay only for what I want,” he adds. What is a dark pattern? It refers to manipulative or deceptive tricks—such as hidden fees, subscription traps and sneaking items into online baskets—that get users to perform an action they would not have otherwise done had they understood it well or had a choice. Harry Brignull, a UK-based UX (user experience) designer coined the term in 2010, referring specifically to digital platforms.

Christina Sanders passed away at the age of 61 and the news of her demise was announced by grieving boyfriend Eastwood.

listeria outbreak possibly linked to deli meat has killed two and sickened 28 people in several states including New York and New Jersey, as per a report on ABC News. Two deceased individuals are from New Jersey and Illinois. Twenty eight people have been hospitalized, ABC reported quoting the federal health agency. New York has reported the most number of cases. Second on the list is Maryland. Cases have been detected in Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Missouri.

Squid Game" season 2 release date on Netflix has been fixed in December 2024. Now all eyes are on «Squid Game» mobile game which are due to come out on the OTT streaming giant, as per a report WhatsOnNetflix. Netflix has been adding new titles to its mobile game library, count of which has crossed 100. Netflix has stated that the streaming giant was developing a video game based on the Squid Game universe. The multiplayer game will allow gamers to compete with friends like that of the «Squid Game» series.

Roland Emmerich, the director of the iconic film Independence Day, has recently shared his candid thoughts on the future of the franchise, particularly addressing the issues surrounding a potential sequel, Will Smith’s absence, and Disney's role in the saga.