Govt reduces GST rates on 27 goods, INS Trishul thwarts pirate attack, PM Modi in Gujarat today: Top stories

The GST Council announced a series of rule changes on Friday. Navy’s INS Trishul thwarted pirate attack on an Indian ship in Gulf of Aden. PM Modi will kick-start his two-day Gujarat visit today.

Govt reduces GST rates on 27 items, gives relief to small and medium businesses

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressing media after the 22nd meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, in New Delhi on Friday.(PTI)

Offering relief to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and exporters from the rigours of complying with the technology-oriented goods and services tax (GST), the federal indirect tax body, GST Council, on Friday announced a series of rule changes. The Council also lowered tax rates on 27 products and a few services and asked a panel of state ministers to examine if the 18% GST on air-conditioned restaurants could be lowered, finance minister Arun Jaitley said after the meeting. Friday’s decisions will come into force over the next one week as they get notified. A system of immediate refunds is being prepared. Read the story here.

GST Council reduces tax rates on 27 goods. Full list of what got cheaper

Facing severe criticism over the implementation of Goods and Services Tax, the government on Friday announced a slew of measures to ease the concerns of traders, exporters and small business while slashing the rates on 27 items of common consumption, including roti, khakra, namkeens, stationery, man-made yarn -- with most of them brought to five per cent category. See complete list of changes in GST labs here.

Doklam issue: China says troops in area as always, India says status quo remains

China on Friday reacted to media reports about the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) widening a road near the site of a recent standoff with India by stating that its troops patrol the Donglang or Doklam region to protect the country’s territorial rights. The foreign ministry contended that Doklam had always been under China’s control. “The Chinese border defence troops have always been patrolling in Donglang district to protect the territorial rights, according to relevant border treaties and agreements,” the foreign ministry said in statement. “There is no dispute that Donglang (Doklam) is always part of China’s territory and is always under China’s effective and valid administration,” it added. In New Delhi, the MEA said status quo prevailed in the Doklam region and there had been “no new developments at the face-off site and its vicinity since the 28th August disengagement”. Read the story here.

Navy’s INS Trishul thwarts pirate attack on Indian ship in Gulf of Aden

The Navy’s stealth frigate INS Trishul on Friday foiled a piracy attempt against an Indian bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden. The piracy attempt was made on the Indian ship MV Jag Amar at 12:30 pm and the INS Trishul, which was on an anti- piracy deployment in the region, responded immediately, Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. He said all 26 Indian crew onboard the Indian ship were safe. The Navy’s elite Marcos commandos carried out a swift operation to rescue the 85,000-tonne bulk carrier. Read the story here.

SC collegium makes judicial appointments transparent, begins posting online

The Supreme Court collegium has begun posting all decisions on judicial appointments and transfers on its website to ensure transparency, seeking to tackle a point of friction with the government. The collegium is a body comprising the country’s five senior-most judges, including the chief justice of India, which selects judges for appointments to high courts and the Supreme Court. All information will be available under the new tab “Collegium Resolutions” on the official portal of the top court. Details posted will also indicate the reasons for the recommendation or rejection of a name for appointment, transfer or elevation. Read the story here.

India, EU for ‘decisive’ action against Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hafiz Saeed

India and the European Union on Friday agreed to strengthen cooperation for “decisive” action against globally proscribed terrorist individuals and groups, including Hafiz Saeed, Mumbai attacks mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Dawood Ibrahim, LeT, JeM, Islamic State and their affiliates. The call for stronger cooperation to target groups such as the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and jihadi leaders such as Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim was seen in diplomatic circles as a win for New Delhi, which had lobbied the 28-member bloc on these issues. Read the story here.

PM Modi to kick-start his two-day Gujarat visit from today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay foundation stones and inaugurate a slew of projects during two-day visit to his home state Gujarat, starting Saturday. He will kick-start the trip with a visit to Dwarkadhish Temple, followed by laying the foundation stone for four national highways projects worth ?5,825 crore at Dwarka and addressing a public meeting there. Modi will also visit his birth place Vadnagar on Sunday for the first time since becoming Prime Minister in 2014. From Dwarka, he will go to Chotila in Surendranagar district where he will lay the foundation stones for a greenfield airport at Rajkot. Read the story here.

Bengaluru woman was ‘confined, assaulted’ in Kerala yoga centre to stop inter-faith marriage

A Bengaluru-based woman has alleged that she was forcefully restrained and physically assaulted at a controversial yoga centre in Kerala’s Ernakulam to stop her from marrying her Christian partner. The centre she has named in her police complaint, Sivasakti Yogavidya Kendram, hit the headlines after two women filed similar complaints last month of having been restrained against their will in a bid to get them to leave their partners who belonged to other religions. The two women alleged that they were among 60-odd women who were forcefully restrained at the centre. Read the story here.

US gun lobby falls in line after Las Vegas shooting, backs ban on rapid-fire device

The National Rifle Association, which spearheads America’s powerful gun lobby that has blocked all attempts to tighten gun laws for decades, has relented in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre and asked the government to review the sale of devices that allow weapons to shoot rapidly. NRA’s announcement came a day after many Republican lawmakers joined their Democratic colleagues to call for a ban on “bump-stock” devices that allow non-automatic firearms to function like automatics. Some Republicans also conceded, in an equally significant shift for them, that there is a need to take a look at the devices and consider regulating them. Read the story here.

FIFA U-17 World Cup: India show grit but lose to United States of America

Indian football team coach Luis Norton De Santos wanted fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to become the ‘12th man’ of his team, and they did not disappoint on Friday. From the very first minute of their FIFA U-17 World Cup match against USA, the crowd was completely behind their side, and though the hosts were defeated 3-0, the supporters cheered every move and the youngsters received a standing ovation for their effort at the end of the match. Read the story here.