Catalan separatists threatened mass civil disobedience against the Spanish government if it fulfils its vow to depose the region’s secessionist leader to stifle his drive for independence.
Fire-fighters, teachers and students weighed into the dispute, warning of strikes and protests, at the start of a crucial week in Spain’s deepest political crisis in decades.
Madrid will suspend the powers of the semi-autonomous region, where separatist leaders held a banned independence referendum on October 1.
US to Put Nuclear Bombers on 24-hour Alert
The US Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed bombers on 24-hour alert for the first time since the Cold War amid escalating tensions with North Korea.
The dramatic move means B-52s laden with nuclear weapons could soon be ready to take-off from America at a moment’s notice.
It comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to ramp up tensions between the two countries with threats to ‘destroy’ the US and Russia increases its military might.
According to a new research, ocean acidification is progressing rapidly around the world and its combination with the other threats to marine life is proving deadly. Many organisms that could withstand a certain amount of acidification are at risk of losing this adaptive ability owing to pollution from plastics, and the extra stress from global warming.
Exporters can soon start claiming refunds for GST paid in August and September as GSTN will this week introduce an online application for processing of refund.
GSTN has developed the app wherein exporters can save and upload their sales data which are part of GSTR-1 after filling up export details in Table 6A.
SSTL-RCom Merger Gets DoT Nod
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has cleared the merger of Reliance Communication (RCOM) with Sistema Shyam Teleservices Limited (SSTL).
Sistema Shyam Teleservices Limited operates under MTS brand in India.
Under the deal, all wireless business assets of SSTL will come under RCom. However, brand MTS will continue to operate.
SSTL will get 10 per cent stake in RCom as per the terms of the deal.
With this, RCOM will acquire approximately 2 million customers and additional annual revenues of around Rs. 700 crore.
Trade Deals
India is looking to expand its trade footprint in America with initial discussions initiated in the government for a possible free trade agreement (FTA) with Caribbean and Central American countries and a logistics hub in Panama to help shipment of goods. The move comes with fresh overtures to Cuba, which is returning to the global mainstream.
Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo pipped Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar to win FIFA player of the year award at the Best FIFA football awards in London.
The Centre named a Special Representative to oversee the conduct of sustained dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the dialogue would engage elected representatives, political parties and other civil society organisations.
Rajnath named former Intelligence Bureau director Dineshwar Sharma as the Special Representative for the dialogue process.
New Chancery Complex in Dhaka
Sushma Swaraj opened the new chancery complex of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka on the last day of her Bangladesh visit.
She also inaugurated 15 development projects of Bangladesh being funded by India.
Suresh Sethi Appointed as MD and CEO
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has appointed Suresh Sethi, former Vodafone M-Pesa managing director, as the bank's MD and CEO.
Sethi takes over from A. P. Singh who had been the interim MD and CEO of IPPB since January 2017.
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