A wrap of everything that has happened today.Pakistan suspends Samjhauta train service, bans Indian films
In a move that is likely to further inflame tensions between India and Pakistan, Islamabad on Thursday announced it was suspending the bi-weekly Samjhauta train service connecting Lahore and Delhi.
Pakistan’s minister for railways, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, said the service will remain suspended indefinitely. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Rasheed said the bogies of the Samjhauta Express will now be used for passengers travelling on the occasion of Eid. “Till I am Railways minister, Samjhauta Express train service will not operate,” he said.
PM Modi to address nation today at 8 pm, expected to talk about Article 370
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Thursday at 8 pm during which he is expected to talk about government’s decisions on scrapping the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir by modifying Article 370 of the Constitution and splitting the state into two Union Territories — Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
On Wednesday, as the Union Cabinet proceeded to approve a proposal to honour BJP’s oldest ideological commitment of stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special status, PM Modi advised his ministerial colleagues that there is no room for triumphalism and reminded them that it’s now that the heavy-lifting begins, sources told The Indian Express.
World Archery suspends Archery Association of India
The World Archery on Thursday suspended the Archery Association of India for defying its guidelines by electing two parallel bodies, asking the federation to put its house in order by the end of this month.
The decision is effective from Monday and the last event in which the archers can participate under the Indian flag is the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid from August 19-25.
Explained: Job losses in the auto industry, and the demand for lower GST on cars
The slowdown across the automobile sector has finally begun to impact the jobs within the sector. While the auto sector is one of the biggest job creators with almost 37 million jobs across its value chain, industry leaders now seem worried.
On Wednesday, players from the auto sector petitioned the government for assistance, including a reduction of GST from 28 per cent to 18 per cent on vehicles. In his statement at the AGM of Mahindra & Mahinda Wednesday, its chairman Anand Mahindra called for temporary relief on GST by way of modification in slabs or removal of cess to put the industry back on track.
Taj Hotel chain to sell assets as economy weakens
The luxury hotel chain controlled by India’s Tata Group is looking to sell some assets and avoid owning new properties in an effort to further pare debt, as it braces for a slump in consumer spending.
Indian Hotels Co., Tata’s listed firm that operates the Taj brand, plans to dispose of certain budget inns in the nation’s non-metro areas and lease them back for a fee, Puneet Chhatwal, managing director and chief executive officer said in an interview.
There are several positives of diluting Article 370, says Karan Singh
Senior Congress leader Dr Karan Singh, the last Yuvraj of Jammu and Kashmir’s Dogra dynasty, Thursday said he did not agree with the “blanket condemnation” against the Centre’s move to do away with provisions of Article 370 that granted special status to the state as he sees “several positives” in it.
Singh, the son of former J&K ruler Maharaja Hari Singh who acceded to the Union of India in 1947, welcomed the Union Territory status for Ladakh and said the gender discrimination in Article 35A needed to be addressed. “There will be a fresh delimitation which, for the first time, will ensure a fair division of political power between the Jammu and Kashmir regions,” he added.
