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Eco/Invest/Demography

Govt not to seek disclosure of flash sales from etailers; to act on consumer complaints

Discount sales that benefit maximum to consumers will continue, but not fraudulent flash sales on the e-commerce platforms, the government said, adding that the etailers need not be “anxious” about the draft rules.

Ban on fraudulent flash sales, mis-selling and appointment of chief compliance officer/grievance redressal officer — are among key amendments proposed to the Consumer Protection (e-commerce) Rules, 2020, on which the government has sought public comments by July 6.

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Renault-Nissan plant’s social distancing to be audited in Tamil Nadu

The Renault-Nissan workers union petitioned the Madras High Court last month seeking to halt operations, saying that social distancing norms were being flouted and company-provided health benefits were outweighed by the risk to their lives.

The call for an inspection from the Madras High Court follows a review of Ford, Hyundai and Renault-Nissan plants by Tamil Nadu state officials last week, which said the nature of work in assembly lines posed “challenges in maintaining social distancing”

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With positivity rate below 5% for 14 days, is second Covid wave over?

With the current positivity rate at less than 5 per cent, India’s COVID-19 second wave is on the wane as quickly as it rushed to its peak, but the end of it may yet be far away as more transmissible new variants such as Delta plus variant are emerging, said Naga Suresh Veerapu, associate professor at the School of Natural Sciences (SoNS), Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR.

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India spent Rs 2,386 cr in 2020 on oral cancer treatment: Study

‘India’s cancer scenario is burdened with oral cavity cancer being the most common among men. In fact, India accounted for almost a third of the global incidence in 2020.”

Dr R.A. Badwe, Director, Tata Memorial Center said, “As per the GLOBOCAN statistics, the rate of new cases being diagnosed has increased by a staggering 68 per cent in the past two decades alone, making it a real public health crisis.

“To add to this, accessibility to health services is low, which coupled with poor health literacy results in a majority of cases presenting with advanced stage disease that is often difficult to treat.”

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India receives $64 bn FDI in 2020, fifth largest recipient of inflows: UN

The pandemic boosted demand for digital infrastructure and services globally. This led to higher values of greenfield FDI project announcements targeting the ICT industry, rising by more than 22 per cent to USD 81 billion.

Major project announcements in the ICT industry included a USD 2.8 billion investment by online retail giant Amazon in ICT infrastructure in India.FDI inflows to developing Asia grew by 4 per cent to USD 535 billion in 2020, making it the only region to record growth and increasing Asia’s share of global inflows to 54 per cent. In China, FDI increased by 6 per cent to USD 149 billion.

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Major corporate polluters lag on setting climate goals

And while many of the 250 companies have set targets for 2050, only 27 – or 11% – have laid out shorter-term plans to make major cuts by 2030, according to the data, compiled from corporate reports and other public disclosures.

This refers to reductions to their biggest source of emissions, often from the use of their products, or so-called Scope 3 emissions.

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Ransomware payment may be allowed tax deductible in US

The IRS, the US body for tax administration, offers no formal guidance on ransomware payments, but multiple tax experts interviewed by The Associated Press said deductions are usually allowed under law and established guidance. It’s a “silver lining” to ransomware victims, as some tax lawyers and accountants put it.
Ransomware has become a multibillion-dollar business, and the average payment was more than $310,000 last year, up 171% from 2019, according to Palo Alto Networks.

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