India recorded 86 thousand fresh COVID infections as the case tally reached 58.1 lakh. Recoveries rose by 87 thousand to 47.5 lakh. Deaths rose by 1,141 to 92 thousand. Following a record nosedive in India's GDP, the government (Modijhi) is likely to announce a fiscal stimulus package ahead of the festive season to attempt saving the economy. Playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away yesterday aged 74, after battling coronavirus for over a month. Farmers held protests across the country against the recently passed Farm Bills. Modi says it's for the best. Farmers say Modi says everything for the best, but that doesn’t necessarily translate. Following the overseas success, Air India is planning to launch its very own 'flights to nowhere' allowing travellers who are missing the experience to take a flight and enjoy a picturesque journey in the sky. Reported HT. The central government wrongly diverted ₹47,272 crores of GST compensation in the Consolidated Fund of India in 2017-18 and 2018-19 and used it for other purposes, the Comptroller Auditor General said in its audit report of government accounts. American motorcycle maker Harley Davidson shut down its operations in Atma Nirbhar India, closing down its sales and manufacturing operations and laying off staff. The firm booked a $75 million restructuring cost in this regard. Thousands of jobs including dealership closures are likely to follow. UK's telecom giant Vodafone won an international arbitration against India at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The court said that the conduct of the Income Tax Department is in breach of 'fair and equitable' treatment for its retrospective tax demand of ₹20,000 crores. Further, India's got to pay Vodafone 4.3 million pounds as compensation for legal costs. In June, Vodafone Idea and Airtel lost 4.8 and 1.1 million users respectively. State-owned BSNL lost 1.7 million. But there's a winner – Jio – which added 4.5 million! The Ambani led telecom provider also partnered with international airlines including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad and Lufthansa among others to offer mobile services. UNITED STATES The US' COVID case tally surpassed 7 million, with the country accounting for more than one out of every five infections worldwide. Cases have particularly surged in the Midwest where residents oppose face masks. House Democratic lawmakers are preparing a new $2.4 trillion coronavirus aid package to aid the economy as the previous trillions sanctioned in May aren’t enough, reported MarketWatch. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that white supremacists are the most persistent extremist threat in US politics. Reported Reuters. In San Antonio Texas, a teacher Lillian White claimed that she was fired from her school for wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask. US co Sargeant Marine pleaded guilty to paying bribes to officials in Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela for nearly a decade to gain lucrative contractors. The company agreed to pay over $16 million in fines after it netted over $38 million in profits as a result of the bribes between 2010 and 2018. Putting a dollar tag on racism: A new report by Citigroup suggested that America could have been $16 trillion richer if it had closed racial gaps for Blacks 20 years ago. The report further added that if the racial differences are closed today, $5 trillion can be added to the US economy over the next five years. AROUND THE WORLD Guy Rider, director-general of the International Labour Organization, said that the COVID pandemic has wiped out $3.5 trillion in wage losses for workers, with developing nations and younger workers being the worst hit. A new study by global analytics firm Gallup found that Canada is the world's most accepting country for migrants in 2019. Moscow's mayor urged businesses to continue working from home as Russia hit a new daily jump in COVID infections. It recorded over 7 tho