From The Newsroom: Opposition boycotts Rajya Sabha proceedings; Upper House passes 7 key bills in 3.5 hours

In your evening news brief, From the Newsroom, The Opposition on Tuesday announced the boycott of Rajya Sabha till suspension of its eight MPs gets revoked; Rajya Sabha in a matter of three and half hours passed seven key bills including one that removes cereals, pulses and onion from the essential commodities list; The sixth round of military talks between India and China that lasted 14 hours focused on ways to defuse rising tensions ahead of a harsh winter.

The Opposition on Tuesday announced the boycott of Rajya Sabha till suspension of its eight MPs gets revoked even as the BJP-led NDA sought to play the 'Bihar pride' card ahead of the Assembly elections in the state with Deputy Chairman Harivansh going on a 24-hour fast, serving tea to protesting lawmakers and Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeting in his support.

In one of the most productive days in its history, Rajya Sabha in a matter of three and half hours passed seven key bills including one that removes cereals, pulses and onion from the essential commodities list and another that abolishes penalty for certain offences by companies.

This is after most of the Opposition including the Congress, Left parties, the TMC, the Samajwadi Party and the NCP decided to boycott House proceedings in protest against the suspension of eight MPs for the remainder of the session for unruly behaviour.

The sixth round of military talks between India and China that lasted 14 hours focused on ways to defuse rising tensions along the treacherous and high-altitude friction points in eastern Ladakh considering the approaching harsh winter, people familiar with the developments said on Tuesday.

The outcome of the marathon talks on Monday was not immediately known, but it is learnt that both sides agreed to meet again to continue negotiations.

Actor-model Rhea Chakraborty will remain in jail with a Mumbai court on Tuesday extending her judicial custody by another fortnight, that is, till October 6

Couple of weeks ago, Rhea was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for alleged sourcing and purchasing drugs for her live-in partner and actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd may begin late-stage Indian clinical trials of Russia's potential coronavirus vaccine in the next few weeks, an executive at the Indian drugmaker said on Tuesday.

Indian trials of the Sputnik-V vaccine candidate, being developed by Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF, will enroll 1,000-2,000 participants and be conducted at multiple government and private hospitals across the country, Deepak Sapra, CEO for API and pharmaceutical services at Dr. Reddy's, told news agency Reuters.

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