LIVE: PM Modi to interact with beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra
Catch all the latest news updates from across the world
 "PM Modi, Narendra Modi")
Photo: X@ANI
India, Oman likely to conclude talks for free trade agreement soon
India and Oman are expected to soon conclude the negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement with an aim to boost bilateral commerce, a top government official said.
Officials of the two countries have concluded the second round of talks for the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) earlier this month in Muscat.
Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that Oman has certain similarities with the UAE in terms of their production capacities, manufacturing, and product profiles and India already has a similar pact with the UAE.
ED conducts fresh searches in money laundering case against Chandigarh-based pharma company
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted fresh searches at about a dozen locations in Delhi-NCR and Punjab as part of a money laundering investigation against Chandigarh-based pharmaceutical company Parabolic Drugs and its promoters linked to an alleged bank fraud, official sources said.
The first round of searches in this case were carried out in October. Some documents and electronic gadgets were recovered by the agency officials during the searches, they said.
The central agency had earlier arrested Parabolic Drugs promoters Vineet Gupta (54) and Pranav Gupta (56), who are also the co-founders of the Sonepat-based Ashoka University, and CA Surjeet Kumar Bansal (74) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
J'khand CM inaugurates, lays foundation of 103 projects worth Rs 843 crore
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 103 projects worth Rs 843 crore.
Soren also distributed assets to the tune of around Rs 88 crore among 11,841 beneficiaries of welfare schemes.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar inaugurates ambitious Ganga Water Supply Scheme in Nawada district
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday inaugurated the ambitious Ganga Water Supply Scheme (GWSS) in Bihar's Nawada district.
The GWSS is India's first-of-its-kind floodwater to drinking water project. It aims to supply clean and safe drinking water to Rajgir (Nalanda), Gaya and Nawada through pipelines from Hathidah at Mokama in Patna district.
Kendriya Vidyalayas played pivotal role in shaping future of nation: PM Modi
Kendriya Vidyalayas have played a pivotal role in shaping the future of the nation by providing quality education to several students, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.
The prime minister extended his wishes to students, staffers and alumni of KVs on the occasion of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)' diamond jubilee.
There are over 1,250 Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country and three schools run by KVS abroad. Nearly 15 lakh students study in these schools.
2nd cargo ship struck by ballistic missile fired from rebel-held Yemen: US official
Prince Harry wins phone hacking lawsuit against British tabloid publisher, awarded 140,000 pounds
Prince Harry won his phone hacking lawsuit Friday against the publisher of the Daily Mirror and was awarded over 140,000 pounds ($180,000) in the first of his several lawsuits against the tabloids to go to trial.
Justice Timothy Fancourt in the High Court found that phone hacking was widespread and habitual at Mirror Group Newspapers over many years and private investigators were an integral part of the system to gather information unlawfully. He said executives at the papers were aware of the practice and covered it up. Fancourt found that 15 of the 33 newspaper articles in question at trial had been compiled with the help of unlawful means.
Parliament security breach case: Delhi court sends accused to 7-day police custody
A Delhi court on Friday sent Lalit Jha, arrested in the Parliament security breach case, to 7-day police custody for his sustained custodial interrogation.
Special Judge Hardeep Kaur remanded Jha in Delhi police's custody after the public prosecutor said he was the mastermind of the incident and was required to be questioned to unearth the entire conspiracy.
The court passed the order on an application filed by the city police which sought his custody for 15 days.
BJP MLA in UP gets 25 years in jail for raping minor, faces disqualification from Assembly
A court here on Friday sentenced BJP MLA Ramdular Gond to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for the rape of a girl nine years ago, setting the stage for his disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
According to the Representation of the People Act, a lawmaker sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more shall be disqualified "from the date of such conviction" and remain disqualified for another six years after serving time.
Ahsan Ullah Khan, the additional district and session judge of the MP-MLA court in Sonbhadra, also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Gond which would be used for the rape survivor's rehabilitation.
Police headquarters, checkpost come under attack in Pakistan; 5 law enforcement officials killed
At least five law enforcement officials were killed in militant attacks on a regional police headquarters and a checkpost in the restive northwest Pakistan on Friday that also killed four rebels, in an uptick in violence against security forces in the country.
The attacks come three days after terrorists killed 23 soldiers in the same region in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Digi Yatra facility to be available at 25 more airports in 2024: Scindia
Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said Digi Yatra facility will be available at 25 more airports in 2024.
Currently, the facility is available at 13 airports for domestic passengers.
Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT).
More immigration desks, entry gates added at Delhi airport, says Scindia
Entry gates, immigration desks, security personnel and other facilities have been improved at the Delhi Airport for smooth flow of passengers, said Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday.
He was addressing media persons at the national media centre on the matter releated to congestion at airports.
Parliament security breach: Accused smuggled smoke canisters inside cavity of shoe soles, say police
The two persons who opened smoke canisters in the Lok Sabha chamber had smuggled them in cavities cut into the left sole of custom-made sports shoes supported by thick rubber layers, according to Delhi Police's FIR.
The pamphlets that the duo -- Manorajan D and Sagar Sharma -- carried into the Lok Sabha had the picture of a fist against the backdrop of a tricolour, a slogan in Hindi and a slogan in English on the Manipur violence issue.
Centre allows notified pvt exploration agencies to participate in critical mineral blocks auction
The mines ministry on Friday said it has permitted notified private exploration agencies to participate in the auction of critical and deep-seated mineral blocks explored by them.
The development will attract bigger mining companies in the exploration arena and is likely to encourage junior mining companies from around the world to come to India and take up exploration projects with National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) funding.
BJP forms five-member fact-finding panel to visit Belagavi incident site
BJP National President JP Nadda has condemned the incident of parading a naked tribal woman in Belgavi, Karnataka and constituted a five-member fact-finding committee to visit the incident site.
Jagat Prakash Nadda also launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Karnataka, calling the Belagavi incident of a tribal woman being paraded naked "heinous" and a symptom of the party's "irresponsible behaviour" towards women's safety.
Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel
First Published: Dec 15 2023 | 8:17 AM IST
