LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) Sugar prices hit their lowest in more than three years on Monday on news that India, the worlds second largest producer of the sweetener, will allow 1 million metric tons of sugar exports in the current season that runs through to end-September. Reuters reported on Sunday that New Delhi was set to allow the exports in a bid to support sugar mills and prop up local prices of the sweetener, which had come under pressure in recent months. Although there had been speculatio

QUETTA, Pakistan, January 20, 2025 (AP) Pakistans largest airport, funded and built in the countrys restive southwest by Beijin g, has become operational, officials said Monday. Gwadar airport is in the province of Balochistan, which has for decades been the scene of an insurgency by separatists demanding autonomy or outright independence. Pakistani Defense Minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, and Chinese officials were among those attending a ceremony at Gwadar airport and watched the arrival of t

KOLKATA, Jan 20 (Reuters) An Indian court awarded the life sentence on Monday to a civic police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the hospital where she worked in the eastern city of Kolkata, rejecting demands for the death penalty saying it was not a rare crime. The womans body was found in a classroom at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug. 9. Other doctors stayed off work for weeks to demand justice for her and better security at public ho

NEW DELHI, Jan 20 (Reuters) Indias state-run miner NMDC is expected to extract 6,500 carats of diamonds, worth $3.4 million, this fiscal year from ores in a mine near a tiger reserve, after receiving mining clearances last year, two sources said. The miner faced delays in securing environmental clearances and had to halt mining for over three years at the Panna mine in the central state of Madhya Pradesh due to its proximity to the tiger reserve. The Supreme Court later permitted NMDC to mine,

DAVOS, Switzerland, January 20, 2025 (AP) Billionaires wealth grew three times faster in 2024 than the year before, a top anti-poverty group reported on Monday as some of the worlds political and financial elite prepared for an annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland. Oxfam International, in its latest assessment of global inequality timed to the opening of the World Economic Forum meeting, also predicts at least five trillionaires will crop up over the next decade. A year ago, the group forecas

Toronto/New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) US short-seller Hindenburg Research has said it is not under investigation by the US SEC as it rubbished alleged links of its founder to a hedge fund for preparing reports targeting companies. Hindenburg is not under investigation by the SEC, to our knowledge, and any suggestion to the contrary is false, the firm said after a Canadian portal cited documents filed before a court in Ontario to allege that its founder Nate Anderson was under cloud for alleged links w

Kolkata, Jan 20 (PTI) Sanjay Roy, convicted of rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Monday claimed in court that he was innocent and had been wrongly held guilty. Roy was on Saturday held guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death in August last year. I am being framed, and have not committed any crime. I have not done anything and still, I have been held guilty, Roy told the court ahead of sentencing in the case

WASHINGTON, January 19, 2025 (AP) Donald Trump has promised sweeping actions in his second administration. The president-elect has outlined a wide-ranging agenda that blends traditional conservative approaches to taxes, regulation and cultural issues with a more populist bent on trade and a shift in Americas international role. Trumps agenda also would scale back federal government efforts on civil rights and expand presidential powers. A look at what Trump has proposed: Immigration Build the w

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 19 (ANI): Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of the Maha Kumbh Mela, Vivek Chaturvedi on Sunday spoke about the fire that occurred in the Gita Press camp and said that around 70 to 80 huts and eight to ten tents had been burnt. Speaking to ANI, the ADM said, Unfortunately a fire broke out at the Gita Press camp. It is reported that around 70 to 80 huts and eight to 10 tents have been burnt due to the fire. There are no reports of any casualties. Every

WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) President-elect Donald Trump will take a victory lap on Sunday with a campaign-style rally in Washington, D.C., a day before he is sworn in for a second term four years after losing the White House to Joe Biden. Trumps Make America Great Again Victory Rally scheduled for 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) at the Capital One Arena marks his first major speech in Washington since he urged his supporters to march on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in protest against his defeat. Thous

NEW DELHI, January 19, 2025 (AP) A fire tore through at least 18 temporary tents at a massive Hindu festival thronged by millions of people in Indias northern Prayagraj city, officials said Sunday. There were no injuries. The blaze was caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder and was contained by firefighters, police said. Images from the sprawling tent city at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers showed smoke billowing out as dozens of firefighters doused the blaze. The Maha Kum

New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday announced the launch of a White T-shirt Movement, championing the rights of the masses, even as he accused the Narendra Modi government of turning its back on the poor. Gandhi announced the launch in a post on X and urged people to be a part of it. If you believe in economic justice, oppose rising wealth inequalities, fight for social equality, reject all forms of discrimination, and strive for peace and stability in our country

More than 33 per cent of Indians suffer from hogh blood pressure, a study of Indian Council of Medical Research said last year. Many of those people dont know they have it because there are usually no warning signs. This can be dangerous, because high blood pressure can lead to life-threatening conditions like heart attack or stroke. The good news is that you can often prevent or treat high blood pressure. Early diagnosis and heart-healthy lifestyle changes can keep high blood pressure from seri

New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said Sunday he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposing a joint housing scheme for government employees, particularly sanitation workers, in Delhi, which votes in assembly election on February 5. Kejriwal told a press conference here, he has urged the prime minister to provide land on highly subsidised rates to the Delhi government where it can build houses for the employees, who can pay easy installments during the last phase of t

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) BJP leaders on Saturday lauded the Centres decision to form the 8th Pay Commission, saying it will benefit government employees across the country. At a press conference here, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj underlined the government employees crucial role in delivering the benefits of the policies and schemes conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the public. Government employees have become instrumental in ensuring the su

MUMBAI, Jan 18 (Reuters) Police in Chhattisgarh on Saturday detained a second person suspected of involvement in a knife attack in which Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was wounded. Khan, 54, was stabbed six times by an intruder during a burglary attempt at his home in Mumbai early on Thursday. He had surgery after sustaining stab wounds to his spine, neck and hands, and is out of danger, doctors said. We got information from Mumbai Police that a suspect is travelling by Jnaneswari Express train,

Patna, Jan 18 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday vowed to inflict an ideological defeat on the BJP-RSS combine in Bihar, a land of revolution where assembly elections were due later this year. Gandhi, who was on his first visit to the state after last years Lok Sabha polls, addressed party workers at the historical Sadaqat Ashram, shortly after delivering a speech at a Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan. The nation is witnessing a fight between Samvidhan and Manuvad, said Gandhi, who also c

Patna, Jan 18 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had harboured a wish to throw away the Constitution, but ended up bowing before it after the BJPs below-expectation performance in the Lok Sabha polls. The Leader of the Opposition made the charge at a Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan here while mimicking the PM, evoking peals of laughter from the crowds. Holding a copy of the Constitution close to his head, Gandhi said, When Modiji entered Parliame

KOLKATA, India, Jan 18 (Reuters) Police volunteer Sanjoy Roy was convicted on Saturday of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a hospital in the eastern city Kolkata, in the speedy trial of a crime that sparked national outrage over a lack of safety for women. The womans body was found in a classroom at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug. 9. Other doctors stayed off work for weeks to demand justice for her and better security at public hospitals. Defendant Sanjay Roy

For central government pensioners, a pension hike often feels like a festive bonus, arriving just in time to ease financial pressures for living ageing with dignity. The announcement of the 8th Pay Commission is no different. With rising inflation making it harder to manage monthly expenses for senior citizens, the news of the 8th Pay Commission brought hopes of a pay hike for central government pensioners. The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the 8th Pay Commission on January 16, 202

MUMBAI, Jan 18 (Reuters) India will likely cut its disinvestment and asset monetisation target by 40% for 2024-25 in the federal budget to be presented next month, The Economic Times newspaper reported on Saturday, as planned sales of state-run firms run into a host of setbacks. The government will likely revise the target to less than 300 billion rupees ($3.47 billion) from the initial 500 billion rupees, the newspaper said, citing people aware of the deliberations. The government may set the

NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (Reuters) Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast will enter the Indian market with two premium electric SUVs, taking on homegrown rival Mahindra & Mahindra and Chinas BYD, which already has a presence in the worlds third-largest car market. VinFast unveiled its VF6 and VF7 SUVs at the India Auto Show in New Delhi, as it hopes to draw buyers to its EVs and contribute to Indias goals of eliminating carbon emissions on a net basis, said Pham Sanh Chau, VinFasts Asia CEO. We ar

MUMBAI, Jan 17 (Reuters) Indias economic growth is poised to rebound as domestic demand regains strength, but stickiness in food inflation warrants careful monitoring, the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) said in its monthly bulletin released on Friday. In India, there is a conducive quickening of high-frequency economic activity indicators in the second half of 2024-25, signalling implicit pick up in real gross domestic product growth for this period, the Reserve Bank of India said in an article ti

NEW DELHI, Jan 17 (Reuters) At least 12 Indians have died serving in the Russian armed forces, Indias foreign ministry said on Friday, adding that 18 more are still serving in the army, of whom Russia has categorized 16 as missing. India said last year that it had uncovered a major human trafficking network that was luring young men to Russia with the promise of jobs only to force them into fighting in Russias war in Ukraine.

New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday apologised for his controversial reference to AAP MLA Rituraj Jhas surname, as his party sought to put a lid on the row. I tender an apology with folded hands to all my Purvanchali brothers and sisters. My words have hurt them. I do not want to offer any justification, Poonawalla said in a video message posted on X, adding that he has a lot of respect for the hardworking people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In a heated

New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Friday set March 21 to hear the enforcement directorates plea against the bail granted to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Justice Vikas Mahajan adjourned Fridays hearing on the request of the enforcement directorates (ED) counsel. The senior counsel representing Kejriwal opposed the request for adjournment saying ED repeatedly took dates in the past several months. He urged the court to hear

Jan 17 (Reuters) Gold discounts in India widened to six-month highs this week as a rise in domestic prices dampened demand and jewellers awaited the annual federal budget, while physical gold demand in China was solid ahead of the Lunar New Year festival. The rebound in gold prices has hammered demand, and buyers are now waiting for prices to correct, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a private bullion importing bank. Domestic prices in India rose to 79,270 rupees ($915.60) per 10 grams this week

Lucknow, Jan 17 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday slammed BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla over his extremely objectionable language for an AAP lawmaker during a TV debate. Poonawalla, in a heated discussion on a news channel on Wednesday, made a derisive riff on Aam Aadmi Party MLA Rituraj Jhas surname. His comment, seen by many rival politicians as a new low in TV debates, came after Jha took a dig at Poonawallas surname. The former UP chief minister said Poonawallahs

ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (Reuters) A Pakistani court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years imprisonment on Friday in a land corruption case, local broadcaster ARY News reported. The verdict in the case, the largest in terms of financial wrongdoing faced by Khan, was delivered by an anti-graft court in a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Khan has been jailed since August 2023. The former cricket star, 72, had been indicted on charges that he and his wife were gifted land

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) The Congress has filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court to oppose the pleas challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, saying they are motivated and malicious attempt to undermine established principles of secularism. In the application, filed through Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, the party defended the law as a reflection of the countrys secular ethos and a product of the popular mandate. The plea emphasised that the 1991

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 16 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a roadshow in Rudrapur on Thursday, rallying support for BJP candidates contesting the local body elections. The event commenced at Galla Mandi and concluded at the Transit Camp Football Ground in Udham Singh Nagar. In a similar vein, CM Dhami held a roadshow in Haldwani city, urging citizens to vote for Gajraj Singh Bisht as mayor and other BJP candidates for councillors. During the

JAMMU, India, January 16, 2025 (AP) India docked two satellites in space on Thursday to become the fourth nation in the world to achieve the mission, officials said, in an ambitious milestone in its expansion of space technology. The Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, maneuvered back together the two satellites, weighing 220 kilograms (485 pounds) each, during a precision space docking experiment, known as SpaDeX, the space agency said. It called the operation as a historic moment. In

DUBAI, Jan 16 (Reuters) Emaar Properties, Dubais largest listed real estate firm, is in talks with a few groups in India including Adani Group to sell a stake of its Indian business, it said on Thursday. The builder of the worlds tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and other iconic parts of Dubai, said in a statement that the valuation and other terms of a potential deal were not finalised, without adding further details. The statement followed media reports on Wednesday stating that Adani Real

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved setting up the 8th Pay Commission to revise salaries of nearly 50 lakh central government employees and allowances of 65 lakh pensioners. The chairman and two members of the Commission will be appointed soon, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters here. Prime Minister has approved 8th Central Pay Commission for central government employees, the minister said. The term of the 7th Pay Commission will end in 2026. Since

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) In a major decision, the government on Thursday decided to set up the 8th Pay Commission to revise salaries of central government employees and allowances of pensioners. The decision to set up the 8th Pay Commission was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. #WATCH | Delhi: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says, Prime Minister has approved the 8th Central Pay Commission for all employees of Central Government pic.twitter.com/lrVUD25hFu

MUMBAI, India, January 16, 2025 (AP) Indian Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan was stabbed in a scuffle with an intruder at his home early Thursday and underwent surgery at a hospital, media reports said. The 54-year-old actor was taken to the hospital from his home in Mumbai, the countrys financial and entertainment capital, where he lives with his movie star wife Kareena Kapoor and two sons. Two of the six wounds were deep, with one near his spine, the Press Trust of India news agency cited a docto

Drinking two to thre cups of black coffee per day reduces the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes . A recent study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in September 2024, found moderate caffeine intake may protect against Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke. But its not about refilling all day long. Drinking two to three cups of coffee was the sweet spot, the researchers concluded, according to NBC News. Coffee likely has a minimal effect on weight l

MUMBAI, Jan 16 (Reuters) Indias markets regulator is pushing fund houses to popularise monthly investments as low as 250 rupees, or $3, to expand the reach of equity investing in the worlds most populous country. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is looking to introduce simpler customer identification rules and lower costs as it aims to popularise small-ticket investments via mutual funds, four sources familiar with the discussions said. About 225 million investors currently inv

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The complainant in the NDTV case, who had alleged irregularities by the ICICI Bank in accepting loan repayment from the media house, has accepted the CBI closure report and expressed satisfaction over the agencys probe, which did not find any collusion, criminal conspiracy or abuse of position in the matter. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed the closure report before a special court last year, after its six-year-long probe did not find any irregularities in

DHAKA, Jan 15 (Reuters) Bangladeshs Supreme Court acquitted former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a 2008 corruption case on Wednesday, clearing the way for the ailing leader to fight parliamentary elections in the troubled South Asian country. The verdict is the latest judicial victory for Khaleda and her family, one of two main groups that have dominated the countrys politics. A five-judge panel led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed acquitted Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman and others, overtur

Mumbai, Jan 15 (PTI) The rupee extended its recovery for the second straight session and settled with a gain of 13 paise at 86.40 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, tracking favourable cues from domestic equity markets and softening crude oil prices. The American currency index also descended from a record peak, adding to the gaining momentum in the local unit, though it remained under pressure from continuous exit of foreign institutional investors, forex traders said. At the int

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) Indias exports in December 2024 contracted for the second month in a row by about one per cent year-on-year to USD 38.01 billion due to global uncertainties, while the trade deficit narrowed to USD 21.94 billion. According to the commerce ministry data, imports rose by about 5 per cent year-on-year to USD 59.95 billion in December. Cumulatively, during April-December this fiscal, exports recorded a growth of 1.6 per cent to USD 321.71 billion and imports by 5.15 per cent

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday protected from arrest till February 14 former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notice to the Delhi government and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Khedkars plea seeking anticipatory bail. Issue notice returnable on February 14, 2025. Till next date of heari

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the poll panel on Congress general secretary Jairam Rameshs plea against the recent amendments, including no public access to CCTV, to the 1961 election rules. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar took note of the submissions of senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Ramesh, and issued notices on the plea. The bench said it would hear the p

The research published in the Journal of Food Science and Nutrition revealed you can lower your cholesterol with unsalted tomato juice. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is present throughout the body. Every single cell of your body is used to make things like hormones, bile acids, etc. It is really essential, but when you have too much of it, it can be a problem. We divide cholesterol into good and bad. So good cholesterol is called HDL, high density lipoprotein thats the stuff that is pro

KOCHI, India, Jan 14 (Reuters) Police in Indias southern state of Kerala have arrested 44 men accused of raping an 18-year-old girl over a period of five years, a police official said on Tuesday, in a case that has shocked the coastal tourist resort. The victim, an athlete who belongs to the so-called lower caste community known as Dalits, told police in a statement that she was sexually abused by 62 people over a period of five years. Police have identified 58 of those men, some of whom are mi

Islamabad, Jan 14 (PTI) Jailed former prime minister Imran Khans wife Bushra Bibi on Tuesday secured interim bail in more than a dozen cases despite telling the court she has lost faith in the justice system of Pakistan. Anti-terrorism court Judge Tahir Abbas Supra, who presided over the hearing, granted Bushra interim bail until February 7 in 13 cases related to the D-Chowk protests apart from another case involving the killing of paramilitary rangers during the demonstration last year. Apart f

NEW DELHI, Jan 14 (Reuters) India aims to boost its textile and garments industry in next months budget with financial support, tariff cuts on key inputs and incentives to produce locally, two government sources said. An ongoing political crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh, opens new tab has prompted global retailers to explore alternatives, including India, for garment imports, exporters told Reuters. Indian exporters are finding it difficult to meet the rush of export orders in last few months

Jaipur, Jan 14 (PTI) Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said instead of a discussion on inflation and unemployment, the Delhi assembly poll campaigns has remained limited to allegations and counter-allegations between the AAP and BJP. The Congress, however, has focussed on giving a roadmap to the people and has launched new guarantees if elected to power, the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister said. BJP and Aam Aadmi Party are making allegations against each other. BJP is alleging that

MUMBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) The Indian rupee weakened to its all-time low on Tuesday due to strong dollar bids spurred by the maturity of positions in the non-deliverable forwards (NDF) market, while likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India helped cap losses, traders said. The rupee hit a record low of 86.6475 before closing at 86.63 against the U.S. dollar, down from its close at 86.5750 in the previous session. The currency was under pressure through much of the session amid broad-based