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10:35 PM

Uttarakhand govt increases retirement age of specialist doctors by five years

The Uttarakhand government on Friday increased the retirement age of specialist doctors from 60 to 65 years with an officer saying the decision would benefit around 550 such medicos in the state. State Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar said orders for increasing the superannuation age of specialist doctors by five years have been issued. It is part of the state government's efforts to provide better health services to the public, he said.

10:25 PM

Girls outnumber boys in West Bengal's class 10 state board exams

A substantially higher number of girl candidates, as compared to boys, will appear in this year's class 10 state board exams in West Bengal, which will begin on February 10, a senior official said on Friday. West Bengal Board of Secondary Education president Ramanuj Ganguly said that the exams will be held in 2,683 centres under strict surveillance till February 22.

10:05 PM

Hamas accuses Israel of ceasefire breaches before next hostage-for-prisoner swap

Hamas accused Israel on Friday of breaching their ceasefire accord and it delayed announcing the names of three more Israeli hostages due to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in the latest stage in a fragile deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

9:57 PM

Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma accuses previous Cong govt of announcing 'hollow' schemes, corruption

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Friday accused the previous Congress government in the state of announcing "hollow" schemes and indulging in corruption. The chief minister was replying on the motion of thanks to the governor's address in the Assembly amid disruptions and sloganeering by the Congress members who demanded a reply on the alleged phone-tapping of Cabinet minister Kirodi Lal Meena.

9:49 PM

Amazon eliminates reference to 'inclusion and diversity' in annual report

Amazon.com has eliminated reference to 'inclusion and diversity' in annual report following pullback on DEI efforts.

9:38 PM

Cabinet approves to retain Waltair division in truncated form, renames it as Vishakhapatnam division

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday gave its ex-post facto approval to retain the Waltair division in truncated form and rename it as Vishakhapatnam division.

9:35 PM

Centre should safeguard fishermen's livelihood, says Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday called upon the Centre to 'wake up and secure a permanent resolution to safeguard the fishermen's livelihood.' Despite his multiple letters urging strong diplomatic intervention, the Union government has remained 'indifferent' as the Sri Lankan Navy persistently arrested and harassed the Indian fishermen, he said in a post on 'X'.

9:33 PM

Cabinet approves continuation, restructuring of skill india programme with Rs 8,800 cr outlay

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the continuation and restructuring of central sector scheme 'Skill India Programme' till 2026 with an overlay outlay of Rs 8,800 crore.

 

Giving details, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 (PMKVY 4.0), the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PM-NAPS), and the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Scheme -- the three key components -- are now combined under the composite Central Sector Scheme of "Skill India Programme".

9:08 PM

Cabinet extends National Commission for Safari Karmachari for 3 years

Cabinet has extended the tenure of National Commission for Safari Karmachari for three more years.

9:00 PM

Cong MLAs create uproar in Raj Assembly over minister Kirodi Lal Meena's phone-tapping charge

Opposition Congress MLAs created an uproar in the Rajasthan Assembly on Friday over cabinet minister Kirodi Lal Meena's allegation that his phone calls were being tapped. The House was adjourned three times due to the pandemonium over the issue. The Congress MLAs had reached the House wearing black bands. They kept raising slogans in the well regarding the phone-tapping case.

8:09 PM

Pakistan govt offers fresh talks to Imran Khan's party

The Pakistan government on Friday extended a fresh invitation for talks to Imran Khan's party, a day before its planned protest against alleged election rigging last year. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claims that it had won the general elections held on Feb 8, 2024, but was robbed of its mandate through massive rigging, an allegation rejected by the government and the election officials.

7:15 PM

Delhi Cong submits complaint to NHRC on deportation of 104 Indian immigrants in 'inhumane manner'

The Congress' Delhi unit on Friday submitted a complaint to the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the deportation of 104 Indian illegal immigrants from the United States in an "inhumane" manner, the party said. The complaint demanded a probe into the issue and sought directions to the Centre to prevent such incidents in future.

6:51 PM

NDA MPs from Bihar meet PM Modi to thanks him for development projects for state

NDA MPs from Bihar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and thanked him for a host of Union Budget's provisions aimed at the development of the state.

In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Centre will set up a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management in Bihar, and facilitate greenfield airports in the state.

6:21 PM

Pernod Ricard considers sale of Mumm champagne: Report

Pernod Ricard is exploring a sale of its champagne brand G.H. Mumm, according to five sources familiar with the matter, as it looks to focus on premium labels in its portfolio. The French spirits company behind Absolut Vodka and Jameson Irish whiskey is working with investment bank Rothschild & Co on the possible divestiture, that could attract interest from other spirits and beverage companies, the sources said.

6:05 PM

Small plane crashes on avenue in Sao Paulo, killing 2 passengers

A small aircraft crashed on an avenue in Sao Paulo on Friday morning, killing at least two of its passengers, the local firefighter corps said in a statement. The plane went down in the Barra Funda neighbourhood one the city's west side, near its downtown.

5:40 PM

Repo rate cut will stimulate economic activity, says Hindustan Power's chairman Puri

Ratul Puri, chairman of Hindustan Power on Friday said that the RBI's decision to cut the repo rate after 5 years is a significant move that will stimulate economic activity by making borrowing more affordable. He further aid that at a time when global economic conditions remain uncertain, this monetary policy action reinforces stability and accelerates GDP growth.

5:22 PM

Forex reserves rise $1.05 bn to $630.607 bn for week ended January 31, says RBI

India's forex reserves have risen $1.05 billion to $630.607 billion for the week ended January 31, said RBI.

5:02 PM

India exploring domestic coal blending in imported coal-based power plants, says official

India's coal ministry is in talks with the power ministry to see if technical changes can be made in imported coal power plants in the country so that they can use domestic coal, a senior official said on Friday.

4:40 PM

PhonePe exits account aggregation business

Country's largest fintech firm PhonePe on Friday said it has exited from account aggregation business as it could not add enough partners to provide services as per its expectation.

4:21 PM

Delhi Assembly polls: Three-tier security, no cellphones inside counting centres on Saturday

A three-tier security arrangement, including two companies of paramilitary forces and Delhi Police personnel, has been made for the 19 counting centres on the day of vote counting for Delhi Assembly elections on Saturday, officials said.

4:15 PM

India's exports may touch record $800 billion this year, says Piyush Goyal

India's exports are growing significantly and would achieve a record USD 800 billion in 2024-25 fiscal year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. "Exports have been growing and have risen significantly in the last four years. This year also, there will be growth. We will end the year with over USD 800 billion exports for the very first time in India's history," Goyal said during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.

3:57 PM

BJP leader Chaupal dies after prolonged illness, PM Modi expresses grief

BJP leader and VHP functionary Kameshwar Chaupal, who laid the first brick for the Ayodhya Ram temple's construction during a 1989 ceremony, has died after prolonged illness. He breathed his last at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, according to information provided by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra's media centre. Expressing deep sorrow at Chaupal's passing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as an "abiding devotee of Lord Ram".

3:43 PM

Indian Consulate in Seattle ‘forced to deal with law & order situation'

The Indian Consulate at Seattle said it was “forced to deal with a law and order situation” arising out of an unauthorised entry of certain individuals into its premises after office hours on Thursday. One of the individuals that the consulate referred to is Kshama Sawant, whose bio on X mentions that she has been a Seattle City Council Member from 2014 to 2023.

3:27 PM

Bangladesh asks India to stop Hasina from making 'false statements'

Bangladesh has asked India to stop ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from making "false and fabricated" comments while she is in the country, its foreign ministry said. Hasina had fled to India in August following violent protests that killed more than 1,000 people.

2:56 PM

2,450 child care homes in country, 199 cater to children with special needs: Govt

There are 2,450 child care institutions (CCIs) across the country and 199 of them cater to children with special needs, Minister of State for Women and Child Development (WCD) Savitri Thakur said. In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, she said 12 states and union territories have no such institutions for children with special needs.

 

2:48 PM

Locals in panic after leopards spotted in villages of Himachal's Hamirpur

The suspected presence of leopards in some villages of Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district has sparked panic among locals. On Friday, a full-grown leopard allegedly took away a goat from a courtyard of a house in the district's Bhareri area. The goat was in the courtyard when the leopard allegedly attacked the animal.

2:45 PM

Malaysia-bound flight makes unscheduled landing due to 'medical emergency'

A Kuala Lumpur-bound international flight made an unscheduled landing here due to a "medical emergency", official sources at the airport here said. A passenger complained of uneasiness when the flight from Muscat (Oman) was flying over the airspace here and the pilots immediately contacted the city airport for a landing. The flight landed at around 2 pm and a medical team quickly responded to the call.

2:27 PM

Cattle smuggling case: ED attaches TMC leader's bank funds worth nearly Rs 26 cr

The Enforcement Directorate said that it has attached bank deposits worth about Rs 26 crore of TMC leader Anubrata Mondal as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation into an alleged cross-border cattle smuggling racket in West Bengal. Mondal was arrested by the federal agency in November 2022 and was granted bail in the case by the Supreme Court in September last year.

2:19 PM

Delhi Police bust digital arrest syndicate, 5 held

Delhi Police have busted a "Digital Arrest" scam, arresting five Indian operatives working for a Chinese company operating from Jhansi. The accused impersonated law enforcement officers, threatening victims with arrest unless they transferred large sums of money, according to the police statement. The arrests were made after an 81-year-old retired Army personnel, Gopal, complained with the Delhi Police.

1:44 PM

Noida Police suspect student mischief behind bomb threats in Delhi-NCR schools

A new bomb threat sent to schools in Delhi and NCR has prompted an investigation, with Noida Police suspecting student mischief, particularly since exams are underway. Deputy Commissioner of Police Ram Badan Singh stated that the latest threat differs from previous ones, written in a South Indian language, and nothing suspicious was found after a thorough check. The threat emails were sent to St Stephen's College, a constituent of the Delhi University, Ahlcon International School in Mayur Vihar, and the Shiv Nadar School in Noida.