LIVE: ED attaches Rs 14 crore assets of Choksi, Gitanjali Gems in PNB case

Mehul Choksi has fled India and is stated by probe agencies to be based in Antigua and Barbuda. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

2:19 AM

Navalny urges Russians from jail to overcome their fear

In a note from jail, opposition leader Alexei Navalny urged Russians Thursday to overcome their fear and “free” the country from a “bunch of thieves,” while the Kremlin cast the arrests of thousands of protesters as a due response to the unsanctioned rallies.
 

Navalny, who was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison earlier this week, said in a statement posted on his Instagram account that “iron doors slammed behind my back with a deafening sound, but I feel like a free man. Because I feel confident I'm right. Thanks to your support. Thanks to my family's support." Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption campaigner who is Russian President Vladimir Putin's most determined political foe, was arrested Jan. 17 upon returning from his five-month convalescence in Germany from a nerve agent poisoning, which he has blamed on the Kremlin. Russian authorities deny any involvement and claim they have no proof that he was poisoned despite tests by several European labs.
 

A Moscow court on Tuesday sent Navalny to prison, finding that he violated the terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany. The sentence stems from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as fabricated and the European Court of Human Rights has ruled unlawful.
 

He said his imprisonment was “Putin's personal revenge" for surviving and exposing the assassination plot.
 

9:28 PM

Uttarakhand govt issues SOPs as classes 6-11 resume from 8th Feb

9:26 PM

Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow as uproar over farm laws continued

8:52 PM

India's market crosses Rs 200 trn m-cap, is seventh most valuable globally

India’s market capitalisation—sum of market value of all listed companies—crossed Rs 200 trillion for the first time on Thursday. The feat comes a day after the Sensex closed above the coveted 50,000-mark. In US dollar terms, India’s market cap is $2.75 trillion—seventh most globally. However, India’s market cap-to-GDP ratio is now more than 100 per cent.
 

India’s nominal GDP at current prices is around Rs 195 trillion. India’s market cap had topped the Rs 100 trillion-mark in December 2014. Back then the market cap-to-GDP ratio was at 80 per cent. In September 2007, when market cap first crossed Rs 50 trillion, the mcap-to-GDP ratio was similar to current levels. At the peak of coronavirus-induced selloff in March 2020, India’s market cap had plunged to Rs 102 trillion. READ ON...

8:31 PM

All supercritical railway projects to be completed by March 2022: Goyal

The Indian Railways aims to complete all super critical projects by March 2022 according to Rail Minister Piyush Goyal.

 

“Of the current 513 ongoing projects being implemented, Railways has identified supercritical, critical projects on capacity enhancement projects on highly utilised networks routes, multi tracking projects, connectivity projects and national projects. Fund allocation and targets have been planned for next 4 years. All supercritical projects will be completed by March 2022 and others will be completed by March 2024,” a Rail Ministry statement said. READ ON...

8:09 PM

SC to hear Sonu Sood's plea against HC order on illegal construction notice on Friday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Friday the petition filed by actorSonu Sood challenging the Bombay HC order which dismissed his appeal against a civic body notice over alleged illegal construction at his residential building in Mumbai's Juhu area, PTI reported.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian is likely to take up the appeal filed bySood, who was in the spotlight for helping migrants reach their homes during the lockdown last year.

 

The actor has stated in his plea that his application for conversion has been approved by the Municipal Commissioner subject to Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) permission.

7:47 PM

ED attaches over Rs 14 cr assets of Choksi, Gitanjali Gems in PNB fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over Rs 14 crore belonging to the Gitanjali Group and its promoter and jeweller Mehul Choksi, one of the prime accused in the alleged over Rs 13,000 crore PNB loan fraud case. The properties attached, under the anti-money laundering law, include a flat measuring 1,460 sq feet located at O2 Tower in Goregaon area of Mumbai, gold and platinum jewellery, diamond stones, necklaces made of silver and pearls, watches and a Mercedes Benz car, the ED said in a statement, according to PTI.

 

A provisional order for attachment has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the assets worth a total Rs 14.45 crore that are in the name of Gitanjali Group of companies and its director Mehul Choksi, it said.

 

Choksi, 61, is the maternal uncle of Nirav Modi who is the other prime accused in the alleged over USD 2 billion (more than Rs 13,000 crore) Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. Choksi has fled India and is stated by probe agencies to be based in Antigua and Barbuda.

7:03 PM

BSE m-cap crosses historic Rs 200-trillion mark

The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies on Thursday crossed the historic Rs 200 lakh crore mark for the first time, driven by a continuous rally in the broader market. Riding high on the bullish investor sentiment, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies reached a record Rs 2,00,47,191.31 crore at close of trade.

 

The 30-share BSE index closed the day with a gain of 358.54 points or 0.71 per cent at its lifetime peak of 50,614.29. This is the fourth consecutive day of gains for the markets.

 

"It is a matter of immense pride that, since 1875, BSE has acted as a catalyst to help create immense wealth to the tune of Rs 200 lakh crore amounting to USD 2.75 trillion.

6:37 PM

Myanmar blocks Facebook amid growing resistance to military coup

Myanmar's new military government blocked access to Facebook as resistance to Monday's coup surged amid calls for civil disobedience to protest the ousting of the elected government and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

Facebook is especially popular in Myanmar and is how most people access the internet. The military seized power shortly before a new session of Parliament was to convene on Monday and detained Suu Kyi and other top politicians.

 

It said it acted because the government had refused to address its complaints that last November's general election, in which Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory, was marred by widespread voting irregularities. The state Election Commission has refuted the allegations. READ ON...

4:56 PM

PM Modi to chair Niti Aayog's Governing Council meeting on Feb 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair Niti Aayog's Governing Council meeting on February 20 where issues related to health, economy and labour reforms will be discussed, official sources said on Thursday.

 

The council, the apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, several union ministers and senior government officials.

 

Prime Minister Modi is the Chairman of Niti Aayog. The council will deliberate on issues related to health, including COVID-19 vaccination programme, labour reforms and state of the economy. The Governing Council will also review action taken on the agenda items of the previous meetings and deliberate upon the future developmental priorities. READ ON...