Forex Reserve: The country’s foreign exchange reserves swelled by $2.520 billion to touch a record high of $457.468 billion in the week to December 27, according to RBI data. In the previous week, the reserves rose to $454.948 billion after increasing by $456 million. In the reporting week, the increase in reserves was mainly on account of a gain in foreign currency assets, major component of the overall reserves, which surged by $2.203 billion to $424.936 billion, the data released by the Reserve Bank on Friday showed.
Gurdwara Nankana Sahib: The Indian government expressed concern at the “vandalism carried out at the revered Nankana Sahib Gurdwara” and members of Pakistan’s Sikh minority being “subjected to acts of violence in the holy city of Nankana Sahib”. It started with an angry Muslims on Friday surrounded Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, the shrine built at the birthplace of Sikhism’s founder in Pakistan, and threatened to occupy it if some people detained in connection with the alleged forcible conversion of a Sikh woman were not released. “India strongly condemns these wanton acts of destruction and desecration of the holy place. We call upon the government of Pakistan to take immediate steps to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of the members of the Sikh community,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement. On August 28, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed in the Nankana police station against six people who were accused of abducting and forcefully converting the 19-year-old woman.
US airstrike: India on Friday called for restraint after a US airstrike near Baghdad airport killed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani. Qasem Suleimani, regarded as the second most powerful figure in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an overnight attack by the US. “The increase in tension has alarmed the world. Peace, stability and security in this region is of utmost importance to India. It is vital that the situation does not escalate further. India has consistently advocated restraint and continues to do so,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
Qasem Soleimani Killed: US President Donald Trump spoke of war in his first remarks after the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force (IRGC), in his direction. US officials have said the Iranian general posed “imminent threats” to Americans in Iraq and the region. Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike on a convoy of cars near the Baghdad airport Thursday, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi militia commander. Esmail Ghaani to succeed Qassem Soleimani as Iran’s Quds Force chief.
Rohingyas: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has said that Rohingyas living in Jammu and Kashmir will be deported since they do not benefit under the Citizenship Amendment Act enacted by the Centre in November last year. He added that the Rohingyas will not be able to secure citizenship by “any means”.
CAA: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Citizenship Amendment (CAA) is a law to grant citizenship and not to take it away. Shah also said the government will not back out on its decision to implement the CAA despite the criticism by the Opposition.“No provision in Citizenship Amendment Act to take anyone’s citizenship away, it is a law to grant citizenship,” said Amit Shah.
Indian Science Congress: PM Modi inaugurated the 107th Indian Science Congress at Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra Campus, University of Agricultural Sciences, in Bengaluru Friday. According to the varsity, the five-day event will also see the participation of Nobel laureates Stefan Hell from Max Planck Institut Germany and Ada E Yonath, an expert in structural biology from Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. According to the organizers, around 15,000 people are expected to attend the event.
Chidambaram questioned: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday questioned former Union finance minister P Chidambaram in connection with the alleged multi-crore aviation scam during the UPA-era, reported PTI. Chidambaram’s statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), ED officials said.
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SEBI direction: To boost corporate governance, Sebi mandated a separation in the roles of chairperson and managing director. The directive also said the chairperson should be a non-executive director and not related to the managing director or the CEO of the company.
Privatisation of Rail: NITI Aayog and Indian Railways have come out with a discussion paper for running 150 trains on 100 routes by private operators, envisaging an investment of Rs 22,500 crore. The discussion paper titled ‘Private Participation: Passenger Trains’ has identified 100 routes, including Mumbai Central-New Delhi, New Delhi- Patna, Allahabad-Pune and Dadar-Vadodara. Other prominent routes include Howrah-Chennai, Howrah Patna, Indore-Okhla, Lucknow-Jammu Tawi, Chennai-Okhla, Anand Vihar-Bhagalpur, Secunderabad-Guwahati and Howrah-Anand Vihar.
Gold: India’s gold imports in 2019 fell 12% from a year ago to the lowest level in three years as retail buying faltered in the second half after local prices rallied to a record high, a government source said on Friday.
Friday, Jan 03, 2020
New Delhi 15 °C