The Modi government has decided to allocate each of country&#39;s milk-producing cows a unique identity card&nbsp;or UID just like the 12-digit Aadhaar number for individuals.&nbsp;

The Union Budget 2018 set a target of Rs 50 crore for the completion of the project and cover about 40 million cows.&nbsp;

A dairy department official said the agriculture ministry, has already acquired the UID technology that comes with a cheap, tamper-proof polyurethane tag containing the cow&rsquo;s biological details such as breed, age, sex, height and special body marks. Each card will cost between Rs 8 and Rs 10.

The UID scheme will be called Pashu Sanjivini which is said to be a part of a larger programme for the dairy and fisheries sectors.

In a budget speech seen as pro-poor, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday announced a Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund and an Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund worth Rs10,000 crore. About Rs200 crore has been set aside for an artificial insemination drive to improve cattle breeds, with an aim to &ldquo;upgrade&rdquo; the nation&rsquo;s entire cattle population.

In 2015, a government committee had recommended UID for cows to prevent trafficking following a Supreme Court direction that heard a plea to stop cattle smuggling.

According to the 2015 expert committee&rsquo;s recommendations, owners of cattle will be responsible for registration. &ldquo;Registration proof must be maintained by the owner of the cattle which may be transferred to the next owner in case a legitimate sale/transfer takes place,&rdquo; it had stated.

The Union Budget 2018 set a target of Rs 50 crore for the completion of the project and cover about 40 million cows

The Modi government has decided to allocate each of country's milk-producing cows a unique identity card or UID just like the 12-digit Aadhaar number for individuals. The Union Budget 2018 set a target of Rs 50 crore for the completion of the project and cover about 40 million cows. A dairy department official said the agriculture ministry, has already acquired the UID technology that comes with a cheap, tamper-proof polyurethane tag containing the cow’s biological details such as breed, age, sex, height and special body marks. Each card will cost between Rs 8 and Rs 10. The UID scheme will be called Pashu Sanjivini which is said to be a part of a larger programme for the dairy and fisheries sectors. In a budget speech seen as pro-poor, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday announced a Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund and an Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund worth Rs10,000 crore. About Rs200 crore has been set aside for an artificial insemination drive to improve cattle breeds, with an aim to “upgrade” the nation’s entire cattle population. In 2015, a government committee had recommended UID for cows to prevent trafficking following a Supreme Court direction that heard a plea to stop cattle smuggling. According to the 2015 expert committee’s recommendations, owners of cattle will be responsible for registration. “Registration proof must be maintained by the owner of the cattle which may be transferred to the next owner in case a legitimate sale/transfer takes place,” it had stated.

Government to assign UID to 40 million cows

The post-Budget sell-off dragged the Sensex down by a whopping 800 points while the broader Nifty cracked the 10,800-mark on all-round selling

The weak sentiment came a day after the government unveiled its budget for the year starting in April that raised spending for rural sectors and healthcare, widening the fiscal deficit target to 3.3 percent of gross domestic product from the previous 3.0 percent.

In the Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed to tax long-term capital gains on equities exceeding Rs 1 lakh at 10 per cent.

The investors also worried that the government&#39;s move to raise minimum support prices (MSP) for crops could lead to higher retail prices.

The decision was proposed at a time when consumer price inflation has already hit a 17-month high of 5.21 percent, well above the Reserve Bank of India&#39;s target of 4 per cent.&nbsp;

&quot;Long-term capital gains tax on equities is not welcomed by the markets and fiscal slippage is another reason that`s driving the markets down,&quot; said Neeraj Dewan, director, Quantum Securities.

On Thursday, the benchmark indices had closed trade on a lower note.

The Nifty 50 too slipped 210 points to touch a low of 10,806.50 points.

The post-Budget sell-off dragged the Sensex down by a whopping 800 points while the broader Nifty cracked the 10,800-mark on all-round selling The weak sentiment came a day after the government unveiled its budget for the year starting in April that raised spending for rural sectors and healthcare, widening the fiscal deficit target to 3.3 percent of gross domestic product from the previous 3.0 percent. In the Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed to tax long-term capital gains on equities exceeding Rs 1 lakh at 10 per cent. The investors also worried that the government's move to raise minimum support prices (MSP) for crops could lead to higher retail prices. The decision was proposed at a time when consumer price inflation has already hit a 17-month high of 5.21 percent, well above the Reserve Bank of India's target of 4 per cent. "Long-term capital gains tax on equities is not welcomed by the markets and fiscal slippage is another reason that`s driving the markets down," said Neeraj Dewan, director, Quantum Securities. On Thursday, the benchmark indices had closed trade on a lower note.

Sensex nosedives 800 points post Jaitley's 10% tax on sale of shares

&nbsp;Southern Yemeni separatists took control of the port city of Aden after two days of fighting, residents said on Tuesday, confining the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to the presidential palace.

Fighting between southern separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), against forces loyal to Saudi-based president Hadi, risk crippling their once united campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen&rsquo;s north.

The UAE is a major component of a Saudi-led military coalition of Arab states that has supported Hadi&rsquo;s government since the Houthis seized much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, three years ago. Hadi&rsquo;s government operates out of Aden, while he lives in Saudi Arabia.

Residents said forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), formed last year to push for the revival of the former independent state of South Yemen, seized the last stronghold of Hadi&rsquo;s Presidential Protection Forces in the Dar Saad area of northern Aden, in battles that at times involved heavy artillery and tank fire.

Activists shared photos on social media of the flag of the former independent Southern Yemen state flying over the base&rsquo;s gate. Southern Yemen was united with Northern Yemen in 1990.

Aden residents said STC fighters had earlier overrun Presidential Protection forces outposts in central Aden&rsquo;s Crater and Tawahi districts.

They stopped outside the al-Maasheeq palace, where Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr&rsquo;s cabinet is based, they said.

Witnesses said hundreds of people danced and sang as they celebrated the STC victory with fireworks that lit the night skies over Aden. The crowd chanted slogans demanding restoration of the southern state.

Mosques also mixed their calls for prayers with victory claims in Crater, residents said.

The government-run Saba news agency put the death toll in two days of fighting at 16 and the number of wounded at 141. An official at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said at least 36 were killed and 185 were wounded.

The fighting began on Sunday after a deadline set last week by the STC for Hadi to dismiss bin Daghr&rsquo;s government, which the STC accused of corruption and mismanagement. The government denies the allegation.

Sources at the STC said negotiations were underway to allow bin Daghr&rsquo;s government to leave the city safely, but a government source said bin Daghr had no intention to leave Aden.

The Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in Yemen&rsquo;s civil war in 2015 to restore Hadi&rsquo;s government after the Houthis forced him into exile, called in a statement on Tuesday on both parties to cease hostilities.

&ldquo;The coalition will take all the measures it deems necessary to restore stability and security in Aden,&rdquo; it said.

Although Hadi remains in exile in Saudi Arabia, his administration and local allies nominally control about four-fifths of Yemen&rsquo;s territory, although most population centers are in the hands of the Houthis.

The factional fighting in the south compounds the misery of Yemenis whose country has been torn apart by three years of conflict between Hadi&rsquo;s forces and the Houthis, which has also opened the way for Islamist militants to widen their influence.

In the southern Shabwa province, at least 12 soldiers from another local forces trained and backed by the UAE were killed in a bomb and gun attack on their outpost, residents and officials said.

While no one claimed responsibility for the attack, it mirrored previous operations by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Fighting between southern separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), against forces loyal to Saudi-based president Hadi, risk crippling their once united campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen’s north

Southern Yemeni separatists took control of the port city of Aden after two days of fighting, residents said on Tuesday, confining the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to the presidential palace. Fighting between southern separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), against forces loyal to Saudi-based president Hadi, risk crippling their once united campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen’s north. The UAE is a major component of a Saudi-led military coalition of Arab states that has supported Hadi’s government since the Houthis seized much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, three years ago. Hadi’s government operates out of Aden, while he lives in Saudi Arabia. Residents said forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), formed last year to push for the revival of the former independent state of South Yemen, seized the last stronghold of Hadi’s Presidential Protection Forces in the Dar Saad area of northern Aden, in battles that at times involved heavy artillery and tank fire. Activists shared photos on social media of the flag of the former independent Southern Yemen state flying over the base’s gate. Southern Yemen was united with Northern Yemen in 1990. Aden residents said STC fighters had earlier overrun Presidential Protection forces outposts in central Aden’s Crater and Tawahi districts. They stopped outside the al-Maasheeq palace, where Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr’s cabinet is based, they said. Witnesses said hundreds of people danced and sang as they celebrated the STC victory with fireworks that lit the night skies over Aden. The crowd chanted slogans demanding restoration of the southern state. Mosques also mixed their calls for prayers with victory claims in Crater, residents said. The government-run Saba news agency put the death toll in two days of fighting at 16 and the number of wounded at 141. An official at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said at least 36 were killed and 185 were wounded. The fighting began on Sunday after a deadline set last week by the STC for Hadi to dismiss bin Daghr’s government, which the STC accused of corruption and mismanagement. The government denies the allegation. Sources at the STC said negotiations were underway to allow bin Daghr’s government to leave the city safely, but a government source said bin Daghr had no intention to leave Aden. The Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 to restore Hadi’s government after the Houthis forced him into exile, called in a statement on Tuesday on both parties to cease hostilities. “The coalition will take all the measures it deems necessary to restore stability and security in Aden,” it said. Although Hadi remains in exile in Saudi Arabia, his administration and local allies nominally control about four-fifths of Yemen’s territory, although most population centers are in the hands of the Houthis. The factional fighting in the south compounds the misery of Yemenis whose country has been torn apart by three years of conflict between Hadi’s forces and the Houthis, which has also opened the way for Islamist militants to widen their influence. In the southern Shabwa province, at least 12 soldiers from another local forces trained and backed by the UAE were killed in a bomb and gun attack on their outpost, residents and officials said. While no one claimed responsibility for the attack, it mirrored previous operations by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Yemen separatists surround Aden, government confined to palace

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday reversed its decision to issue orange-coloured passports for those who require emigration checks. The government also went back on its decision to discontinue the practice of printing the last page of passports.&nbsp;

A decision was taken by the Ministry of External Affairs on the recommendations of a three-member Committee comprising officials of MEA and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, not to print the last page of Passport Booklet.

MEA also took the decision to issue a passport with an orange colour jacket to passport holders with ECR status, with a view to help and assist them on priority basis.&nbsp;

The MEA has received several individuals and collective representations requesting to reconsider these two decisions.&nbsp;

At a meeting chaired by Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister, on 29th January 2018, in the presence of General&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;VK&nbsp;Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, the decision of the MEA on both these issues was reviewed in the light of these representations.

After comprehensive discussions with the various stakeholders, the MEA has decided to continue with the current practice of printing of the last page of the passport and not to issue a separate passport with orange colour jacket to ECR passport holders.&nbsp;

The Kerala High Court had issued a notice on Monday to the Centre based on a Public Interest Litigation plea challenging its decision to introduce orange-coloured passports.

A decision was taken by the Ministry of External Affairs on the recommendations of a three-member Committee comprising officials of MEA and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, not to print the last page of Passport Booklet

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday reversed its decision to issue orange-coloured passports for those who require emigration checks. The government also went back on its decision to discontinue the practice of printing the last page of passports. A decision was taken by the Ministry of External Affairs on the recommendations of a three-member Committee comprising officials of MEA and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, not to print the last page of Passport Booklet. MEA also took the decision to issue a passport with an orange colour jacket to passport holders with ECR status, with a view to help and assist them on priority basis. The MEA has received several individuals and collective representations requesting to reconsider these two decisions. At a meeting chaired by Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister, on 29th January 2018, in the presence of General Dr VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, the decision of the MEA on both these issues was reviewed in the light of these representations. After comprehensive discussions with the various stakeholders, the MEA has decided to continue with the current practice of printing of the last page of the passport and not to issue a separate passport with orange colour jacket to ECR passport holders. The Kerala High Court had issued a notice on Monday to the Centre based on a Public Interest Litigation plea challenging its decision to introduce orange-coloured passports.

No orange-coloured passport for ECR passport holders, rules MEA

India said today that the status quo has not been altered at Doklam, where Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a stand-off for over two months last year, and rejected any suggestion to the contrary as &quot;inaccurate and mischievous&quot;.

&quot;Our attention has been drawn to some reports that question the accuracy of the position stated by the government in respect to the situation in Doklam,&quot; Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

He said that in response to repeated questions about any change in the status quo at the face-off site, the government has stated that there was no basis for such imputations.

&quot;Government would once again reiterate that the status quo at the face-off site has not been altered. Any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate and mischievous,&quot; he said.

Kumar&#39;s remarks come in the wake of media reports about China carrying out some infrastructure development in the disputed region.

Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a stand-off for over two months last year in the Doklam area near Sikkim before &quot;disengaging&quot; on August 28.

Last year a face-off situation that had arisen in the Doklam region, was resolved following diplomatic discussions between India and China

India said today that the status quo has not been altered at Doklam, where Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a stand-off for over two months last year, and rejected any suggestion to the contrary as "inaccurate and mischievous". "Our attention has been drawn to some reports that question the accuracy of the position stated by the government in respect to the situation in Doklam," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He said that in response to repeated questions about any change in the status quo at the face-off site, the government has stated that there was no basis for such imputations. "Government would once again reiterate that the status quo at the face-off site has not been altered. Any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate and mischievous," he said. Kumar's remarks come in the wake of media reports about China carrying out some infrastructure development in the disputed region. Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a stand-off for over two months last year in the Doklam area near Sikkim before "disengaging" on August 28.

Status quo not altered at Doklam: India

In order&nbsp;to curb the black money in the country, the government has decided to strike off the names of 1.20 lakh more companies from the official records.

The is in addition to the 2.26 lakh companies that are already deregistered with over 3.09 lakh, directors getting disqualified.&nbsp;

The cancellation is based on various non-compliances on part of the companies.&nbsp;

The decision of the government came after a review meeting chaired by Minister of State for Corporate Affairs PP Chaudhary conducted after the firms were deregistered last week.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The cancellation is based on various non-compliances on part of the companies

In order to curb the black money in the country, the government has decided to strike off the names of 1.20 lakh more companies from the official records. The is in addition to the 2.26 lakh companies that are already deregistered with over 3.09 lakh, directors getting disqualified. The cancellation is based on various non-compliances on part of the companies. The decision of the government came after a review meeting chaired by Minister of State for Corporate Affairs PP Chaudhary conducted after the firms were deregistered last week.

Government to deregister 1.20 lakh companies, to clamp down on black money

The central government is soon to announce 10 more cities that will be funded under the flagship &#39;Smart City Mission&#39;

&quot;The Smart Cities Mission is progressing at a brisk pace. Ninety cities have been selected so far. The selection of 10 more cities will be announced shortly,&quot; Puri, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, said at an event.

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MoS H&amp;UA <a href="https://twitter.com/HardeepSPuri?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HardeepSPuri</a> at the <a href="https://twitter.com/ficci_india?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ficci_india</a> Smart Cities Summit 2018 in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewDelhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewDelhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/ki2MAAmvkD">pic.twitter.com/ki2MAAmvkD</a>
&mdash; Smart Cities Mission (@SmartCities_HUA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SmartCities_HUA/status/953136252861083648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The government has already announced 90 cities that will be covered under the scheme initiated by the housing and urban affairs ministry.

Each city is proposed to get Rs 500 crore as central assistance for the implementation of various projects under the scheme.&nbsp;

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Smart Cities set new benchmark. One of the fastest project implementation at this scale &amp; geographic spread. In 2.5 yrs, a short span in urban development life-cycle, projects worth 140L Cr identified &amp; worth more 20K Cr either under implementation or completed. <a href="https://t.co/kDL4CgWkcC">pic.twitter.com/kDL4CgWkcC</a>
&mdash; Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardeepSPuri/status/953211611384184832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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There were about 3,000 projects worth Rs 1,40,000 crore at various stages of implementation under the scheme, Puri noted.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

The government has already announced 90 cities that will be covered under the scheme

The central government is soon to announce 10 more cities that will be funded under the flagship 'Smart City Mission' "The Smart Cities Mission is progressing at a brisk pace. Ninety cities have been selected so far. The selection of 10 more cities will be announced shortly," Puri, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, said at an event. MoS H&UA @HardeepSPuri at the @ficci_india Smart Cities Summit 2018 in #NewDelhi pic.twitter.com/ki2MAAmvkD — Smart Cities Mission (@SmartCities_HUA) January 16, 2018 × The government has already announced 90 cities that will be covered under the scheme initiated by the housing and urban affairs ministry. Each city is proposed to get Rs 500 crore as central assistance for the implementation of various projects under the scheme. Smart Cities set new benchmark. One of the fastest project implementation at this scale & geographic spread. In 2.5 yrs, a short span in urban development life-cycle, projects worth 140L Cr identified & worth more 20K Cr either under implementation or completed. pic.twitter.com/kDL4CgWkcC — Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) January 16, 2018 × There were about 3,000 projects worth Rs 1,40,000 crore at various stages of implementation under the scheme, Puri noted. (With inputs from PTI)

Soon, government to announce 10 more smart cities 

Over 9,400 &#39;enemy&#39; properties, worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore, are set to be auctioned by the home ministry starting the process of identifying all such estates, officials said.

The properties were left behind by people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China.

The move came after the amendment of the 49-year-old Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act which ensured that the heirs of those who migrated to

Pakistan and China during Partition and afterwards will have no claim over the properties left behind in India.

At a recent meeting, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was informed that the survey of 6,289 enemy properties has been completed and that of the remaining 2,991 properties which are vested with the custodian will be completed, a home ministry official told PTI.

Singh directed that those properties which are free from encumbrance should be disposed of quickly for monetisation.

The estimated value of these 9,400 properties is around Rs 1 lakh crore and when they are sold off, it would be a huge windfall for the government, another official said.

Similar properties in Pakistan belonging to Indians have already been disposed off.

Nodal officers are being appointed by state governments to coordinate identification, vesting and valuation of enemy properties, the official said.

Among the 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals, the highest 4,991 properties are located in Uttar Pradesh followed by West Bengal which has 2,735 such estates. There are 487 such properties in Delhi.

Among the 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals, the highest 57 are located in Meghalaya followed by West Bengal with 29. Assam has seven such properties.

According to the new Act, &#39;enemy property&#39; refers to any property belonging to, held or managed on behalf of an enemy, an enemy subject or an enemy firm.

The government has vested these properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the central government.

After the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968, which regulates such properties and lists the custodian&#39;s powers.

The government amended the Act in the wake of a claim laid by the heirs of Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, known as Raja of Mahmudabad, on his properties spread across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Among the 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals, the highest 57 are located in Meghalaya

Over 9,400 'enemy' properties, worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore, are set to be auctioned by the home ministry starting the process of identifying all such estates, officials said. The properties were left behind by people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China. The move came after the amendment of the 49-year-old Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act which ensured that the heirs of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during Partition and afterwards will have no claim over the properties left behind in India. At a recent meeting, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was informed that the survey of 6,289 enemy properties has been completed and that of the remaining 2,991 properties which are vested with the custodian will be completed, a home ministry official told PTI. Singh directed that those properties which are free from encumbrance should be disposed of quickly for monetisation. The estimated value of these 9,400 properties is around Rs 1 lakh crore and when they are sold off, it would be a huge windfall for the government, another official said. Similar properties in Pakistan belonging to Indians have already been disposed off. Nodal officers are being appointed by state governments to coordinate identification, vesting and valuation of enemy properties, the official said. Among the 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals, the highest 4,991 properties are located in Uttar Pradesh followed by West Bengal which has 2,735 such estates. There are 487 such properties in Delhi. Among the 126 properties left behind by Chinese nationals, the highest 57 are located in Meghalaya followed by West Bengal with 29. Assam has seven such properties. According to the new Act, 'enemy property' refers to any property belonging to, held or managed on behalf of an enemy, an enemy subject or an enemy firm. The government has vested these properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the central government. After the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968, which regulates such properties and lists the custodian's powers. The government amended the Act in the wake of a claim laid by the heirs of Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, known as Raja of Mahmudabad, on his properties spread across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Government plans to auction 'enemy' properties worth Rs 1 lakh crore

Cyber crimes cases registered in the country have grown in the last three years, with the number rising from 9,622 and 11,592 to 12,317 during 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively, the government said today.

During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, members expressed concern over the safety of digital transactions, to which the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government was alert to the challenges.

He also said the government was working with the Interpol and CBI to identify sites that had child pornographic material, something which is &quot;totally condemnable&quot;.

A large number of sites have also been blocked, he said.

He also quoted data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and said as per incidents reported to the Indian Computer Emergency Report Team (CERT-In), 79 phishing incidents affecting 22 financial organisations, 13 incidents affecting ATMs, Point of Sales (POS) systems and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) were reported.

The RBI has registered a total of 13083, 16468, 13653 and 12520 cases of frauds involving credit cards in 2014-15, 2015 -16, 2016-17 and quarter April-September 2017 respectively, he said.

Prasad said that labs have been established in several states and hundreds of officers deployed.

&quot;We don&#39;t have report of any fraud as far as the BHIM app is concerned but the government is alert,&quot; he added.

Cyber crimes cases registered in the country have grown in the last three years, with the number rising from 9,622 and 11,592 to 12,317 during 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively, the government said today

Cyber crimes cases registered in the country have grown in the last three years, with the number rising from 9,622 and 11,592 to 12,317 during 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively, the government said today. During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, members expressed concern over the safety of digital transactions, to which the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government was alert to the challenges. He also said the government was working with the Interpol and CBI to identify sites that had child pornographic material, something which is "totally condemnable". A large number of sites have also been blocked, he said. He also quoted data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and said as per incidents reported to the Indian Computer Emergency Report Team (CERT-In), 79 phishing incidents affecting 22 financial organisations, 13 incidents affecting ATMs, Point of Sales (POS) systems and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) were reported. The RBI has registered a total of 13083, 16468, 13653 and 12520 cases of frauds involving credit cards in 2014-15, 2015 -16, 2016-17 and quarter April-September 2017 respectively, he said. Prasad said that labs have been established in several states and hundreds of officers deployed. "We don't have report of any fraud as far as the BHIM app is concerned but the government is alert," he added.

Cyber crimes rose between 2014 and 2017: Government

Demonstrators attacked a town hall in the Iranian capital Saturday as protests spilled into a third night despite government warnings against any further &quot;illegal gatherings&quot; and moves to cut off the internet on mobiles.

Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump weighed in on protests in Iran on Saturday, warning that the country&#39;s people want change and &quot;oppressive regimes cannot endure forever.&quot;

On Twitter, Trump posted two videos of his speech at the UN General Assembly in September where he spoke about the Iranian regime.&nbsp;

&quot;Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice,&quot; he tweeted, quoting from the speech. &quot;The world is watching!.&quot;

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Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! <a href="https://t.co/kvv1uAqcZ9">pic.twitter.com/kvv1uAqcZ9</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/947181212468203520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran&#39;s people are what their leaders fear the most,&quot; Trump posted, again quoting from the UN speech.

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The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran&rsquo;s people are what their leaders fear the most.... <a href="https://t.co/W8rKN9B6RT">pic.twitter.com/W8rKN9B6RT</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/947180713236934657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He also tweeted in support of the protesters late Friday, prompting Iran&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman Bahran Ghasemi to dismiss his remarks as &quot;opportunistic.&quot;

Demonstrators chanted <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/price-protests-turn-political-in-iran-as-rallies-spread-28091">anti-government slogans</a> in several cities across Iran on Friday, Iranian news agencies and social media reports said, as price protests turned into the largest wave of demonstrations since nationwide pro-reform unrest in 2009.

In the third day, the wave of protests spread to Qom, around 80 km from the Iranian capital, Tehran, protesters in Qom and Tehran raised anti-government slogans against Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei such as- &quot;Death to Hezbollah&quot; and &quot;Aren&#39;t you ashamed Khamenei? Leave the country.&quot;

(With input from agencies)

'Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice,' he tweeted, quoting from the speech

Demonstrators attacked a town hall in the Iranian capital Saturday as protests spilled into a third night despite government warnings against any further "illegal gatherings" and moves to cut off the internet on mobiles. Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump weighed in on protests in Iran on Saturday, warning that the country's people want change and "oppressive regimes cannot endure forever." On Twitter, Trump posted two videos of his speech at the UN General Assembly in September where he spoke about the Iranian regime. "Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice," he tweeted, quoting from the speech. "The world is watching!." Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! pic.twitter.com/kvv1uAqcZ9 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017 × "The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran's people are what their leaders fear the most," Trump posted, again quoting from the UN speech. The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most.... pic.twitter.com/W8rKN9B6RT — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017 × He also tweeted in support of the protesters late Friday, prompting Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahran Ghasemi to dismiss his remarks as "opportunistic." Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans in several cities across Iran on Friday, Iranian news agencies and social media reports said, as price protests turned into the largest wave of demonstrations since nationwide pro-reform unrest in 2009. In the third day, the wave of protests spread to Qom, around 80 km from the Iranian capital, Tehran, protesters in Qom and Tehran raised anti-government slogans against Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei such as- "Death to Hezbollah" and "Aren't you ashamed Khamenei? Leave the country." (With input from agencies)

Government blocks internet amid Iran protests, Trump warns that people need change

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017, which criminalises <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/triple-talaq-all-you-need-to-know-19324">triple talaq</a> among Muslims, will be presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid several Muslim organisations as well as opposition parties&nbsp;such as Congress, Left and BJD voicing their concerns.&nbsp;

Moreover, the BJP is believed to have issued a three-line whip to its MPs asking them to be present&nbsp;to ensure that the introduction is smooth.&nbsp;

The BJP is understood to have issued the whip so that any stiff opposition from members on the other side at the introduction stage could be blocked.

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The opposition parties have expressed their reservations over the given jail term for violators of the instant divorce, which may extend to three years and a fine for the accused and further envisages entitling Muslim women for maintenance.

It also has a provision for the divorced Muslim women to have the custody of their minor children. The offences under the purview of this bill will be cognisable and non-bailable.

The draft bill says, &quot;any pronouncement of talaq by a person upon his wife, by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal&quot;.

The government is sure to press ahead with the bill in Lok Sabha considering its strong majority even though the oppositions parties voice their apprehensions.&nbsp;

The bill will be introduced by law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The government is all set for questions and comments and is ready to discuss the justification for proposing the law.&nbsp;

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/triple-talaq-destroying-lives-of-muslim-women-says-indian-pm-narendra-modi-7849">&nbsp;Triple talaq destroying lives of Muslim women, says Indian PM Narendra Modi</a>

The opposition parties have said that the jail term may be excessive and some Muslim organisations like <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/aimplb-says-will-request-pm-to-withhold-withdraw-triple-talaq-bill-27594">All India Muslim Personal Law Board</a> (AIMPLB) have held that the Supreme Court ruling striking down triple talaq as unconstitutional is against Sharia law.&nbsp;

&quot;The AIMPLB urges the Central Government to not table the Bill in the Parliament,&quot; said AIMPLB&#39;s Sajjad Nomani after attending an emergency meeting organised by the Board in Lucknow.

The AIMPLB spokesperson further accused the Centre of not following the laid procedure in drafting the bill.

&quot;No procedure was followed in drafting this bill; neither was any stakeholder consulted,&quot; said Nomani.

AIMPLB even claimed that the Bill was against women and children, and if implemented, it would destroy many families.

Earlier in August, in a historic judgement, the Supreme Court had ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is &quot;void&quot;, &quot;illegal&quot; and &quot;unconstitutional&quot;.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 will be introduced by law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017, which criminalises triple talaq among Muslims, will be presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid several Muslim organisations as well as opposition parties such as Congress, Left and BJD voicing their concerns. Moreover, the BJP is believed to have issued a three-line whip to its MPs asking them to be present to ensure that the introduction is smooth. The BJP is understood to have issued the whip so that any stiff opposition from members on the other side at the introduction stage could be blocked. Opposition parties have voiced reservations over the jail term -- which may extend to three years -- and fine included in the bill × The opposition parties have expressed their reservations over the given jail term for violators of the instant divorce, which may extend to three years and a fine for the accused and further envisages entitling Muslim women for maintenance. It also has a provision for the divorced Muslim women to have the custody of their minor children. The offences under the purview of this bill will be cognisable and non-bailable. The draft bill says, "any pronouncement of talaq by a person upon his wife, by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal". The government is sure to press ahead with the bill in Lok Sabha considering its strong majority even though the oppositions parties voice their apprehensions. The bill will be introduced by law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The government is all set for questions and comments and is ready to discuss the justification for proposing the law. Also read: Triple talaq destroying lives of Muslim women, says Indian PM Narendra Modi The opposition parties have said that the jail term may be excessive and some Muslim organisations like All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) have held that the Supreme Court ruling striking down triple talaq as unconstitutional is against Sharia law. "The AIMPLB urges the Central Government to not table the Bill in the Parliament," said AIMPLB's Sajjad Nomani after attending an emergency meeting organised by the Board in Lucknow. The AIMPLB spokesperson further accused the Centre of not following the laid procedure in drafting the bill. "No procedure was followed in drafting this bill; neither was any stakeholder consulted," said Nomani. AIMPLB even claimed that the Bill was against women and children, and if implemented, it would destroy many families. Earlier in August, in a historic judgement, the Supreme Court had ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional". (With inputs from ANI)

Government to table triple talaq bill in Lok Sabha today, BJP reportedly issues whip to MPs

Continuing the battle for agreement on<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-plans-home-delivery-of-40-government-services-lg-says-no-27811"> government services to now be available</a> at the doorstep, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has rebutted Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal&rsquo;s decision to trun it down.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, Sisodia lashed out at Baijal asking whether he is &quot;trying to protect a corrupt system,&quot; calling it a &quot;huge setback&quot; to the government&#39;s efforts to provide good and corruption-free governance.&nbsp;

Sisodia further questioned whether the &#39;selected L-G&#39; should have the powers to pass on decisions of an elected government.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court is yet to announce their verdict on powers of the Delhi government and the L-G.&nbsp;

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had turned down the government&#39;s proposal to home deliver 40 government services - which was considered as a &nbsp;&ldquo;progressive step&rdquo;&nbsp;

However, Baijal clarified that he had not turned down the proposal but &quot;advised to reconsider the proposal and suggested an alternate model.&quot;

The government services included caste, birth, and address certificates, licences, and pensions.&nbsp;

Baijal clarified that he had not turned down the proposal but 'advised to reconsider the proposal and suggested an alternate model.'

Continuing the battle for agreement on government services to now be available at the doorstep, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has rebutted Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s decision to trun it down. On Wednesday, Sisodia lashed out at Baijal asking whether he is "trying to protect a corrupt system," calling it a "huge setback" to the government's efforts to provide good and corruption-free governance. Sisodia further questioned whether the 'selected L-G' should have the powers to pass on decisions of an elected government. The Supreme Court is yet to announce their verdict on powers of the Delhi government and the L-G. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had turned down the government's proposal to home deliver 40 government services - which was considered as a “progressive step” However, Baijal clarified that he had not turned down the proposal but "advised to reconsider the proposal and suggested an alternate model." The government services included caste, birth, and address certificates, licences, and pensions.

Manish Sisodia: Are you trying to protect a corrupt system, Anil Baijal?

India&rsquo;s northern neighbour, Nepal had been a trusted ally of us for a long time. Over several centuries, India had been instrumental in the political changes of Nepal. A buffer state between India and Tibet Autonomous Region (now part of China), Nepal has witnessed many ups and downs especially in last decade or so. In a change of power from KP Sharma Oli who is known to be a staunch anti-Indian politician, this move was aimed for the betterment of the bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Himalayan country once ruled by the monarchy has seen the worst in last two years. Firstly, the Maoist insurgency which claimed more than 20000 lives, then political instability, followed by the Madhesi problem and Blockade on the Indian border. Not to mention earthquake and incompetent leadership which resulted in the worsening of the lives of common people of Nepal.

The country which has seen 10 prime ministers in the last 10 years has now reached a stability with the coalition of two arch rivals, Nepali Congress and the Communists. When this coalition got the majority, it was assumed that the government will be in power for at least 2 years and the second year has started. In the recent local bodies election also, the coalition got an absolute majority, reflecting the faith of the people in the government.

The foreign policy of the country also underwent a change, and is likely to become more pro-Indian as both Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prachanda enjoys a good relationship with the Indian government. Due to the proactive and charismatic leadership of Mr Narendra Modi, it is understood that the relations between the two countries shall improve further.

India enjoys strong cultural and economic relations with Nepal as India is the biggest employer of Nepali manpower. Also, the majority of citizens in both the countries share a common religion and faith. Recently, Mr Deuba cancelled the contract of a Chinese company for the dam on Burhi Gandaki river in the wake of alleged irregularities, thus, proving&nbsp;further the ties between the nation.

Recent legislative elections have just been over and the results have been devastating for Nepali Congress. CPN (UML) led by KP Sharma Oli has emerged victorious with 121 seats in 275 seat house and if we add CPN (MC)&rsquo;s 53 seats, the communist coalition gets a majority.&nbsp;Mr KP Sharma Oli has strong anti-Indian sentiments which may be harmful to India if the damage control is not done immediately. Moreover, in case this coalition gets a two-thirds&nbsp;majority which is just 9 more from 174, they will be in a position of making changes in the Constitution which is a matter of concern for India.

Incidents in the recent past cannot rule out the possibility of Nepal inching closer to China which will not be favourable for India. With the alignment of Communists with China and the joining of their Belt and Road Initiative by Nepal, China is ready to invest heavily in the infrastructure of Nepal whereas India is lagging as most of the promised projects by Mr Narendra Modi could not even start till now.

We must not overlook the security concerns too as the Indo-Nepal border is almost porous and anybody can cross it with basic documentation.

However, the Armies of both the countries have a close relationship and a significant portion of Indian Army comes from Nepal. India is developing Surkhet Base for Nepal Air Force to provide training and other support to them. In the current scenario, a military confrontation is almost impossible but what is important is the political inclination of the country towards China, and India need to control it so that it retains the old status over the Himalayan Kingdom.

What India need immediately is a strong and favourable policy towards Nepal to safeguard its socio-economic interests. Also, have a better relationship with the top leadership so that we retain our position.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

India need immediately is a strong and favourable policy towards Nepal to safeguard its socio-economic interests because recently elected Mr KP Sharma Oli has strong anti-Indian sentiments which may be harmful to India.

India’s northern neighbour, Nepal had been a trusted ally of us for a long time. Over several centuries, India had been instrumental in the political changes of Nepal. A buffer state between India and Tibet Autonomous Region (now part of China), Nepal has witnessed many ups and downs especially in last decade or so. In a change of power from KP Sharma Oli who is known to be a staunch anti-Indian politician, this move was aimed for the betterment of the bilateral relations between the two countries. The Himalayan country once ruled by the monarchy has seen the worst in last two years. Firstly, the Maoist insurgency which claimed more than 20000 lives, then political instability, followed by the Madhesi problem and Blockade on the Indian border. Not to mention earthquake and incompetent leadership which resulted in the worsening of the lives of common people of Nepal. The country which has seen 10 prime ministers in the last 10 years has now reached a stability with the coalition of two arch rivals, Nepali Congress and the Communists. When this coalition got the majority, it was assumed that the government will be in power for at least 2 years and the second year has started. In the recent local bodies election also, the coalition got an absolute majority, reflecting the faith of the people in the government. The foreign policy of the country also underwent a change, and is likely to become more pro-Indian as both Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prachanda enjoys a good relationship with the Indian government. Due to the proactive and charismatic leadership of Mr Narendra Modi, it is understood that the relations between the two countries shall improve further. India enjoys strong cultural and economic relations with Nepal as India is the biggest employer of Nepali manpower. Also, the majority of citizens in both the countries share a common religion and faith. Recently, Mr Deuba cancelled the contract of a Chinese company for the dam on Burhi Gandaki river in the wake of alleged irregularities, thus, proving further the ties between the nation. Recent legislative elections have just been over and the results have been devastating for Nepali Congress. CPN (UML) led by KP Sharma Oli has emerged victorious with 121 seats in 275 seat house and if we add CPN (MC)’s 53 seats, the communist coalition gets a majority. Mr KP Sharma Oli has strong anti-Indian sentiments which may be harmful to India if the damage control is not done immediately. Moreover, in case this coalition gets a two-thirds majority which is just 9 more from 174, they will be in a position of making changes in the Constitution which is a matter of concern for India. Incidents in the recent past cannot rule out the possibility of Nepal inching closer to China which will not be favourable for India. With the alignment of Communists with China and the joining of their Belt and Road Initiative by Nepal, China is ready to invest heavily in the infrastructure of Nepal whereas India is lagging as most of the promised projects by Mr Narendra Modi could not even start till now. We must not overlook the security concerns too as the Indo-Nepal border is almost porous and anybody can cross it with basic documentation. However, the Armies of both the countries have a close relationship and a significant portion of Indian Army comes from Nepal. India is developing Surkhet Base for Nepal Air Force to provide training and other support to them. In the current scenario, a military confrontation is almost impossible but what is important is the political inclination of the country towards China, and India need to control it so that it retains the old status over the Himalayan Kingdom. What India need immediately is a strong and favourable policy towards Nepal to safeguard its socio-economic interests. Also, have a better relationship with the top leadership so that we retain our position. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Election results in Nepal should concern India

&quot;Our rescue efforts will never fall short,&quot; Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the families of the people still missing because of Cyclone Ockhi.&nbsp;

&quot;Government of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short and we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Modi was speaking in Poonthura, Kerala.&nbsp;

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Gov of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short &amp; we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas: PM Modi in Kerala&#39;s Poonthura <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/jzxU5aEOSP">pic.twitter.com/jzxU5aEOSP</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943088380639789056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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PM Narendra Modi meets families affected by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> in Kerala&#39;s Poonthura, says, &#39;govt will do everything possible to bring back the missing people&#39; <a href="https://t.co/oqR0Ix35FW">pic.twitter.com/oqR0Ix35FW</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943087229496311810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Modi also reviewed relief operations in Thiruvananthapuram along with&nbsp;Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.&nbsp;

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PM Narendra Modi reviews relief operations in Kerala&#39;s Thiruvananthapuram. CM Pinarayi Vijayan also present, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zy5PKEi0fI">pic.twitter.com/Zy5PKEi0fI</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943098265045626880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Modi had previously visited Kanyakumari,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cyclone-ockhi-over-180-people-rescued-off-lakshadweep-coast-26206">Lakshadweep</a> and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/the-wrath-of-cyclone-ockhi-at-least-18-killed-in-tamil-nadu-kerala-7117">Tamil Nadu</a> to meet families affected and take note of the situation.&nbsp;

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PM Narendra Modi meets cyclone affected fishermen in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kanyakumari?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kanyakumari</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/ak41YOrj4j">pic.twitter.com/ak41YOrj4j</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943056253374181376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi met families of victims affected by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lakshadweep?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lakshadweep</a>&#39;s Kavaratti <a href="https://t.co/Nbgb1Cne1N">pic.twitter.com/Nbgb1Cne1N</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943030486917455872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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.

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PM Narendra Modi reviews <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> relief operations in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kanyakumari?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kanyakumari</a> . Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami also present <a href="https://t.co/dQk1x8N3H7">pic.twitter.com/dQk1x8N3H7</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943051382210170880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Cyclone Ockhi recently hit the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-at-least-16-dead-several-missing-as-cyclone-ockhi-nears-lakshadweep-sri-lanka-25598">southern half of the country</a>, leaving a number of people dead and several missing.&nbsp;

Also&nbsp;read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771">30 died due to Cyclone </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771">Ockhi</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771"> :</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771"> Report</a>

A search and rescue operation was launched by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

As of December 14, 700 fishermen had been rescued. They included five Sri Lankan nationals.&nbsp;

"Our rescue efforts will never fall short," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the families of the people still missing because of Cyclone Ockhi. "Government of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short and we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas," he said. Modi was speaking in Poonthura, Kerala. Gov of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short & we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas: PM Modi in Kerala's Poonthura #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/jzxU5aEOSP — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × PM Narendra Modi meets families affected by #CycloneOckhi in Kerala's Poonthura, says, 'govt will do everything possible to bring back the missing people' pic.twitter.com/oqR0Ix35FW — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Modi also reviewed relief operations in Thiruvananthapuram along with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. PM Narendra Modi reviews relief operations in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram. CM Pinarayi Vijayan also present, #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/Zy5PKEi0fI — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Modi had previously visited Kanyakumari, Lakshadweep and Tamil Nadu to meet families affected and take note of the situation. PM Narendra Modi meets cyclone affected fishermen in #Kanyakumari #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/ak41YOrj4j — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Prime Minister Narendra Modi met families of victims affected by #CycloneOckhi in #Lakshadweep's Kavaratti pic.twitter.com/Nbgb1Cne1N — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × . PM Narendra Modi reviews #CycloneOckhi relief operations in #Kanyakumari . Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami also present pic.twitter.com/dQk1x8N3H7 — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Cyclone Ockhi recently hit the southern half of the country, leaving a number of people dead and several missing. Also read: 30 died due to Cyclone Ockhi : Report A search and rescue operation was launched by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. As of December 14, 700 fishermen had been rescued. They included five Sri Lankan nationals.

'Our rescue efforts will never fall short,' PM Modi tells Ockhi-affected families

The National Company Law Tribunal today allowed the government to appoint 10 directors on the board of debt-ridden realty firm Unitech Ltd.&nbsp;

The two-member NCLT bench headed by Chairman Justice M M Kumar has directed the government to submit the 10 names by December 20, the next date of hearing.

The government had approached the NCLT to take over the management of Unitech alleging mismanagement and siphoning of funds by the management.&nbsp;NCLT has also issued a&nbsp;notice to Unitech Ltd directing it to file the reply.

&quot;They have permitted the central government to appoint 10 nominee directors to run the day to day business and list of that would be given by 20th December&quot;, said Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain who had appeared on behalf of the Government&nbsp;in NCLT.&nbsp;

He further said: &quot;In the meanwhile, the suspended directors of the company shall not sell, mortgage or create charge either their properties or company&#39;s properties&quot;.

A two-member NCLT bench have permitted Central government to appoint 10 nominee directors to run Unitech over allegations of money siphoning by the original management

The National Company Law Tribunal today allowed the government to appoint 10 directors on the board of debt-ridden realty firm Unitech Ltd. The two-member NCLT bench headed by Chairman Justice M M Kumar has directed the government to submit the 10 names by December 20, the next date of hearing. The government had approached the NCLT to take over the management of Unitech alleging mismanagement and siphoning of funds by the management. NCLT has also issued a notice to Unitech Ltd directing it to file the reply. "They have permitted the central government to appoint 10 nominee directors to run the day to day business and list of that would be given by 20th December", said Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain who had appeared on behalf of the Government in NCLT. He further said: "In the meanwhile, the suspended directors of the company shall not sell, mortgage or create charge either their properties or company's properties".

NCLT allows govt to appoint 10 directors on Unitech board

Russia&#39;s justice ministry on Tuesday named nine US media outlets including Voice of America as &quot;foreign agents&quot; after President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing international media to be slapped with the controversial label.

The ministry said that US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of their media affiliates had been recognised as &quot;carrying out the functions of a foreign agent&quot;, in a statement posted on its website.

Putin last month signed into law hastily issued legislation allowing the measure to target media.

Russia said this was a retaliatory move after Kremlin-funded RT television registered as a &quot;foreign agent&quot; in the United States under official pressure.

Rights groups fear the law could have a chilling effect on the ability of outlets to carry out independent reporting.

Voice of America and Radio Free Europe began broadcasting to the Soviet Union in the 1950s, playing a key role in providing its citizens with uncensored news.

Both broadcasters had already been formally warned by the justice ministry that they risked recognition as &quot;foreign agents.&quot;

The justice ministry has now formalised the move, naming them and their affiliates, including Radio Free Europe&#39;s news outlets dedicated to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine, and the Caucasus.&nbsp;

They also include a television channel run jointly by Radio Free Europe and Voice of America called Current Time TV.

Speaking on Current Time TV in Russian, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty&#39;s president Thomas Kent said that &quot;as a result, the activities of our organisation can face even greater restrictions&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;So far we have no concrete information on these restrictions,&quot; the head of the US Congress-funded corporation said.

He stressed: &quot;We remain committed to continuing our work in journalism in the interests of providing precise and objective information to our Russian-language audience.&quot;

&nbsp;&#39;Threat to free media&#39;&nbsp;

The 2012 law previously applied only to non-governmental organisations that had international funding.&nbsp;

Those branded &quot;foreign agents&quot; have to present themselves as such on all paperwork and submit to intensive scrutiny of their staffing and financing.

Many NGOs have closed down as a result, saying the measure made it too difficult for them to operate.

The US State Department said last month that the new law &quot;presents yet another threat to free media in Russia&quot;.

It said it was &quot;disingenuous&quot; of Moscow to equate the move to RT&#39;s listing as a foreign agent in the US since Washington&#39;s measure &quot;does not restrict an organisation&#39;s ability to operate&quot;.

The head of the Russian upper house&#39;s commission for the protection of state sovereignty, Andrei Klimov, said the measure would be strictly enforced but could be reversed.

&quot;If (foreign media) try to get out of it, we will catch up with them anyway, we will force them to obey Russian law,&quot; Klimov told Interfax news agency.

&quot;If Washington comes to its senses and ceases pressure on Russian media, however, in that case we will also consider correcting our decisions.&quot;

Russian MPs are set to vote Wednesday on whether to ban journalists from outlets labelled as &quot;foreign agents&quot; from entering the State Duma lower house of parliament.

The ministry said that US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of their media affiliates had been recognised as 'carrying out the functions of a foreign agent', in a statement posted on its website

Russia's justice ministry on Tuesday named nine US media outlets including Voice of America as "foreign agents" after President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing international media to be slapped with the controversial label. The ministry said that US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of their media affiliates had been recognised as "carrying out the functions of a foreign agent", in a statement posted on its website. Putin last month signed into law hastily issued legislation allowing the measure to target media. Russia said this was a retaliatory move after Kremlin-funded RT television registered as a "foreign agent" in the United States under official pressure. Rights groups fear the law could have a chilling effect on the ability of outlets to carry out independent reporting. Voice of America and Radio Free Europe began broadcasting to the Soviet Union in the 1950s, playing a key role in providing its citizens with uncensored news. Both broadcasters had already been formally warned by the justice ministry that they risked recognition as "foreign agents." The justice ministry has now formalised the move, naming them and their affiliates, including Radio Free Europe's news outlets dedicated to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine, and the Caucasus. They also include a television channel run jointly by Radio Free Europe and Voice of America called Current Time TV. Speaking on Current Time TV in Russian, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's president Thomas Kent said that "as a result, the activities of our organisation can face even greater restrictions". "So far we have no concrete information on these restrictions," the head of the US Congress-funded corporation said. He stressed: "We remain committed to continuing our work in journalism in the interests of providing precise and objective information to our Russian-language audience." 'Threat to free media' The 2012 law previously applied only to non-governmental organisations that had international funding. Those branded "foreign agents" have to present themselves as such on all paperwork and submit to intensive scrutiny of their staffing and financing. Many NGOs have closed down as a result, saying the measure made it too difficult for them to operate. The US State Department said last month that the new law "presents yet another threat to free media in Russia". It said it was "disingenuous" of Moscow to equate the move to RT's listing as a foreign agent in the US since Washington's measure "does not restrict an organisation's ability to operate". The head of the Russian upper house's commission for the protection of state sovereignty, Andrei Klimov, said the measure would be strictly enforced but could be reversed. "If (foreign media) try to get out of it, we will catch up with them anyway, we will force them to obey Russian law," Klimov told Interfax news agency. "If Washington comes to its senses and ceases pressure on Russian media, however, in that case we will also consider correcting our decisions." Russian MPs are set to vote Wednesday on whether to ban journalists from outlets labelled as "foreign agents" from entering the State Duma lower house of parliament.

Russia declares 9 US media outlets as 'foreign agents'

The Delhi government would come up with a legal framework to check the &quot;loot&quot; and &quot;criminal negligence&quot; by the private hospitals, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today, in the wake of a premature baby being wrongly declared dead by a city hospital.

The chief minister said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had &quot;succeeded&quot; in restraining the private schools from arbitrarily deciding their fee structure, adding that a similar legal framework would be put in place in the health sector to take action against the errant private hospitals.

&quot;We do not want to interfere in the functioning of the private hospitals, but if those suffering from ailments are looted and cheated and the hospitals are guilty of criminal negligence against them, being a responsible government, we will interfere in such cases,&quot; Kejriwal said.

Speaking at a function at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) here, he pointed out two recent incidents - a private hospital charging Rs 15 lakh from a dengue patient and another hospital declaring an infant dead.

On December 1, the city government had ordered an inquiry into a case of alleged criminal negligence by the Max Hospital at Shalimar Bagh, after it surfaced that its doctors had declared an infant dead, who was found to be alive later.

&quot;We will work on it (on the legal framework) and the government will try to ensure that there is no recurrence of such cases,&quot; Kejriwal, who was the chief guest at the &#39;Delhi Smiles - Dental Health Utsav, 2017&#39; at the MAIDS, said.

On the occasion, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the government would set up 100 dental clinics on the lines of the mohalla clinics.

The chief minister said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had 'succeeded' in restraining the private schools from arbitrarily deciding their fee structure, adding that a similar legal framework would be put in place in the health sector to take action against the errant private hospitals

The Delhi government would come up with a legal framework to check the "loot" and "criminal negligence" by the private hospitals, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today, in the wake of a premature baby being wrongly declared dead by a city hospital. The chief minister said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had "succeeded" in restraining the private schools from arbitrarily deciding their fee structure, adding that a similar legal framework would be put in place in the health sector to take action against the errant private hospitals. "We do not want to interfere in the functioning of the private hospitals, but if those suffering from ailments are looted and cheated and the hospitals are guilty of criminal negligence against them, being a responsible government, we will interfere in such cases," Kejriwal said. Speaking at a function at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) here, he pointed out two recent incidents - a private hospital charging Rs 15 lakh from a dengue patient and another hospital declaring an infant dead. On December 1, the city government had ordered an inquiry into a case of alleged criminal negligence by the Max Hospital at Shalimar Bagh, after it surfaced that its doctors had declared an infant dead, who was found to be alive later. "We will work on it (on the legal framework) and the government will try to ensure that there is no recurrence of such cases," Kejriwal, who was the chief guest at the 'Delhi Smiles - Dental Health Utsav, 2017' at the MAIDS, said. On the occasion, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the government would set up 100 dental clinics on the lines of the mohalla clinics.

Delhi government to come up with legal framework for errant: Kejriwal

In a sigh of relief for people, the government may soon extend the deadline to link Aadhaar with the Permanent&nbsp;Acccount Number (PAN) card by nearly six months, a leading daily reported.

The Supreme Court, which is hearing petitions against making the linking of the biometric identifier&nbsp;with&nbsp;bank accounts and mobile phone numbers mandatory, will pronounce its judgement today. If the top court&nbsp;court upholds&nbsp;the decision, the government will provide three to six months&nbsp;to all taxpayers to complete the process, extending the earlier deadline of December 31, 2017.

Although the new deadline has not been out, it is being&nbsp;speculated that the new window for the linkage will be valid till March 31, 2018.

The exercise aimed at eliminating the duplicate PANs and making all benami&nbsp;(in the name of another person) transactions void was criticised by citizens and several opposition parties on the ground that it was intruding into a person&#39;s fundamental right to privacy.

This would be the second time when the government will extend the deadline, as previously in August, the government announced a four-month grace period ending this December.

As per received data, out of 33 crore Aadhaar card holders, only 13.28 crore people have linked their pan with the 12-digit unique identification (UID) number till November 2017.

Although the new deadline has not been declared, it is been speculated that the new window for the linkage will be valid until March 31, 2018

In a sigh of relief for people, the government may soon extend the deadline to link Aadhaar with the Permanent Acccount Number (PAN) card by nearly six months, a leading daily reported. The Supreme Court, which is hearing petitions against making the linking of the biometric identifier with bank accounts and mobile phone numbers mandatory, will pronounce its judgement today. If the top court court upholds the decision, the government will provide three to six months to all taxpayers to complete the process, extending the earlier deadline of December 31, 2017. Although the new deadline has not been out, it is being speculated that the new window for the linkage will be valid till March 31, 2018. The exercise aimed at eliminating the duplicate PANs and making all benami (in the name of another person) transactions void was criticised by citizens and several opposition parties on the ground that it was intruding into a person's fundamental right to privacy. This would be the second time when the government will extend the deadline, as previously in August, the government announced a four-month grace period ending this December. As per received data, out of 33 crore Aadhaar card holders, only 13.28 crore people have linked their pan with the 12-digit unique identification (UID) number till November 2017.

Deadline to link Aadhaar with PAN card may be extended again

Fighting between Yemen&#39;s Huthi rebels and loyalists of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh rocked the capital Sanaa for a second straight night, leaving at least three people dead, Saleh&#39;s party said Friday.

The violence threatens an alliance that has held the capital and much of the north of Yemen in defiance of the Saudi-backed government for more than three years.

Huthi fighters, also known as Ansarullah, surrounded the homes of two of Saleh&#39;s nephews late on Thursday, a source in Saleh&#39;s forces said.

&quot;We were surprised by an armed attack by Ansarullah targeting the guards of the house of Brigadier Tareq Saleh, which left three dead and wounded three others,&quot; the ex-president&#39;s General People&#39;s Congress said. &quot;We hold Ansarullah fully responsible.&quot;

The Huthis said there were &quot;clashes in some streets of south Sanaa,&quot; in a statement released on their Saba news agency, without giving further details of their location or any casualty toll.

Thursday night&#39;s violence came 24 hours after clashes at the Saleh mosque in Sanaa killed nine Huthi rebels and five Saleh supporters.

One source at the Jumhuriya hospital said late on Thursday that the death toll from the infighting had risen to as many as 18 rebels and six Saleh loyalists.

Saleh and the Huthis forged an unlikely alliance in 2014, ending decades of enmity to join ranks in fighting against Yemen&#39;s internationally recognised President Abedrabbo Mansour.

The infighting now threatens to unravel the fragile alliance, which has been battling a Saudi-led military intervention in the war since March 2015.

The conflict has since claimed more than 8,600 lives and triggered what the United Nations has described as the world&#39;s worst humanitarian crisis.

The violence threatens an alliance that has held the capital and much of the north of Yemen in defiance of the Saudi-backed government for more than three years

Fighting between Yemen's Huthi rebels and loyalists of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh rocked the capital Sanaa for a second straight night, leaving at least three people dead, Saleh's party said Friday. The violence threatens an alliance that has held the capital and much of the north of Yemen in defiance of the Saudi-backed government for more than three years. Huthi fighters, also known as Ansarullah, surrounded the homes of two of Saleh's nephews late on Thursday, a source in Saleh's forces said. "We were surprised by an armed attack by Ansarullah targeting the guards of the house of Brigadier Tareq Saleh, which left three dead and wounded three others," the ex-president's General People's Congress said. "We hold Ansarullah fully responsible." The Huthis said there were "clashes in some streets of south Sanaa," in a statement released on their Saba news agency, without giving further details of their location or any casualty toll. Thursday night's violence came 24 hours after clashes at the Saleh mosque in Sanaa killed nine Huthi rebels and five Saleh supporters. One source at the Jumhuriya hospital said late on Thursday that the death toll from the infighting had risen to as many as 18 rebels and six Saleh loyalists. Saleh and the Huthis forged an unlikely alliance in 2014, ending decades of enmity to join ranks in fighting against Yemen's internationally recognised President Abedrabbo Mansour. The infighting now threatens to unravel the fragile alliance, which has been battling a Saudi-led military intervention in the war since March 2015. The conflict has since claimed more than 8,600 lives and triggered what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

3 dead as deadly rebel infighting rocks Yemen capital for second night

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that he is ready to pay the political price for the steps taken by him for a better India and asserted he would not be deterred.

Addressing a gathering here, he said his government is committed to developing a development-centric ecosystem which is free of corruption and is citizen-centric.

He also said that post demonetisation, the black money, which was part of a parallel economy, has now become part of the formal system.

Inaugurating the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here, Modi said data mining after the note ban is also helping government track down those involved in corruption.

Appreciating the role of Aadhaar in delivering services to the people and also checking pilferages, he said the system would also work as a tool to track down benami properties.

Modi said his government is committed to developing a development-centric ecosystem which is free of corruption and is citizen-centric

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that he is ready to pay the political price for the steps taken by him for a better India and asserted he would not be deterred. Addressing a gathering here, he said his government is committed to developing a development-centric ecosystem which is free of corruption and is citizen-centric. He also said that post demonetisation, the black money, which was part of a parallel economy, has now become part of the formal system. Inaugurating the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here, Modi said data mining after the note ban is also helping government track down those involved in corruption. Appreciating the role of Aadhaar in delivering services to the people and also checking pilferages, he said the system would also work as a tool to track down benami properties.

Ready to pay political price for steps taken for better India: PM Modi

Ireland and Britain remained at odds on Monday on how to progress talks on the Irish border with a week to go before London could face failure in persuading European Union leaders to open trade talks at a December Brexit summit.

The EU handed Prime Minister Theresa May a 10-day &quot;absolute deadline&quot; on Friday to improve her divorce terms and meet three key conditions, including on the border between EU-member Ireland and Britain`s province of Northern Ireland.

Before it can sign off on the first phase of talks, the Irish government wants Britain to spell out in writing how it intends to make good on its commitment that the 500-km (300-mile) border will remain as seamless post-Brexit as it is today.

Dublin and EU officials say the best way to avoid a &quot;hard border&quot; is to keep regulations the same north and south and that this needs to be agreed in phase one, but a spokesman for May reiterated on Monday that a solution can only be concluded in the second phase of talks.

&quot;We remain firmly committed to avoiding any physical infrastructure but the secretary of state (Brexit minister David Davis) was also clear that we will only be able to conclude them finally in the context of the future relationship,&quot; he told reporters.

May&#39;s spokesman repeated that the whole of the United Kingdom will leave the EU&#39;s single market and customs union but Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said it seemed impossible to Dublin that some form of the hard border could be avoided if there are diverging regulatory regimes north and south.

&quot;It&#39;s simply not credible to say on the one hand that we are going to have a frictionless border and at the same time that all of Britain, including Northern Ireland, is going to leave the customs union, the single market without giving any reassurance on the avoidance of regulatory divergence,&quot; he told national broadcaster RTE.

With the possibility of Ireland vetoing progress on the talks dominating some newspaper front pages in Britain, Coveney added that Dublin would not need to use its veto if it remained dissatisfied since it has the backing of all other EU states.

&quot;We don&#39;t need to use a veto because we have complete solidarity on this issue. It is clear to us that if there is not progress on the Irish border, we will not be moving onto phase two in December and that was reinforced to me as late as last Friday by very senior EU leaders,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Before it can sign off on the first phase of talks, the Irish government wants Britain to spell out in writing how it intends to make good on its commitment that the 500-km (300-mile) border will remain as seamless post-Brexit as it is today

Ireland and Britain remained at odds on Monday on how to progress talks on the Irish border with a week to go before London could face failure in persuading European Union leaders to open trade talks at a December Brexit summit. The EU handed Prime Minister Theresa May a 10-day "absolute deadline" on Friday to improve her divorce terms and meet three key conditions, including on the border between EU-member Ireland and Britain`s province of Northern Ireland. Before it can sign off on the first phase of talks, the Irish government wants Britain to spell out in writing how it intends to make good on its commitment that the 500-km (300-mile) border will remain as seamless post-Brexit as it is today. Dublin and EU officials say the best way to avoid a "hard border" is to keep regulations the same north and south and that this needs to be agreed in phase one, but a spokesman for May reiterated on Monday that a solution can only be concluded in the second phase of talks. "We remain firmly committed to avoiding any physical infrastructure but the secretary of state (Brexit minister David Davis) was also clear that we will only be able to conclude them finally in the context of the future relationship," he told reporters. May's spokesman repeated that the whole of the United Kingdom will leave the EU's single market and customs union but Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said it seemed impossible to Dublin that some form of the hard border could be avoided if there are diverging regulatory regimes north and south. "It's simply not credible to say on the one hand that we are going to have a frictionless border and at the same time that all of Britain, including Northern Ireland, is going to leave the customs union, the single market without giving any reassurance on the avoidance of regulatory divergence," he told national broadcaster RTE. With the possibility of Ireland vetoing progress on the talks dominating some newspaper front pages in Britain, Coveney added that Dublin would not need to use its veto if it remained dissatisfied since it has the backing of all other EU states. "We don't need to use a veto because we have complete solidarity on this issue. It is clear to us that if there is not progress on the Irish border, we will not be moving onto phase two in December and that was reinforced to me as late as last Friday by very senior EU leaders," he said.

Britain, Ireland at odds on border as Brexit deadline nears

South Africa will use its annual budget next year to outline &quot;decisive&quot; policy to strengthen its fiscal framework, the finance ministry said on Saturday after S&amp;P Global Ratings cut its local currency debt to &quot;junk&quot; status.

S&amp;P announced the downgrade on Friday, citing a further deterioration in the country&#39;s economic outlook and public finances. Moody&#39;s, meanwhile, placed South Africa on review for a downgrade.

&quot;The 2018 Budget will outline decisive and specific policy measures to strengthen the fiscal framework,&quot; the finance ministry said in a statement, without giving more detail.

The downgrade by S&amp;P comes after finance minister Malusi Gigaba shocked markets on October 25 by flagging sharply weaker growth expectations, a wider budget deficit, and rising government debt.

The government has since appointed a judicial commission of inquiry into the causes of a 50 billion rand ($3.6 billion) revenue shortfall and to investigate a possible erosion of the nation&#39;s revenue collection capability.

Economic growth has slowed to near zero in recent years and business and consumer sentiment have plumbed multi-decade lows as political uncertainty weighs on the economy.

Infighting within the ruling African National Congress ahead of a conference in December to elect a successor to President Jacob Zuma as party chief has also sapped investor confidence.

&quot;Restoring business and consumer confidence, and catalysing inclusive growth is the top priority of government,&quot; the finance ministry said.

South African businesses have been in talks with the government more than a year to try to avoid credit rating downgrades, but when Zuma in March replaced finance minister Pravin Gordhan with Gigaba, S&amp;P and Fitch cut its ratings a notch within a week.

Nedbank, one of the nation&#39;s largest lenders, on Saturday warned that the latest move by S&amp;P will make it more expensive for government and the private sector to raise funding.

&quot;The February budget statement is South Africa&rsquo;s last chance to demonstrate the structural reforms and fiscal consolidation that are required to improve economic growth prospects and prevent Moody&rsquo;s from also downgrading the local currency debt to below investment grade,&quot; Chief Executive Mike Brown said.

A Moody&#39;s downgrade would trigger the exit of South Africa&#39;s local currency debt from important global bond indices, Brown added.

'Restoring business and consumer confidence, and catalysing inclusive growth is the top priority of government,' said Malusi Gigaba, finance minister

South Africa will use its annual budget next year to outline "decisive" policy to strengthen its fiscal framework, the finance ministry said on Saturday after S&P Global Ratings cut its local currency debt to "junk" status. S&P announced the downgrade on Friday, citing a further deterioration in the country's economic outlook and public finances. Moody's, meanwhile, placed South Africa on review for a downgrade. "The 2018 Budget will outline decisive and specific policy measures to strengthen the fiscal framework," the finance ministry said in a statement, without giving more detail. The downgrade by S&P comes after finance minister Malusi Gigaba shocked markets on October 25 by flagging sharply weaker growth expectations, a wider budget deficit, and rising government debt. The government has since appointed a judicial commission of inquiry into the causes of a 50 billion rand ($3.6 billion) revenue shortfall and to investigate a possible erosion of the nation's revenue collection capability. Economic growth has slowed to near zero in recent years and business and consumer sentiment have plumbed multi-decade lows as political uncertainty weighs on the economy. Infighting within the ruling African National Congress ahead of a conference in December to elect a successor to President Jacob Zuma as party chief has also sapped investor confidence. "Restoring business and consumer confidence, and catalysing inclusive growth is the top priority of government," the finance ministry said. South African businesses have been in talks with the government more than a year to try to avoid credit rating downgrades, but when Zuma in March replaced finance minister Pravin Gordhan with Gigaba, S&P and Fitch cut its ratings a notch within a week. Nedbank, one of the nation's largest lenders, on Saturday warned that the latest move by S&P will make it more expensive for government and the private sector to raise funding. "The February budget statement is South Africa’s last chance to demonstrate the structural reforms and fiscal consolidation that are required to improve economic growth prospects and prevent Moody’s from also downgrading the local currency debt to below investment grade," Chief Executive Mike Brown said. A Moody's downgrade would trigger the exit of South Africa's local currency debt from important global bond indices, Brown added.

South Africa to outline 'decisive' policy in 2018 after debt rating cut

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she aimed to get a government in place as quickly as possible after she was left scrambling to find a way to govern when three-way coalition talks collapsed last Sunday.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/merkels-fourth-term-in-doubt-as-talks-on-forming-coalition-government-fail-24606">Merkel&#39;s fourth term in doubt as&nbsp;talks on forming coalition government fail</a>

&quot;Europe needs a strong Germany, it is desirable to get a government in place quickly,&quot; Merkel told a party meeting, adding, however, that her acting government was able to carry on day to day business in Europe`s biggest economy.

She added she was prepared to talk to the Social Democrats (SPD) after the centre-left party reversed an earlier decision and said it was prepared to talk to Merkel`s conservatives, but she stressed any talks should be based on mutual respect.&nbsp;

She added she was prepared to talk to the Social Democrats (SPD) after the centre-left party reversed an earlier decision and said it was prepared to talk to Merkel`s conservatives, but she stressed any talks should be based on mutual respect

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she aimed to get a government in place as quickly as possible after she was left scrambling to find a way to govern when three-way coalition talks collapsed last Sunday. Also read: Merkel's fourth term in doubt as talks on forming coalition government fail "Europe needs a strong Germany, it is desirable to get a government in place quickly," Merkel told a party meeting, adding, however, that her acting government was able to carry on day to day business in Europe`s biggest economy. She added she was prepared to talk to the Social Democrats (SPD) after the centre-left party reversed an earlier decision and said it was prepared to talk to Merkel`s conservatives, but she stressed any talks should be based on mutual respect.

Germany's Merkel vows to get government in place quickly

A 55-year old man succumbed to burns at a hospital two days after he attempted self-immolation in front of the house of a local AIADMK leader here accusing her of cheating him of Rs 11 lakh.

Thangaraj died at the Government Hospital in Erode, about 50 km from here, where he was admitted after he set himself ablaze on November 18, police said.

A case has been registered against the AIADMK Namakkal women&#39;s wing secretary Kalyani for allegedly abetting the suicide after the victim gave a dying declaration before an Erode Magistrate, they said.

Police said the woman was absconding and further investigation was on.

According to the FIR, Kalyani had taken Rs.11 lakh from Thangaraj in July last year promising to get a government job for his nephew but did not honour her assurance.

Upset over this, Thangaraj allegedly doused himself with kerosene in front of Kalyani&#39;s house and set himself ablaze.

Thangaraj died at the Government Hospital in Erode, about 50 km from here, where he was admitted after he set himself ablaze on November 18, police said

A 55-year old man succumbed to burns at a hospital two days after he attempted self-immolation in front of the house of a local AIADMK leader here accusing her of cheating him of Rs 11 lakh. Thangaraj died at the Government Hospital in Erode, about 50 km from here, where he was admitted after he set himself ablaze on November 18, police said. A case has been registered against the AIADMK Namakkal women's wing secretary Kalyani for allegedly abetting the suicide after the victim gave a dying declaration before an Erode Magistrate, they said. Police said the woman was absconding and further investigation was on. According to the FIR, Kalyani had taken Rs.11 lakh from Thangaraj in July last year promising to get a government job for his nephew but did not honour her assurance. Upset over this, Thangaraj allegedly doused himself with kerosene in front of Kalyani's house and set himself ablaze.

Man who attempted self-immolation over 'cheating' by local AIADMK leader succumbs

Lower taxes and higher public expenditure could widen budget deficit in 2017-18, but steps taken by the government to broaden the tax base and improve spending efficiency would help in narrowing it going forward, US-based rating agency Moody&#39;s said.

In an interview to PTI, Moody&#39;s Investors Service V-P (Sovereign Risk Group) William Foster said the agency believes that the government&#39;s commitment to fiscal consolidation remains and sustained growth would help it reduce the debt burden.

Moody&#39;s had last week raised India&#39;s sovereign rating for the first time in over 13 years, saying growth prospects have improved with continued progress on economic and institutional reforms. The rating was upgraded to Baa2 from Baa3 and rating outlook was changed to stable from positive.

Foster said the upgrade reflects the expectation that continued progress on economic and institutional reforms will enhance India&#39;s high growth potential and its large and stable financing base for government debt and will likely contribute to a gradual decline in the general government debt burden over the medium term.

India&#39;s debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 68.6 per cent and a government-appointed panel has recommended lowering it to 60 per cent by 2023.

&quot;We forecast the general government budget deficit at 6.5 per cent of GDP this fiscal year, similar to the last two fiscal years. Lower government revenues than planned in the Budget and somewhat higher government spending could lead to a deficit somewhat wider than targeted.

&quot;However, over time, measures aimed at broadening the tax base and improving the efficiency of government spending will contribute to a gradual narrowing of the deficit. Together with robust and sustained nominal GDP growth, this would be conducive to a gradual decline in the government debt burden,&quot; Foster said.

Foster, however, added that a material deterioration in fiscal metrics and the outlook for general government fiscal consolidation would put negative pressure on the rating.

General budget deficit includes expenditure incurred and revenue earned by both the Centre and states. &quot;The rating could also face downward pressure if the health of the banking system deteriorated significantly or external vulnerability increased sharply,&quot; he added.

The central government, in Budget 2017-18, had set a target of 3.2 per cent for fiscal deficit, which is the difference between the Centre&#39;s revenue and expenditure, for this fiscal. It would be brought down to 3 per cent next fiscal.

The finance ministry is scheduled to review the deficit target for the current financial year next month as it reassesses revenue mop-up from the recently launched Goods and Services Tax (GST) and PSU disinvestment programme.

The deficit has already touched 91.3 per cent of the target in the first half of the fiscal.

Projecting GDP growth to moderate to 6.7 per cent in the current fiscal, from 7.1 per cent last year, Moody&#39;s said while GST and demonetisation have undermined growth over the near term, growth will rise to 7.5 per cent in 2018-19 as the disruption fades.

According to Foster, the stable outlook denotes that Moody&#39;s does not expect a rating change in the foreseeable future. &quot;There are both positive and negative risks to the economy and India&#39;s credit profile,&quot; Foster added.

His assessment is a material strengthening in fiscal metrics, combined with a strong and durable recovery of the investment cycle, probably supported by significant economic and institutional reforms would be credit positive.

&quot;In particular, greater expectation of a sizeable and sustained reduction in the general government debt burden, through increased government revenues combined with a reduction in expenditures, would put positive pressure on the rating. Implementation of key pending reforms, including land and labour reforms, could put additional upward pressure on the rating,&quot; Foster said.&nbsp;

Moody's had last week raised India's sovereign rating for the first time in over 13 years, saying growth prospects have improved with continued progress on economic and institutional reforms

Lower taxes and higher public expenditure could widen budget deficit in 2017-18, but steps taken by the government to broaden the tax base and improve spending efficiency would help in narrowing it going forward, US-based rating agency Moody's said. In an interview to PTI, Moody's Investors Service V-P (Sovereign Risk Group) William Foster said the agency believes that the government's commitment to fiscal consolidation remains and sustained growth would help it reduce the debt burden. Moody's had last week raised India's sovereign rating for the first time in over 13 years, saying growth prospects have improved with continued progress on economic and institutional reforms. The rating was upgraded to Baa2 from Baa3 and rating outlook was changed to stable from positive. Foster said the upgrade reflects the expectation that continued progress on economic and institutional reforms will enhance India's high growth potential and its large and stable financing base for government debt and will likely contribute to a gradual decline in the general government debt burden over the medium term. India's debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 68.6 per cent and a government-appointed panel has recommended lowering it to 60 per cent by 2023. "We forecast the general government budget deficit at 6.5 per cent of GDP this fiscal year, similar to the last two fiscal years. Lower government revenues than planned in the Budget and somewhat higher government spending could lead to a deficit somewhat wider than targeted. "However, over time, measures aimed at broadening the tax base and improving the efficiency of government spending will contribute to a gradual narrowing of the deficit. Together with robust and sustained nominal GDP growth, this would be conducive to a gradual decline in the government debt burden," Foster said. Foster, however, added that a material deterioration in fiscal metrics and the outlook for general government fiscal consolidation would put negative pressure on the rating. General budget deficit includes expenditure incurred and revenue earned by both the Centre and states. "The rating could also face downward pressure if the health of the banking system deteriorated significantly or external vulnerability increased sharply," he added. The central government, in Budget 2017-18, had set a target of 3.2 per cent for fiscal deficit, which is the difference between the Centre's revenue and expenditure, for this fiscal. It would be brought down to 3 per cent next fiscal. The finance ministry is scheduled to review the deficit target for the current financial year next month as it reassesses revenue mop-up from the recently launched Goods and Services Tax (GST) and PSU disinvestment programme. The deficit has already touched 91.3 per cent of the target in the first half of the fiscal. Projecting GDP growth to moderate to 6.7 per cent in the current fiscal, from 7.1 per cent last year, Moody's said while GST and demonetisation have undermined growth over the near term, growth will rise to 7.5 per cent in 2018-19 as the disruption fades. According to Foster, the stable outlook denotes that Moody's does not expect a rating change in the foreseeable future. "There are both positive and negative risks to the economy and India's credit profile," Foster added. His assessment is a material strengthening in fiscal metrics, combined with a strong and durable recovery of the investment cycle, probably supported by significant economic and institutional reforms would be credit positive. "In particular, greater expectation of a sizeable and sustained reduction in the general government debt burden, through increased government revenues combined with a reduction in expenditures, would put positive pressure on the rating. Implementation of key pending reforms, including land and labour reforms, could put additional upward pressure on the rating," Foster said.

India's budget deficit may rise in FY18, but will improve in years ahead: Moody's

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Sunday that the government was in the process of appointing the highest number of high court judges in a single year, breaking the 30-year-old record of 126.

&quot;In 2016, about 126 High Court judges were appointed which is a 30-year-old history. But this year, we will cross the 126 mark,&quot; said the union minister, who was attending an event at the Odisha Law academy here.

The minister&#39;s reply came after a media person queried him on the one-day strike declared by the Orissa High Court Bar Association.

The association has announced a one-day strike, to be held on Friday, after an HC judge was transferred despite the court being short of nine judges from the sanctioned strength of 27.

According to reports, the Supreme Court collegium would soon take a call on appointing 40 new judges to nine courts.

Earlier on November 4, the Supreme Court appointed three new judges for the Jharkhand High Court and one judge for the Tripura High Court.

The collegium, comprising of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, and Justices J&nbsp;Chelameswar and Ranjan Gogoi, had discussed the reports of the intelligence bureau and the state government for the appointments.

The Supreme Court collegium would soon take a call on appointing 40 new judges to nine courts: Reports

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Sunday that the government was in the process of appointing the highest number of high court judges in a single year, breaking the 30-year-old record of 126. "In 2016, about 126 High Court judges were appointed which is a 30-year-old history. But this year, we will cross the 126 mark," said the union minister, who was attending an event at the Odisha Law academy here. The minister's reply came after a media person queried him on the one-day strike declared by the Orissa High Court Bar Association. The association has announced a one-day strike, to be held on Friday, after an HC judge was transferred despite the court being short of nine judges from the sanctioned strength of 27. According to reports, the Supreme Court collegium would soon take a call on appointing 40 new judges to nine courts. Earlier on November 4, the Supreme Court appointed three new judges for the Jharkhand High Court and one judge for the Tripura High Court. The collegium, comprising of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, and Justices J Chelameswar and Ranjan Gogoi, had discussed the reports of the intelligence bureau and the state government for the appointments.

Govt will appoint highest number of high court judges this year: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The Centre has taken note of reports about global terror group Islamic State (IS) claiming an attack in the Kashmir Valley that left a police officer dead, Union minister Jitendra Singh said adding that the future course of action would be adopted after taking an appropriate view.

The minister of state in the prime minister&#39;s office also said that the recent &quot;back to back&quot; successes achieved against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir was the result of the free hand given to security forces to wipe out the nearly three-decade-old militancy which is in its &quot;last phase&quot;.

Singh was asked about the IS&nbsp;claiming its first terror attack in Kashmir through its propaganda wing, Amaq news agency.

&quot;The government has taken cognizance of inputs and the concerned agencies, the ministry of home affairs and the security agencies, are taking an appropriate view and will adopt a future course of action accordingly,&quot; he told reporters here.

Three militants in a car opened fire on a police team at Zakura crossing on the Srinagar-Ganderbal road, killing Sub- Inspector Imran Tak and injuring a special police officer (SPO) on Friday.

The retaliatory action left a most wanted local militant dead, whose body was wrapped in ISIS flag during the funeral procession.

Responding to a question about the killing of six Pakistani militants, including the nephew of Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, in an encounter in Bandipora district yesterday, Singh said this was the result of the &quot;decisive initiative&quot; taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Union government.

&quot;The free hand given to security forces to perform with professional freedom is behind such back to back successes. This is possibly the last phase of militancy in Kashmir,&quot; he said.

The minister said that he had been saying for the last several months that this was the last phase of terrorism in the state but there were people who were not taking the statement seriously.

&quot;The lifespan of any commander has been reduced to a few weeks - 10 to 15 weeks. Once a commander is appointed, the second is being kept ready to take over. The time has gone when they used to live for years,&quot; he said.

He said it was for the first time in the last quarter of a century that there is a government in place in New Delhi which is working on the principle of clarity, conviction, and consistency and does not interfere with the professional work being done by security forces.

Lauding the local police, he said the manner in which the special operations group performed is a testimony to the fact that if given right opportunity without intimidation, the force is capable of doing wonders.

On the surrender of the college student and footballer Majid Arshid, who had joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) a week ago, Singh said the change was already there but it was just a veil of fear which was holding them back.

&quot;Once the Modi government decided to initiate decisive action, this veil of fear has been taken away and the boys and girls are feeling free enough to come forward and express their aspirations,&quot; he said.

He said what Pakistan was doing has never been a secret but what is different today is that the common man in Kashmir, particularly the youth, is now ready to join the mainstream development journey led by Modi.

&quot;This change started actually two years ago and that is the reason today this year also we have 19 young boys and girls qualifying for the IITs,&quot; he said.

On Pakistan&#39;s role in fomenting terror, Singh said that all the information was already available but it was only Pakistan that was in a denial mode.

&quot;But what has changed now in the past few months is that countries which were hesitant to accept India&#39;s view point&nbsp;for reasons of their own, are now constrained to accept India&#39;s viewpoint as far as terror and perpetration of terrorism from Pakistan soil is concerned. Pakistan also now feels constrained to no longer continue in denial mode,&quot; he said.

The Centre has taken note of reports about global terror group IS claiming an attack in the Kashmir Valley that left a police officer dead, Union minister Jitendra Singh said adding that the future course of action would be adopted after taking an appropriate view

The Centre has taken note of reports about global terror group Islamic State (IS) claiming an attack in the Kashmir Valley that left a police officer dead, Union minister Jitendra Singh said adding that the future course of action would be adopted after taking an appropriate view. The minister of state in the prime minister's office also said that the recent "back to back" successes achieved against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir was the result of the free hand given to security forces to wipe out the nearly three-decade-old militancy which is in its "last phase". Singh was asked about the IS claiming its first terror attack in Kashmir through its propaganda wing, Amaq news agency. "The government has taken cognizance of inputs and the concerned agencies, the ministry of home affairs and the security agencies, are taking an appropriate view and will adopt a future course of action accordingly," he told reporters here. Three militants in a car opened fire on a police team at Zakura crossing on the Srinagar-Ganderbal road, killing Sub- Inspector Imran Tak and injuring a special police officer (SPO) on Friday. The retaliatory action left a most wanted local militant dead, whose body was wrapped in ISIS flag during the funeral procession. Responding to a question about the killing of six Pakistani militants, including the nephew of Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, in an encounter in Bandipora district yesterday, Singh said this was the result of the "decisive initiative" taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Union government. "The free hand given to security forces to perform with professional freedom is behind such back to back successes. This is possibly the last phase of militancy in Kashmir," he said. The minister said that he had been saying for the last several months that this was the last phase of terrorism in the state but there were people who were not taking the statement seriously. "The lifespan of any commander has been reduced to a few weeks - 10 to 15 weeks. Once a commander is appointed, the second is being kept ready to take over. The time has gone when they used to live for years," he said. He said it was for the first time in the last quarter of a century that there is a government in place in New Delhi which is working on the principle of clarity, conviction, and consistency and does not interfere with the professional work being done by security forces. Lauding the local police, he said the manner in which the special operations group performed is a testimony to the fact that if given right opportunity without intimidation, the force is capable of doing wonders. On the surrender of the college student and footballer Majid Arshid, who had joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) a week ago, Singh said the change was already there but it was just a veil of fear which was holding them back. "Once the Modi government decided to initiate decisive action, this veil of fear has been taken away and the boys and girls are feeling free enough to come forward and express their aspirations," he said. He said what Pakistan was doing has never been a secret but what is different today is that the common man in Kashmir, particularly the youth, is now ready to join the mainstream development journey led by Modi. "This change started actually two years ago and that is the reason today this year also we have 19 young boys and girls qualifying for the IITs," he said. On Pakistan's role in fomenting terror, Singh said that all the information was already available but it was only Pakistan that was in a denial mode. "But what has changed now in the past few months is that countries which were hesitant to accept India's view point for reasons of their own, are now constrained to accept India's viewpoint as far as terror and perpetration of terrorism from Pakistan soil is concerned. Pakistan also now feels constrained to no longer continue in denial mode," he said.

Government has taken note of IS claiming attack in Kashmir: Minister

Almost 200 nations kept a 2015 global agreement to<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/successful-talk-for-india-at-the-bonn-climate-summit-24438"> tackle climate change</a> on track on Saturday after marathon talks overshadowed by US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to pull out.

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, presiding at the two-week talks in Bonn, said the outcome &quot;underscores the importance of keeping the momentum and of holding the spirit and vision of our Paris Agreement.&quot;

Delegates agreed to launch a process in 2018 to start reviewing existing plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions as part of a long-term effort to ratchet up ambition. It would be called the &quot;Talanoa Dialogue, after a Fijian word for story-telling and sharing experiences.

And they made progress to draft a detailed rule book for the 2015 Paris agreement, which seeks to end the fossil fuel era this century, at the meeting in Bonn that ran overnight beyond a planned ending on Friday.

The rule book, covering aspects such as how to report and monitor each nation&#39;s greenhouse gas emissions, is due to be ready by December next year.

Many delegates said the work needed to go faster.

&quot;Right now we&#39;re moving at a brisk walk, so all countries will need to really pick up the pace from here,&quot; said Jose Sarney Filho, Brazil&#39;s minister for the environment.

Gebru Jember Endalew of Ethiopia, who leads the group of least developed countries, also said &quot;many areas of work are still lagging behind&quot;, despite steps forward in Bonn.

The Paris pact aims to limit a rise in average world temperatures to &quot;well below&quot; two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, ideally 1.5 (5.4F) to limit more droughts, floods, heatwaves and rising sea levels.

But existing policies are on track to cause a rise of about three degrees (5.4F) by 2100. The Talanoa Dialogue would be a step towards tighter policies.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/global-2-rise-in-co2-giant-leap-backwards-for-humankind-24118">The Bonn meeting</a> was under the shadow of Trump&#39;s decision in June to withdraw from the Paris accord and instead promote the coal and oil industry. Trump doubts that man-made emissions are the prime cause of rising temperatures.

No other nations have followed suit and even nations whose economies depend on fossil fuels have rallied around.

&quot;Everyone got together and said &#39;we have to protect the world. We have to protect the Paris Agreement&#39;. Countries are moving forward,&quot; United Arab Emirates Climate Minister Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi told Reuters.

One senior European diplomat said Trump&#39;s decision had &quot;sedated&quot; the talks into a numbed sense of unity, avoiding major confrontations to underscore that the main faultline on policy was between Trump and the rest of the world.

Washington retains its place in the talks for now because the Paris pact stipulates that no country can formally pull out before November 2020.

The fossil fuel industry was very much under the spotlight during the talks. The US&nbsp;administration&#39;s only event in Bonn was to promote coal, which jarred with many other nations who wanted talks to focus on renewable energies.

In seeming defiance, 20 countries and two U.S. states joined an international alliance to phase out coal from power generation before 2030.

Environmental groups said the outcome in Bonn was a step in the right direction, but many issues needed to be resolved over the next year, including financial support for developing nations who want to cut emissions and for adaptation.

Almost 200 nations kept a 2015 global agreement to tackle climate change on track on Saturday after marathon talks overshadowed by US?President Donald Trump's decision to pull out

Almost 200 nations kept a 2015 global agreement to tackle climate change on track on Saturday after marathon talks overshadowed by US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out. Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, presiding at the two-week talks in Bonn, said the outcome "underscores the importance of keeping the momentum and of holding the spirit and vision of our Paris Agreement." Delegates agreed to launch a process in 2018 to start reviewing existing plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions as part of a long-term effort to ratchet up ambition. It would be called the "Talanoa Dialogue, after a Fijian word for story-telling and sharing experiences. And they made progress to draft a detailed rule book for the 2015 Paris agreement, which seeks to end the fossil fuel era this century, at the meeting in Bonn that ran overnight beyond a planned ending on Friday. The rule book, covering aspects such as how to report and monitor each nation's greenhouse gas emissions, is due to be ready by December next year. Many delegates said the work needed to go faster. "Right now we're moving at a brisk walk, so all countries will need to really pick up the pace from here," said Jose Sarney Filho, Brazil's minister for the environment. Gebru Jember Endalew of Ethiopia, who leads the group of least developed countries, also said "many areas of work are still lagging behind", despite steps forward in Bonn. The Paris pact aims to limit a rise in average world temperatures to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, ideally 1.5 (5.4F) to limit more droughts, floods, heatwaves and rising sea levels. But existing policies are on track to cause a rise of about three degrees (5.4F) by 2100. The Talanoa Dialogue would be a step towards tighter policies. The Bonn meeting was under the shadow of Trump's decision in June to withdraw from the Paris accord and instead promote the coal and oil industry. Trump doubts that man-made emissions are the prime cause of rising temperatures. No other nations have followed suit and even nations whose economies depend on fossil fuels have rallied around. "Everyone got together and said 'we have to protect the world. We have to protect the Paris Agreement'. Countries are moving forward," United Arab Emirates Climate Minister Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi told Reuters. One senior European diplomat said Trump's decision had "sedated" the talks into a numbed sense of unity, avoiding major confrontations to underscore that the main faultline on policy was between Trump and the rest of the world. Washington retains its place in the talks for now because the Paris pact stipulates that no country can formally pull out before November 2020. The fossil fuel industry was very much under the spotlight during the talks. The US administration's only event in Bonn was to promote coal, which jarred with many other nations who wanted talks to focus on renewable energies. In seeming defiance, 20 countries and two U.S. states joined an international alliance to phase out coal from power generation before 2030. Environmental groups said the outcome in Bonn was a step in the right direction, but many issues needed to be resolved over the next year, including financial support for developing nations who want to cut emissions and for adaptation.

Governments keep global climate deal on track despite US pullout

India doubled the import tax on crude palm oil to 30 percent, while the duty on refined palm oil has been raised to 40 percent from 25 percent earlier, the government said in an order late on Friday, as it tries to support local farmers.

The world&#39;s biggest importer of edible oils also raised the import tax on crude soyoil to 30 percent from 17.5 percent earlier. It raised the import tax on refined soyoil to 35 percent from 20 percent earlier, it said.

India imports palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia and soyoil from Argentina and Brazil.

The world's biggest importer of edible oils also raised the import tax on crude soyoil to 30 percent from 17.5 percent earlier

India doubled the import tax on crude palm oil to 30 percent, while the duty on refined palm oil has been raised to 40 percent from 25 percent earlier, the government said in an order late on Friday, as it tries to support local farmers. The world's biggest importer of edible oils also raised the import tax on crude soyoil to 30 percent from 17.5 percent earlier. It raised the import tax on refined soyoil to 35 percent from 20 percent earlier, it said. India imports palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia and soyoil from Argentina and Brazil.

India raises import tax on edible oils

Inflation at the wholesale level rose to a 6-month high of 3.59 percent in October as the prices of food articles, led by onions and vegetables, rose sharply.

Inflation, based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), was 2.60 percent in September. In October last year, it was 1.27 percent.

Last month&#39;s inflation was the highest since April when it was 3.85 percent.

The government data released today showed that inflation in food articles more than doubled to 4.30 percent in October.

For vegetables, it soared to 36.61 percent last month as against 15.48 percent in September.

In case of onions, inflation skyrocketed to 127.04 percent, while for the eggs, meat and fish segment the rate of price rise was 5.76 percent.

Inflation in manufactured products saw a slight dip to 2.62 percent, as against 2.72 percent in September.

In the fuel and power segment, inflation rose to 10.52 percent, as against 9.01 percent in September. Fuel inflation has remained high for the past three months as petrol and diesel prices continued to rule high tracking global crude oil rates.

Power tariffs shot through the roof on lower domestic production.

Pulses continued to witness deflation at 31.05 percent. Likewise, in potato deflation was at 44.29 percent and wheat at 1.99 percent.

The final print of August WPI inflation remained unchanged at 3.24 percent.

As per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released yesterday, retail inflation for October rose to a 7-month high of 3.58 percent on costlier food items, especially vegetables.

Besides, industrial production for September expanded at 3.8 percent, on poor showing by the manufacturing sector coupled with a decline in consumer durables output.

Last month, the Reserve Bank kept benchmark interest rate unchanged on fears of rising inflation while lowering growth forecast to 6.7 percent for the current fiscal.

RBI also raised its inflation forecast to the 4.2-4.6 percent range for the rest of the current fiscal as against 4-4.5 percent previously.&nbsp;

The prices of food articles, led by onions and vegetables, rose sharply

Inflation at the wholesale level rose to a 6-month high of 3.59 percent in October as the prices of food articles, led by onions and vegetables, rose sharply. Inflation, based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), was 2.60 percent in September. In October last year, it was 1.27 percent. Last month's inflation was the highest since April when it was 3.85 percent. The government data released today showed that inflation in food articles more than doubled to 4.30 percent in October. For vegetables, it soared to 36.61 percent last month as against 15.48 percent in September. In case of onions, inflation skyrocketed to 127.04 percent, while for the eggs, meat and fish segment the rate of price rise was 5.76 percent. Inflation in manufactured products saw a slight dip to 2.62 percent, as against 2.72 percent in September. In the fuel and power segment, inflation rose to 10.52 percent, as against 9.01 percent in September. Fuel inflation has remained high for the past three months as petrol and diesel prices continued to rule high tracking global crude oil rates. Power tariffs shot through the roof on lower domestic production. Pulses continued to witness deflation at 31.05 percent. Likewise, in potato deflation was at 44.29 percent and wheat at 1.99 percent. The final print of August WPI inflation remained unchanged at 3.24 percent. As per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released yesterday, retail inflation for October rose to a 7-month high of 3.58 percent on costlier food items, especially vegetables. Besides, industrial production for September expanded at 3.8 percent, on poor showing by the manufacturing sector coupled with a decline in consumer durables output. Last month, the Reserve Bank kept benchmark interest rate unchanged on fears of rising inflation while lowering growth forecast to 6.7 percent for the current fiscal. RBI also raised its inflation forecast to the 4.2-4.6 percent range for the rest of the current fiscal as against 4-4.5 percent previously.

WPI inflation at 6-month high of 3.59%

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe promised on Thursday an &quot;unprecedented&quot; increase in workers&#39; spending power next year as the government struggles to strike a balance between tax relief and deficit cuts to roll out its reform agenda.

Emmanuel Macron&#39;s ratings have plunged since he won the presidency in May as his team works out the tricky details of implementing campaign promises such as labour reform and spending cuts.

The government has already had to ease the pace of some tax cuts after an audit in July showed the accounts inherited from its predecessor to be in worse shape than initially thought.

In his first major television interview after the summer break, Philippe said the government would go ahead on Jan. 1 with two-thirds of a planned cut in payroll contributions to the health system and jobless benefits.

After the 2 percentage point cut at the start of the year, a further reduction of about 1 percentage point would come in September or October 2018, he said.

&quot;We believe that those who work and create wealth should get an increase in purchasing power. This, I believe, is unprecedented in terms of workers purchasing power,&quot; he said.

Despite the previous government&#39;s overspending, Philippe has pledged to honour an EU commitment to keep the budget deficit to no more of 3.0 percent of economic output for the first time in a decade.

The determination to rein in spending has contributed to Macron&#39;s popularity slide, polls show but is necessary if long-profligate France is to win Germany&#39;s confidence and support for Macron&#39;s reform agenda of euro zone institutions.

The payroll contribution cuts would be financed by an increase in a broader tax covering everything from wages to capital gains and pensions, effectively shifting the burden from workers to retirees and wealthy owners of capital assets.

The pace of the cuts is only part of the equation, with the government due next week to hand in the final version of its plans to make labour market rules more flexible.

Close consultations with unions over the summer have so far kept them from getting restless but it would take only a minor communications misstep to trigger tensions once the reform&#39;s details are public.

Philippe acknowledged that plans for a broad-based cut in housing allowances, was &quot;not intelligent&quot; even though he said it had been written into the budget by the previous government - meaning it will have to be kept as it has been passed by Parliament.

Times are unlikely to get easier any time soon for the government with plans to revamp the jobless benefits system in the coming months and launch a retirement reform next year, a subject that has triggered mass demonstrations in the past.

&quot;Real difficulties are on the horizon, there is a real risk of public opinion breaking down. The risks lie with reforms that we know the French are very reticent about,&quot; said political analyst Gael Sliman with pollsters Odoxa.

Playing in the government&#39;s favour is evidence that the economy is growing strongly, which gives it more slack as it balances its budget priorities while also putting voters in a better mood as it pushes its reforms through.

In the latest sign of the improving economy, industrial confidence rose this month to its highest level in nearly a decade, the INSEE statistics agency&#39;s monthly business morale survey showed on Thursday.

The government has already had to ease the pace of some tax cuts after an audit in July showed the accounts inherited from its predecessor to be in worse shape than initially thought

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe promised on Thursday an "unprecedented" increase in workers' spending power next year as the government struggles to strike a balance between tax relief and deficit cuts to roll out its reform agenda. Emmanuel Macron's ratings have plunged since he won the presidency in May as his team works out the tricky details of implementing campaign promises such as labour reform and spending cuts. The government has already had to ease the pace of some tax cuts after an audit in July showed the accounts inherited from its predecessor to be in worse shape than initially thought. In his first major television interview after the summer break, Philippe said the government would go ahead on Jan. 1 with two-thirds of a planned cut in payroll contributions to the health system and jobless benefits. After the 2 percentage point cut at the start of the year, a further reduction of about 1 percentage point would come in September or October 2018, he said. "We believe that those who work and create wealth should get an increase in purchasing power. This, I believe, is unprecedented in terms of workers purchasing power," he said. Despite the previous government's overspending, Philippe has pledged to honour an EU commitment to keep the budget deficit to no more of 3.0 percent of economic output for the first time in a decade. The determination to rein in spending has contributed to Macron's popularity slide, polls show but is necessary if long-profligate France is to win Germany's confidence and support for Macron's reform agenda of euro zone institutions. The payroll contribution cuts would be financed by an increase in a broader tax covering everything from wages to capital gains and pensions, effectively shifting the burden from workers to retirees and wealthy owners of capital assets. The pace of the cuts is only part of the equation, with the government due next week to hand in the final version of its plans to make labour market rules more flexible. Close consultations with unions over the summer have so far kept them from getting restless but it would take only a minor communications misstep to trigger tensions once the reform's details are public. Philippe acknowledged that plans for a broad-based cut in housing allowances, was "not intelligent" even though he said it had been written into the budget by the previous government - meaning it will have to be kept as it has been passed by Parliament. Times are unlikely to get easier any time soon for the government with plans to revamp the jobless benefits system in the coming months and launch a retirement reform next year, a subject that has triggered mass demonstrations in the past. "Real difficulties are on the horizon, there is a real risk of public opinion breaking down. The risks lie with reforms that we know the French are very reticent about," said political analyst Gael Sliman with pollsters Odoxa. Playing in the government's favour is evidence that the economy is growing strongly, which gives it more slack as it balances its budget priorities while also putting voters in a better mood as it pushes its reforms through. In the latest sign of the improving economy, industrial confidence rose this month to its highest level in nearly a decade, the INSEE statistics agency's monthly business morale survey showed on Thursday.

French PM Edouard Philippe promises voters pay hike

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