Tag: Ladakh News

Downing Street defends UK economy after dire IMF forecast

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office has been forced to defend the country’s economic performance on Tuesday after a dire International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that the UK is set to fare worse than any other country in the developed world.
In the latest update of its economic forecasts, the IMF said that it expected the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by 0.6 percent in 2023, a downgrade from its previous assessment.
Downing Street insisted that the UK’s economy is strong despite the IMF warning that Britain’s economy will go into reverse this year.
“The IMF itself said that UK economic policy is now on the right track,” Sunak’s official spokesperson told reporters.
The spokesperson added that the UK outperformed many forecasts last year and was “predicted to grow faster than Germany and Japan over the coming years”.
The Opposition Labour Party raised an urgent question in the House of Commons on the IMF forecast and blamed it on 13 years of a Conservative Party led government’s “failure”.
“Today’s IMF assessment holds a mirror up to the wasted opportunities and it is not a pretty sight,” said Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor.
“The UK is the only major economy forecast to shrink this year. Weaker growth compared to our competitors for both of the next two years. The world upgraded, Britain downgraded. Growth even worse than sanctions-hit Russia,” said Reeves.

IMF said in its latest analysis that while the broader global economy was doing better than expected, with inflation having peaked and investment beginning to turn around, the UK economy would face a downgrade “reflecting tighter fiscal and monetary policies and financial conditions and still-high energy retail prices weighing on household budgets”.
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said of the forecast: “The governor of the Bank of England recently said that any UK recession this year is likely to be shallower than previously predicted, however these figures confirm we are not immune to the pressures hitting nearly all advanced economies.
“Short-term challenges should not obscure our long-term prospects the UK outperformed many forecasts last year, and if we stick to our plan to halve inflation, the UK is still predicted to grow faster than Germany and Japan over the coming years.”
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#Downing #Street #defends #economy #dire #IMF #forecast
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Hyderabad: Police to maintain high security at new Secretariat

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Hyderabad: The state police will provide high security to the new Telangana Secretariat Building that is likely to be inaugurated on February 17.
Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari discussed the security arrangements relating to the Dr B R Ambedkar Secretariat Complex on Tuesday.
Three companies of Telangana Special Police and 300 city police personnel will take care of the security of the Secretariat building. In all 22 personnel from traffic police have been allotted for the purpose. The security equipment like baggage scanners, vehicle scanners, body scanners will be put to use.
The authorities set up six sentry posts have been set up around the Secretariat. In all 300 CCTV cameras have been installed to oversee the security arrangements.
A special command control room has been set up to oversee the security arrangements. Monitoring of visitors will be done through Special identity cards. Two fire Engines with 34 staff along with fire safety arrangements in Secretariat building have been made. Special arrangements have been made for physically challenged people. Visitors will be allowed in all floors except the sixth floor.
During the meeting Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar, special chief secretary (MAUD) Arvind Kumar, Principal Secretary IT Jayesh Ranjan, R and B Secretary Srinivas Raju, CP CV Anand, SPF DG Umesh Sharaf, Additional DG Sanjay Kumar Jain, Director General of Fire Services Nagi Reddy, Additional DGP Intelligence Anil Kumar, and others attended the meeting.
The Secretariat complex which is spread over 28 acres has a built up area of 9.42 lakh sft Parking arrangements has provision to park 560 cars and more than 900 two wheelers.

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#Hyderabad #Police #maintain #high #security #Secretariat
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Hyderabad: Three govt officials arrested for bribe

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Hyderabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths arrested three government employees on Tuesday for demanding and accepting a bribe to do official work.
The arrested officers are Bashaboina Kiran Kumar, 38 who works as a district employment officer, N Teja who is a junior assistant at RIMS and Vijaya Laxmi who is a junior employment officer in Adilabad district.
According to police, the complainant, Durgam Shekar, principal employer of Durgam SC Labour Cooperative Society Limited said the accused officers were demanding a bribe of Rs. 2.25 lakh for giving an allotment order to an outsourcing agency in order to provide 24 patient care providers at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences.
The ACB officials laid a trap and arrested the three persons red-handed. They were produced before the Honourable Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases Karimnagar.
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#Hyderabad #govt #officials #arrested #bribe
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Fun & frolic! Gandhis have playful time in J-K’s Srinagar after BJY ends

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Srinagar: A snowball fight, a warm hug, a helping hand to push a car. There were heartwarming moments aplenty as Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ended the Bharat Jodo Yatra on a snowed out day that became more than just about politics.
After a hectic five-month and over 4000-kilometres of the yatra, which the Gandhi scion walked the most part of, he and his sister had fun in Srinagar which was enveloped by a thick white carpet of snow.
The duo had ‘Sheen Jung’ (snowball fight), strolled along the famous Dal Lake on Monday evening, took photographs of the snow and the lake and greeted people.
A less than a minute-long video titled ‘Snow fights and a walk by the Dal lake with Priyanka’ on Rahul Gandhi’s YouTube channel, put out on Tuesday morning, showcased the playful times the Gandhis had after the culmination of the march with an opposition rally earlier in the day amid heavy snowfall.
The video has garnered over 32,000 views since it was posted.
The 58-second video, which starts with a long-pan shot of the famous Dal Lake, shows Rahul strolling on the footpaths of the Foreshore or Boulevard Road wearing a yellow-colour jacket, with a woollen cap and gloves, and his his sister in a black jacket.
The duo can be seen interacting with the people passing by, waving to the crowd who were excited to see the Gandhi family members. They also took photographs of the lake.
At one point, a local man stopped his car and requested Gandhi for a handshake and a hug. Though the unidentified person was stopped by Gandhi’s security team, the former Congress president obliged to the request. He shook hands with the man and gave him a warm hug.

The security team threw a secure ring around the Gandhis and had a tough time in ensuring there was no security breach.
The video also shows Gandhi lending a helping hand to push a car stuck in the snow.
Earlier in the evening, the Gandhis engaged in a playful snowball fight. Rahul had a snowball fight with his sister on Monday morning, but, seems it was not enough. Later in the evening, the duo engaged in another round of snowball fight in the lawns of a popular hotel here where many movies have also been shot.
They had such a ‘duel’ on Monday morning at a yatra campsite in Pantha Chowk area of the city here the video of which showed Rahul Gandhi sneaking towards his sister concealing two snow blocks behind, and managing to put them on her head.
However, this time, it was Priyanka’s turn, with the video showing her waiting with snowballs for her brother. The duo played for some time, with Priyanka managing to take a few clicks in between.
The video ends with Rahul hitting a snowball on Priyanka’s head from the back a bulls eye shot!
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#Fun #frolic #Gandhis #playful #time #JKs #Srinagar #BJY #ends
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
G20 meeting of financial architecture working group concludes

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Chandigarh: A two-day meeting of the G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group concluded here on Tuesday with participants discussing issues pertaining to strengthening multilateral development banks and how to address challenges associated with the debt.
Around 100 delegates from the G20 countries, invitee countries and international organisations participated in the meeting, Anu P Mathai, adviser, the Ministry of Finance, said while addressing the media here.
The discussions during the two-day meeting was jointly steered by the ministry of finance and the Reserve Bank of India along with France and Korea who are the co-chairs of the International Financial Architecture Working Group.
Matahi said the meeting was conducted over two days and the aim was to seek views of the G20 member countries and the invitee countries on the agenda of this group under the Indian presidency.
“The subjects that were discussed over the last two days were how to strengthen multilateral development banks and how to address challenges associated with this the G20 common framework for debt treatments which is a previous achievement of G20 for helping the very poor countries with the debt.
“The focus of this group in 2023 is to support a global action for enhancing financing for development while at the same time, strengthening international financial institutions to support vulnerable countries,” she said.
There will be more meetings of this group, she further said.
India assumed the G20 presidency for one year on December 1, 2022. The G20, or Group of 20, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies.

It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
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#G20 #meeting #financial #architecture #working #group #concludes
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Andhra Pradesh is a paradise for investments: CM Jagan

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New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy made a gala pitch in New Delhi on Tuesday calling global nations to invest in the state and be part of its economic growth.
Addressing the International Diplomats Alliance Meet during a preparatory meeting for the Global Investors Summit to be held in Visakhapatnam on March 3 and 4, CM Jagan said, “As a fastest growing state in the country with a GSDP of 11.43%, Andhra Pradesh has achieved the number one rank in the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and has retained it for the third successive year.”
Elaborating on the facilities and resources available in the state for industrial growth, CM Jagan said that out of the eleven industrial corridors being developed by the Centre across the country, AP shares space for three of them- Hyderabad to Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam to Chennai and Chennai to Bengaluru.
“We have a single desk portal facility. You will get all kinds of permissions in 21 days. In terms of electricity, industries can be set up at affordable prices. AP has ample resources in terms of renewable energy too. There is an opportunity for 33,000 MW pumped storage projects,” he said.
Agreeing with CM Jagan, president of Nasscom Debjani Ghosh said that the state has always been a leader in the adoption of technology.
Bharat Biotech Co-Founder and Chairperson for CII Southern Region, Suchitra Ella, praised the State government’s initiative towards industries.
“Countries of the world are looking towards India. It is gratifying to have single desk clearance in the state. AP has golden opportunities in the fields of agriculture, food processing, electronics and pharma. CM Jagan is also a visionary leader like his father Late YSR. CII will take the initiative to work with the AP government,” she said.

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#Andhra #Pradesh #paradise #investments #Jagan
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Odisha Minister assassination: Oppn questions ‘silence’ of CM, DGP

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Bhubaneswar: Condemning the murder of Odisha Health minister Naba Das by a cop, Opposition BJP and Congress questioned the “silence” of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and DGP Sunil Bansal on issue.
Rejecting the crime branch probe ordered by the Chief Minister, the BJP demanded a CBI probe in the matter while the Congress demanded a SIT probe under the supervision of Orissa High Court.
Speaking to media persons, Odisha BJP president Samir Mohanty said, “Minister Das was not just a politician, he was an influential and powerful cabinet minister in the state. If such a personality is killed in broad daylight, one can easily assume the condition of a common man in the state.”
“It is unfortunate that Naveen Babu, who has been in charge of the Home department for the last 23 years, has remained silent on the sensitive issue,” he added.
Though a cabinet minister was killed, the DGP and the Home secretary neither visited the spot in Jharsuguda nor spoke a word on the heinous murder, the state BJP president said.
He asserted that people will not accept it that the state police is investigating the case in which a cop has killed the minister. “By ordering a crime branch investigation, the state government has already decided what to do in this case. The crime branch has taken over a lot of cases in the past. But the findings are not encouraging,” Mohanty said.
To ensure proper instigation of the murder case, the BJP leader demanded a CBI probe into the case.
Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Jayanarayan Mishra (BJP) said, “We are not going to accept the story of the Odisha government that the accused police ASI Gopal Das was mentally unsound. A plot was created to kill the minister.”

Mishra also questioned “why the DGP is silent on this case”.
“As per the information available with us, the minister died on the spot. What was the necessity to airlift him from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar. Whether the Jharsuguda hospital authority had certified that Das was fit to airlift for further treatment?,” Mishra asked.
Claiming that the Crime Branch probe “cannot reveal the truth”, he demanded a CBI investigation into the incident.
Alleging there is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the killing of the minister, Congress spokesperson Sudarshan Das demanded a probe by a SIT under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Orissa High Court.
“Though 48 hours passed to the incident, no action has been taken against any official, who is responsible for it,” Das said.
“There was a total failure of intelligence. But no action was taken till now. Why is the DGP and Home Minister (Chief Minister) not speaking up,” he asked.
Alleging that a conspiracy is being made “to suppress the truth behind the crime”, the Congress leader said that the Chief Minister should leave his Home portfolio on moral ground.
Reacting to the allegations made by the Opposition, senior BJD lawmaker Debi Prasad Mishra said, “As questions will be raised if the police will investigate the case in which a cop is the accused, a crime branch probe was ordered. To ensure transparency, the government has requested the Orissa high court to monitor the investigation by a sitting/retired judge.”
On the demand for CBI and SIT probe, Mishra said, “Let’s wait till the findings of the crime branch investigation has come up.”
The minister was shot dead by police ASI Gopal Krushna Das on January 29. The police ASI fired a single round of bullet from his service revolver at the minister’s chest. The ASI was arrested and has been sent to judicial custody.
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#Odisha #Minister #assassination #Oppn #questions #silence #DGP
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
HC gives Bengaluru Metro two weeks to respond on pillar collapse accident

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Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday ordered issuing of notices to Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and others in a public interest litigation taken on its own over the death of two persons due to the collapse of an under-construction metro pillar here.
The BMRCL was given two weeks’ time to respond to the court.
The state government, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the BMRCL chief engineer and Nagarjuna Construction Company Limited are the other respondents in the case.
The High Court had initiated the suo-moto (on its own) PIL on January 13 following the death of software engineer Tejaswini and her two-year-old son when the pillar pier collapsed on the two-wheeler they were travelling in, near Hennur main road in the city on January 10.
The division bench of Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty heard the petition that the court had itself directed the Registrar General to initiate.
While initiating the PIL earlier this month, the High Court had said it was taking cognisance of news reports about the incident. “These news items prompted us to take cognisance of the incident referred to wherein there is an unfortunate death of a lady and toddler son at the condition of roads, the issue raises concern and question for the public at large.”
Meanwhile, the BMRCL had suspended three engineers and issued notices to its contractor Nagarjuna Construction Company. The police had booked nine persons including officials of BMRCL.

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#Bengaluru #Metro #weeks #respond #pillar #collapse #accident
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Telangana sailor girl Kongara impresses Anand Mahindra

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Hyderabad: Telangana’s sailor girl, Preethi Kongra who bagged the gold medal at the Asian Games selection trials last year has caught the eye of industrialist and business tycoon Anand Mahindra.
Impressed by the captain of India’s sailing team, Mahindra tweeted he would like to take sailing lessons from her.
“This is truly a ‘Rise’ story. I’m overwhelmed reading about her. So proud of @naandi_india & @NanhiKali for supporting her. And of @suheim for coaching her. Maybe when Preeti has the time, I’d love to meet her and go sailing on my catamaran so she can coach me!” he retweeted.
This is truly a ‘Rise’ story. I’m overwhelmed reading about her. So proud of @naandi_india & @NanhiKali for supporting her. And of @suheim for coaching her. Maybe when Preeti has the time, I’d love to meet her and go sailing on my catamaran so she can coach me! https://t.co/QevwbTV3Tk
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) January 29, 2023
Preethi Kongara received international recognition for winning a gold medal in the Asian Games sailing trials held in the Bombay Harbour, last year in November. She began sailing at the age of 10 at the Yacht Club of Hyderabad.
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#Telangana #sailor #girl #Kongara #impresses #Anand #Mahindra
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
Give CBI access to offshore accounts, SC suggests to Nirav Modi’s brother-in-law

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday suggested that Mainak Mehta, brother-in-law of fugitive Nirav Modi, should consider providing the CBI a letter of authority to access his offshore bank accounts.
The CBI has alleged that Mehta has received a large sum of money siphoned off in the PNB fraud scam, where Modi is the key accused. The investigative agency also alleged that Mehta transferred the money to his and his wife’s offshore bank accounts.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud suggested Mehta’s counsel that he can give the letter of authority to an official designated by the CBI for accessing the bank details and the matter will end, and if not, then the court will have to take up CBI’s plea and decide it.
The CBI’s counsel submitted that Mehta had refused to give the letter of authority and as a result, the agency had to get letters rogatory (LRs) issued. “No response on LR has been received. We have written to the embassy (in Singapore) to pursue it,” counsel said.
The CBI’s counsel further argued that they apprehend that a huge amount of money has gone into those accounts and Mehra is a foreign national and his wife is a Belgian national, and once he leaves the country, he will not come back. Mehta is a British national who lives in Hong Kong with his family.
Senior advocate Amit Desai, representing Mehta, submitted that his client has been in India for a long time and he had always co-operated and false allegations have been made by the CBI. He added that his client is willing to give the letter of authority but then he will have to stay in India for another year, and emphasised that his client should be allowed to go for some time.
The top court noted that allowing Mehta to travel out of the country would mean the dismissal of the CBI’s appeal without a hearing and added that the court cannot compel Mehta to give the letter of authority to the CBI. After hearing arguments, the top court listed the matter for further hearing on February 9.
The apex court was hearing CBI’s plea challenging the August last year order of the Bombay High Court which had allowed Mehta to travel to Hong Kong and stay there for three months.

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#Give #CBI #access #offshore #accounts #suggests #Nirav #Modis #brotherinlaw
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023