India

MUMBAI, Jan 4 (NNN-PTI) – India’s largest port developer, Adani Ports, said that, it will be acquiring a controlling stake of 75 percent in Krishnapatnam Port Company Limited (KPCL), that operates a multi-cargo terminal, on the country’s east coast, in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

The estimated enterprise value for the proposed acquisition is 1.89 billion U.S. dollars and the transaction is expected to be completed within 120 days, the company said, in its filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.

NEW DELHI, Jan 4 (NNN-PTI) – The call for restraint came, soon after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, threatened “severe revenge” for “the criminals who bloodied their foul hands with [Soleimani’s] blood.”

The external affairs ministry, in a statement, referred to Soleimani as a “senior Iranian leader,” reflecting India’s sensitivities in handling relations with both Iran and the US, and said, his killing had resulted in worldwide concern.

NEW DELHI, Jan 4 (NNN-PTI) – An instructor and a trainee pilot of a private aviation academy were killed, after their aircraft crashed in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, police said today (Saturday).

The aircraft crashed Friday night, at Dhana, in Sagar district, about 188 km east of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh.

Srinagar, Jan 3 PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday released two PDP leaders who were under detention since August 5 last year, when the Centre abrogated the provisions of Article 370 and divided the state into two union territories, officials said.

They said the police guard at the houses of PDP leaders -- Ashraf Mir and Rafiq Mir -- was lifted on Friday morning and they can now resume their daily activities.

Ashraf was shifted from the MLA hostel in the last week of November but continued to remain under preventive detention at his house.

Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Jan 3 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the government will not budge an inch on its decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act despite the opposition criticism of the law.

Launching an awareness programme in support of the amended citizenship law, Shah accused the Congress and other opposition parties of running a misinformation campaign.

He said the amended law does not take away Indian citizenship from anyone but grants citizenship.

Chandigarh, Jan 3 (PTI) Members of the Muslim community, joined by students, held protests against the amended citizenship law in parts of Punjab on Friday.

At Malerkotla, protesters were led by former JNU student leader Umar Khalid.

On a call given by Muslim leaders in the state, they protested peacefully after Friday prayers, police said.

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs of Rajasthan met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here and formally joined the party on Friday.

The six MLAs had earlier extended their unconditional support to the Congress government in Rajasthan.

Sources said the MLAs were accompanied by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Avinash Pande during their meeting with Gandhi.

Banda (UP), Jan 3 (PTI) At least 21 cows were electrocuted in a government-run gaushala at Khaptiha Kala village here on Friday morning, a senior official said.

The incident took place at Kanha Pashu Ashrey Kendra in Tindwari Development block when the cows came in contact with a wire, District Magistrate Hiralal said.

Terming it an accident, the DM said the matter would be probed after the registration of a case.

Coimbatore, Jan 2 (PTI) A bank employee was arrested on Thursday on the charge of sexually abusing a minor girl at her house here, police said.

Ramkumar, working in a nationalised bank, had entered the 14-year-old girl's house a couple of days ago when she was alone and sexually assaulted her, the police said.

Duttapukur/Kaliaganj (WB), Jan 2 (PTI) Two women were allegedly gangraped in separate incidents in West Bengal's North 24 Paragans and North Dinajpur districts, police said on Thursday.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the two incidents, they said.

In North Dinajpur, a middle-aged woman was gangraped twice in Kaliaganj area on Wednesday -- once near the hotel where she is employed and again when she was returning home -- a police officer said, quoting the complaint lodged by her.