Author: Agencies

MUMBAI: The rupee gained 14 paise to 96.28 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday buoyed by positive sentiments at the domestic equity markets. However, heavy FII outflows and higher global crude oil prices amid heightened tensions in West Asia prevented further gains in the local unit, forex traders said. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 96.35 against the greenback before rising further to 96.28, up 14 paise from its previous close. The rupee depreciated for the fourth straight day on Thursday, shedding 17 paise to settle at 96.42 against the US dollar. The US…

Singapore’s High Commission in India on Friday expressed support for Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 mission, saying the launch reflects the growing partnership between Singapore and India in the space sector. In a post on X, the High Commission said, “Singapore-India ties are reaching for the stars!” It noted that Skyroot Aerospace, backed by Singapore’s sovereign wealth funds GIC and Temasek, is set to undertake India’s first private orbital launch. “Backed by GIC & @Temasek, @SkyrootA is set to make India’s first private orbital launch,” the High Commission said in the post. The post comes as India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket,…

NEW DELHI: Legislative proceedings in the Eighteenth Lok Sabha will prioritise the resolution of two legacy bills during the Eighth Session. Officials confirmed that the agenda includes the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced earlier this year, and the long-standing Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on 15 December, 2025 and referred to a Joint Committee. The government is further set to advance its legislative agenda during the upcoming Eighth Session of the Eighteenth Lok Sabha, with plans to also introduce five new bills alongside two previously tabled measures. The upcoming session is…

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday (local time) announced the capture of Nitish Kaushal, an alleged associate of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Group (OCG), in Vermont. In a post on X, FBI Albany said Kaushal, who was wanted by the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, was apprehended with the assistance of US Border Patrol personnel. “Thanks to the outstanding work our @USBPChiefSWB partners are doing to ensure the safety and security of our Northern Border, this dangerous fugitive from @FBILosAngeles was captured early this morning in Vermont,” FBI Albany said. The agency added that it…

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway to the nation on Friday, with the project set to reduce travel time between Delhi and Katra from about 14 hours to nearly six hours, while cutting the Delhi-Amritsar journey from about eight hours to four hours. According to an official release from the PM’s Office (PMO), the Prime Minister will dedicate the 157.92 km long, four-lane Packages 1 to 5 of the Greenfield expressway, developed at a cost of around ₹9,680 crore, during his visit to Jind, Haryana. Later in the day, he will inaugurate the 30.9-km-long Package…

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have reaffirmed their resolve to carry forward the legacy of Qatar’s Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani by further strengthening the India-Qatar Strategic Partnership and people-to-people ties. The two leaders held a telephone conversation on Thursday during which Prime Minister Modi conveyed his heartfelt condolences on the passing of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir of Qatar. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Prime Minister Modi recalled the Father Amir’s significant contributions as the…

NEW DELHI: Leaders of Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha will meet on July 20 (Monday), the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, to chalk out a joint strategy for the session. The Opposition is expected to formulate its strategy on the Centre’s legislative agenda as well as issues it plans to raise during the session, which is scheduled to run from July 20 to August 13. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said the party would strongly oppose the proposed Delimitation Bill if it were reintroduced during the Monsoon Session, alleging that the Centre…

SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to deliberate upon the broad contours of the proposed Minor Mining Policy-2026, being formulated by the Department of Geology & Mining to address existing policy gaps, strengthen regulatory mechanisms and establish a transparent, technology-driven and sustainable framework for scientific management of minor mineral resources across Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting besides the ACS, Mining Department, Ashwani Kumar was attended by Administrative Heads from the stakeholder departments, Divisional Administration, Pollution Control Committee and other stakeholders. A comprehensive presentation on the proposed policy framework was delivered by the CEO, Centre for Innovation,…

SRINAGAR: Following the proactive intervention of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has officially set the process in motion for the Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) for the academic year 2026-27. In an official communication issued by the Higher Education Department of the J&K Government on July 16, 2026, directives have been forwarded to expedite the setting up of the designated Facilitation Centres and Facilitation-cum-Document Verification Centres across the region. This swift administrative step ensures that the registration and counseling process for the benefit of students of Jammu and Kashmir begins. This move…

SRINAGAR: The Department of Public Grievances has informed that the “JK Samadhan Portal” is undergoing a migration process to enhance its performance and service delivery. Due to this, the portal services will remain temporarily unavailable for a few days. The officials, in a communique issued in this regard, said that the upgrade is necessary to ensure faster grievance redressal and a smoother user experience for the citizens. The portal will be restored shortly and will continue to operate on the same URL. The department has urged the citizens to bear with the temporary inconvenience and thanked all the users for…