India

Himachal Assembly Speaker disqualifies six congress rebel MLAs

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He clarified that all six MLAs, who contested on the Congress symbol, attracted provisions of anti-defection law against themselves.

Published Date – 29 February 2024, 12:10 PM


Himachal Assembly Speaker disqualifies six congress rebel MLAs


Shimla: In a major political attempt to save the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Thursday declared that the six rebel legislators cease to be members of the Assembly with immediate effect, saying “the MLAs defied party whip to vote in favour of government on Financial Bill.”

He clarified that all six MLAs, who contested on the Congress symbol, attracted provisions of anti-defection law against themselves.

“I declare that the six people cease to be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly with immediate effect,” he told the media here.

The order was pronounced by the Speaker on the petition of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, who sought the disqualification of six MLAs under the anti-defection law. They also voted against the party to support BJP’s lone candidate for the Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called Congress MLAs for a breakfast meeting here. Four MLAs, including Vikramaditya Singh, have not reached the CM’s residence.

After the cross-voting by nine members, comprising three Independents and six Congress, there is a question mark over the survival of the Sukhvinder Sukhu-led government.

The BJP has won the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh after six Congress MLAs cross-voted in the polls.

The six Congress MLAs who faced action are Sudhir Sharma (Dharamsala) and Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), both ministerial aspirants; Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Badsar); Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti); Chaitnaya Sharma (Gagret); and Devender Bhutto (Kutlehar).

In the 68-member Assembly, the Congress had 40 MLAs, while the BJP had 25 and three independent MLAs.

Now after the Speaker disqualified the six rebel Congress MLAs who voted in favour of the BJP, the strength of the House will come down to 62.

The halfway mark will be 31 and the majority will be 32, just two less than Congress’ strength.

Middle East

Israeli military paying ‘high price’ in Gaza, admits war minister

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The Israeli minister of military affairs has highlighted the heavy toll the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip is inflicting on the regime’s army, while making the case for amending the conscription law to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews amid manpower shortages.

Yoav Gallant made the remarks in a televised address on Wednesday, as the occupying regime has achieved no success in its genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza for nearly the past five months.

“We are paying a very high price in our ranks…The costs we incur in terms of the numbers of deaths and injuries are very high,” he said.

Israel waged its brutal US-backed war on the besieged Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

However, 146 days into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives despite killing nearly 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring more than 70,300 others.

Gallant said Israel’s “security challenges demonstrate that everyone must bear the burden [of service]. All parts of society.”

“To attain the goals of the war, to handle the threats from Gaza, from Lebanon, from [the West Bank], and to prepare for the emerging threats from the east, we need unity and partnership in decisions about our future,” he added.

The Israeli minister also said that the “burden of service” has been a challenge for the past decades, thus requiring “agreements and decisions, which we haven’t made in 75 years.”

Recently, the Israeli military has proposed changes to the army draft law as it prepares for a protracted war in the Gaza Strip.

The amendments include raising terms for male mandatory army service and female soldiers in combat and other special roles to three years. Currently, men serve for two years and eight months and women for two years.

They further increase the age for retirement from reserve duty to 45 for regular reservists, 50 for officers and 52 for those serving in special roles. Currently, Israeli soldiers can bow out at 40, officers at 45, and those in special roles at 49.

The plan has sparked calls to end military service exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox community.

A resolution passed by the Israeli cabinet in June 2023 instructed the Israeli military not to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews until March 31, 2024, while it finds a way to comply with a court ruling that determined the community’s military service exemptions to be discriminatory and illegal.

Business

Markets experience volatility in early trading-Telangana Today

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In early trading, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose by 93.51 points to reach 72,398.39, while the Nifty increased by 12.55 points to 21,963.70. However, both indices experienced volatility later on.

Published Date – 29 February 2024, 12:31 PM


Markets experience volatility in early trading


Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices climbed in early trade on Thursday but later faced volatile trends amid sluggish global market cues and the scheduled monthly derivatives expiry.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 93.51 points to 72,398.39 in early trade. The Nifty went up by 12.55 points to 21,963.70. Both the benchmark indices were encountering volatility later.

Among the Sensex firms, Reliance Industries, Maruti, Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, IndusInd Bank and State Bank of India were the major gainers.

Hindustan Unilever, Power Grid, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong traded lower while Shanghai quoted in the green.

The US markets ended marginally lower on Wednesday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,879.23 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.

The BSE benchmark fell by 790.34 points or 1.08 per cent to settle at 72,304.88 on Wednesday. The Nifty slumped 247.20 points or 1.11 per cent to settle at 21,951.15.

“The market has suddenly turned unpredictable amidst high volatility. The volatility will continue today, too, being the last day of the monthly expiry,” said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.17 per cent to USD 83.54 a barrel.

Top News

"Streamlining Operations": Electronic Arts To Lay Off 5% Of Workforce

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'Streamlining Operations': Video Game Giant Electronic Arts To Lay Off 5% Of Workforce

Representational Image

San Francisco:

Electronic Arts on Wednesday said it is cutting about 5 percent of its workforce, as belt tightening continues in the video game and tech industries.

The California company behind hits including the soccer game “FC24” is also “sunsetting” some titles and stopping the development of others it thinks will not be successful, chief executive Andrew Wilson said in a message to employees posted online.

“We are streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere that build community, shape culture, and grow fandom,” Wilson said.

“In this time of change, we expect these decisions to impact approximately 5 percent of our workforce.”

The company’s annual report last year indicated it had 13,400 employees, meaning about 670 positions are being eliminated.

The announcement came a day after Sony said it was cutting 8 percent of its global workforce, as video game makers find they’re not immune to the wave of layoffs seen recently in the tech industry.

Calling it “sad news,” PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said that the Sony reductions would affect 900 people across the globe, including video game studios.

A separate statement said that US studios Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog, part of PlayStation’s stable, were hit by the job cuts.

Microsoft in January said it was laying off 1,900 people, or eight percent of staff, from its gaming division, following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Last year the wider tech industry lost 260,000 jobs according to layoffs.fyi, a California-based website that tracks the sector.

So far this year, layoffs are at 45,356, the site showed, from 176 companies.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Top News

Akhilesh Yadav May Skip Summons In Illegal Mining Case, Says Samajwadi

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Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav is a witness in the case.

Lucknow:

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is unlikely to appear before the CBI on Thursday for questioning in an illegal mining case registered five years ago in which he is a witness, party sources said.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister is scheduled to attend a meeting of PDA “Picchda (backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities)” at the party office and has no plans to go anywhere till now, they said.

In reply to a question, the Samajwadi Party’s backward wing state president Rajpal Kashyap told PTI, “Akhileshji will attend a meeting of PDA at the party office today.” “He is not going anywhere. He will be attending a meeting in Lucknow,” Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said.

About the CBI notice to Mr Yadav, he said, “I don’t have detailed information regarding this. But it is sure, he is not going to Delhi today.” In a notice issued under section 160 of CrPC, the CBI has asked Yadav to appear before it on February 29, officials said. The section allows a police officer to summon witnesses in a probe.

“He is not the accused. He is a witness,” a senior official in the know of the development had told PTI.

The cases in which Yadav is summoned pertain to the issuance of mining leases in alleged violation of the e-tendering process. The Allahabad High Court had ordered the probe.

It is alleged that public servants allowed illegal mining during 2012-16, the period when Yadav was chief minister, and illegally renewed licences despite a ban on mining by the National Green Tribunal.

Reacting to the notice in the cases registered in 2019, Yadav attacked the BJP, saying, “The SP is on the maximum target (of the BJP). In 2019, I got a notice in some matters as there were Lok Sabha elections then. Now, when the election is approaching again, I am getting a notice again.” “I know, when the election comes, notice will also come. Why this nervousness? If you (BJP) have done a lot of work in the past 10 years, why are you nervous?” he posed.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Business

Rupee strengthens to 82.89 against US dollar-Telangana Today

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Forex traders noted that the domestic unit was dragged down by a volatile equity market and continued outflow of foreign funds.

Published Date – 29 February 2024, 12:10 PM


Rupee strengthens to 82.89 against US dollar


Mumbai: The rupee appreciated 2 paise to 82.89 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, tracking a weak American currency and a downward trend in the crude oil prices.

The domestic unit, however, weighed down by a volatile equity market and unabated outflow of foreign funds, forex traders said.

Market participants were also awaiting the domestic GDP data to be released later in the day, they said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the local currency opened at 82.88 and dipped to 82.89 against the greenback, registering a gain of 2 paise from its previous close.

On Wednesday, the rupee settled 2 paise lower at 82.91 against the US dollar.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was 0.11 per cent lower at 103.86 on Thursday.

Analysts said the dip in the American currency was an instant reaction to the US macroeconomic data which projected a slightly lower growth rate for the world’s largest economy.

According to Gaurang Somaiya, forex and bullion analyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, market participants remained cautious ahead of the GDP number that will be released on the domestic front.

“Today, market participants will focus on India’s GDP which is expected at 6.6 per cent, and any disappointment could weigh on the rupee. Also focus will be on German CPI, and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge- the Core PCE price index. We expect USD-INR (Spot) to trade sideways and quote in the range of 82.80-83.20,” he added.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, declined 0.18 per cent to USD 83.53 per barrel.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 68.22 points or 0.09 per cent higher at 72,373.10 points.

The broader NSE Nifty rose 2.80 points or 0.01 per cent to 21,953.95 points.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Wednesday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,879.23 crore on a net basis, according to exchange data.

Top News

Newlyweds Rakul Preet Singh And Jackky Bhagnani Have Already Got The Couple Fashion Memo As They Twin In Chic Black

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Newlyweds Rakul Preet Singh And Jackky Bhagnani Have Already Got The Couple Fashion Memo As They Twin In Chic Black

Rakul And Jackky Have Already Got The Couple Style Memo In Chic Black

Rakul Preet Singh’s dreamy wedding was a celebration of her personal style and we now know that the actress has a penchant for all things minimal. After getting married to Jackky Bhagnani in an intimate wedding, the couple continued their chic style streak in the most stunning way. The duo was spotted at the success party of Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and their couple style stole the show. While pastels might be all the hype, the magic of black remains timeless. The couple turned to chic black silhouettes to make a striking statement. Rakul opted for a chic black co-ord set that consisted of a crop top, flared pants and a cropped cutout blazer. Her minimal glam and pink chooda were the only additions to her look. To complement his wife, Jackky too opted for an all-black look as he looked his dapper self in a blazer and flared pants. The newest married couple of B-town is already setting style goals.

Also Read: Rakul Preet Singh Was A Beautiful Bohemian Bride In A Papa Don’t Preach Lehenga For Her Haldi Ceremony

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

With an elaborate celebrity guest list, Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani’s wedding in Goa was nothing short of dreamy. Etched with modern elements and feminine details, Rakul Preet Singh’s outfits have been a lesson in nailing bridal fashion. Recently, the actress posted an array of pictures from her haldi ceremony that radiated nothing but sheer joy. For her haldi look, she gave colours and trendy elements her nod of approval in a beautiful Papa Don’t Preach lehenga. A stunning embroidered blouse was paired with a flared lehenga skirt that came with contrasting work. Her minimal makeup and open tresses were perfect to complete her look.

Also Read: Rakul Preet Singh’s Tarun Tahiliani Lehenga Has Mirror Work Along With A Silk Tissue Georgette Veil

World

Iranian president to visit Algeria after almost 14 years

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President Raeisi’s visit to Algiers, which is taking place upon an invitation by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is the first visit to the North African country by an Iranian president after almost 14 years.

Raeisi’s trip to Algeria is in line with his administration’s efforts to bolster cooperation with regional and international organizations and to expand relations with Muslim and “like-minded” countries.

Raeisi’s trip also comes on the backdrop of Iran’s efforts to boost relations with countries in North Africa, including Sudan, with which Iran had strained relations in recent years, and with Egypt, a country with no diplomatic relations with Iran since 1979.

On the first day of his trip, the president is scheduled to address the GECF Summit and also have meetings with heads of states and top-ranking officials from other participating countries.   

On the second day, President Raeisi will meet with his Algerian counterpart and the delegation from the two countries are due to sign several documents.

MNA/

Top News

Himachal Congress MLAs, Who Cross-Voted In Rajya Sabha Polls, Disqualified

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6 Himachal Congress MLAs, Who Cross-Voted In Rajya Sabha Polls, Disqualified

Six Congress MLAs have been disqualified for cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls

New Delhi:

Six Congress MLAs from Himachal Pradesh who cross-voted for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha election has been disqualified from the assembly, the Speaker announced today.

The BJP had clapped for and congratulated the six MLAs for their ‘bravery’ yesterday when they came to the assembly, after staying the previous night in BJP-ruled Haryana. Their kick, however, has gone wide.

The disqualified MLAs are Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur, and Chetanya Sharma.

Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania today said they have been disqualified for defying the party whip to vote in favour of the government on the Finance Bill in the house yesterday. The assembly passed the state Budget after the Speaker suspended 15 BJP MLAs.

The actions of the six MLAs violated the anti-defection law, the Speaker said.

For now, the MLAs’ disqualification has closed the chapter for the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh after a two-day scare over the BJP returning to power with a no-trust vote, since the six MLAs had voted for the state’s Opposition party in the Rajya Sabha election.

The BJP had deduced the six Congress MLAs no longer trusted the ruling party.

World

15 killed in road mishap in central India

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The road accident occurred in Madhya Pradesh’s Bichhiya area located in Mandla district, after the driver lost control of the vehicle as it toppled.

The injured were admitted to a local hospital. Some of the injured were said to be in critical condition. The death toll is feared to rise, said the cop.

The victims belonged to the same village and were returning from a pre-wedding ceremony held at a nearby place.

The country’s President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders expressed condolences for the loss of human lives in the accident.

MNA/PR