Iranian citizen jailed in Sweden denied medical care for broken leg

Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official who has been illegally incarcerated in Sweden, is denied medical treatment for his broken leg, his family says.

“Sweden refrains from providing full medical services to my father, and since we are no longer in contact with him, we do not know why and how this incident happened,” Nouri’s son, Majid, told Iran’s Mizan news agency on Wednesday.

He added that after the incident, only an X-ray has been taken, adding that the Swedish detention center has not allowed a specialist to treat his father, leaving him in this condition for a week.

Nouri was arrested upon arrival at Stockholm Airport in November 2019 under unfounded allegations of rights abuse and for what was claimed to be his alleged role in the deaths of prisoners in Iran in the 1980s.

In December, the Stockholm Court of Appeals upheld a controversial life sentence for 62-year-old Nouri, saying that it “affirmed the judgment… in significant parts” that had been given to the former Iranian official in July 2022 for his alleged role in cases of human rights violations in Iran.

Nouri’s son further explained that his family members have been recently informed about the incident through the Iranian embassy in Sweden.

He complained that his family members had been kept in dark about his father’s condition as Nouri was denied contact with them.

“Unfortunately, we cannot even have a simple telephone conversation with my father,” Majid said, noting that Sweden has cut off contacts with his father for more than three months.

He added that his family even sent an e-mail to the Swedish detention center last night calling for explanations about Nouri’s situation, but has yet to receive a response.

Emphasizing that his father is under pressure, Nouri said the Swedish officials do not even pay attention to his father’s age and refuse to examine his case.

“We are now preparing an appeal to be lodged at the Supreme Court of Sweden,” Nouri’s son said.

Iraqi resistance forces target Haifa port with drones


Israeli security and emergency personnel inspect a damaged car following a reported attack near the naval base in the coastal city of Haifa on January 29, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Iraqi resistance forces have launched a drone attack on the port city of Haifa in the Israeli-occupied territories in retaliation for the regime’s brutal war against the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Thursday, saying Iraqi resistance forces will continue to target the occupying regime until the complete “destruction of enemy strongholds.”

“In continuation of our approach to resisting the occupation and supporting our people in Gaza, our [fighters], using drones, attacked the port of Haifa in our occupied territories in Palestine,” the statement said.

The attack marks the fourth time the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has targeted Haifa and its vital sites in less than a month. 

Last month, the Iraqi resistance pledged a new phase in its operations against the Israeli regime and its American patrons, declaring that “more is to come” in solidarity with “our people in Gaza”.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has also claimed recent attacks targeting six US-occupied military bases in the region, including one on the Jordan-Syria border that left three American soldiers dead.

The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.

Since the start of the aggression, Israel has killed nearly 27,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by the Gaza Health Ministry.

The US, Israel’s traditional ally, has backed Tel Aviv’s attacks on the Palestinian territory and provided the regime with thousands of arms consignments since the onset of the war.

Washington has also used its veto power to block the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.


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Hemant Soren Challenges Arrest In Supreme Court, Plea To Be Heard Tomorrow

Hemant Soren Moves Supreme Court Challenging His Arrest, Plea To Be Heard Tomorrow

File photo

New Delhi:

JMM leader Hemant Soren on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to hear the plea of the former Jharkhand chief minister on Friday.

Senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Soren, told Supreme Court that the leader will be withdrawing his plea from the Jharkhand High Court on the issue.

Soren was arrested on Wednesday night in the case after resigning as the Jharkhand chief minister, and party loyalist and state transport minister Champai Soren was named as his successor.

He was arrested after a marathon seven-hour grilling by the Enforcement Directorate in the case. 

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

Watch: Forest fires break out in Nallamalla in Telangana

Forest officials have been taking up measures to douse the flames since the last two days.

Published Date – 1 February 2024, 12:02 PM


Watch: Forest fires break out in Nallamalla in Telangana


Hyderabad: Forest stretches in Bureddypally, Domalapenta, Kommanpeta and other sections of Nallamalla were affected following forest fires since Tuesday late evening and Wednesday night.

Forest officials have been taking up measures to douse the flames since the last two days. Accessibility is a big challenge as the forest fires occurred on a hillock and vehicles could not be used to reach the locations. Forest personnel have to trek and reach the locations and this consumes a lot of time, said an official.


“However, our teams have reached the locations and with the help of blowers, they have managed to douse the flames. At present, the situation is under control,” the official said.

The forest fires began late on Tuesday and by the time the forest teams reached the location, the situation was alarming. But the teams managed to control the fire soon. This was followed by another incident on Wednesday night in Kommanpeta and Bureddypally beats. About seven hectares of forest was affected, officials said.

“Both were man made fires by local people. Special teams are still monitoring the situation and have been directed to stay put at the locations till normalcy is restored,” said the official.

Forest Minister Konda Surekha spoke to the officials about the forest fires in Nallamalla and was informed that the situation was under control.

In the wake of the summer season approaching, the Minister directed the officials to take precautionary measures to avoid forest fires and recurrence of such incidents. Officials should stay alert, she said.

"Our Focus On Poor, Women, Youth, Farmers": Nirmala Sitharaman

'Our Focus On Poor, Women, Youth, Farmers': Nirmala Sitharaman

Ms Sithraman said the country progresses when these groups progress.

New Delhi:

Presenting her sixth straight Budget ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday asserted that the BJP-led government at the Centre has worked with an approach to development that is “all-round, all-inclusive and all-pervasive” (‘sarvangin’, ‘sarvasparshi’ and ‘sarvasamaveshi’).

Stating that her government’s vision of development covers all castes and people at all levels, Ms Sitharaman said the aim is to make India a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed Bharat) by 2047. In keeping with this vision, the finance minister said, “As our Prime Minister firmly believes, we need to focus on four major castes, they are gareeb (poor), mahilayein (women), yuva (youth) and annadata (farmers). Their needs, their aspirations and their welfare are our highest priority.”

“The country progresses when they progress. All four require, and receive, government support in their quest to better their lives. Their empowerment and well-being will drive the country forward,” she said in her speech while presenting the Interim Budget.

Claiming that the earlier approach of tackling poverty through entitlements had resulted in “very modest outcomes”, the finance minister said the government’s power to assist the poor increased manifold when they became empowered partners in the development process.

Emphasising the government’s focus on ‘sabka saath’, Ms Sitharaman said the government has assisted 25 crore people to get “freedom from multidimensional poverty” in the ten years it has been in office. In the same vein, she also spoke about the gains that have accrued from direct benefit transfers and avoidance of leakages.

The finance minister also highlighted the PM Swanidhi scheme, which provides credit assistance to street vendors, the PM Janman Yojana, which reaches out to particularly vulnerable tribal groups, and the PM Vishwakarma Yojana, which supports artisans and craftspeople.

Continuing with the emphasis on inclusive development, she said, “The schemes for empowerment of divyangs and transgender persons reflect firm resolve of our government to leave no one behind.”

Ms Sitharaman said, under the PM Kisan Samman Yojana, direct financial assistance is provided to 11.8 crore farmers every year. She said several other programmes also assist the annadatas in producing food for the country and the world.

US, UK conduct new aggression on Yemen

 The US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement explaining the details of the American and British air strikes on areas in Yemen on Thursday morning.

The strikes targeted a “UAV ground control station and 10 one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region,” the Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

This claim made by the United States comes while the Yemeni media reported the aggressive attacks by the American and British coalition on Saada, located in the northwest of Sana’a, on Thursday morning.

The official news agency of Yemen “Saba” reported that the US and the UK targeted Saada province in two airstrikes.

The Yemeni Al-Masirah TV channel also confirmed the joint invasion of the United States and the UK on the “Al Jabbana” district in the north of the coastal city of Hudaidah. 

Yemeni sources also reported the flights of American and British coalition fighter jets over Hudaidah port city.

MNA/6010991

Markets turn highly volatile after firm opening ahead of Budget-Telangana Today

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 248.4 points to 72,000.51 in early trade after beginning the day on a positive note. The Nifty went up by 62.65 points to 21,788.35.

Updated On – 1 February 2024, 11:31 AM


Budget Day: Markets turn highly volatile after firm opening ahead of Budget


Mumbai: Benchmark equity indices began the trade on an optimistic note on Thursday but later faced heavy volatile trends ahead of presentation of interim Budget.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 248.4 points to 72,000.51 in early trade after beginning the day on a positive note. The Nifty went up by 62.65 points to 21,788.35.


Later, both the benchmark indices hit choppy waters and were trading between highs and lows.

Among the Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti, Power Grid, NTPC, IndusInd Bank and Sun Pharma were the biggest gainers.

Larsen & Toubro, Titan, Bajaj Finserv and JSW Steel were the major laggards.

Goods and Services Tax collections jumped 10.4 per cent to over Rs 1.72 lakh crore in January, reflecting buoyant economic activity and setting the stage for the next phase of GST reforms.

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

The US markets ended sharply lower on Wednesday.

The US Fed on Wednesday left its main interest rate steady and made clear it “does not expect it will be appropriate” to cut rates “until it has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably towards” its goal of 2 per cent.

“Wall Street took a hit overnight with the Dow down 0.8 per cent, the S&P 500 off 1.6 per cent, and the Nasdaq tumbling 2.2 per cent amid disappointing earnings from Alphabet. The Fed’s decision to keep interest rates steady further fuelled selling across indexes. Investors now await Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s interim Budget presentation, hoping for measures to boost economic growth and control deficits,” said Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd.

On a positive note, January’s GST collections hit a record high of Rs 1.72 lakh crore, he added.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 1.40 per cent to USD 81.71 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,660.72 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.

The Sensex jumped 612.21 points or 0.86 per cent to settle at 71,752.11 on Wednesday. The Nifty climbed 203.60 points or 0.95 per cent to 21,725.70.

Nirmala Sitharaman Presents Interim Budget, Focus On Income Tax, Job Creation

Budget 2024 Live Updates: Nirmala Sitharaman Presents Interim Budget, Focus On Income Tax, Job Creation

Budget 2024 Live: This is FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s sixth Union Budget.

New Delhi:

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting Union Budget 2024 in Parliament. This is an interim budget as it comes just ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. 

This is Nirmala Sitharaman’s sixth Union Budget. The full-fledged budget will be presented by the new government that comes to power after the elections. 

The interim budget – a short-term financial plan – seeks Parliament nod for a grant in advance to meet the government’s essential expenditure for the first four months of the new financial year. 

The Budget Session of Parliament began yesterday with President Droupadi Murmu addressing the joint meeting of both Rajyya Sabha and Lok Sabha. The session will conclude on February 9.

Stock markets opened in green today, ahead of the interim budget.
 

Here Are The LIVE Updates On Union Budget 2024:

 

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Interim Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman’s Tech Push

A corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore will be established with 50-year interest free loan to provide long term financing with long tenure with no or less interest rates. 

A new technology will be launched to strengthen deep tech for defence purposes

Interim Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget Speech

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will help “deserving” sections of middle class to build their own houses

Union Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget Speech

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said benefits of Ayushman Bharat will be extended to all ASHA and Anganwadi workers

Budget 2024 Live News: Nirmala Sitharaman On Rooftop Solarisation

Rooftop solarisation to give 1 crore households 300 units of free electricity per month, says Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget Speech
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government focused on more comprehensive ‘governance, development, performance’ – ‘GDP’. 

Budget 2024 Live News: Nirmala Sitharaman On GST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Goods Service Tax (GST has” enabled ‘one nation one market one tax’. “Tax reforms have led to deepening, widening of tax base,” she said. 

Interim Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman On Polls

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that she hopes the people of the country will again choose the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections with a resounding mandate 

Budget 2024 Live Updates: “Garib Ka Kalyan, Desh Ka Kalyan”

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government has helped 25 crore people to get freedom from poverty in last 10 years, 

Union Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman On Tribal Welfare

PM Janman Yojana helps tribal groups who have remained outside realm of development, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman Explains Government Focus

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government is focusing on four major groups – poor, women, youth and the farmers. 

Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman’s Speech Live

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government is working to make India ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. “Our focus is sabka sath, sabka vikas,” she said. 

Budget 2024 Live: Finance Minister Speaks in Parliament

In the second term, our government doubled down on its responsibility to build a prosperous country, says Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman Presents Interim Budget

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting Union Budget 2024 

Budget 2024 Live: PM Modi Arrives In Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Lok Sabha for Union Budget 2024 presentation

Budget 2024 Live: What Happens to Old Regime

No change is expected in tax rates for individual taxpayers opting for the regular tax regime

Budget 2024 Live: What Happens to Old Regime

No change is expected in tax rates for individual taxpayers opting for the regular tax regime

Union Budget 2024 Live: New Regime May Include 80C Deductions
Many are still apprehensive about opting for the new regime, to increase its acceptance, the government may allow deductions under 80C in this regime.

Budget 2024 Live: Cabinet Approves Interim Budget
The Union Cabinet has approved the interim budget prepared by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s team

Budget 2024 Live: Finance Minister Meets President

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met President Draupadi Murmu ahead of the presentation of Union Budget. 

Budget 2024 Live: What Senior Citizens Want From Budget 2024
Senior citizens are looking forward to the union budget hoping for relief in income tax and health insurance. NDTV’s Sam Daniel spoke to Mrs Radha Venuprasad in Chennai.

Budget 2024 Live: Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana Insurance Cover Likely To be Increased
The Finance Minister could consider hiking the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) insurance cover by up to 50%, sources say.

Union Budget 2024 Live: What Experts Say
Experts are expecting crucial announcements in the Union Budget 2024, especially for taxpayers, real estate, Electric Vehicles and renewable energy sectors. 

Budget 2024 Live: Key Numbers To Know

Budget 2024 Live: Budget Copies Arrives In Parliament
The copies of budget – to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shortly – have arrived in Parliament

Budget 2024 Live: What Can Taxpayers Expect
From changes in tax slabs to deductions, taxpayers are expecting announcements that would impact their financial and investment strategies. 

Budget 2024 Live: No Economic Survey This Year

Economic Survey, an annual document presented by the Finance Ministry, will not be presented this year since Finance Minister  Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Interim Budget instead of a full-fledged budget because Lok Sabha elections are due later this year. 

Budget 2024 Live: Nirmala Sitharaman to Present Budget At 11 Am

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the interim budget at 11 am. Ms Sitharaman has arrived at the Finance Ministry with her team.

Union Budget 2024 Live: Markets Open In Green Ahead Of Interim Budget

Stock markets opened in green today, ahead of the interim Union budget to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Union Budget 2024 Live: Critical Sectors May Benefit
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to make key announcements in critical sectors – like agriculture and manufacturing  -today, with emphasis on job creation. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman With Her Team
Union Budget Live: Where To Watch Nirmala Sitharaman’s Speech Live

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech will be broadcast live on the official channel of Parliament Sansad TV and Doordarshan. 

Budget Live: Nirmala Sitharaman At Finance Ministry Office

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has arrived at Finance Ministry office. She will present the Union Budget 2024 at 11 am.  

Budget 2024 Live: What Homebuyers Want

Homebuyers expect the current Rs 2 lakh rebate on housing loan interest Under Section 24 to be increased to about Rs 5 lakh, experts say.

Union Budget 2024 To Be Watched Closely By Experts

The interim budget that come in the backdrop of a strong domestic economy – will be watched closely by the experts to ascertain if it will be able to maintain the current high rate of growth. 

Union Budget 2024 Live: Last Budget Of Narendra Modi 2.0 Government

This will be the last budget in Narendra Modi government’s second term as the Lok Sabha elections will be held later this year. 

Union Budget 2024 Live: What Is Interim Budget?

The interim budget is a temporary financial plan that covers the government’s expenses until a new government takes charge after elections. The interim budget seeks Parliament nod for a grant in advance to meet the government’s essential expenditure for the first four months of the new financial year. 

Union Budget 2024 Live: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s 6th Budget Today

Union Budget 2024 will be Nirmala Sitharaman’s sixth budget as the Finance Minister today. After Morarji Desai, she will only be the second finance minister in the nation to give the Union Budget for six consecutive years. 

Rupee rises 9 paise to 82.95 against US dollar ahead of Budget-Telangana Today

Forex traders said the rupee was trading in a narrow range as the strength of the American currency in the overseas market and a muted trend in domestic equities weighed on investor sentiments.

Published Date – 1 February 2024, 11:40 AM


Rupee rises 9 paise to 82.95 against US dollar ahead of Budget


Mumbai: The rupee appreciated 9 paise to 82.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as market participants remained cautious ahead of the interim Budget.

Forex traders said the rupee was trading in a narrow range as the strength of the American currency in the overseas market and a muted trend in domestic equities weighed on investor sentiments.


At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 83.02 against the dollar and then touched a high of 82.95, registering a gain of 9 paise over its previous close.

In initial trade, the rupee also touched a low of 83.03 against the American currency.

On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated 6 paise to 83.04 against the US dollar.

Forex traders said rupee traded in a narrow range and market participants remained cautious ahead of the interim Budget.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.24 per cent higher at 103.52.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.40 per cent to USD 81.71 per barrel.

Indian rupee looks boxed between 83.00 to 83.20 narrowly as US Federal Reserve decided not to cut rates, Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director at Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 55.16 points or 0.08 per cent higher at 71,807.27 points. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 19.05 points or 0.09 per cent to 21,744.75 points.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers in the capital markets on Wednesday as they purchased shares worth Rs1,660.72 crore, according to exchange data.

The Union government’s fiscal deficit touched Rs 9.82 lakh crore or 55 per cent of the annual Budget target at the end of December 2023, as per the official data released on Wednesday.

In the corresponding period last year, the deficit was 59.8 per cent of the Budget estimate of 2022-23.

FIR against 4 persons after more than 100 students suffer from food poisoning in Thane school

The Sant Gadge Maharaj Primary and Secondary Ashram School (residential school for tribal children), where the incident took place, is located at Bhatsai in Shahapur taluka on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Updated On – 1 February 2024, 10:08 AM


FIR against 4 persons after more than 100 students suffer from food poisoning in Thane school

The Sant Gadge Maharaj Primary and Secondary Ashram School (residential school for tribal children), where the incident took place, is located at Bhatsai in Shahapur taluka on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Thane: Police registered an FIR against four persons on Thursday, a day after more than 100 students of a private ashram school in Maharashtra’s Thane district suffered from food poisoning after consuming the mid-day meal, an official said.

A total of 117 students, including 48 girls, were admitted to the Shahapur sub-district hospital after they suffered from food poisoning on Wednesday, Shahapur tehsildar Komal Thakur told PTI.


The Sant Gadge Maharaj Primary and Secondary Ashram School (residential school for tribal children), where the incident took place, is located at Bhatsai in Shahapur taluka on the outskirts of Mumbai. The school houses 290 students from Classes 1 to 10 and 168 of them, who were present on Wednesday, were served the food brought from outside, Thakur said.

Students were served food (pulao) and a sweet dish (gulab jamun) following which they experienced vomiting and other symptoms of food poisoning, the official said. They were immediately rushed to the hospital, she said. The food was brought from outside on the occasion of the first death anniversary of a villager from Bhatsai, she added.

A case was registered against the school superintendent, headmistress of the primary school, headmaster of the secondary school and a person who brought the food from outside, an official from the district rural police control room said.

They have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 284 (handling poisonous substance in a reckless or negligent manner, endangering human life), 336 (doing any act which endangers human life or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt to any person by committing an act, rashly or negligently, endangering human life or safety of others) and 34 (common intention), the police said. Thakur said out of the 117 students admitted to the hospital, seven girls were still undergoing treatment while the others were discharged.

Samples of food items served to the children were collected and sent for laboratory examination, she said. Senior officials visited the hospital and enquired about the condition of the students.

Families and relatives of the affected pupils also gathered outside the medical facility, prompting the deployment of police to maintain order. The parents of the affected students and some social organisations demanded action against the school management for their failure to take proper care of the inmates.