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Commenting on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam, state Congress president Rajesh Thakur said, “...He appeared before ED, he was questioned yesterday and today and suddenly the news of the arrest came. He was arrested after PM Modi's speech so a political angle comes in this. A person honestly appeared before ED and he was not somebody who would have run away so law should have respected him. If he wanted, he could have sought time citing election but he didn't do that...in a way what happened to him is not right...people are seeing this with their naked eyes...people will reply to this...”

United States President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on May 15 agreed to hold two campaign debates -- the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on September 10 hosted by ABC -- setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks.

Two more bodies have been recovered from a car stuck under the hoarding that collapsed at a petrol pump in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area on May 13.

A total of 16 dead bodies recovered so far, says the NDRF.

Reacting to Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam’s arrest, Congress leader Rakesh Sinha said, “He was arrested without any evidence because he is a Congress minister, had he been like Ajit Pawar or Narayan Rane, he would not have been arrested...only those…”

Alam’s family members of left the ED office in Ranchi late on May 15 after meeting him. He was arrested today in connection with a huge cash recovery from the household help of his PS Sanjeev Lal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 15 took to social media platform X to congratulate Lawrence Wong on becoming the new prime minister of Singapore. He also shared two images of the himself with his Singapore counterpart on X.

"Warmest congratulations Lawrence Wong on assuming office as Prime Minister of Singapore. I look forward to working closely with you to further advance our Strategic Partnership," he wrote.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra wins gold in the men’s javelin throw category at the 2024 Federation Cup with below-par 82.27m effort in his first domestic event in three years.

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Congress leader Alamgir Alam in a money laundering case.

The 70-year-old Jharkhand Rural Development Minister was taken into custody at the Enforcement Directorate’s zonal office in Ranchi under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Before taking him into custody, the ED interrogated him for about six hours on the second day of questioning. He was grilled by the federal agency on May 14 for over nine hours and his statement was also recorded.

The agency had last week arrested Alam's personal secretary and state administrative service officer Sanjeev Kumar Lal (52) and the latter's domestic help Jahangir Alam (42) following the seizure of more than Rs 32 crore cash from a flat linked to them.

Phone Pe on May 15 announced its partnership with Lanka Pay to enable UPI payment acceptance across Lanka QR merchant points throughout Sri Lanka.

TVS Motor Company (TVSM), a leading global manufacturer in the two and three-wheeler sector, has launched its operations in Italy.

The company will introduce a selection of its advanced, high-quality thermic and electric scooters and motorcycles.

TVS Motor already markets its products in 80 countries.

Security has been strengthened outside the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Ranchi.

ED today arrested Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam in connection with a huge cash recovery from the household help of his PS Sanjeev Lal.

The Enforcement Directorate on May 15 conducted a survey at the Nucleus Mall of Vishnu Aggrawal, an ED accused in a land scam case. The mall is located in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Hoteliers and traders staged protests in Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand on Wednesday against alleged mismanagement of the Chardham yatra.

They took out a procession along the highway in the Paligad area of the district under the banner of Yamuna Ghati Mahasangh and raised slogans against the state government for alleged chaos prevailing along the Yatra route and causing inconvenience to the pilgrims.

"Pilgrims are being made to wait inside their vehicles for 10-12 hours on an average at various points along the route to Yamunotri. After the long wait, they are being told not to proceed further due to traffic jams on the route. This is disturbing the schedule of their journey and many pilgrims are returning without darshan in Yamunotri, " Yamuna Ghati Hotel Association president Soban Singh Rana said.

He said that the Chief Minister should take immediate action to streamline the arrangements to ensure a smooth yatra for the pilgrims.

The Enforcement Directorate on May 15 arrested Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam in connection with a huge cash recovery from the house-help of his personal secretary Sanjeev Lal.

A joint security review meeting with a focus on counter-terrorism operations in the Jammu region was held in view of the recent terror attacks on an IAF convoy in Poonch, officials said.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Jammu-based 16 Corps (also known as White Knight Corps) Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva chaired the meeting which was attended by Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Anand Jain and representatives of intelligence agencies, they said.

The meeting assumes significance as it takes place in the backdrop of a major terrorist attack on a convoy of Indian Air Force (IAF) near Sanai top in Surankot area of Poonch on May 4, resulting in the killing of a soldier and injuries to four others.

The Supreme Court today adjourned the hearing on the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji until May 16. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last year in a money laundering case.
The bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan deferred the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court of his obligation to appear before a special bench dealing with a challenge to penal provisions of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Senior advocate Aryama Sundaram, representing Balaji, urged the bench to hear the matter, citing the former minister's recent bypass surgery and his prolonged custody of over 300 days.

Lawrence Wong was sworn in as Singapore's fourth prime minister today in a planned political transition for the island state. The 51-year-old economist succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who stepped down after two decades in office. Both Wong and Lee are members of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), which has been instrumental in driving Singapore's economic progress for over five decades.

During the Third Session of the India-Zimbabwe Joint Trade Committee (JTC) held in New Delhi from May 13 to May 14, the two countries identified machinery and mechanical appliances, vehicles, mineral fuels, and electrical machinery as potential sectors to boost bilateral trade. This collaborative effort aims to enhance economic cooperation and explore opportunities for expanding trade between India and Zimbabwe in these key sectors.

The first set of citizenship certificates after notification of Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 were issued today.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla handed over citizenship certificates to some applicants in New Delhi on May 15.

The Home Secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted salient features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed.

A NIPFP study points out that every rupee directed towards capital expenditure in India increases economic output by Rs 4.8, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says.

The share of capex in total expenditure dropped sharply under the UPA. From 23% in 2003-04, it dropped quickly to an average of 12% from 2005-2014. Imagine the opportunity cost lost due to Congress, she said.

Our government significantly increased the outlay for capex, she added, stating, “As a proportion of total expenditure, Capex rose to over 21% in 2023-24, compared to just 12% in 2013-14.”

“Since 2014, our govt has allocated a total of ₹43.53 lakh crore in Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) capital expenditure, an increase of 3.72 times compared to 2004-14.”

Hindustan Copper Limited's (HCL) Chief Vigilance Officer dies after a lift collapses at a mine in Rajasthan, police inform.

The Finance Minister on May 15 said, “PM Modi’s active role has made the infrastructure turnaround possible. PM has personally monitored the progress of projects, even those launched earlier, through the PRAGATI platform. This led to the successful completion of long-delayed projects. Through 43 PRAGATI meetings, PM Modi has reviewed projects worth Rs 17.36 lakh crore.”

She added, “Spending on infrastructure not only boosts GDP growth through its multiplier effects on consumption and investment but also improves the long-term efficiency of the economy by reducing logistical constraints.”

The Finance Minister on May 15 took to social media platform X to draw comparisons between the Congress-led UPA rule and the current NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through a series of posts, she highlighted instances of bad governance from the previous government and said, “The UPA government's term was replete with examples of decision stasis. Cost overruns, stalled projects and lack of timely approvals were common between 2004-14.”

Nirmala Sitharaman added that the Cabinet Secretary noted in 2013, "Many large projects both in the public sector as well as the private sector, especially in infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, have been held up for investment on account of delays in obtaining various approvals/clearances."

In March 2014, the IMF working paper highlighted 3 main reasons for the investment slowdown in India: Policy uncertainty, Delayed project approvals, implementation, and supply bottlenecks.

The CAG Report 2014 on the other hand highlighted how the Railway Board took an average of 43 months to sanction rehabilitation of bridgeworks, and they were completed with an average delay of 41 months.

Speaking about the Congress-led UPA government, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says, “A more glaring outcome of this neglect was the development of border roads and defence capital expenditure, which left India vulnerable to external threats. Then Defence Minister AK Antony remarked in 2013, ‘An undeveloped border is safer than a developed border’.”

“In contrast, Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi firmly believes that the village on the border is not India’s last village; it is country's first village. Through the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’, we are developing the border villages and strengthening their infrastructure,” she adds.

Congress-led UPA (2004-14) government wasted India's economic growth potential and left it among the ‘Fragile Five’ economies without focusing on effective infrastructure development. Under UPA, almost all aspects of India’s economic needs were mismanaged or ignored.

The UPA govt’s noticeable and deliberate neglect of infrastructure creation not only denied India much-needed roads, railways, power, etc., but it also compromised India’s long-term economic potential.

The 5th meeting of Joint Committee on Consular Affairs (JCCA) was held on 14th May 2024 in New Delhi.

The two sides held wide-ranging discussions on mechanisms to strengthen coordination and co-operation on Consular issues covering labour, visa, migration, citizenship and extradition, among others.

The UAE side gave a detailed briefing on various steps taken by the government to ensure the welfare of the Indian workers in the UAE.

Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue to work towards citizen-centric consular mechanisms.

​The two sides also discussed other issues of mutual interest including visa facilitation for promoting greater people-to-people exchanges and early conclusion of agreements related to migration and mobility.

Outcomes from the meeting also included regular exchange of statistics related to the citizens of each other’s’ countries and best practices on consular matters.

“Most of the (injured) have received injuries to their legs; no head injuries. One patient who has suffered a leg injury will be going under surgery,” says Dr Ravi giving an update on the health of those injured in incident.

“We have moved out entry level tariff on feature phone. Tariff repair needs to happened across industry and not just doing. If competition doesn’t do it then it will hurt us. We are over Rs 200 ARPU and the right level of ARPU of Rs 300 which will still be lowest in the world,” says Airtel MD Gopal Vittal.

The United States wants to lower dependence on China particularly on battery making. Everyone has seen that post-Covid, it is not a good idea to keep all your eggs in the same basket. And all nations, including the US, wants to build their own capacity to facilitate energy transition.

India is doing the same. No country will depend on one nation for their import source especially when mobility is concerned. India's policy is sound on this issue and there is no need to worry. Our policy is that India builds sufficient capabilities for production of EVs and the entire EV ecosystems.

Airtel has built a full stack solution, called converged data engine. It is being rolled out in Africa and Airtel is in conversation with other telcos in the world, Gopal Vittal said. Postpaid, B2B and Home are areas where more work is required, he added.

“Commenced another round of network expansion with 25,000 new sites, to be done in next couple of quarters to increase market share where Airtel coverage is weak,” says Gopal Vittal, MD of Airtel, in a Q4 earnings call

“Our bet on NSA 5G has paid off as it said us not just capex but delivered superior experience,” Vittal adds.

8th Round of talks on proposed India-EU FTA scheduled from June 24-28 in Brussels, informs Commerce Ministry.

The Indian team visited the UK from April 16-19 for talks on the FTA proposed between them to discuss outstanding issues, it added.

The 8th rounds of talks on the proposed India-Peru FTA is expected in July 2024, the ministry added.

-- India April merchandise exports at $34.99 billion, versus $41.68 billion in March

-- India April merchandise imports at $54.09 billion versus $ 57.28 billion in March

-- India's exports marginally up at $34.99 billion in April 2024 vs $ 34.62 billion in the year-ago period, government data revealed

Commerce Secretary Barthwal says, “Trade prospects should improve this financial year given better global growth prospects and expectations of lower inflation.”

India April trade deficit at $19.1 billion versus $15.6 billion in March

Alamgir Alam, Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader, arrives at the Enforcement Directorate office in Ranchi for the second consecutive day for questioning.

Uttarakhand DGP Abhinav Kumar cautions against exaggerated rumours during the Char Dham Yatra, emphasizing the need to avoid fear-inducing misinformation and warning of legal action against rumour spreaders.

Advocate Arshdeep Khurana celebrates the Supreme Court's decision to release NewsClick founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha, citing the court's acknowledgement of the arrest's illegality.

Today, Madhavi Raje Scindia, the mother of Union Civil Aviation Minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, passed away, as reported by ANI. She was formerly known as the 'Rajmata' of the Gwalior Royal Family and was the wife of late Congress leader Madhav Rao Scindia. Madhavi Scindia had been receiving treatment at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi for the past two months. According to a statement from Jyotiraditya Scindia's office, she breathed her last at 9:28 am. Her demise marks the end of a significant chapter in the history of the Scindia family and leaves behind a legacy of service and leadership.

The Supreme Court permits Mukhtar Ansari's son, Abbas Ansari, to attend a private prayer ceremony on June 10 and spend time with his family on June 11 and June 12 while in police custody.

Madhavi Raje Scindia, mother of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, passed away Wednesday morning at AIIMS, Delhi. She had been on ventilator support for the last few days.

Advocate Arshdeep Khurana comments on the Supreme Court's directive to release NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha in the UAPA case, citing the court's acknowledgement of the arrest's illegality.

The Supreme Court ruled the arrest and remand of Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha, made under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, invalid. Directs immediate release.

The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi postpones arguments on the Delhi Excise Policy case to May 30, awaiting a decision on a postponement application before the High Court. Accused, including Manish Sisodia, appear via video conferencing from jail.

Seven members of a family tragically drowned in the river Narmada in Poicha while swimming yesterday afternoon. NDRF and Vadodara Fire Team are currently conducting search and rescue operations. Further details are awaited.

Three out of fifteen Hindustan Copper Limited employees were rescued from a Neem ka Thana district mine on Wednesday morning, following an overnight trap. Twelve individuals remain inside, awaiting rescue.

Four individuals tragically lost their lives, and several others sustained injuries in Andhra Pradesh's Konaseema district after a speeding bus collided with a tractor near Udimudi village on Tuesday evening.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar responded to US warnings of potential sanctions following India's agreement to operate Iran's Chabahar Port. He emphasized the regional advantages of the project and cautioned against narrow viewpoints, citing previous acknowledgments by the US of Chabahar's broader importance.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar took aim at Western media, criticizing their negative depiction of Indian elections. He pointed out the irony of countries that typically rely on legal processes to settle election disputes now advising on poll conduct. Jaishankar sarcastically remarked that Western nations, accustomed to centuries of global influence, find it challenging to let go of their traditional ways.

A lift malfunction at Rajasthan's Kolihan copper mine has left 14 individuals stranded. The incident occurred late Tuesday at Hindustan Copper Limited's mine, prompting urgent rescue operations.

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