South Korea's trade minister meets Japanese envoy, US legislators over economic cooperation

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Seoul, Aug 14 (IANS) South Korea’s trade minister met with the Japanese ambassador to South Korea on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen the countries’ economic partnership amid growing uncertainties in the global trade environment, officials said. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with Amb. Koichi Mizushima in Seoul earlier in the day, as President Lee Jae Myung prepares to visit Japan to hold his first summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba next Saturday, Yonhap News Agency r…

Pakistan: Court accepts petition challenging internet services suspension in Balochistan

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Quetta, Aug 14 (IANS) The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Thursday accepted a petition for hearing that challenges the suspension of mobile phone and internet services in the province. While accepting the petition for hearing, the BHC issued notices to the provincial home department and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), summoning their representatives on August 15. The petition was filed in the court after authorities suspended mobile internet services in majority of the districts …

Laos enhances irrigation preparedness for disaster response

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Vientiane, Aug 14 (IANS) The Irrigation Department under the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has intensified efforts to prepare for natural disasters in this rainy season, urging local authorities to monitor flood-prone areas and remain alert for heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides. To cope with natural disasters such as floods during the rainy season, the department is working closely with local authorities to monitor flood-prone areas and inspect key infrastructure, particularly…

NSIC collaborates with private banks to boost MSMEs' credit access

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Mumbai, Aug 14 (IANS) Government PSU, the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with several private sector banks to enhance the availability of credit for MSMEs under its MSME Credit facilitation programme, an official statement said. The MOUs also aim to enhance accessibility and affordability of the credit to MSMEs, an official statement said.The MOUs were signed with Axis Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, Karnataka Bank, AU Small Finance Bank, and IndusI…

Kerala Education Minister orders probe into alleged illegal confinement of schoolboy

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Kochi, Aug 14 (IANS) Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Thursday said the state government has taken serious note of allegations that a Class 5 student was locked in a dark room at a school in Ernakulam for coming late.“This incident of a Class 5 student being locked in a dark room at a school in Ernakulam has come to my notice and such behaviour from anyone will not be tolerated in any school across the state. No teacher or school management can do such a thing,” warned Sivankutty.T…

Rs 29.75 crore bank fraud: ED restores properties worth Rs 12.79 crore to liquidator

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New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) The ED has restored properties valued at Rs 12.79 crore to the liquidator of a company involved in a Rs 29.75-crore fraud against Punjab National Bank, an official said on Thursday. The ED has restored properties valued at Rs 12.79 crore to Ashok Kumar Gupta, the liquidator of M/s Dynamic Shells (India) Private Limited, in a bank fraud case of Dynamic Shells (India) Private Limited & others, said the official.The ED initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR N…

Rajnath Singh hails Operation Sindoor as symbol of new-age warfare, self-reliance

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New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in his ‘Sandesh to Soldiers’ on the eve of India’s 79th Independence Day, hailed Operation Sindoor as a “balanced military response” and a testament to the nation’s shift towards modern, self-reliant defence capabilities. Singh said the operation, conducted under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, was a “shining example of precise and successful military strategy,” integrating drone warfare, layered air defence, e…

Access to basic facilities like tap water a right of citizens: President

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New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) In her address to the nation ahead of the 79th Independence Day, President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday showcased one of the government’s flagship schemes Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), highlighting that access to basic facilities is the right of citizens.Referring to the change brought about in the lives of millions of people under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), a major initiative to improve the quality of life in cities.Launched on June 25, …

NIA court in Mumbai sentences three accused to rigorous imprisonment in Sahar fake currency case

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New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Mumbai has convicted three accused and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment (RI) in the 2020 Sahar fake currency case involving smuggling of high-quality counterfeit notes from Malaysia into India.Danish Haji Mohammed Petiwala and Sarasvati Dattaram alias Muskan have been sentenced to five years, six months and two days of RI and a fine of Rs 6,000 each.J Kaleel Rahman will undergo RI of five years, five months and …

NIA files charge sheet in cyber terrorism case

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New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet before the NIA Special Court, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, against accused Jasim Shahnawaz Ansari in RC-01/2025/NIA/AMD, a case relating to acts of cyber terrorism through Denial of Service (DoS) attacks on websites of critical government infrastructure. The case was initially registered by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Gujarat, after uncovering a conspiracy between a Juvenile in Conflict with Law (JCL) and the ac…