Latest news today (February 9): Presenting FE’s Breaking News today. We will keep you updated on all major news, views and much more throughout the day.
Journalist Nikhil Wagle's car was reportedly attacked by BJP workers in Pune while he was on his way to an event. The incident occurred as a protest against his comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and LK Advani after Advani received the Bharat Ratna award.
An 18-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide in a college in Virar in Palghar district on Friday while Class XII practical exams were underway, a police official said. Sumitkumar Saroj jumped off the seventh floor of the college at 3pm and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the Virar police station official said.
NCP MP Supriya Sule on Friday alleged that apps like Google Pay and Phone Pe are "two ticking time bombs" and sought to know what steps the government is taking to check money laundering. Participating in a discussion on 'The White Paper on Indian economy' in Lok Sabha, Sule said whatever happened in Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) is "very alarming" and is almost like money laundering. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last month directed PPBL to stop accepting deposits or top-ups in customer accounts, wallets, FASTags and other instruments after February 29. (PTI)
Miss World, the prestigious beauty pageant, is coming to India from February 18 to March 9, marking its return after almost thirty years. The event will start with "The Opening Ceremony" and "India Welcomes the World Gala" in New Delhi on February 20, hosted by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).
Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who is chief of Ittehad-e-Millat Council, Bareilly Sharif, has been detained by the police. The development comes after he had given a call for 'Jail Bharo' over Gyanvapi matter.
Prince Harry has resolved the remainder of his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers concerning phone-hacking and other unlawful activities. His lawyer informed London's High Court on Friday that the publisher has agreed to pay significant damages and cover his legal costs.
The resolution follows a December ruling by the High Court, which concluded that Prince Harry had been subjected to unlawful information gathering, including phone-hacking, by journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People tabloids, with the knowledge of their editors.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said that violence in Uttrakhand’s Haldwani as a “conspiracy” and called for stringent action against the perpetrators. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harnath Yadav said, “The incident in Haldwani is a conspiracy. Bombs, country pistols, and other weapons were used, and government officials and police were attacked. There should be an order to shoot rioters on sight…There is no need to be lenient with them.” (Read More)
Polish farmers blocked roads nationwide and at border crossings with Ukraine on Friday, kicking off a month-long general strike to protest against EU policies and a lack of government action to protect their livelihoods. Farmers in France, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, Spain and Germany have been protesting against constraints placed on them by EU measures to tackle climate change, as well as rising costs and what they say is unfair competition from abroad. (Reuters)
Following the announcement of conferring the Bharat Ratna award to Chaudhary Charan Singh, his grandson and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary said that it was an “emotional moment” for him. (Read More)
Zydus Lifesciences reported a bigger-than-expected rise in third-quarter profit on Friday, driven by strong sales in its domestic and overseas markets. Consolidated net profit for the company rose 27% to 7.90 billion rupees (about $95 million) for the three months ended Dec. 31, beating analysts' average estimate of 6.83 billion rupees, as per LSEG data. Separately, Zydus Lifesciences approved the buyback of shares worth six billion rupees via tender offer route at a price of 1,005 rupees, a 25% premium to its closing price on Thursday. (Read More)
Chaudhary Charan Singh, PV Narasimha Rao and MS Swaminathan to be conferred Bharat Ratna. (Read More)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that the government has presented a "White Paper" on the Indian Economy, marking a significant milestone after a decade of efforts to elevate it from a fragile state to one of the top five economies. She emphasized that this statement reflects a sense of responsibility. (Read More)
On Friday, the renowned actor Amitabh Bachchan visited the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. A video circulating on the internet shows him leaving the temple premises under tight security. He was attired in a white kurta pyjama for the occasion. The 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Lalla at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya took place on January 22. During this hour-long ritual, the Ram Lalla idol was unveiled in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the ceremony.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami presided over a high-level meeting with officials to assess the present situation in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani. He has directed authorities to take decisive action against those responsible for the recent violence and disturbances.
A Money Control report on Friday said that the income tax department is expected to issue demand notices totaling Rs 25,000 crore to several insurance companies by the end of March. These notices are related to higher commissions paid and deductions claimed by the companies for the period preceding April 1, 2023.
At least four people were killed and more than 100 people were injured as communal tensions escalated over the demolition of a madrasa and adjoining mosque in Uttarakhand’s Banbhoolpura area in the Haldwani district. (Read More)
Special Counsel Robert Hur has said that there will be no charges against President Joe Biden for the possession of classified documents upon leaving the vice presidency in 2017, a Reuters report says. Despite a 15-month investigation, Hur decided against pursuing criminal charges, citing Biden's cooperation and the challenge of securing a conviction. Hur described Biden as a "well-intentioned, older individual with memory challenges." The president swiftly responded to the decision, criticizing it as he campaigns for reelection.