India, Italy To Elevate Ties To Strategic Partnership, Announces PM Modi

India and Italy have decided to elevate their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, opening a new chapter on defence cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday after holding comprehensive talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.

On a two-day state visit, her first after being elected as Prime Minister last year, Meloni also announced that Italy was joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative as the two nations celebrate the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations.

Addressing the media after wide-ranging talks with the visiting Italian Prime Minister, PM Modi said new opportunities were opening up in India in the sector of co-production and co-development, which can be beneficial for both countries.

PM Modi invited Italian defence companies to actively participate in the Make in India initiative.

"This year India and Italy are celebrating the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations. On this occasion, we have decided to elevate the India-Italy partnership to the status of a strategic partnership," PM Modi said with the Italian prime minister by his side.

PM Modi said the two countries have also decided to hold joint exercises and training courses between the armed forces of the two countries on a regular basis.

The two sides also agreed to work to counter irregular migration and human trafficking.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in the field of space and welcomed bilateral exchanges and took stock of the wide potential of possible joint research projects in areas such as remote sensing, satellite communication, lunar exploration, gravitational wave detection and practical applications of space technology between ISRO and ASI Italy.

"With the legacy issues behind us, the door is now open for industries to cooperate more strongly, particularly in the field of manufacturing, co-production, co-design and co-innovation," he said.

The ties between Italy and India had nosedived after New Delhi's move to jail two Italian marines for allegedly killing unarmed fishermen off the southern Indian coast in 2012 and the controversial deal to buy Agusta Westland helicopters for VVIPs.

Mr Kwatra said the two leaders stressed on the need to deepen cooperation in space, cyber and sea and agreed to work on identifying specific areas for strengthening ties.

India and Italy also signed a Declaration of Intent on migration and mobility, announced the establishment of a Start-up Bridge to tap, and inked a memorandum of understanding between Rabindra Bharti University, Kolkata and Italian Consulate General; and Morarji Desai Institute of Yoga and Sarva Yoga International, Italy.

He said India and Italy have been working shoulder-to-shoulder on issues such as terrorism and separatism.

"We held extensive discussions on further strengthening this cooperation," PM Modi said.

"We laid special emphasis on increasing cooperation in areas like renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, semiconductor, telecom and space," PM Modi said.

He also welcomed Italy's active participation in the Indo-Pacific.

"It is a matter of great pleasure that Italy has decided to join the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative. This will enable us to identify concrete themes for enhancing our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific," PM Modi said.

The two leaders also agreed to assess and address potential risks associated with virtual assets and new financial technologies that may be abused for the purpose of money laundering and financing terrorism.

They also agreed to take steps to ensure that such virtual assets are subject to Anti-Money Laundering/Countering Financing for Terrorism (AML/CFT) regulations.

Meloni also called on President Droupadi Murmu.

Earlier, Meloni was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as she arrived here on a state visit.

PM Modi welcomed Meloni at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where she was accorded a tri-services guard of honour. Meloni later offered tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

The Italian prime minister was received at the airport by Minister of State for Health Bharti Pawar.

The Italian prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and a high-powered business delegation.

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

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Gurugram Man Arrested For Abusing, Making Obscene Gestures At Woman: Cops

 A man was arrested for allegedly abusing and making obscene gestures at a woman after he hit her car from behind here on Wednesday, police said.

The man, who was identified as Ansal Dixit (24), a resident of Delhi's Vasant Kunj, allegedly also threatened to kill the woman, they said.

The woman, who works with a private bank, was headed to her office in her car with her driver when Dixit hit the vehicle from behind with his SUV at the Wazirabad traffic signal. Then, the accused stepped out of his car and started misbehaving with the complainant's driver, the police said.

When the woman objected to this, Dixit opened the woman's car door and made obscene gestures at her. He also abused her and threatened to kill her, they said.

The woman informed police on emergency number 112 and a police team reached the spot. Both the man and the woman were brought to Sector 53 police station, where she lodged a complaint, they added.

On the basis of the woman's complaint, an FIR was registered against Dixit under sections 341 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"We have arrested the accused and seized his car. We are questioning him," said Station House Officer, Sector 53 police station, Inspector Amit Kumar.

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

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Will End Loot If Party Comes To Power: Congress On Cooking Gas Price Hike

The Congress on Wednesday hit out at the government over the hike in price of LPG cylinders, saying if it comes to power at the Centre, it would end the "loot" by providing cylinders for domestic users under Rs 500.

Cooking gas LPG price on Wednesday was hiked by Rs 50 per cylinder -- the first increase in rates in almost eight months -- that came within days of end of polling in three northeastern states and was sharply criticised by the Opposition.

In Delhi, a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder now costs Rs 1,103, up from Rs 1,053, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the price of domestic cooking gas cylinder has been raised by Rs 50 and that of commercial gas cylinder by Rs 350 at a time when every person in the country is facing the brunt of high inflation.

"The public is asking - how to make Holi dishes now, for how long will these orders of loot continue? Every person is facing the brunt of back-breaking inflation implemented by (Narendra) Modi government," Mr Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in "mitra kaal" the pockets of the public are being cut and those of "friends" being filled.

Comparing the price of LPG cylinders during the Congress' tenure in 2014 and that of the BJP, he said while the price of a cylinder was Rs 410, the subsidy was of Rs 827, while under the BJP in 2023, the price of a LPG cylinder is Rs 1,103 and subsidy is nil.

"In the Congress era there was relief in the form of subsidy, during 'mitra kaal' only the pockets of the public are cut and the country's wealth is distributed to 'Mitra' (friends) in charity," Mr Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Party spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh said Prime Minister Modi has given a Holi "gift" to the people in the form of the LPG price hike.

If the Congress comes to power at the Centre, it would provide gas cylinders under Rs 500 on the lines of that provided by its government in Rajasthan, he said.

"If the Congress comes to power, the party pledges to provide domestic LPG cylinders at below Rs 500 as being provided by the Rajasthan government. PM Modi ji should draw lessons from the Congress government in Rajasthan and not loot the people of the country with high taxes," Mr Vallabh told reporters.

He added that any hike in prices has a cascading effect on all articles.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the BJP government has again increased the prices of cylinders and this time just before Holi.

"Since 2014, the government has raised the price of cylinders by 275 per cent. The cylinder was Rs 400 in the Congress government, the Congress government of Rajasthan is providing cylinders for Rs 500. The prime minister should tell, then why is your government looting the public like this," Priyanka Gandhi asked.

Senior Congress leader from Haryana Deepender Singh Hooda said instead of giving relief from inflation, this "arrogant government is inflicting economic pain on the common, poor and middle class at every step".

"When gas cylinder's cost was Rs 350 during the UPA government, BJP leaders had come on the streets with cylinders on their heads, their photos are still available on social media. Now even after the price of cylinder has crossed Rs 1,100, BJP leaders have gone on mute mode," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

He demanded the government withdraw the price hike immediately and said "when the Congress government comes to power, it will be ensured that (domestic) consumers do not have to pay more than Rs 500 for cooking gas (cylinder)".

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the steep hike in price of LPG cylinders shows the "anti-common people mindset" of the BJP government at the Centre.

"The income of common people is decreasing, they are not getting employment, their savings are getting exhausted and the government is imposing burden, so that no one can lead a happy life," Mr Warring said in a tweet in Hindi.

In the hike in prices, state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) said Rs 1,103 was the rate for a 14.2-kg non-subsidised LPG cylinder.

The government doesn't pay any subsidy to most non-Ujjwala users and this is the rate that they will have to pay for buying cooking gas refills.

The government pays Rs 200 per cylinder subsidy to the 9.58 crore poor who got free LPG connection under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. The effective price for them would be Rs 903 per cylinder.

State-owned fuel retailers are supposed to revise rates on a monthly basis in line with cost but they have not done so since 2020 and were in October last year given a one-time grant of Rs 22,000 crore to make up for losses they incurred between June 2020 and June 2022.

They last revised domestic LPG price on July 4 last year.

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

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"विस्तारित आश्रम फ्लाईओवर का जल्द ही होगा उद्घाटन": दिल्ली के सीएम अरविंद केजरीवाल

दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री अरविंद केजरीवाल ने बुधवार को कहा कि विस्तारित आश्रम फ्लाईओवर का उद्घाटन जल्द ही होगा. फ्लाईओवर का उद्घाटन 28 फरवरी को होना था. केजरीवाल ने संवाददाता सम्मेलन में उन दावों को खारिज किया कि फ्लाईओवर का उद्घाटन टलने का कारण दिल्ली के उपमुख्यमंत्री मनीष सिसोदिया की गिरफ्तारी है. उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘इसके उद्घाटन को सिसोदिया (गिरफ्तारी) के कारण नहीं टाला गया है. कुछ काम बाकी हैं जो तीन-चार दिन में पूरे हो जाएंगे.''

हालांकि, एक वरिष्ठ सरकारी अधिकारी ने पहले कहा था कि उद्घाटन को सिसोदिया की गिरफ्तारी के मद्देनजर स्थगित कर दिया गया. अधिकारी ने कहा था, “फ्लाईओवर एक्सटेंशन को मंगलवार को जनता के लिए खोला जाना था और मुख्यमंत्री कार्यालय से तारीख मिल गई थी. लेकिन हाल के घटनाक्रम के मद्देनजर अब हमें उनके कार्यालय से नई तारीख लेनी होगी. फ्लाईओवर के विस्तार का काम पूरा हो चुका है.''

गौरतलब है कि केंद्रीय अन्वेषण ब्यूरो (सीबीआई) ने वर्ष 2021-22 के लिए शराब नीति बनाने और उसे लागू करने में कथित भ्रष्टाचार को लेकर सिसोदिया को रविवार शाम गिरफ्तार किया था. यह नीति अब रद्द की जा चुकी है. सिसोदिया को मंगलवार को यहां की एक विशेष अदालत ने सीबीआई की पांच दिन की हिरासत में भेज दिया था. परियोजना को मंत्रिमंडल की मंजूरी मिलने के बाद जून, 2020 में फ्लाईओवर एक्सटेंशन का निर्माण कार्य शुरू हुआ था. परियोजना की कुल लागत 128.25 करोड़ रुपये है.

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• प्रधानमंत्री मोदी ने बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार को दी जन्मदिन की बधाई, कही ये बात
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"एकनाथ शिंदे मुख्यमंत्री नहीं बना पाते, अगर..." : सुप्रीम कोर्ट

उच्चतम न्यायालय ने बुधवार को कहा कि यदि विधानसभा अध्यक्ष को 39 विधायकों के खिलाफ लंबित अयोग्यता याचिकाओं पर फैसला करने से नहीं रोका जाता तो शिवसेना नेता एकनाथ शिंदे महाराष्ट्र के मुख्यमंत्री पद की शपथ नहीं ले पाते.

शिंदे धड़े ने शीर्ष अदालत को अवगत कराया कि यदि 39 विधायक विधानसभा से अयोग्य हो जाते, तो भी महा विकास आघाड़ी (एमवीए) सरकार गिर जाती, क्योंकि वह बहुमत खो चुकी थी और तत्कालीन मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव ठाकरे ने बहुमत परीक्षण से पहले इस्तीफा दे दिया था.

शिवसेना के उद्धव ठाकरे धड़े ने इससे पहले उच्चतम न्यायालय से कहा था कि महाराष्ट्र में एकनाथ शिंदे-नीत नयी सरकार का गठन सर्वोच्च अदालत के दो आदेशों का 'प्रत्यक्ष और अपरिहार्य नतीजा' था, जिसने राज्य के न्यायिक और विधायी अंगों के बीच 'सह-समानता और परस्पर संतुलन को बिगाड़ दिया.''

ठाकरे धड़े ने न्यायालय से कहा था कि इन आदेशों में 27 जून, 2022 को विधानसभा अध्यक्ष को अयोग्यता संबंधी लंबित याचिकाओं पर फैसला करने की अनुमति नहीं देना और 29 जून, 2022 के आदेश में विश्वास मत की अनुमति देना शामिल हैं.

प्रधान न्यायाधीश डी. वाई. चंद्रचूड़ की अध्यक्षता वाली पांच-न्यायाधीशों की संविधान पीठ ने शिंदे धड़े की ओर से पेश वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता नीरज किशन कौल से कहा, 'वे (उद्धव गुट) इस हद तक तो सही हैं कि एकनाथ शिंदे को मुख्यमंत्री के रूप में राज्यपाल द्वारा शपथ दिलाई गई थी और वह अपना बहुमत इसलिए साबित करने में सक्षम हो सके थे, क्योंकि शिंदे और अन्य विधायकों के खिलाफ अयोग्यता की कार्यवाही कर पाने में अध्यक्ष सक्षम नहीं थे.''

कौल ने कहा कि 29 जून, 2022 के ठीक बाद, ठाकरे ने इस्तीफा दे दिया था, क्योंकि उन्हें पता था कि उनके पास बहुमत नहीं है और पिछले साल चार जुलाई को हुए बहुमत परीक्षण में, उनके गठबंधन को केवल 99 वोट मिले थे, क्योंकि एमवीए के 13 विधायक मतदान से अनुपस्थित थे.

पिछले साल चार जुलाई को शिंदे ने राज्य विधानसभा में भाजपा और निर्दलीयों के समर्थन से बहुमत साबित किया था और 288 सदस्यीय सदन में 164 विधायकों ने विश्वास प्रस्ताव के पक्ष में मतदान किया था, जबकि 99 ने इसके विरोध में मतदान किया था.

सुनवाई बृहस्पतिवार को भी जारी रहेगी.

उच्चतम न्यायालय ने मंगलवार को शिंदे के नेतृत्व वाले धड़े से सवाल किया था कि क्या महा विकास आघाड़ी (एमवीए) में गठबंधन को जारी रखने की शिवसेना पार्टी की इच्छा के खिलाफ जाने का कदम ऐसी अनुशासनहीनता है, जिसके कारण उन्हें अयोग्य ठहराया जा सकता है.

शिंदे गुट ने अपने रुख का बचाव करते हुए कहा था कि विधायक दल मूल राजनीतिक दल का एक अभिन्न अंग है. उसने कहा था कि पार्टी द्वारा पिछले साल जून में दो व्हिप नियुक्त किए गए थे और उसने उस व्हिप के आदेश का पालन किया, जिसने कहा था कि वह राज्य में गठबंधन जारी नहीं रखना चाहता है.

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Daman Teen Dies By Suicide Just Before Class 12 Board Exam

Apparently facing academic stress, a student allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of a school hostel just before appearing for CBSE Class 12 board examination in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, police said on Wednesday.

Satyam Sharma, 18, a student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Daman town of the Union Territory, ended his life on Tuesday morning, Daman police station in-charge Vishal Patel said.

Preliminary investigation has revealed he took the extreme steps due to exam stress, he said.

The teenager was found hanging from the ceiling of the dormitory of his school hostel before he was to appear for his chemistry exam, Mr Patel said.

"He was to appear for CBSE Class 12 board exam for chemistry subject at a centre located at the Coast Guard school in Daman at 9 am on Tuesday. He, however, hanged himself from the ceiling using a nylon rope before the exam," the police official said.

The incident came to light when Sharma's friends started searching for him as they were getting ready to leave for the exam centre, he said.

"The school staff took him to Marwad government hospital where he was declared dead. As per preliminary investigation, the student was under stress due to the ongoing board examination, but the matter is being thoroughly investigated," he said.

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

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Supreme Court To Review Verdict Acquitting 3 In Delhi Rape Case

The Supreme Court is likely to consider on Thursday as many as five petitions seeking review of its verdict acquitting three death row convicts in the gangrape and murder case of a 19-year-old girl in Chhawla area in New Delhi in 2012.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi will decide by circulation in chambers the fate of the five review petitions at 1.50 PM on March 2.

According to the list of business uploaded on the Supreme court website, the review pleas are listed for consideration on Thursday.

The top court, on February 8, had agreed to constitute a three-judge bench to consider pleas for a review of its verdict acquitting the three death row convicts in the sensational case.

Besides the Delhi government, father of the victim, Uttrakhand Bachao Movement and Uttarakhand Lok Manch have sought the review of the judgement.

In 2012, the three accused had allegedly gangraped the girl, murdered her and mutilated her body with a screwdriver and other weapons. The trial court had awarded them death sentence and the high court upheld it in August 2014.

The Supreme court set aside the high court order and acquitted them of the offences in November last year, sparking a debate on the verdict.

Except the plea seeking review of a judgement awarding death penalty to a convict, such petitions are considered and decided in chambers.

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

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