09:27 JUST IN: Kim Jong-Un says North Korea in ‘final stages of test launching intercontinental ballistic missile’, reports AFP.
09:24 NRIs can exchange old notes up to June 30: RBI:
Reserve Bank of India came out with conditions for exchange of defunct notes for those, including non-resident Indians, who failed to do so till Friday, the last day for depositing the invalid currency notes in banks.
Resident Indian citizens who were abroad from November 9 to December 30 can avail this facility up to March 31, 2017 and NRI citizens, who were abroad during this period, can exchange their defunct notes up to June 30, 2017, RBI said in a late evening statement.
“While there is no monetary limit for exchange for the eligible resident Indians, the limit for NRIs will be as per the relevant FEMA Regulations (Rs 25,000 per person),” it said.
Citizens can avail this facility in their individual capacity once during the period on submission of ID documents, and on submission of documentary evidence showing they were abroad during the period and that they have not availed the exchange facility earlier, the RBI said.
The statement added that no third party tender will be accepted under the facility.
“Greetings on the start of 2017. May this year bring good health, happiness and prosperity in everyone’s lives,” he said in a tweet.
The deadlock in Northeastern state of Manipur continues as the economic blockade imposed on two of its lifeline national highways is set to enter its third month.
United Naga Council, an umbrella group of Nagas, had been imposing economic blockade on National Highways 2 and 37 since November 1 protesting against the state governments decision to create seven new districts.
The UNC has now decided to further intensify its protest and there appears no hope of any early diffusion of the crisis and lifting of the blockade. The decision was taken at a meeting of the council on Wednesday.
Due to the blockade, goods-carrying vehicles are unable to enter states Imphal Valley, resulting in extreme crisis of essential commodities, including fuel and medicines.
— Supratim Dey/Business Standard
08:32 ‘End of Demonetisation, start of DeModitisation’: Mamata slams PM’s address:
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deviating from the actual agenda of black money and asserted Indians will resolve to “deModitise” the nation.
“End of Demonetization & Start of DeModitization. The year 2017 will mark the year of Demoditization. This will be the New Year Resolution of all 125 crore people of this great country,” Banerjee tweeted after the PM’s address to the nation on Saturday evening in which he announced a slew of schemes to herald a prosperous 2017 for the urban and rural poor, farmers, small businessmen, senior citizens and pregnant women.
In a series of tweets, the Trinamool Congress supremo demanded the figures on recovery of black money.
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey,which has left dozens dead and many more wounded,”
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revellers, many of whom were celebrating New Year’s Eve,underscores the savagery of the attackers.”
07:55 Gun attack kills at least 35 at Istanbul nightclub:
Thirty-five people were killed and 40 wounded in an attack in a nightclub early Sunday as they were celebrating the new year, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said.
Sahin called the incident “a terror attack.”
The attacker, who has not yet been identified, opened fire inside the high-end Reina nightclub in the busy Besiktas neighborhood of Istanbul, according to Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.
The recent wave of terrorist attacks in Turkey have left many people wary.
Source: Rediff