Delhi

NEW DELHI, Nov 22 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia’s national oil company, PETRONAS is accelerating efforts to strengthen its business footprint in India by providing more innovative, tailor-made solutions that add value to the country’s energy aspirations.

With more than 20 years of strategic partnerships covering six business segments in India, PETRONAS continues to support the country’s aspiration to grow sustainably by pushing the boundaries of its expertise and technological advancements.

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) India on Thursday asked Pakistan to repatriate two Indians arrested on charges of entering the country illegally, and hoped that they are not used for Pakistani propaganda.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the sudden arrest of Prashant Vaindam and Dhari Lal as reported by Pakistani media came as a surprise to India as Islamabad was informed months ago about their possible crossing over to that country inadvertently.

NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The United States will sell naval guns to India in a US$1 billion deal as American military exports witness rapid increase in their bilateral trade.

India has sought 13 MK45 naval guns and 3,500 D349 Projectile as part of the purchase that includes spare parts, personnel training and technical assistance, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) There is no proposal to make access to potable water a fundamental right, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Any such proposal is not under consideration of the government, the minister said during Question Hour.

He was replying to a question raised by BJP member Hema Malini.

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) Controversial BJP MP Pragya Thakur and three-time chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, who is detained under the stringent PSA, have been named to the 21-member joint consultative committee of parliament on defence.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be chairing the committee, which will comprise 12 members from Lok Sabha and 9 from Rajya Sabha.

Varanasi, Nov 21 (PTI) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday came out in support of the Muslim professor whose appointment at the Banaras Hindu University's Sanskrit department has triggered a row.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader defended the appointment.

"Our languages and culture are our speciality, our strength," the Congress leader tweeted.

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) The issue of monkey menace at religious places and in Lutyens Zone in the national capital was raised in Lok Sabha on Thursday by BJP MP Hema Malini.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the MP from Mathura, said monkey menace at religious places was a matter of concern and the government should do something about it.

"People in Vrindavan and Mathura in my constituency have been hit by the menace with monkeys snatching items from pilgrims," she said.

New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday told the Jammu and Kashmir administration that it will have to respond to each and every question raised on the restrictions imposed in the erstwhile state after the abrogation of Article 370.

A bench headed by Justice NV Ramana told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the administration, that petitioners challenging the restrictions have argued in detail and he will have to answer all questions.

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) WhatsApp has written to the government expressing "regret" over the Pegasus snooping row, and has assured that it is taking all security measures to address concerns, top government sources said.

The sources, who requested not to be named, said the government has asked WhatsApp to reinforce its security wall, and that no more breaches at the messaging platform will be tolerated.

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) The Cabinet on Wednesday approved sale of government's stake in five blue-chip PSUs, including Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), Shipping Corp of India (SCI) and Container Corp of India along with transfer of management control, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The government will sell its 53.29 per cent stake in BPCL after taking out Numaligarh refinery from its portfolio, she told reporters here.