India

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Boeing has received a licence from the U.S. government to offer its F-15EX fighter jet to the Indian air force, a senior executive said on Thursday.

Boeing will compete with Sweden’s Gripen and France’s Rafale among others for the Indian air force’s plan to buy 114 multi-role aircraft to replace its Soviet-era fleet.

Ankur Kanaglekar, director, India Fighters Lead, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, told reporters discussions on the F-15EX had taken place earlier between the two governments.

Chandigarh, Jan 28 (PTI) Actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who has been accused by farm bodies of trying to defame their agitation and termed a "traitor", has hit out at farm leaders for allegedly spreading false propaganda and hatred against him.

The 36-year-old Sidhu, who is in the eye of a storm for being among the protesters who put up a religious flag atop the Red Fort on Republic Day, claimed that youth did not agree to follow the route which was decided by farmer leaders and the Delhi Police.

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) Investors' wealth eroded by more than Rs 8 lakh crore in four consecutive sessions of stock market loss.

Recordings its fourth straight session of loss on Wednesday, the Sensex tumbled 937.66 points or 1.94 per cent to close at 47,409.93. In the four straight sessions, the benchmark has fallen by 2,382.19 points or 4.78 per cent.

Kokrajhar (Assam), Jan 27 (PTI) A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered on Wednesday from Kokrajhar district, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, security personnel recovered the arms and ammunition from Lauti area near the India-Bhutan border, Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police Rakesh Raushan said.

A team, led by Additional Superintendent of Police Mukut Rabha, recovered 51 live ammunition of AK-47 series rifles, one AK-56 rifle, one AK-47 rifle, three AK magazines and one pistol along with a magazine.

Raebareli, Jan 27 (PTI) UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu on Wednesday accused the BJP of duping common men to benefit capitalists.

Lallu made the allegation while addressing a gathering here in Harchandpur block as a part of the 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyaan', a campaign aimed at strengthening the party.

Dewas (MP), Jan 27 (PTI) A 48-year-old man claiming to be a farmer attempted self-immolation at a meeting addressed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Wednesday, police said.

The incident triggered panic at the meeting, but police personnel immediately took the man into custody, before he could light a match after pouring kerosene on himself, an official said.

The man was rushed to a hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment, he added.

Chandigarh, Jan 27 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday condemned the Republic Day violence in Delhi, saying the country can prosper only through perseverance of atmosphere of peace and communal harmony.

Party leader Bikram Singh Majithia also sought an international inquiry into the manner in which a few self-styled leaders allegedly incited violence under the garb of farmers tractor parade held on Tuesday to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal the three new agriculture laws.

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The Red Fort will remain closed for visitors from January 27 to January 31, according to an order issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

While the order does not mention the reason behind the closure, it refers to earlier orders of January 6 and January 18 whereby the iconic monument was closed from January 19 to January 22 due to a bird flu alert.

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) A third batch of three Rafale fighter jets landed in India on Wednesday evening after flying non-stop from France, in a further boost to the strike capability of the Indian Air Force when India and China are engaged in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

With the arrival of the new batch, the number of the Rafale aircraft has increased to 11.

New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Delhi border points remained under heavy police deployment on Thursday in the aftermath of the violence that broke out during farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Republic Day, officials said.

Security personnel have also been deployed at the Red Fort, they said.