Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said India and the US are in an "advance stage" of dialogue to resolve some of the pressing trade issues.

He said that both the countries can expand their trade relations which in future may result in a preferential or a free trade agreement.

"With the US, we are in an advance stage of dialogue to sort out some of the pressing issues," he said here.

Hyderabad, Jan 17 (PTI): Hitting out at the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat who said de-radicalisation camps are operating in the country, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has questioned who would deradicalise attackers of Muslims and Dalits.

Speaking at a public meeting at Adilabad on Thursday night, the Hyderabad MP said de-radicalisation is needed for those who lynch and kill innocent Dalits and Muslims.

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) The Union Home Ministry has convened a meeting on Friday to discuss the modalities for the 2020 Census and the National Population Register (NPR), officials said.

Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai will chair the meeting which will be attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Chief Secretary and Census Directors of all states.

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Some demonstrators were detained while protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens in Central Delhi's Turkman Gate on Thursday.

The protest started from Wednesday night.

Sara Javed Chawla, one of the protestors, said police detained some of the demonstrators on Thursday morning.

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) An event organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, which is seen to be sympathetic to Hindutva organisation RSS, in support of the CAA was disrupted by protestors here on Thursday.

Protestors raised slogans against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) while several 'Ulemas' (Muslim clergies) along with RSS functionary Indresh Kumar were present on the dais.

New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Hours after being released from Tihar Jail, Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekar Azad visited the historic Jama Masjid on Friday where he stayed for close to 40 minutes.

Swarmed by his supporters and locals, Azad, with his trademark blue 'safaa', read out the Preamble to the Constitution.

New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday rejected the mercy plea of Mukesh Singh, one of the four men convicted in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, sources said.

The rejection came soon after the Union Home Ministry forwarded the petition to the president on Friday morning.

"It's a very good thing. Our hopes have gone up after the disheartening news that the execution might be delayed," the young woman's father told PTI as news came in of the rejection.

New Delhi, Jan 15, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani will mark beginning of the end of the US presence in the region.

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV on Wednesday, he added that in 430 Indian cities, there were mourning processions, demonstrations against this action. The anger, the rage of the people of the region is something "we hope" will not lead to non-political consequences. There will surely be political consequences.

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The country's exports contracted for the fifth month in a row by 1.8 per cent in December 2019 to USD 27.36 billion, according to data released by the commerce ministry on Wednesday.

Imports too declined by 8.83 per cent USD 38.61 billion, bringing down the trade deficit to USD 11.25 billion during the month under review.

The trade deficit during December 2018 was USD 14.49 billion.

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and subject to the exigencies of government business, is likely to conclude on April 3 with a recess in between, an official communication said on Wednesday.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address a joint sitting of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the central hall of Parliament at 11 am on January 31.