NEWS

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has now registered a criminal case of money-laundering against AirAsia officials and others after the CBI for allegedly trying to manipulate government policies through corrupt means to get international licence for its Indian venture AirAsia India Limited.

The central probe agency, they said, has pressed sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe if alleged tainted funds were used to create illegal assets and it has taken cognisance of the CBI FIR to lodge its own case.

New Delhi:ICICI Bank said on Wednesday that it would institute an independent probe headed by a credible entity to look into allegations that its MD and CEO ChandaKochhar had breached its code of conduct.The issue relates to the lender extending loans to Videocon Group, which had business ties with NuPower Renewables, a firm promoted by Kochhar’s husband DeepakKochhar.

The bank, through an update to the exchanges, said its board has asked its audit committee to “appoint the head of enquiry, determine the terms of reference and the period covered”. ICICI’s audit panel will help the head of probe with independent legal and other professional support. On May 24, Sebi sent a notice to the bank and ChandaKochhar in this regard. The markets regulator thinks some matters relating to the dealings between the bank’s MD, her husband and Videocon were not disclosed to the board, and so the enquiries.

New Delhi: In a significant move, India and Indonesia have decided to develop a naval port in Sabang, a strategic location on the tip of Sumatra island and at the entrance of Malacca Straits. The move, which comes at a time when China is expanding its maritime footprint in the region, was the most significant decision among a series of other pacts the two sides signed after talks between Prime Minister NarendraModi and President JokoWidodo during the PM’s first visit to Indonesia.

The two countries also agreed to step up defence and maritime cooperation, with both countries agreeing to align their national maritime policies — India’s Indo-Pacific policy with Indonesia’s policy of ‘global maritime fulcrum’. Modi announced a 30-day free visa for Indonesian citizens and invited the diaspora to travel to their country of origin to experience the ‘New India’.

New Delhi:Former President Pranab Mukherjee decided to attend the RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh(RSS) event in Nagpur after Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat personally invited him. Mukherjee as a Presidentinvited Bhagwat twice and the RSS chief accepted both times. This time, he possibly felt that the gesture should be reciprocated, one of his associates said, asking not to be identified.

“Apart from Bhagwat meeting Mukherjee at RashtrapatiBhavan, two senior RSS functionaries from Nagpur went all the way to Miriti in West Bengal’s Birbhum district to celebrate Durga puja with him in 2016,” added another associate on condition of anonymity.