Highlights: UK bans TikTok on govt devices due to security reasons, third to do so after US, EU

The owner of a coaching institute in UP's Ballia district has been booked under the POCSO Act for allegedly taking obscene videos and photographs of a 14-year-old girl and sharing them on social media, police said Thursday, reports PTI.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said that only 2.98 per cent of its overall ECIRs or complaints have been filed against serving or former MPs and MLAs even as its conviction rate under the anti-money laundering law is at a high of 96 per cent, PTI reported.

Leaders of several like-minded opposition parties met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday to coordinate their strategy in both houses, reported PTI.

Sources said the opposition MPs are likely to form a human chain around the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament House complex, sending out a message for "protecting democracy" in the country.

PM Narendra Modi holds a meeting with his top ministers including Rajnath Singh, Piyush Goyal, Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiu and Pralhad Joshi, in Parliament, reported ANI.

More than 700 COVID-19 cases were recorded in a day after a gap of over four months, taking the active caseload to 4,623, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit the Kermadec Islands region in New Zealand on Thursday at 06:25:58 IST, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), reported ANI.

"Earthquake of Magnitude: 6.8, occurred on 16-03-2023, 06:25:58 IST, Lat: -30.34 & Long: -175.17, Depth: 41 Km, Location: Kermadec Islands," NCS tweeted on Thursday.

Security deployed outside the Delhi residence of BRS MLC K Kavitha ahead of her questioning by Enforcement Directorate in the #Delhi excise policy case. (ANI)

Swami Govind Dev Giriji Maharaj of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra said 70% of the work of Ram temple is complete and by third week of January 2024, the idol of Lord Ram will be established and arrangements will be made for devotees to visit and offer prayers.

The poster war between Telangana's ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been stepped up a notch ahead of chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter and MLC K Kavitha's ED interrogation for the second time today. Read more

The nomination of Indian-American Ravi Chaudhary has been confirmed to become the Assistant Secretary of the US Air Force.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant launched Artificial Intelligence Driven Traffic Management and E-challan system in Goa yesterday.

Artificial Intelligence-based traffic signals launched in Goa to manage traffic & security. A total of 16 signals will be launched across Goa: CM Pramod Sawant. (ANI)

North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in a display of military might Thursday just hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan were to meet at a Tokyo summit expected to be overshadowed by North Korean nuclear threats. Read more

The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government has spent ₹130.59 crore in advertisements during the last two years, while his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal government spent ₹125.6 crore in its entire five year tenure, a minister said on Wednesday. Read more

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will meet representatives of protesting farmers at 3 pm today in Matralaya. 

Farmers have been protesting to highlight their issues and draw attention of the government towards their plight. 

The official Twitter account of Nepal PM has been compromised.

The Biden-Harris Administration is proposing to cut credit card late fees by up to 75% – keeping more money in Americans’ pockets.

Two Florida men were convicted Wednesday of storming the US Capitol during the January 2021 insurrection. (AFP)

A 26-year-old woman from Barmer arrested by the Special Operations Group, takes the total arrests in the case to 105.

New Zealand’s economy contracted by more than expected in the final three months of 2022, putting the nation on the brink of recession and sending the currency lower.

Gross domestic product fell 0.6% from the third quarter, when it gained a revised 1.7%, Statistics New Zealand said Thursday in Wellington. Economists forecast a 0.2% drop. From a year ago, the economy expanded 2.2%, compared to the median estimate of 3.3% growth. (Bloomberg)

The US has told the Chinese owners of the video-sharing app TikTok that they must sell their shares or risk the app being banned in the US, people familiar with the matter said.

The Treasury Department is leading the discussion though the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, and made the demand to Tiktok’s owner, ByteDance Ltd., recently, the people said. They asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. (AFP)