Russia’s war planes joined forces with Turkish jets for the first time to target Islamic State militants holding the town of al-Bab in northern Syria.
Russia and Turkey are the main organisers of a new round of Syrian peace talks due to take place in Kazakhstan later this month and have set aside their differences over the political fate of President Bashar al-Assad to try to forge a wider Syria deal.
Liberation of East Mosul Announced
Iraqi forces have fully retaken east Mosul from the Islamic State group, three months after a huge offensive against the jihadist bastion was launched.
2016 was the hottest year on record, setting a new high for the third year in a row, with scientists firmly putting the blame on human activities that drive climate change.
The final data for 2016 was released by the three key agencies – the UK Met Office and NASA and NOAA in the US – and showed 16 of the 17 hottest years on record have been in this century.
Direct temperature measurements stretch back to 1880, but scientific research indicates the world was last this warm about 115,000 years ago and that the planet has not experienced such high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for 4m years.
Under the new tax evasion amnesty scheme, only unaccounted domestic cash holding can be declared through it and not jewellery, stocks, immovable property or overseas accounts.
As per the Central Board of Direct Taxes the scheme provides for only income represented in form of cash or deposit in an account can be declared.
Approval for Public Sector General Insurance Companies
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its in principle approval for listing of five public sector general insurance companies in the stock exchanges.
The five companies are New India Assurance, United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance, National Insurance and General Insurance.