Shares of HDFC advanced 3.13 per cent to Rs 2,470.85 on the BSE on Tuesday after the housing finance firm posted a strong December quarter result on Monday. The non-banking finance company (NBFC) reported a 219 per cent rise in profit before tax (PBT) at Rs 9,143 crore in the third quarter of the current financial year mainly aided by a one-time fair value gain of Rs 9,020 crore.

At 9:41 am, the stock was trading 2.47 per cent higher at Rs 2,454.9 apiece on the BSE, as against a 0.3 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. So far, over 2.36 million shares have changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE.

Shares of Adani Gas slipped 14 per cent to Rs 148 on the BSE in Friday's session on reports that Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board of India (PNGRB) has sent a notice to the company for failing to disclose crucial information regarding a scheme of arrangement with Adani Enterprises.

According to the report by TV channel CNBC Awaaz, Adani Gas has bid for gas projects using networth calculations of Adani Enterprises and that the company’s shareholding changes and restructuring violated city gas distribution regulations.

The Shiv Sena on Friday said there have been attempts to muzzle dissenting voices and this is one of the reasons for India slipping in the 2019 Democracy Index’s global ranking. An editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said a slowdown in economy gives rise to unrest and instability, and this was getting reflected in the prevailing situation in the country.

Now (after an economic slowdown) there is a slide in (India’s) global democracy index ranking, the Marathi daily said.

Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said Muslims in India are safer than most places in the world.

India is probably one of the most inclusive societies in the world, Goyal said here at a session on 'Strategic Outlook: India' at the WEF 2020.

A Delhi court judge who issued death warrants for all four convicts in Nirbhaya case has been transferred to the Supreme court registry.

Judge Satish Arora has been appointed as additional registrar in the Supreme Court on a deputation for a year.

Satish Arora had been hearing the petition of parents of Nirbhaya seeking to expedite the process of execution.

Clinical trials for a vaccine against the new virus sweeping China could be carried out in the summer, the head of an anti-epidemic coalition said on Thursday, as different companies announced research into the disease.

We can announce that we have three partnerships to develop vaccines against the novel coronavirus, Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said in Davos.

In another development in the Jamia violence, the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Delhi Police that is probing the incident has issued notices to three people including former Congress MLA Asif Muhammad Khan, local politician Ashu Khan and AISA activist from Jamia Chandan Kumar Singh. The violence took place in last month during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

All three have been summoned to join the probe at 11 am on Friday. They have been named in two FIRs registered after the violence.

The government on Thursday said one Indian nurse working in Saudi Arabia was found infected by novel coronavirus that has so far claimed 17 lives in China.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said Indian nurses were quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital in Saudi Arabia's Khamis Mushait city and after testing, one was found to be infected with the virus.

President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, will be on a state visit to India from January 24-27, and he will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26. This will be the first high-level visit of the year to India. Bolsonaro will be accompanied by 8 Ministers, 4 members of the Brazilian Parliament, senior officials and a large business delegation.

This is the third time that a Brazilian President will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade. The last time India had a Brazilian President as chief guest was in 2004.

A total of 10 cities in China's central Hubei province have suspended some public transportation over the coronavirus outbreak, the Hubei Daily reported on Friday.

Buses in cities of Chibi, Xiantao, Zhijiang, Qianjiang, Xianning, Huangshi and Enshi have suspended services.

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