Surging gold prices in India are keeping customs officials on their toes.

Illegal inflows have jumped after the Indian government increased import taxes in July and prices surged to record highs in September. Customs officials have arrested people for attempting to smuggle in gold by concealing it in bags, clothes and their rectums. On one flight alone, officials caught 30 passengers trying to smuggle in 7.5 kg of gold into Chennai.

Indian Railways passengers, commoners can now book tickets for visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. In a joint initiative by the national transporter and Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, help-desks are being opened at Varanasi Junction Railway Station, also known as Varanasi Cantt Railway Station (BSB). Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi officially launched the help-desk project at the station premises earlier this year.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said there should be an impartial inquiry into the encounter killings of the four men accused in the gangrape and murder of a veterinarian in Telangana.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde was hearing two public interest litigations seeking an independent probe into the deaths last week.

Shares of Manappuram Finance moved higher by 2 per cent to Rs 170 on Thursday, inching towards its all-time high level on the BSE. The stock of non-banking finance company (NBFC) was trading close to its record high of Rs 174 touched on November 4, 2019. It rallied 8 per cent in the past two trading days on the back of heavy delivery-based volumes.

Calendar year 2019 (CY19) has turned out to be a good year for those who invested in equities via the primary market route with most of the new listings outperforming the S&P Sensex. As many as 92 per cent of the stocks of companies that listed in 2019 are trading well above their issue price and have given a return of over 200 per cent.

Among individual stocks, investors in four new listed companies - Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), IndiaMART InterMESH, Affle (India) and Polycab India - have doubled their money post their stock debuted at the exchanges.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) moved the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, a day after it was passed in the Rajya Sabha completing the legislative process for giving Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Following the passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, protests have been intensified in north-eastern states including Assam.

Protests have turned violent in Assam as agitators took to streets setting ablaze vehicles, tyres and damaging other public properties.

Voting began for the third of the five-phase polling in 17 assembly constituencies of Jharkhand on Thursday.

The voting began at 7 am in all the 17 constituencies, amidst a tight security arrangement.

The goods and services tax (GST) rate on mobile phones and fabric may be hiked by the GST Council next week. This could be part of an exercise to correct the inverted tax structure and boost revenue collection.

The structure of higher tax rates on inputs than on final products is resulting in a huge input tax credit outgo. Other items which have seen an inverted duty structure include fabric bags, shoes, tractors etc.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with a 125-105 vote share, two days after it was passed in the Lok Sabha following a 12-hour long debate. The bill was tabled in the upper house of the Parliament.

125 votes fell in favour of the Bill, while 105 votes were against it. The controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, day after the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday midnight. The House began its discussions on the bill from 2 PM onwards.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.