New Delhi, Jan 9: Member of Parliament Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan attended a review meeting on foodgrain storage in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, focusing on existing infrastructure and future strategy.

A statement here said that the meeting was attended by representatives of the Food Corporation of India, the Central Warehousing Corporation, and the Principal Secretary of the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department of the UT administration.

At the outset, the MP was accorded a warm welcome and felicitated by senior officials of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration.

Discussions centred on the development and supply position of essential commodities in the islands, taking into account the region’s unique geographical and logistical challenges. Deliberations were held on strengthening existing storage facilities, enhancing future capacity, and ensuring the uninterrupted movement and availability of foodgrains across the islands.

During the interaction, the MP raised specific concerns regarding the rental expenditure incurred on private storage facilities. He sought detailed information on rent payments, outstanding dues and their overall financial implications, stressing the need for greater transparency, cost efficiency and the timely creation of permanent, scientific storage infrastructure to reduce dependence on private godowns.

The meeting also underscored the importance of strict quality control and regular inspections carried out by FCI through dedicated quality control teams to ensure that foodgrains supplied to the islands meet prescribed standards and remain safe for public consumption.

New Delhi, Jan 9: Massive crowds of protesters marched through Tehran and several other Iranian cities in what appears to be the largest show of opposition to the clerical establishment in years, reports BBC and other International media.  The protests marked the 12th consecutive day of unrest triggered by anger over the collapse of Iran’s currency, spreading to more than 100 cities across all 31 provinces. Human rights groups say dozens of protesters, including children, have been killed and thousands arrested, though casualty figures vary.

Protest demonstrations were also reported in the capital and in Mashhad on Thursday evening, with protesters chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and calling for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former shah, reports BBC.

Later, a monitoring group reported a nationwide internet blackout. Videos verified by BBC Persian showed large crowds chanting anti-government slogans in cities including Mashhad, Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz and Dezful, where security forces were seen opening fire. Exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi called the protests a nationwide demand for freedom and urged demonstrators to continue. Iranian state media played down the scale of the unrest, while authorities have not commented on the reported internet shutdown. The protests are the most widespread since the 2022 demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

New Delhi, Jan 09: Silver rebounded by Rs 6,500 to Rs 2,50,000 per kg in the national capital on Friday, while gold advanced to Rs 1,41,700 per 10 grams on renewed demand for the safe-haven asset amid global uncertainty, according to the All India Sarafa Association.

In the previous session, the white metal had tanked by Rs 12,500, or nearly 5 per cent, to Rs 2,43,500 per kilogram, due to profit booking by the traders. It had touched a record Rs 2,56,000 per kg on Wednesday.

Gold of 99.9 per cent purity jumped by Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,41,700 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes) compared to the previous close of Rs 1,40,500 per 10 grams.

“Gold advanced on Friday, buoyed by renewed haven demand and positive inflow from exchange-traded funds,” Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst – Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.

He noted that markets were weighing threats from US President Donald Trump against Iran, while traders also positioned themselves to hedge against key event risks and anticipated volatility ahead of US Supreme Court rulings on tariff decisions.

“These factors combined to strengthen hedging demand for gold, reinforcing its role as a preferred haven amid rising uncertainty,” Gandhi added.

However, an expert said that “if the court rules against the tariffs, concerns over an intensifying global trade war could ease, potentially limiting further upside in gold and silver prices in the near term.”

On the global front, spot gold was marginally trading higher at USD 4,479.38 per ounce while silver went up by USD 1.37, or 1.79 per cent, to USD 78.38 per ounce.

The white metal had plunged by USD 4.32, or 5.53 per cent, to hit an intraday low of USD 73.83 per ounce before settling at USD 76.92 per ounce in the international trade.

Kaynat Chainwala, AVP Commodity Research, Kotak Securities, said the safe-haven demand for gold and silver was supported by reports that US President Trump is considering imposing steep tariffs, potentially as high as 500 per cent, on countries that continue to buy Russian oil.

Meanwhile, US Senator Lindsey Graham said such sanctions would give Trump leverage over major buyers such as China, India, and Brazil, pressuring them to halt purchases of discounted Russian crude that helps finance the war in Ukraine.

Given the potential impact on key Russian energy customers, the move could escalate US-China trade tensions, thereby supporting the safe-haven appeal for bullion prices, Chainwala said.

Praveen Singh, Head of Commodities, Mirae Asset ShareKhan, said gold prices have held firm so far despite index rebalancing-led selling and encouraging US ISM services data.

New Delhi, Jan 09: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today inaugurated the National IED Data Management System (NIDMS) of the National Security Guard (NSG) in New Delhi through video conferencing. The event was attended by the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Director General of NSG, the Director Generals of Central Armed Police Forces, and the Director Generals of Police of various states.

Addressing the program, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in the last six years, significant work has been done to generate various types of data and collect it in a systematic manner. He said that NIDMS will prove to be extremely important in the coming days for the investigation of all types of terrorist incidents occurring in the country and for the analysis of their various aspects. Further, NIDMS will become the next-generation security shield against terrorism. Shah said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has generated various types of data in the past years, but until now they were in silos, i.e., separate from each other. Now, we are making efforts to connect all these data sources with one another and to develop an advanced Artificial Intelligence-based software for their analysis. He said that today’s launch of NIDMS will accelerate this process and prove to be an important milestone in the direction of making the country safe from terrorism.

Amit Shah said that with the NIDMS being launched today, a two-way comprehensive, integrated and online data platform will become available to NIA, Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) across the country, state police forces and all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). He said that data related to any explosion or IED incident occurring at any location can be included in this system. By utilising this data, necessary guidance can be obtained during investigations in every state. He said that NIDMS will prove extremely important in investigating terrorist activities, understanding trends in explosions, and formulating effective strategies against them.

Union Home Minister said that the database available with NSG contains data related to all bomb explosions from 1999 till now. He said that through NIDMS, this data will now be made available to police forces across the country and relevant agencies. NIDMS will become a robust platform for accurately analysing the patterns of bomb explosions that have occurred in the country so far, the modus operandi (MO), and the explosives used. Shah said that it will provide significant help in establishing inter-linkages between incidents—based on MO and circuit methods—as well as in understanding overall trends and insights.

Amit Shah said that NIDMS is a secure national digital platform through which accurate and organized analysis of bomb explosion-related incidents across the country can be conducted. This platform will strengthen the process of collecting, standardizing, integrating, and securely sharing IED-related data. He said that NIDMS will serve as a single-click access window for data scattered across different case files for investigation agencies and anti-terror organizations. This will enable immediate access to the data for central and state investigation agencies, anti-terrorism organizations, and all CAPFs. Shri Shah said that this platform will benefit the country’s internal security system in three major ways.

The Home Minister said that through ‘One Nation, One Data Repository’, the data scattered across different departments will now become available to every police unit as a national asset. This will bring about a very positive change in both the speed and quality of prosecution, and we will also be able to easily identify patterns. He said that understanding patterns will enable scientific evidence-based prosecution. Moreover, coordination between agencies will be established in a much better way. Shri Shah said that this will be an extremely important effort to deliver the right information to the right place at the right time.

Amit Shah said that NSG is a strong pillar of our country’s internal security. Due to the valour, unique skills and unwavering dedication of NSG personnel, our citizens are able to sleep peacefully. He said that whether it is responding accurately and swiftly to an attack anywhere, maintaining constant preparedness for anti-hijack operations, conducting bomb disposal operations, or facing any other challenge—in every field, NSG has not only delivered outstanding performance but has also achieved successful results every time.

Union Home Minister said that the NSG is a world-class and zero-error force of India. The NSG was established in 1984, and since then, irrespective of the nature of any incident, it has continuously analyzed terrorist incidents across the world and has kept itself fully prepared to deal with every type of situation. He said that counter-terrorism operations, anti-aircraft hijacking missions, advanced systems for bomb disposal, and now the creation of a platform to share its data with all agencies are all important responsibilities being carried out by the NSG. The Home Minister said that for their valour, NSG officers and commandos have been honoured many times at various levels. These include three Ashok Chakras, two Kirti Chakras, three Shaurya Chakras, 10 Police Medals, and 44 Sena Medals.

Amit Shah said that over these four decades, the NSG has continued the process of transforming itself in line with the constantly changing security landscape. NSG’s regional hubs operate from different parts of the country—Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. In addition, a new hub is also being set up in Ayodhya. This will significantly reduce the time taken by the NSG to reach any location. He said that after the Ayodhya hub becomes active—the NSG will be able to reach any corner of the country within one to one-and-a-half hours in an emergency. The Home Minister said that there are Special Action Groups in Delhi, which have been established as counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking groups. In a way, the NSG remains on its toes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the country has certainly benefited from this.

Union Home Minister said that nearly 100 per cent of the country’s police stations—around 17,741—are connected to CCTNS, making their online data available. ICJS-2 is emerging as a next-generation data-sharing system based on the concept of ‘One Data–One Entry’. He said that, in addition to data from about 22,000 courts, records of approximately 2 crore 20 lakh prisoners through e-Prisons, data of 2 crore prosecutions through e-Prosecution, results of 31 lakh  samples through e-Forensics, and records of 1 crore 21 lakh  fingerprints through NAFIS are now available at the click of a button. NIDMS will also be added to this system. The Home Minister said that with the help of AI, NIDMS will connect with other data sources to create a strong security grid in the country.