NEWS

Former coal secretary HC Gupta has been convicted by a special court in Delhi on Friday in a coal scam case. The court also convicted then joint secretary KS Kropha, then director in the coal ministry KC Samaria and others while chartered accountant Amit Goel has been acquitted.
Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar also convicted the Coal Ministry’s then joint secretary KS Kropha and then director KC Samaria besides others. The case relates to alleged irregularities in the allocation of Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal block in Madhya Pradesh to KSSPL.

In Syria, more than 50 people are reported to have been killed in heavy fighting in Syria after so-called Islamic State launched an attack in Hama province. The militants targeted villages under government control, and clashed with the army and its militia allies. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said at least 15 of the dead were civilians.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a preliminary inquiry into the funding of Hurriyat leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Naeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Gazi Javed Baba and others. They are allegedly involvement in subversive activities and receiving funds from LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. 
The separatist leaders are also accused of damaging public property, stone pelting on the security forces, as also burning of schools and other government establishments. 

After a 30-year wait for new artillery guns since the Bofors scandal, the Indian Army has received the first two ultra light howitzers from the US. This is a part of an order for 145 long-range guns which will be mostly deployed on borders. The M-777 A-2 ultra-light howitzers, ULH, having a maximum range of 30 km were being taken to Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan for test firing.