The Qatar Credit Bureau (CB) has announced the launch of its five-year strategy aimed at enhancing and advancing its services to keep abreast with global changes. The strategy seeks to create a healthy and sustainable credit environment that fosters trust in the State of Qatar's credit sector. The strategy aims to expand the Qatar Credit Bureau's credit database by including new sectors. Currently, the database encompasses 32 sectors, such as banks, finance companies, telecom companies, and automotive companies. It will now be expanded to include insurance companies, increasing the total number of regulated sectors. The bureau stated that its five-year strategy will leverage big data and artificial intelligence technologies to develop innovative products. These products will help credit providers make more accurate credit decisions, fostering greater transparency and mitigating credit risks. The bureau also reaffirmed its commitment to raising public awareness about the importance of maintaining a good credit record. Through its awareness initiatives, the bureau aims to guide individuals toward improved financial management and achieve financial stability that benefits all. These initiatives align with the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to build a strong and sustainable economy and reinforce Qatars position in the global economic arena. This expansion will provide a comprehensive and accurate picture of the countrys credit landscape, enabling credit providers to confidently offer their services to customers with a clearer understanding of risk levels and market-specific offers. As part of the bureau's steps towards digital transformation, the focus will be on enhancing the electronic services portal and mobile applications. This will make it easier for customers to access the bureaus services quickly and conveniently, 24/7. This shift aligns with the bureau's commitment to delivering modern services that support the Third Financial Sector Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030. Both initiatives aim to achieve comprehensive technological advancements that meet beneficiaries' needs and support sustainable economic development. ( Related Story Artists highlight importance of art workshops in developing talents Qatar embassy reopens in Damascus with flag raising
A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House saysManchester City's nightmare seasons shows no signs of slowing down following their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. The loss left the Citizens in seventh place with 27 points , 12 fewer than first-placed Liverpool, who have played a game fewer than the champions. Guardiola's side are also at risk of elimination from the Champions League given they are 22nd in the table with eight points and occupy the third-last round of 16 playoff spot. To add to this, Football Insider now claim that Haaland is laying the groundwork to leave the club, with the 24-year-old reportedly moaning in the dressing room at his team's form this campaign. © Imago The Norwegian has scored 13 times in the Premier League this season and has netted his side's opening goal on eight occasions, with defender Josko Gvardiol City's next highest scorer having found the back of the net four times. Haaland broke the record for most goals in a single Premier League season in 2022-23 when he scored 36 times, surpassing Andy Cole and Alan Shearer , who netted 34 each in 1993-94 and 1994-95 respectively. The striker has averaged exactly one goal per 90 in the top flight, as well as 1.18 assists per 90, and only needs to score 24 more times in the league to reach a century of goals in the England's premier division. In his first five league matches of 2024-25, Haaland found the back of the net on 10 occasions, scoring hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United. However, he only scored three goals in his subsequent 12 Premier League fixtures, blanking nine times and producing just one assist in that period. © Imago One of the criticisms of Haaland since joining City has been his relatively limited impact on games when he does not score. The 24-year-old has averaged under 20 touches of the ball per 90 in the league this term, whereas Liverpool striker Diogo Jota has averaged just under 35 touches per 90. While it is difficult to expect Haaland to become more involved in build-up play considering he has proven how deadly he can be on the last line of an opposition's defence, he has stood out for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks. Guardiola has defended his striker this season, telling Spanish media: "Erling is so important for us, will be important for us and we need to use him better." Given the striker's track record at City, it would not be surprising if Haaland was to get back on the scoresheet more regularly, but fans will hope that Guardiola can convince him to stay despite the team's overall struggles.Shares of Kovitz Core Equity ETF ( NYSEARCA:EQTY – Get Free Report ) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 79,605 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 62% from the previous session’s volume of 49,051 shares.The stock last traded at $23.99 and had previously closed at $24.26. Kovitz Core Equity ETF Stock Down 1.2 % The stock’s fifty day moving average is $24.10 and its 200-day moving average is $22.91. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36 and a beta of 1.00. Kovitz Core Equity ETF Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) The Kovitz Core Equity ETF (EQTY) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund is a narrow, core equity portfolio of companies believed by the adviser to be high quality and undervalued. The actively managed fund invests in large- and mid-cap companies around the globe. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Kovitz Core Equity ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kovitz Core Equity ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
President Asif Ali Zardari addressed the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on the occasion of 17th Death Anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto here on Friday, emphasizing the party’s commitment to the people and the country. He stated that if there is any superpower, Pakistan also has its own superpower, which is the power of its people. President highlighted the party’s achievements, including the reversal of the verdict against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto 45 years after his execution. He reiterated the party’s loyalty to the people, the federation, and Pakistan, emphasizing the need to protect the country. The president assured the nation that despite challenges, the party is committed to resolving issues and ensuring the provision of basic necessities like water and gas. He promised that the rights of all provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab, and Sindh, will be protected. He also expressed his optimism about the country’s future, stating that modern advancements will benefit humanity and, by extension, Pakistan. He urged the people not to worry, as the party will provide good news and ensure the country’s stability. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Raja Pervaiz Asharaf highlighted the accomplishments of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) during PPP’s tenure 2008. He praised the party’s leadership, particularly President Asif Ali Zardari, for taking charge of the government amidst numerous economic and employment challenges. Addressing the 17th Death Anniversary of Benazir Bhutto at Garhi Khuda Bux on Friday, he noted that Asif Ali Zardari’s presidency was marked by several significant achievements, including the transfer of presidential powers to the parliament, the launch of the Benazir Income Support Program, and the recognition of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan as separate entities. He said that the President Asif Ali Zardari also apologized to the people of Balochistan and worked towards the prosperity of Punjab and Sindh. Ashraf emphasized that Zardari’s leadership during a critical period in Pakistan’s history, symbolized by his slogan “Pakistan Khappay,” helped save the federation. He concluded that the PPP’s mission has always been to uphold Pakistan’s greatness, and the party’s widespread presence and strength are a testament to its enduring legacy. CM Sindh Murad Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah paid tribute to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on the 17th anniversary of her assassination, remembering her as a courageous champion of democracy and the marginalized. Murad Shah lauded Bhutto as the Islamic world’s first female Prime Minister, praising her unwavering stance against terrorism and dictatorship. He described her as a symbol of the federation and a tireless advocate for farmers, labourers, and the middle class, stating that her political legacy focused on improving the lives of Pakistan’s most vulnerable citizens. The CM highlighted Bhutto’s two terms in office, emphasising the positive impact on the lives of the underprivileged. He drew parallels between her bravery and that of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, stressing her commitment to democracy even in the face of death. Shah condemned her assassination as a tragic attempt to undermine Pakistan’s progress and extinguish the hopes of its impoverished population. However, he affirmed that her mission continues through Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who, he said, carries on her fight for social justice. The Sindh government, Murad Shah declared remains dedicated to realising Bhutto’s vision of a prosperous and equitable society. Solemn ceremonies across Sindh marked the anniversary, reflecting the enduring legacy of a leader who gave her life for democracy and social justice.Torex Gold Resources Inc. (OTCMKTS:TORXF) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest
US, South Korea Conducting Joint Research To Block North Korean Crypto HeistsHyderabad: The schedule for JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) Advanced, which is set to be conducted on May 18, 2025, has been released on its website, https://jeeadv.ac.in/ . Candidates who have secured the top 2.5 lakh rank in JEE Mains 2025 paper – I for BE/BTech are eligible for the exam. This applies across all categories. In Telangana, 13 centers have been provided for writing the JEE advance examination. These include Adilabad, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kodad, Kothagudem, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Sathupally, Siddipet, Suryapet and Warangal. The organising institute, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur will commence the registration process from April 23 to May 2. Eligible candidates should pay the exam fees by May 5 till 5 pm. The registration fee for females, Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and persons with disabilities (PwD) candidates is Rs 1600. For other candidates, it is Rs 3200. The entrance exam for admission into the IITs will be conducted in two sessions. Paper 1 will be conducted from 9 am to 12 noon, and Paper 2 from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Eligible candidates can download admit cards from May 11 to May 18 between 10:00 am and 2:30 pm. The age criteria for the exam include candidates born on or after October 1, 2000. However, candidates from SC, ST, and PwD categories have a five-year relaxation, born on October 1, 1995.
By Will Dunham, Reuters Jimmy Carter, the earnest Georgia peanut farmer who as US president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, has died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Monday, the Carter Centre said. He was 100 . "My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love," said Chip Carter, the former president's son. "My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs." A Democrat, he served as president from January 1977 to January 1981 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 US election. Carter was swept from office four years later in an electoral landslide as voters embraced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and California governor. Carter lived longer after his term in office than any other US president. Along the way, he earned a reputation as a better former president than he was a president - a status he readily acknowledged. His one-term presidency was marked by the highs of the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East. But it was dogged by an economy in recession, persistent unpopularity and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis that consumed his final 444 days in office. In recent years, Carter had experienced several health issues including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain. Carter decided to receive hospice care in February 2023 instead of undergoing additional medical intervention. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on 19 November, 2023, at age 96. He looked frail when he attended her memorial service and funeral in a wheelchair. Carter left office profoundly unpopular but worked energetically for decades on humanitarian causes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 in recognition of his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Carter had been a centrist as governor of Georgia with populist tendencies when he moved into the White House as the 39th US president. He was a Washington outsider at a time when America was still reeling from the Watergate scandal that led Republican Richard Nixon to resign as president in 1974 and elevated Ford from vice president. "I'm Jimmy Carter and I'm running for president. I will never lie to you," Carter promised with an ear-to-ear smile. Asked to assess his presidency, Carter said in a 1991 documentary: "The biggest failure we had was a political failure. I never was able to convince the American people that I was a forceful and strong leader." Despite his difficulties in office, Carter had few rivals for accomplishments as a former president. He gained global acclaim as a tireless human rights advocate, a voice for the disenfranchised and a leader in the fight against hunger and poverty, winning the respect that eluded him in the White House. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote human rights and resolve conflicts around the world, from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Bosnia and Haiti. His Carter Centre in Atlanta sent international election-monitoring delegations to polls around the world. A Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher since his teens, Carter brought a strong sense of morality to the presidency, speaking openly about his religious faith. He also sought to take some pomp out of an increasingly imperial presidency - walking, rather than riding in a limousine, in his 1977 inauguration parade. The Middle East was the focus of Carter's foreign policy. The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, based on the 1978 Camp David accords, ended a state of war between the two neighbours. Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for talks. Later, as the accords seemed to be unravelling, Carter saved the day by flying to Cairo and Jerusalem for personal shuttle diplomacy. The treaty provided for Israeli withdrawal from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and establishment of diplomatic relations. Begin and Sadat each won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. By the 1980 election, the overriding issues were double-digit inflation, interest rates that exceeded 20 percent and soaring gas prices, as well as the Iran hostage crisis that brought humiliation to America. These issues marred Carter's presidency and undermined his chances of winning a second term. Hostage crisis On 4 November, 1979, revolutionaries devoted to Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, seized the Americans present and demanded the return of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was backed by the United States and was being treated in a US hospital. The American public initially rallied behind Carter. But his support faded in April 1980 when a commando raid failed to rescue the hostages, with eight US soldiers killed in an aircraft accident in the Iranian desert. Carter's final ignominy was that Iran held the 52 hostages until minutes after Reagan took his oath of office on 20 January 1981, to replace Carter, then released the planes carrying them to freedom. In another crisis, Carter protested the former Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. He also asked the US Senate to defer consideration of a major nuclear arms accord with Moscow. Unswayed, the Soviets remained in Afghanistan for a decade. Carter won narrow Senate approval in 1978 of a treaty to transfer the Panama Canal to the control of Panama despite critics who argued the waterway was vital to American security. He also completed negotiations on full US ties with China. Carter created two new US Cabinet departments - education and energy. Amid high gas prices, he said America's "energy crisis" was "the moral equivalent of war" and urged the country to embrace conservation. "Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth," he told Americans in 1977. In 1979, Carter delivered what became known as his "malaise" speech to the nation, although he never used that word. "After listening to the American people I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America," he said in his televised address. "The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America." As president, the strait-laced Carter was embarrassed by the behaviour of his hard-drinking younger brother, Billy Carter, who had boasted: "I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer." 'There you go again' Jimmy Carter withstood a challenge from Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination but was politically diminished heading into his general election battle against a vigourous Republican adversary. Reagan, the conservative who projected an image of strength, kept Carter off balance during their debates before the November 1980 election. Reagan dismissively told Carter, "There you go again," when the Republican challenger felt the president had misrepresented Reagan's views during one debate. Carter lost the 1980 election to Reagan, who won 44 of the 50 states and amassed an Electoral College landslide. James Earl Carter Jr. was born on 1 October, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, one of four children of a farmer and shopkeeper. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, served in the nuclear submarine program and left to manage the family peanut farming business. He married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946, a union he called "the most important thing in my life." They had three sons and a daughter. Carter became a millionaire, a Georgia state legislator and Georgia's governor from 1971 to 1975. He mounted an underdog bid for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination, and out-hustled his rivals for the right to face Ford in the general election. With Walter Mondale as his vice presidential running mate, Carter was given a boost by a major Ford gaffe during one of their debates. Ford said that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration," despite decades of just such domination. Carter edged Ford in the election, even though Ford actually won more states - 27 to Carter's 23. Not all of Carter's post-presidential work was appreciated. Former President George W. Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, both Republicans, were said to have been displeased by Carter's freelance diplomacy in Iraq and elsewhere. In 2004, Carter called the Iraq war launched in 2003 by the younger Bush one of the most "gross and damaging mistakes our nation ever made." He called George W. Bush's administration "the worst in history" and said Vice President Dick Cheney was "a disaster for our country." In 2019, Carter questioned Republican Donald Trump's legitimacy as president, saying "he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf." Trump responded by calling Carter "a terrible president." Carter also made trips to communist North Korea. A 1994 visit defused a nuclear crisis, as President Kim Il Sung agreed to freeze his nuclear program in exchange for resumed dialogue with the United States. That led to a deal in which North Korea, in return for aid, promised not to restart its nuclear reactor or reprocess the plant's spent fuel. But Carter irked Democratic President Bill Clinton's administration by announcing the deal with North Korea's leader without first checking with Washington. In 2010, Carter won the release of an American sentenced to eight years hard labour for illegally entering North Korea. Carter wrote more than two dozen books, ranging from a presidential memoir to a children's book and poetry, as well as works about religious faith and diplomacy. His book "Faith: A Journey for All," was published in 2018. - Reuters
Photos: Remembering Jimmy Carter, the 39th US presidentWASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request after it experienced trouble with its flight operating system, or FOS. The airline blamed technology from one of its vendors. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
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MADRID (AP) — Spanish King Felipe VI used his traditional Christmas Eve speech to remember the victims of the catastrophic Valencia flash floods , and urged the country to remain calm while addressing hot-button issues such as immigration and housing affordability. In a pre-recorded speech that usually reviews the year's most relevant issues, Felipe said Spain “must never forget the pain and sadness" the floods caused. The Oct. 29 floods killed more than 225 people in eastern Spain, damaging countless homes and leaving graveyards of cars piled on top of each other. In some towns, the heavy downpours that caused the floods dropped as much as a year's worth of rain in just eight hours. In early November, as Spaniards' shock at the wreckage turned into frustration, a political blame game began, directed especially at regional authorities who failed to send timely emergency alerts to cell phones on the day of the floods. The frustration of residents in hard-hit Paiporta near Valencia was on display when people tossed mud and shouted insults at the king and government officials in early November when they made their first visit to the town. “We have seen — and understood — the frustration, the pain, the impatience, the demands for greater and more effective coordination," Felipe said about how the disaster was managed. He also addressed the country's housing crunch and high rents, which have become a leading concern in the southern European country that is the eurozone's fourth-largest economy. Fast-rising rents are especially acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Felipe urged that “all the actors involved reflect” and "listen to each other” so that they facilitate bringing access to housing under “affordable conditions.” Spain's immigration debate should keep in mind the country's European partners and immigrants' countries of origin, Felipe said, warning that “the way in which we are able to address immigration ... will say a lot in the future about our principles and the quality of our democracy.” Felipe said Spain needed to remain calm in the public sphere, even in the face of a “sometimes thunderous” contest in its politics.It was a huge year for the business of sport, with Caitlin Clark and the WNBA leading the charge in a game-changing year for women’s basketball. She’s not alone but she is clearly the poster child for the new economic reality for women’s team sports. Clark is making everyone around her wealthier. Explosive growth in media rights fees and overall revenues reaching the stage where several North American pro sports teams posted more than 30 per cent increases in franchise valuation, year-over-year. The television juggernaut that is the National Football League — which we’ve dubbed the new social network — closes out 2024 with an average franchise value of US$5.7 billion according to Forbes magazine. When your weakest links are still worth $4 billion and have grown by about 70 per cent since the pandemic, there’s no one to feel sorry for. That’s especially true when recent streaming deals will only drive more NFL revenue and audience in the years to come. Amazon Prime paid $100 million for the Black Friday stream last month while Netflix offered up $150 million for the NFL Christmas Day doubleheader that averaged 24 million, peaked at 27 million for a Beyonce half-time show and rallied more than 65 million unique viewers for at least part of the two games played on Wednesday of this week. Also having bullish years in 2024: Alternate telecasts, stadium design, podcasts and collectibles. More to come on those fronts in 2025. It was already an historically bad year for the Chicago White Sox, the Major League Baseball franchise that set an all-time mark for futility despite having the advantages of operating in the third largest market in the U.S. Yet leave it to the Chicago Bears of the NFL to give them a run for the money as one of the biggest losers in the business of sport this year. The Bears (6-3 losers to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football this week) have now lost a record 10 straight games after starting the season at 4-2. Outside of deep playoff runs by the New York Yankees, New York Mets and New York Red Bulls, the Big Apple has been largely rotten in 2024. The biggest media market in North America has not one but two also-rans in the NFL (the 2-13 Giants in the NFC and the 4-11 Jets in the AFC), not to mention the New York Rangers, who are an absolute mess at the Christmas break despite being the second-richest franchise in the NHL according to both Forbes and Sportico. Meanwhile, the Oakland Athletics are no more after one of the messiest and protracted break ups in North American team sport. After more than two decades of on-again, off-again talks about a new stadium in Oakland finally collapsed, the Athletics will play in Sacramento for three seasons while they work with Las Vegas stakeholders to fund and construct a new ballpark at the site of the Tropicana Hotel. Once one of the most storied blue collar sport markets in North America, Oakland is now a shell of its former self, with the Golden State Warriors of the NBA now playing at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the Oakland Raiders in Las Vegas and the old California Seals long ago morphed into the Cleveland Barons, merged with the Minnesota North Stars and ultimately relocated to Dallas in 1993. Tom Mayenknecht is the host of The Sport Market on Sportsnet 650 on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Vancouver-based sport business commentator and principal in Emblematica Brand Builders provides a behind-the-scenes look at the sport business stories that matter most to fans. Follow Mayenknecht at: x.com/TheSportMarket .NEW DELHI: Former PM Manmohan Singh will be cremated with full state honours at Nigambodh Ghat here on the banks of Yamuna Saturday. The announcement by the home ministry triggered a controversy, with Congress saying govt did not heed its request to hold his last rites at a befitting place that could be built into a memorial to him. Congress termed the decision "a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India". The govt said it received a request from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the morning "to allocate space for a memorial" for Singh. In a press release, the home ministry said immediately after the Cabinet meeting, home minister Amit Shah communicated to Kharge "and the family of Late Dr Manmohan Singh that the government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meanwhile cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it." Kharge spoke to the PM and later followed it up with a letter. Govt sources said during separate conversations with the PM and Shah, Kharge "appreciated" the point of view that a memorial site cannot be identified immediately, but Congress later chose to make charges against govt. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a late-evening statement said, "The people of our country are simply unable to understand why govt of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades." In his letter to Modi, Kharge demanded that Singh's last rites be conducted at a place where a memorial can be built. "I also wrote to the home minister," Kharge told the Congress Working Committee that met to pay homage to Singh. Cremation site not befitting stature of ex-PM, says Cong When Kharge explained the demand and his communication with Modi to CWC, sources said a member of the Gandhi family even suggested that the cremation could be done at Shakti Sthal or Veer Bhumi - the resting places of former PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Sources said Kharge informed that the PM had referred the matter to the home minister and the message was that the issue would be looked into later. However, a govt announcement for cremation at Nigambodh Ghat later in the evening left Congress agitated, with the party viewing the decision to cremate Singh at a place where no former PM has been cremated as not befitting his stature. Govt sources said Congress was making false allegations. "Both PM and Shah explained the issue in detail to Congress president and emphasised that govt was one with Congress and all others on building a proper memorial for former PM Singh," a source said. Meanwhile, Sukhbir Singh Badal of SAD claimed that the Union govt had "declined the request Dr Manmohan Singh Ji's family for performing the funeral and last rites at a place where an appropriate and historic memorial may be built to commemorate his unparalleled services to the nation". He added, "This place should be Rajghat... in keeping with the settled practice and tradition followed in the past." The Union cabinet earlier in the day decided that Singh will be accorded a state funeral on Saturday at 11.45am and a half-day holiday declared in all central govt offices and central PSUs. The home ministry said the defence ministry would make arrangements for the state funeral with full military honours. Sources said going by the decision taken by the Manmohan Singh govt in 2013, the memorial of the former PM would be built at 'Rashtriya Smriti', at the Samadhis Complex on the Yamuna bank near Rajghat where the memorial of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other former presidents and PMs have come up. An official statement issued at the time had mentioned that separate memorials constructed earlier for departed national political heads near Rajghat took up large space. "In view of cabinet decision taken in the year 2000 that 'henceforth govt shall not develop any Samadhi for departed leaders' and the paucity of land at the Samadhis complex area, 'Rashtriya Smriti' is being developed to perform last rites of departed national political heads . The Smriti area will provide space for last rites of departed national political heads in future, besides space for a public gathering," it had said. Barring four - Morarji Desai, Gulzarilal Nanda who twice served as interim PM, P V Narasimha Rao and V P Singh - all PMs have been cremated in the Capital. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .