New updates: Afghan Taliban hit 'several points' in Pakistan in retaliation for attacks

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Afghan Taliban hit ‘several points’ in Pakistan in retaliation for attacks. The attacks come days after the Taliban pledged retaliation for Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan.

  The final rites of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were performed at Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the site to offer his respects, as the ceremony is conducted with full state honors. He was accompanied by Union Ministers and prominent BJP leaders, such as Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and J.P. Nadda. Earlier in the day, Congress leaders, including President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi, paid their tributes at the Congress office.  The former PM breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He was the country's first Sikh prime minister. On Friday, President Joe Biden called him “a true statesman" and credited his strategic vision and political courage for the unprecedented level of bilateral cooperation.

 

Police in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag have deployed special assistance teams to provide immediate aid to vehicles affected by slippery roads and heavy snowfall. According to an official release, these teams have been deployed at key points throughout the district to provide timely relief and ensure the safety of commuters facing challenges due to adverse weather conditions.

 

A ninth US telecom firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official has said. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon.

7:53 PM

Delhi Police announces traffic arrangements for New Year eve celebrations

7:41 PM

UP CM Yogi Adityanath meets former President Ram Nath Kovind; Extends invitation for Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025

6:47 PM

Home Ministry deciding on dedicating a memorial to Manmohan Singh: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

4:27 PM

Afghan Taliban hit ‘several points’ in Pakistan in retaliation for attacks

The attacks come days after the Taliban pledged retaliation for Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan.

 

4:25 PM

SC gives Punjab time till Dec 31 to persuade farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal

SC gives Punjab time till Dec 31 to persuade farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on indefinite hunger strike, for shifting him to hospital.

4:24 PM

CPI(M) demands govt immediately start talks with farmer groups

Pointing to the deteriorating health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike, the CPI(M) on Saturday said the government should immediately start talks with farmer organisations.

 

Dallewal has been sitting on a hunger strike at the Khanauri border point since November 26 to press the Centre to accept farmers' demands, including legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) and farm loan waiver.

 

On Saturday, the Supreme Court gave the Punjab government time till December 31 to persuade Dallewal to shift to hospital.

 

The CPI(M) said in a statement, "The health condition of senior farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike since November 26, is extremely critical. The protest is for the legitimate demand of the kisan (farmers') movement for a legal backing to the MSP and waiver of loans."

 

"All the demands are related to the central government, which, by refusing to intervene, is solely responsible for this situation. There is widespread concern and unrest among kisans across the country," it added.

 

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau demanded that the government start talks with the farmers.

 

"The Polit Bureau demands that the central government should immediately start talks with representatives of all kisan organisations and their joint platforms to resolve their long-pending demands," it said.

4:23 PM

Student assault: NCW constitutes fact finding panel, team to visit Chennai

The National Commission for Women on Saturday constituted a two-member fact-finding committee to investigate the alleged sexual assault on a student of the Anna University.

The commission's chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has set up the panel comprising member, NCW, Mamta Kumari, and retired IPS officer and former DGP of Maharashtra, Praveen Dixit, to "investigate and recommend action," a statement said.

The fact-finding committee is likely to visit Chennai on December 30, 2024.

"The committee will investigate the case, examine the circumstances leading to the incident, and assess the actions taken by the authorities. It will also interact with concerned officials, the victim, her family, friends, and various NGOs to ascertain the facts and propose measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," the NCW said.

3:01 PM

Kazakhstan tops regional investment with $15.7 billion in 2024

Kazakhstan has solidified its position as the leading investment destination in North and Central Asia, drawing $15.7 billion in new projects in 2024, as per the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report released on Dec. 25. This marks an 88 per cent year-on-year surge, with Kazakhstan accounting for 63 per cent of the region's total investments, The Astana Times reported.

2:51 PM

Madras High Court constitutes SIT comprising women IPS officers to probe Anna University sexual assault case

Madras High Court on Saturday constituted an all-women IPS officers' SIT to probe an alleged sexual assault case in Anna University as well as the FIR leak case.

2:46 PM

Madras High Court constitutes SIT comprising women IPS officers to probe Anna University sexual assault case

Madras High Court on Saturday constituted an all-women IPS officers' SIT to probe an alleged sexual assault case in Anna University as well as the FIR leak case.

Justices SM Subramaniam and V Lakshminarayanan of Madras High Court constitute an all women IPS officers' SIT comprising Sneha Priya, Ayman Jamal and Brinda to probe both the cases.

2:40 PM

Mauritius announces flying flag half-mast as mark of respect to Manmohan Singh

Mauritius has announced that its national flag will fly at half-mast at all government offices and institutions till sunset on Saturday as a mark of respect to India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh. In a note, Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam's office also urged the private sector to fly the flags at half-mast. Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful travelled to Delhi and paid respects to the former prime minister.

2:26 PM

Country has lost one of the great leaders: BJP MP Naveen Jindal over Manmohan Singh's demise

BJP MP Naveen Jindal on Saturday expressed his grief over the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday, saying that the country has lost one of the great leaders.

2:19 PM

Southern states steal the show in monthly household spending: Survey

Southern India is leading in monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) with the five states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka significantly surpassing the national average, according to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24, released on Friday.

1:59 PM

Zydus Wellness arm gets Rs 56.33 cr GST demand

Zydus Wellness Ltd on Saturday said its wholly-owned arm has received a GST demand of Rs 56.33 crore, along with applicable interest and penalty from the tax authority.

1:56 PM

Homelessness in US hits new record, 23 in every 10,000 without a home: Report

The number of people in the United States experiencing homelessness reached a new record this year, with lingering inflation and high housing prices among likely drivers, a government report said Friday. An estimated 771,480 people were homeless on a single night in January 2024, rising 18 percent from 2023, said the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in an annual assessment. This translates to about 23 in every 10,000 people in the country, home to the world's biggest economy.