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New Year
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers on Wednesday extended New Year greetings to the people and wished for prosperity, success and harmony. Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also invoked the Constitution in their new year wishes urging everyone to remain loyal to it and nurture democratic values with resolve to keep nation first. Modi hoped the new year brings "new opportunities, success and endless joy". "Happy 2025! May this year bring everyone new opportunities, success and endless joy. May everybody be blessed with wonderful health and prosperity," he said on X. President Murmu asked the people to renew commitment to work together for creating a brighter, more inclusive and sustainable future for India and the world. "Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! May the year 2025 bring joy, harmony and prosperity to all! On this occasion, let us renew our commitment to work together for creating a
Instead of the traditional boisterous street partying on New Year's Eve, tens of thousands of protesters led by university students gathered overnight in Belgrade and other Serbian cities to demand political reforms and justice in the Balkan country. The protesters have been actively demonstrating following the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad's central train station on November 1, which resulted in 15 fatalities. The tragedy has been attributed to corruption and substandard construction practices by the populist Serbian leadership, leading to a widespread public outcry and demands for accountability. Students from various Belgrade universities have organized the protest under the slogan There is No New Year You Still Owe Us for the Old One. The loud crowd, chanting We Want Justice, went silent at 11.52 pm with 15 minutes to honour the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy. Many were holding banners with a red handprint, which has become a symbol of
From Sydney to Vladivostok, communities around the world have begun welcoming 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges. Auckland became the first major city to celebrate, as thousands thronged downtown or climbed the city's ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks vantage point. A light display recognized Indigenous people. Countries in the South Pacific Ocean are the first to ring in the New Year, with midnight in New Zealand striking 18 hours before the ball drop in Times Square in New York. Conflict muted acknowledgements of the new year in places like the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine. Fireworks in Sydney Fireworks blasted off the Sydney Harbor Bridge and across the bay. More than a million Australians and others gathered at iconic Sydney Harbor for the celebration. British pop star Robbie Williams led a singalong with the crowd. The celebration also featured Indigenous ceremonies and performances that acknowledged the land's first people. Asia prepares for
Keeping in mind large congregation of devotees and tourists in this pilgrim town on the occasion of New Year celebration, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and police have made elaborate arrangements for smooth darshan of deities and movement of tourists. The SJTA in a statement said, "Entry for darshan in the 12th-century shrine will be allowed only through the Singhadwar (Lion's gate), while exit has been arranged through the other three gates. General devotees will not be permitted to enter through any gates other than the Singhadwar." However, this arrangement will not apply for servitors and their family members, who may enter or exit through any gate. "We seek everyone's cooperation for the smooth implementation of this arrangement for the orderly darshan of Mahaprabhu (Lord Jagannath)," SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said. He said this arrangement in the temple will be implemented on December 31 and January 1. This apart, the Puri district administratio
Gurugram police have deployed over 2,000 policemen to ensure hassle free New Year celebrations, officials said on Sunday. MG road, Cyber hub and sector 29 market have been identified as key sensitive points which are expected to be hit by maximum party goers and majority of cops will be stationed here to keep things under control, they said. The police have allotted 10 parking spots around these venues. According to an official statement of the Gurugram police, special programmes and events will be organised mainly at 22 places in Gurugram for New Year celebrations. Besides deploying a huge force, police's Counter Assault, Police Riders, Police PCR, Crane, Fire Brigade and ambulance teams have also been deployed with all safety equipment at all these places, it said. Major security arrangements are made at MG road, Cyber hub, Golf course road, DLF phase-1 and market of sector 29. About 1,044 policemen will be deployed at those 22 spots, 10 parking lots and police checkpoints, the
With just days left for 2025, the Bengaluru Police has made elaborate arrangements for the upcoming New Year celebrations in the city with tight security deployment on heavy footfall areas of the city to ensure safety of public and smooth flow of traffic. Addressing a press conference here, City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said that like every year, Bengaluru Police has made elaborate security arrangements for the New Year Celebrations in the city to ensure no untoward incidents take place. "Based on the previous year's incidents and experience, we are improving the security. We have identified the areas where people are going to gather in large numbers. MG road, Brigade Road junction, Koramangala, Indiranagar and so on, accordingly arrangements have been done," he said. According to him, meetings and discussions have been held with civic body BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), Metro, and other organisations. They were appealed to make arrangements for lighting, ...
More than 14,000 police personnel will be deployed across Mumbai to prevent any untoward incidents on New Year's Eve, officials said on Friday. The police are expecting large gatherings at prominent and popular places, including the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Girgaum Chowpatty, Juhu beach and Bandstand in suburban Bandra on December 31. People will also throng places like hotels, restaurants and other such commercial establishments to ring in the New Year. In view of this, police are gearing up to maintain law and order in the city, they said. Accordingly, 12,048 police constables, 2,184 officers, 53 Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), 29 Deputy Commissioners of Police (ACPs), and 8 Additional Commissioners of Police-rank officers will be part of the security arrangements, he said. Besides this, the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) platoons, Quick Response Team (QRT), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), Riot Control Police platoon and Home Guards will also be ...