A house covered with fresh snow after the snowfall at Kalatop near Dalhousie on Monday.

A view of Dhauladhar Range covered with fresh snow after the snowfall

Trees and road covered with fresh snow at Kalatop near Dalhousie

A scenic view of snow-covered area in Lahaul-Spiti on Sunday

Snowfall in Lahaul-Spiti

Tourists take horse ride as Srinagar received the first snowfall of the season on Sunday

Kashmir valley received the first snowfall of the season in upper reaches in north Kashmir&amp;#39;s Baramulla district on Saturday.

A vehicle covered with snow in north Kashmir&amp;#39;s Baramulla district

Long queue of tourist vehicles approaching the Atal tunnel amid snowfall in the Lahaul Spiti areas, in Rohtang Pass

Atal Tunnel at Rohtang receives snowfall

A scenic view of Lahaul Spiti after snowfall

A woman removes snow from the roof of her home, in Lahaul

Kedarnath temple covered in a sheet of snow

The upper Himalayan areas in Uttarakhand received the season's first heavy snowfall on Monday, intensifying the cold conditions across the state

Tourists take horse rides to enjoys as Srinagar valley received the first snowfall of the season, in Srinagar on Sunday.

Snowfall, Srinagar

In pics: Fresh spell of snowfall in Dalhousie, Lahaul, Kedarnath, Kashmir

Business Standard

In pics: Fresh spell of snowfall in Dalhousie, Lahaul, Kedarnath, Kashmir | Environmental News - Business Standard

It had voluntarily paused production in September

This has been made possible by declining global costs of battery cells for EVs

The year 2024 brought innovations in AI applications, from healthcare to fighting online fraud, and more. However, this election year also raised concerns about AI biases and deepfakes

ISRO is set to launch two satellites on Monday night from the Sriharikota spaceport to demonstrate docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the feat.
The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) warhorse rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will place the two satellites -- SDX01 and SDX02 -- in a 476-km circular orbit and attempt the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDEx) in the first week of January, the space agency officials said.
"This mission will mark India's entry into the exclusive league of nations capable of mastering space docking," Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said.
The SpaDEx mission is expected to be a stepping stone for India's future endeavours in space exploration which include getting rocks and soil from the moon on Earth, the proposed Bharatiya Antariksha Station and landing an astronaut on the lunar surface.
Only the US, Russia and China have mastered space dockin

Only the US, Russia and China have mastered space docking technologies

West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar on Sunday said that he had written to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) urging a total overhauling of the verification and distribution of new passports to combat misuse.
Kolkata Police recently unearthed a fake passport racket and arrested at least eight persons for their alleged involvement in it.
Talking to reporters, the IPS officer said in the letter to the MEA, they also pointed out software issues and proposed the idea of superintendents of police personally conducting the verification process.
"We have written to the MEA requesting them to strengthen the passport verification system. We have proposed a new system where the district intelligence branch (DIB), local police stations, and senior officers will have a more significant role," Kumar said.
"In the letter, we have also expressed our concerns about the distribution of passports through post offices. All the agencies must collaborate to address these ...

Kolkata Police recently unearthed a fake passport racket and arrested at least eight persons for their alleged involvement in it

The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has reduced the cancer patients' financial burden significantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
Modi highlighted the achievements made in the fight against malaria and cancer in the 117th episode of his 'Mann Ki Baat'. He said the success on this front has attracted the attention of the world today.
On the fight against cancer, the prime minister talked about a study by Medical Journal Lancet according to which the chances of starting cancer treatment in time in India have increased significantly.
Modi also emphasised the role of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in ensuring timely treatment of cancer patients, within 30 days.
"Because of this scheme, 90 percent of cancer patients have been able to start their treatment on time. This has happened because earlier, due to lack of money, poor patients used to shy away from getting tested for cancer and its treatment. Now, the Ayushman Bharat Yojana has become a big

Modi highlighted the achievements made in the fight against malaria and cancer in the 117th episode of his 'Mann Ki Baat'

Industry body CII in its budget suggestions for 2025-26 has recommended lowering the excise duty on fuel to boost consumption, especially at the lower income level, arguing that fuel prices significantly drive inflation.
The budget could also consider reducing marginal tax rates for personal income up to Rs 20 lakh per annum. This would help trigger the virtuous cycle of consumption, higher growth and higher tax revenue, said CII.
Asserting that the gap between the highest marginal rate for individuals at 42.74 per cent and the normal Corporate Tax Rate at 25.17 per cent, is high, it said, inflation has reduced the buying power of lower and middle-income earners.
"The central excise duty alone accounts for approximately 21 per cent of the retail price for petrol and 18 per cent for diesel. Since May 2022, these duties have not been adjusted in line with the approximately 40 per cent decrease in global crude prices. Lowering excise duty on fuel would help reduce overall inflation and

Further, it urged the government to raise the annual payout under the PM-KISAN scheme from Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000. Assuming 10 crore beneficiaries, this will entail an additional expenditure

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam to discuss India Post's path to profitability, an official release said on Saturday.
Scindia, along with officials from the Department of Posts, presented their capital expenditure demands to the finance minister to make it a profit centre by 2029.
Scindia aims to make India Post globally competitive and has been leading Department-wide efforts to drive higher customer acquisition, retention and operational efficiency.
During the meeting with the finance minister, Scindia presented a new development plan for India Post and said the department is working on rationalising costs and aiming to make most processes digital.
The minister hopes to make the department a profit-making logistics company with a focus on customer satisfaction, as per the release.
He also mentioned that the ongoing Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) exercise will benefit a lot from the investment from the finance ministry.

Scindia, along with officials from the Department of Posts, presented their capital expenditure demands to the finance minister to make it a profit centre by 2029

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

&amp;nbsp;

After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
						&amp;nbsp;

Brazil elections

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

In pics: Fresh spell of snowfall in Dalhousie, Lahaul, Kedarnath, Kashmir

The upper Himalayan areas in Uttarakhand received the season's first heavy snowfall on Monday, intensifying the cold conditions across the state

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