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Christmas, also known as the 'Feast day of Christ', is celebrated on December 25 every year. The day marks the birthday of Jesus Christ

An illuminated view of Park street ahead of Christmas festival, in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Christmas

In pictures: Christmas celebrations across the nation

Business Standard

Appellate tribunal NCLAT has dismissed petitions by Deloitte Haskins and Sells and its two associates, challenging the admissibility of the second interim investigation report by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) on Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IFIN).
The petitions also contested the compilation submitted by the government (MCA) to the tribunal.
The compilation included documents related to the IFIN investigation report and the amended request regarding the proceedings against them to freeze their assets based on the second interim report by SFIO.
A two-member bench of the NCLAT upheld an earlier order issued by the Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal.
On July 22, 2024, the tribunal ruled that the second interim SFIO report, along with the accompanying documents, could be considered for both interim relief and the final declaration.
"We, thus, are of the view that the second SFIO Report as well as the compilation of documents filed by th

The petitions also contested the compilation submitted by the government (MCA) to the tribunal

The West Assam Milk Producers' Co-operative Union Ltd (WAMUL), which operates under the brand Purabi Dairy, on Sunday said it has joined hands with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to double production to 3 lakh litres per day.
The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the recent 'Advantage Assam 2.0' business summit for the Guwahati-based milk producer's expansion exercise.
"The expansion project, estimated at Rs 100 crore, will increase Purabi Dairy's Panjabari plant's capacity from 1.5 LLPD to 3 LLPD, ensuring a steady supply of quality dairy products to meet growing consumer demand," WAMUL said in a statement.
It will also see an increase in fermented milk product capacity from 20 metric tonnes per day (MTPD) to 50 MTPD and the establishment of a new ice cream plant with a capacity of 20 TLPD.
Along with enhancing the supply chain, this will also ensure better returns for dairy farmers through value-added products, the company said.
In July

Along with enhancing the supply chain, this will also ensure better returns for dairy farmers through value-added products, the company said

Software development at ISRO has always been an internal responsibility, driven by our own scientists and engineers across domains from environmental science to physics, computer scienceand more, the space agency's former chief S Somanath said.
"We don't outsource these critical software systems because the deep integration between science, technology, and applications requires intimate domain understanding" he said at Software Product Management (SPM) Summit held by IIMB.
The two day summit was held on February 28 and March 1, celebrating its 7th edition around the theme 'Software Product Management Excellence at Scale'.
Somanath elucidated the evolution of software product management and development for space programs, emphasising the shift from environmentally focused missions to commercially operated systems.
"Every piece of software, whether for satellite operations, data analysis, or mission simulations, is built in-house to ensure accuracy, security, and scientific rigor. Ov

Somanath elucidated the evolution of software product management and development for space programs, emphasising the shift from environmentally focused missions to commercially operated systems

Indian entities are expected to lose Rs 20,000 crore due to cyber crimes this year, cyber security intelligence firm CloudSEK said in a report.
The company claims to have done a detailed analysis of 200 companies across sectors, over 5,000 domain takedowns, data of about 16,000 brand abuse, official data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) documenting nationwide cybercrime patterns and financial impacts etc for artificial intelligence based projection.
"The biggest revelation from our research is the sheer scale of financial losses of over Rs 20,000 crore due to cybercrime, of which Rs 9,000 crore is due to brand name abuse alone. The fact that brand abuse is implicated in nearly one-third of all cybercrime incidents and a staggering 70 per cent of high-value scams is a wake-up call for India," Pavan Karthick M, Threat Intelligence Researcher at CloudSEK said.
Cybercrime complaints are expected to exceed 25 lakh, with 5 lakh explicitly mentioning brand ...

The company claims to have done a detailed analysis of 200 companies across sectors, over 5,000 domain takedowns, data of about 16,000 brand abuse

More than 50,000 people who were separated from their families amid the massive crowd of devotees at the 45-day Maha Kumbh were successfully reunited with their loved ones, the UP government said on Sunday.
According to a statement issued by the government, during the Maha Kumbh Mela, more than 66 crore devotees from every corner of the country and abroad took a holy dip in the Ganga and Sangam.
During this time, 54,357 people who were separated from their families were reunited. The number of women among those who got separated was higher.
This time, the state government had set up digital lost and found centres to quickly reunite the lost people with their families during Mahakumbh.
Through these centres, more than 35,000 devotees were reunited with their families during Mahakumbh.
During 'Amrit Snaan' -- 598 devotees on Makar Sankranti, 8,725 people during Mauni Amavasya, and 864 people on Basant Panchami were reunited with their families with the help of digital lost and found

According to Umesh Chandra Tiwari, director of the Bhool Bhatke camp of Bharat Seva Dal, by the end of Maha Kumbh, the camp had reunited 19,274 lost people with their families

The bodies of the last four of the trapped labourers were pulled out from the site of the avalanche-hit Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in Chamoli on Sunday, taking the death toll to eight as authorities ended the nearly 60-hour rescue operation.
Army doctors said 46 workers who were rescued on Saturday have been brought to the military hospital in Jyotirmath. Two of them have been referred to AIIMS, Rishikesh. Three of the workers are in critical condition, Lt Col DS Maldhya said.
The body of the last missing worker has also been retrieved. The recovery marks the culmination of the Mana Village Rescue operation, Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said.
"Out of the 54 labourers who went missing after the avalanche, 46 were rescued alive and eight found dead," Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said.
Four bodies were retrieved on Saturday and as many on Sunday.
The avalanche hit the BRO camp between Mana and Badrinath on Friday, burying th

The body of last missing worker has also been retrieved. Recovery marks the culmination of the Mana Village Rescue operation, Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said

A day before the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar is scheduled to present its last budget ahead of the assembly elections this year, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday demanded an increase in social security pensions and cash transfer of Rs 2,500 per month to poor women.
Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, said he expected that the government would announce 200 units of free electricity for all consumers in the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio, will table the state budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the assembly on Monday.
Talking to reporters Yadav alleged, "The NDA government at the Centre as well as in the state are least bothered about the welfare of the people of Bihar."
He also claimed that the social security pensions have not been increased by the state government for the last 20 years.
The leader of the opposition said, "The amount paid to people above 60 years, widows, and people with disabilities

Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, said he expected that the government would announce 200 units of free electricity for all consumers in the state

The Andhra Pradesh budget for the fiscal 2025-26 tabled on Friday by the TDP-led NDA government accorded top priority to welfare schemes, promising to dole out Rs 20,000 per annum for farmers, doubling of financial relief for fishermen during a ban period and Rs 15,000 to school going children up to the intermediate level under "Talliki Vandanam" scheme.
The "Talliki Vandanam" scheme is one of the Super Six promises made by the ruling bloc during the 2024 Assembly polls.
Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav tabled the Rs 3.22 lakh crore budget and proposed Rs 20,281 crore for the Scheduled Caste (SC) component, Rs 8,159 crore for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) component, Rs 47,456 crore for the Backward Classes (BC) component and Rs 5,434 crore for the welfare of minority communities.
"I take pride in announcing that the government is launching the Talliki Vandanam scheme, to provide financial support of Rs 15,000 in the academic year 2025-26. The scheme will cover children enrolled in ...

The "Talliki Vandanam" scheme is one of the Super Six promises made by the ruling bloc during the 2024 Assembly polls

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.

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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.
					
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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 pictures: Christmas celebrations across the nation

Christmas, also known as the 'Feast day of Christ', is celebrated on December 25 every year. The day marks the birthday of Jesus Christ

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