Artists perform during a mapping and pyrotechnics show coined Isidro&amp;#39;s Dream as part of Christmas events at Bolivar square in Bogota, Colombia.

A light installation during a light festival to celebrate upcoming Christmas on the beach in Busan, South Korea.

Lottery balls are dropped into a rotating drum before the start of Spain&amp;#39;s Christmas lottery El Gordo in Madrid, Spain.

Participants dressed as Santa Claus take part in the annual motorcycle ride in Mexico City, Mexico.

People are seen on a pier in front of a giant illuminated Christmas ball in Larnaca, Cyprus.

A woman takes pictures of Christmas light installations formed as elks at the Raoul Wallenberg Square in central Stockholm, Sweden.

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, harvested from the Carson National Forest in New Mexico, is lit on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S.

Fireworks explode over a floating Christmas tree at the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A man wearing a Santa Claus costume paddles on a SUP board in the Mediterranean Sea as Jaffa port is seen in the background during an event organised by the Tel Aviv municipality, off the coast of Tel Aviv, Israel.

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				The Christmas house is a popular attraction for a few thousand visitors during Advent and Christmas time.

People stand in front of the decorated Christmas house of Mario Leicht in Walschleben, central Germany.

The Christmas festivity began with Churches decorated with nativity scenes, brightly lit X-mas trees, colourful lights and singing of carols to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ

Christmas, Christmas celebrations, Christmas decorations

In pictures: The world gets wrapped in some Christmas spirit

Business Standard

In pictures: The world gets wrapped in some Christmas spirit | Current Affairs News National - Business Standard

Launched about 15 years ago, much of Zoya's expansion outside Mumbai and Delhi has occurred in the last three to four years. Around Covid-19 in 2020, it forayed into Bengaluru

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The new file sharing option is available through the Phone Link app on Windows and the Link to Windows app on iOS

A Bangladesh delegation is likely to attend the Vijay Diwas celebrations in Kolkata on December 16, which marks the Indian Armed Forces' historic victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, Defence sources said on Thursday.
'Mukti Jodhas' may also take part in the celebrations, they said.
A Bangladesh delegation, comprising 'Mukti Jodhas', who were part of the guerrilla resistance force in East Pakistan opposing the Pakistan rule there, and serving officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, attend the Vijay Diwas celebrations held by the Indian Army's Eastern Command every year in Kolkata.
The Defence sources, while saying that a Bangladesh delegation is likely to attend the celebrations on December 16, however, did not give details of the size of the delegation.
The Army's eastern Command, which is headquartered at Fort William here, will hold a series of programmes on Vijay Diwas to mark the historic victory of the Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 war against Pakistan, a senior ...

The Army's eastern Command, which is headquartered at Fort William here, will hold a series of programmes on Vijay Diwas to mark the historic victory of the Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 war against

Trinamool Congress on Thursday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in Parliament on situation in neighbouring Bangladesh.
The issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha in the post-lunch sitting by TMC's Parliamentary Party leader Derek O'Brien, who sought permission to raise a point of order.
He quoted Rule 251, and said he wanted the Prime Minister to come and give a statement on Bangladesh issue.
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar however said it is not a point of order, and did not allow O'Brien to continue.
The refusal was followed by TMC MPs breaking out into sloganeering in the House.
Talking to reporters outside Parliament, TMC's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said a statement on the issue should be given in Parliament by the Prime Minister.
"The Parliament is in session, it is a very sensitive matter on the situation in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister must come to Parliament and give a full statement on Bangladesh in Parliament," Ghose said.
"Our party leader D

According to sources, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday told the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs that Bangladesh had assured action against perpetrators of violence

Stakeholders from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sought a reduction in GST, technology upgrade, and production-linked incentive scheme benefits for various segments in a pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.
The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1.
Members from the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE); Karnataka SC and ST Entrepreneurs' Association; Plant-Based Food Industry Association (PBFIA); Ambala Scientific Instruments Manufacturers' Association (ASIMA); Rajasthan Footwear Manufacturers' Association were among the participants at the meeting.
The All-India Plastics Manufacturers' Association; All India Manufacturers' Association; Gujarat Chamber of Small Industries Association; Federation of Associations of Cottage and Small Industries (based in West Bengal); Federation of Andhra Pradesh Small and Medium Association; and Laghu Udyog 

The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1

Call for reining in food inflation and raising investment in pre-Budget  talks

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: The world gets wrapped in some Christmas spirit

The Christmas festivity began with Churches decorated with nativity scenes, brightly lit X-mas trees, colourful lights and singing of carols to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ

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