Senior administration official-1: Today is an important day for our ongoing effort in Afghanistan for two purposes. In Bagram, last year, President Barack Obama laid out a strategy for Afghanistan and how we could responsibly and successfully end the war there that had five pillars. And two key pillars of that strategy were the ongoing transition of security responsibility to the Afghans and the pursuit of a political process that allows Afghans to reconcile with one another after so many years of war.Earlier today, there was an important milestone on the security transition as we fulfiled the milestone that was agreed to at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) summit in Chicago to transition responsibility for security to an Afghan lead across the country so that Afghan National Security Forces are in the lead for the responsibility of security, with our full support, of course.  And this is a key milestone on the way to the complete transition of responsibility for security

'Pak has urged Taliban to join in a peace process'

Business Standard

The $150 billion of deals involving Gulf firms in 2024 marks a 62 per cent increase from the same period last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg

Gulf

In our earlier piece in these pages, we highlighted the unwelcome consequences of the exchange rate policy adopted under the outgoing Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regime

chart

Shares of Paytm have rallied nearly 30 per cent in the past one month

Paytm

New Delhi [India], December 16: The 7th Edition of Couture Runway Week (CRW) 2024 powered by Phenav concluded with resounding success at the prestigious Designers at New Delhi, cementing its place as a premier platform for fashion innovation and creativity. With a stunning display of artistry and craftsmanship, the event brought together over 100+ acclaimed designers and global fashion brands, captivating a diverse audience of fashion enthusiasts, industry experts, and media representatives.

7th Edition of Couture Runway Week Blends Indian and Western Design With Opulence

Bathinda (Punjab) [India], December 16: A B Cotspin India (NSE - ABCOTS), a key player in the textile manufacturing sector, one of the leading textile manufacturers based in North India, is pleased to announce the receipt of a repeat order worth Rs. 5.35 Cr for supplying 273 MT of Cotton Yarn. This repeat order underscores the company's continued growth and strong customer trust in its high-quality products.

A B Cotspin India Ltd Secures Significant Repeat Order Worth Rs. 5.35 Cr For 273 MT Cotton Yarn

Parliament winter session 2024 updates: After Lok Sabha, two-day discussion on Constitution to begin in Rajya Sabha from today; catch all LIVE updates

election

Markets Today LIVE: Investors in India are likely to remain cautious amid mixed global cues as investors here and elsewhere await key policy rate decision from the US Federal Reserve later this week

markets

Stocks to Buy for upside: We can see a Cup and Handle breakout in Bharti Airtel share price, further strengthening the bullish outlook

Online trading, Trading (Photo: Shutterstock)

With the latest offer, the company's dividends have reached to about Rs 17,000 crore for the financial year through March 2025

Vedanta

Shares of Enviro Infra Engineers hit a new high of Rs 324, as they surged 10 per cent on the BSE in Monday's intra-day trade amid heavy volumes in an otherwise weak market

Sensex, Nifty, stock brokers

IND vs AUS 3rd Test Day 1: The umpires took the call after seeing the incessant rains as the 3rd test will resume tomorrow at 5:15 AM IST.

India vs Australia 3rd Test Day 1

Under-fire Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne has hit back at his former teammate-turned-commentator David Warner for criticising his batting, saying, "everyone's here to write newspapers, write articles."
Labuschagne has been struggling with his form for quite some time but seems to have found some rhythm with a resolute 64 in the pink-ball Test, which helped Australia beat India by 10 wickets and level the five-match series in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Former opener Warner was unimpressed with Labuschagne's performance and claimed that he had a "lack of awareness" after being dismissed caught in the gully.
Responding to Warner's comments, Labuschagne told News Corp that he'd "like to see him check how many times I've been caught at gully, because apparently I get out there every week.
"I've looked back and I think I can only remember getting caught at gully twice. So I might have to have a look at Bull's (Warner's) comment there. But like I said, everyone's here to wri

Marnus Labuschagne

Jasprit Bumrah embodies the qualities of pace legends such as Dennis Lillee, Andy Roberts and Richard Hadlee but at the same time is forging his own legacy, one that is set to inspire future generations of pacemen, feels former India coach Greg Chappell.
He also said that Bumrah is the only player standing between Australia and the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
"What sets Bumrah apart is his combination of skills: (Malcolm) Marshall's adaptability, Lillee's aggression, Richard Hadlee's control, Roberts' strategy, Wasim (Akram) and Waqar's (Younis)  reverse swing, (Glenn) McGrath's precision, (Dale) Steyn's explosiveness, and (Kagiso) Rabada's modern versatility."
"As Nasser Hussain aptly observed, He's the complete bowler. As he has had back surgery already, it is not certain he will have a long career, but if he does, his name will be mentioned in the same breath as the champions above," Chappell wrote in the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.  An all-format bowler, Bumrah has reinforced his statu

Jasprit Bumrah

India batter Shubman Gill says the need to put up a big first innings total has been the talking point among his team's batters ahead of the third Test against Australia and each one of them has devised a plan to make it happen at the Gabba.
Gill didn't play the first Test due to a finger injury but looked good in his brief innings of 31 and 28 during the Pink Ball Test at Adelaide which India lost by 10 wickets.
"As a batting group, we are looking to post a big total first up. That's been the key discussion and every batter has his own game plan," Gill said in the pre-match press conference.
India have had at least six scores of 150 or less in recent times and Gill admitted that the piece of stat isn't lost upon the batting group. He said it is now a three-match series for his side.
"Adelaide Test, we didn't do well but the series is still 1-1. We will treat it as a three-match Test series and if we win this one, we will have advantage going into Melbourne and Sydney," Gill ...

Shubman Gill

Australian captain Pat Cummins has promised to inundate Indian batters with bouncers at "some point" of the third Test starting here on Saturday after employing the strategy with telling effect in the second game in Adelaide.
The Australian quicks, particularly Cummins, tormented the India batters with grunt balls in both the innings during the Pink Ball Test that Australia eventually won by 10 wickets to level the five-match series 1-1.
"Yeah, potentially. It worked out in the Adelaide Test. It's always in the back of your mind as a bit of a plan B," Cummins told the media in his pre-match press meet.
"If it's something really uncomfortable, you're likely to take a look at it and come to a plan A. It worked in Adelaide, so I'm sure we'll give it a shot at some point (in the third Test)," he added.
Cummins was also chuffed with the way the Australian batters embraced the unique challenge of facing Jasprit Bumrah after succumbing to the talismanic Indian pacer in the first Test at .

Pat Cummins

While Jaiswal flicks the ball on the pads straight to square leg fielder Mitchell Marsh, Gill tried to play an extravagant drive and managed an outside edge to flying Marsh at gully region.

Virat Kohli

The idea had been acquiring currency across ideological lines for some time and has been given greater legitimacy by Trump

Modi, Narendra Modi

With Siraj expected to unleash some more theatrics in the second session, lets take a look how Siraj's ploy helped Nitish Reddy getting the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne.

Siraj vs Labuschagne controversy on Day 2 of India vs Australia 3rd Test

Paracetamol, a common over-the-counter medication, may increase the risk of gastrointestinal, heart- and kidney-related complications among adults aged 65 and above, a new study has found.
Taken commonly for treating mild-to-moderate fever, paracetamol is also the first drug recommended for treating osteoarthritis -- a chronic condition causing pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints due to wear-and-tear -- as it is considered effective, relatively safe and accessible.
However, some studies have provided evidence to contest the effectiveness of paracetamol in relieving pain while others have shown increased risks of gastrointestinal side effects, such as ulcers and bleeding, from prolonged use.
The latest study, conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham, UK, found that paracetamol use was linked to a 24 per cent and 36 per cent increase in risk of peptic ulcer bleeding (bleeding due to ulcer in the digestive tract) and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, ...

paracetamol, pharma, drugs, medicine, health

Constitution debate 2024 LIVE updates: Stay with us for all the news updates from the ongoing Lok Sabha session