Breaking News, December 14

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Wednesday took objection to actor Deepika Padukone's costume in a song of Bollywood film “Pathaan” and said if certain scenes are not "corrected", the government will consider what to do about its screening.

Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections again from Amethi with which the Nehru-Gandhi family has old ties, Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Ajay Rai claimed on Wednesday. Rai, the regional head of the party in UP, also said that it is his appeal to the people of Amethi to send Rahul Gandhi to Delhi by electing him as an MP again with a huge margin. "The Gandhi-Nehru family has old relations with Amethi. No one can weaken it. Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi in 2024," Rai told reporters.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for de-escalation in the tensions between India and China. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson to UN Secretary-General, made the remarks when he was asked to comment on the issue during the press briefing on Tuesday (local time). "We have seen these reports. We call for de-escalation and to ensure that the tensions along in that area do not grow," Stephane Dujarric said in the press briefing.

Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that seeks to include the Gond community in the Scheduled Tribes category in parts of Uttar Pradesh.

The Rajya Sabha passed by a voice vote the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, which was introduced by Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on Tuesday.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in April this year.

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah Wednesday said his party will not beg the Centre for assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to reporters after a party function in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, he said the delay in the polls does not worry his party. The BJP is "scared" and lacks the courage to conduct the polls in the Union territory, he added.
"We will see to it whenever elections take place. But I have been saying this, we will not beg for these elections," Abdullah said.

A BJP member on Wednesday raised the issue of the Bihar hooch tragedy in Lok Sabha demanding immediate suspension of the Superintendent of Police of Saran. Janardan Singh Sigriwal claimed that hundreds of people die every day consuming illicit liquor in Bihar.
About a dozen people have lost their lives in today's hooch tragedy in the Saran district of Bihar, he said.

At least five people died and several others fell ill late Tuesday night after consuming illicit liquor in the Ishuapur Police Station area.
Another BJP MP, Ravi Kishan Shukla, raised the issue of the death of young actors in gyms.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday hinted that the concessions given to the senior citizens in the railways may not be restored as of now as he said that Rs 59,000 crore subsidy for the passenger services were given last year and pension and salary bills of the public transporter are very high.

Vaishnaw was responding to a question by independent MP from Maharashtra Navneet Rana in Lok Sabha on when the concessions given to the senior citizens in train travel will be restored.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday demanded stringent punishment for those involved in throwing acid on a minor girl in west Delhi, and asserted that the government is concerned about every child in the city. According to police, two bike riders threw acid on a 17-year-old girl near Uttam Nagar in west Delhi on Wednesday. The girl has been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
 

'Gamocha', a symbol of the culture and identity of Assam, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the central government, five years after the first application was made.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Twitter shared the GI registration certificate, issued on Tuesday, bringing cheers to people across the northeastern state.

Ukrainian authorities reported explosions in the capital, Kyiv, on Wednesday, saying two administrative buildings were hit in drone strikes in a downtown district that is home to many government offices.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in a post on Telegram that municipal teams were in place after the blasts, and officials said the attack involved Iranian-made Shahed drones like those that Ukrainian authorities say have been involved in other Russian strikes in the country.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would consider a plea for an early listing of submissions challenging the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 which had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

“We will examine and give a date,” a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said when intervenor Radha Kumar, an academic and author, sought early listing of the petitions on the issue.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case. 

Drugs worth Rs 14.1 crore were seized from an ambulance in Guwahati in the early hours of Wednesday and one person was arrested, police said. Acting on a tip-off, a police team intercepted the Manipur-registered ambulance at the parking of an apartment in Hengerabari area, Joint Commissioner of Police Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. "On a thorough search of the vehicle, we found 50,000 yaba tablets and 200 grams of heroin. The value of the drugs would be around Rs 14.1 crore," he said. Mahanta said this was the first time in the state that drugs were being trafficked on an ambulance, which managed to cross several police checkpoints after entering the state from Manipur.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain submissions seeking an early setting up of a fresh bench to hear Bilkis Bano's plea challenging the remission of sentence of 11 convicts by the Gujarat government in her gang-rape case A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha was urged by lawyer Shobha Gupta, appearing for Bano, that another bench was needed to be constituted to hear the case. “The writ (petition) will be listed. Please, do not keep mentioning the same thing again and again. It is very irritating,” the CJI said. Supreme Court judge Bela M Trivedi on Tuesday recused herself from hearing a plea filed by Bano. The CJI will now have to set up a fresh bench, to which Justice Trivedi will not be a part, to hear Bano’s case.

The Indian Air Force will conduct a training exercise in the eastern sector to check the readiness of their aircraft. According to the sources of the news agency ANI, the exercises will be conducted this week to check the activation of IAF bases in the areas around Tezpur, Chhabua, Jorhat in Assam and Hashimara in West Bengal. 

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, a notch more than normal, while its air quality was recorded in the moderate category on Wednesday. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The minimum is likely to drop to 7 degrees Celsius over the next two to three days as frigid winds from the snow-clad mountains in the north have commenced.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, a notch more than normal, while its air quality was recorded in the moderate category on Wednesday. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The minimum is likely to drop to 7 degrees Celsius over the next two to three days as frigid winds from the snow-clad mountains in the north have commenced.  The city has seen warmer-than-normal temperatures in December so far primarily due to the absence of strong western disturbances. "Strong western disturbances give good snowfall in the mountains and lead to cloudiness and rain in the plains which results in a dip in day temperatures. Due to the lack of strong WDs, the skies have been generally clear this December which means higher-than-normal day temperatures," said Mahesh Palawat,  vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather. Strong winds have improved the air quality in the capital. 

India should teach China a "lesson like Balakot", Spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah Zainul Abedin Ali Khan has said, days after troops from the two countries clashed along the Line of Actual Control in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. "China keeps trying to infiltrate the Indian border every day, there are reports of clashes with Indian soldiers, we are proud that our brave soldiers do not let them succeed," Khan said in a statement on Tuesday. "To put an end to these daily nefarious acts of China, it is necessary that India should teach China a lesson like Balakot,” he added. On February 26, 2019, Indian Air Force fighter jets crossed the Line of Control and destroyed terror launch pads in Balakot in Pakistan. The strikes were undertaken days after 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar handed over appointment letters to 454 newly-recruited officials in nine departments of his government. Speaking at the function on Tuesday, he said the process of filling up the pending vacancies in the state government will be expedited. "We have increased the representation of women in every department. The increased presence of women in the state's police force has not only empowered them but also made the constabulary more efficient and effective. The total strength of women in the state police is around 29,000, which is the highest in the country," Kumar said He said the state government is working for the development of all the sections of the society. Among the new recruits, 134 were of the Food and Consumer Protection Department, 119 of the Rural Development, 61 of the Revenue and Land Reforms and 52 of the Home Department. They were recruited through the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met President of the 77th session of the General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi and discussed India’s tenure in the Security Council as well as the country’s goals during its G20 presidency. “Glad to meet @UN_PGA Csaba Kőrösi in New York. Discussed our UNSC experience, our G20 Presidency goals and importance of reformed multilateralism,” Jaishankar tweeted Tuesday. India assumed the monthly rotating presidency of the Security Council as well as the year-long presidency of the G20 on December 1. In a tweet, Kőrösi said it was “always a pleasure” to meet the Indian External Affairs Minister. “Discussed India’s G20 Presidency & the ongoing monthly Presidency of the Security Council, UN reforms & maximising synergies on water.” Jaishankar also had a “good discussion” with Japan’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs Yamada Kenji. “As G4 members, India and Japan work together to advance reformed multilateralism. Spoke about the need to take forward IGN process more effectively,” Jaishankar said, referring to the Intergovernmental Negotiations on UN Security Council reform.

Acting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday an agreement has been struck to form a new center-led government after 42 days of talks following the Nov. 1 general election. Frederiksen said the governing coalition would include her own Social Democrats, the Liberal Party and the newly created Moderate party of former Danish Prime Lars Løkke Rasmussen. It will be presented later this week. Details of who will be the different get the different Cabinet posts will be revealed Thursday. The agreement between the parties in the government will be made public Wednesday.

The Florida Senate on Tuesday approved sweeping legislation that would overhaul the state's property insurance system, which has struggled due to insolvencies, high costs and major storms. The bill would create a $1 billion reinsurance fund, reduce litigation costs and compel some customers to leave a state-created insurer. It also would force insurers to respond more promptly to claims and increase state oversight of insurers' conduct following hurricanes. The Republican proposal was put forth during the GOP-led Legislature's second special session this year aimed at stabilizing the state's property insurance market. The state House is expected to give the measure final passage this week.

Australian police are investigating the extremist views of three people who shot and killed two officers and a neighbour at a rural property before they were killed hours later by police in a gunfight. In all, six people died in the violence Monday in Queensland state. The killers have been identified as former school principal Nathaniel Train, 47, his brother Gareth, 46, and sister-in-law Stacey, 45. Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said late Tuesday that investigators would look at the possible extremist links of the killers after a series of posts under the name of Gareth Train were found on conspiracy theory forums.

U.S. scientists have declared that two active Hawaii volcanoes- one where lava destroyed hundreds of homes in 2018 and another where lava recently stalled before reaching a crucial Big Island highway- have stopped erupting. “Kilauea is no longer erupting,” the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement Tuesday, followed by a separate one saying, “Mauna Loa is no longer erupting.” Alert levels for both volcanoes were reduced from watch to advisory. Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, began spewing molten rock Nov. 27 after being quiet for 38 years, drawing onlookers to take in the incandescent spectacle, and setting some nerves on edge early on among people who've lived through destructive eruptions.

Police on Tuesday raided Congress poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu's office here over alleged derogatory posts against Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the ruling BRS government, an official said. In a statement, the Congress claimed that the office of the strategist has been seized. A senior police official said the Cyber Crimes Wing of the Hyderabad Police raided Kanugolu's office at Madhapur in connection with a case registered over alleged derogatory remarks against the CM and sharing of defamatory posts against the state government and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on social media platforms. Expressing anger over the development, Telangana Congress President and MP A Revanth Reddy called for protests in the state on Wednesday. He also asked party workers to burn the effigies of the chief minister at all mandal headquarters.

A Vatican cardinal sued a Canadian woman for defamation in a Canadian court on Tuesday after she accused him of sexual assault while he was archbishop of Quebec. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, head of the Vatican's bishops' office, is seeking 100,000 Canadian dollars (US$74,000) in compensatory damages for “injury to his reputation, honour and dignity,” according to a copy of the complaint provided by Ouellet's office. The woman, identified only as F., was one of several people who brought a class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec in August that accused several priests, including Ouellet, of sexual abuse or assault. F. accused Ouellet of inappropriate, sexual touches on four occasions in the late 2000s. Ouellet's countersuit, filed Tuesday in the Superior Court in Quebec, repeats the cardinal's firm denial and says he has no recollection of meeting F.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday urged New Zealand to take a leading role in focusing on the environmental destruction his country is suffering as a result of Russia's invasion. Zelenskyy delivered his message via video link to lawmakers who packed the debating chamber at 8 a.m. He became just the second foreign leader to address New Zealand's parliament, after Australia's Julia Gillard did so in 2011. Zelenskyy said it was possible to rebuild a nation's economy and infrastructure, even though it may take many years. “But you can't rebuild destroyed nature, just as you can't restore destroyed lives,” he said. Zelenskyy is pushing for a 10-point peace plan that, as well as environmental protection, including items such as nuclear safety and justice. He has been asking various countries to take a lead on different points. He said some of the environmental effects of the war included poisoned groundwater, ravaged forests, flooded coal mines and huge areas of Ukraine that remain contaminated from unexploded mines.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Tuesday allocated portfolios to newly elected Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri, according to an official notification. Agnihotri will be in charge of Jal Shakti, transport, and language, arts and culture departments while Chief Minister Sukhu has kept with himself finance, general administration, home, planning, personnel and other portfolios which have not been allotted to any minister. Sukhu and all other Congress MLAs are slated to join party leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan on Friday and this is expected to delay the expansion of the state's new Cabinet. Sukhu had on Monday said the Cabinet would be expanded in consultation with the Congress high command and it would be a mix of professionals, youth and representatives from all sections. However, it will be a challenge to strike a balance between regions, castes and factions.