Devanand Jha, 68, said that his son Lalit Jha, 28, who is allegedly the mastermind behind the Parliament security breach, has not committed a crime for which he should be punished. Mr. Devanand Jha stressed that raising a voice against unemployment is not treason, and that police should release him immediately. The Delhi Police have invoked sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an anti-terror law, against Lalit Jha and five others.
Days after the debacle in the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge on December 16 replaced Kamal Nath with Jitu Patwari as the M.P. Congress chief and named former Speaker Charan Das Mahant as the leader of the legislature party in Chhattisgarh instead of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Day-long State mourning in India after demise of Kuwaiti Emir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed condolence at the passing away of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The Emir had ruled the oil-rich country for three years and breathed his last on Saturday. “Deeply saddened to learn about the unfortunate demise of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. We convey our deepest condolences to the Royal family, the leadership and the people of Kuwait,” said the Prime Minister in a message. Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was declared the new Emir of Kuwait.
Congress resolution demands Statehood, early elections in J&K
The Congress on Saturday demanded restoration of Statehood and early election in Jammu and Kashmir during a meeting held in Jammu, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court judgement on Article 370. A party spokesman said the resolution called for restoration of Statehood and the Assembly election in J&K. These demands were made in a resolution passed by the executive committee of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) after a meeting in Jammu. The meeting was chaired by Congress State president Vikar Rasool Wani. It took stock of the situation in the backdrop of recent judgement by the Supreme Court upholding the Centre’s decision to end J&K’s special Constitutional position of J&K.
COVID-19 sub variant JN.1: Karnataka on high alert; TAC to meet on December 19
Following rising COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring Kerala and a slight increase in Karnataka, the State is on a high alert. State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who held a meeting with officials on Saturday to take stock of the situation, said the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will meet on December 19 to discuss the impact of the new COVID-19 sub variant JN.1, a descendant of BA.2.86, being detected in parts of Kerala. “We have asked the TAC to discuss and recommend precautionary measures to be initiated. The TAC chairman K. Ravi said that the committee will meet on December 19,” the Minister told presspersons after the meeting.
India, Oman in talks for comprehensive economic partnership agreement
India and Oman are on track to sign a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday. Welcoming Sultan Haitham bin Tarik the ruler of Oman, to his first State visit to India, Prime Minister Modi said that the presence of a large number of Indians in Oman is a living example of the healthy relation between the two countries.
Congress eyes Muslim outreach through U.P. Jodo Yatra
The Congress party in Uttar Pradesh is launching a ‘U.P. Jodo Yatra’ from December 20, on the same lines as its earlier Bharat Jodo Yatra, in a bid to regain its lost ground and reach out to districts in the western part of the State which have sizeable Muslim electorates. The Yatra will starting from Saharanpur on Wednesday, and end in Lucknow around the second week of January, having covered 11 districts and 15 parliamentary constituencies. The route is being seen as a major outreach towards the Muslim community as seven out of the 11 districts — Moradabad, Bareilly, Bijnor, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Amroha, and Rampur — have high Muslim populations. In fact, Muslims make up more than 35% of the population in each of these districts, which together account for ten parliamentary seats.
NIA arrests key accused in Attari heroin seizure case
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested a key accused in connection with the seizure of over 102 kg of Afghan-origin heroin at the Attari border in April 2022, after he was intercepted by immigration officials while trying to flee to Dubai. The accused has been identified as Amritpal Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran in Punjab. He is the third person arrested by the agency in the case. He allegedly handled cash and laundered the drug money via banking and “hawala” channels.
Communications blackout and spiralling hunger compound misery in Gaza Strip as war enters 11th week
A prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and Internet connections compounded the misery on Saturday in the besieged Gaza Strip, where a United Nations agency said hunger levels had spiralled in recent days. Internet and telephone lines went down on Thursday evening and were still inaccessible on Saturday morning, according to Internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org, hampering aid deliveries and rescue efforts as Israel’s war against Gaza’s ruling militant group Hamas stretched into the 11th week.
Britain says a Royal Navy ship has shot down an attack drone over the Red Sea
A Royal Navy warship has shot down a suspected attack drone targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, Britain’s defense secretary said Saturday. Grant Shapps said that HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and destroyed a drone that was “targeting merchant shipping.” The overnight action is the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the 1991 Gulf War. Mr. Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.”
Vatican court convicts cardinal of embezzlement in corruption trial
A Vatican court on Saturday convicted Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu of several counts of embezzlement and sentenced him to five years and six months in jail. Becciu was the highest ranking Church official ever to stand trail before a Vatican criminal court. The 75-year-old, a former adviser to Pope Francis who was once considered a papal contender himself, was the most senior clergyman in the Catholic Church to face a Vatican criminal court. He and nine other defendants, including financiers, lawyers and ex-Vatican employees, were on trial for accusations of financial crimes focused on an opaque London property deal.
E-cigarettes are not shown to be effective for quitting tobacco use: WHO
E-cigarettes as consumer products are not shown to be effective for quitting tobacco use at the population level. Instead, alarming evidence has emerged on adverse population health effects, said the World Health Organisation on Thursday. It added there is an urgent need to control e-cigarettes to protect children, as well as non-smokers and minimise health harms to the population.
Tennis Premier League | Bengaluru Mavericks enters semifinal in style
Ramkumar Ramanathan, Arina Rodionova, and Vishnu Vardhan combined strong once again to power Bengaluru SG Mavericks to a 46-34 victory over Mumbai Leon Army in the Tennis Premier League on the charcoal grey courts of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Saturday. Ramkumar was particularly impressive as he beat Ernests Gulbis 15-5. Mumbai did pull one back thanks to Karan Singh and Vijay Sundar Prashanth beating Ramkumar and Vishnu 11-9. However, there was no stopping Bengaluru from topping the table and qualifying for the semifinals, with 219 points.
ISL-10 | Winning start for Bengaluru under coach Zaragoza
A new manager bounce in football generally comes with the slate being wiped clean, players giving their all, confidence increasing and the results picking up. Bengaluru FC enjoyed all of these on Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Gerard Zaragoza’s first match in charge as it ran out a 1-0 victory over Jamshedpur FC for only its second win of the campaign. Javi Hernandez’s penalty on the stroke of half-time proved the difference, as BFC swelled its points tally to 10 from 11 matches. But for a few nervy moments at the end when Jeremy Manzorro rattled the crossbar and also drew a fine save from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, JFC didn’t have much to show.
