Monday, 23 December 2024
Monday, 23 December 2024
Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, a staunch Gandhi family loyalist from Karnataka, has become the Congress' first non-Gandhi president in 24 years. The 80-year-old leader succeeds Sonia Gandhi at the grand old party's highest office. Kharge defeated Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor in the October 17 Congress' Presidential polls, which saw over 9,500 delegates across the country voting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Defence Expo 2022 in Gandhinagar, lays foundation stone of new air base at Deesa in north Gujarat near India-Pakistan border and said it will emerge as an effective centre for the country's security. Speaking after inaugurating the Defence Expo 2022 in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar, Modi also said that defence forces will release a list of 101 more items that cannot be imported and with this 411 defence-related goods can only be procured locally. The decision of the Indian defence forces to buy a majority of the equipment made in the country shows the capacity of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India).
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared martial law in the four regions of Ukraine that Moscow annexed and gave additional emergency powers to the heads of all regions of Russia. Putin didn't immediately spell out the steps that would be taken under martial law but said his order was effective starting Thursday. His decree gives law enforcement agencies three days to submit specific proposals.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai on the first day of his three-day visit to India. Accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Guterres placed a foral wreath at the 26/11 attacks memorial in the hotel. It is the UN chief's first visit to India since his second term in office commenced in January. He had earlier visited the country in October 2018 during his first term at the top office.
China has put a hold on a proposal by India and the US at the United Nations to list Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Shahid Mahmood as a global terrorist, the fourth instance in as many months that Beijing has blocked bids to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists at the world body. It is learnt that China, an all-weather ally of Pakistan, placed a hold on the proposal by India and the US to designate Mahmood, 42, as a global terrorist under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
The BJP on Wednesday released its first list of 62 candidates for the polls to the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly, fielding Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur from his current constituency Seraj. The party dropped 11 sitting MLAs, including a cabinet minister, and changed the seats of two ministers -- Suresh Bharadwaj and Rakesh Pathania. Bharadwaj, a senior BJP leader in the state and a sitting MLA from Shimla Urban constituency, has been fielded from Kasumpti, while Nurpur MLA Pathania has been given a ticket from the neighbouring Fatehpur.
The Opposition AIADMK presented a picture of contrast on Wednesday with former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam attending the Assembly session while the leader of opposition K Palaniswami staged a protest here, demanding that the Speaker de-recognise the former as deputy floor leader of the party.
A 36-year-old woman was allegedly raped by five men who were nurturing a rivalry against her over property in Ghaziabad, police said on Wednesday. Four of the accused have been arrested, they said. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had issued a notice to Ghaziabad police in connection with the case, with the panel chief Swati Maliwal saying the attack reminded her of the Nirbhaya case.
Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi, who was believed to have gone missing, arrived back in Tehran on Wednesday, according to several media reports. Large crowds of supporters gathered at the Imam Khomeini International Airport outside of Tehran on Wednesday morning to welcome her back to Iran. "Elnaz is a hero," they chanted, clapping their hands.
Daniel Craig has received the same honour as James Bond, the fictional British spy the actor played in five films. Princess Anne awarded the 54-year-old star the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, a British order of chivalry founded in 1818. It's the very recognition the fictional 007 character, created by Ian Fleming, received.
