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Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou. They ended their campaign in fifth place on the medals table with 111 medals — 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze. The Asian Para Games 2023 was India's best-ever medal tally at the continental multi-sport event after passing the previous record of the 2018 Asian Para Games, where they clinched 72 medals, including 15 gold, from the 2018 Asian Para Games. Only China, Iran, Japan and the Republic of Korea were ahead of India in the medal tally of the multi-sport event.

HD Kumaraswamy may spring a surprise by choosing to contest from Mandya in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as pressure is slowly building up on him. Mandya district, with seven assembly seats, was such a stronghold of the JDS that it won all the assembly seats in the 2018 assembly polls. But a series of electoral reverses for the regional party in its own pockets of Vokkaliga dominance is also one of the factors fuelling demands for the ex-CM to contest from here. The regional party has got into the election preparedness exercise after party’s national president HD Deve Gowda, along with Kumaraswamy & others, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, cementing the bonhomie the two parties have established. Kumaraswamy, who is also the JDS Karnataka president, had said he would not contest the LS polls while announcing that the seat sharing pact with the BJP would be finalised next month.

tourist tax on hotel nights next year, coinciding with the city hosting the Olympics. The current tourist tax in Paris ranges from 0.25 euros to five euros per night, depending on the type of accommodation. The government's plan to triple the tourist tax is part of its 2024 budget, set to be expedited through parliament without a vote before Christmas. The proposed increase, a 200-percent surge, is intended to contribute to funding public transport for the Olympic events. Paris hoteliers have expressed strong opposition to the government proposal. The UMIH hotel and restaurant union and the GNC group of hotel chains jointly issued a statement condemning the move, stating that it poses a threat to the competitiveness of the hospitality sector and France's international image during the high-profile Paris 2024 Olympics. Government estimates suggest that the tripled tax would generate 423 million euros annually, surpassing the 200 million euros initially deemed necessary for funding public transport. Catherine Querard, the president of GHR, a union representing the hospitality and catering sector, expressed concern that the increased tax rate could lead to a rise in hotel prices, placing blame on the industry. Hotels have already adjusted their rates for the Olympic period, spanning from July 26 to August 11. President Emmanuel Macron's government, lacking a majority after the 2022 elections, plans to use article 49.3 of the French constitution to push through the 2024 budget without a parliamentary vote.

Mint’s Emerging Markets Tracker provides a summary of economic activity across 10 large emerging markets based on seven high-frequency indicators. With a composite score of 70, India topped the EM league table in November. Brazil and Mexico were second and third, respectively.

Year-Ender 2023: Top 10 OTT series this year; Farzi, Kohrra, Kaala Paani, Hostel Daze Season 4 and more You can pen in your journal, “I choose to respond to negativity with patience and understanding, refraining from escalating conflicts. By promoting respectful dialogue, sharing uplifting content, and actively supporting others, I aim to contribute to a more positive online environment." 2. Financial Empowerment Financial empowerment is a transformative process that empowers individuals to take control of their economic well-being, providing the tools and knowledge necessary to make informed and strategic financial decisions.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose

visa applications for the year. This marked a 20% increase from the number processed in 2019. The US Embassy and Consulates in India reported that over 1.2 million Indians visited the USA last year, solidifying it as one of the most robust travel relationships globally. According to the US Embassy and Consulates in India, Indians now represent over 10% of all visa applicants worldwide, including 20% of all student visa applicants and 65% of all H&L-category (employment) visa applicants. The United States also made considerable changes in the immigration policies through the year, and have also laid out significant plans for 2024. Here are the big visa and immigration changes Unites States announced in 2023

₹49 trillion in November, led by impressive growth in equity funds amid bullish market sentiment and strong inflows. Equity assets (including index funds) in November were up 32.3% from a year earlier. Since January, equity-oriented schemes have seen net inflows of ₹1.4 trillion, a tad lower than ₹1.5 trillion in the same period a year ago.

Federal Reserve received some holiday cheer as inflation continued to soften while consumer demand firmed, and the Bank of Japan stuck with the world’s last negative interest rate. Meantime, maritime attacks carried out by Houthi rebels in Yemen have disrupted shipping in the Red Sea, prompting a rerouting of cargoes that’s raised costs. Here are some of the charts that appeared on Bloomberg this week on the latest developments in the global economy: World The recent spate of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on vessels transiting the major shipping route has resulted in several large shipping companies avoiding the waterway. The decision by the world’s five largest container liners — with 65% of global capacity — to suspend transits through it means higher shipping costs and longer delivery timelines.

RERA across 27 states and eight Union Territories have resolved up to 1,16,300 cases of homebuyers' disputes till November 28, 2023, according to ANAROCK Research report based on data from the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Out of this, 38% of cases, or approximately 44,602 complaints were resolved in Uttar Pradesh alone, ANAROCK said. Haryana came a distant second with 18% of cases or approximately 20,539 cases resolved in the state. Thirteen per cent of cases or around 15,423 cases were resolved in Maharashtra. The three states cumulatively accounted for nearly 69% of the total disposed cases under RERA in the country. «Resolving homebuyer concerns is one of the main functions of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, which it has been demonstrably fulfilling,» says Anuj Puri, Chairman — ANAROCK Group. “Uttar Pradesh has resolved the highest number of cases. Considering how severely Noida and Greater Noida in UP had been impacted by unscrupulous players, this is noteworthy.” RERA: State-wise list of total cases disposed

Christmas reflects a diverse tapestry of traditions worldwide, where each culture adds its unique and occasionally eccentric customs to the festive celebration. Christmas is observed on December 25th, and serves as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. While the Bible doesn't specify the exact date of Jesus' birth, early Christians opted for December 25th to coincide with pagan winter solstice celebrations.

Gaza officials said Saturday, and Israel announced the death of five soldiers after the UN failed to call for a ceasefire. Eleven weeks into the Israel-Hamas war, Israeli forces pressed on with their offensive, a day after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution for more aid to flow into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Stocks finished the day lower, which hasn’t happened much recently, in a sudden turn mid-day.

By Brad Brooks

New Delhi: States with relatively high revenue deficits such as Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh must take a leaf out of their healthy counterparts' book, Krishnamurthy V Subramanian has told ET, adding that the fiscal position in those states is a matter of concern even as the overall situation seems to have improved from the peak of the pandemic. Likening their fiscal situation to «aamdani atthanni kharcha rupaiya» (spend twice than you earn), Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said «there is no option for these states but to implement some necessary, though not popular, decisions to tighten their fiscal belts by reducing unproductive expenditures.» The fiscal situation of these states is like a leaky boat that can have only one outcome — «sink», he added. «These states should look to learn from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which together accounted for more than 40% of the combined capital outlay undertaken by all states during the last five years,» Subramanian said in an interview over phone and email from Washington. «The states can also look to emulate Gujarat's Atmanirbhar Gujarat Policy for assistance to mega industries in sectors such as green energy ecosystem, mobility, capital equipment, metal and minerals, and gems and jewellery,» he added. Subramanian, who had earlier served as India's Chief Economic Advisor, further said the states with large revenue deficits will find it tough to get out of debt as these are also the states where the growth rate of state GDP is not so high. Conceptually, a revenue deficit implies that the revenue receipts of a state are not sufficient to meet its revenue expenditure,

ICICI Securities, the financial services company of ICICI Bank, has picked up over 188,000 sq ft office space in information technology park Mindspace Juinagar in Navi Mumbai through a long-term lease of over 12 years. The ICICI Bank subsidiary has leased the office space spread across five floors in one of the towers of the IT park from Newfound Properties & Leasing, a subsidiary of real estate developer K Raheja Corp. The financial services company will be paying monthly rentals of Rs 92.15 lakh for the office space. The lease agreement includes a clause to escalate rentals 4% every year, taking its total payout to around Rs 166 crore through the total term of the lease. The deal was registered on December 15 and the lease tenure will commence from January 1, 2024, shows documents accessed through Propstack.

advised to take precautions; otherwise, there is no need for any additional doses," NK Arora said while speaking with news agency ANI. The INSACOG chief asserted that they have identified over 400 subvariants of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, but none of the sub-variants is associated with more severe disease. "Every week you hear something new coming up in different parts and then it spreads all over India.

Himachal Pradesh like Kasol and Manali are witnessing massive traffic congestion as tourists flock the hill stations causing slow vehicular movement as Christmas Eve nears. Further Atal Tunnel in Rohtang Pass received fresh snowfall on Saturday. The Atal Tunnel, an engineering marvel in the Himalayas, is a highway tunnel constructed under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range.

M3GAN, The Pope’s Exorcist, Talk to Me, Thanksgiving were born this year. The favourites like Evil Dead Rise, Insidious: The Red Door, The Nun II saw all the love. Skinamarink, The Outwaters, Cocaine Bear, Beau is Afraid, A Knock at the Cabin, The Exorcist: Believer, and Five Nights at Freddy’s all had their defenders and detractors. Wars were fought but few were won with anything resembling a consensus. Only time will tell how these films will be re-evaluated if they will at all.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose

Tori Spelling has discussed the challenges of solo parenting during the holiday season in a recent Instagram Story. The 50-year-old actress shared her Christmas preparations as a single mother after parting ways with Dean McDermott, 57. Juggling shopping for her five children, she humorously mentioned being a tad late for online shopping, noting on December 22 that she finally purchased her first Christmas gift– a festive disco ball adorned with green garland and red ribbon.