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search and rescue teams. The Mela is scheduled to be held in West Bengal from January 10 to January 18. The NDRF teams are strategically stationed at five key locations within the Mela area: the Mela Ground, Lot-8, Kachuberia, Namkhana, and Benuban, the NDRF said. «The teams include highly trained male and female rescuers, a specialised canine (K9) squad, and medical and communication teams, all operating under the state government’s requisition,» the NDRF statement said.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been at loggerheads with the federal government since the general elections in February 2024. Several leaders of the PTI are currently in talks with the government and Khan on Wednesday said his party will participate in the third round of talks to help ease the political tension in the country. «There is a plan to impose a ten-year dictatorship in Pakistan, of which two years have already passed. Judges or police officers who become a party to oppression are rewarded with promotions here,» Khan said in a tweet on X on Thursday.

Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB) partners with Tata Digital: Get FD interest rates up to 9.1% without a savings account

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has cleared Rs 1,910 crore of its old dues to Indus Towers using the cash raised by recently issuing fresh equity on a preferential basis to its UK co-promoter, Vodafone Group Plc. Following the fresh capital infusion, Vodafone Plc’s stake in Vi — its Indian telecom joint venture with the Aditya Birla Group — has risen to 24.39% from 22.56%. The acquiring Vodafone promoter entities in Vi are Omega Telecom Holdings Pvt Ltd and Usha Martin Telematics Ltd. “…Vodafone Promoters have utilised the proceeds amounting to Rs 1,910 crore, post-repayment of outstanding borrowing to their existing lenders, to acquire shares in Vi. Further, the proceeds of such capital raise have been received by the Company (read: Indus) from Vi towards part-repayment of the MSA (master service agreement) dues,” Indus Towers said in an exchange filing Friday.

unicorn startups has reached $340 billion, with seven new startups crossing the $1-billion valuation mark in 2024, according to a report by venture capital firm Orios Venture Partners. India now ranks as the third-largest nation, after the US and China, for venture capital-backed tech initial public offerings (IPOs), the India Tech Unicorns & Exits 2024 report said. These IPOs have pushed the total market capitalisation of India’s listed tech firms to around $150 billion. However, the report revealed an increase in the average time for Indian startups to achieve unicorn status, rising from 5.5 years in 2023 to 11 years in 2024. Similarly, the average time to go public went up from 12.5 years to 13.4 years during that period.

These decisions were taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here. Talking to reporters soon after the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary S Siddharth said, «The cabinet approved a proposal for the acquisition of 89.75 acres of land worth Rs 244.60 crore for the development and expansion of the existing Darbhanga airport into an international airport. The state government will pay the amount to the owners of the land… land will be transferred to the Airport Authority of India for the project».

Bangladeshi cattle smugglers on the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Thursday night, a statement from the paramilitary force said. In a retaliatory action carried out in self-defence, the jawans successfully foiled the smuggling attempt and recovered 10 bulls, it added. The incident took place at Khutadah border outpost (BOP), where BSF personnel saw smugglers approaching the border fence from the Indian side with cattle. Simultaneously, smugglers from the Bangladesh side crossed the international border into India. When the BSF jawans challenged them to stop, the smugglers ignored the warning and advanced aggressively, wielding sharp-edged spears while attempting to cut the border fence. In response to the threat, a BSF jawan fired a blank round as a warning.

Bryan Johnson, the 47-year-old tech entrepreneur who has spent millions on his quest to reverse his biological age, has ditched taking a medicine that he had been taking for years to increase his longevity. The millionaire, who gulps down 54 pills for breakfast, recently discovered a wrinkle in his meticulous approach to dodging death. In his attempt to live' forever', the tech millionaire consumes 13 milligrams of the immunosuppressant rapamycin, which transplant patients take to help prevent organ rejection. However, the US Food and Drug Administration has not approved rapamycin for anti-aging therapy, but physicians have been prescribing it off-label because it has been shown to extend the healthy lifespan of mice. Johnson, who undertook the «most aggressive rapamycin protocol of anyone in the industry», said it may have done more harm than good.

Here's a concise recap of the most impactful job market trends from last year that have left a long-lasting impression. 1. The advent of AI-driven jobs – AI has undoubtedly been one of the greatest technological disruptions to date. Though its emergence has eliminated a bunch of manual jobs, its integration into everyday business operations has opened new job opportunities. The demand for roles like AI engineering, machine learning, and data ethics is growing exponentially. Non-technical roles like AI trainers and ethicists too are helping bridge the human-machine gap, further fostering a collaborative relationship between the two.

Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella was pleased to hear that the 6,000 students at the Manipal Academy for Higher Education (MAHE) – which includes his alma mater, Manipal Institute of Technology – are being given access to Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, an AI-based code completion tool. On being asked by representatives of the institution to visit, he said, “I should. I’ve never been back since ’88 (the year he graduated), but I should.” The top executive of the US-headquartered technology firm was meeting with customers ahead of his keynote address in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Markets regulator Sebi has renewed its recognition of AMC Repo Clearing Ltd as a clearing corporation for one year till January 16, 2026 for clearing and settling transactions in repo and reverse repo in debt securities. The regulator has granted renewal of recognition for one year starting January 17, 2025, according to a notification uploaded on Sebi's website on Friday. Under the rules, AMC Repo Clearing Ltd will not undertake any activity except that of clearing and settling of transactions in repo and reverse repo in the debt securities that are dealt with or traded on a recognised stock exchange. Earlier, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had granted recognition to such clearing corporations in January 2023.

DAM Capital report added. The report added that inflation is a foremost concern for FY26, with a projected decline to 4.5 per cent from the current level. The major reason behind the persistent inflation is domestic pressure. The pass-through effect of rising raw material costs, particularly in agriculture, food, and metals, is expected to contribute to persistent inflation. As demand increases, businesses are likely to raise prices of raw materials, impacting consumers.

Paris Olympics silver medallist Neeraj Chopra has been named the best male javelin thrower in the world in 2024 by globally-renowned American magazine 'Track and Field News'. The 27-year-old Chopra, who was beaten by Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem for the Olympic gold medal in August last year, pipped two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada for the top spot in the 2024 rankings published by the California-based magazine. Nadeem was ranked fifth as he competed in only one event in 2024 besides the Olympic Games where he came up with a monster throw of 92.97m as against 89.45m of Chopra. He finished fourth in Paris Diamond League. Founded in 1948, the magazine, which claims itself to be 'The Bible Of The Sport', publishes world and American rankings every year. The magazine is considered an authority in global track and field circles.

Trump’s obsession with Greenland has put the world’s largest island in an unexpected position of power. While Trump’s 2019 bid for the Arctic territory was dismissed as little more than a joke, the president-elect’s timing is better this time around — Greenlanders are intensifying their push for independence from Denmark. Within the next three months, they will hold a general election that will take the temperature of that relationship. Greenland is not for sale. But its new position gives it the ability to play the US and Denmark off of each other – a dynamic that might ultimately see it come out on top.

The Layer-2 solution aims to set the stage for faster and more efficient transactions on the Solana network.

Changthang High Altitude Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and the Karakorum Nubra Shyok Wildlife Sanctuary, aims to speed up ammunition access and ensure quicker operational deployment, according to the Ministry of Defence. India and China were engaged in a 54-month-long military standoff in eastern Ladakh, which began after their troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in May 2020. This standoff ended in October last year. The proposals for this strategic infrastructure were discussed during a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on December 21.

An official said, «Opening of the secured apex court premises will provide a great opportunity to the public to gain inside access to the interiors of the building and admire the majestic structure in its full glory.» A circular issued on January 9 by Registrar Mahesh T Patankar (court and building) read, «In pursuance of the directions of the competent authority, the guided tour shall be conducted on every working Saturday, except second and fourth Saturdays and declared holidays in four slots from 10 am to 11.30 am; 11:30 am to 1 pm; 2 pm to 3.30 pm and 3.30 pm to 5 pm.»

miner Vedanta's parent on Friday said it has secured commitments from Barclays, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and Mashreq totaling $300 million in loan tenors of 3 years and 3 months. The proceeds will be used for refinancing some outstanding 2024 and 2026 bonds and for meeting other debt servicing obligations, Vedanta Resources said in an exchange filing. The company is looking to upsize the deal and is in advance discussions with other banks for additional loans of $200 million, it said.

Annapurna Studios in collaboration with Dolby has launched India’s first Dolby certified post production facility for cinema and home. The facility was unveiled by the renowned filmmaker S S Rajamouli in the presence of the celebrated actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, Vice Chairman of Annapurna Studios. Interestingly, Rajamouli’s Academy-award-winning film RRR was the first-ever Indian film to be released in Dolby Cinema. A special footage of the film was played at the grand event. SS Rajamouli said, «During the time of RRR, when we wanted to grade the film in Dolby Vision, we had to travel all the way to Germany. It was a bit disheartening that I couldn’t experience my film in Dolby Vision within my own country. But today, I’m thrilled to see a Dolby Vision grading facility right here at Annapurna Studios.» He added, «Even more exciting is the fact that, by the time my next film releases, there will be multiple Dolby Cinema across India.: He said, „Watching a film in Dolby Vision is an entirely different experience—the crystal-clear clarity and the way it enhances the nuances of every frame take storytelling to a whole new level. I can’t wait for audiences to experience it!”

Unitech's Express City housing project, claiming ownership of a 7,000 square meter plot. Sukhpal Singh asserts the land, located within the project's sectors 96, 97, and 98, belongs to him and was never acquired by the Noida Authority. The project, delayed for nearly a decade due to Unitech's financial and operational issues, resumed construction last September under new management appointed by the Supreme Court. The disputed plot falls within Unitech’s “The Willows” project, which includes developed plots and requires infrastructure like roads. Singh states he notified officials about his plot's location within the project boundary. The district administration demarcated his plot within the project area around 2016-2017. Construction work stalled, leaving his plot undisturbed. Singh noticed excavation for a road on Thursday and halted the work, informing the district administration. “My demand is that either an approach (road to my plot) is provided, or my land parcel is shifted to another portion of the project along the existing road where Unitech has no issue. Since the allotment, we were not able to do farming on this land. But, at the same time, Unitech also did not interfere,” Singh said.

Prateek Group will invest over Rs 2,000 crore to develop a luxury housing project at Siddharth Vihar in Ghaziabad as part of its expansion plan amid strong consumer demand. The company on Friday announced launch of its new project 'Prateek Grand Begonia', spanning around 15 acre and comprising 2,400 flats. «We have already developed and delivered 4,500 flats in Siddharth Vihar. We are now starting a new housing project which is suitable for both end users and investors,» Prateek Group CMD Prashant Tiwari told reporters here. The company will sell 1,200 flats in the first phase. It will take only 30 per cent of the cost from customers at the time of booking and the remaining 70 per cent at the time of possession.