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India and Kuwait signed four Memorandum of Understandings in the areas of defence, sports and cultural cooperation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Gulf nation, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday. MEA Secretary CPV and OIA, Arun Kumar Chatterjee during a special briefing today, said the MoUs are expected to deepen the multifaceted bilateral relationship as well as open avenues for newer areas of cooperation. «Following the delegation level talks today, four bilateral documents were signed during the visit. The first one is a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation, the second one is a Cultural Exchange program for the years 2025-2029, the third is an executive program on cooperation in the field of sports for the period 2025- 2028. We also had Kuwait joining as a member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA),» he said.

I2U2 Group, a groundbreaking quadrilateral partnership between India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. The event, titled «I2U2: Towards a Transformative Quadrilateral Partnership», brought together distinguished experts who explored the partnership's role in reshaping international cooperation and economic integration. The event held virtually was organised by the CUTS International, a leading public policy body of India. In his opening remarks, Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General of CUTS International, emphasised the partnership's innovative approach, noting that «I2U2 deliberately sidesteps traditional conflict narratives. Instead of focusing on historical tensions or regional disputes, the I2U2 partnership prioritises pragmatic economic cooperation and technological innovation.»

In the afternoon, the BSF troops jointly with Punjab Police recovered two DJI AIR 3S drones one after another along with one packet of suspected heroin with gross weight- 558 and 613 grams respectively in the area of village Dal situated in district Tarn Taran. The narcotics packets were found wrapped with yellow adhesive tape and a copper wire loop attached to each, the release mentioned. The vigilant BSF troops on duty recovered one DJI Magic 3 Classic drone at about 09:45 am from a farming field adjacent to the village Rattankhurd in district Amritsar, added the release.

Haryana government has notified the procurement of 24 crops at a minimum support price (MSP), extending the list of 14 farm produces that were earlier eligible for guaranteed rates under public procurement system. The state cabinet of the previous government, which was also headed by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, already approved the proposal of buying 10 additional crops at MSP. The decision on MSP for additional crops was announced on August 5, months before the assembly polls in October. Till August, government agencies used to procure 14 crops at MSP. According the latest notification dated December 19, the then Council of Ministers, in its meeting held on August 5, decided to purchase ragi, soybean, nigerseed, safflower, barley, maize, jowar, jute, copra and summer moong at the minimum support price.

Justin Baldoni has been dropped by WME following allegations of sexual harassment made by actress Blake Lively, his co-star in It Ends With Us, according to Deadline. WME leadership made the decision on Saturday morning, shortly after Lively filed a formal complaint on Friday evening. Lively, 37, alleged in the complaint that Baldoni engaged in multiple instances of inappropriate behavior during the production of It Ends With Us. According to Deadline, these incidents included comments about her weight, discussions on sexual topics, and references to Baldoni’s “pornography addiction” in front of her and other cast members. The lawsuit also claims that Baldoni displayed explicit images and made inappropriate remarks about the genitalia of cast and crew members.

Jagjit Singh Dallewal's fast-unto-death entered its 27th day on Sunday, doctors termed his health condition «critical». Doctors attending to him at the Khanauri border protest site reiterated that Dallewal is at the risk of cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure. Dallewal, 70, has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on crops. A statement issued by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha said following the advice of doctors, the veteran farmer leader did not come on stage on Sunday.

Firhad Hakim on Sunday said that the Centre should be held responsible for unabated illegal migration from Bangladesh. His assertion came in the wake of the BJP attacking the West Bengal government following the arrest of suspected Ansar-al-Islam Bangladesh members who were allegedly trying to spread the terror outfit's network in the eastern state. He was asked about reports that two of the eight arrested terrorists were working to set up a sleeper cell in Murshidabad district and one of them, a Bangladeshi national, had even procured fake identity card and passport to carry on subversive activities. «The onus lies with the Union Home Ministry which is helmed by Amit Shah. Why is he not taking steps to strengthen security along the Bangladesh border? Why is the Border Security Force not succeeding to stop infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals?

The victims were Chandram Yegapagol, 48, the MD and CEO of IAST Software Solutions Private Limited, his wife Gaurabai, 42, their 16-year-old son Gyan, daughter Deeksha, 12, Yegapagol's sister-in-law Vijayalakshmi, 36, and her six-year-old daughter Arya, according to ToI. Yegapagol and the others were heading to their hometown Sangli in Maharashtra in their new Volvo XC90 SUV, when the horrific accident happened around 11 am near Tippagondanahalli on the B'luru-Tumakuru stretch of the highway. «Chandram was driving responsibly and was not at fault,» police told ToI.

Renuka Thakur Singh's five-wicket haul powered India Women to a commanding 211-run victory over West Indies Women in the first ODI of the series at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday. Having secured a 2-1 win in the preceding T20I series, India Women extended their dominance in white-ball cricket. The emphatic win on Tuesday gave the Women in Blue an early lead in the ODI series. West Indies, led by Hayley Matthews, won the toss and opted to field. However, Harmanpreet Kaur's team set a daunting target for the visitors in the first innings.

orange alert for severe cold in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi districts for four days from Monday. The meteorological department also predicted light rain and snowfall at a few places in the mid and higher hills till Thursday. While the minimum temperatures stayed below normal, the weather remained dry and day temperatures dropped by two to three degrees. Tabo was coldest in the state with a low of minus 11. 6 degrees, while Sumdo, Kusumseri and Kalpa recorded a low of minus 5.3 degrees, minus 4.8 degrees and minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Accenture Plc’s renewed hiring—it added 49,000 people globally in the last six months—suggests technology services companies expect a much better growth in the coming months, according to analysts. The Dublin-headquartered company’s hiring spree paints a sanguine outlook for homegrown IT services companies that are expected to record better growth in the coming quarters, the analysts said.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission(JFTC) will soon issue a cease and desist order asking Google to halt its monopolistic practices, the report added. Google did not immediately respond to request for comment while the JFTC could not be reached for comment.

ALSO READ: Why applying for a Schengen visa is 'humiliating' for Indians The year marks a Jubilee Year, also known as the Holy Year – a momentous occasion for Catholic worshippers who flock to Rome and Vatican City to seek forgiveness for their sins, says a Condé Nast Traveller report. During this time, Rome becomes a “focal point” for Catholic faith and traditions, the report adds. Held once every 25 years, the upcoming Jubilee Year will commence on Christmas Eve 2024 and conclude on January 6, 2026. Pilgrims will have a unique chance to walk through the Holy Doors of four papal basilicas—St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and Saint Mary Major—which are opened solely for this sacred occasion.

Justin Baldoni has been dropped by his agency, WME, following sexual harassment accusations from Blake Lively, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Lively, who co-stars with Baldoni in the upcoming film "It Ends With Us," filed a complaint on Friday detailing the alleged harassment. Both Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, are also represented by WME. The complaint accuses Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, not only of harassment but also of attempting to damage Lively's reputation. Lively claims the situation escalated to a meeting involving Sony Pictures, producers, publicists, and others to address the alleged «inappropriate conduct.» She presented a list of 30 demands to resume production after the actors' strike, including stipulations about discussions of pornography and genitalia, displaying explicit videos, and improvising kissing scenes. The complaint also alleges that Baldoni deviated from the agreed-upon marketing plan, which emphasized the character's strength and resilience rather than focusing on domestic violence. Lively contends Baldoni used «survivor content» to protect his image after cast and crew members unfollowed him on social media. The complaint states, “What the public also did not know was that this was the beginning of a multi-tiered plan that Mr. Baldoni and his team described as ‘social manipulation’ designed to ‘destroy’ Ms. Lively’s reputation. That plan was backed by virtually unlimited resources.”

RBI under former governor Shaktikanta Das resisted pressures to cut interest rates through 2024 as it kept its 'Arjuna's eye' trained on inflation, but the central bank under a new detail-oriented head will soon have to take a call if it can continue sacrificing growth. Das, a career bureaucrat who in 2016 oversaw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's highly disruptive demonetisation move, left a lasting legacy as he demitted office towards the end of 2024 after expertly navigating monetary policy for six years, the highlight of which was steering India's recovery through the pandemic. Sanjay Malhotra, another civil servant, was named as Das' successor barely 24-hour before the latter's second three-year term came to an end.

Sobha group, plans to set up homes under Devi Home in Moolamcode, Palakkad. This philanthropic initiative is designed to provide a safe housing facility for orphaned girls aged 10 years and below and elderly women aged 50 years and above. Spread over 26,000 sq ft of land, the facility of 42,000 sq ft of built-up area will provide necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. In addition, it will offer educational support for young girls and skill-training workshops for elderly women, enhancing their productivity and overall well-being. PNC Menon, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Sobha Limited said, «The name ‘Devi’ stands for resilience, care, and the nurturing spirit, which is the very foundation of this project. Devi Home is our endeavour to provide a safe and compassionate philanthropic home for young girls and elderly women who are often overlooked by society. At Sobha, we believe in creating meaningful opportunities for those in need, and this initiative embodies our vision of fostering dignity, respect, and a sense of belonging.»

In absolute terms, the jump to 1.78 million from 1.16 million active companies is the highest for any five-year period, with officials and analysts attributing the surge to the country’s robust economic growth prospects over the medium-to-long term and greater ease of doing business. The decriminalisation of dozens of minor offences under the Companies Act since 2019 also helped, they added.

cargo handling this year. V O Chidambaranar Port has handled a cargo volume of 29.70 million tonnes including 5.62 lakh TEUs of containers till December 19, 2024 this is an overall growth of 1.87 per cent and 6.74 per cent, respectively. «With the ever-increasing trend in cargo handling, the Port has initiated several strategic capacity augmentation and cargo evacuation initiatives to increase cargo throughput, enhance handling efficiency and expand its market share in the region,» a press release said on Sunday.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary said on Sunday. «There is no confusion,» he said during a press conference at the BJP headquarters when asked to comment on speculation that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could do a rethink on projecting Kumar as its leader in the polls. He was responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent interview to a news channel in which he was asked if the NDA could go to the polls in Bihar without declaring a chief ministerial candidate, like it recently did with great success in Maharashtra. Shah, a former BJP president who is still regarded as the party's principal strategist, had replied after a pause, «We will sit together and decide. We will let you know after we have made a decision.»

The sector, which is poised to contribute USD 1 trillion to India's economy by 2047, however, is looking up to the government for policy interventions, such as unified licensing, workforce upskilling, and targeted infrastructure investments to enable the vertical meet demand generated by India's drive towards becoming the world's third largest global economy. «India aims to become the third-largest economy by 2047, and the hospitality sector is set to play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. The sector's multiplier effect on the economy surpasses that of manufacturing and agriculture,» Hotel Association of India (HAI) President KB Kachru told PTI.

Akasa Air is in continuous discussions with Boeing on aircraft deliveries and expects to add a few more planes to its fleet in the current fiscal ending March 2025, the airline's chief Vinay Dube has said. The carrier, which started flying in August 2022, currently has a fleet of 26 Boeing 737 MAX planes and 200 aircraft are on order. In a recent interview to PTI, Dube said that 2024 has been a good year for the airline and will continue to build on it in 2025. «On the service excellence we have provided, I think consumers look at Akasa as being a kind and gentler airline, little more empathetic. We will continue to treat our travellers in a kind, gentle manner,» he said and added that the airline also continues to make sure its employees feel loved and respected.