Russia-Ukraine War Latest News Updates: Russian missiles strike Kyiv on New Year’s Eve, at least one dead

Ukraine shot down 12 of 20 Russian missiles: Army

Ukraine’s air defence shot down 12 out of 20 missiles launched by Russia, hours before New Year’s Eve celebrations, the Ukrainian army said.

Rajiv Gandhi foundation got funding from Chinese embassy. What’s the source of Rahul Gandhi when he says that ‘Indian soldiers were beaten up’ while our source is ‘Indian soldiers had beaten up’. He must tell the source, either it’ll be anti-national or a Chinese

– Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

More explosions heard in Kyiv after first wave of blasts

More explosions sounded in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, shortly after the city was rocked by what officials said was a massive Russian missile attack. Kyiv city authorities told residents to remain in shelters and said that Ukrainian air defences were active in Kyiv and the surrounding area.

Mumbai logs two new COVID-19 cases

With the addition of two new cases of coronavirus, Mumbai’s tally of infections stood at 11,55,124, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.

Four killed in a blast at a house in Tamil Nadu’s Namakkal district where firecrackers were stocked: Police

Auckland citizens cheerfully welcome New Year 2023

P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to PM chaired a high level meeting with senior officials and experts to review Covid-19 situation in the country, particularly with spike in cases in China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil etc: Sources

Oyo IPO likely to get delayed by a quarter

The IPO of tech hospitality startup Oyo, which was earlier expected to be launched in the first half of 2023, will now likely be delayed another quarter, as SEBI has written back to the company asking it to update additional sections in its Draft Red Herring Prospectus

Over 98,000 unsold homes in Delhi-NCR at 2022-end: PropTiger

The Delhi-NCR market has 98,290 unsold housing units at the end of 2022 calendar year and it will take around five years for builders to sell these stocks at current sales velocity, according to PropTiger.com. In its latest report, housing brokerage firm PropTiger has mentioned that unsold inventory rose 17 per cent in 2022 to 8,49,510 units across eight major cities.

Pope Francis to lead funeral of Benedict XVI on January 5

Pope Francis will preside over the funeral for former pope Benedict XVI, who has died at the age of 95, on January 5, the Vatican said.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief Sujoy Lal Thaosen took over the additional charge of Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF)

Assam: Guwahati witnesses beautiful sunset to end the year 2022

BJP will contest alone and form government on its own in Karnataka: Amit Shah on 2023 state assembly polls

Jammu and Kashmir:

Indian Army with the help of locals recovered a civilian’s car which had skidded off the road into a nala due to snow near Listiyal in Kupwara.

Delhi L-G eases licensing norms

Restaurants/bars in 5 & 4 star hotels to operate 24×7; licenses to be granted within 49 days: Officials

This is called ‘Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne’. Only God knows what Rahul Gandhi thinks and says. BJP will again form majority government in Madhya Pradesh.

– State minister Vishvas Sarang

Delhi new licensing procedure: Restaurants/eateries no longer require 28 documents

All restaurants/eateries in 5 & 4 star hotels, those within airport, railway station & ISBT premises permitted to operate on 24X7 basis, after payment of necessary fee. Applicants to get license in less than 49 days; 28 documents no longer required under licensing procedure.

Special Investigation Units (SIU) have been created in every district to deal with UAPA cases: Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh

Former Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95

Former Pope Benedict XVI has died at his Vatican residence, aged 95, almost a decade after he stood down because of ailing health.

Biswa calls out Rahul Gandhi for considering BJP as Guru

If Rahul Gandhi considers BJP as guru, then he should go to Nagpur. I want to tell him that he should not consider RSS & BJP as his guru, but the flag of ‘Bharat Mata’. He is welcome to Nagpur, he should give ‘guru dakshina’ before the flag of ‘Bharat Mata’, said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

IPS officer Anjani Kumar takes charge as the Director General of Police, Telangana

Rishabh Pant accident: He is stable and recovering well, says DDCA Director

“He is stable and recovering well. Our BCCI doctors are in touch with the doctors here. Jay Shah is monitoring it. As of now, he’ll remain admitted here. He told me that he tried to save (his car) from a pothole (when accident occurred),” said DDCA Director after meeting Rishabh Pant.

Rahul Gandhi said manufacturing is not seen in the Indian economy whereas we’ve exported smartphones worth Rs 20,000 crores, we’re manufacturing BrahMos missiles. Today we have become the second biggest producer of smartphones.

– Sudhanshu Trivedi

Allen institute announces admission for 2023

As the dawn of the New Year is just at the doorstep, Kota coaching is also set to script new success stories, aspirations, and dreams. Students from all over the country are flocking to Kota for competitive exam preparations. The spearhead of Kota coaching, Allen Career Institute, is also eager to write another success tale on the horizon of the new sky with the announcement of the next academic session 2023-24.

Haryana Sports Minister faces allegations of rape attempt

Chandigarh Police said they are investigating allegations of rape attempt levelled by an athletics coach against Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh, a former Olympian. Former captain of the Indian national hockey team, Sandeep Singh has rubbished the charges as “politically motivated”.

Anti-Pakistan protests intensify in Gilgit Baltistan over illegal land grab by army

Widespread protests against the Pakistan Army and ISI has been sweeping across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s (PoK) Gilgit Baltistan, with largescale demonstrations against the illegal land acquisition by Pakistani security agencies. The Pakistan Army has been grabbing land from the locals for years, but this is the first time the locals have risen against the Army.

NIA registered 73 cases in 2022 which is a 19.67% increase from 2021

NIA registered 73 cases in 2022 which is a 19.67% increase from the 61 cases registered in 2021 and is an all-time high for the NIA. These cases include 35 cases of Jihadi terror in various states such as J&K, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh.

Pakistan’s economy faces severe headwinds with mounting deficits, high inflation

Pakistan’s economic situation is facing “severe headwinds” with inflation being forecast to stay high between 21-23 per cent and the cash-strapped country’s fiscal deficit widening by more than 115 per cent in the first four months (July-October) of the current fiscal year. Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) in its Monthly Economic Update and Outlook said that the economic growth is likely to remain below the budgeted target in FY23 due to devastation caused by floods, the Dawn newspaper reported.

172 terrorists killed in encounters in Kashmir this year

A total of 172 terrorists including 42 foreign terrorists were killed in encounters with security personnel in Kashmir in the year 2022, said the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Vijay Kumar. These terrorists were neutralised in 93 successful encounters in Kashmir. He further said that a maximum of 108 terrorists were neutralised from the proscribed terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF)/Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) followed by 35 from Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Two more arrested in JOA (IT) paper leak case

The Vigilance department has arrested two more people in the JOA (IT) paper leak case, including another son of the main accused, Uma Azad, an HPSSC employee, authorities said. So far, eight people have been arrested in the matter, of which Nikhil Azad, Neeraj, Ajay Sharma, and Tanu Sharma are in judicial custody. Police arrested Nitin Azad and Shashi Pal late Friday night. Nitin and Nikhil, both, are sons of Uma Azad – a senior assistant at the HP staff selection commission, and the mastermind behind the paper leak.

Rishabh Pant car accident: Uttarakhand to honor Haryana Roadways driver, conductor under Good Samaritan scheme

The Haryana Roadways bus driver and conductor who helped rescue Rishabh Pant after the India cricketer met with a near-fatal accident will be awarded under the Good Samaritan award of the central government, Uttarakhand Police said. “We have decided that Sushil and Paramjeet will be awarded under Good Samaritan scheme,” Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said. Both Sushil Kumar the driver and Paramjeet Nain the conductor of the Haryana Roadways bus along with other locals had rushed to helped Pant, after the cricketer somehow managed to come out of his high end car that has smashed into a road barrier on the Delhi-Dehradun highway on Friday.The mishap took place on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal and the car later caught fire.

Tunisha death case: Sheezan Khan sent to 14-day judicial custody

A court in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Saturday remanded actor Sheezan Khan, arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of his co-actor Tunisha Sharma, in 14-day judicial custody. Khan was produced before a magistrate’s court in Vasai after his police custody ended on Saturday. The police custody had been extended by a day on Friday.

When I attack govt, they say I am attacking Army…Govt should own up its mistakes and not hide behind armed forces

– Rahul Gandhi

China clearly not being transparent about Covid case or deaths, says British virologist

Since China relaxed its controversial zero covid policy last month, the second-largest economy is struggling to deal with the meteoric rise in coronavirus cases throughout the country which is putting a burden on its healthcare system. British virologist and biologist Jonathan Latham, Executive Director of the Bioscience Resource Project, a New York non-profit based in said that Beijing is clearly not being open and transparent about case numbers or deaths and that only accurate data can lead to good decisions in China and elsewhere.

China, Pakistan planning something big; Doklam, Tawang preparation for something big: Rahul Gandhi

CPI(M) decides to bring Saji Cheriyan back into cabinet

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala has decided to bring MLA Saji Cheriyan back into the cabinet, a move which was criticised by the Congress which said on Saturday the Left party ought to have waited for the final outcome of the case against him before taking a decision. Cheriyan, in July, had resigned from the cabinet over his alleged remarks against the Constitution during a speech in Pathanamthitta district and the lodging of a criminal case against him in connection with that.

Actors Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher meet cricketer Rishabh Pant

Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher on Saturday met cricketer Rishabh Pant who is recuperating at Max Hospital here after suffering injuries in a car crash. India’s star cricketer had a miraculous escape when his luxury car crashed into a road divider and caught fire after he dozed off at the wheel on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in the early hours of Friday. “He (Pant) is doing fine. We met him as fans. Let us pray that he recovers soon and we see him playing again,” Kapoor told reporters after coming out of the hospital.

MCD regained unified identity in 2022

From regaining its unified identity after its trifurcation 10 years ago to a fresh delimitation exercise and a subsequent civic poll — the Municipal Corporation of Delhi hogged the headlines for larger part of the year 2022. It will remain in the news in early 2023 too, as Delhi will get its mayor on January 6 after the high-stakes elections held on December 4.

Indian national dies in Singapore factory fire

A 38-year-old Indian national has died in a fire at an industrial site in Singapore, becoming the 46th workplace fatality this year, the highest since 2016 in the city-state. According to preliminary investigations, the fire that broke out at 21 Tuas Avenue 3 site on Friday morning was caused by the uncontrolled release of acetylene–a flammable gas–from cylinders on the premises, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Saturday.

Massive traffic jam in Manali

New Twitter navigation tools arriving in Jan: Musk

Elon Musk on Saturday announced that new navigation features will arrive on Twitter in the New Year, as he aims to rejig the whole experience to make the platform faster.”Twitter navigation coming in January that allows swiping to the side to switch between recommended & followed tweets, trends, topics, etc,” he said in a tweet.

Tunisha death: Police to produce accused Sheezan Khan in court

The Waliv police in Maharashtra is scheduled to produce TV actor Sheezan Khan, the key accused in the Tunisha Sharma death case, in a Vasai court as his police custody ends Saturday. Sheezan Khan is a costar and reported former boyfriend of Tunisha, who was allegedly found hanging at a TV serial set on December 24, barely 15 days after they called it quits.

Spurious liquor death case: Accused Ram Babu Mahto arrested from Dwarka area of Delhi

Ram Babu Mahto is one of the most wanted accused in two cases registered at PS Mashrak, and PS Isuapur of Saran district. As per reports around 80 people died in these tragic incidents related to sale and consumption of spurious liquor. As per the info available so far, he is involved in several cases of illicit liquor. He has been arrested from Dwarka area of Delhi. Appropriate legal action is being taken and info about his arrest has been shared with Bihar Police for further action, said Delhi Police Crime Branch.

India has confirmed its first case of Omicron’s XBB.1.5 in Gujarat this December : Insacog

Reported ToI

Dense fog in parts of Delhi, minimum temp at 10.2 deg C

Delhi witnessed dense fog in parts of the city on Saturday, with the minimum temperature settling at 10.2 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average, the India Meteorological Department said. Relative humidity recorded at 8:30 am was 90 per cent, it said. The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 21 degrees Celsius in the national capital.

Delhi’s air quality in ‘Very Poor’ category with AQI at 369

Heavy security deployment in Delhi for New Year celebrations

Delhi Police has deployed over 18,000 personnel from district and traffic units across the national capital to keep a strict vigil on any kind of violations and ensure security during New Year celebrations, officials said on Saturday. As many as 125 spots of drunk driving have been identified in the city for taking strict action against those driving under the influence alcohol, they said.

Night temp rises above freezing point in Srinagar

After more than a month, night temperature rose above the freezing point in Srinagar on Saturday as the MeT office forecasted mainly clear to partly cloudy weather during the next 24 hours in J&K and Ladakh.”Minimum temperature rose above the freezing point after more than a month in Srinagar on Saturday due to cloud cover. Mainly clear to partly cloudy weather is expected in J&K and Ladakh during the next 24 hours,” an official of the MeT department said.

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes Antofagasta, Chile – EMSC

Jammu and Kashmir Administration demolishes property of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist commander Amir Khan, in Anantnag’s Pahalgam

Troops join search for missing in northern Japan landslide

A landslide destroyed about a dozen homes in northern Japan on Saturday, leaving at least two people missing, and troops were on their way to help in the rescue effort, officials said. Two people, a man and a woman, were rescued from homes that were buried in dirt that had tumbled down a nearby mountain in Tsuruoka city in Yamagata Prefecture in northwestern Japan. But more residents were feared still caught beneath the rubble.

Russia attacks Ukraine with 16 Iran-made drones: Kyiv officials

Officials in Kyiv have claimed that Russia attacked Ukraine with 16 Iran-made drones just a day after Moscow struck cities across the war-torn nation with the latest barrage of missile deemed to be one of the largest since the war began on February 24.The Ukrainian military said that all of Friday’s drones were destroyed, the BBC reported.

Amit Shah on Navsari accident

“The road accident in Navsari, Gujarat is heart-wrenching. My condolences to those who have lost their families in this incident. The local administration is providing immediate treatment to the injured, praying for their speedy recovery,” tweets Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Barbara Walters, television news trailblazer, dies at 93

Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career remarkable for its duration and variety, has died. She was 93. Walters’ death was announced by ABC on air Friday night and also by her publicist.

Nine killed, around 15 injured as SUV rams into luxury bus in Gujarat’s Navsari district: Police

US President Joe Biden condoles death of PM Modi’s mother

Taking to Twitter, President Biden wrote, “(First Lady Dr) Jill (Biden) and I send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) @narendramodi on the loss of his mother Heeraben Modi”. “Our prayers are with the Prime Minister and his family at this difficult time,” he said on Friday night.

Covid variant XBB.1.5 account for over 40pc of cases in US

The omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 makes up to 40.5 per cent of new infections across the United States, according to The Hill citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant as of this week has pushed out the BQ.1 and the BQ.1.1 subvariants from their previous positions as the most detected coronavirus mutations.

UN seeks court opinion on ‘violation’ of Palestinian rights

The UN General Assembly has asked the UN’s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Assembly voted by a wide margin, but with over 50 countries abstaining, on Friday evening to send one of the world’s longest-running and thorniest disputes to the International Court of Justice, a request promoted by the Palestinians and opposed vehemently by Israel.

China’s manufacturing activity in December declines: government

Mainland China reports one COVID death for Dec 30

China reported one new COVID-19 death in the mainland for Dec. 30, compared with one death a day earlier, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday. The death toll has risen to 5,248.