India

Delhi Sees Massive Traffic Jams, Long Queues At Metro Stations On New Year

admin 0

Delhi Sees Massive Traffic Jams, Long Queues At Metro Stations On New Year

A bumper-to-bumper traffic was also witnessed near the India Gate and Mandi House. (File)

New Delhi:

Several roads in Lutyens’ Delhi area witnessed a chock-a-block situation while revellers stood in serpentine queues inside and outside metro stations as huge crowds thronged the India Gate, Connaught Place and various religious places in the national capital on New Year’s Day.

“Be it in metro or on roads, there is no space in several areas of central Delhi,” a commuter said.

As people had a hard time entering and exiting Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, and Central Secretariat metro stations, an official said many commuters did not have smart cards or online tickets which contributed to the long queues.

Those with smart cards or online tickets were being allowed by CISF personnel to go first at security checkpoints. Some people claimed on social media in the evening that entry was closed at the Central Secretariat Metro Station.

Massive crowds gathered at the India Gate, Prachin Hanuman Mandir, Bangla Sahib Gurdwara and Connaught Place circle, resulting in traffic chaos.

Traffic was heavy in other parts of the national capital as well, forcing people to take to X to complain about the situation. According to commuters, heavy traffic was witnessed in Chhattarpur, Barakhamba crossing towards Mandi House, Rajendra Prasad Marg roundabout, Sarai Kale Khan flyover, Mathura Road and Singhu Border to Mukarba Chowk, among others.

A bumper-to-bumper traffic was also witnessed near the India Gate and Mandi House while people also thronged Kartavya Path, leading to a jam-packed situation there.

A senior police officer said, “Adequate arrangements were made at various temples and markets since December 31. Teams are maintaining law and order condition.” “One platoon of paramilitary personnel with eight staffers of the Delhi Police were deployed at Hanuman temple as well as at Connaught Place inner circle and metro stations to manage the crowd,” a police officer said.

Lokesh Bhardwaj, a priest at Kalkaji Mandir, told PTI there was a massive surge of visitors seeking blessings on the first day of the new year. “People have been reaching here since December 31 and the numbers are still increasing,” he said.

Harmeet Singh Kalka, the president of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee, also said that there was a continuous stream of devotees visiting holy sites. Huge traffic was witnessed near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, chocking the road towards Connaught Place.

Kalka said that they have hired extra staff for ‘langar’ (community kitchen).

Deepankar Sharma, a volunteer at Prachin Hanuman Mandir, said that there will be a huge crowd at the temple till Tuesday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Top News

Man Thrashed, Paraded Naked On Suspicion Of Theft In Rajasthan

admin 0

Man Thrashed, Paraded Naked On Suspicion Of Theft In Rajasthan

Representational Image

Jaipur:

A man was allegedly beaten up and paraded naked on the suspicion of theft in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district, police said Monday.

Police have registered a case against three accused and arrested them for thrashing the man after a video of the incident circulated on social media.

“Police have registered the case taking cognisance of the video of the incident which circulated on social media. Three people involved in thrashing the man have been arrested,” Sadar Station House Officer (SHO) Sukhram Chotiya said.

He said Shakeel was nabbed by the local people on suspicion of theft in Basni Behlima village and paraded naked.

The SHO said Shakeel has five cases of theft registered against him between 2014 and 2022. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Top News

You can’t reverse the ageing process but these 5 things can help you live longer

admin 0

While an estimated 25 per cent of longevity is determined by our genes, the rest is determined by what we do, day to day.

Published Date – 05:41 PM, Wed – 27 December 23


You can’t reverse the ageing process but these 5 things can help you live longer

Representational Image

Melbourne: At this time of year many of us resolve to prioritise our health. So it is no surprise there’s a roaring trade of products purporting to guarantee you live longer, be healthier and look more youthful. While an estimated 25 per cent of longevity is determined by our genes, the rest is determined by what we do, day to day.

There are no quick fixes or short cuts to living longer and healthier lives, but the science is clear on the key principles. Here are five things you can do to extend your lifespan and improve your health.

Eat a predominantly plant-based diet
What you eat has a huge impact on your health. The evidence overwhelmingly shows eating a diet high in plant-based foods is associated with health and longevity. If you eat more plant-based foods and less meat, processed foods, sugar and salt, you reduce your risk of a range of illnesses that shorten our lives, including heart disease and cancer. Plant-based foods are rich in nutrients, phytochemicals, antioxidants and fibre. They’re also anti-inflammatory. All of this protects against damage to our cells as we age, which helps prevent disease.

No particular diet is right for everyone but one of the most studied and healthiest is the Mediterranean diet. It’s based on the eating patterns of people who live in countries around the Mediterranean Sea and emphases vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fish and seafood, and olive oil.

Aim for a healthy weight
Another important way you can be healthier is to try and achieve a healthy weight, as obesity increases the risk of a number of health problems that shorten our lives. Obesity puts strain on all of our body systems and has a whole myriad of physiological effects including causing inflammation and hormonal disturbances. These increase your chances of a number of diseases, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and a number of cancers.

In addition to affecting us physically, obesity is also associated with poorer psychological health. It’s linked to depression, low self-esteem and stress. One of the biggest challenges we face in the developed world is that we live in an environment that promotes obesity. The ubiquitous marketing and the easy availability of high-calorie foods our bodies are hard-wired to crave mean it’s easy to consume too many calories.

Exercise regularly
We all know that exercise is good for us – the most common resolution we make this time of year is to do more exercise and to get fitter. Regular exercise protects against chronic illness, lowers your stress and improves your mental health.

While one of the ways exercising helps you is by supporting you to control your weight and lowering your body fat levels, the effects are broader and include improving your glucose (blood sugar) use, lowering your blood pressure, reducing inflammation and improving blood flow and heart function.

While it’s easy to get caught up in all of the hype about different exercise strategies, the evidence suggests that any way you can include physical activity in your day has health benefits. You don’t have to run marathons or go to the gym for hours every day. Build movement into your day in any way that you can and do things that you enjoy.

Don’t smoke
If you want to be healthier and live longer then don’t smoke or vape. Smoking cigarettes affects almost every organ in the body and is associated with both a shorter and lower quality of life. There is no safe level of smoking – every cigarette increases your chances of developing a range of cancers, heart disease and diabetes.

Even if you have been smoking for years, by giving up smoking at any age you can experience health benefits almost immediately, and you can reverse many of the harmful effects of smoking. If you’re thinking of switching to vapes as a healthy long term option, think again. The long term health effects of vaping are not fully understood and they come with their own health risks.

Prioritise social connection
When we talk about living healthier and longer, we tend to focus on what we do to our physical bodies. But one of the most important discoveries over the past decade has been the recognition of the importance of spiritual and psychological health.

People who are lonely and socially isolated have a much higher risk of dying early and are more likely to suffer from heart disease, stroke, dementia as well as anxiety and depression. Although we don’t fully understand the mechanisms, it’s likely due to both behavioural and biological factors. While people who are more socially connected are more likely to engage in healthy behaviours, there also seems to be a more direct physiological effect of loneliness on the body.

So if you want to be healthier and live longer, build and maintain your connections to others.

Top News

Israel's plan to displace Palestinians proves onslaught on Gaza is war of genocide: Islamic Jihad

admin 0

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has strongly condemned Israel’s plan to forcefully displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries, saying it proves that the regime is committing genocide in the coastal territory.

In a statement issued on Monday, the movement denounced “the statements by the officials of the Nazi government in the Israeli entity regarding the displacement of our people in the Gaza Strip and the search for countries to deport them to.”

Such statements, the movement added, “are ongoing war crimes that confirm the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip is a war of genocide against the existence of the Palestinian people in their homeland.”

The Israeli regime launched its war on Gaza on October 7 following an operation by the territory’s resistance movements, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm. Close to 22,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in the regime’s military aggression so far.

Throughout the war, the regime’s officials have been floating a plan, which requires forced displacement of Palestinians residing in Gaza to other countries.

On Sunday, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich urged displacement of two million Palestinians from the besieged territory, so that only around 200,000 Palestinians would remain.

His remarks were echoed on Monday by another extremist minister who called for the return of Israeli settlers to Gaza, saying that Palestinians should be encouraged to emigrate.

“We must promote a solution to encourage the emigration of Gaza’s residents,” Itamar Ben Gvir said, adding that the onslaught on Gaza was “an opportunity to develop a project to encourage Gaza’s residents to emigrate to countries around the world.”

Commenting on their remarks, the Islamic Jihad said silence in the face of the Israeli regime’s plan to displace the people of Gaza “implies implicit encouragement for the entity to continue its criminal agenda.”

Such agenda “will not be limited to Gaza alone,” the movement warned, adding that the plan threatens “Arab national security” and poses a “definite danger…to the stability of all countries of the region.” 

Concluding the statement, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad held the United States responsible for emboldening the Israeli regime to implement such plans against Palestinians “through the invention of the term ‘voluntary displacement’.”

The Islamic Jihad said the US is “giving the [Zionist] entity the time and weapons necessary to destroy all aspects of life in Gaza, so that displacement becomes the only option” for its people.

As Israel’s most dedicated and age-old ally, the US has torpedoed the prospect of cessation of the Israeli onslaught by stonewalling ratification of all United Nations Security Council resolutions that have been calling for implementation of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Washington has also supplied the regime with more than 10,000 tons of advanced weaponry since the onset of the warfare.

The Islamic Jihad, however, vowed that Palestinian resistance groups will not hesitate to stand up to the US-backed Israeli aggression.

“We affirm that we will continue to confront this war of extermination and displacement, and we rely on the awareness of our people and the bravery of the fighters in the field to thwart these criminal plans,” the movement said.

Top News

Watch: Kohli Smashes Ashwin For A Big Six Ahead Of 2nd Test. Video Viral

admin 0

After a crushing loss against South Africa in the first Test, the Indian cricket team is gearing up for the second and final match that starts on Wednesday in Cape Town. For India it’s a do-or-die match if they are to draw the series. In the first Test, Dean Elgar hit 185 while the South African bowlers were on song too as India crumbled to a loss by innings and 32 runs. The second Test gives them an opportunity to set the record straight.

Ahead of second Test, the Indian team has been practicing in full tilt. On Monday, Virat Kohli took part in an intense practice session. He faced the Indian bowlers as well as net bowlers.

After a dry spell from 2020-2022, India’s star batter Virat Kohli returned to his normal, run-scoring ways with a historic, record-breaking and consistent 2023 as a batter, breaking some massive batting records previously considered untouchable.

The star batter went several steps ahead to match the legacy of the Indian great Sachin Tendulkar.

This year will be known as the one of Virat’s redemption. Every match, every series, and every tournament saw him grab headlines and re-write record books, even during some occasional off days with the bat. Though Virat’s redemption story remains incomplete without the presence of the highly-elusive Indian Premier League (IPL) title, ICC World Test Championship mace, and the most heartbreaking of them all, an ICC Cricket World Cup trophy at home, Virat’s batting still gave millions of his fans immeasurable joy, ecstasy, pride, and many more reasons to consider him their ‘GOAT’ (Greatest of All Time).

Just a decade back, Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries looked impossible to break. Then stepped up a youngster from Delhi, piling up runs and centuries at a rate never seen before every year. On that eventful November 15 this year during the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at Wankhede Stadium, Virat became the first player to make 50 ODI centuries, achieving this feat in front of the legend himself, who was clapping for him in the audience.

From lifting Sachin on his shoulders following India’s World Cup triumph back in 2011 at the same venue, Virat had come a long way, standing shoulder to shoulder with his idol in debates of “Who is the greatest ODI batter of all time?”.

After overtaking this mammoth record, Virat was humble even after toppling his idol, saying after the innings, “It is all too much for me to take in now; to equal my hero’s record is something special for me. He is perfection when it comes to batting. But I am never going to be as good as him.”

The respect was mutual, as Sachin wasted no time in wishing Virat on X (formerly Twitter):

“The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a ‘Virat’ player. I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage – in the World Cup Semi-final – and at my home ground is the icing on the cake,” tweeted Sachin.

With ANI inputs

Topics mentioned in this article

Top News

Vladimir Putin Says Russia Will "Intensify" Strikes On Ukraine As War Rages

admin 0

Vladimir Putin Says Russia Will 'Intensify' Strikes On Ukraine As War Rages

“No crime against civilians will rest unpunished”, said Vladimir Putin. (File)

Moscow, Russia:

President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Moscow will intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine after an unprecedented attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod.

The attack killed 24 people and left over 100 wounded in Belgorod on Saturday. It came after Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities.

“We’re going to intensify the strikes, no crime against civilians will rest unpunished, that’s for certain,” Putin said Monday during a visit to a military hospital.

He said Russia will press on with hitting what he called “military installations.”

“We are doing that today, and tomorrow we will continue doing it,” Putin said, almost two years into Moscow’s offensive.

He spoke as Ukraine said Russia had hit it with a “record” number of drones on New Year’s Day.

Putin called the Belgorod hit a “terrorist attack” and accused Ukrainian forces of targeting “right in the city centre, where people were walking, before New Year’s Eve.”

He repeated a claim that Ukraine is being used by the West to “settle its problems” with Russia.

The Russian leader said he believed the “strategic initiative” in the dragging conflict was on the Russian side.

“In any case that is how I am being briefed and I always insist: any offensive operations should be done after a defeat of the enemy,” he said, according to the Interfax news agency.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

Child Among 8 Killed In Clashes Between Army, Rebels In Syria: Report

admin 0

Child Among 8 Killed In Clashes Between Army, Rebels In Syria: Report

Army artillery fire killed two other civilians in the Aleppo village of Burj Haidar, Observatory said.

Beirut:

Eight civilians, including a child, were killed Monday during exchanges of fire between the army and rebels in northwestern Syria, with 19 others wounded, a war monitor said.

The fighting pitted the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch.

“An elderly man, a woman and her young daughter were killed and 10 other civilians were wounded in a bombardment by the HTS on the villages of Nubul and Zahraa, in a part of Aleppo province controlled by the Syrian regime,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

HTS and other groups control swathes of Idlib province and parts of neighbouring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

The Syrian army retaliated by bombing residential areas of Darat Izza town in Aleppo, killing three civilians and wounding nine others, the Observatory said.

The Britain-based war monitor, which has a network of sources inside Syria, said the bombardments struck a bakery, a mosque, a power plant and a popular market.

Army artillery fire killed two other civilians in the Aleppo village of Burj Haidar, the Observatory said.  

A brutal Syrian government crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests that erupted in 2011 spiralled into a devastating war involving foreign armies, militias and jihadists.

More than half a million people have been killed in the conflict.

Last week, Russian air strikes on Idlib province, killed five civilians from the same family, including three children, according to rescuers and the Observatory.

Moscow is one of Assad’s key backers, providing him with military, political and economic support in the country’s civil war.

Russia’s intervention in the war since 2015 has helped forces loyal to Assad claw back much of the territory they lost in the conflict.

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey was declared in Idlib after a Syrian government offensive in March 2020, but it has been repeatedly violated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Top News

Case Against 330 People For Drunk Driving On New Year Eve In Bengaluru

admin 0

Case Against Over 300 People For Drunk Driving On New Year Eve In Bengaluru

14 road accidents were reported in and around Bengaluru between Sunday and Monday.

Bengaluru:

Bengaluru traffic police launched a special drive on New Year’s Eve and caught around 330 motorists for driving under the influence of liquor, officials said on Monday.

According to the police, they checked more than 7620 vehicles during the special drive conducted on Sunday. During the check, 330 motorists were caught driving vehicles under the influence of liquor.

Cases have been registered against them, the police said.

Meanwhile, 14 road accidents were reported in and around Bengaluru between Sunday and Monday.

“On December 31, 2023, till midnight, a total of one fatal accident and ten non-fatal accidents were reported,” Bengaluru traffic police said in a release.

Similarly, on January 1, 2024, between midnight and 7:00 a.m., a total of three fatal accidents were reported, they added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Top News

Jr NTR stands defiantly on a boat in new ‘Devara’ poster

admin 0

Sharing the poster on X, NTR Jr wrote: “Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Can’t wait for you all to experience the glimpse of #Devara on Jan 8.”

Published Date – 01:36 PM, Mon – 1 January 24


Jr NTR stands defiantly on a boat in new ‘Devara’ poster


Mumbai: Telugu star Jr NTR , whose film ‘RRR’ became a global rage, is gearing up for his upcoming film ‘Devara’. The actor took to his X and shared a new poster from the film on Monday.

The bombshell poster showcases the actor in an intense and fierce look. It shows him standing on a boat in the middle of the aggressive waves of the sea. Behind him one can see other boats and the vast expanse of the charcoal coloured sea and the sky. The makers also announced that the first glimpse of Devara will be unveiled on January 8, 2024.

Sharing the poster on X, NTR Jr wrote: “Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Can’t wait for you all to experience the glimpse of #Devara on Jan 8.”

‘Devara’ is directed by filmmaker Koratala Siva, who is known for ‘Janatha Garage’, ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ and ‘Acharya’. The film, which marks second collaboration between Koratala Siva and NTR Jr, also marks Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor’s Telugu debut. It also stars Saif Ali Khan.

The music for Devara is orchestrated by Anirudh Ravichander, and the cinematography is handled by R. Rathnavelu.

Produced by Yuvasudha Arts and NTR Arts, presented by Nandamuri Kalyan Ram. Part I of ‘Devara’ is slated to hit screens nationwide on April 5, 2024.

Top News

"Mandir Wahin Banne Wala…": India Great's Reply On 2024 Query Goes Viral

admin 0

File photo of Indian cricket team fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad© X (formerly Twitter)

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad conducted a Q&A session on his X (formerly known as Twitter) profile on Sunday and when asked about a prediction for 2024, he made a reference to the Ram temple that is under construction in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. When a follower asked what he thinks will happen in 2024, he wrote – “Mandir wahin banne waala hai(The temple is going to be made there)”. It was a reference to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Earlier, Prasad summed up the Rohit Sharma-led side bitter-sweet 2023 in international cricket. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter),

Prasad pointed out how India dominated other teams during the recently concluded World Cup on home soil, but fell at the the final hurdle, losing the cup to Australia. Prasad also rued India’s defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to the same opponents.

It’s been more than a decade since India last won an ICC trophy, and a fan asked Prasad whether the Indian team is the “new chokers of world cricket”.

While highlighting India’s back-to-back Test series wins in Australia, Prasad refused to give the team the “chokers” tag. However, with India’s ICC title drought extending for a further year, Prasad feels there is something wrong with Indian cricket.

“Sir Do You also Think That Team India Has become New CHOKERS of World Cricket ?? as we have Just Lost 10th Consecutive ICC Knockout in last 10 Years,” the fan asked Prasad.

Prasad replied, saying: “Chokers not, we have won 2 Test series against Australia in Australia, the last one in 2020-21 after 36 all out, I consider as one of India’s greatest especially with more than half first choice players missing. But there is certainly something not right about not winning any major tournament in 11 years.”

Topics mentioned in this article