Middle East

30 killed in Turkish drone attacks on Syria

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Local sources announced that at least 30 people lost their lives during Turkish drone attacks against different areas of Syria.

Reports suggest that the Turkish drones have carried out 17 attacks against civilian targets in different areas of Syria, including the cities of Kobani and Manbij and other cities under the pretext of destroying the positions of Kurdish forces supported by the US.

They say that Turkey seeks to lay the groundwork for taking control of Kurdish cities and regions and destroying them.

Turkey is leading a war that may ultimately lead to the fragmentation of Syrian society and the creation of an Arab-Kurdish sedition, the Syrian sources say.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Ankara has repeatedly targeted the Kurdish and border regions of Syria.

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Sports

BGT Third Test: Akash-Bumrah salvage follow-on for India on rain-hit Day 4

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In the last session of the day, India were in deep trouble after the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja (77) as they were 33 runs behind the follow-on total. Akash joined his senior bowling partner in the middle and went on to play a memorable knock for India as the pair stitched an unbeaten 39-run partnership off 51 balls

Published Date – 17 December 2024, 03:05 PM


BGT Third Test: Akash-Bumrah salvage follow-on for India on rain-hit Day 4

photo: BCCI

Brisbane: The entertaining partnership between Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep for the 10th wicket stole the show on Day 4 as the duo saved India from follow-on and guided the side to 252/9 in 74.5 overs at stumps in the third Test against Australia on Tuesday.

In the last session of the day, India were in deep trouble after the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja (77) as they were 33 runs behind the follow-on total. Akash joined his senior bowling partner in the middle and went on to play a memorable knock for India as the pair stitched an unbeaten 39-run partnership off 51 balls to frustrate Australia on the rain-marred day.

Despite playing his first Test on foreign soil, Akash displayed remarkable commitment and determination to face Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in the final session of the day. With Bumrah on the other end, Akash not only played cautiously but also hit Starc for four on cut. Before that, Bumrah also hit a six off Cummins over fine leg.

In the final over of the session, Akash edged over gully to get a boundary off Cummins to avoid a follow-on which was celebrated by the Indian dressing room and the fans in the stadium. After winning the first battle, just a ball later, Akash opened his arms and smashed Cummins for a six over midwicket which left Virat Kohli and others in awe.

Akash remained unbeaten on 27 off 31 balls while Bumrah went not out on 10 runs as stumps were called early due to bad lights. India still trail by 193 runs and the possible result of the match depends on the weather conditions on Wednesday.

Earlier, Jadeja’s composed half-century dragged India to 201/7 at tea in the rain-interrupted second session. India lost Nitish Kumar Reddy (16) and added 34 runs in 13.2 overs of the truncated session as the rain gods helped the touring party with regular interruptions since the start of play on Day 4.

Post lunch, Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy weathered the storm and tackled Australian pacers Cummins and Starc well as Josh Hazlewood’s calf injury restricted him to just one over in the day. The duo stitched a 53-run stand before Cummins dismissed Reddy on an inside edge that hit the stumps.

In the opening session of the day, Australia bagged two crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma (10) and Rahul (84) while India added 116 runs to the scoreboard in the extended opening session which saw 32 overs being bowled despite a brief rain interruption.

It was not an ideal start for Australia as Steve Smith dropped Rahul on the first ball of the day at the second slip off Pat Cummins. Rahul was batting on 33 at that time and went on to add 51 more runs to his tally before Smith finally redeemed himself at first slip off Nathan Lyon.

Resuming from an overnight score of 51/4, India desperately needed someone to step up and show resilience. Rahul rose to the challenge and appeared a class apart from his teammates. The Aussies set an attacking field with three slips and a gully, leaving gaps in the covers and point region, tempting Rahul to play his trademark drives. However, he was astute enough to resist the temptation, only going for the shot when the bowlers pitched the ball firmly into his driving zone. He struck his second half-century of the series.

For Australia, Cummins and Starc shared seven wickets between them while Lyon and Hazlewood shared one scalp apiece.

Brief scores: India 252/9 in 74.5 overs (KL Rahul 84, Ravindra Jadeja 77; Pat Cummins 4-80, Mitchell Starc 3-83) trail Australia 445 (Travis Head 152, Steve Smith 101; Jasprit Bumrah 6-76) by 193 runs.

Top News

3 Criminals, Wanted For Attack On Punjab Police Post, Injured In Encounter

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3 Khalistani Terrorists, Who Attacked Punjab Cops, Killed In UP Encounter

Lucknow:

Three terrorists accused of lobbing a grenade at a police post in Punjab’s Gurdaspur have been gunned down in an encounter with police in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, sources have said. The gunfight between the three criminals and a joint team of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab police took place last night. The cops tried to arrest them, but the criminals opened fire. The injured criminals — Gurwinder Singh, Virendra Singh and Jasanpreet Singh — died of the injuries, sources have said. Two rifles of the AK series and as many Glock pistols have been recovered from them.

Punjab Police has said the three are part of a Pakistan-sponsored module of Khalistan Zindabad Force. “This terror module is involved in grenade attacks at police establishments in border areas of Punjab. The encounter has taken place in the jurisdiction of PS Puranpur, Pilibhit, between the joint police teams of Pilibhit & Punjab and the three module members are involved in the grenade attack on a police post in Gurdaspur,” Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said in a post on X. “Investigations are in progress to unveil the entire terror module,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar told NDTV described it as a “daredevil” job and a good example of coordination between Uttar Pradesh and Punjab police.

Three police stations in Punjab were targeted within a week and security agencies suspect the role of Khalistani terrorists. While Bangar police post in Gurdaspur was targeted on Friday, a blast occurred at Islamabad police station in Amritsar on Tuesday. A blast had also taken place outside Bakshiwal police post. also in Gurdaspur. No one was injured in these explosions.

An unverified post circulating on social media said terror outfit Khalistan Zindabad Force had claimed responsibility for the blasts.

According to sources, the terrorists had come to Pilibhit — about 750 km from Gurdaspur — to find a hideout in the area that has a significant Sikh population. But Uttar Pradesh police have said they got complete support of the locals.  

World

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger take armies to maximum alert

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The announcement was made in the joint statement of the three countries’ leaders.

“The College of national leaders closely follows the deceiving maneuvers, initiated by the French junta, who declares the shutdown of its military bases only to replace them with another, less visible mechanism, which pursues the same neo-colonial goal,” says the statement, published by the AES info website.

“These actions are accompanied by operations on reorganization and regrouping of terrorist groups in the Lake Chad basin, in Sahel and in some border areas, including borders between Niger and Nigeria, Niger and Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso. These groups receive various support from foreign states, including funds and equipment, intended for destabilization of the Sahel Alliance,” the statement read, TASS reported.

Faced with these circumstances, the College of national leaders ruled to “take the defense and security forces to maximum alert, and make the confederacy’s territory a single theater of military operation, which coexists with the current national war theaters.”

MP/PR

Business

Equity indices rebound in early trade amid global market rally, strong buying in ITC, ICICI Bank-Telangana Today

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In early trading, the BSE Sensex rose by 292.29 points, or 0.36%, reaching 81,980.74. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty increased by 54.55 points, or 0.22%, to hit 25,069.15.





Updated On – 7 October 2024, 12:06 PM


Equity indices rebound in early trade amid global market rally, strong buying in ITC, ICICI Bank


Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices rebounded in early trade on Monday after tumbling in the previous week amid a rally in global markets, along with buying in index majors ITC and ICICI Bank.

The BSE Sensex climbed 292.29 points or 0.36 per cent to 81,980.74 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went up by 54.55 points or 0.22 per cent to 25,069.15.

From the 30 Sensex firms, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HCL Technologies, Infosys, ICICI Bank, Tata Consultancy Services and Bharti Airtel were the major gainers.

Titan, Adani Ports, NTPC, Power Grid and HDFC Bank were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul traded higher on Monday.

The US markets were ended on positive territory on Friday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 9,896.95 crore on Friday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought equities worth Rs 8,905.08 crore, according to exchange data.

“Globally stock markets have been resilient despite the escalating tensions in the Middle East. A big positive for equity markets is the strong US economy where the September non-farm job numbers have come surprisingly robust,” V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, said.

The combination of a strong economy and declining inflation in the mother market of the US is a big positive, he added.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.44 per cent to USD 77.71 per barrel.

On Friday, the BSE Sensex tumbled 808.65 points or 0.98 per cent to settle at a three-week low of 81,688.45, while NSE Nifty slumped 235.50 points or 0.93 per cent to 25,014.60.

Last week, the BSE Sensex tanked 3,883.4 points, or 4.53 per cent, and the Nifty slumped 1,164.35 points, or 4.44 per cent.

Hyderabad

Khammam Collector helps physically challenged street vendor begin new journey

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The Collector who recently visited Mahila Shakti canteens in Khammam city interacted with a physically challenged street vendor, D Kamala, who was selling fried groundnuts by the side of a road at Zaheerpura circle

Published Date – 21 December 2024, 06:25 PM


Khammam Collector helps physically challenged street vendor begin new journey

Collector Muzammil Khan speaking with a street vendor D Kamala in Khammam

Khammam: District Collector Muzammil Khan, who has been reaching out to common people, helped a person with disability (PwD) in Khammam to begin a new journey.

The Collector, who has been connecting with the sections that were usually uncared for by officials in higher positions, has on several occasions visited auto-rickshaw addas (spots) and interacted with auto rickshaw drivers to learn about their problems.

In continuation of his efforts, Khan arranged a special health camp for auto-rickshaw drivers and their families in the second week of December to address their health issues. He also took steps to conduct yoga classes for auto rickshaw drivers.

The Collector who recently visited Mahila Shakti canteens in Khammam city interacted with a physically challenged street vendor, D Kamala, who was selling fried groundnuts by the side of a road at Zaheerpura circle.

On seeing the Collector, Kamala, who did not know who he was, asked him whether he wants to buy some groundnuts. Khan enquired about the conditions of her family. She explained to the official that she lives with her mother and has no one to look after them.

Then the Collector told the woman he would extend financial assistance on behalf of the government to support them. Later, he contacted municipal commissioner Abhishek Agastya suggesting that arrangements should be made to provide a loan to Kamala.

Following the Collector’s directions, Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) district mission coordinator Savala Sujatha, town mission coordinator G Sujatha and community organiser B Roja approached a local bank and provided Kamala with a business loan of Rs 1 lakh.

The loan cheque was handed over to Kamala on Thursday and soon she would start a vegetable business, informed MEPMA officials. Kamala, who was overjoyed at how quickly her life took a positive turn, thanked Collector Khan for his support to her family.

Sports

TN govt to felicitate World Chess Champion Gukesh; To present Rs.5 crore as reward

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The felicitation ceremony will also be attended by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and chess legend Viswanathan Anand. Gukesh reached Chennai along with his parents on Monday after winning the World Championship in Singapore

Published Date – 17 December 2024, 03:14 PM


TN govt to felicitate World Chess Champion Gukesh; To present Rs.5 crore as reward

D Gukesh

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin will felicitate World Chess Champion D. Gukesh on Tuesday and him over a Rs 5 crore cheque.

The felicitation ceremony will also be attended by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and chess legend Viswanathan Anand. Gukesh reached Chennai along with his parents on Monday after winning the World Championship in Singapore.

The World Chess Champion was received at the Chennai International Airport by the Additional Chief Secretary (Youth Affairs and Sports Development) Atulya Misra and Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) Member-Secretary Meghanath Reddy.

Gukesh and his parents were then escorted to a specially decorated vehicle adorned with pictures of the young champion’s achievements. Gukesh, categorised as an “elite sportsperson” by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), continues to receive financial support under the high-incentive category.

The state government went the extra mile in 2023 by organising the Chennai Grand Masters event to help Gukesh gain FIDE circuit points. Notably, Gukesh qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2024 only because of his victory in the Chennai event. His success in the Candidates Tournament earned him a spot in the World Chess Championship, which was held in Singapore.

Gukesh did not have enough circuit points to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, and it was at this point that the Tamil Nadu government stepped in by hosting the event – a move that proved critical to Gukesh’s journey to success.

The 18-year-old Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in Singapore last week to become the youngest World Champion, breaking the longstanding record of Russian great Garry Kasparov.

Kasparov won the World Chess Championship in 1985 at the age of 22, defeating then-reigning champion Anatoly Karpov. Interestingly, Gukesh will take on Magnus Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated player, at the Norway Chess Tournament next year.

Scheduled to take place in Stavanger, Norway, from May 26 to June 6, 2025, the Norway Chess Tournament promises to be an unmissable spectacle for chess fans across the globe.

In 2023, Gukesh finished third in Stavanger. This time, however, he returned as World Champion, ready to prove his mettle against the best, including Carlsen.

Top News

10 held for selling infant at Secunderabad railway station

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The suspects, hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad, had formed a gang and were into selling newborns. They contact prospective buyers on social media and strike a deal.

Published Date – 23 December 2024, 10:14 AM


10 held for selling infant at Secunderabad railway station

Representational Image

Hyderabad: The Gopalapuram police caught a gang of 10 individuals on charges of selling a newborn baby at Secunderabad railway station.

The suspects, hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad, had formed a gang and were into selling newborns. They contact prospective buyers on social media and strike a deal.

The incident came to light when they were trying to sell a 15-days-old infant for Rs 4 lakh.

The suspects are being questioned and the baby has been rescued from their clutches.

The Gopalapuram police are investigating the matter while keeping it confidential.

World

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore to have a quiet Christmas

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The astronauts just got an extended stay in space—again! Their homecoming is now postponed until spring, marking 10 months of orbiting the Earth aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule

Updated On – 18 December 2024, 07:05 PM


NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore to have a quiet Christmas

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will face more time in space, return delayed till late March.

Cape Canaveral: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who will be stuck in space till mid-next year, will have a quiet Christmas and ring in 2025 light years away from humanity.

The astronauts just got their space mission extended again. That means they won’t be back on Earth until spring, 10 months after rocketing into orbit on Boeing’s Starliner capsule. NASA announced the latest delay in Indian-origin Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s homecoming on Tuesday.

The two test pilots planned on being away just a week or so when they blasted off June 5 on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to the International Space Station. Their mission grew from eight days to eight months after NASA decided to send the company’s problem-plagued Starliner capsule back empty in September. Now the pair won’t return until the end of March or even April because of a delay in launching their replacements, according to NASA.

A fresh crew needs to launch before Wilmore and Williams can return and the next mission has been bumped more than a month, according to the space agency. NASA’s next crew of four was supposed to launch in February, followed by Wilmore and Williams’ return home by the end of that month alongside two other astronauts. But SpaceX needs more time to prepare the brand new capsule for liftoff. That launch is now scheduled for no earlier than late March.

NASA said it considered using a different SpaceX capsule to fly up the replacement crew in order to keep the flights on schedule. But it decided the best option was to wait for the new capsule to transport the next crew. NASA prefers to have overlapping crews at the space station for a smoother transition, according to officials.

Most space station missions last six months, with a few reaching a full year.

Business

Amazon acquires MX Player app; merges it with miniTV to launch Amazon MX Player-Telangana Today

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The merger aims to make premium-free entertainment accessible to a larger audience.

Published Date – 7 October 2024, 04:03 PM


Amazon acquires MX Player app; merges it with miniTV to launch Amazon MX Player


New Delhi: Amazon on Monday said it has acquired free streaming OTT platform MX Player and merged it with its content streaming service miniTV to launch ‘Amazon MX Player’.

Amazon did not disclose the valuation of the acquisition.

The merger aims to make premium-free entertainment accessible to a larger audience.

“Amazon recently acquired certain assets of MX Player, including the MX Player app, a leading free streaming OTT service in India. With this acquisition, Amazon is merging two of India’s most popular free AVOD (or ad-supported video on demand) services — MX Player and Amazon miniTV into one service — Amazon MX Player,” the statement said.

In September, over 250 million unique users enjoyed access to thousands of original shows, popular movies and international shows dubbed in local languages on the combined service, it added.

The service is available through its app on mobile, Amazon.in Shopping app, Prime Video, Fire TV, and Connected TVs. The integration of Amazon miniTV and MX Player into Amazon MX Player will be done automatically on the apps without the need for users to reinstall or upgrade the app. “We will offer high-quality entertainment and streaming experiences faster than we could have done independently, while continuing to keep the service free. This merger will mean great things for our viewers, advertisers and content partners, and will let us bring MX Player to even more people in India,” Karan Bedi, Head of Amazon MX Player, said.

Amazon said it will continue to invest in originals and returning seasons of popular shows, which will help “provide advertisers the opportunity to deepen their relationships with viewers”.

Amazon also owns Prime Video — a subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service.