LIVE news: Centre announces Padma awardees on eve of Republic Day

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11:12 PM

Padma Vibhushan for Venkaiah Naidu, actor Chiranjeevi; Padma Bhushan for Mithun Chakraborty

The government today announced the prestigious Padma Awards on the eve of the 75th Republic Day celebrations.
 

The Padma Vibhushan has been awarded to Vyjayantimala Bali, Konidela Chiranjeevi, M Venkaiah Naidu, Bindeshwar Pathak (posthumous), and Padma Subrahmanyam.

 

BJP leader Ram Naik, singer Usha Uthup and actor Vijaykanth (posthumous) are among the 17 who have been awarded the Padma Bhushan.

The first woman judge of the Supreme Court Chief Justice M Fathima Beevi (posthumous), actor Mithun Chakraborty, and Bombay Samachar owner Hormusji N Cama are also among the Padma Bhushan awardees.

10:27 PM

Centre announces Padma awardees on eve of Republic Day

The Padma Awards for 2024 are set to honor 34 distinguished individuals with the nation's second-highest civilian honor. The prestigious awards, conferred by the Government of India, recognize exceptional contributions in various fields.

10:07 PM

LIC gets RBI go-ahead to acquire 9.99% stake in HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank on Thursday said in a regulatory filing that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted approval to Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to acquire a 9.99 per cent stake in the private sector lender.

8:37 PM

US Q4 economy grows at 3.3% annual rate

8:16 PM

NEP puts adequate emphasis on bridging digital divide: Prez Murmu

The new National Education Policy puts adequate emphasis on bridging the digital divide and creating a uniform educational structure for the benefit of the underprivileged students, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday.

 

The President made the remarks in her address on the eve of the 75th Republic Day.

 

"The National Education Policy gives adequate thrust to bridge the digital divide and create a uniform educational structure for the benefit of the underprivileged students," she said.

 

The NEP was announced in 2020, replacing the National Policy On Education which was adopted in 1986.

 

The new policy bats for the extension of the Right to Education (RTE) Act to all schools -- from pre-school to standard 12 instead of Class 1-8. It redraws the schooling system on a 5+3+3+4 formula instead of the current 10+2 model.

 

Students in the age group of 3-8 years will be part of the foundation stage, 8-11 age group will be part of the preparatory schooling, 11-14 years for middle school and 14-18 for secondary level.

8:15 PM

Extraordinary performance of Indian economy to continue: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday exuded confidence that the extraordinary performance of the Indian economy witnessed in recent years will continue in 2024 and beyond.

 

The Indian economy grew by 9.1 per cent in 2021-22 and 7.2 per cent in 2022-23. The economy is projected to record a growth of 7.3 per cent in the current financial year. India has remained the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

 

"India is moving ahead with confidence," the President said in her address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day.

 

The country's GDP growth rate, she said, "has remained highest among major economies in recent years, and we have all reasons to believe that this extraordinary performance will continue in the year 2024 and beyond".

8:15 PM

Hope regions embroiled in conflicts find peaceful solution: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday expressed hope that regions embroiled in conflicts will find a peaceful way to resolve them.

 

Addressing the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, Murmu noted that in recent times, many conflicts have emerged around the world and there have been a series of humanitarian tragedies.

 

"In recent times, many conflicts have emerged around the world and several parts of it have been suffering from violence. When each of the two conflicting sides believes that it is right and the other is wrong, the way out should be found in the light of reason.

 

"Unfortunately, instead of reason, fears and prejudices have fuelled passions, leading to relentless violence. There have been a series of humanitarian tragedies on a large scale, and we feel aggrieved over the human suffering," she said.

 

The President's comments came amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

8:08 PM

President Droupadi Murmu addresses the nation on the eve of Republic Day

"Tomorrow is the day when we celebrate the commencement of the Constitution. Its Preamble begins with the words “We, the People of India”, highlighting the theme of the document, namely, democracy. In India, the democratic system is much older than the concept of western democracy. That is the reason why India is called the “mother of democracy."

 

President Droupadi Murmu in her address on the eve of Republic Day says, "The nation is in the early years of Amrit Kaal. This is the time of transformation. We are given a golden opportunity to take the country to new heights. Contribution from every citizen will be crucial to achieve our goals."

8:08 PM

Sanctions targeted at houthi defence minister Mohamed Nasser Al-atifi: UK govt

Sanctions also target commander of Houthi naval forces Muhammad Fadl Abd Al-Nabi and Houthi coastal defence force Chief Muhamed Ali Al-qadiri, says UK govt.

8:08 PM

Microsoft lays off 1,900 activision Blizzard and Xbox Employees- Verge

8:06 PM

President Droupadi Murmu has approved Gallantry awards to 80 Armed Forces personnel

President Droupadi Murmu has approved Gallantry awards to 80 Armed Forces personnel, including 12 posthumous, on the eve of the 75th Republic Day. These include six Kirti Chakras, including three posthumous; 16 Shaurya Chakras, including two posthumous; 53 Sena Medals, including seven posthumous; one Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) and four Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

8:06 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifts a replica of Ram Mandir to French President Emmanuel Macron, in Jaipur.

7:45 PM

Flipkart to let go of 1,000 employees as part of annual performance review

Walmart-owned Flipkart will let go of 1,000 employees, which represents around 5 percent of its total workforce, as part of its annual performance review exercise, people aware of the developments told Moneycontrol.

 

The Bengaluru-based company had around 22,000 people on its payroll. The total strength does not include employees from e-commerce fashion portal Myntra.

 

The company did not immediately respond to Moneycontrol's queries.

 

To be sure, Flipkart undertakes these performance-based job cost cuts every year and the fresh reduction in workforce is along those lines, too.

7:44 PM

Ram temple will be marked as India's continued rediscovery of civilisational heritage: Prez in R-Day address

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the Ram temple will be marked in history as "India's continued re-discovery of its civilisational heritage" and as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people's faith but also as a testament to people's enormous trust in judicial process.

 

In her address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, the president spoke on various issues including the welfare schemes initiated by the government and said it will be a proud day for the nation when it will be among those countries where homelessness "is a rarity".

 

She also touched on the conflicts that have emerged in several parts of the world and stressed at finding a way out in the light of reason.

7:38 PM

Prez Murmu hails women sportspersons, expects stronger show at Paris Olympics

Lauding women athletes for their contribution in India's impressive international performances, President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said she expects the country to set new benchmarks at the Paris Olympics later this year.

 

In her address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, the President particularly mentioned India's best-ever Asian Games performance last year.

 

Of the 107 medals won in Hangzhou, China, 46 were brought home by women athletes with shooter Esha Singh claiming four of them, including one gold, and compound archer Jyoti Surekha winning three golds.

 

It was the first time that India's medal tally touched the triple figure at the continental showpiece.

6:40 PM

President Macron is on a two-day state visit to India

PM Modi and French President Macron will visit the Jantar Mantar, the famous solar observatory established by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, in Jaipur today. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2010. It includes a set of eighteen instruments and is the biggest stone observatory in the world. It consists of various instruments which include the Laghu Samrat Yantra which is a Sun Dial that can help to calibrate local time to an accuracy of 20 seconds.

6:39 PM

French farmers edge closer to Paris as protests ratchet up pressure on President Macron

Snowballing protests by French farmers crept closer to Paris on Thursday, with tractors driving in convoys and blocking roads in many regions of the country to ratchet up pressure for government measures to protect the influential agricultural sector from foreign competition, red tape, rising costs and poverty-levels of pay for the worst-off producers.

 

Traffic-snarling drive-slows, barricades of straw bales, stinky dumps of agricultural waste outside government offices and other demonstrations have rapidly blown up to become the first major crisis for newly appointed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, installed two weeks ago by President Emmanuel Macron in hopes of injecting new vigour into his administration.

 

Macron's opponents are seizing on the farmers' demonstrations to bash his government's record ahead of European elections in June. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally party is polling strongly, blamed free-trade agreements, imports and bureaucracy for farmers' economic woes.

6:36 PM

French President Emmanuel Macron interacts with students at Amber Fort in Jaipur

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is on a two-day State visit to India, interacted with Indian students gathered to welcome him at the Amber Fort in Jaipur on Thursday.

 

On his visit to the Amber Fort, Marcron was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari. At the fort, Macron also posed for a photograph with Jaishankar and Diya Kumari.

 

The French President walked around the Royal Fort and took in its unique architecture, he was also given an overview of the history the fort carries.

 

Macron appreciated Rajasthani paintings and also interacted with artists at the Amber Palace Fort, which is one of the top tourist attractions of Jaipur. Situated atop a small hill the 16th-century fort located at a distance about 11 km from the main city has been built with pale yellow and pink sandstone, and with white marble.

6:33 PM

PM Modi and French President Macron visit Jantar Mantar in Rajasthan's Jaipur

6:32 PM

PM Modi, French President Macron meet at Jantar Mantar in Jaipur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday met at Jantar Mantar here ahead of their roadshow. Modi reached the observatory from Jaipur airport while Macron came to the site after visiting Amber Fort. The two leaders met there and hugged each other. Later, they visited the observatory. Jantar Mantar is one of the oldest astronomical observatories featuring the world's largest stone sundial. 

6:21 PM

Pakistani Taliban pledge not to attack election rallies ahead of Feb 8 vote

The Pakistani Taliban pledged Thursday not to attack election rallies, saying their targets are limited to the military and security forces, as political parties and independent candidates ramp up their campaigns ahead of the Feb 8 vote, reports AP.

 

We have nothing to do with these elections and the parties participating in them, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, said in a statement.

 

Other militant groups have not made similar pledges, and some previous Pakistani elections have been marred by violence. Two-time former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in a bomb attack in 2007 minutes after she addressed an election rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

6:21 PM

A man is charged with 76 counts of murder in deadly South African building fire last year

A man was charged with 76 counts of murder and 86 counts of attempted murder on Thursday for allegedly causing a deadly fire at an apartment building in South Africa last year that was one of the country's worst disasters.

 

The suspect was also charged with arson and was ordered to be kept in police custody until a bail hearing next month. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison. South Africa has no death penalty.

 

Prosecutors said the suspect, Sithembiso Lawrence Mdlalose, made a written confession.

5:50 PM

Antisemitic acts have risen sharply in Belgium and France since the Israel-Hamas war began

The number of antisemitic acts registered in France and Belgium rose sharply since Hamas' attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, according to figures released on Thursday in both countries.

 

In France, data from the Interior ministry and the Jewish Community Protection Service watchdog showed that 1,676 antisemitic acts were reported in 2023, compared to 436 the previous year.

 

According to the Council of Jewish Institutions in France the country's main Jewish interest group the number of antisemitic acts in the three months that followed the October 7 attack equaled those of the previous three years combined.

5:48 PM

Fire at utensil manufacturing factory in Delhi's Wazirpur

A fire broke out at a two-storey utensil manufacturing factory in northwest Delhi's Wazirpur Industrial area on Thursday afternoon, officials said.

 

No one was injured in the incident, they said.

 

According to an official of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a call regarding the incident was received at 12.40 pm and eight fire tenders were pressed into service.

 

The blaze was brought under control by 1.50 pm and five workers trapped inside the building were rescued, the official said.

 

The fire broke out at the first floor of the building and soon spread to the second floor, he said, adding that a short circuit is suspected to be the reason behind the incident.

 

He also said some articles and furniture were completely gutted in the fire.

5:48 PM

India all set to celebrate 75th Republic Day with grand display of military might, women power

President Droupadi Murmu will lead India in celebrating the 75th Republic Day with an imposing display of its rising military might and rich cultural heritage during a 90-minute parade at the majestic Kartavya Path on Friday.

 

The grand celebrations, with an overarching theme of projecting the nation's women power and democratic values, will be graced by French President Emmanuel Macron as the chief guest.

 

The armed forces will display an array of home-grown weaponry and military equipment such as missiles, drone jammers, surveillance systems, vehicle-mounted mortars and BMP-II infantry combat vehicles at the parade.

 

For the first time, an all-women tri-services contingent will be part of the country's biggest ceremonial event.

5:48 PM

A separatist rebel leader in Ukraine who called Putin cowardly is sentenced to 4 years in prison

The Moscow City Court on Thursday convicted a former Ukraine rebel leader who called President Vladimir Putin cowardly of extremism and sentenced him to four years in prison.

 

Igor Girkin, who used the surname alias of Strelkov (shooter), was the most prominent leader of Russian-backed separatist fighters in Ukraine's Donetsk region in 2014, when rebellion arose after the ouster of Ukraine's Russia-allied president.

 

He returned to Russia and became a nationalist commentator and activist. He supported launching Russia's war in Ukraine, but sharply criticised authorities for being inept and indecisive in carrying out the fight.

5:47 PM

Nepal asks Russia to send back Nepalis recruited to fight in Ukraine and the bodies of those killed

Nepal has asked Russia to send back hundreds of Nepali nationals who were recruited to fight against Ukraine and repatriate the bodies of those who died in the conflict, Nepal's top diplomat said Thursday.

 

The Russian army is estimated to have recruited more than 200 Nepali nationals to fight in Ukraine and at least 14 of them have died there, Nepal's Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud said in an interview with The Associated Press.

5:44 PM

UNGA President Dennis Francis lays wreath at 26/11 Memorial in Mumbai's Taj Hotel

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Dennis Francis and Permanent Representative of India to United Nations Ruchira Kamboj on Thursday laid wreath at 26/11 Memorial in Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

 

On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists, unleashed mayhem on the streets of Mumbai, sending shockwaves across the country and the world. Targeting several key installations in Mumbai, including the Taj and Trident hotels and the Chabad House, a Jewish centre, the terrorists took 166 lives as they held the city at ransom over four days.

5:42 PM

Virat Kohli named ICC Men’s ODI cricketer of the year 2023

5:35 PM

Adani Power posts Q3 consolidated net profit Rs 2,738 crore

Adani Power consolidated PAT at Rs 2,738 cr vs Rs 9 cr Y-o-Y in Q3FY24. Revenue at Rs 13,143 cr vs Rs 7,602 cr, up 73 per cent Y-o-Y.