THE HEADLINES ::
- Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra for third time today.
- Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to expand his Cabinet this afternoon.
- ISRO reschedules launch of European space agency’s PROBA-3 spacecraft for today.
- India and Kuwait sign MoU to establish Joint Commission for Cooperation at Foreign Ministers level.
- Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accuses country’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus of perpetrating genocide and failing to protect minorities including Hindus.
- India beat Pakistan 5-3 to clinch Men’s Junior Asia Cup Hockey title for record fifth time.
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Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a third time today. Governor C P Radhakrishnan will administer him the oath of office and secrecy at Mumbai’s historic Azad Maidan at 5.30 PM. Mr Fadnavis was unanimously elected the leader of BJP Legislature Party yesterday. Mr Fadnavis, along with allies, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar met the Governor yesterday who invited him to form a new government in the state.
“BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis will become the 21st Chief Minister of the state. Along with him, the state’s cabinet ministers are also expected to be sworn in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Senior Union Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states, party officials, and leaders of Mahayuti are scheduled to attend the ceremony. Invitations have also been extended to spiritual leaders, seers, artists, authors, among others. Elaborate arrangements are being made for the swearing-in ceremony, as large number of attendees are expected. Prarthna, Akashwani News, Mumbai.”
The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP combine had secured a landslide victory in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, winning 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP secured 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP won 57 and 41 seats.
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Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will expand his cabinet today. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers at a function at Raj Bhawan in Ranchi at 12.30 PM.
“Eleven ministers are scheduled to be inducted into the new cabinet of Hemant Soren government. JMM will have six Ministers, Congress four and there will be one minister from RJD. Congress has already decided upon the names of his ministers. The Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar will also administer oath of office to Stephen Marandi as Protem Speaker. JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, cabinet will represent all regions of Jharkhand. Hemant Soren had taken oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand on November 28. With K.K.Lal,This is Shilpi for Akashwani News,Ranchi.”
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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has rescheduled the launch of European space agency’s PROBA-3 spacecraft due to an anomaly detected in the satellite. It will now be launched this evening at 4:12 PM onboard PSLV-C59 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Earlier, the mission was scheduled to be launched at 4:08 PM yesterday.
“The launch of PROBA 3 satellites by ISRO is a shining example of global partnership exemplifying the engineering excellence of ISRO. This will be the 61st flight of PSLV and 26th using PSLV-XL configuration. The launch vehicle standing tall in the spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh will place PROBA 3 satellites into a unique highly elliptical orbit reinforcing PSLVs reliability for complex orbital deliveries. The orbit will be 60,530 kms farthest from Earth at apogee point and at 600 kms nearest to Earth at Perigee with an inclination of 59 degrees. There are two satellites which will be launched together by placing one on the top of another and will be separating in space. Sudhindra, Akashvani News, Bengaluru.”
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President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a five-day visit to her home state Odisha from Tuesday, will attend the 40th convocation of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology in Bhubaneswar this afternoon. She is also scheduled to inaugurate the Bhubaneswar Judicial Court Complex, a five-storey building with state-of-the-art amenities including 55 court rooms, record rooms, a library and a conference hall. The President will visit her home district Mayurbhanj from tomorrow to interact with the residents of Uparbeda village, her birthplace. She will also interact with students and teachers at the Mahila Mahavidyalaya in Rairangpur.
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The Assam government has announced a complete ban on serving and consuming beef in restaurants, hotels, public functions, and other community spaces.
“This was decided in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma virtually in New Delhi yesterday. The Chief Minister said that , there would be total prohibition of consuming beef in public places and in hotels and restaurants with immediate effect. Mr.Sarma further said that the decision to ban beef in public places and hotels and restaurants would further strengthen the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021.
Earlier , there was ban on selling or consumption of beef within 5 kilometres radius of temple. The ruling BJP has welcomed the decision while the opposition leaders raised questions on it. Manas Pratim Sarma, Akashvani News. Guwahati.”
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The world’s largest domestic rooftop solar scheme, PM Surya Ghar – Muft Bijli Yojana is set to surpass ten lakh installations by March 2025. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said that 6.3 lakh rooftop solar has been installed within nine months of its launch. The Ministry said, the government has set a target to install one crore rooftop solar by March 2027.
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Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi held a meeting with Akashvani Director General Pragya Paliwal, Doordarshan Director General Kanchan Prasad and Doordarshan News Director General Priya Kumar in Prayagraj yesterday. Mr. Dwivedi discussed the issues associated with the Mela Authority and with the broadcast of the Maha Kumbh to the whole world. The meeting discussed the various programs being done for the Maha Kumbh. The CEO and officers of Prasar Bharati will also visit the Mela Authority area today.
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al Yahya have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) at the level of foreign ministers. The MoU was signed during a meeting between the two leaders in New Delhi yesterday. Speaking on the occassion External Affair Minister S Jaishankar said India is committed to strengthening the bilateral ties with Kuwait across various domains.
The agreement outlines the formation of new Joint Working Groups in sectors including trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security, and culture. These groups will operate under the JCC to review and monitor bilateral relations between the two nations.
Earlier yesterday, the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence. Mr Modi expressed confidence that close cooperation between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council would be further strengthened under Kuwait’s ongoing Presidency of the GCC.
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Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck will be on a two day visit to India beginning today. During the visit, the King of Bhutan will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and senior officials of the government will call on the King of Bhutan.
India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterized by mutual understanding and trust. The visit shall provide both sides an opportunity to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and advance bilateral partnership.
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Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has mounted a stinging attack on the country’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus over persecution of minorities in Bangladesh. In a virtual address at an event in New York, Sheikh Hasina accused Muhammad Yunus of perpetrating a genocide and failing to protect the minorities including the Hindus. She also claimed that there were plans to assassinate her and her sister Sheikh Rehana just like their father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It was Sheikh Hasina’s first public address after leaving the country in August in the face of anti-government protests. She said, the current ruling dispensation in Dhaka has failed to protect the minorities.
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French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government has lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly leading to his ouster into just three months of his term. A total of 331 out of 577 lawmakers voted against Barnier’s government, after the attempt to pass the annual budget without a vote in parliament on Monday.
Far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, criticized Barnier during the no-confidence debate last night, saying he had proposed a technocratic budget that fails to tackle France’s increased security concerns and crime. French President’s office informed in a statement that Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to address the nation today.
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India beat arch-rivals Pakistan 5-3 to clinch Men’s Junior Asia Cup Hockey title for a record fifth time in Muscat, Oman last night.
“In Men’s hockey Junior Asia Cup final 2024, India’s Araijeet Singh Hundal was the hero for the winning side with four goals while Dilraj Singh scored the other one goal. With this title win India asserted its dominance in the Asian continent and replicated its successful run of editions of previous 2004, 2008, 2015 and 2023 as Asian champions.
Continuing the winning streak across sports, India’s Under 19 cricket team qualified for the semi-finals of asia cup. Men in Blue defeated hosts United Arab Emirates by 10 wickets at Sharjah Cricket Stadium yesterday. Now in the semifinals tomorrow, India will lock horns with Sri Lanka.
Moving to the world of Chess, India’s D Gukesh and China’s Ding Liren played out a draw in the eighth round of the FIDE World Championship 2024 in Singapore, yesterday. Both players are tied with four points, having won one-one game each and drawn six. Now, Gukesh and Liren both need 3.5 more points to claim the title in remaining six matches of the Championship. Omvesh Upadhyay, Sports Desk, Akashvani News.“
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- News about Devendra Fadnavis’s swearing-in as Maharashtra CM this evening have figured prominently on the front pages of most dailies this morning. “Fadnavis to be Maharashtra CM; oath today, PM to attend”, writes The Asian Age, while a headline in The Times of India says, “In 2019, Fadnavis said he’d be back as CM; 5 years later, he is”.
- “Badal escapes bid on life, ‘Khalistani’ assailant held”, reports The Asian Age. “Ex-terrorist opens fire on Akali leader at Golden Temple entrance, arrested; motive unclear”, is a headline in The Tribune.
- A headline in The Times of India says, “Ensure all detainees get legal help: US to Bangladesh on jailed Hindu monk”.
- South Korean lawmakers have proposed impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol for his sudden decision to declare martial law, writes Hindustan Times.
- And finally, Indian-origin Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur has won the prestigious Turner Prize 2024 for her exhibition “Alter Altar” that reflects on plurality, personal and poilitical themes, reports The Indian Express.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra for third time today.
- Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to expand his Cabinet this afternoon.
- ISRO reschedules launch of European space agency’s PROBA-3 spacecraft for today.
- India and Kuwait sign MoU to establish Joint Commission for Cooperation at Foreign Ministers level.
- Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accuses country’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus of perpetrating genocide and failing to protect minorities including Hindus.
- India beat Pakistan 5-3 to clinch Men’s Junior Asia Cup Hockey title for record fifth time.
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