THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls upon citizens to become force behind country’s march towards the target of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
- Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal says, India will be among top 10 maritime nations of the world by 2047.
- There is no proposal to start a new BRICS currency to compete with US dollar, says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
- Rebel forces encircle Syrian capital Damascus after capturing key city of Homs.
- And in Hockey, India to take on Bangladesh in their opening match of Women’s Junior Asia Cup at Muscat in Oman.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon the citizens to become the force behind the country’s march towards the target of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Mr Modi announced that a “Viksit Bharat Young Leaders’ Dialogue” will be held next month to give the youth a platform to exchange ideas. The Prime Minister was delivering a virtual address at the Karyakar Suvarna Mahotsav, a grand celebration marking 50 years of selfless service by volunteers of the BAPS Sanstha in Ahmedabad yesterday.
The Prime Minister said, he wants all BAPS volunteers to pursue one pledge each year, like dedicating one year to chemical-free agriculture, celebrating unity in diversity, fighting against drug menace and rejuvenating the rivers.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the country’s fight against TB has got stronger with the launch of a special 100-day campaign with a focus on the high-burden TB districts. In a social media post, Mr. Modi said that India is fighting TB in a multi-pronged manner with doubling support to patients, jan bhagidari, newer drugs, the use of technology, and better diagnostic tools. He appealed to all to come together and do their bit to eliminate TB. Earlier responding to a post of Union Health Minister JP Nadda, the Prime Minister said that initiatives like Nikshay Mitras and shorter and effective treatments have significantly reduced TB incidence, improved recovery rates and reinforced India’s global leadership in combating TB.
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Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal has said that India will be among the top 10 maritime nations of the world by 2047. He said, the country is rapidly multiplying its cargo handling capacity in ports and creating a robust ship building and repairs ecosystem. Mr Sonowal was speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Kamarajar Port trust in Chennai yesterday. The minister also laid the foundation stone for establishing capital dredging, Integrated Command and Control centre at the Kamarajar port at a cost of 545 crore rupees. He said the port marked a significant step in decongesting Chennai Port by fostering efficient coal handling with possibilities of future expansion.
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External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has said that there is no proposal to start a new currency to compete with the US dollar. Addressing the Doha Forum in Qatar’s capital, he said, BRICS countries have no intention of weakening the US dollar. Dr Jaishankar also stated that the BRICS nations do not share a uniform stance on this matter. Dr Jaishankar’s comments comes a week after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff if BRICS countries went ahead with plans for a common currency.
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Manama last night to participate in the Manama Dialogue. His visit follows a series of significant diplomatic engagements in Doha, underscoring India’s proactive approach to addressing regional and global challenges. The minister was received by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, marking a warm start to the second leg of his tour.
During his visit to Doha, the External Affairs Minister engaged in a panel discussion titled “Conflict Mediation in a New Era” at the Doha Forum 2024. He highlighted the direct implications of regional instability on Indian interests, citing concerns over growing tensions in the Red Sea and their impact on Asian shipping routes. The minister spoke alongside Qatar’s Prime Minister and Norway’s Foreign Minister, reflecting on the evolving nature of global conflicts, including unprecedented hostilities between Israel and Iran. While in Qatar, Jaishankar conducted talks with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. Their discussions encompassed bilateral relations and pressing regional issues such as the ongoing crises in Gaza and Syria. He also held meetings with Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani , focusing on strengthening economic ties. In addition, Jaishankar met World Economic Forum President Borge Brende and the Cyprus Foreign Minister addressing global economic challenges and Mediterranean developments.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be on a three-day visit to Russia beginning today. During the visit, Defence Minister and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov will co-chair the 21st meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation in Moscow.
The two leaders will review the entire range of multi-faceted relations between the two countries in the field of defence, including military-to-military and industrial cooperation. They will also exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest.
As part of the visit, the Defence Minister will also commission the Indian Navy’s latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate ‘INS Tushil’ at Yantra Shipyard, Kaliningrad on 9th of December.
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The 60th Raising Day of the Border Security Force will be celebrated in Jodhpur today. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest of this programme. This is the first time that the BSF Rajasthan Frontier Headquarters in Jodhpur is hosting the Raising Day Parade. This is also the Diamond Jubilee year of BSF.
“BSF soldiers from all over the country will participate in the ceremony to be held at the BSF Training Center Ground in Jodhpur this morning. The soldiers of the force will showcase their strength and power in the function. The women contingent of the force will also participate in the parade. 7 soldiers will be honored with the Gallantry Award. Indigenous helicopter Dhruv and MI 17 will also take part in the parade. Jitendra Dwivedi, Akashwani News, Jaipur.”
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Ashtalakhshmi Mahotsav is being celebrated at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi to honor the diversity and cultural richness of Northeast India. The three-day festival, which will conclude today, aims to showcase the beauty, diversity and promise of the eight states of the region which include Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim. Over 250 artisans are displaying unique handicrafts, handlooms and agri-horti products, including 34 GI-tagged items.
The Asthalakshmi Mahotsav is named after the eight avatars of Goddess Lakshmi, symbolizing prosperity, wealth, knowledge, dharma, agriculture, and other features. The event features pavilions dedicated to Northeast India’s celebrated Muga and Eri Silk, live demonstrations of artisanal crafts, and a special focus on the region’s Geographical Indication products. Another mega attraction has been the Rural Haat Bazaar, showcasing produce and art from 320 farmers and artisans of the region.
The Asthalakshmi Mahotsav is not just an outlook into the cultural beauty of the region but also to explore economic opportunities. With Adarsh, Saklen Akhtar Akashwani News, Delhi.
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Prasar Bharati Chairman, Navneet Sehgal has said that the Wave OTT platform of Doordarshan will provide wholesome and healthy entertainment for all family members, and also help the public service broadcaster to extend its reach to a larger audience. During his visit to Doordarshan in Ahmedabad, he emphasized that the Wave OTT platform will not only cater to new content but also offer an opportunity for viewers to enjoy old classic, and popular programs of Doordarshan.
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Syrian rebel forces have encircled the capital Damascus after capturing key city of Homs. Rebels made major advances in their offensive against Syrian government forces and captured 4 cities in a single day. Syrian rebels said that they have fully liberated the third-largest city of Homs, after they captured Aleppo. The rebels also said they have seized the regions of Quneitra and Daraa near the border with Israel. Rebel Druze militias also overran most of the army bases in Syria’s southern province of Suweida along the border with Jordan. Rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the alliance led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that launched the offensive in the country’s northwest, said that their forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital, Damascus.
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Moving on to the world of sports, India will take on Bangladesh in their opening match of the Women’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup at Muscat in Oman today.
At the Women’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup, Team India led by Jyoti Singh will start their campaign against Bangladesh in Pool A encounter today. India is competing in Group A along with China, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand. Rival team Bangladesh will try to revive themselves as they faced a major defeat of 19-nil by China in yesterday’s match. In another Group A match yesterday, Malaysia beat Thailand, 3-Nil, while in a Pool B match, Japan thrashed Sri Lanka, 15-Nil. This tournament is crucial as top five teams from the competition will qualify for the FIH Junior World Cup, scheduled for next year in Chile. Moving on to the world of Cricket, where at the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India will resume their second innings on third day of second test match this morning, at an overnight score of 128 for 5 at Adelaide Oval. The match will begin at 9:30 AM IST. The visitors are still trailing from Australia’s first-innings total by 29 runs. CHIRAG JHA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that dense fog conditions are likely to prevail during the late night and morning hours in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura today. Similar conditions are also predicted for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Sikkim and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal till tomorrow.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- “Supreme Court will take up Places of Worship pleas on December 12,” headlines Hindustan Times adding “Shahi Eidgah to Taj Mahal, UP has long list of grievances.”
- The Asian Age quotes Prime Minister Modi in its headline, “Make India developed nation, next two decades crucial.”
- The Hindu Business Line writes, “IPO frenzy persists, 10 issues to raise twenty thousand crore rupees in December.”
- The Economic Times writes, “Bangladesh hangs by a thread; Surat may be stitch in time,” as global garments brands unhappy with political unrest, look to shift to India.”
- And finally, with the flagship PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the mosques of Kashmir have offered to be a part of the project since the multi-tiered, broad sloped roofs of these mosques are ideal to set up solar panels. The Hindu writes, “Kashmir mosques lend themselves to a solar storm.”
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls upon citizens to become force behind country’s march towards the target of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
- Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal says, India will be among top 10 maritime nations of the world by 2047.
- There is no proposal to start a new BRICS currency to compete with US dollar, says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
- Rebel forces encircle Syrian capital Damascus after capturing key city of Homs.
- And in Hockey, India to take on Bangladesh in their opening match of Women’s Junior Asia Cup at Muscat in Oman.
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