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December 30, 2024 9:09 AM

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Morning News

THE HEADLINES:

  •  ISRO to launch two satellites tonight from Sriharikota to demonstrate docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit.

 

  • India to host World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit – WAVES for the first time in 2025.

 

  • Punjab Police busts ISI-backed Narco-terror module and arrests five persons.

 

  • North India, including national capital, to enter 2025 with cold wave conditions.

 

  • Kaamya Karthikeyan becomes world’s youngest girl to scale 7 highest peaks across seven continents.

 

  • And, Haryana Steelers beat Patna Pirates to lift Pro Kabaddi League title in Pune.

 

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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch two satellites tonight at 9.58 pm from its spaceport in Sriharikota to demonstrate docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit. Its reliable warhorse launching vehicle PSLV C60 will place two satellites SDX01 and SDX02 in a 476 km circular orbit and attempt the space docking experiment.

“SpaDex mission by ISRO tonight is essential for India’s space ambitions such as Indian on Moon, sample return from the Moon and building and operation of proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station. Number of new docking mechanism, sensors, inter satellite communication link and simulators are developed for this mission. Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology. This mission is crucial for India’s future space endeavours and a significant step forward in its space exploration journey. Sudhindra, Akashvani News, Bengaluru.”

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India will host the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) for the first time in 2025. In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, the Prime Minister said, a great opportunity is on the way to showcase India’s creative talent to the world.

He emphasised the pivotal role of young creators in the preparations for WAVES, reflecting the dynamic spirit of India’s creative community. Mr Modi expressed pride in the enthusiasm of the country’s youth and their contribution to the burgeoning creator economy, a key driver as India advances toward becoming a 5 trillion dollar economy.
In a heartfelt tribute, the PM also acknowledged the 100th birth anniversaries of several iconic figures of Indian cinema in 2024.

 

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold pre-Budget consultations with trade and industry leaders today. During the meeting, India Inc is now expected to pitch for measures to boost consumption, which is the largest component of GDP, to support high growth.

 

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Gujarat today. Mr Shah will be on a day-long visit to the state to attend the annual function of the Shrimad Rajchandra ashram at Shri Dharampur Tirth in Asura, Gujarat during which he will participate in Mahamastakabhisheka ceremony at Raj Sabhagruh.

 

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Punjab Police has busted an ISI-backed narco-terror module by arresting five people, including its mastermind. They were also involved in lobbing hand-grenades at two police establishments, recently, in Batala and Gurdaspur. More details from our Jalandhar correspondent:

 

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Akashvani News brings you glimpses of 2024 in its special Year-Ender series. This year witnessed some path-breaking achievements and breakthroughs as Ministry of Defence marched ahead to make India a strong, secure, self-reliant and prosperous nation. Our correspondent takes a look at some of the major highlights of 2024.

“This year, India and China achieved a broad consensus to restore the ground situation in certain areas along the Line of Actual Control. Both countries had been holding talks at diplomatic and military levels to resolve the differences in some areas along the LAC. Defence production went up to a record-high figure of one lakh 26 thousand 887 crore rupees. This reflects a growth of 16.7 percent over the defence production of previous financial year. Defence exports touched a record 21 thousand 83 crore rupees in 2023-24, which is a growth of 32.5 percent over the previous fiscal. In October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing of C-295 transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. To provide substantial boost to the Indian defence industry and reduce foreign spending significantly, India approved defence acquisitions amounting to 4.22 lakh crore rupees. Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”

 

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North India, including the national capital, will see a chilly New Year as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a significant drop in minimum temperatures across the region in coming days. The IMD said, cold wave conditions will prevail in isolated pockets of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan.

 

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Himachal Pradesh is gearing up for New year celebrations. A large number of tourists from different states of the country are visiting Shimla and other tourist destinations of Himachal to celebrate the New year.

“After Christmas, now tourists from other states are arriving Himachal to welcome the New Year.The famous tourist destinations of the state including the capital town Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Khajjiar and Kasauli are witnessing an increase in the number of tourists this year as compared to last year.  Shimla  district administration has made concrete arrangements for the convenience and safety of tourists and other people. However, due to 7 days of national mourning, cultural programs will not be organized this time. Prabha Sharma, Akashvani News, Shimla.”

 

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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will be on a three day official visit to Qatar from today. During the visit, he will meet the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

 

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Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away last night at his home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100. He was the oldest living President of all time and the third U.S. President to visit India.  

 

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Kaamya Karthikeyan, a 17-year-old student from Navy Children School in Mumbai, has made history by becoming the youngest female in the world to scale the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

“Demonstrating an extraordinary feat of mountaineering prowess, the 17-year-old adventurer has conquered Africa’s Mt Kilimanjaro, Europe’s Mt Elbrus, Asia’s Mt Everest and culminating the current climb in Antarctica. The young Everester reached the summit of Mt Vincent in Antarctica along with her father, Commander S. Karthikeyan, on December 24 at 17:20 hrs Chilean Standard Time to complete the Seven Summits Challenge. The Indian Navy has congratulated Kaamya Karthikeyan and her father on accomplishing this momentous milestone. Kaamya Karthikeyan was sixteen years old when she scaled Mount Everest. She said she was 7 when she took her first trek in Uttarakhand. Her outstanding accomplishments have not only earned her the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest national honour for young achievers in 2021 but also accolades from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann-ki-Baat. DEEPMALA KAUSHIK, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

 

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In sports, Haryana Steelers won the 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) defeating Patna Pirates 32-23 in the final in Balewadi, Pune, last night.

Haryana defeated Patna 34-31 to win their maiden PKL title. Shivam Patare scored nine points, the most in the final. The champions were awarded 3 crore rupees, while runners-up Patna Pirates took home 1.8 crore rupees. Patna Pirates’ Devank Dalal emerged as the top raider of PKL 2024, scoring 301 points in 25 matches.


In Chess, the highly anticipated FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship, kicks off tonight in New York. World No. 1 Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen will return after a brief exit following a dress code issue. For India, GM Arjun Erigaisi and GM R. Praggnanandhaa will compete in the Open section, while Humpy Koneru, fresh off her second World Rapid Chess Championship victory, will compete in the Women’s section.


In the Santosh Trophy, West Bengal defeated defending champions Services 4-2 in the semifinals, while Kerala outplayed Manipur 5-1 to advance to the final. West Bengal will face Kerala in the final tomorrow at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad.


In Cricket, South Africa became the first team to secure a spot in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London next year, defeating Pakistan by 2 wickets. The second spot remains up for grabs, with Australia, India, and Sri Lanka as contenders.


And in the Hockey India League, Soorma Hockey Club defeated Tamil Nadu Dragons 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at regular time. Today, UP Rudras will take on Vedanta Kalinga Lancers at 8:15 PM IST at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. MANIK SHARMA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.

 

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In Cricket, India were 66 for 3 in their second innings against Australia while chasing a target of 340 runs on the fifth and final day of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Melbourne, when reports last came in.  
Earlier, Australia were bundled out for 234 runs after resuming their second innings at the overnight score of 228 for nine this morning. Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer for the visitors, taking five wickets. For the hosts, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland added 61 runs for the last wicket, significantly inflating Australia’s lead to 339 runs.  
The five-match series is currently tied at 1-1.  

 

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Foreign investors have pumped in over 22,000 crore rupees into the Indian capital markets so far in December. As per the depositories data, the foreign portfolio investors or FPIs, pumped in 16,675 crore rupees into the Indian equities markets and 5,352 crore rupees into the debt market, taking the total net investment into the Indian capital markets to 22,027 crore rupees.

 

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In our bilingual live phone-in programme “Public Speak” at 9.30 pm tonight, we will bring an insightful discussion on “Effective Disaster preparedness”. We would be joined in our studios by Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), Member, National Disaster Management Authority.
During the programme, listeners will have the opportunity to ask questions to our expert about preparedness with respect to disasters, do’s and don’t’s during a disaster, and any other related queries.

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,

⦁ Prime Minister calls for end of hate from society in Mann ki Baat, says Constitution our guiding light, stood every test of time”, is a front-page headline in The Asian Age.
⦁ The launch of ISRO’s SpaDeX mission from Sriharikota finds mention in The Statesman and other dailies.
⦁ The Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea has been widely covered on the front pages of most dailies. “179 killed in South Korea jet crash, deadliest air tragedy in 9 years”, writes Hindustan Times.
The Tribune reports the rescue of as many as 11 children from Bihar and Nepal being held captive and forced to work 16 hours a day at a potato farm in Kapurthala, Punjab.
⦁ On the H1-B visa row in the U.S, The Times of India says Trump has backed Musk and H1-B visas amid MAGA meltdown.
⦁ Koneru Humpy’s epochal second World Rapid Chess Championship title has been noted by The Pioneer.
And finally, under the headline, “In Telangana, birds of a feather hunt rogue drones together”, The Indian Express writes that a five-bird squad has been trained and deployed by Telangana Police to intercept rogue drones in no-fly zones.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

 

  • ISRO to launch two satellites tonight from Sriharikota to demonstrate docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit.

 

  • India to host World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit – WAVES for first time in 2025.

 

  • Punjab Police busts ISI-backed Narco-terror module and arrests five persons.

 

  • North India, including national capital, to enter 2025 with cold wave conditions.

 

  • Kaamya Karthikeyan becomes world’s youngest girl to scale 7 highest peaks across seven continents.

 

  • And, Haryana Steelers beat Patna Pirates to lift Pro Kabaddi League title in Pune.

 

 

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