Jaishankar speaks to Palestinian PM, reiterates India’s long-standing position on Palestine
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on December 9. Mr. Jaishankar reiterated India’s long-standing position on Palestine. During the telephonic conversation, Mohammad Shtayyeh expressed deep concern on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.
Ram temple sets off realty boom in Ayodhya
As Ayodhya town gears up for the consecration of the temple, land prices soar to an all-time high, especially in areas around the new structure. The combined efforts of the Union and State governments — currently involved in the development of Ayodhya with 264 projects worth about ₹32,000 crore, including highways, roads, infrastructure, a green field township, an international airport, international spiritual centre, among others — is also a reason for the city’s growth.
Hours after Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi claimed that a parliament question that carried her name was not signed by her and sought an inquiry in the “breach”, the Ministry of External Affairs swung into action and said a “technical correction” is being carried out to the name of the Minister mentioned in the Unstarred Question in the Lok Sabha.
Ashok Gehlot faults communal polarisation for Congress’s defeat in Rajasthan
The outgoing Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot listed communal polarisation as one of the key reasons for Congress’s defeat in Rajasthan in the recent Assembly election, at a meeting to review the reasons for party’s debacle presided over by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge held in party headquarters in Delhi. There was a unanimous view that the party should have heeded to reports of anti-incumbency against the sitting legislators, instead 88% of the sitting MLAs were repeated.
Four years on, CAA awaits political nod for its implementation
Four years after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 was passed by Parliament, the legislation is yet to be implemented despite the administrative framework in place as it awaits political nod from the BJP-led Union government.
Mamata seeks audience with PM Modi for release of Central funds
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month to seek the release of Central funds to the State. “I will meet him [the Prime Minister] with some of my MPs. They are not paying our dues, especially for the 100-day work scheme [MGNREGS]. Funding for rural roads and even health schemes have been cancelled. If the Prime Minister doesn’t give us time, I will see what I can do,” the Trinamool Congress chairperson said in Siliguri.
RSS trade union arm to protest Centre’s policies again
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the trade union arm of the Sangh Parivar, will hold its second protest rally against the BJP-led Union Government in a span of just one month. This is the second BMS protest in a month; anganwadi workers and helpers, mid-day meal cooks, ASHA workers demand permanent jobs with government employee benefits.
Israel presses on with Gaza bombardments, including in areas where it told civilians to flee
Israeli warplanes struck parts of the Gaza Strip overnight into Saturday in relentless bombardments, including some of the dwindling slivers of land Palestinians had been told to evacuate to in the territory’s south. The latest strikes came a day after the U.S. vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, despite it being backed by the vast majority of Security Council members and many other nations. The vote in the 15-member council was 13-1, with the United Kingdom abstaining.
Portfolios allocated to Ministers in the new Telangana Cabinet
The State Government has issued a gazette notification of the portfolios allocated to the newly constituted Cabinet after the approval of Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has decided to retain the Municipal Administration and Urban Development portfolio along with the General Administration and Law & Order. He will also hold all other unallocated portfolios.
Morbi bridge collapse | Gujarat High Court bats for lifetime pension, help for victims’ families
Observing that one-time compensation is not going to help the families of the victims of the Morbi suspension bridge collapse, the Gujarat High Court asked the Oreva Group, the company responsible for operation and maintenance of the ill-fated bridge, to provide life-time pension to the elderly who lost their sons and jobs or stipend to widows. The division Bench of Chief Justice Sunil Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee was hearing a suo motu PIL on the October 30, 2022 incident in which 141 persons lost their lives after a British-era suspension bridge collapsed.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that a joint team of officers visited six seaports in Gujarat, including the Adani Tuna Port, after the panel sought to know the action taken against more than 20 seaport immigration check-posts (ICP) running in violation of rules with implications for national security. Earlier, in a report tabled in the Upper House in March, the panel had sought to know of the bottlenecks in the effective functioning of seaport ICPs.
Manipur violence | CBI files chargesheet against nine accused in Naga woman abduction-killing case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed a chargesheet against nine accused persons in a case related to the abduction and murder of a 55-year-old Naga woman in Manipur in July amid the ethnic conflict. The ethnic conflict in the State, underway since May 3, between the dominant Valley-based Meitei people and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo people, has led to the deaths of at least 175 people so far, with thousands of others injured and tens of thousands internally displaced.
