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Three Naga groups came together to engage in negotiations with the Centre for a resolution to the longstanding Naga Political Issue. “The three groups have come together to have a joint political venture in 2024,” said Akato, while addressing journalists after the meeting here in the presence of leaders of the other two groups. Asked if they have already approached the Centre with their decision to hold a dialogue, he said, “We have made separate approaches in the past but now we will make a joint effort on the Naga issue.” Regarded as the longest-running insurgency in the country, the Centre has been in separate negotiations with NSCN-IM since 1997 and the WC NNPGs since 2017. The decision was taken during a meeting attended by leaders of the three groups — National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) led by Akato Chophy, NSCN led by Khango and Naga National Council (NNC) led by Z Royim. All three are splinter groups. Akato also affirmed that they would be holding a dialogue sep

We are celebrating the end of 2023 and the advent of 2024. The year, undoubtedly, has been significant for the country as a myriad of events took place. Some very good, while some others not so much. And like most others, now is the time for stock-taking. We sit back and mull over all that happened in the country in 2023 – from India’s highest of highs when it successfully hosted the G20 Summit and reached the moon to its lowest when ethnic violence broke out in Manipur – wreaking havoc and destruction. As you prepare to ring in the New Year, we present to you our biggest stories from India in 2023 in our yearly wrap. 1) We start off with the biting cold wave that hit Delhi and other parts of north India at the start of the year. Temperatures fell to dangerously low levels, causing the death of 98 people in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. As the mercury fell, people got more worried about the effects of the weather, prompting many to wonder if cold conditions could cause heart attacks an

The consecration of the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya is set to take place in less than a month. Ahead of the grand event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the holy city on Saturday (30 December) to inaugurate the newly built Ayodhya airport. After unveiling the redeveloped Ayodhya railway station and flagging off the new Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat trains, the Indian premier will attend the inauguration of the new airport, which is located nearly 15 km from the main temple town. Here is everything you need to know about the new Ayodhya airport. Features of the Ayodhya Airport The airport has reportedly been renamed ‘Maharishi Valmiki International Airport Ayodhyadham’ after the great poet Valmiki, who is celebrated as the author of the epic Ramayana . The structure was previously called the Shri Ram International Airport. The phase one of this state-of-the-art airport costs over Rs 1,450 crore, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The

Drawing inspiration from the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Indian Navy unveiled a new design for Admirals’ epaulettes on Friday. The unveiling of the epaulettes, a shoulder piece worn to show the rank of an officer, came three-and-a-half weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement on it. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been an inspiration to all of us. The new Admirals’ Epaulettes design which was unveiled today by the Indian Navy is also inspired by the Rajmudra of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and is adapted from the Naval Ensign,” Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis said on X. “The new design was announced by the Hon. PM Narendra Modi ji during the Navy Day ceremony in Sindhudurg, reflecting our strong maritime heritage. ‘Virasat Par Garv’ and ‘Ghulami ki Mansikta se Mukti’, the two pillars of PanchPran, are reaffirmed by the adoption of the new design,” he added. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been an inspiration to all of us

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is all set to return as the Janata Dal (United) president after he was unanimously backed by his party leaders to take over the top post during the national executive meeting held in the national capital on Friday. According to reports, Lalan Singh voluntarily stepped down as the party chief and endorsed Kumar’s candidacy for the top post. The national council meeting of the party, scheduled to be held later in the day, is likely to ratify decisions taken in the executive meeting which is currently underway at the Constitution Club in Delhi. Key leaders within the party expressed consensus that Kumar, as the most prominent figure, should lead the organisation, especially given the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, the party is a member of the opposition INDIA bloc. Criticism of Singh’s leadership style by several party leaders in recent interactions with Kumar was also highlighted by sources. Bihar Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary also co

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the targeting of commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea by Iranian proxies, the Indian Navy has deployed five advanced guided missile destroyers in order to minimise the threat to sea lanes of communication in the Arabian Sea. According to a Hindustan Times report, these vessels have been strategically positioned to monitor the situation from the Red Sea to the western coast of India. INS Kolkata is stationed near the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, INS Kochi south of Yemen’s Socotra Island, INS Mormugao in the western Arabian Sea, and INS Chennai in the central Arabian Sea. INS Visakhapatnam patrols the north Arabian Sea, having left the Indian coast two days ago after an Iranian loitering ammunition Shahed 136 struck the chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto 210 nautical miles off Dwarka in Gujarat, added the report. The Indian Navy has deployed these vessels into the Arabian theatre independent of the US-led coalition

The new airport in Ayodhya will be named after poet Maharishi Valmiki, who penned the epic Ramayana. The name of the new airport will be ‘Maharishi Valmiki International Airport Ayodhya Dham’ news agency ANI quoted sources as saying. PM Modi Modi will launch projects worth more than Rs 11,100 crore to revamp civic facilities and develop world-class infrastructure in Ayodhya and projects worth over Rs 4,600 crore for other parts of Uttar Pradesh. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Modi’s vision is to develop modern, world-class infrastructure in Ayodhya, improve connectivity and revamp its civic facilities, which also conform to the rich history and heritage of the city where devouts believe Lord Ram was born. “In realisation of this vision, a new airport, a new redeveloped railway station, newly redeveloped, widened and beautified roads and other civic infrastructure are being inaugurated in the city. Further, foundation stones for many new projects will b

In an unprecedented move, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has named Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi in its charge sheet, citing her involvement in the acquisition of a 40 kanal (five-acre) agricultural land in Haryana’s Faridabad from a Delhi-based real estate agent HL Pahwa in 2006. Subsequently, she allegedly sold the same land back to Pahwa in February 2010. The ED claims that the property in question is located in Amipur village in Faridabad and was purchased from Pahwa, the same agent who, in earlier transactions, had dealings with Priyanka’s husband, Robert Vadra. Vadra reportedly acquired three parcels of land totaling 334 kanals (40.08 acres) in Amipur village between 2005 and 2006, subsequently selling the land back to Pahwa in December 2010. Notably, Pahwa is also identified as the individual who sold land to NRI businessman CC Thampi. The broader investigation involves fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who is facing scrutiny from various agencies for alleged money la

India’s IT capital, Bengaluru, witnessed violence on Wednesday when activists vandalised signboards and hoardings of business establishments that were in English, reigniting the language row in the city. Shortly after the incident, Union minister Pralhad Joshi, when asked about it, said that while he did not agree with the violence, he did agree with the demand that shop signages in Karnataka should be predominantly in the local language. “Everybody should be able to read the signs and not everyone can read English. What is the harm in writing in Kannada as well as in English or another language, like Hindi? This is not England,” the minister, who is also an MP from Dharwad, told NDTV . But what exactly is the language row in Karnataka and why did violence flare up on Wednesday? Here’s what we know. What is the 60% Kannada rule? Earlier on Christmas, the Bengaluru civic body passed a directive asking all stores to have signboards, with at least 60 per cent of them being in Kannada.

The year 2023 is coming to an end and it’s been a big year for India. It’s been a year of trials and triumphs. The country saw the inauguration of a new Parliament , two successful spaces missions – Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 solar mission – and a mission against time to extract people from a collapsed tunnel. India also gained significant international recognition by successfully organising the G20 summit . But with the highs, come the lows. Hundreds of people lost their lives in Manipur owing to the ethnic violence that first broke out in May, followed by the heart-breaking train tragedy in Odisha’s Balasore and even saw the Parliament security breach . The country also saw mass protests, including those of reputed wrestlers, who raised their voice against alleged sexual harassment. Here’s India in 2023 , in less than 60 seconds. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/pBjWMKo Roshneesh Kmaneck

President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia next year as External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. President Putin extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia. “We will be glad to see our friend, Mr Prime Minister Modi in Russia. We will be able to discuss all current issues and talk about the prospects for the development of Russian-Indian relations. We have a very large amount of work. I ask you to convey to him my best wishes and please pass on our invitation. We are waiting for him in Russia,” he said. #WATCH | External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow pic.twitter.com/nn5su3wASA — ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2023 Jaishankar, who is here on a five-day official visit to Russia, earlier met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. During a joint media appearance along with Lavrov after

New Year is just around the corner and people in India are all gearing up for the festivities. However, the rising COVID-19 cases, it seems, is ready to play party-pooper. On Tuesday, the country logged 412 COVID-19 infections, with the Union Health Ministry adding that there were 4,170 active cases in the country. The spike in cases, attributed to the JN.1 sub-variant that is also on the rise in the country, has led many to ask if it’s time for people to take an additional dose of the vaccine. However, the Centre has said there’s no plan as to mandate booster doses , as evidence available so far does not support it. Karnataka, specifically, is seeing a huge surge in COVID cases, owing to which the state has imposed certain guidelines and protocols to arrest the spread. But will Karnataka have a good New Year? Karnataka COVID surge As of Tuesday, the southern state of Karnataka reported 74 fresh cases of coronavirus and two deaths. With this, the total number of active cases in th

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Wednesday landed in Jammu on a day-long tour of Jammu and Kashmir to review the security situation in the wake of a recent terrorist ambush in the border district of Poonch that left four soldiers dead. #WATCH | Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande arrive at Jammu. Defence Minister will visit Rajouri today to review the on-ground situation there. pic.twitter.com/KTGgVdpsDZ — ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2023 The duo was received by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and General Officer Commanding-in-chief, northern command, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi at the technical airport. Soon after his arrival, the Defence Minister left for Rajouri-Poonch sector where he is scheduled to review the security situation and the counter-terrorist operation which is going on in the region following the 21 December ambush at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Buffliaz in Poonch. Three civilia

On Tuesday night, panic seized Ennore, Chennai, when locals discovered a strong odour and an ammonia gas leak in a Coromandel International Limited subsea pipe. Five people were uneasy and were sent to a medical institution. “Ammonia gas leak detected in a sub-sea pipe in Ennore. This was noticed and stopped. The production head says the leak caused a strong smell and five people felt uneasy and were shifted to a health facility. They are fine now,” the Tamil Nadu Environment and Forest Department said. Vijayakumar, DIG, Joint Commissioner Avadi, tweeted, “No need to panic. The leak has been stabilised. No more gas (ammonia) leaks at Ennore. People are reassured and are back home. medical and police teams present.” People also held a protest on Wednesday morning after the leak was detected in a sub-sea pipe in Ennore. According to the Tamil Nadu Environment and Forest Department, a communication was received from the unit at 12.45 a.m. about the ammonia gas leakage that occurred du

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday alleged that Robert Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, “renovated and stayed” at a London property which is a “proceeds of crime” in a money laundering case against alleged middleman Sanjay Bhandari. Bhandari fled to the UK in 2016 and the British government approved his extradition to India in January this year acting on the legal request made by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The two federal agencies are probing charges of money laundering and tax evasion against the businessman for holding alleged undisclosed assets abroad. This is the first time that the federal agency has named Vadra in this case. The ED issued a statement stating that it has filed a fresh charge sheet in this case against C C or Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi, a UAE-based NRI businessman, and UK national Sumit Chadha. Thampi was arrested in this case in January 2020 and the ED alleged he was a “close associate” of Vadra. Tha

Do you have any rizz? Were you authentic in the year 2023? And were you in a situationship? As we bid adieu to 2023 , dictionaries declared their ‘words of the year’ offering a zeitgeist of 2023. While some were newsy, others were cultural. There were few more that were funny. Let’s take a deeper look at the words that described the year 2023 and became a part of our everyday lexicon. Psst, we have got to say none of them raise any ‘beige flags’ for us. Antisemitism While we all know antisemistim and its meaning, it became, perhaps, the most talked about in 2023 following the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel. The attack, which led to the deaths of 1,400 Israelis, has initiated a sequence of events that have left Jewish people around the world feeling threatened. People attend a national gathering to protest antisemitism and the rise of anti-Semitic attacks in the Place de la Republique in Paris, France. Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, antisemitic attacks have risen exponen