Wave of farmer protests to rise of Far Right — challenges Macron faces back home as he visits India
A high-voltage December saw split in French President’s party during vote on an immigration law. He had to replace his PM and has indicated right-ward tilt to regain political momentum. Key Points
ThePrintLandslide traps 47 people in southwest China, over 500 evacuated
Efforts are underway to rescue the individuals trapped under the landslide, official media reported. The buried villagers come from 18 households. Key Points
ThePrintIndia's ICICI Bank posts record high profit in Q3
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's ICICI Bank reported a record high profit for the fiscal third quarter on Saturday, helped by strong loan growth. The private bank reported a standalone net profit of 102.72 Key Points
ThePrintJapan PM vows ‘ceaseless’ aid as snow hampers earthquake rescue operations
PM Kishida had said on Friday that his government would tap 4.74 billion yen ($32.77 million) of budget reserves for reconstruction efforts. | World News Key Points
Hindustan TimesCovid continues to rear its head amid rising JN.1 worries
JN.1, a sub-lineage within the Omicron variant, is recognized as the predominant strain in the United States, constituting more than 44% of reported cases. Designated as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization (WHO), the increase in cases is under close observation, with particular attention to its swift spread. Key Points
Economic Times
JN.1 cases in several states: What are the preventive measures?
Delhi reported its first case of JN.1 strain. Experts maintain that there's no need to panic. However, precautions should be taken. Key Points
India TodayKarnataka logs 125 fresh Covid-19 cases, three new deaths
In the last 24 hours, Karnataka recorded 125 new cases of Covid-19 and three deaths related to the virus. The total number of active cases in the state now stands at 436. In the same period, 30 patients were discharged, and a total of 3,155 tests were conducted, including 2,072 RT-PCR and 1,083 Rapid Antigen tests. The positivity rate is reported at 3.96%, and the case fatality rate is at 2.4%. Key Points
Economic TimesIndian-flagged oil tanker hit by attack drone in Red Sea, says US military
According to the US military, they received reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea that they were under attack. The USS Laboon reported distress signals from a Norwegian-operated chemical/oil tanker and a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker. The US military says that the Norwegian tanker, Blaamanen, reported a near miss from a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported, while the Indian tanker, Saibaba, reported a hit but no injuries. Key Points
Economic TimesPakistan: 4.4 magnitude of earthquake shakes Islamabad, Rawalpindi
An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale shook Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and surrounding areas in Pakistan. No casualties or property damage reported Key Points
mintHopeful but not optimistic about future of ties with Beijing, says US envoy to China
Washington, DC [US], December 16 (ANI): The US envoy to China, Nicholas Burns, on Friday said relations between the two countries are not necessarily improving, but he was ‘hopeful’ of better ties, The Hill reported. “I don’t feel optimistic about the future of U.S.-China relations because I feel that we need to see how things […] Key Points
ThePrint
Indian-American man killed after struck by vehicle in Ohio's Medina County
A Volkswagen, operated by 25-year-old Cameron Luiza struck 52-year-old Piyush Patel. Luiza was heading south on Substation Road when he struck Patel. | World News Key Points
Hindustan TimesIndia's Prestige Estates Projects posts higher Q2 profit on strong housing demand
India's Prestige Estates Projects (PREG.NS) reported a more than six-fold jump in second-quarter profit on Tuesday, aided by a buoyant housing demand. Key Points
ReutersIndia's Greaves Cotton posts Q2 loss on one-off charge
India's Greaves Cotton (GRVL.NS) on Tuesday reported a second-quarter loss, hurt by a one-time charge relating to a government incentive for electric scooter sales and higher expenses. Key Points
ReutersIndian airline IndiGo's operator posts Q2 profit
Airline IndiGo's operator Interglobe Aviation (INGL.NS) reported a second-quarter profit on Friday following steady demand for air travel, which offset a rise in expenses. Key Points
ReutersWipro’s headcount drops by more than 5,000 in Q2
This comes as major Indian IT firms have all reported a drop in their headcounts. Indias largest software exporter, TCS, reported a net fall of 6,333 employees in the second quarter of FY24. Key Points
Economic Times
Engineer gets fake offer for part-time job in Amazon, loses Rs 52 lakh in the scam
One of the few cases reported from the city involved 22 victims who lost around Rs 1.15 crore collectivly between the first 24 days of September 2023. Key Points
India TodayDorsey-led Block reports rise in second-quarter revenue
Block Inc (SQ.N) reported a rise in second-quarter revenue on Thursday as payment volumes at the fintech giant led by Jack Dorsey held up against a tough economic backdrop. Key Points
ReutersAmong top institutes, IITs see max suicides
The country’s premier educational institutes — the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) — have reported the highest number of suicides over the past five years. The dropout rate is also the highest in IITs. Key Points
The Tribune IndiaNova Scotia floods inflict damage; Four individuals missing: Report
Nova Scotia experiences its most significant rainfall in over 50 years, leading to severe floods and causing ‘unimaginable’ destruction. 4 people, including two children, are reported missing. The storm brought over 10 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period. Key Points
mintSuicides in Singapore at 22-year high. ‘Concerning’ data shows…
In 2022, the number of suicides was a "concerning rise" of 25.9 per cent from the 378 reported in 2021. | World News Key Points
Hindustan Times
Explosion, late-night firing in parts of Manipur, situation brought under control
A number of explosions and some firing incidents were reported from several parts of Manipur on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Sawonbung-YKPI road remained blocked at multiple locations due to protests organised by Meira Paibis. Key Points
India TodayCOVID-19: India logs 7,633 new cases, 11 deaths
The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.47 crore (4,48,34,859). The active cases now comprise 0.14 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.68 per cent Key Points
FirstpostAvenue Supermarts shares fall 4% as Q2 profit drops. Should you buy, sell or hold?
Avenue Supermarts on Saturday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 623.35 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2023, which was down by over 9% from Rs 685.71 crore reported by the company in the corresponding period of the previous financial year. The company which operates DMart reported a consolidated revenue from operations at Rs 12,624 crore which was up by 18.66% from Rs 10,638.33 reported by the company in Q2FY23. Key Points
Economic TimesRise in Covid cases: Centre asks states to keep strict vigil, take pre-emptive action in any area of conce
Further, he noted that six districts reported positivity rate higher than 10 per cent and 11 districts reported a positivity rate between 5 and 10 per cent in week ending April 19. Bhushan said Maharashtra has reported an increase in weekly cases from 774 in week ending April 13 to 872 in the week ending April 20. The state reported a positivity rate of 6.87 per cent in week ending April 19. Key Points
Economic TimesBihar records 6,146 dengue cases in September, highest in last 5 years
Bihar reported 6,421 dengue cases this year, of which 6,146 were reported only in September. This is the highest number of cases for this month in the last five years. Key Points
India Today
Videos capture UFO in Las Vegas, residents cry ‘alien sighting’
Las Vegas Police was reported of bright lights travelling through the sky. A citizen also claimed to witness two 8-10 feet tall aliens. | World News Key Points
Hindustan TimesGen Bajwa advised me to dissolve Assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said he dissolved the provincial Assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) after the former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa advised him to do so, The News.com reported. Key Points
The Tribune IndiaVideo: Blast on container ship in Chinese port, shock waves felt 1 km away
An explosion rocked China's busiest port on Friday. No casualties were reported after the blast on a container ship. Thick black smoke and scattered cargo were seen in video footage. Key Points
India TodayResurgence of Covid in India: Delhi reports first case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1
According to the health ministry update, India reported 529 fresh COVID-19 cases in a single day, while the country's active infection count stood at 4,093 on December 27. Moreover, three new fatalities, two from Karnataka and one from Gujarat, were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. Meanwhile, Delhi reported the first case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 on Wednesday. Key Points
Economic TimesHamas launches fresh attack on Israel’s Ashkelon city with rocket fire after warning residents to leave
Hamas is attacking the Israeli city of Ashkelon with rocket fire, the media reported. Earlier, the militant group warned civilians to leave within hours. Key Points
The Tribune India
Afraid of Vladimir Putin's ousting? Russians withdrew $1.1 billion from banks
Russia's central bank reported that 500 billion rubles (about $5.5 billion) were withdrawn from the nation's banks during June. | World News Key Points
Hindustan Times9 dead as powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake jolts Pakistan
An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude shook parts of Pakistan on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring over 160 others, local media reported. The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. Key Points
The Tribune IndiaWidespread Microsoft outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world
News outlets in Australia — including the ABC and Sky News — were unable to broadcast on their TV and radio channels, and reported sudden shutdowns of... Key Points
The Tribune India73 killed in twin bomb blasts near Iranian general Qassem Soleimani's grave
The blasts left 171 people wounded, reported state broadcaster Irib. The blasts hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the southern city of Kerman. Key Points
Business TodayKerala reports first case of COVID-19 sub-strain JN.1
Kerala has discovered a case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, a descendant of BA.2.86. Over 90% of COVID-19 cases in India are mild and being treated at home. A JN.1 traveler from India was previously discovered in Singapore, but no other cases have been detected in India. Surveillance by the India SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) is being conducted in Kerala, where JN.1 cases have been reported. Key Points
Economic Times