December 2023

The External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, made a sarcastic jab at the UN Security Council, comparing it to a “old club” in which members are reluctant to accept new members because they believe it is losing its influence.During his speech on Sunday at the Rotary Institute 2023 event in Bengaluru, Mr. Jaishankar stated that the “club”‘s members do not want their practices to be called into question. “The Security Council resembles an established club with a few devoted members who refuse to give up.” Their goal is to maintain their hold on the club. Mr. Jaishankar stated, “They are not...

Work-life balance discussions gained attention earlier this year when Infosys CEO NR Narayana Murthy stated that young people should be working at least 70 hours a week. This sort of started a debate, with everyone discussing how important it is to take breaks and work in a balanced manner. While some tech executives were against the concept, others supported a work-life balance. Additionally, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates mentioned work-life balance in his year-end blog post and stated that life is about more than just work. But Gates didn’t realise this until he had a child. The tech magnate had previously...

The minister stated that India can serve as a hub for scrapping in South Asia, pointing out that the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy benefits all parties involved. “Circular economy is very important and it is going to create jobs in the country,” Gadkari stated. In August 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy, stating that it would aid in the phase-out of outdated and environmentally harmful cars while simultaneously advancing a circular economy. The states and Union Territories (UTs) will offer up to a 25% tax rebate on road tax for automobiles that are bought after...

People familiar with the discussions say that the UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is investigating possible bans and other measures to curtail children under 16’s access to social media.According to people who asked not to be identified because the talks are private, ministers intend to start a consultation as early as January to gather data regarding the extent of possible harm that children could suffer from using social media. According to the people, discussions are still in their early stages, and the policy may not be implemented in the end. One of the individuals stated that although...

Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, spoke to supporters using an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated audio clip. This is an unprecedented development in Pakistani politics. The audio for the speech was played over an image of Imran Khan, and it was tainted by internet outages. Tens of thousands of people watched the live stream of the video on YouTube, and it received over 1.4 million views across other social media platforms.Imran Khan urged supporters to vote in large numbers in the general elections, saying, “Our party is not allowed to hold public rallies.”

Following the powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake, at least 111 people have died in China’s Gansu and neighbouring Qinghai provinces, according to state media Xinhua, which cited the local earthquake relief headquarters.This occurs after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck an ethnic county in Gansu Province, northwest China, at midnight on Monday. According to the New York Times, which cited Chinese state media, there have been about 200 injuries in addition to the death toll. In order to protect people’s lives and property, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for “all-out” search and rescue operations as well as appropriate preparations...

After three hostages were killed by friendly fire on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the military pressure on Hamas in spite of the heartbroken pleas for a return to negotiations made by the relatives of the hostages held in Gaza.The three hostages were mistakenly fired upon by Israeli troops, and it was later revealed by the Israeli army that they were carrying a white flag and cried out for help in Hebrew. Israel saw demonstrations after hearing of their deaths, and the families of the hostages who were still alive begged Netanyahu to resume talks out...

The largest meditation centre in the world, Swarved Mahamandir, was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in Varanasi. After the opening, he and Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, visited the meditation centre, which has 20,000 seats for guests at a time.The walls of the seven-story superstructure known as the Mahamandir bear verses from the Swarveda.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal stressed the significance of placing a high priority on Parliament’s security and proper conduct during proceedings, regardless of political affiliations, shortly after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla wrote a letter to all Members of Parliament, emphasising that there is no correlation between the security breach and the recent suspension of 13 MPs from the Lower House.Union Minister Smriti Irani echoed a similar idea when she emphasised that members of Parliament have an obligation to preserve the dignity of Parliament and expressed worry that indiscipline could be politicised. Thirteen Members of Parliament were suspended for raising a...

Donald Trump’s former attorney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, was ordered by a jury on Friday to pay $148 million in damages for falsely accusing two poll workers in Georgia of engaging in election fraud, according to US media. Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss were given $16 million each by the eight-member federal jury for defamation, an additional $20 million for emotional distress, and $75 million in punitive damages.