Synopsis

National

Farmers protesting at Delhi borders firm in their demands as Centre, farm unions set to resume talks

New Delhi: Thousands of farmers agitating against the three new central agriculture laws stayed put at their agitation venues near Delhi, which is going through a harsh spell of winter, unrelenting in their demand of withdrawal of the legislations.

Digital platforms, robust ICT infra helped reduce pandemic hardships: President

New Delhi: Proactive implementation of digital platforms such as Aarogya Setu and e-Office backed by robust ICT infrastructure has helped the country reduce the pandemic hardships, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Wednesday.

In U-turn, BJP MP Vasava says he will withdraw resignation

A day after tendering his resignation from the BJP, Lok Sabha member and former Union minister Mansukh Vasava on Wednesday said he has dropped the idea of quitting the party following talks with its senior leaders.

COVID: Ker govt relaxes curbs on temple festivities

Traditional stage artistes in Kerala can now heave a sigh of relief as the state government has decided to relax the curbs imposed on temple festivals in the wake of the spread of COVID-19.

International

US court shuts down fraud scheme targeting elderly Americans via India-based call centers

A US court has ordered the permanent shut down of a technical-support fraud scheme, masterminded by an American citizen and operated through call centres in India, that allegedly defrauded hundreds of elderly and vulnerable Americans.

Indonesia bans militant group Islamic Defenders Front

Indonesia on Wednesday banned a militant Muslim group with a long record of vandalizing nightspots, hurling stones at Western embassies and attacking religious rivals.

Chinese vaccine shipment arrives in Turkey

A first batch of vaccines developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac has arrived in Turkey, after a two-week delay.

Argentine Senate approves bill legalising abortion

Argentina''s Senate has passed a law legalising abortion, a victory for the women''s movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.

Bangladesh, India consolidate bilateral ties in 2020 amidst challenges posed by COVID-19

Dhaka: A major diplomatic achievement of Bangladesh in 2020 was the further consolidation of bilateral ties with India, amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic that posed a serious challenge to the country''''s rudimentary public health care system and slowed down one of the fastest growing economies in South Asia.

Business

Sensex, Nifty retreat on profit booking after record rally

Mumbai: Key benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Wednesday as profit booking emerged in banking and financial stocks after a stellar five-day rally.

BHEL bags order from Nuclear Power Corp

State-owned engineering firm BHEL on Wednesday said it has won an order from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).

Asian shares mixed as boost from US stimulus package fades

Synopsis of the story is not available

Rupee surges 9 paise to 73.33 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee appreciated by 9 paise to 73.33 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday supported by sustained foreign fund inflows and weakness in the American currency in the overseas market.

Rescue acts, growth measures dominate RBI's platter in 2020; new inflation target awaited in new year

Delivering a public speech hours after the RBI launched a rescue act for Yes Bank on March 6, Governor Shaktikanta Das reiterated the RBI''s affirmation to do whatever was needed to combat the coronavirus impact.

Sports

Indian women's hockey team to resume international competition with tour of Argentina in January

New Delhi: Indian hockey will hit the restart button and begin the Olympic preparations when the women''s team travels to Argentina next week for its first tour in nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted all competitions around the world.

Australia Joe Burns, bring back Warner in fold along with Pucovski

Australia on Wednesday brought back David Warner and Will Pucovski to bolster their under-fire batting line-up for the remainder of the Test series against India and dropped struggling opener Joe Burns.

India and Australia not to travel to Sydney before January 4: Hockley

The Indian and Australian teams will continue to train in Melbourne for few more days and travel to Sydney only three days prior to the third Test beginning at the SCG on January 7.

New Zealand has nail-biting win in 1st Test against Pakistan

New Zealand beat Pakistan by 101 runs in the first cricket Test which ended very late on the fifth day Wednesday, achieving their third straight win in three home Tests this summer and taking a 1-0 lead in the two-test series. At the same time New Zealand overtook Australia to claim the No. 1 world ranking in Tests for the first time in its history.

Athletes act: Stars rise up against racial injustice in 2020

As the NBA neared its restart in late July, its players vowed to keep the calls for social justice reform at the forefront in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

GK Snapshots

1. PM virtually Inaugurates 2 Railway projects – New Bhaupur to New Khurja section, OCC

2. Kerala’s Gender Park to host International meet at Kozhikode in February, 2021

3. India hoists Blue Flags on its 8 beaches

4. ICICI Bank Becomes 1st Bank to Collaborate with Google Pay to Issue FASTag

5. Cashaa in Partnership with United Multistate Co-Op Society Launches World’s 1st Crypto Bank, ‘Unicas’

6. SEBI Gives Approval for Suryoday Small Finance Bank to Float IPO

7. Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh & Associate Prof Amit Ahuja Jointly Wins Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2020

8. Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice 2020 are Announced

9. Harsh Vardhan Launched India’s 1st Indigenous Vaccine ‘Pneumosil’ Against Pneumonia

10. Mir Sajjad Ali, Former Indian International Footballer Passed Away at 66

11. MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Released the Book “Element of Quantitative Genetics” Authored by Dr.Stuti Sharma

20. Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Approves Dharma Swatantrya (Religious Freedom) Bill, 2020