Synopsis

PM to lay foundation stones of 2 projects in Gujarat on Dec 15

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Gujarat on December 15 to lay the foundation stones of two projects in Kutch district- a mega renewable energy park and a desalination plant, state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Thursday.

COVID-19: No night curfew in Delhi for now, AAP govt tells HC

New Delhi: The AAP government informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday that no night curfew would be imposed in the national capital, or parts of it, for now, to contain the spread of coronavirus.

COVID-19 caseload in India breaches 95-lakh mark

New Delhi: India's COVID-19 caseload went past 95 lakh, while the total number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 89.73 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 94.11 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

PM calls for ensuring opportunity, improving accessibility for persons with disabilities

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi said that India has taken numerous measures to ensure a positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities, as he gave a call for collectively working towards ensuring opportunity and improving accessibility for them.

PM to lay foundation stones of 2 projects in Gujarat on Dec 15

Ahmedabad: PM Narendra Modi will be in Gujarat on Dec 15 to lay the foundation stones of two projects in Kutch district- a mega renewable energy park and a desalination plant, state CM Vijay Rupani said on Thursday.

Farmers block Jaipur-Delhi highway to demand withdrawal of farm laws

A group of farmers on Thursday blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway for nearly an hour to demand the withdrawal of the Centre''s contentious farm laws.

I am a son of Bengal, will continue to serve the people : Suvendu

Disgruntled TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari Thursday said he will continue to serve the people of the state as a "son of Bengal and India".

Farmers' protest: Key routes connecting UP-Delhi closed

Police on Thursday closed routes on two national highways connecting Ghaziabad to Delhi as farmers remained adamant on their demand for scrapping of the Centre''s agriculture reform laws and stayed put at the national capital''s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

PM Modi pays tributes to Rajendra Prasad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to the country''s first president Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary, saying his simple living and high ideals will forever inspire people.

International

Biden facing growing pressure over secretary of defense pick

President-elect Joe Biden is facing escalating pressure from competing factions within his own party as he finalises his choice for secretary of defense.

Nearly 100 world leaders to speak at UN session on COVID-19

Nearly 100 world leaders and several dozen ministers are slated to speak at the U.N. General Assembly''s special session starting Thursday on the response to COVID-19 and the best path to recovery from the pandemic which has claimed 1.5 million lives, shattered economies, and left tens of millions of people unemployed in countries rich and poor.

France and UN rally aid for Lebanon, urge political reforms

France and the United Nations vowed Wednesday to keep providing humanitarian aid to Lebanon but urged the country''s leaders to form a new government as a political deadlock in Beirut has blocked billions of dollars in assistance for the cash-strapped country hit by multiple crises.

Trump says his fight is to ensure Americans have faith in this and future elections

Reiterating his unsubstantiated claims about widespread voter fraud in the presidential polls, US President Donald Trump has told his supporters that his fight was to ensure that Americans have faith in this and future elections.

S Korean students take exams amid viral spike

Hundreds of thousands of masked students in South Korea, including 35 confirmed COVID-19 patients, took the highly competitive university entrance exam Thursday despite a viral resurgence that forced authorities to toughen social distancing rules.

Business

Sensex ends marginally higher; Nifty hits record peak

Mumbai: Domestic equity benchmarks ended marginally higher on Thursday, with the Nifty settling at a fresh record, amid mixed cues from global markets.

RBI likely to keep interest rates unchanged, may revise growth projections: Industry experts

Mumbai: The RBI is likely to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged at its bi-monthly monetary policy review outcome to be announced on Friday, but may revise growth estimates in view of the Sep quarter GDP turning out to be better than RBI''s earlier projections.

Renault to offer discounts to differently-abled customers

Automaker Renault India on Thursday said it will be offering concessional GST rate of 18 per cent and internal corporate discounts to its differently-abled customers.

Sensex rallies over 300 pts to scale fresh intra-day peak; Nifty tops 13,200

Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 300 points in early trade to hit its fresh intra-day record tracking gains in index majors HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and Maruti amid largely positive cues from global markets.

Ultratech to invest Rs 5,477 cr to add 12.8 MT capacity

UltraTech Cement, the country''s largest cement maker, on Thursday announced a Rs 5,477-crore investment to add 12.8 million tonnes (MT) capacity, taking its overall output to over 136 MT per annum.

Legal

Varavara Rao to stay at private hospital till December 14: HC

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday said the condition of poet-activist Varavara Rao, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, had improved but he will continue to remain at a private hospital till December 14.

3 get six-year jail for having fake currency notes

A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) here has sentenced three people to six years simple imprisonment for possessing fake Indian currency notes.

Malegaon blast case: MP Pragya Thakur fails to appear in court

A special NIA court here on Thursday said the trial in 2008 Malegaon blast case will resume from Friday and directed all the seven accused to remain present before it on December 19.

Akhtar submits statement in defamation plaint against Kangana

Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar on Thursday recorded his statement through his lawyer before a metropolitan court here in connection with the complaint of defamation filed by him against actor Kangana Ranaut.

Delhi riots: HC asks jail officials to shift Jamia student to guest house for exams

The Delhi High Court Thursday directed the jail authorities to forthwith take Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) student Asif Iqbal Tanha, arrested in a case related to the northeast Delhi riots earlier this year, to a guest house to enable him to study and appear in examinations scheduled from Friday.

Entertainment

David Dhawan helped me shape my career: choreographer Ganesh Acharya

Mumbai: Choreographer Ganesh Acharya on Thursday heaped praises on David Dhawan, saying his work with the filmmaker has been instrumental in pushing his career forward.

'Wonder Woman 1984' to theatrically release in India on Dec 24

"Wonder Woman 1984", starring Hollywood star Gal Gadot as the titular DC superhero, is slated to be released in Indian theatres on December 24, studio Warner Bros Pictures (India) announced on Thursday.

I chase creative satisfaction: actor Jisshu Sengupta

Bengali film star Jisshu Sengupta, who has become more active in Hindi films in recent years, says working in cinema of different languages is creatively more satisfying. The 43-year-old Sengupta started his career with Bengali film Shesh Thikana in 2000 and has done an array of movies including The Last Lear , Chitrangada , Noukadubi , Byomkesh Bakshi , Zulfiqar and Posto .

Gal Gadot to topline Skydance's spy movie 'Heart of Stone'

Actor Gal Gadot has found a new starring vehicle in upcoming Skydance spy film series "Heart of Stone".

Angira Dhar joins Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn in 'Mayday'

Mumbai: Actor Angira Dhar of "Love Per Square Foot" fame has been roped in for Ajay Devgn's next directorial venture "Mayday".

Jason Statham to star in crime feature 'Small Dark Look'

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Jason Statham is being eyed for the lead role in upcoming crime drama "Small Dark Look".

Sports

Well-rounded India expected to pose tougher challenge to Australia in T20s

Canberra: Short of resources in ODIs, India will have enough options to choose from to pose a stiffer challenge to Australia when the two sides clash in a three-match T20 series beginning here on Friday.

Williamson puts NZ on top on day 1

Captains Kane Williamson and Jason Holder both wanted to win the toss and bowl Thursday on a luminous green pitch at Seddon Park on the first day of the first cricket test between New Zealand and the West Indies.

Lionel Messi fined 600 euros for tribute to Maradona

Barcelona: Lionel Messi was fined 600 euros ( 720) for taking his jersey off to pay tribute to Diego Maradona, the Spanish soccer federation said.

Smriti Mandhana lends support to campus cricket tournament for women

Star India opener Smriti Mandhana has lent her support to the Red Bull Campus Cricket''s maiden women''s edition, which is set to be held next year, saying it will be a great boost for the game in the country.

About 250 fans allowed into Atl tico's Copa del Rey game

A crowd of about 250 people will be allowed to watch Cardassar play Atl tico Madrid in a Copa del Rey match this month, marking the return of fans to a top soccer competition in Spain.

NZ 99-1 after 1st session of 1st test v West Indies

Hamilton (New Zealand), Dec 3 (AP) Kane Williamson and Tom Latham helped New Zealand overcome an early wicket and defuse the threat of an influential toss, sharing an 85-run partnership to navigate the first session of the first test against West Indies.

Umar awaits fate as CAS reserves verdict after hearing

Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal will have to wait for a few more days to know the fate of his appeal against the three-year ban imposed on him by the PCB''s anti-corruption tribunal as the CAS has reserved its judgement.

Ronaldo returns to score 750th goal, Juventus beats Dynamo

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 750th career goal to help Juventus beat Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 and leave his team with a chance of securing top spot in its Champions League group

GK Snapshot on 3 Dec 2020

1. National Pollution Control Day 2020 – December 2

2. World Computer Literacy Day 2020 – December 2

3. Two Dictionary companies select “Pandemic” as Word of the Year

4. Amul becomes World’s 8th Largest Milk Processor: IFCN Dairy Processors Report 2020

5. Veteran Bollywood Actor Naseeruddin Shah Honoured with Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Shikhar Puraskar 2020

6. World’s Oldest Nanostructures Found In 6th-Century BC Pottery rom Keeladi, Tamil Nadu

7. Indian Men’s Football team rises Four Spots to 104th Rank in FIFA ‘s November Rankings

8. ‘Ramayan Cruise Service,’ Becomes India’s 1st Luxury Cruise Service on Saryu River in Ayodhya, UP

9. Italian Writer Alfredo Covelli Launched his First Kids Book “Vahana Masterclass” in India

10. PowerChina, Hydropower Company of China Plans the First Downstream Dam on River Brahmaputra

11. 10th National Science Film Festival 2020 Organised by VigyanPrasar in Virtual Mode

12. India’s first 100 Octane Petrol launched by IOC

13. CERT-In, Kasperksy in Strategic Pact to Improve Mutual Cybersecurity Capabilities

14. Union Minister Arjun Munda launches the First virtual Aadi Mahostav in Madhya Pradesh

15. Power Minister RK Singh Launches ‘Green Charcoal Hackathon’ to focus on technology to convert Farm Residue into Green Charcoal

16. ADB Approved a $430 Million Multitranche Financing Facility for UP Power Distribution Network Rehabilitation Project

17. Govt constituted Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement for Implementation of 2015 Paris Agreement

18. CCI Approves Acquisition of Rivigo by Spring Canter Investment Ltd & Amalgamation of Srikalahasthi Pipes with Electrosteel Castings Ltd