India and France partnered to transform New Delhi's North and South Blocks into the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum. External affairs minister S Jaishankar highlighted this as a key cultural collaboration and a demonstration of India's soft power. The museum will showcase India's 5,000-year history and is envisioned as a global cultural landmark.

The Supreme Court clarified the scope of cheque bouncing cases. A director signing a company cheque for a personal loan is not liable under Section 138 if it bounces. The court emphasized the cheque must be from the individual's account. This decision impacts the 36 lakh pending cheque bounce cases. The director might still face cheating charges.

Hardeep Singh Puri and Shashi Tharoor clashed over a 2009 New York dinner with George Soros. Puri said Tharoor, then a minister, gave him the guest list including Soros. Tharoor had previously tweeted about meeting Soros. The BJP questioned Soros's intentions toward India. Tharoor denied any ongoing relationship or funding from Soros. The BJP accused Congress of working with Soros.

PM Modi will visit Kuwait on December 21-22. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 43 years. The visit will enhance ties between India and Kuwait. Discussions will cover trade, defense, and energy cooperation. PM Modi will meet Kuwaiti leaders and the Indian diaspora. He will also attend the Arabian Gulf Cup opening ceremony.

The Supreme Court slammed the misuse of temporary contracts. The court highlighted the exploitation of workers, especially in the gig economy. The court ordered reinstatement of sweepers who worked for two decades. The sweepers were employed by the Central Water Commission. The court ordered back wages for the sweepers. The court stressed fair employment practices for government organizations.

A bus in Rovaniemi, Finland carrying 29 tourists from Singapore tour group Chan Brothers was involved in an accident on Thursday (Dec 19). The incident occurred at around 1pm local time (7pm Singapore time) when the tour bus collided head-on with a minibus, reported Lianhe Zaobao on Dec 19. A total of 37 people, mainly from Singapore and China, were taken to the hospital, said the Finnish police.  Out of the 37, 31 needed further medical assessment.  Two people — the minibus driver and a passenger — died at the scene.  Several of the tourists from Singapore, who had begun their tour on December 11, sustained minor injuries. After being examined at the hospital, they were discharged and continued with the final two days of their tour, reported Zaobao. The Chan Brothers tour group were on a 13-day, 10-night Lapland Northern Lights and Lofoten Islands tour. The tour group members had been wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. According to footage released by Finnish media, the front of the tour bus was severely damaged and the windshield was broken. On the other hand, the minibus was mangled. 

Chancellor Olaf Scholz must resign immediately, Elon Musk said after it emerged that the Christmas market attack suspect was a foreigner Read Full Article at RT.com

Passengers of a Vietjet flight bound for Hanoi, Vietnam faced a gruelling ordeal at Changi Airport's Terminal 4 on Dec 19, as the flight was reportedly ultimately cancelled after nearly five hours of delays. One of the passengers, Stomp contributor Benjamin, shared with Stomp that flight VJ916 was originally scheduled to depart at 2.55pm. According to the Stomp contributor, passengers were informed of delays hourly, with each update offering no clear information on when the flight would depart. In response to the extended wait, passengers were offered a light bite from Texas Chicken. By 7pm, frustrated passengers demanded answers from airline staff, only to be told at 7.45pm that the flight would not be operating at all. Benjamin said the reason cited for the disruption was a «technical issue». Ground staff and mechanics were observed working on the aircraft during the delay, but no further details about the issue were provided. According to FlightAware, VietJet Air flight VJ916 operates daily from Singapore to Hanoi, but no flight was recorded on Dec 19.

SINGAPORE - Individuals whose full NRIC numbers were exposed on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority's (Acra) database earlier in December face potential cyber-security risks, as organisations frequently rely on NRIC numbers to retrieve personal information. Checks by The Straits Times also found that NRIC numbers can serve as a key to collecting information about individuals, which can be used for targeted scams or mischief. Cyber-security experts cautioned that NRIC numbers can be used by bad actors to trick victims into believing they are authority figures or to commit crime. The exposed NRIC numbers can also be used to collect further information for scams. The experts said the risks highlight how an NRIC number in the wrong hands can pose risks to individuals, who need to be vigilant against scams, even as changes in how NRIC numbers are used in the private sector are afoot.

Upon their release on Dec 16, miniature Grab uniforms for Labubu dolls were snatched up within minutes and were being resold at up to 10 times the price. The uniform set, originally priced at $29.90, includes a shirt, pants, and Grab delivery backpack. It was being sold as part of an initiative inspired by delivery riders who frequently bring plush toys on their bikes, reported MS News earlier in December. Just 50 sets were put up for sale that day on GrabFood Gear, a platform for Grab delivery partners, and they were sold out within eight minutes, a Grab spokesperson told the media outlet. On Thursday (19 Dec), the miniature Grab uniform was reportedly being listed at significantly marked up prices on Carousell with one such listing asking for $288. The other listings were asking for $168 and $99 respectively. On Friday, these listings were either removed or had their prices reduced. The set previously being sold for $288 had its price reportedly slashed by more than half to $138.

BUKIT JALIL - They were the lower-ranked underdogs playing in their archrivals' den, but the defiant Lions secured an outstanding 0-0 draw in Malaysia on Dec 20 to qualify for the ASEAN Championship semi-finals. In the last four, Group A runners-up Singapore will meet the Group B winners who will be decided among Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar on Dec 21. The Lions will host the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Dec 26 before playing the second leg away on Dec 29. Meanwhile, Group A winners Thailand, who beat Cambodia 3-2 in Bangkok, will play the Group B runners-up away on Dec 27 and at home on Dec 30. In front of 31,127 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Tigers threw the proverbial kitchen sink at world No. 160 Singapore, but Lions goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud would not be beaten, as his teammates also defended resolutely. The 34-year-old said: «It was a mature performance and everybody worked hard. This is a tough place to come to, in front of more than 30,000 fans. We stood our ground and I'm so proud of the boys.»

Washington’s envoy said it would be “incoherent” to negotiate with someone on a US wanted terrorist list following a meeting in Damascus Read Full Article at RT.com

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has directed the National Works Agency (NWA) to ensure that the REACH Emergency Road Patching Programme continues throughout the Christmas season. Holness says the directive underscores the Government's commitment...

Germany is scheduled to hold a parliamentary election on February 23, 2025

Vasily Nebenzya warned as he denounced the attack as yet another unambiguous step by the Kiev regime toward escalation

Vasily Nebenzya recalled that Igor Kirillov had repeatedly presented evidence of the military activity of US laboratories in Ukraine

Vasily Nebenzya referred to data from the SIPRI which put last year’s revenues from sales of arms by the world’s top 100 largest businesses in the industry at $632 billion

Meanwhile, Scholz will visit Magdeburg to assess the situation later on Saturday

[allAfrica] GENEVA -- After 20 months, there are no signs the war in Sudan is slowing down, and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned Friday that the recent surge of arrivals in South Sudan is overwhelming services in border areas.

An automobile has driven into a group of people in Magdeburg, Germany, reportedly injuring 60 to 80 people Read Full Article at RT.com

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has released list of unexpected initiatives the US government is spending federal budget on Read Full Article at RT.com

EU leaders are divided over what security guarantees to provide to Kiev, Financial Times reports Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian President has said Ukrainian operatives have been caught in Slovakia planning disruptions to country’s energy infrastructure Read Full Article at RT.com

Leoda Bradshaw and two of her alleged accomplices, who are implicated in the murder of politician Phillip Paulwell's 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah, and her mother, Toshyna Patterson, were this morning denied bail when they appeared in the Home...

The Trelawny police are probing a suspected case of suicide in relation to a man who was found hanging from a guinep tree. Dead is 33-year-old Donovan Hayle. The discovery was made in Friendship district on Tuesday, December 17 "The...

The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation is now probing allegations of breaches regarding a commercial development located on Lyndhurst Road, Kingston 10. The probe was ordered by Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby. In a media release today,...

The four Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited contractors accused of trying to defraud the company out of a total of $130 million using fraudulent documents were today each offered $850,000 bail when they appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish...

The opposition People's National Party (PNP) says it is awaiting the written reasons for today's decision of the Court of Appeal, regarding the status of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn, to determine its next steps....

Brigitte Cleroux is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Ontario for posing as a nurse at two Ottawa clinics.

The call from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association comes after a 52-year-old man received MAID while on a day pass from a psychiatric hospital.

A piece of driftwood from Vancouver Island has narrowly won the title of «Stick of the Year» in an inaugural contest that saw thousands of votes cast for competitors from around the world.

Firefighters in Saskatchewan have been lobbying for decades to receive better health coverage for cancer diagnoses. Now, the Saskatchewan Workers Compensation Board (WCB) is stepping in to provide some relief.

Warning: This story contains disturbing details. Discretion is advised. A Winnipeg woman accused of making videos of animals being tortured and killed that were sold on the dark web was denied bail.