Today’s Top 10 News: From Center’s Aspirational District Programme to epic Mollywood Pongal showdown between Ajith and Vijay, here are the top picks for you
Today’s Top 10 News: DNP News brings to you top 10 breaking stories of the day to keep you abreast of all the latest developments from India and around the world.
1. Government all set to introduce a plan to increase blocks in line with development scale
It has been learned that the Center will soon introduce the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP), a brand-new initiative modelled after the Aspirational District Programme. The Aspirational District Program seeks to boost the performance of districts that are falling behind in terms of a variety of development metrics. It has been learned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will probably unveil the ABP, which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned in her address outlining the 2022–23 Budget, during the second National Conference of Chief Secretaries’ closing session on Saturday.
2. Shocking incident! Intoxicated passenger pooped on a woman’s blanket while travelling on an AI between Paris and Delhi
Ten days after the shocking incident on an Air India flight between New York and Delhi on November 26, a second instance of a drunk male passenger allegedly peeing on a female passenger’s blanket was reported on the Paris-Delhi sector. However, no disciplinary action was taken after he issued a written apology, officials said on Thursday. The male passenger was apprehended as a result of the pilot of the aircraft reporting the event to air traffic control (ATC) at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) about the incident that occurred on Air India flight 142 on December 6.
3. People look for better guns for Village Defense Committees as CRPF personnel arrive in Rajouri’s Dangri
Following a recent militant attack in this area that left six civilians dead and 15 injured, the Lieutenant Governor’s administration came under increasing pressure from the BJP to arm members of the Village Defense Committees (VDCs) with automatic rifles. On Thursday, the deployment of CRPF personnel began in Rajouri’s Upper Dangri.
4. India and France discuss security and defence cooperation at a strategic dialogue
The 36th edition of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue was held on Thursday with the participation of French counterpart Emmanuel Bonne and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. The French Embassy in India released a statement stating that both parties had reached an agreement to step up efforts “towards strategic autonomy” during Mr. Bonne’s visit, which was the first significant diplomatic visit of the new year. According to Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “the two sides held discussions on a variety of issues, including the current global security situation in context of the conflict in Ukraine, regional security in context of Afghanistan, counter-terrorism, cyber security, defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, in addition to other issues of mutual concern.” Mr. Bonne met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his day-long visit. According to the MEA, PM Modi and Mr. Bonne spoke about “energy and culture,” among other things.
5. U.S. warship transits the contentious Taiwan Strait, upsetting China
On January 5, a U.S. warship passed across the critical Taiwan Strait as part of normal operations, which the U.S. Navy describes as such but which have angered China. Warships from the United States and occasionally those from allies like Britain and Canada have transited the strait in recent years. This has angered China, which claims Taiwan against the protests of its democratically elected government.
6. Taliban government in Afghanistan has a contract with a Chinese corporation for oil extraction
The acting mining minister announced on Thursday that the Taliban-run government in Afghanistan will sign a contract with a Chinese business to produce oil from the Amu Darya basin in the north of the nation. Officials said at a news conference in Kabul that the contract would be signed with Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co (CAPEIC).
7. Asian markets are in flux following a positive start to the year
As they watched strong losses on Wall Street that followed forecast-beating jobs data that signalled the Federal Reserve will need to keep raising interest rates, Asian investors found it difficult on Friday to maintain the week’s good trend. Regional markets have had a successful start to the year, in large part because of hope for China’s reopening and indications that it is lowering its rhetoric on a variety of internal and international concerns.
8.Ola will purchase 1,500 acres in Tennessee for an electric vehicle plant
The government is believed to have approved a plan by Bhavish Aggarwal’s Ola for the purchase of roughly 1,500 acres in the state, which would be the largest deal for a factory in the Indian automotive industry. It will feature a factory for the company’s electric vehicles, an ecosystem of component suppliers, and a facility for making battery cells. According to sources, the announcement would probably be made in the coming days in front of top officials from the Tamil Nadu government as well as Aggarwal, who founded Ola.
9. Heroic efforts by Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav are in vain as SL defeats India by 16 runs to even the series
In a spectacular 91-run stand, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel each scored a scorching fifty, but it was all in vain as Sri Lanka tightened the screws just in time to defeat India by 16 runs in the second T20I and knot the three-match series 1-1 on Thursday in Pune. Sri Lanka reached an impressive 206 for 6 thanks to wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis’ 31-ball 52 and captain Dasun Shanaka’s outstanding rearguard score of 56 from 22 balls. India’s chase got off to a nightmare start when they fell to 57 for 5 until Axar (65 off 31) and Surya (51 off 36) ignited hopes for an unlikely victory with an electrifying sixth-wicket stand.
10. On January 11, Ajith’s “Thunivu” and Vijay’s “Varisu” are scheduled to compete at Box Office on Pongal
It’s a done deal! The big Pongal clash between Vijay’s movie Varisu and Ajith Kumar’s Thunivu is scheduled for January 11. The two movies’ producers announced the release date on social media yesterday amid considerable misunderstanding. Since the publication of the two films’ trailers, social media has been a hive of activity around the rivalry between these two titans of Tamil cinema. Notably, the 2014 release of Ajith’s Veeram and Vijay’s Jilla on the same day led to a fight between the two celebrities.
