Morning Digest | Cannot hide the truth, hatred is hurting our country, says Rahul Gandhi; Christmas reborn in Jesus’ birthplace Bethlehem after pandemic years, and more

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December 25, 2022 09:15 am | Updated 09:15 am IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses the supporters during the Bharat Jodo Yatra near Red Fort in New Delhi on December 24, 2022.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses the supporters during the Bharat Jodo Yatra near Red Fort in New Delhi on December 24, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI

Cannot hide the truth, hatred is hurting our country, says Rahul Gandhi

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are spreading fear among people and using hate as a weapon to divert attention from ‘actual’ issues, said former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on December 24, 2022.

Assam government not seeking details on religious conversion: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday distanced himself from a purportedly official letter seeking information from all superintendents of police in the State on religious conversion and the number of churches established in their respective districts in the past one year.

Christmas reborn in Bethlehem after pandemic years

With a giant evergreen tree, colourful balloons in the streets and selfies in the Church of the Nativity, Christmas tourism has returned to Bethlehem after two years of Covid-related restrictions. Revered in Christian tradition as the birthplace of Christ, the town of Bethlehem welcomes thousands of pilgrims and tourists for Christmas every year, a windfall that dried up over the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions.

Purse seine fishing reveals faultlines in fisher community

An ongoing case in the Supreme Court, to decide whether the ban that several States have imposed on purse seine fishing is justified or not, has revealed the faultlines between small, marginal and large fishers, with the Centre and States also taking different sides on the issue.

OROP revision by Modi government is a direct impact of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, says Congress

Welcoming the Narendra Modi government’s decision to revise the pension of ex-servicemen under the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) scheme, the Congress on Saturday said it was a direct impact of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, which raised the issue.

‘Chinese city seeing half a million COVID cases a day’

Half a million people in a single Chinese city are being infected with COVID-19 every day, a senior health official has said, in a rare and quickly censored acknowledgement that the country’s wave of infections is not being reflected in official statistics.

Fine imposed on anti-CAA protesters in U.P.’s Amroha

A claims tribunal in Meerut constituted under the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Act, 2020 has found 86 people responsible for damaging public property during the Anti-CAA and NRC protests in Amroha (three years ago), and directed them to pay an aggregate compensation of ₹4,27,439 to the Uttar Pradesh government, under the new Act.

Humans cannot take planet as their exclusive privilege: V-P Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on December 24 called for collective action from all countries to tackle the massive challenge of climate change and environmental degradation. Expressing concern over reckless exploitation of natural resources, he said, “The human species cannot take the planet as its exclusive privilege.”

Congress sets up committee to keep an eye on INTUC, recognises Sanjeeva Reddy as leader

The Congress leadership has set up a five-member coordination committee to “keep an eye” on the party’s trade union wing Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). The committee will be headed by AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar. Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, MPs K. Muraleedharan, Rajmani Patel and former MP Udit Raj are its members.

Telecom Minister Vaishnaw ousts 10 senior DoT officers with doubtful integrity

Continuing his perform or perish drive and zero tolerance for corruption, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved force retirement for 10 senior DoT officials, including a joint secretary, an official source said on Saturday. This is the first time employees in the Department of Telecom have been given forced retirement under section 56 (J) under Pension Rule 48 of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.

A Christmas season without its traditional glow in Ukraine

There are days when streets in Kyiv’s downtown have light, but the authorities have imposed some restrictions and scheduled power cuts, meaning that there’s no traditional gleaming city during the Christmas season.

Sisodia urges L-G to clear file on free tests at hospitals

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday wrote to Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena seeking renewal of the contract of agencies providing different diagnostic tests at Delhi government hospitals and Mohalla Clinics.

Taliban ban women from working for domestic, foreign NGOs

The Taliban government on Saturday ordered all foreign and domestic non-governmental groups in Afghanistan to suspend employing women, allegedly because some female employees didn’t wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. The ban was the latest restrictive move by Afghanistan’s new rulers against women’s rights and freedoms.

India need just one set batter to win second Test against Bangladesh, says Siraj

India might have been four wickets down in a tricky chase in the second Test against Bangladesh but pacer Mohammed Siraj said there is nothing to worry about as one set batter can take the team to victory on December 25, 2022.

Maxi Jazz, front man for British band Faithless, dead at 65

Maxi Jazz, a DJ and singer who fronted the eclectic British dance band Faithless known for such hits as “Insomnia” and “We Come 1”, has died. He was 65. Faithless announced his death on social media on Saturday, saying he “died peacefully in his sleep last night”.

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