Gukesh strikes back, levels score with Ding Liren in World Championship

Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh clinched his first win over defending champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship, outplaying him in the third round to draw level on points in Singapore on Wednesday. The two players now have 1.5 points each. The 18-year-old Indian won in a winning position after 37 moves showcasing an exemplary opening preparation to outwit the Chinese.

Whatever decision BJP takes over Maharashtra CM position, Shiv Sena has their full support, says Eknath Shinde

Decks cleared for government formation in Maharashtra as caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde says he will accept Modi-Shah’s decision. Shiv Sena leader and caretaker Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, on Wednesday declared that his party will support the BJP central leadership’s decision on the next chief minister of the State.

Senior lawyers Mukul Rohatgi, Mahesh Jethmalani say no bribery charges against Gautam Adani, nephew in U.S. indictment

Former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi, in a press conference called in his personal capacity on Wednesday, said billionaire businessman Gautam Adani and nephew Sagar Adani are not named in the counts of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and obstructing justice in a 54-page U.S. court indictment document.

Parliamentary proceedings | Both Houses adjourn for the day amid Opposition protest

Proceedings in both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Wednesday amid opposition protests over the Adani controversy and violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal. In the Lok Sabha, Opposition members trooped to the Well of the House raising slogans as soon as the House met again at 12 noon. BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the chair, adjourned the proceedings for the day after parliamentary papers were laid on the table.

Sambhal violence: Protesters should pay for damage to property, says U.P. Government

The Uttar Pradesh government will make protesters involved in the Sambhal violence pay for damage to public property while posters of “stone pelters” will be displayed at public places, an official said on Wednesday. “The UP government is adopting a firm stance against the individuals involved in the Sambhal violence. Posters of the stone pelters and miscreants will be displayed publicly, and recovery of cost of damages will be sought. A reward may also be announced for information leading to their arrest,” an official spokesperson said.

Supreme Court seeks balance between bail and the accused’s obligation to a timely trial

The Supreme Court on Wednesday proposed that accused persons seeking bail on the ground of delay in the commencement of trial in money laundering cases ought to give, in return, an undertaking that they would not seek adjournments, and cooperate with the trial in the future. A Bench headed by Justice A.S. Oka said this would strike a “balance”. The Bench was hearing a bail application filed by an accused, Zeeshan Haider, in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case.

Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Supreme Court directs Ashish Mishra to respond to allegation of threatening witnesses

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed former Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra to respond to allegation that witnesses were being threatened in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case that claimed eight lives. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan asked senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Mr. Ashish Mishra, to file an affidavit clarifying his stand after he refuted the allegations.

Manipur: Army says intense search on for missing man, drones, tracker dogs deployed

A massive search operation was underway by the Army for the man who went missing from the fringe areas of the Imphal Valley two days ago, a defence spokesperson said. Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, a native of Assam’s Cachar district who lived in Khukrul in Imphal West, left home on Monday afternoon to report for work at the Leimakhong Military Station in Kangpokpi. He has been missing since then, officials said.

Cyclonic storm over Bay of Bengal to bring intense rainfall over T.N. coasts till December 1

With the cyclonic storm brewing over the Bay of Bengal predicted to move towards the Tamil Nadu coast, heavy downpour is likely to continue over the coastal areas of the State till Sunday (December 1). The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has issued orange and yellow alerts, which indicate rainfall of heavy to very heavy intensity, for various coastal districts, including Chennai, on Thursday.

‘Will lead to peace, stability in wider region’: India welcomes Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire

India on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Hezbollah of Lebanon. A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared that India has been consistent in calling for “de-escalation” of tension between the warring sides. “We welcome the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has been announced. We have always called for de-escalation, restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. We hope these developments will lead to peace and stability in the wider region,” the MEA stated a day after the ceasefire agreement was announced.

Imran Khan’s party suspends protest in Islamabad; at least four dead in overnight crackdown

Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Wednesday formally suspended for the time being its protest in Islamabad blaming the midnight crackdown by the authorities that left at least four dead and over 50 injured even as the PTI earlier claimed “hundreds” were killed in the violent clashes with security personnel. Amid concerns about the whereabouts of Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who were leading the march to Islamabad, the party said they were at Mansehra town, near Abbotabad, of the northwestern province.

Israel Army says hit dozens of Hezbollah targets before ceasefire

The Israeli military said it struck dozens of targets belonging to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah before the start of a ceasefire on Wednesday. The strikes hit “dozens of Hezbollah command centres, launchers, weapons storage facilities, and terrorist infrastructure sites in Beirut, Tyr, and Nabatiyeh,” it said, adding the air force also struck “several smuggling routes between Syria and Lebanon, which Hezbollah used to smuggle weaponry”. Meanwhile, long-displaced residents of south Lebanon started returning to their homes amid celebrations hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group took effect early Wednesday morning.

ICC prosecutor requests arrest warrants for head of Myanmar’s military regime

The International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor asked judges on Wednesday to issue an arrest warrant for the head of Myanmar’s military regime for crimes committed against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who took power from elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in 2021, is accused of crimes against humanity for the deportation and persecution of the Rohingya.

OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora leaked by early testers

OpenAI’s text-to-video generation AI model Sora, which was limited to select testers, was leaked to the public for a few hours by the testers who are protesting against the way the company treats their labour. In a letter titled ‘Dear Corporate AI Overlords’, the testers said they received access to Sora “with the promise to be early testers, red teamers and creative partners” but felt they were being used to advertise the AI model to other artists. They noted that OpenAI’s process of approving and selecting their contributions for screening was unfair.

Adani group stocks recover sharply; Adani Enterprises up 10%

After getting beaten down on Tuesday, all Adani group stocks recovered sharply on Wednesday, with Adani Green Energy Ltd. seeing the first uptick in share price since the U.S. Court indictment of the firm and its senior employees on bribery and securities fraud charges came to light on November 21, rising 10% as of 1330 hours on the Bombay Stock Exchange.