Act fast to mitigate a disaster in Teesta Valley, groups urge PM, CMs

The Sikkim and West Bengal governments have allegedly been working in silos, concerned only about areas within their respective boundaries instead of treating it as a larger issue

Praful Rao of Save the Hills organisation and Roshan Rai of the Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative have said the Teesta River poses serious threats to both Sikkim and West Bengal each monsoon season.

They have added that several areas along the Teesta River have been sinking since the 2023 disaster. Among the most vulnerable is Teesta Bazaar in West Bengal 

Several Indians still missing in Russia; families petition MEA, Russian Embassy

Several Indian men who were fraudulently enlisted in the Russian Army and forcibly sent to the war zone on the Russia-Ukraine border are still said to be missing, months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a communication from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with the family members of two missing persons.

"We submitted a petition to the Russian Embassy. 

The MEA officials said that at least 15 Indians are still missing and though the Russian government is cooperative, 

India's urban infrastructure financing, needs and reality

India's urban population will increase from 400 million in the last decade to 800 million over the next three decades. 

While this offers an opportunity to transform India's urban landscape, there are significant financial challenges that must be overcome to get there. 

A recent World Bank report estimates that India will require about ₹70 lakh crore by 2036 to meet its urban infrastructure needs. 

Current government investment (2018 figures) in urban infrastructure stands at around ₹1.3 lakh crore annually. 

Climate deal a mere illusion says India

After running into overtime, the Conference of the Parties (COP29) at Baku in Azerbaijan, hosting 198 countries for nearly a fortnight, finally adopted a "road map".

While setting the stage for kick-starting UN-approved carbon markets, the conference failed to deliver on the main goal: a New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG). 

Amid opposition and protests, a deal was agreed upon to "aim to mobilise" $1.3 trillion a year by 2035, with developed countries agreeing to "lead efforts" to pool in $300 billion a year as a base figure. 

Viksit Bharat dialogue will be held in Jan. to connect youth to politics: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue would be organised in New Delhi on January 11 and 12 as part of efforts to connect youth from non-political backgrounds to politics. 

The event will mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12, celebrated as Youth Day. 

"Crores of youth from all over India will participate. Two thousand such youth selected from villages, blocks, districts, and States will gather at Bharat Mandapam (Delhi) for the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue,” said Mr Modi during his Mann Ki Baat address. 

Iran to hold nuclear discussions with U.K., France and Germany

Iran said that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against it adopted by the UN's atomic watchdog.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting of the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom

"A range of regional and international issues and topics, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed," the spokesman said in a statement.