PM Modi with Jordanian counterpart Jafar Hassan (Photo: Screengrab/DD news)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Amman, the capital of Jordan, as part of his three-nation tour, which also includes Ethiopia and Oman.Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan received PM Modi at the airport. The visit to Jordan coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, a milestone expected to strengthen bilateral engagement further.

PM Modi will be in Jordan from December 15 to 16 at the invitation of King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, during which he will hold talks to review the full range of India-Jordan relations and discuss regional developments.He is also set to meet the Indian diaspora in the country.India and Jordan share warm and long-standing relations rooted in mutual respect and goodwill, with their first cooperation agreement signed in 1947 and full diplomatic ties established in 1950. High-level engagements in recent years have significantly strengthened bilateral ties, including the visits of King Abdullah II to India in 2018, President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Jordan in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s transit visit to Amman in 2018, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s visit in 2020. Regular leadership-level contacts continue to guide the partnership.Bilateral trade has expanded steadily, with India emerging as Jordan’s fourth-largest trading partner. In 2023–24, bilateral trade stood at USD 2.875 billion, with Indian exports accounting for USD 1.465 billion. Indian investments of around USD 1.5 billion, particularly in phosphates, fertilisers, textiles, and garments, form a key pillar of economic ties. Flagship joint ventures include the IFFCO-Jordan Phosphate Mines Company project and the Indo-Jordan Chemical Company. Trade and institutional mechanisms such as the Trade and Economic Joint Committee and sector-specific joint working groups support economic cooperation.India and Jordan also cooperate in health, education, skill development, science and technology, and capacity building. The India-Jordan Centre of Excellence in Information Technology, inaugurated in 2021, is a major initiative aimed at training Jordanian professionals in advanced IT fields. Educational links include scholarships under ITEC and ICCR programmes, with ITEC slots recently increased from 37 to 50 annually.People-to-people ties are reinforced by cultural exchanges, tourism cooperation, and a vibrant Indian diaspora of around 17,500 in Jordan. Cultural festivals, film collaborations, yoga events, and academic initiatives further underscore the breadth of the India-Jordan partnership.In the second leg of his tour, PM Modi will visit Ethiopia from December 16 to 17, marking his first visit to the country. He is scheduled to hold detailed talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on all aspects of bilateral relations. Addis Ababa, the capital, is also the headquarters of the African Union.The MEA said the Ethiopia visit will reaffirm the shared commitment of both countries, as partners in the Global South, to strengthening friendship and expanding bilateral cooperation.In the final leg of his tour, PM Modi is scheduled to visit Oman from December 17 to 18 at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, marking his second visit to the country. The Ministry of External Affairs said India and Oman share an all-encompassing Strategic Partnership rooted in centuries-old ties of friendship, trade, and strong people-to-people connections.The visit coincides with 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations and follows the Sultan of Oman’s state visit to India in December 2023. Both sides are expected to conduct a comprehensive review of cooperation across areas, including trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture, and culture, and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday reposted a thread which compared his ideological tendencies with that of Rahul Gandhi‘s. The thread called the leader of opposition’s rural policies “devastating”, while that of Tharoor’s more aligned with the “background, political language, and audience.”Tharoor called the analysis “fair, and reflective of a certain perception of the current reality.” The post also called the Congress party

“Rahul Gandhi represents a different strategic turn: Congress’s post-2010 attempt to reposition itself as a rural, grievance-driven mass party to counter BJP dominance. This was a reactive, yet devastating shift that can be shown through the electoral results themselves,” the thread posted by X account Civitas Sameer read.“The most ironic part of it all is that the individual leading this rural turn is among the most elite and insulated figures in Indian politics. Born into a dynastic family, symbolic rural politics without lived or organisational depth lacks any credibility,” it continued.The post then went on to contrast Rahul with Tharoor saying: “Tharoor, by contrast, shows alignment between background, political language, and audience. His increasing focus on SM platforms (particularly Instagram) and digital media reflects awareness of political fit, not ideological drift.”“Tharoor has not engaged in a ‘rightward shift’ as many on the Congress party side make it out to be. He was a proud Hindu from day one for his own reasons (whatever it may be) and even wrote a whole book about it called ‘Why I am a Hindu’,” it further said.Though the post noted that Tharoor was being sidelined within the party, it clarified that it wasn’t “an endorsement of Tharoor’s worldview.”“Many on the Right are merely noticing it now because of the reactive ostracisation efforts of the mainstream INC. Like the urban technocratic leaders of the past, he is being sidelined by this new INC. However, this is not an endorsement of Tharoor’s worldview. It is an observation that he understands limits, while INC as a party does not. INC today is neither a credible urban reformist party nor a serious rural mass party. It has abandoned one without successfully transforming,” it said.“Thank you this thoughtful analysis. There has always been more than one tendency in the party; your framing is fair, and reflective of a certain perception of the current reality,” he said.The post also called the Grand Old Party “neither a credible urban reformist party nor a serious rural mass party.”“However, this is not an endorsement of Tharoor’s worldview. It is an observation that he understands limits, while INC as a party does not. INC today is neither a credible urban reformist party nor a serious rural mass party. It has abandoned one without successfully transforming,” the post said.

NEW DELHI: Former Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim reacted to his expulsion from the party on Monday, defending his move to write to Sonia Gandhi expressing dissatisfaction with the party leadership, citing recent electoral losses. He cited Rahul Gandhi’s suggestion of “daro matt (don’t be scared)” and said that he had “told the truth to the party’s high command” but had to be expelled.“I came to know that I have been expelled from the party. I had taken the right step after due deliberation. We are such a big party but we are unable to connect to people in every state. We are unable to win. Congress is minimising. So, as a true Congress worker, I thought that if the high command is not meeting us and we are unable to communicate with them,” he said.

Also read: Congress expels ex-Odisha MLA over ‘anti-party’ activities“So, I expressed my thoughts to Sonia ji through a letter. The truth and the need to reform the party – I just gave her a suggestion. Later, it came in the media and when they asked me I told them the truth. Rahul ji himself says ‘daro matt’…I told the truth to the party’s high command but had to be expelled,” Moquim added.Congress party cited “anti-party” activities as the reason behind his expulsion.“This is for the information of all concerned that AICC has approved the proposal for the expulsion of Sri Md. Moquim from the primary membership of the party, due to anti-party activities,” the notice issued by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) said.In the letter, Moquim had urged Sonia to bring forward “young leaders”, as the party was going through a “difficult phase”.“The recent outcomes in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Kashmir, where our defeats were by staggering margins, are not just electoral setbacks; they reflect a deeper organisational disconnect,” the letter said.“A series of wrong decisions, misguided leadership choices, and the continued concentration of responsibility in the wrong hands have weakened the Party from within. Rather than correcting these errors, we appear to be repeating them and the consequences are now visible to the entire nation,” the letter added.

A minor road altercation on the Katraj–Dehu Road bypass escalated into a brutal attack, leaving a 28-year-old Mumbai woman with a grievous eye injury

PUNE: What began as a minor road altercation on the Katraj–Dehu Road bypass turned into a brutal attack that left a 28-year-old Mumbai woman with a grievous eye injury and uncertain chances of regaining her vision. The Chembur resident, an HR professional, suffered severe damage to her left eye and had to undergo emergency surgery after three men on a two-wheeler allegedly chased the car she was travelling in, pelted it with stones and smashed its windows. The incident occurred near an underpass in Pune after the car reportedly ran over the foot of one of the men during an overtaking manoeuvre. According to police, the three men were detained and later released after being served notices as per procedure. As per the FIR, the woman, Puja Gupta, was seated in the passenger seat while her fiancé drove the car back to Mumbai on December 6, following a visit to his parents in Gaikwadnagar, Punawale. While overtaking a two-wheeler, the car’s tyre allegedly went over the foot of one of the riders. Though no one was injured, the incident sparked a heated argument. The men allegedly abused the couple, and one of them threw a stone at the car’s windscreen, shattering it. Fearing for their safety, the couple tried to flee but were forced to slow down after getting caught in a traffic jam near the Punawale underpass. The attackers reportedly caught up with them and smashed the remaining windows, including the rear windscreen. During the attack, a shard of broken glass pierced Gupta’s left eye, causing a serious injury. She was rushed to a private hospital in Chinchwad, where doctors performed an emergency corneoscleral repair surgery in an attempt to save her vision. More than a week after the operation, Gupta said her eyesight has not returned. “Doctors had initially said one surgery might be sufficient, but they also warned that another procedure could be required if my vision does not improve. They are unsure whether my eyesight will be fully restored because blood has accumulated inside the eye,” she told TOI. The FIR has been registered under sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 125 and 125(a) (rash or negligent acts endangering life or personal safety), 324(4) (mischief), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Gupta said she had urged the police to invoke the charge of attempted murder. “That was not done, and the accused were allowed to go home despite causing such serious injuries. They must be punished strictly so that they think twice before hurting anyone again,” she said.

Goa nightclub owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra have been detained in Thailand for illegal stay and are being deported to India

NEW DELHI: The Indian Embassy in Bangkok is in close coordination with Thai authorities following the detention of Goa nightclub owners Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra in Phuket, sources said to news agency ANI. The duo, owners of the now-charred nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa’s Arpora, are currently in Thai custody and are being processed for deportation to India in accordance with local laws. A team from the Central Bureau of Investigation arrived in Phuket on Saturday to complete formalities related to the brothers’ return.The Indian embassy is issuing emergency certificates, one-way travel documents to facilitate their deportation after their Indian passports were suspended by the Union government, officials confirmed. Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant told The Times of India that the investigative team had reached Thailand and that the process to bring the Luthra brothers back was underway. Goa DGP Alok Kumar also said the duo was expected to be in India next week. The Luthra brothers were detained by Thai authorities last week after it emerged that they were staying in the country illegally. They had fled India just hours after a massive fire broke out at their nightclub in Arpora on the night of December 6, even as police and fire personnel were still battling the blaze and rescuing trapped patrons. Following their departure, the regional passport office in New Delhi issued notices to both brothers, seeking explanations on why action should not be initiated to impound their passports. Soon after a lookout notice was issued, the Ministry of External Affairs moved to suspend their travel documents, rendering their stay in Thailand unlawful and prompting local authorities to detain them. India and Thailand have a formal extradition treaty, signed in 2013 and in force since June 29, 2015. While the current process involves deportation rather than extradition, officials said the treaty provides a robust legal framework for cooperation in such cases. Meanwhile, the Goa police investigation into the devastating fire at Birch by Romeo Lane has revealed glaring regulatory lapses. Investigators found that the nightclub had been operating illegally for nearly 18 months without mandatory permissions and on an expired licence. A senior officer involved in the probe said the licence had not been renewed because the establishment failed to obtain required clearances since 2024. So far, several arrests have been made in connection with the case. These include Gurgaon resident Ajay Gupta (55), a business partner of the Luthra brothers; New Delhi natives Rajiv Modak (49), the club’s chief general manager, and Priyanshu Thakur (32), the gate manager; Uttar Pradesh natives Rajveer Singhania (32), bar manager, and Vivek Singh (27), general manager; and Delhi-based Bharat Kohli. According to police, more than 150 tourists were inside the nightclub when the fire broke out around 11.45 pm during a weekend event. A preliminary probe by the police and the directorate of fire services concluded that electric firecrackers used during the event struck the wooden ceiling, triggering the blaze that rapidly engulfed the premises and claimed 25 lives. Goa police continue to record statements of government officials, fire department personnel and others as the investigation widens, even as efforts intensify to bring the main accused back to India to face criminal proceedings.

Xu Bo, a 48-year-old Chinese billionaire and founder of online gaming company Duoyi, has fathered more than 100 US-born children through surrogacy agencies and reportedly hopes they will one day marry Elon Musk’s children to create a sprawling family dynasty, according to social-media posts verified by the Wall Street Journal.Xu, who calls himself “China’s first father,” publicly stated he intended to sire at least “50 high-quality sons.” Duoyi later posted on social media that he had produced over 100 children via US surrogacy.The story ignited on Chinese social media after Xu’s ex-girlfriend, Tang Jing, claimed he had fathered more than 300 children, 11 of whom she said she had raised for years. “That number might even be undercounted, but it’s certainly not exaggerated,” said Tang Jing, Xu’s ex, in a post Nov. 15, according to the India Times.The pair are now engaged in a custody battle over two daughters they share, with Xu claiming his ex owes him tens of crores in expenses he paid over the years and declining to challenge her posts about his hundreds of children.In a video posted in 2022 by an account linked to Xu, footage showed dozens of young boys in a mansion. As the camera panned, the boys leapt from their chairs and rushed towards the cameraman, shouting “Daddy!” in Chinese. “Imagine a bunch of babies rushing towards you—how does that feel?” reads the caption on the video, according to the outlet. “Take a look. Besides your loved one, what’s cuter than children?”A representative for Duoyi told the Journal that “much of what you described is untrue.” The representative, who refused to give their name, did not respond when asked for specifics.Xu’s quest to build a family dynasty was reportedly inspired by Musk, who has been rumoured to offer friends and family sperm in an effort to build his bloodline—a claim Musk has denied. On Weibo, Xu posted fantasies of his offspring one day marrying Musk’s children, according to the Journal.In the summer of 2023, a judge in California handled petitions from Xu to gain parental rights for four unborn children, as well as at least eight other children he had paid for through surrogates. The judge immediately called a confidential hearing, and Xu appeared over video. He told the judge he hoped to sire 20 or more US-born children—boys specifically because they are superior—to one day take over his business. The judge rejected his petition for parental rights, leaving the unborn children in legal limbo and exposing an industry of surrogacy companies helping wealthy Chinese businessmen have American-born children.Many of his children have reportedly lived in a home in Irvine, Calif., and been raised by nannies. Xu told the judge he had not met them yet because work had been busy but said he planned to bring them to China soon.

In a key development in the Brown University shooting case, authorities have identified a 24-year-old man as a person of interest.Benjamin Erickson, a 24-year-old man, was arrested before dawn on Sunday, at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, following an 11-hour manhunt, New York Post reported. He was sought in connection with a mass shooting at Brown University’s Providence campus during a final-exam study session on Saturday around 4.30 pm. Two students were killed and nine more wounded when the gunman opened fire.Police said Erickson was not a current student but investigators were examining whether he had studied at Brown or had other ties to the institution. He was being held as a person of interest; no charges had been filed.

Was Erikson part of US Army

According to the records, Erickson served in the US Army. He served as an infantryman in the US Army from May 2021 to November 2024, leaving the military with the rank of specialist, an Army rep told The Post.His voter registration showing a “statehood” party affiliation, according to public records.

What police found at his hotel room?

Law-enforcement officials said the shooter was armed with a handgun and fired more than 40 9 mm rounds. CCTV footage showed a man matching his description walking along a road near the campus before the attack. Shell casings were marked with evidence tags inside the building where the shooting took place.Investigators were also probing whether Erickson had long-standing mental-health issues, sources said. “The man told authorities he had been in his room the entire time Saturday when the shooting took place,” CNN said.The motive remained unclear. Erickson did not immediately appear to have any criminal history, according to public records. A revolver and a small handgun fitted with a special laser light were found in his hotel room, sources and CNN reported. Sources told The Post that the unique laser light on the handgun helped lead them to the person of interest.The FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey team geolocated Erickson to the Coventry hotel, according to agency director Kash Patel. Police also used video evidence, tips from the public, an examination of license-plate readers and other leads to track him, CNN said.

What happened at Brown University?

The shooting occurred around 4.30 pm during a final exam review session for an economics class run by Rachel Friedberg, who also served as a faculty associate of the school’s Programme in Judaic Studies. One victim remained in critical condition, seven were listed as stable and one had been discharged, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told reporters on Sunday morning.“We continue to be in mourning as a community about the tragic loss of life from gun violence that stole the lives of two of our students yesterday,” Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a statement. “The past 24 hours really have been unimaginable — it’s a tragedy that no university community is ever ready for. While we always prepare for major crises, we also pray such a day never comes” she added.A shelter-in-place order was lifted on the campus, although all final exams were cancelled. “At this time, it is essential that we focus our efforts on providing care and support to the members of our community as we grapple with the sorrow, fear and anxiety that is impacting all of us right now,” school Provost Francis J. Doyle III said in a message.

Trump offers condolences

US President Trump also mourned the victims, speaking at a White House Christmas event shortly before a mass shooting in Australia’s Bondi Beach. “I want to just pay my respects to the people, unfortunately, two are no longer with us, Brown University, nine injured, and two are looking down on us right now from Heaven,” Trump said.A candlelight vigil was held for the victims at Lippitt Memorial on Sunday instead of the town’s holiday light celebration, Providence Councilwoman Sue AnderBois said as hundreds gathered. “We are gathered here to share light with one another in one of Providence’s darkest times,” she said. “Our hearts break for the two students at Brown who lost their lives to gun violence yesterday, and the nine others who are injured, and their families and the whole Brown and Greater Providence community.

NEW DELHI: Delhiites could see poison in the air on Sunday. A thick layer of toxic smog enveloped the capital, turning the city into a gas chamber with air quality plunging to ‘severe-plus’ category for the first time this year.The city’s 24-hour average air quality index stood at 461, the second-worst recorded in Dec and the worst in nearly 13 months. Since the scale began in April 2015, only once has a higher AQI been recorded in Dec – 469 on Dec 21, 2017. For any month, the last time Delhiites a suffered worst AQI was on Nov 18 last year (494).

AQI Severe-Plus, Delhi’s Worst In More Than 1 Yr

High moisture, low temperatures and calm winds effectively trapped pollution close to the surface even as a grey smog screened out the sun for most of the day. Winds are predicted to pick up slightly post-noon on Monday, which could disperse some pollutants.On Sunday, atmospheric ‘inversion’ made the situation worse. This occurs when cooler air near the ground gets trapped un-der warmer air above, stop ping pollutants from dispers ing. Though meteorological conditions remained unfa-vourable for the dispersion of pollutants, local emissions continued to remain high.“This is a true depiction. of Delhi’s local emissions be cause wind speeds are almost zero, meaning there is hardly any inflow or outflow of air. Vertical ventilation is con-fined to a column of just 600 metres, which means whatev er remains in the box-Delhi is largely its own emis sions. Under these condi-tions, the contribution of dust is negligible. When dust is released from construction activity, it usually spreads to other areas due to wind, but with winds nearly calm, it cannot pollute places beyond the immediate site of re-lease,” said Gufran Beig. founder of the System of Air Quality and Weather Fore-casting and Research (SA-FAR) and Chair Professor at the National Institute of Ad-vanced Studies (NIAS).Of the total 39 active air quality monitoring stations, 38 saw ‘severe’ AQI while only Shadipur was placed in the ‘ve-ry poor category at 375. Of these, three stations Wazir pur, Rohini and Ashok Vihar maxed out at 500, while several others reported AQI above 490.This is the second spell of severe air days in Delhi this season. The city had recorded three consecutive severe days from Nov 11 to 13. In this win-ter season, the city has re-corded five such days, when AQI surpassed 400.After air quality started rapidly deteriorating on Saturday, the Graded Response Action Plan’s stage III was im-posed in the morning. Stage IV was invoked on Saturday eve ning as AQI showed no sign of improvement. Currently, all stages of GRAP are in force.Delhi’s highest-ever AQI of 497 was recorded on Nov 6, 2016. The second-worst air quality day followed on Nov 18 last year with AQI reaching 494.