Syria's new interim leader announced on Tuesday he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago.

In a brief address on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria who previously ran an administration in a pocket of the northwest controlled by rebels, said he would lead the interim authority until March 1.

"Today we held a cabinet meeting that included a team from the Salvation government that was working in Idlib and its vicinity, and the government of the ousted regime," he said.

Nilabhra Sengupta, IRSSE (1997 batch) has taken charge as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) on deputation.

Sengupta completed his BE in Electronics & Telecommunications from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 1996 and joined the Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers two years later.

Before taking over as CVO of BEL, Sengupta served as Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer/Projects at Metro Railway, Kolkata. He was also in additional charge of Director (Rolling Stock and Systems) in Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation. He has served as ADRM Operations in Eastern Railway, Howrah division, and was on deputation to RITES and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation from 2014 to 2017.

The recommendations of the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers regarding the reduction of GST on micronutrients and raw materials were taken to the 53rd GST Council which has referred the matter to the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Rate Rationalisation for a holistic view, a release said.

As per the release, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday said that under the New Investment Policy (NIP), to facilitate fresh investment in the urea sector and to make India self-sufficient, 6 new urea units have been set up with a production capacity of 12.7 Lakh MT each.

Dubai, Sunny Dhillon, a former assistant coach of an Abu Dhabi T10 League franchise, was on Tuesday banned from all forms of cricket for six years by the sport's governing body for "attempting" to fix matches.

Dhillon was charged last year. The ban has been back dated to September 13, 2023, the date Dhillon was provisionally suspended.

"Sunny Dhillon has been found to have breached the Emirates Cricket Board Anti-Corruption Code and has been banned from all cricket for a period of six years," said the ICC in a statement.

The Telangana High Court on Monday ruled that former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh is a German national and that he used forged documents to contest elections, according to a Times of India report.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Ramesh for suppressing critical information about his German citizenship and misleading the judiciary.

In his order, Justice B Vijaysen Reddy highlighted that Ramesh had misrepresented key facts when applying for Indian citizenship in 2008, failing to disclose his existing German nationality.

According to the report, the Union Home Ministry had already annulled Ramesh’s citizenship in 2019 due to these misrepresentations. The High Court upheld that order, stating Ramesh was not stateless as he possessed a valid German passport, renewed until 2033. Evidence also showed Ramesh had visited Germany three times in 2023.

Swede Joakim Alexandersson was on Thursday appointed as the chief coach of the India women’s U-20 and U-17 national teams by the All India Football Federation.

The 48-year-old Alexandersson has come as part of an agreement between the All India Football Federation and the Swedish Football Association. His stint will commence with a two-month long U-20 national camp beginning in Bengaluru from December 10.

Alexandersson had an extensive playing career as a defender, majorly for IF Elfsborg, captaining the Swedish club and winning multiple trophies. He is also a former Sweden U-21 international.

The Centre has allowed Adani Krishnapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh to import petroleum into India up to March 1, 2026, according to an official notification.

The port has been allowed to import petroleum by sea from August 28, 2024, till March 1, 2026, in public interest, according to the notification by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Owned and operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ), Adani Krishnapatnam Port Ltd is an all-weather deep water port located on the East Coast of India in Andhra Pradesh.

Adani Ports & SEZ shares were trading higher by 0.56 per cent at Rs 1,267.30 on BSE in the pre-close session.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has greenlit a major capital acquisition worth ₹21,772 crore. This package includes the procurement of 151 naval boats and six Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) for the Indian Coast Guard. These assets aim to fortify India’s maritime and coastal defence capabilities, aligning with its broader strategy for a secure Indo-Pacific region.

Strengthening the Indian Navy: 151 Boats Approved

The Indian Navy will receive 31 Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts (NWJFACs) and 120 Fast Interceptor Crafts (FIC-1).

NWJFACs: Designed for low-intensity maritime operations, these vessels will bolster coastal surveillance, patrolling, and search-and-rescue missions. They will also play a critical role in anti-piracy operations around India’s islands.
FIC-1s: These high-speed crafts, capable of reaching 45 knots, are equipped with machine guns and bullet-resistant cabins. They will escort high-value units such as aircraft carriers and submarines while enhancing response to maritime threats like piracy and insurgency.

The Centre on Monday (December 9, 2024) announced the appointment of Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, a day before incumbent Governor Shaktikanta Das’s six-year term comes to an end on Tuesday (December 10, 2024).

A 1990-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service of the Rajasthan cadre, Mr. Malhotra is a computer science engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Princeton University, U.S.A, and will take charge of the country’s monetary policy framework and banking regulation at Mint Street on December 11.

Kush Maini has created history by becoming first ever Indian racer to win FIA Constructors Championship. Maini drives for Invicta Racing team in the Formula 2.

2024 has been an impressive season for Maini who earlier became the first Indian to claim an F2 pole position. Despite the ups and downs of the season, he played a pivotal role in Invicta’s success, securing five podiums, including a race win in Hungary.