‘Never called myself…’: Spiritual influencer Abhinav Arora refutes title of ‘Bal Sant’, says it was given by…
Apart from that Abhinav has claimed that he received death threats allegedly from the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, after several people alleged that the minor had defamed religion through his actions and videos.
Trump pledges ditching Denali in favor of Mt. McKinley, but Alaska senators pan plan: ‘Awful idea’
President-elect Trump pledged this week to undo former President Obama’s 2015 decision to change the name of North America’s tallest peak to its Koyukon Athabascan name “Denali,” meaning “High One” or “Great One.” Speaking to conservatives at a Phoenix conference, Trump made the pledge and noted President William McKinley was also a Republican who believed in tariffs. He first promised to undo Obama’s action in August 2015 and called it an “insult to Ohio,” where McKinley was born and raised. During his Phoenix remarks, he also pledged to undo Democrats’ rebranding of southern military bases named for Confederates – like Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which was formerly named after Gen. Braxton Bragg. The 20,320-foot mountain was first dubbed Mount McKinley in 1896 by gold prospector William Dickey, after learning the Ohioan had won the GOP presidential nomination – and as a swipe at silver prospectors he met who preferred Democrat William Jennings Bryan and his plan for a silver standard for the dollar. ALASKA OUTRAGED AT BIDEN’S FEDERAL OIL LEASE SALE SETUP AS ‘FITTING FINALE’ TO FOSSIL FUEL-AVERSE PRESIDENCY Six months into his second term, McKinley was visiting Buffalo, New York, when anarchist laborer Leon Czolgosz assassinated him in a gladhanding line. Czolgosz believed the root of economic inequality stood with the government and was reportedly inspired by the 1900 assassination of Italian King Umberto I. However, many Alaskans have appeared to prefer the historic name Denali: GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski told KTUU that Trump’s plan to bring back “Mt. McKinley” is an “awful idea.” “We already went through this with President Trump back and at the very, very beginning of his first term,” she said Monday. Murkowski said both she and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, – who originally hails from McKinley’s Ohio – support the name Denali. “[Denali] is a name that has been around for thousands of years… North America’s tallest mountain – shouldn’t it have a name like ‘The Great One’?” Murkowski added. MURKOWSKI SAYS SHE’S NOT ‘ATTACHED’ TO GOP LABEL In 2015, Sullivan told the Anchorage Daily News that “Denali belongs to Alaska and its citizens” and that the naming rights are held by Alaskan Natives. In a statement to KTUU this week, Sullivan said many Alaskans prefer the “name that the very tough, very strong, very patriotic Athabascan people gave” the peak. Meanwhile, then-Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Ohio, spent decades in Congress preventing any name change from McKinley to Denali – as the namesake president hailed from his Canton district. Regula, who died in 2017, lambasted Obama over the name change, saying he “thinks he is a dictator.” Appearing to cite his own work presenting procedural roadblocks and language added to Interior-related bills, Regula said Obama could not change such a law “by a flick of his pen.” “You want to change the Ohio River?” he quipped. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP However, some Ohio officials have also been deferential to the will of Alaskans. Current Lt. Gov. Jon Husted told the Dayton Daily News in 2015 that if Denali is what Alaskans want, then he in turn understood, as he wouldn’t want Alaskans dictating Ohio name changes. “So, I guess we shouldn’t tell people in Alaska should do in their own state. But I’m a big fan of Canton and McKinley and I’m glad that he’s getting talked about some more,” he said at the time.
Top Biden ally ‘disappointed’ by president’s veto on bill to increase number of US judges
A top ally of President Biden is “disappointed” after he vetoed a bill that would have increased the number of federal judges currently serving. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who served as a campaign co-chair for both of Biden’s recent presidential campaigns, stressed that he and his Republican colleague Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., kept bipartisanship top of mind when crafting the bill. “I am disappointed by this outcome, for my own state and for the federal judges throughout the country struggling under the burden of ever-higher caseloads. I’ve worked on this bill for years, and thanks to tireless bipartisan effort with Senator Young, it made it to the president’s desk. It’s highly unfortunate that it will not become law,” Coons said in a statement on Tuesday. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY He then put the blame on House Republicans for the bill’s ultimate failure, however, for voting on it after the 2024 election. “Senator Young and I took pains to make this a nonpartisan process, structuring the JUDGES Act so that Congress could pass the bill before any of us – Republican or Democrat – knew who would occupy the White House in 2025 and therefore nominate the new federal judges,” Coons said. “The Senate did its part by passing the bill unanimously in August; the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, however, waited for election results before moving the bill forward. As a result, the White House is now vetoing this bill.” DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER Republicans in turn have accused Biden of making threats to veto the bill – which he issued two days before the House voted on it – to avoid giving President-elect Trump new roles to fill. “This important legislation garnered broad, bipartisan support when it unanimously passed the Senate in August because it directly addresses the pressing need to reduce case backlogs in our federal courts and strengthen the efficiency of our judicial system,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed out in a statement after the bill passed earlier this month. “At that time, Democrats supported the bill – they thought Kamala Harris would win the presidency. Now, however, the Biden-Harris administration has chosen to issue a veto threat and Democrats have whipped against this bill, standing in the way of progress, simply because of partisan politics.” The bill would have added 66 federal district judicial roles, spreading their creation out over more than 10 years to prevent a boon on new appointments for any one administration. At the time of its Senate passage, Democrats’ morale was high after Biden ducked out of the 2024 race and was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris. It passed the Senate with unanimous consent, however, meaning no Republicans objected to the legislation’s advancement.
Dozens of House lawmakers rally around funding Afghan visa program as Trump vows major spending cuts
A group of 51 bipartisan lawmakers is urging House negotiators to keep up the flow of dollars to a visa program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of their country. Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, wrote to the House of Representatives’ top appropriators as they continue to negotiate federal funding for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2025. “We write to urge you to maintain critical provisions for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program1 in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations package. Authorizing new Afghan SIVs is critical to vetting and relocating qualified Afghan principal applicants currently in the processing pipeline,” they wrote to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and others. It comes as President-elect Trump promised to work toward steep spending cuts in the coming federal funding fights. He wrote on Truth Social last week, “The United States will cut Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in spending next year through Reconciliation!” NEW REPORT WARNS OF GROWING NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT TO U.S. AS CHINA BUILDS AI: ‘SIGNIFICANT AND CONCERNING’ People in Trump’s orbit, including some House Republicans, are pushing for him to have greater control over how congressionally appropriated funds are spent. Meanwhile, Trump tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy last month to lead an advisory panel on cost-cutting dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The duo have already positioned themselves as influential players in Congress’ spending discussions as well, having led the revolt against a 1,547-page government funding bill that was a product of bipartisan negotiations. They have not, however, said where they want to see Congress pull back on spending. EXPERTS WARN SYRIAN REBEL VICTORY POSES ‘WILDLY COMPLEX’ NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: ‘WHO KNOWS WHAT’S NEXT?’ The 51 lawmakers pushing for the Afghan SIV program to be preserved argue it is “a life-saving path to safety for Afghan nationals who face serious danger as a result of their work alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and contractors.” “Congress must continue this work so that the State Department is able to issue visas to eligible Afghans who face imminent threats from the Taliban, Islamic State, and other hostile groups because of their service to the U.S. and our allies,” they wrote. The Afghan SIV program was first enacted in 2009, but saw new importance after the Taliban’s lightening-fast takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 – which precipitated the U.S.’s withdrawal after decades in the Middle Eastern country. Congress authorized additional visas under the program every year since FY 2019, according to the letter. Congressional negotiators have so far failed to come to an agreement on FY 2025 spending, forcing lawmakers to pass two extensions of last year’s funding levels to prevent a partial government shutdown. The most recent extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), gives lawmakers until March 14 to make a deal.
Delhi AQI: Stage IV curbs removed as air quality improves, lower-stage measures tightened
The decision comes after Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) improved to 369 (‘Very Poor’) at 4 PM on December 24, down from a peak of 401 (‘Severe’) recorded on December 16.
California Democrats urge feds to approve high-speed rail funding before DOGE nixes ‘boondoggle’
Several prominent California Democrats are calling on the U.S. Department of Transportation to approve a grant application for $536 million in federal funds to move forward with the state’s long-awaited high-speed rail network. The monies would come from funds already allocated in general to “federal-state partnership[s] for intercity passenger rail grants” through the 2021 “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” and made available via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. Democrats urged Secretary Pete Buttigieg to approve the funds, saying progress on the “California Phase I Corridor” is “essential to enhancing our nation’s and California’s strategic transportation network investments.” “The Phase 1 Corridor aims to address climate concerns, promote health, improve access and connectivity, and boost economic vitality, while addressing current highway and rail capacity constraints,” a letter to the outgoing Cabinet member read. BUILDING STARTS ON HIGH-SPEED RAIL LINE BETWEEN LAS VEGAS AND LOS ANGELES AREA Drafted by Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, Sen. Alex Padilla, and California Democratic Reps. Jim Costa, Zoe Lofgren and Pete Aguilar, the letter calls for the funds to go to two projects in particular: tunneling through the Tehachapi Mountains in Southern California and through the Pacheco Pass of the Diablo Mountains in Northern California. “These investments will continue to support living wage jobs, provide small business opportunities, and equitably enhance the mobility of communities in need – including disadvantaged agricultural communities – all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Schiff and the other lawmakers wrote. “Please consider the enormous value and meaningful impact that FSP-National grant funding will provide to advancing CAHSR beyond the Central Valley,” they told Buttigieg. The bores are needed, the lawmakers said, to connect with other intercity passenger rail systems including the Brightline West, CalTrain, Metrolink and Altamont Commuter Express. FLASHBACK: COMER TOUTS HUNTER BIDEN HEARING: RASKIN, SCHIFF ‘PULL STUFF OUT OF THEIR REAR’ According to California Republicans, the overall high-speed rail project is nearly $100 billion over budget and decades behind schedule. Trump’s DOGE duo of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy aren’t keen on the idea of continuing to fund what many Republicans consider a costly and unfruitful endeavor. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., said as much earlier this month in remarks on the House floor. “I am very happy to report that the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency has honed-in on perhaps the single greatest example of government waste in United States history – and that is California’s high-speed-rail boondoggle,” Kiley said. The official DOGE X account also described both California’s high-speed rail expenditures and requested funding in a November tweet. Earlier this month, Ramaswamy also called the plans a “wasteful vanity project” that burned “billions in taxpayer cash with little prospect of completion in the next decade.” He said Trump “correctly” rescinded $1 billion in federal funding for the project in 2019 and lamented President Biden’s reversal of that move. “Time to end the waste,” Ramaswamy said. California’s top state Senate Republican echoed the DOGE leaders’ concerns. “California’s ‘train to nowhere’ has already wasted billions of taxpayer dollars – now Biden wants all Americans to fund this boondoggle,” State Sen. Brian W. Jones of San Diego told Fox News Digital. “When President Trump returns to office in a few weeks, he must defund the high-speed rail. This wasteful government experiment must end once and for all,” he added. If approved, the federal funds will be bolstered by $134 million in state monies from California’s “cap & trade” program, according to the Sacramento Bee. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP At a 2013 conference, Musk floated the idea of a “hyperloop” which was also presented in a white paper. Though it has not yet come to fruition, Musk said at the time he had thought whether there is a better way to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco than what California has proposed. “The high-speed rail that’s being proposed would actually be the slowest bullet train in the world and the most expensive per-mile,” he said. “Isn’t there something better that we can come up with?” The world’s richest man described Hyperloop at the time as a combination of a Concorde, a rail gun and an air-hockey table.
FAA lifts groundstop of American Airlines flights after technical issue
Brief halt to flights in US had threatened the travel plans of millions of people during busy holiday period. A groundstop of all American Airlines flights in the United States has been lifted, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, after an unspecified “technical issue” briefly halted flights across the country. Just before 7am Eastern time (12:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the FAA ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the US at the airline’s request. “American Airlines reported a technical issue this morning and requested a nationwide ground stop. The ground stop has now been lifted,” Bridgett Frey, assistant administrator for communications at the FAA, said in a statement. The groundstop, early on Christmas Eve, had threatened the travel plans of millions of people across the US during the busy holiday period. American Airlines had said that “a technical issue” was affecting its flights. “We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights. Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination,” the company said in a post on X. We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights. Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination. — americanair (@AmericanAir) December 24, 2024 Advertisement American operates thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The grounding came months after airlines were hit by a global tech outage tied to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and a software issue at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Two years ago, Southwest Airlines experienced a meltdown with its systems during the holidays that led to 16,900 flight cancellations and stranded 2 million passengers. It was eventually fined $140m in the largest-ever civil penalty for a travel disruption. This year, the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2. Social media lit up on Tuesday morning with travellers complaining about how the American Airlines delay might impact their holidays or ruin their visit with family. “Heck of [a] way to start Christmas. Hey, @AmericanAir just tell us whether we should go home or not. Please don’t make us wait in the airport for hours,” one user wrote on X. Adblock test (Why?)
Syria says ex-rebel groups agree to integrate under Defence Ministry
De facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says factions agreed to disband following a meeting with the heads of the groups. Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has reached an agreement with rebel factions to come together as one force under the Defence Ministry, according to the new Syrian general administration. A meeting between al-Sharaa and the heads of the groups “ended in an agreement on the dissolution of all the groups and their integration under the supervision of the ministry of defence”, said a statement by the new administration on Tuesday. However, the Kurdish-led and United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) group in northeastern Syria is not part of the deal just announced. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir had said last week that the ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Bashar al-Assad’s army. “Since the fall of the Assad regime, this is perhaps the most important development that has happened in Syria,” said Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Damascus. He explained that immediately after the fall of al-Assad’s regime, opposition fighters from across the country streamed into Damascus, with some of them claiming different territories of the capital. Advertisement “The main fear was how these groups that had been fighting against the regime during the course of 13 years of the civil war – groups that are heavily armed – how they are going to merge and unite,” Serdar said. “After talks and talks, several sessions and meetings … now Ahmed al-Sharaa, the de facto leader of Syria who is also the leader of HTS – the most dominant military and political power in Syria – is saying that all the armed groups have decided to merge under the Ministry of Defence; that is quite a remarkable development.” ‘Lift sanctions’ Following a sweeping offensive over two weeks ago that catapulted Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) into power in Damascus, the country’s new rulers appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the rebellion that toppled al-Assad, as defence minister in the interim government. Al-Sharaa had previously promised that all weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control. He has sought to reassure Western officials visiting him that HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, will neither seek revenge against the former regime nor repress any religious minority. He said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts. Syrian opposition fighters seized control of Damascus on December 8, forcing al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of war, ending his family’s decades-long rule. Forces under the command of al-Sharaa have installed a three-month caretaker government. Advertisement Qatar on Tuesday called for the swift removal of sanctions on Syria, a day after a high-level Qatari delegation visited Damascus, marking a turning point in relations. The Qatari embassy in the Syrian capital reopened on Sunday, ending a 13-year diplomatic rift between the two nations. “Qatar’s position is clear,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari stated. “It’s necessary to lift the sanctions quickly, given that what led to these sanctions is no longer there and that what led to these sanctions were the crimes of the former regime.” Adblock test (Why?)
ICC Champions Trophy: India to play matches in Dubai, not Pakistan
The ICC revised schedule for the tournament has India playing group matches, semifinal 1 and final, if required, in UAE. The Champions Trophy 2025 will now be held in Pakistan and Dubai, after hosts Pakistan selected the UAE as a neutral venue for their rivals India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said. The venue change followed weeks of wrangling after India refused to visit Pakistan for their matches. Tournament holders Pakistan will now have to travel to Dubai to play India in a match on 23 February, and again, if the sides were to meet, in the final on March 9. “Lahore will also host the final on 9 March, unless India qualify, in which case it will be played in Dubai. Both the semi-finals and the final will have reserve days,” the ICC said in a statement on Tuesday. “The three group matches involving India, as well as the first semi-final, will be played in Dubai.” The eight-team competition kicks off on February 19 in Karachi, featuring a total of 15 matches across Pakistan and Dubai. Tournament matches will be held in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi. Each venue in the country is set to host three group-stage games, with Lahore also staging the second semifinal. Advertisement Pakistan face New Zealand in the Group A opener in Karachi on February 19, while India meet Bangladesh in Dubai a day later. Due to strained political ties, India have not toured Pakistan since 2008, and the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI), citing government advice, has refused to send its team for the Champions Trophy. The ICC said last week that matches between India and Pakistan in tournaments from 2024 to 2027 organised in either nation would be played at neutral venues. The Champions Trophy will be the first ICC event hosted by Pakistan since it shared the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. India fans will need to travel to Dubai to watch their team play in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy [Satish Kumar/Reuters] Adblock test (Why?)
Temperature to dip 2°C in Northwest India in next 2 days, these states to witness thunderstorm
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature in many parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have seen a rise of 2-5°C. Minimum temperatures were recorded to be below normal at a few places over Saurashtra Kutch; at some places over Jammu-Kashmir.