In a jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat, its MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned as a member of the state legislative assembly and primary membership of the party, claiming AAP was not the right platform to serve people.

After tendering his resignation as MLA, the leader who also goes by the name Bhupat Bhayani, told reporters that he has also resigned as a worker of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP and will join the ruling BJP soon.

Bhayani was one of the five MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) elected in the last year's state polls, which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won with a thumping majority by bagging 156 seats in the 182-member assembly.

It was the first time that AAP won in the assembly polls in Gujarat.

India on  Dec 13  strongly rejected the comments by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressing concern over the Supreme Court's verdict upholding the 2019 revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

In addition, the GS of the OIC reaffirmed its solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their quest for the right of self-determination and reiterated its call on the international community to enhance its efforts to resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir following the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, Pakistan had raised concerns over this too wherein former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan would continue to support the Kashmir issue.

China said that the Kashmir issue needs to be resolved peacefully following the UN Charter.

The Supreme Court had upheld the Centre's August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on  Dec 12  night survived a crunch vote in Parliament as none of his party MPs voted against the government's Safety of Rwanda Bill. The vote in the House of Commons passed by 313 to 269, a majority of 44 votes.

Around 38 Conservative MPs were recorded as not taking part in the vote, with sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman and resigned Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick believed to be among them.

Earlier, Sunak had launched a charm offensive at 10 Downing Street in a bid to win over MPs from within his Conservative Party threatening to rebel against the bill, aimed at overcoming legal hurdles in the way of deporting illegal migrants to the East African nation.

The government says the policy aims to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel and it is central to the plan to "stop the boats", one of Sunak's top priorities ahead of a general election year in 2024.

Under the plan, the UK plans to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda while their asylum claims are processed and hopes it will act as a deterrent for people smugglers bringing migrants illegally to UK shores.

The new law is intended to deal with the UK Supreme Court having ruled the policy unlawful last month.

The Spanish fashion brand Zara has pulled advertising images that to some appeared to reference Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The images for a line of jackets included what the company called “unfinished sculptures in a sculptor's studio.” But some online critics said one image of a model holding a wrapped-up mannequin resembled someone holding a corpse. Other photos included a mannequin with missing limbs and a figure wrapped in fabric or plastic on the floor, according to news reports.

The company apologized in a statement posted on Instagram and said the campaign was conceived in July and photographed in September. Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, prompting Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza.

US President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the country risked losing global support for its war against Hamas because of its "indiscriminate" bombing of Gaza.

In his most blunt remarks since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, which provoked the current conflict, Biden told donors that Netanyahu needed to "change" his stance on a two-state solution for the Palestinians.

Netanyahu meanwhile said there was "disagreement" with Biden over how a post-conflict Gaza would be governed, reflecting a rare rift after weeks in which the US leader has strongly backed Israel.

He also announced that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will be sent to Israel this week for discussions with the war cabinet.

The US president also dismissed arguments that he said Netanyahu had made about Allied forces in World War II having "carpet-bombed" Germany and used nuclear weapons against Japan.

The Palestinian Authority is currently in charge of the West Bank while Islamist Hamas controls the Gaza Strip.

Quick commerce start-up Zepto’s co-founder Kaivalya Vohra, 21, is the youngest in the Hurun India Top 100 Under 30 List. He is followed by Zepto’s other co-founder 22-year-old Aadit Palicha.

Devanshi Kejriwal, 27, of Skillmatics is the youngest woman in the list that features five women. SaaS (software as a service) leads the way with 19 entrepreneurs in the list, and this is followed by fintech and edtech with 11 entities each.

Eight entrepreneurs featured in the list are building spacetech companies. The average age of the founders in the list is 28 and five entrepreneurs also feature in Hurun India Rich list.

Bengaluru leads with 10 entrepreneurial groups, followed by Mumbai (9) and New Delhi (8). Interestingly, eight founders in the list graduated from IIT Roorkee, making it the most preferred undergrad college among Hurun India Top 100 Under 30s. It is followed by IIT Kanpur with seven and six founders are from IIT Delhi and Birla Institute of Technology.

The two-day Bihar Global Investors’ Summit, commenced on  Dec 13 , received proposals worth Rs 34,000 crore, and 40 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed so far. According to an official an investment of Rs 40,000 crore is anticipated from the summit.

On the inaugural day of the summit, companies including Monte Carlo, High Spirit Commercial Ventures, and Komal Group declared their investment intentions in the state. MoUs totaling about Rs 554.4 crore were signed with eight firms during the first day of the event. The proposed investments include Rs 274 crore by Savi Leathers, Rs 100.5 crore by Komal Texfab, Rs 94 crore by Maa Prabhawati Textile Mills, Rs 52 crore by Cosmus Lifestyle Private Limited, and Rs 15 crore by Bharti Exim Private Limited.

Former doubles world No.1 Leander Paes and broadcaster and promoter Vijay Amritraj of India have become the first Asian men to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Besides the duo, renowned journalist and writer Richard Evans has also been elected in the Ultimate Honour in Tennis.

Paes, an 18-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, has been selected in the player category, while Amritraj and United Kingdom's Evans are inductees in the contributor category, which is considered for election every two years.

The contributor category recognises true pioneers, visionary leaders, or individuals/groups who have made a transcendent impact on the sport.

The Class of 2024 will be officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on  Dec 16  in Newport, Rhode Island.

Paes, Amritraj and Evans will join an elite group of 264 inductees from 27 nations, with India set to become the 28th nation represented in the Hall of Fame.