BJP State Tally Now 12, Congress Down To Three. What It Means For 2024

The victory in three heartland states has come as a boon for the BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections, in which it is hoping for a third straight term. The party not only controls 12 states now, it also rules over 41 per cent of the country's population -- and over 50 per cent in alliance governments -- from whom it expects support in 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi summed it up in his victory speech to party workers this evening.  

"Some people are saying this hat trick has guaranteed the 2024 victory. Today's mandate proves people have zero-tolerance towards corruption, appeasement and dynastic politics," PM Modi said.

The latest election has expanded the BJP's footprint over two more states -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which it wrested from the Congress.  

At present, BJP has its own government in 12 states of the country - Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Manipur, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh.

Its alliance governments are spread over Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Sikkim.

In contrast, the Congress will rule over just three states -- Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh -- that comprises only 8.51 per cent of the country's population. Counting in its ruling alliances in Bihar and Jharkhand, it has power over 19.84 per cent of Indians.

The election brings into focus the BJP's strength in the north, where it has its core voters.  

Despite being written off by many in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the party has swept the two states, exhibiting again the strength of its formidable election machinery and nimble course correction by its strategists.  

For the Congress, the biggest national party in the INDIA alliance, the loss of Rajasthan and the upset in Chhattisgarh is expected to cut down its bargaining power within the bloc. It has also exposed the party's weakening hold on the northern states, already bringing derisive comments from alliance partners.  

Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress accused the Grand Old Party of having an entitled attitude and advised it to introspect. "This is not a success of BJP, this is total failure of Congress," said Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. "The Congress must come out from its 'zamindari mentality' and must share and implement the experience of other senior leaders like Mamata Banerjee," he added.

"It has been made clear that the Congress cannot compete with BJP... The Congress will have to come out of this syndrome," said senior Janata Dal United leader KC Tyagi.

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"Like Jealous Boyfriend...": US Teen's Mother On Neighbour Who Killed Her

After a gruelling six-month-long search, missing US teen Valerie Tindall's body was found buried in her 59-year-old neighbour's backyard in Indiana. 

17-year-old Valerie's body was found in a homemade wooden box buried in her neighbour Patrick Scott's yard less than a 100 metres away from her house. 

Following the discovery of the body on Tuesday, Scott was arrested on a murder charge, Rushville County Sheriff Allan Rice confirmed in a press conference. The body was identified as Valerie Tindall's by the coroner on Thursday but the cause of her death is yet to be confirmed. 

Patrick Scott had a lawn-mowing business and had employed Tindall over the summer. Scott, who had been the Tindalls' trusted neighbour, soon became 'a person of interest' in the investigation of Valerie's disappearance.  

On June 7, the teen informed her family that she was going for work, according to a police report retrieved by media agency HuffPost. This was the last time her family saw her. 

According to reports, the accused changed his story several times after his arrest and initially told the police that he hadn't met her on the day she went missing. 

After his arrest, Scott confessed to police that he strangled Valerie in the bedroom of his home that day. He also added that he continued to wear the belt he choked her with even after the murder. "I put it around her neck and I held onto it until she quit," Scott allegedly told police. 

Scott told police that the teen had tried to seduce and blackmail him into buying her a new car, according to court documents. 

The murder "just kind of happened," he told the cops. On being asked if he was troubled by the murder, the accused allegedly said that he "wasn't too crazy about it." 

On October 11, nearly half a year later, with the help of sniffer dogs, the  police made a major breakthrough and established that human remains were present in the compound. 

On November 28, they returned to further investigate their findings. The officers found a large pile of dirt on Scott's property. After digging up the ground, they found the box the teenager had been buried in all this while.

The remains in the box included fingernails painted with orange polish which matched a picture Tindall had shared on her social media profile on June 7, documents said.

After the brutal murder investigation was solved, her mother Shena Sandefur, told media agency WRTV-TV that Valerie and Scott "had a bond - they were friends." 

Tindall's mother said that, "She worked for him, but she also hung out with his family. His granddaughter was her friend."

However, Ms Sandefur told news agency FOX 59 that she had become uneasy about how Patrick Scott was treating her daughter. 

Ms Sandefur added that the accused acted like a "jealous boyfriend" and even tracked the teen's phone. However, Tindall did not see anything wrong with the relationship, she said, because Scott was her boss. 

Valerie Tindall, who had just finished her 11th grade in high school, loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian, her parents told reporters following a news conference Wednesday announcing Scott's arrest.

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Munich Airport Shut, Flights, Trains Hit As Heavy Snow Paralyses Germany

Heavy snowfall brought chaos to parts of southern Germany on Saturday, with air and rail traffic blocked in the Bavarian state capital of Munich.

After first suspending flights until noon Saturday (1100 GMT), Munich airport later said it would remain closed until 6:00 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday. 

In total, 760 flights were affected, a spokesperson told AFP. More than 40 centimetres (16 inches) of snow fell overnight Friday to Saturday, according to weather services.

Authorities asked residents to stay home for their safety. 

The winter weather also disrupted train traffic, with rail operator Deutsche Bahn saying "The main Munich station cannot be served".

Deutsche Bahn said travellers should expect delays and cancellations throughout the region, and most buses, trams and suburban trains were not running in Munich. 

Saturday's planned football championship match between Bayern Munich and Union Berlin has been called off.

Police in Lower Bavaria said they made 350 interventions linked to the weather Friday night, with five people slightly injured in car accidents.   

Much of Germany has been subject to snow and freezing temperatures for several days.

According to weather forecasts, the largest quantities of snow are expected Saturday in Allgau in the south of Bavaria, with another 30 to 40 centimetres.

The snowfall is expected to progressively ease in the afternoon. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Thank You, Dubai": PM Modi Shares Glimpses Of COP28 Summit

After participating in the Conference of Parties-28 (COP28) in Dubai on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a video of the COP28 and reiterated his commitment to work together for a better planet.

Sharing the video on the social media platform X, PM Modi highlighted key moments.

The video included glimpses of his bilateral meetings, interactions with global leaders, and his summit speech focusing on the contribution of all countries against climate change.

In the video, PM Modi was also seen shaking hands and engaging with many world leaders on the sidelines of the COP28 World Climate Action Summit in Dubai.

Thank you, Dubai! It's been a productive #COP28 Summit. Let's all keep working together for a better planet. pic.twitter.com/xpQLQJBmQk

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 1, 2023

"Thank you, Dubai! It's been a productive #COP28 Summit. Let's all keep working together for a better planet," PM Modi wrote in the post.

On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi met with King Charles III. PM Modi called King Charles as significant voice in fight against climate change.

"Earlier today in Dubai, I had the opportunity to interact with King Charles, who has always been passionate towards environmental conservation and sustainable development. He is an important voice in the fight against climate change. @RoyalFamily," said PM Modi in a post on X.

PM Modi met with the Vietnamese Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh and both leaders shared views on various issues.

"Met Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh and had a great conversation on various issues," PM Modi posted on X.

PM Narendra Modi landed at Delhi airport on Friday late night after a landmark visit to Dubai. He wrapped up his day-long visit to the UAE on Friday evening after participating in the World Climate Action Summit of the COP28.

"PM's visit was defined by fruitful engagements with global leaders and path-breaking initiatives for accelerating global climate action," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X.

During his UAE visit, PM Modi noted that climate change has had an immense impact on countries in the Global South.

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Humanitarian Pause Ended Because Of Hamas, Says Blinken

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the pause in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict ended due to Hamas, claiming the terror group 'reneged' on commitments.

While speaking to the media at Dubai airport, he said, "I made clear that after the pause it was imperative that Israel put in place clear protections for civilians and for sustaining humanitarian assistance going forward. And as we've seen just today, Israel has already moved out on parts of that, including sending out information, making it clear where people can be in safe areas in Gaza. And we'll be looking at that going forward. It's very, very important."

He highlighted that the end of the pause resulted from Hamas breaking commitments, citing a terrorist attack in Jerusalem and firing rockets before the pause ended.

"It's also important to understand why the pause came to an end. It came to an end because of Hamas. Hamas reneged on commitments it made. In fact, even before the pause came to an end, it committed an atrocious terrorist attack in Jerusalem, killing three people, wounding others, including Americans. It began firing rockets before the pause had ended. And as I said, it reneged on commitments it made in terms of releasing certain hostages."

Blinken reiterated US support for peace in the region, and said that the US is focusing on the release of Israeli hostages.

"We're determined to do everything we can to get everyone home, get them reunited with their families, including pursuing the process that worked for seven days. We had seven days of a pause; seven days of people coming home and being reunited with their families," he said.

"So, we're on that almost hour by hour. But meanwhile, we've also been very clear that we support Israel and its efforts to make sure that October 7th never happens again. We've also been very clear about the imperative of doing that in a way that puts a premium on protecting civilians and making sure that humanitarian assistance gets to those who need it. So that's what we're focused on, and we're doing both at the same time," he added.

"We remain intensely focused on getting everyone home, getting hostages back. It's something that I also worked on today. So, we're still at this. We're also very much focused, as we've been all along, on trying to make sure that this conflict doesn't spread, that it doesn't escalate in other places. But we're also using our diplomacy to look at not only what's happening today and how we're handling that, but also what happens the day after in Gaza and how we can get on the path to a just, lasting, and secure peace for Israelis, for Palestinians - in fact, for everyone in the region. And that's also a big focus of our diplomacy," he added.

This statement from US Secretary of State Blinken comes as the agreed truce between Israel and Hamas expired after seven days, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas resumed their war in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning after a week-long truce ended with the two sides failing to agree on the release of more hostages held by the Hamas group.

Israeli jets struck Hamas targets in Gaza soon after the cease-fire finished at 7 a.m. local time.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Blinken held a crucial meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday (November 30), marking his second visit to the West Bank since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, as reported by CNN.

His visit was in the backdrop of increased Israeli settler violence in the region following the October 7 attack on Israel.

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Israel Army Says 5 Gaza Hostage Deaths Confirmed

The Israeli army on Friday confirmed the deaths of five hostages held in Gaza, saying their families had been informed, and the body of one of them returned to Israel.

"In recent days, the IDF and Israel police notified the families of the hostages Eliyahu Margalit, Maya Goren, Ronen Engel and Arye Zalmanovitz about their deaths," army spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

He also said troops had brought back the body of a fifth person that he identified as Ofir Tsarfati.

Hagari said Gaza operatives were still holding "136 hostages, among them 17 women and children".

In a separate statement, the army said Tsarfati's body had been "located in recent days" in Gaza by troops and members of the Shin Bet internal security service and brought to Israel for burial.

It said the family was informed about his death on Wednesday.

Tsarfati was kidnapped from a rave party near the Gaza Strip on October 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the border, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping around 240 others in the worst attacks in Israel's 75-year history.

Israel has hit back with a massive military campaign that Gaza's Hamas-run government says has killed more than 15,000 people, also mostly civilians.

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Italy PM Giorgia Meloni's Selfie With PM Modi At COP28

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted a selfie with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

"Good friends at COP28. #Melodi," Ms Meloni, who came to Delhi in September to attend the G20 summit, wrote in the post.

PM Modi also met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Turkey President RT Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, among other leaders.

PM Modi had a packed day-long schedule as he addressed the four sessions at the UN climate change conference.

The Prime Minister had the opportunity to discuss ways to promote clean and green growth, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. Issues of bilateral and regional interests were also discussed in his meeting with many leaders on the sidelines of the summit, Mr Kwatra said.

Global climate negotiations largely avoided mentioning fossil fuels for decades, until Glasgow's COP26 agreed to "phasedown" unfiltered coal power and the "phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies".

Momentum has built since then on a more ambitious pledge to move away from all fossil fuels, and the UN's former climate chief Christiana Figueres said an unprecedented surge in renewables and electric vehicles gave her optimism that the world can still achieve its climate goals.

Those centre on the 2015 Paris deal, which saw nearly 200 nations agree to limit global warming to "well below" two degree Celsius since the pre-industrial era, and preferably a safer threshold of 1.5 Celsius.

In his COP28 speech on Friday, PM Modi called on all nations to work together to cut global emissions drastically, and announced a "green credit" initiative that focuses on creating carbon skins with people's participation.

He said India's emissions are very low compared to other nations whose population is much less. "India's population is 17 per cent of the global population, but in global carbon emissions India is only at 4 per cent. We are moving fast in achieving the NDC targets. In fact, we reached our non-fossil fuel targets nine years before the deadline," PM Modi said, referring to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

"We do not have much time to correct the mistakes of the last century," PM Modi said, and asked every nation to work sincerely to meet their NDC targets.

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