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NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to a “sudden loss of consciousness at home,” the hospital said in a statement. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency” at 8:06 p.m., the hospital said, but “despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 p.m.” Singh was being treated for “age-related medical conditions,” the statement said. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and leader of the Congress Party in the Parliament's Upper House, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. He was chosen to fill the role in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi . But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. Singh was reelected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges over the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the Congress Party’s crushing defeat in the 2014 national election by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi . Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister. Prime Minister Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, called him one of India’s “most distinguished leaders” who rose from humble origins and left “a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years.” “As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” Modi said in a post on the social platform X. He called Singh’s interventions in Parliament as a lawmaker “insightful” and said “his wisdom and humility were always visible.” Rahul Gandhi, from the same party as Singh and the opposition leader in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, said Singh’s “deep understanding of economics inspired the nation” and that he “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.” “I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” Gandhi wrote on X. Born on Sept. 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province of undivided India, Singh’s brilliant academic career took him to Cambridge University in Britain, where he earned a degree in economics in 1957. He then got his doctorate in economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. Singh taught at Panjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics before joining the Indian government in 1971 as economic advisor in the Commerce Ministry. In 1982, he became chief economic adviser to the Finance Ministry. He also served as deputy chair of the Planning Commission and governor of the Reserve Bank of India. As finance minister, Singh in 1991 instituted reforms that opened up the economy and moved India away from a socialist-patterned economy and toward a capitalist model in the face of a huge balance of payments deficit, skirting a potential economic crisis. His accolades include the 1987 Padma Vibhushan Award, India’s second-highest civilian honor; the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress in 1995; and the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year in 1993 and 1994. Singh was a member of India’s Upper House of Parliament and was leader of the opposition from 1998 to 2004 before he was named prime minister. He was the first Sikh to hold the country’s top post and made a public apology in Parliament for the 1984 Sikh Massacre in which some 3,000 Sikhs were killed after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards. Under Singh, India adopted a Right to Information Act in 2005 to promote accountability and transparency from government officials and bureaucrats. He was also instrumental in implementing a welfare scheme that guaranteed at least 100 paid workdays for Indian rural citizens. The coalition government he headed for a decade brought together politicians and parties with differing ideologies that were rivals in the country’s various states. In a move hailed as one of his biggest achievements apart from economic reforms, Singh ended India’s nuclear isolation by signing a deal with the U.S. that gave India access to American nuclear technology. But the deal hit his government adversely, with Communist allies withdrawing support and criticism of the agreement growing within India in 2008 when it was finalized. Singh adopted a pragmatic foreign policy approach, pursuing a peace process with nuclear rival and neighbor Pakistan. But his efforts suffered a major setback after Pakistani militants carried out a massive gun and bomb attack in Mumbai in November 2008. He also tried to end the border dispute with China, brokering a deal to reopen the Nathu La pass into Tibet, which had been closed for more than 40 years. His 1965 book, “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth,” dealt with India’s inward-oriented trade policy. Singh is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters. Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.
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Ontario NDP MPPs are calling on the Doug Ford government to tighten the rules on ticket reselling in light of steep resale prices facing fans hoping to see Taylor Swift perform in Toronto. MPPs Kristyn Wong-Tam, who represents Toronto Centre, and Chris Glover, who represents Spadina-Fort York, told reporters on Friday the ticket resale market needs to be fixed. They said tickets are being resold for thousands of dollars above their original prices due to unregulated platforms. "Fans are paying the price for the Ontario government's inaction on the ticket resale racket. Not all Swifties have had an enchanted experience," Wong-Tam said, outside the Rogers Centre. "Tis the damn season to fix Ontario's ticket resale market," Wong-Tam said, nodding to a Swift song. "These margins are going to people who don't like Taylor Swift music. They're not even fans and they're all profiteering." Wong-Tam said she introduced two motions in the Ontario Legislature on Thursday to demand an end to unfair ticket resale practices. One motion calls on the province to consult with stakeholders, investigate and create a system to end price gouging and to fix the ticket resale market, while the other calls for an equitable funding strategy to support Ontario's arts, culture and sports sector. "Everyone has a right to enjoy the arts," Wong-Tam said. "We want to help create a fair, competitive marketplace for these experiences and we do that by supporting a thriving and competitive economy." In 2018, the Ontario government under Doug Ford paused implementation of a section of the Ticket Sales Act that was brought in by the previous Liberal government. That would have capped ticket resale prices at 50 per cent above the original face value. In 2019, the government cancelled that section. At the time, the government said there was no way to enforce the cap. CBC News has contacted the province for comment on the motions. The motions come as Swift wraps up her Eras Tour in Toronto, with two remaining performances on Friday and Saturday nights. Retail tickets for shows on Swift's tour in North America and Europe sold out almost instantly. Many then popped up on resale sites just as quickly. Swift fans hoping to snag tickets now face soaring prices because scalpers and bots scooped up the tickets and are reselling them at excessively high prices. The cheapest tickets available on resale websites for the sold out Rogers Centre shows this week were available on Friday at $4,000 a pop — and that's for a restricted view in a standing-room only section. Tickets with a seat — though still with an obstructed or limited view — are closer to $4,500. Glover, for his part, said there is no regulation around the resale market in Ontario. "This resale market is grossly unfair," Glover said. "We need resale regulations. It will help fans across this province." In a news release, Glover said: "Music fans are being gouged... Whether it is groceries, telecoms, or tickets this government is putting big corporations over making your life more affordable." Several jurisdictions in Europe, including Ireland, Portugal, Denmark and France, have successfully regulated their ticket resale markets, he said.How a Washington state space company is building rockets to fly, and fly againSwamp Strikes Back: Former FBI and CIA Director Warns Against Trump's Cabinet Picks
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot continued to play down the significance of their place at the top of the Premier League despite it being strengthened by their 3-1 win over Leicester. Chelsea’s surprise defeat by Fulham meant victory over the Foxes stretched their lead to seven points, with a match in hand, with the halfway point of the campaign fast approaching. But Slot is maintaining his level-headed approach despite the clamour growing around their chances of adding another title to the one won in 2020. Tonight's goalscorers 💪 pic.twitter.com/xn9sfZbVow — Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 26, 2024 “If you are in this game for a long time like the players and I am then 20 games before the end you don’t look at it as there are so many challenges ahead of you,” he said after Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah scored to turn around an early deficit following Jordan Ayew’s strike. “Injuries and and a bit of bad luck can happen to any team, it is far too early to be already celebrating – but it is nice for us to be where we are. “I don’t think there was any easy win for us in any of these games; it could have been an easy win against Tottenham but we conceded two and it was then 5-2 – that tells you how difficult it is to win even when you have all your players available. “That is why we have to take it one game at a time. The league table is something of course we are aware of but we always understand how many games there are to go.” Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy felt his side held their own until Salah scored in the 82nd minute. “I think we were in the contest for a result for a long time,” he said. “Three-one was the turning point in the sense the game was done there to get a result. “I think the 60th minute I remember a chanced for Daka to score the equaliser so we were in the game to get a surprising result. “We did well, we did what we could: a good start with the goal but if you speak of a turning point, 3-1 with Salah, the game was done.” Van Nistelrooy left goalkeeper Danny Ward out of the squad after he struggled in the defeat to Wolves and was jeered by his own fans. “The change in goal was one to make and the conversation with Wardy was impressive, the way he was thinking of the team and the club,” added the Dutchman. “I insisted on a conversation and of course it is a private conversation but what I want to share is the person and the professional he is. “I was impressed with that and his willingness for the team and the club to do well. “Really tough what happened for him. We are professionals but human beings as well, when frustration is being directed towards one person that is difficult.” We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.
Reeves, 60, plays Shadow in the latest film adaption of the Sega video game, which will see Sonic, Knuckles and Tails battle him to protect the planet. Speaking at the movie’s London premiere on Tuesday, the Canadian star said: “I’m a big fan, I mean, I really enjoyed the first two films. “I really liked the character of Shadow, so I was really excited to try to be a part of it.” The Matrix actor went on to speak about the differences between voice acting and appearing on screen. He added: “It’s fun to play pretend, I love acting, so it’s fun to try and inhabit another character. “There’s an intensity to doing voice work and specificity, it’s kind of more like doing, it’s its own thing, because it’s kind of like theatre, but no audience. “So it’s like doing radio, and it’s just fun.” Canadian-American actor Jim Carrey co-stars as villain Doctor Eggman, a role he told the PA news agency it was “great” to be playing again. Carrey told PA: “I do like to play a character filled with disdain here and there, the Grinch was that. “But there were other characters like The Truman Show, he’s somebody who loves the world and believes in the world, and believes in the people in his life, and believes in his neighbours, and he’s just a good-hearted soul that finds out there’s something more in the world than what he knows and something beyond his own neighbourhood. “So it’s a lovely story, but they’re all different characters, they all have different desires, and you have to do something special with each one.” He added: “I just let it rip when they say action, it’s just a perfect excuse to be an obstreperous bloviating bag of ill will. “And then of course they say cut, and all of that horrible politeness and needing to be loved seeps back in.” Sonic The Hedgehog 3 will be released in UK cinemas on Friday December 20.
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This victory is a stamp on the BJP's governance model, PM Modi said. Top Quotes from PM's Speech "Development, good governance, and social justice have won in Maharashtra. Lies and deceit have suffered a crushing defeat. Divisive forces and dynastic politics have lost in Maharashtra today," Prime Minister Modi said. "Today, several bypoll results have been declared too and we have also increased our Lok Sabha tally after winning one more seat. We have done well in every state and it shows that people want development I want to thank the people, especially the mothers and the farmers for the win. I want to thank the people of Jharkhand too and we will work for its development, PM Modi said. "In the last 50 years, no party or pre-poll alliance has secured such a big win as Maharashtra's. This is the third consecutive time, that a BJP-led alliance has won in a state. This is indeed a historic win," he said. "This is the third consecutive time that the BJP has emerged as the largest party in Maharashtra, which is undoubtedly a historic feat. This victory is a stamp on the BJP's governance model," the Prime Minister said in his speech. "The voter sees that those who promise big things in one state, how are they faring in the other states. Maharashtra voters saw how in Karnataka, and Himachal, Congress cheated people. You will get to see this in Punjab as well, Prime Minister said. "Now only one constitution will be applicable in the entire country... that constitution is the constitution of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, the constitution of India," the Prime Minister said. "After Haryana, the biggest message of this election is unity. 'Ek hain toh safe hain' has become the 'maha-mantra' of the country," the Prime Minister said after the BJP secured a second win in Assembly elections after the Lok Sabha polls. "This Maharashtra election has exposed the true faces of the INDIA bloc and Aghadi groups before the entire nation. We all know that Balasaheb Thackeray made significant contributions to this country. However, the Congress, driven by a lust for power, managed to take a faction of his party along, but no Congress leader can ever praise Balasaheb's principles," he said. "I challenged the Aghadi leaders to get Congress to praise Balasaheb's principles and policies, but they've failed to do so to date," he added. "I also tell the Congress people and their allies to listen carefully... now no power in the world can bring back Article 370," Prime Minister said.
Seinfeld star Michael Richards has rare outing with wife Beth Skipp after reflecting on past racist rantbkparashar@htlive.com After a setback in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is now basking in euphoria following its resounding victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly bypolls, effectively halting the momentum the Samajwadi Party-led Opposition gained just over five months ago on the road to the 2027 assembly elections. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won seven of the nine assembly seats for which the bypolls were held on November 20. The NDA not only improved its tally over 2022, but also snatched seats like Kundarki and Katehari from the SP, besides increasing the winning margins on some and narrowing down the defeat gap on some others. The NDA won only four of these seats in 2022. The Ghaziabad, Khair and Phulpur seats went to the BJP and Majhawan to its alliance partner, the NISHAD party, then. In the 2024 bypolls, the BJP has retained all these four seats and brought three additional seats into its kitty. The BJP won the Ghaziabad, Khair, Kundarki, Phulpur, Majhawan, and Katehari seats while its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) retained the Meerapur seat. The RLD was the SP’s ally in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The SP that emerged as the dominant force in the Lok Sabha elections in UP had to remain satisfied with just two seats, Sisamau and Karhal, which is its pocketborough. The BJP’s landslide win in the assembly bypolls comes as a powerful morale booster after party’s tally fell from 62 out of 80 Lok Sabha seatsin 2019 to just 33 in June 2024 whereas the SP emerged as the single largest party from the state with 37 Lok Sabha seats. The bypoll results, it is believed, will inject the much-needed confidence into the party as it gears up for the crucial 2027 battle. In fact, the bypolls were a critical test for the BJP, given the high stakes involved and the political capital invested. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath himself spearheaded the campaign. Both deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, state BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and general secretary (organisation) Dharampal were also assigned the seats with a view to ensuring the party’s victory. All this reflected the BJP’s desperation as well as determination to reverse setbacks it suffered in the Lok Sabha polls. Hence, the party pulled out all stops to win the battle of perception. Otherwise, the bypolls had no other significance. The results have not only saved the party from potential embarrassment, but also reaffirmed its grassroots strength and ability to mobilise its cadre effectively. Analysts view these victories as a testament to the BJP’s organisational machinery and its continued appeal. The results, according to them, have come a big relief to Yogi Adityanath personally and the BJP in general. “The outcome of the bypolls will consolidate the Yogi Adityanath’s leadership in the BJP and the government and put brakes to many rumours that gained currency after the Lok Sabha polls, within and outside the party,” political scientist Shashi Kant Pandey said. Welcoming the results, UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said, “It is the victory of the work of the double-engine government in the state and defeat of the SP’s negative politics and lies that now stand exposed.” Pandey, however, said despite its resounding victory in the by-polls, the BJP would continue to face challenges ahead. “The party’s leadership will need to address the factors that led to its Lok Sabha debacle and sustain the momentum gained through these bypolls,” he said. An indication about this already has already come from SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who, after the results, wrote on X, “The tricks of those who have made ‘election’ synonymous with ‘corruption’ have been captured in photographs and exposed before the world. The world, the country and Uttar Pradesh saw the most distorted form of electoral politics in this by-election. There may be a time of falsehood but not an era. Now the real struggle has begun... clench your fist, tighten your fist and make the PDA’s proclamation ‘Judenge to Jeetenge!” The bypoll results may have provided a much-needed lifeline to the BJP, but the road to reclaiming the dominance it lost in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections may still remain long and challenging.
Videos and images shared on social media showed the unfamiliar fighter jet soaring over Sichuan province in China on Dec. 26. (Credit: Reuters) China appears to have conducted the maiden flight of its new sixth-generation fighter aircraft, marking a significant milestone in the ever-evolving landscape of fighter jets . Video and photos from social media showed the previously unseen aircraft conducting a daytime test flight, alongside a two-seat Chengdu J-20S fighter, which served as a chase plane. The planes were soaring high in Chengdu, Sichuan, China on Dec. 26, which is notably the birthday of the founding father of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong . CHINA UNVEILS WORLD'S LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS WARSHIP Chinese military aircraft fly in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, in this screengrab taken from a social media video released on December 26, 2024. (Social Media/via REUTERS) Photos and video of the tailless Chinese aircraft came as the U.S. continues to work on developing its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter jet. The NGAD fighter jet is intended to replace the F-22 Raptor, a fifth-generation stealth combat aircraft that has been in service with the U.S. Air Force since the early 2000s. CHINA WARNS US TO STOP ARMING TAIWAN AFTER BIDEN APPROVES $571M IN MILITARY AID Fifth generation aircraft incorporated stealth technology, with the sixth generation aircraft promising further advancements. Chinese military aircraft fly in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, in this screengrab taken from a social media video released on December 26, 2024. (Social Media/via REUTERS) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This new aircraft is the latest in a series of milestones for China’s aviation . At the Zhuhai Airshow, China unveiled the J-35A fifth-generation fighter jet and the J-15T fighter. Fox News Digital has reached out to China's Ministry of Defense for comment. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten .
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