Republic Top 10 Headlines: Ludhiana court blast; Nepal PM's expected India visit & more

Ludhiana Blast: Punjab DGP reveals role of deceased accused; 'mobile number was main lead'

In a massive development in the Ludhiana court blast, Gagandeep Singh, a former policeman who was identified as the one killed in the explosion has been confirmed to be the bomber behind the major explosion in the Ludhiana district court. Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya on Saturday, confirmed the same while speaking to Republic TV. The DGP also said that the deceased suspect was part of organised crime and has possible links with pro-Khalistan groups. 

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Ludhiana Court Blast: Police arrest lady constable; 'was linked to prime suspect'

In a major development in the Ludhiana court blast, the investigative agency on Saturday made the first arrest. The arrested lady working as a constable is said to be friends with the prime accused, Gagandeep Singh - a suspended constable in the Punjab Police - as per sources. Sources further say, of the many calls the suspended constable had made on the day of the blast, a call was also made to the lady constable. 

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Omicron: Centre to send teams to 10 states seeing infection surge, low COVID vaccination

As several states in India are witnessing a spike in Omicron cases, the Union Health Ministry has decided to deploy multi-disciplinary central teams to 10 identified states. These states include Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Mizoram, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Punjab. As per the health ministry, these 10 states are either reporting a slow vaccination pace or rising cases of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

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Will Harbhajan Singh join politics? Legendary spinner reveals a day after his retirement

Confirming that he has received offers from political parties, former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh did not deny plans of joining politics. In a statement, the cricketer who recently retired from his cricket career said that he will soon reveal his plans of joining any political party. The speculations regarding his political career started after the Turbanator met with Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and later announced retirement. 

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BJP kicks off 'micro Donation Drive'; PM Modi, Amit Shah & JP Nadda donate Rs 1000

Kicking off BJP's 'micro-donation' drive, BJP chief JP Nadda on Saturday urged party workers to collect donations ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 1,000 from people across the nation. The micro-donation drive begins today, 25 December - marking Atal Bihar Vajpayee's birth anniversary - and will end on 11 February - Deen Dayal Upadhyay's death anniversary. BJP has raked in Rs 785.77 crore in 2019-2020 in party contributions while Congress received Rs 139 crore.

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Nepal PM expected to visit India in early January, to hold bilateral meeting with PM Modi

After the officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued an invitation to Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to visit India, it is now speculated that PM Deuba is expected to visit India in early January next year. As per the reports of ANI, a top official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Nepali Prime Minister Deuba has been formally invited to visit and that this would be his second trip to another country. The official also stated that he will most likely travel to India in the first few weeks of January in the next year. 

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Digvijaya Singh sparks row; 'BJP will change Constitution if comes to power in 2024'

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday issued a controversial statement. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said that if Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power in 2024, the saffron party will change the Constitution of India. He also said that Savarkar in his book has written that cow cannot be our mother and Hinduism has nothing to do with Hindus. 

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Pakistan forces & Taliban clash in massive border war in Kunar Province along Durand Line

The Pakistani army and the Taliban have engaged in fresh clashes along the Durand Line, triggering speculation that their ties could severe in near future. According to footage of the skirmish accessed by Republic Media Network, the armed exchanges first began yesterday afternoon in Kunar Province and have continued since then. Notably, Pakistan and the Taliban have been in disagreement regarding the sanctity of the 2,640-kilometre-long border for decades and have clashed multiple times in the past. 

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Taliban welcomes US' decision to issue 3 general licenses to facilitate aid for Afghans

The Taliban interim government on Friday welcomed the US' milestone decision of issuing three General Licenses that will facilitate the flow of life-saving and basic humanitarian aid to vulnerable people in Afghanistan. Speaking at a regular press briefing on Friday, Taliban deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi noted that "Afghan people passed through long wars and drought is yet another problem ahead of Afghanistan so we appreciate such decision." 

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Ashes 2021: England announce Playing XI for Boxing Day Test; make four changes

Team England have announced their Boxing Day Test squad and have made four changes to their XI that took the field during their defeat in the Ashes 2021 Adelaide Test. Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes have been left out with opener Zac Crawley, wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow, pacer Mark Wood and spinner Jack Leach coming in. 

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(Image: Republic)