Karnataka allows 100% occupancy in theatres for 4 weeks

New Delhi: Social media giant Meta is set to get a summons from a Parliamentary Standing Committee over its boss Mark Zuckerberg's remark on the 2024 Indian general election. Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP and chairman of the House panel on Communication and Information Technology, said Meta would be summoned on grounds of spreading misinformation.

"Misinformation on a democratic country maligns its image. The organisation would have to apologise to the Parliament and the people here for this mistake," Mr Dubey said in a post on X.

In a podcast on January 10, the 40-year-old Facebook co-founder said the Covid pandemic had led to an erosion of trust in incumbent governments the world over. He incorrectly cited India's example in this connection. "2024 was a very big election year around the world and all these countries, India, had elections. The incumbents basically lost every single one. There is some sort of a global phenomenon - whether it was because of inflation or the economic policies to deal with Covid or just how the governments dealt with Covid. It seems to have had this effect that's global," he said.

Soon after, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw fact-checked Zuckerberg's remark and said the people of India had reaffirmed their trust in the NDA led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha election held last year.

"As the world's largest democracy, India conducted the 2024 elections with over 640 million voters. People of India reaffirmed their trust in NDA led by PM @narendramodi Ji's leadership. Mr. Zuckerberg's claim that most incumbent governments, including India in 2024 elections, lost post-COVID is factually incorrect," Mr Vaishnaw, who handles portfolios of Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology in the Modi 3.0 government, said in a post on X.

"From free food for 800 million, 2.2 billion free vaccines, and aid to nations worldwide during COVID, to leading India as the fastest-growing major economy, PM Modi's decisive 3rd-term victory is a testament to good governance and public trust. Meta, it's disappointing to see misinformation from Mr. Zuckerberg himself. Let's uphold facts and credibility," he added.

The ruling BJP, which had scored thumping victories in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, suffered some setbacks in the general election last year and ended below the majority mark. The NDA alliance, however, crossed the magic figure comfortably with key allies bolstering the BJP's numbers. A united Opposition led by the Congress did make gains, but fell well short of the numbers required to turn the tables. With Modi 3.0, Prime Minister Modi became only the second Indian Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to get the top post for three consecutive terms.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that at least 74 children were killed in Israel’s relentless violence in the Gaza Strip during the first week of 2025, marking a grim start to the New Year for children in the besieged territory.

In a recent report released on Wednesday, UNICEF said that the fatalities occurred within just eight days, emphasizing that the lack of adequate shelter, compounded by winter weather, poses severe risks to the children in Gaza.

“For the children of Gaza, the New Year has brought more death & suffering with at least 74 children reportedly killed,” Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine Russell said, calling for an immediate ceasefire to end the violence.

She expressed deep concern over the number of children who have either been killed or have lost loved ones during the tragic beginning of the year.

Numerous fatalities have occurred during mass casualty events, including nighttime assaults in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and al-Mawasi, which has been designated a "safe zone." The most recent attack claimed the lives of five children in al-Mawasi on Tuesday, according to UNICEF.

The situation is dire, with reports indicating that eight infants and newborns have died from hypothermia since December 26, highlighting the severe risk facing young children who are unable to regulate their body temperature amid the harsh conditions as Israel weaponizes cold against children in the Gaza strip.

“UNICEF has long warned that inadequate shelter, lack of access to nutrition and healthcare, the dire sanitary situation, and now the winter weather put the lives of all children in Gaza at risk. Newborns and children with medical conditions are especially vulnerable,” Russell emphasized.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached alarming levels. The number of aid trucks entering the region remains grossly inadequate to meet the basic needs of families, while civil order has largely unraveled, leading to the looting of humanitarian supplies.

According to UN reports, over a million children are currently living in makeshift tents, with almost all of the 2.3 million population displaced several times over the last 15 months.

Moreover, the few operational hospitals are overwhelmed, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure has severely hampered access to essential services, including food, clean water, sanitation, and healthcare.

Kamal Adwan Hospital, previously the only functioning medical facility in northern Gaza with a pediatric unit, has ceased operations following a raid last month, exacerbating the already critical healthcare situation.

A recent report from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics noted a 6% decline in Gaza's population in 2024, indicating that Israeli forces are intentionally targeting specific demographic groups, such as children and youth, resulting in a significant “distortion of the population.”

Since the onset of the genocide, Israel has killed 45,936 Palestinians, including over 17,600 children, as reported by the Health Ministry in Gaza, indicating a tragic loss of one child approximately every hour.

Los Angeles wildfires have continued their trail of devastation, razing death tolls to 24 and destroying thousands of structures, while intensifying winds are worsening the situation for both civilians and firefighters.

In an update on Sunday evening, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said a total of 24 people have died due to the wildfires.

According to the examiner, this number is only an estimate as hundreds of people in various parts of the county are still missing.

Weather forecasters in California are also warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week.

The notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 96km/h, they said.

The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson. “You are going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there,” he added.

On Saturday, the flames spread east, creeping closer to Interstate 405 and a busy mountain pass. This is a “significant development,” said L.A. County spokesman Jesus Ruiz.

With the fire rapidly growing and moving in the direction of “a heavily populated area … we are definitely concerned,” he continued.

Gavin Newsom, governor of California said that he believes that in terms of costs associated with the wildfire, it will be the worst natural disaster in terms scale and scope in the history of the US, and the fatalities is likely to increase significantly as well.

On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250 billion to $275 billion. The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.