The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) refuted claims of a secret memo against Hardeep Singh Nijjar, denying its existence and labeling reports as "fake and completely fabricated." The ministry accused the outlet of disseminating the information of promoting "fake narratives peddled by Pakistani intelligence." In a statement, MEA emphasized a "sustained disinformation campaign against India" and warned against amplifying such news, stating, "Those who amplify such fake news only do so at the cost of their own credibility." Several media reports claimed that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had issued a secret memo in April 2023 directing Indian consulates in North America to initiate a crackdown against Khalistan supporters in Western nations.

BJP leaders shared past tweets of Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu questioning how people still had black money post-note ban after I-T raids on his premises uncovered ₹353 crore cash. "Even after demonetization, my heart is saddened to see so much black money & corruption. I don't understand from where people are accumulating so much black money. If anyone can root out corruption from this country, it is only the Congress," Sahu tweeted in August 2022. The counting finally ended Sunday after the largest-ever cash seizure from one spot began at an SBI branch Wednesday, needing 3 banks and taking days as normal operations also continued. The Congress MP's premises were raided and had yielded stacks of notes in almirahs. BJP used his old criticism of corruption to attack him after his link to the massive cash haul.

Israeli PM Netanyahu dismissed international appeals to stop the months-long Gaza war, arguing allies can't demand eliminating Hamas while also pressing to end military operations. Briefing his cabinet, Netanyahu said he told world leaders: "You cannot on the one hand support the elimination of Hamas and on other pressure us to end the war, which would prevent the elimination of Hamas." Fighting has raged since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7. While Israel vowed to destroy the militant group, its offensive has killed 17,700 in Gaza, mostly civilians. A 7-day truce saw hostage swaps before collapsing Dec 1. Qatar mediating talks warned "relentless" Israeli strikes were "narrowing window" for new truce. WHO proposed emergency aid passage given "catastrophic" health situation.

Hamas issued a stern warning to Israel on Sunday saying: "Neither the fascist enemy... nor its supporters can take their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation and meeting the resistance's demands". A spokesman for its armed wing, Abu Obeida, referred to freeing Palestinian detainees held by Israel while making the remarks in a televised address. Last week's collapsed Gaza truce saw 105 Hamas hostages freed in return for 240 prisoners. But Israel says 137 still remain captive in Gaza. Qatar trying to broker talks cautioned "narrowing window" due to relentless Israeli strikes. Vowing to continue the fight, Obeida stated: "We have no choice but to fight this barbaric occupier in every neighbourhood, street."

The teenage twins of imprisoned Iranian women's rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi accepted the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to their mother. Serving a 10-year term in Tehran, Ms Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran. In a defiant speech smuggled from jail and read out, she stated: "The Iranian people, with perseverance, will overcome repression and authoritarianism. Have no doubt, this is certain." Jailed almost continuously since 2010 with multiple arrests, she is currently serving time for "spreading propaganda". Her husband lives exiled in Paris with their children who haven't seen her in years. The 51-year-old's absence at the Oslo ceremony stood testament to her long fight for justice from behind bars.

The National Stock Exchange of India is set to overtake Hong Kong in the list of the globe's largest trading venues by market capitalization. The NSE's total market capitalisation of listed firms stood at $3.7 trillion in October, just behind Hong Kong's $3.9 trillion, data showed. But thanks to surging earnings and upbeat Indian growth forecasts, share prices have since rallied further, putting the NSE on course to become the world's 7th biggest exchange after US, China, EU, and Japan markets. In contrast, Hong Kong has fallen victim to China's cooling economy, with real estate liquidity squeeze and frail confidence dragging down its benchmark Hang Seng index. India's Nifty 50 index of large companies hit new peaks this week, having risen over 8% in a month while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 6.7% during the same period.

The UK will remain pounded by heavy rains this week as twin storms Elin and Fergus combine forces, prompting four yellow weather warnings for rain in place for Monday. The Met Office warned of downpours across Scotland, northwest England and West Yorkshire. It said though a brief respite may come on Monday, "further unsettled weather likely Tuesday" when another low-pressure moves in, potentially bringing heavy rainfall and strong coastal winds. Elin caused rail disruptions Saturday while motorists were left stranded in surface flood water in various places. "Although there will be a brief drier interlude for many on Monday, further unsettled weather is likely on Tuesday," the Met said. Sunday brought Storm Fergus with two rain bands over most of Britain, worst hitting Northern Ireland and Scotland.

OpenAI said it is probing user complaints about ChatGPT becoming "lazy" and refusing queries. Many Reddit threads alleged the AI now just gives basic info, asks users to fill gaps, or responds sassily that they should do the work. Speculation mounted about OpenAI tweaking the AI bot to improve efficiency and cut computing costs of detailed answers. "We've heard all your feedback about GPT4 getting lazier! We haven’t updated the model since Nov 11th, and this certainly isn’t intentional. Model behavior can be unpredictable, and we’re looking into fixing it," OpenAI tweeted. It denied intentionally changing the system, saying, "This certainly isn't intentional. Model behavior can be unpredictable".

A French warship operating in the Red Sea shot down two drones launched from the Yemen coast, the French defense ministry said Sunday. It said the multipurpose frigate Languedoc intercepted and destroyed a first drone around 9:30 pm local time Saturday and a second one around 11:30 pm, about 110 km from Yemen's Al Hudaydah coast. On Saturday, Yemen's Houthi militants had threatened to target all ships heading to Israel regardless of nationality. The Iran-backed rebels have seized and attacked several Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait, a key global oil shipping channel. France said the drones were destroyed 68 miles off Yemen, averting a potential strike on the warship.

The UK's growing rich-poor divide risks becoming a "chasm", warned a think tank report, arguing the disadvantaged saw no improvement in 15 years. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) highlighted stagnant wages, housing issues, crime, and mental health crises, saying the gap widened amid the pandemic. It warned of slipping back to Victorian-era inequality with "systemic problems facing the bottom" getting entrenched. "For too many Britain is broken and the gap between the haves and have-nots is in danger of becoming a chasm," the report adds. Lockdowns worsened matters, it added, flagging surging youth mental illness and work benefits claimants. Ministers cited cost of living support but the report dubbed Britain "broken" over the dangers of an unbridgeable gulf between haves and have-nots.