Here are some of the top stories from International Business Times, India, that have broken through the day so far:
1. I urge Indians to conduct 5 transactions through BHIM app till Jan 1, says PM Modi at Digi-Dhan Mela
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a mobile app at New Delhi's Talkatora Stadium on Friday, where he was attending his second Digi-Dhan Mela to make digital payments easy. The initiative plans to enable citizens and merchants to undertake realtime digital transactions through the Digi-Dhan Bazaar. The official website for it: https://digidhan.mygov.in/ Read more here.
2. Russia Tu-154 plane crash: State-run major bank clears all debts of victims
Russia's major bank, Sberbank has written off all the loans taken by Tu-154 plane crash victims, the Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said. The Russian military plane, a Tu-154 jet, which crashed on Sunday had 92 people on board and was carrying 60 members of the Red Army choir, who were heading to Syria to entertain the Russian troops in the country for the New Year celebrations. Read more here.
3. Pune bakery fire: At least 6 feared killed in blaze
At least six people were killed in their sleep after a fire broke out at a bakery in Pune early morning on Friday. The fire broke out at Bakes and Cakes shop located on the ground floor of a multi-storey building near Talab Company at Kondhwa Khurd locality in the city. Read more here.
4. North Korea likely developing a lethal radioactive bomb drone, experts say
A think tank from South Korea has said that North Korea is developing a bomb drone, which can spread lethal amounts of radioactive material over a wide stretch of area, making it uninhabitable. If the claims of the think tank are true, this would be the latest in a string of nuclear and radiological weapons being developed under North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime. Read more here.
5. 2016 at a glance: Brexit, Opec deal, demonetisation, Amma's death, Raghuram Rajan's exit, cricket controversies and more
The calendar year 2016 draws to a close in less than 48 hours from now, marking the end of an eventful year, especially in the last few months. For India — the world's fastest-growing economy — the biggest event was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation decision of November 8, 2016 and the consequences that are far from over. Read more here.
