Iran fired missiles toward Israel and US bases in Gulf countries including Qatar, Bahrain and UAE after the attacks. Several explosions were reported across the region.

Heavy snowfall affected transportation and polling operations in parts of Japan during national elections. Authorities implemented contingency measures to ensure voter access, highlighting challenges of holding elections during extreme weather.

Japan voted in a rare winter general election on Sunday. Heavy snowfall in several regions affected voter turnout. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling coalition is expected to retain power, while opposition parties attempted to mobilize support amid economic and social policy debates.

As of now, the vehicles remain unrecovered.The three damaged shops belong to Ghadlo Devi, wife of Jaihari Ram from Pulan village. One of the buried pick-up trucks was hers, while the other belonged to Bunty, also a resident of Pulan village.Local administration and police teams rushed to the site immediately after the incident and began search operations along with damage assessment to locate the buried vehicles and evaluate the extent of destruction.

Chief Secretary also directed the formulation of a dedicated winter traffic management plan to ensure smooth traffic flow and enhance safety in major tourist destinations that witness heavy winter footfall. He instructed departments to ensure daily testing of ISAT phones for emergency use. He noted that all police stations in the State have been equipped with V-SAT facilities for video conferencing during emergencies.

Departments were instructed to conduct fire audits, maintain winter-specific traffic plans, ensure equipment maintenance, protect water pipes, and keep communication systems (ISAT/VSAT/VHF) in working condition. District administrations were also advised to strengthen coordination with SDRF, NDRF, Army, Air Force, ITBP, CISF, and SSB for emergency support.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister was informed that BBMB has identified 4403 MW capacity of power on Bhakra Dam and 8700 MW capacity on Kol Dam for establishing pump storage projects. He directed the department to take lead in this direction and move forward immediately so that the people of the State reap maximum benefits from these projects.

The Chief Minister directed the officers that construction work of Utility ducts should be in the lines of 'Green Himachal', the vision of the State Government and it must be ensured that no inconvenience is caused to the people during execution of this work.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the Government has issued a notification regarding opening of restaurants and other eatable shops round-the-clock from 23rd December 2024 to 5th January, 2025 so that tourists and visitors do no face any inconvenience during their stays in the State. 

During his one-day visit to Lahaul Spiti district, Sh. Sukhu laid the foundation stone of 11 development projects totaling Rs. 70.07 crore. These projects include the upgradation of the main road Ratil at a cost of Rs. 9.97 crore, upgradation of the main road Rwaling Thirling Mailing at Rs. 4.58 crore, Upgradation of the main road Marble at Rs. 6.41 crore,