LIVE: CBI raids Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's office at secretariat

Live news updates: The remains would be taken to Sharad Yadav's ancestral village in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh

4:08 PM

CBI raids Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's office in Delhi Secretariat.

CBI raids are underway at the office of Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in Delhi Secretariat.
 

3:06 PM

Let anyone tell anything, I will continue my work, says Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said let anyone tell anything but he would continue his work and meet people as he did in the last 14 years.

His remarks come a day after an array of party leaders made a veiled attack against his move to shift to State politics.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he was attending programmes across the State as he gets lots of invitations from various quarters and there is nothing special about it as other politicians are also doing the same.

"Let anyone tell anything...I am doing my work...whatever anyone says, I have no issue," he told reporters here when asked about the recent statements of some Congress leaders without mentioning his name.

3:01 PM

Indian-American Ro Khanna's plan to run for US Senate sparks speculation about his White House bid

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has said that he is weighing a Senate bid in California, sparking speculation among Democrats in several key US states that he may be eyeing to run for the White House in the future, according to a media report.

Those close to Khanna, 46, say he is keeping his options open ahead of a potential presidential run in 2028 or beyond. But others in his orbit are talking about an even more compressed timeline: running in 2024 if President Joe Biden, 80, decided not to, according to Politico, a political newspaper company based in Arlington County in the US.

I think he would be a great United States senator, said Mark Longabaugh, a Democratic strategist whose firm did media consulting for Khanna last year.

2:59 PM

Srinagar-Jammu highway reopened, flight operations resume in Kashmir Valley a day after snowfall

The Kashmir Valley's connectivity with the rest of the country was restored on Saturday with the Srinagar-Jammu national highway reopening for traffic and flight operations also resuming here a day after a snowfall, officials said.

 

Air traffic to and from the Kashmir Valley was restored after the airport was cleared of snow and visibility improved. However, several morning flights were delayed and some were cancelled.

 

"The snow from the runway, taxiway and apron has been cleared and the visibility has improved up to 3,000 metres. Flight operations have resumed," an official said.

2:59 PM

Ukrainian officials report Russian missile attack on Kyiv

A series of explosions were heard in Kyiv on Saturday morning before the air raid sirens were turned on.

 

Deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram that a missile attack on critical infrastructure in the capital was underway.

 

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that explosions were heard in Dniprovskyi district, left bank of Kyiv.

 

2:47 PM

Delhi-NCR likely to witness cold wave from Jan 16-18, says IMD

Several places in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) are likely witness a cold wave next week with the minimum temperature expected to settle around 3 degree Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said on Saturday.

The minimum temperature in the national capital on Saturday settled at 10.2 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average, it said.

A partly cloudy sky is expected in the city during the day, they said.

2:47 PM

Nearly all of Beijing to get Covid by end of January, finds study

Nearly all of Beijing’s 22 million population will have been infected with the coronavirus by the end of this month, a new study found, reflecting the rapid spread of China’s outbreak. 

 

About 92% of the people in China’s capital will have contracted Covid by the end of January, while 76% had already been infected by Dec. 22, according to the study, which was published on Friday in the journal Nature Medicine.

 

The virus has been spreading at a faster pace in China after the government relaxed controls in November and abruptly abandoned its Covid Zero policy in December, according to the study. The reproductive rate increased to 3.44 following the policy shifts, meaning one person with the virus can infect 3.44 others, it found. 

2:36 PM

Central Minister Nitin Gadkari gets death threats, security tightened

Security around the office and home of Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari was tightened following extortion-cum-death threats, officials said here on Saturday.

At least three calls were received by Gadkari's private office in the city - between 11.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. - and the caller purportedly uttered the name of absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar.

The unknown caller reportedly made extortion demands and issued death threats targeting Gadkari - who is currently in Nagpur for the Makar Sankranti festival -- before disconnecting abruptly.

2:26 PM

Relief groups say 5 die as Myanmar airstrikes hit churches

Airstrikes by Myanmar's military on two villages inhabited largely by ethnic Karen killed five civilians, including a mother and her 2-year-old daughter, and destroyed two churches, two relief organisations said Friday.

The dead from the airstrikes on Thursday also included the pastor of a Baptist church, a Catholic deacon and a church layman, according to the Karen Women's Organisation and the Free Burma Rangers.

Another woman and her child were wounded in a second village, they said.

2:26 PM

CAA implementation to reduce role of minorities: Amartya Sen

Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen believes implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) could reduce the role of minorities in the country, while encouraging majoritarian forces.

In an interview with PTI, he said India's father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi had worked for a just polity, and a good sense of national identity, for all sections of society.

"As far as I can see, one of BJP's purposes (by implementing CAA) is to reduce the role of minorities and make them less important and, in a direct and indirect way, increase the role of the Hindu majoritarian forces in India and to that extent undermine the minorities," the economist said.

The CAA through which the Centre wants to grant Indian nationality to non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019 and the Presidential nod was received the next day.

Subsequently, it was notified by the home ministry. However, the law is yet to be implemented as rules under the CAA are yet to be framed.

2:03 PM

Sena is changing, earlier we agitated, now we organize job fairs for sons of soil: Aaditya

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said there has been a "radical change" in his party which was once known for its aggressive 'sons-of-the-soil' politics.

The former Maharashtra minister was speaking at a job fair organised by the Shiv Sena faction led by his father Uddhav Thackeray here.

There has been a radical change in the Shiv Sena which used to launch agitations for the rights of the sons of the soil....now we organise job fairs to address the issues of the sons of the soil, especially the youth, the 32-year-old MLA from Worli said.

A new and stronger Shiv Sena was in the making as youths were becoming part of it, the Thackeray family scion added.

1:56 PM

MP: Mortal remains of Sharad Yadav brought to Bhopal, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan pays last respects

The mortal remains of former Union Minister Sharad Yadav, who passed away on Thursday, was brought to Bhopal on Saturday.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present at the airport to receive the mortal remains of the Socialist leader.

The remains would be taken to Sharad Yadav's ancestral village in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh.

"An outstanding leader, who could still have given a lot to this nation, left us. On the behalf of the people of Madhya Pradesh, I am here to offer him my last respects. May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength to his family, supporters and loved ones in this hour of grief," CM Chouhan told mediapersons at Bhopal airport.

Yadav breathed his last on Thursday (January 12) at the Fortis Hospital in Gurugram where he was rushed after collapsing at his Delhi residence.

1:45 PM

SS Rajamouli overjoyed as he meets 'god' Steven Spielberg

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli couldn't contain his excitement after the "RRR" director met the "god" of blockbuster cinema -- Steven Spielberg.

Rajamouli, currently basking in the glory of the Golden Globe win of song "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR", met Spielberg along with composer MM Keeravaani at an event here recently.

He shared photos from his exchange with the Hollywood veteran on Twitter.

"I just met GOD!!!" the filmmaker, also known for blockbuster "Baahubali" movies, wrote in the caption.

1:23 PM

Role of regional parties to be important for 2024 LS polls: Amartya Sen

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen asserted that it would be a mistake to think that the 2024 Lok Sabha election would be a one-horse race in favour of the BJP, and felt that the role of a number of regional parties would be clearly important for the upcoming general election.

The 90-year-old economist also said that though Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has the ability to be India's next Prime Minister, it is yet to be established whether the West Bengal Chief Minister could be able to pull the forces of public dismay against the BJP.

"I think a number of regional parties are clearly important. I think the DMK is an important party, the TMC is certainly important and the Samajwadi Party has some standing but whether that could be extended I do not know.

"I think it would be a mistake to take the dismissive view that there is no other party that can take the place of BJP since it has established itself as a party with a vision that is inclined in the direction of Hindus over the rest of the country," he told PTI in an exclusive interview here.

Leaders of several parties including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Janata Dal (United) have called for a new alliance including the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. They have emphasised that a bipolar contest will ensure the BJP's defeat.

1:22 PM

Remittances sent home by overseas Pakistanis fall to 31-month low of $2 billion in December 2022

The inflows of workers' remittances sent home by overseas Pakistanis have continued to slow down, plunging to a 31-month low of $2 billion in December 2022.

According to the Dawn newspaper, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported on Friday that the remittances had decreased by 19 per cent to Rs 2.04 billion in December compared to $2.52 billion in the same month of the previous year.

The inflows have reduced by 3 per cent in the month compared to $2.10 billion received in November 2022.

Cumulatively in the first six months (July-Dec) of the fiscal year 2022-23, workers' remittances have dropped 11 per cent to $14 billion compared to the same period of the last year, the central bank said.

1:20 PM

Indian Railways to run tourist train between Ayodhya and Nepal's Janakpur

Indian Railways is going to run its Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train on a very special tour "Shri Ram-Janaki Yatra

The tourist train will start from Delhi on February 17, 2023 and this initiative will strengthen the bilateral relations and also promote the cultural relations between the two countries.

The tourist train will include the visit of Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Kashi and Prayagraj as added attractions in the tour. There will be a two-night stay in the hotels, one each at Janakpur and Varanasi respectively, while the visit to Ayodhya, Sitamarhi and Prayagraj will be covered in the day halt at the destination.

1:04 PM

Trinamool Congress leader arrested for attempting pangolin smuggling

A Trinamool Congress leader in West Bengal's Alipurduar district has been arrested by sleuths of the state's forest department while attempting to smuggle a pangolin.

The arrested person was identified as James Borogaon (53), who is the deputy chief of the Khoyardanga-2 village panchayat.

A pangolin was also recovered from his possession.

In India, pangolins are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. And at the same time hunting, trade or any other form of utilisation of the species or their body parts and derivatives is banned.

1:02 PM

Lakhs reach Gangasagar for holy dip on 'Makar Sankranti'

Lakhs of pilgrims across the country have started arriving at the Sagar Island in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district to take a holy dip at Gangasagar on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti', an official said on Saturday.

Even though the auspicious hours for the holy dip will begin around 6.50 pm on Saturday, thousands of devotees took a dip at the confluence of the Hooghly river and the Bay of Bengal in the morning, braving the cold weather condition and offered prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram, he said.

Over 31 lakh pilgrims have arrived at the Gangasagar Mela, considered the biggest religious congregation after the Kumbh Mela, till Friday evening since January 5.

12:38 PM

Cong suspends Yatra for 24 hours as mark of respect for party MP Santokh Choudhary, Rahul postpones presser

The Congress on Saturday suspended its Bharat Jodo Yatra, which was in Punjab, for a day as a mark of respect for party MP Santokh Singh Choudhary who died following a heart attack during the march.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also postponed his scheduled press conference at Jalandhar on January 15, and it will now take place at Hoshiarpur on January 17.

"Bharat Jodo Yatra will be suspended for 24 hours as a mark of respect for Santokh Singh Choudhary, Congress MP from Jalandhar who passed away this morning. The Yatra will resume tomorrow afternoon from Khalsa College Ground, Jalandhar," AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.

"Due to the unexpected and shocking demise of Santokh Singh Chaudhary, Congress MP from Jalandhar, the press conference of Rahul Gandhi originally scheduled in Jalandhar tomorrow will now be held on 17th January in Hoshiarpur," he said in another tweet.

Choudhary died on Saturday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He was 76.

12:22 PM

Soaring popularity of Tharoor triggers disquiet among Congress leaders in Kerala

Three-time Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's growing popularity in the state has apparently left his fellow party leaders worried.

Those following Congress politics in Kerala are turning to party history to check the last time the top brass in the party was as united.

Tharoor's popularity seems to be growing by the day as he paces ahead with his state-wide tour.

12:12 PM

Climate change prolonging El Nino-La Nina impact, driving weather extremes

In the last few years, the world, including India, has witnessed extreme weather conditions. Be it severe heat, torrential rain or severe cold - there has been a significant change in the weather patterns.

North India is witnessing severe cold conditions these days. People are troubled by fog at night and cold winds during the day. At the same time, a weather expert has warned of severe cold waves in the coming days.

Meteorologist Navdeep Dahiya has said that from January 14 to 19, North India will be in the grip of a severe cold wave. Especially between January 16 and 18, the cold will be at its peak and the mercury can fall from minus 4 degree Celsius to two degrees.

11:27 AM

USFDA pulls up Sun Pharma for lapses in Halol plant

The US health regulator has pulled up drug major Sun Pharma for manufacturing lapses, including failure to follow appropriate written procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products, at its Gujarat-based plant.

In a warning letter, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) pointed out various lapses at the Halol plant which produces finished pharmaceutical products.

"This warning letter summarises significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for finished pharmaceuticals... Because your methods, facilities, or controls for manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding do not conform to CGMP, your drug products are adulterated," the USFDA stated.

11:10 AM

High-yielding crop varieties, favourable weather expected to add wheat output by 5 mn tonnes this year: IIWBR

The country's wheat output is expected to be 112 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year, almost five million tonnes more than last year's rabi harvesting season, with rise in area under high-yielding varieties contributing to this, said Gyanendra Singh, Director of Karnal-based ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR).

Singh ascribed expected increase in wheat production to favourable weather conditions, increase in acreage and rise in area under high-yielding crop varieties.

"We are having a good winter. Planting has been done timely. Everything as of now is very good," said Singh when asked about wheat crop sown.

11:01 AM

Cold wave sweeps North India, Himachal receives fresh snowfall, Delhi-NCR wakes up to dense fog

The entire North Indian belt continued to be in the grip of an intense cold wave on Saturday, with Mandhol village in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh recording heavy snowfall overnight and the Delhi-NCR waking up to dense fog and low visibility.

Trees and houses in Mandhol were seen covered in white, while locals preferred to remain in the warm confines of their homes amid the heavy snowfall.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum and minimum temperatures in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday were recorded at 6 degrees Celsius and -4 degrees Celsius. 

10:53 AM

PM Narendra Modi greets people on Uttarayan, Bhogi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted people on the festivals of Bhogi and Uttarayan.

"Best wishes on Bhogi. Praying for everyone's happiness and well-being," Modi said in a tweet.

"Greetings on Uttarayan. May there be abundance of joy in our lives," he said in another tweet.

10:47 AM

India logs 179 Covid cases in a day, active caseload declines by 30

India saw a single-day rise of 179 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have declined to 2,227, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.

The total number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 44.6 million (44,680,936) while the death toll was 530,726 with one death reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

A decrease of 30 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in 24 hours.

The daily positivity was recorded at 0.10 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was also 0.10 per cent.

The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website.

10:45 AM

A new Ayodhya will take shape in coming days: UP chief secy

Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has said a new Ayodhya will take shape in the coming days as he reviewed the progress of work related to the religious site.

During the review meeting, he suggested to the divisional commissioner and the district magistrate, Ayodhya, to install an escalator or a lift for the devotees at Hanumangarhi so that the elderly and differently-abled people do not face any kind of inconvenience, the release said.

He specifically asked for setting up benches for the devotees on Panchkoshi Marg, Chaudah Kosi Marg routes and asked for special efforts to ensure that there is no encroachment on the roads.

10:44 AM

IAEA chief to travel Ukraine next week, visit NPPs to deploy experts: UN agency

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi will travel to Ukraine next week, where he will visit nuclear power plants to deploy experts, the IAEA said.

 

"Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will be in Ukraine next week to establish a continuous presence of nuclear safety and security experts at all the country's nuclear power facilities, significantly stepping up the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help prevent a nuclear accident during the current military conflict," the UN agency said in a statement.

 

The Director General will travel to the South Ukraine and Rivne Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) as well as to the Chornobyl site to launch the missions consisting of two IAEA experts at each of the facilities.

10:17 AM

Drones, microlight aircraft, gliders, hot-air balloons, kites banned in Gurugram till Jan 26

The district administration here imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC with an eye on security ahead of Republic Day.

 

Flying drones, microlight aircraft, gliders, hot-air balloons, kites and Chinese microlights will be prohibited till January 26, according to an order issued on Friday by District Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav.

 

Yadav has ordered operators of cyber cafes, guest houses, hotels and paying guest accommodations and landlords and other offices to keep records and ID proofs of tenants, servants, visitors and guests.

 

10:17 AM

Makar Sankranti: Devotees take holy dip in Ganga in Varanasi

On the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Saturday, thousands of devotees took the holy dip in river Ganga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

As devotees flocked to the river for the holy dip on the occasion of the harvest festival, a huge crowd was seen on the Varanasi ghats queuing up to offer prayers to the sun god.

To ensure that the tourists take the holy dip safely, bath kunds have been developed on floating jetties. Handicraft, ODOP, GI. Product stalls have been integrated with the tent city which will act as a sustainable economic platform for the local population.