LIVE: India to include concerns of Global South in G20, says LS Speaker

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11:11 PM

Ensure foolproof arrangements for G20 meetings in Punjab: CM Mann to officials

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday directed the officials to ensure foolproof arrangements for meetings of the G20 summit slated to take place in Amritsar in March and June.

Chairing a meeting here to review the arrangements of the mega event, the chief minister said no stone should be left unturned for making it a huge success, an official release said.

10:02 PM

Nepal plane crash: Black box recovered from accident site as rescue workers retrieve 69 bodies

The black box of the crashed Yeti Airlines' aircraft with 72 people, including five Indians, on board was recovered on Monday, as rescue workers retrieved 69 bodies from the accident site in Nepal's resort city of Pokhara.

Officials said 41 bodies out of 69 recovered so far have been identified as Nepal observed a national day of mourning on Monday. Three missing persons are believed to be dead and rescuers will resume their operation on Tuesday to retrieve the bodies.

10:01 PM

Sushil Modi dares Tejashwi Yadav to speak against triple talaq, hijab

Amid the Ramcharitmanas row in Bihar, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP on Monday dared RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to object triple talaq, hijab, and multiple marriages.

"His (Tejashwi Yadav) party legislator and Education Minister has made an objectionable statement on Ramcharitmanas, and the state president of RJD has supported him. More importantly, Tejashwi Yadav did not take any action against any of them, which means the party supports them," Sushil Modi said.

9:54 PM

India's FTA talks with EU, UK are on track, says govt official

The ongoing negotiations of India for the proposed comprehensive free trade agreements with the UK and European Union (EU) are on track and the next round of talks with both the regions will happen soon, a top government official said on Monday.

India has recently concluded the sixth round of talks with the UK and third round with the EU. "The seventh round with the UK and the fourth round with the EU will be held very soon. Both the trade agreements are on track," the official said.

9:43 PM

Ensure BJP doesn’t lose any of 9 state polls in 2023, Nadda tells members at party meet

BJP national president JP Nadda on Monday called on the party’s executive members to prepare to win the nine Assembly polls to be held in 2023.

Speaking at the BJP national executive meeting at Delhi’s NDMC Convention Centre, Nadda underlined the importance of winning the nine polls in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
 

9:42 PM

'LG not our headmaster', Kejriwal targets Saxena as AAP MLAs march to Raj Niwas

LG VK Saxena should not "behave like a headmaster" checking students' homework, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday as AAP MLAs led by him marched to the lieutenant governor's office here against alleged interferences in the elected government's functioning.

The remark came on a day the ruling party MLAs staged the march from the Delhi assembly, claiming that the city government's proposal to send school teachers to Finland for training was rejected by Saxena, a charge refuted by the LG's office.

9:20 PM

Cold wave conditions over northwest India likely to abate from Jan 19: IMD

India Meteorological Department on Monday said that two western disturbances in quick succession are likely to affect northwest India on January 18 and 20, as a result, cold wave conditions over northwest India are likely to abate from January 19.
 

9:14 PM

BJP panic-stricken by Cong's 'poll guarantees' announced in Karnataka: Surjewala

Congress general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala on Monday claimed the BJP was "panic-stricken" by his party's guarantees of 200 units of free power and Rs 2000 cash per month to all households, and dared it to implement it in the state.

He asked if Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will defy Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is against the "revri culture" (freebies). "We challenge PM Modi and BJP President J P Nadda to implement our guarantees in BJP-ruled states," he said.

8:45 PM

Yes Bank-DHFL case: Accused Avinash Bhosale in hospital since Oct, CBI seeks AIIMS board to assess his health

The Central Bureau of Investigation has approached a special court in Mumbai seeking the setting up of a board under the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to assess the health of builder Avinash Bhosale, an accused in the Yes Bank-DHFL case.

Bhosale was arrested on May 26 last year by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate later took his custody in a money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody and has been admitted in a hospital since October. Special PMLA Judge MG Deshpande said it would not make sense to hear the CBI plea now as it has already given instructions to the Enforcement Directorate in the matter.
 

8:34 PM

DRI seizes mobile accessories, branded goods worth Rs 80 cr at Mundra port, Gujarat

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized mobile accessories, e-cigarettes, branded bags and cosmetics worth Rs 80 crore from Mundra port in Gujarat's Kutch district and arrested two persons, an official said on Monday.

The articles were concealed in a consignment of garment accessories and ladies footwear having a declared value of Rs 1.5 crore, he said.

8:21 PM

Masks, sanitisers, social distancing back in Kerala for a month

Covid restrictions, like those stipulated during the pandemic time, will be in force in Kerala with immediate effect for a month, it was announced on Monday.

All will have to wear masks and maintaining of social distancing is also a must at all places. A government order to this effect came out on Monday evening which states that the fresh steps are being undertaken to prevent Covid from spreading.

8:15 PM

Road to recovery has begun and ready for challenges ahead: Pant tweets for first time

Premier India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who survived a horrific car crash on last December 30, on Monday gave his first official statement since that accident and said he is on the road to recovery after a successful triple surgery few days back.

Pant survived a horrifying car crash on NH-58 on December 30 last year when he was driving back home from Delhi to Rourkee. He was first admitted in a hospital in Dehradun and then shifted to Mumbai, where he had three surgeries -- two on knee and one on ankle. He is expected to be out for one year.

8:09 PM

Rajasthan govt should act against 'big sharks' behind paper leaks: Pilot

Indirectly targeting his own party's government in Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday said the state should take action against the "big sharks" behind the string of recruitment exam paper leaks reported recently.

Addressing farmers and the youth at a Kisan Sammelan in Nagaur's Parbatsar, the former deputy chief minister also called for a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

7:38 PM

Activists write to PM; accuse U'khand govt of slow-paced relief-rehabilitation work in Joshimath

The Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti on Monday demanded scrapping of NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and asked the Centre to take over the relief and rehabilitation works in the land subsidence hit-town, accusing the Uttarakhand government of carrying them out at a snail's pace.

Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS) convenor Atul Sati, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accused the state government of ignoring its warnings about the imminent disaster for 14 months and dealing with it now at a slow pace.

7:14 PM

Delhi court seeks ED's reply on Jacqueline Fernandez's fresh plea to travel abroad

A Delhi court on Monday sought response from the Enforcement Directorate on a fresh plea moved by Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, an accused in a money laundering case, seeking permission to travel abroad.

Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik directed ED to file its response by January 25 on Fernandez's application to travel to Dubai in the last week of the month for a professional work.

7:04 PM

Ganga Vilas cruise gets stuck on third day in Bihar due to ‘shallow water’

Days after it was flagged off remotely by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ganga Vilas cruise got stuck on the third day of its 51-day journey due to shallow water in Bihar’s Chhapra, news agency ANI quoted officials as saying on Monday.

The flagship cruise, which set sail on January 13, was supposed to dock near Chirand Saran, a historically significant area 11 km southeast of Chhapra. However, ‘shallow water’ near the Doriganj district impeded its journey.

6:54 PM

Irregularities in Covid-19 centre contracts: ED records Chahal's statement

Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said jumbo COVID-19 care centres were set up on the Maharashtra government's orders as he recorded his statement with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in connection with alleged irregularities in award of contracts for health facilities during the pandemic.

Talking to reporters after emerging out of the ED office, where he recorded his statement for more than four hours, Chahal said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was extending all cooperation to the central agency.

6:53 PM

Rijiju writes to CJI on collegium system, suggests restructuring of MoP; Oppn hits out

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has written to the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud for the inclusion of government nominees in the collegium system on appointments to the higher judiciary and defended it as a "precise follow-up action" suggested by the apex court while striking down the NJAC Act.

Rijiju's early January letter to the CJI and the remarks on Monday come amid a tug-of-war between the government and the judiciary over the process of appointments of judges to the Supreme Court and high courts

6:35 PM

Allow shopkeepers affected by Bhagirath Palace fire rebuild their businesses: BJP leader to Delhi LG

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Kapoor on Monday wrote to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Monday and urged him to allow shopkeepers affected by the fire in Bhagirath Palace rebuild their businesses.

Around 200 shops were damaged in a massive fire at Bhagirath Palace in Chandni Chowk late November last year. Most of the shops gutted in the fire in the wholesale market dealt with electronic appliances.

5:58 PM

Maharashtra CM Shinde to sign MoUs worth Rs 1.4 trn at Davos, eyes 66.5k new jobs

Seeking to present Maharashtra as a key investment destination, state chief minister Eknath Shinde plans to sign MoUs worth Rs 1.4 trillion ($17 billion) here on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

As many as 21 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are being lined up to be signed with leading foreign investors and global companies during Shinde's two-day visit beginning Monday, officials said.

5:14 PM

Delhi: Yamuna's pollution load has doubled since 2014, shows report

Pollution load of the Yamuna river in Delhi has doubled in the last eight years of the Arvind Kejriwal government, sources in the LG office said on Monday citing data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

The DPCC and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) gave a presentation to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on pollution in the river on Saturday.

5:10 PM

EOW files supplementary charge sheet in Rs 200 Cr extortion case involving Sukesh Chandrasekhar

The Delhi Police on Monday filed a supplementary charge sheet in connection with the Rs 200 crore extortion case involving alleged fraudster Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

Chandrasekhar has been accused of impersonating top government officials in order to extort about Rs 200 crore from Aditi Singh, the wife of Shivinder Mohan Singh, the former owner of pharma major Ranbaxy. The alleged conman was claimed to have scammed Aditi Singh with the promise of securing the release of her husband who was in jail in a money laundering case.

4:50 PM

3 dead & several injured after vehicle carrying pilgrims collides with a truck on NH-37 in Assam

The pilgrims were returning after taking a holy dip in the Lohit river on Makar Sankranti. Injured have been admitted to the hospital: SHO

4:39 PM

Tata Motors, Kia, Hyundai expect sales momentum to continue in 2023

Tata Motors, Kia India and Hyundai are expecting sales momentum to continue this year as well after witnessing robust growth in dispatches to dealers in the last year while pressure remains of a high base effect, inflation and higher interest costs.

Tata Motors, which crossed five lakh cumulative wholesale mark in 2022, is hopeful of robust performance this year on the back of new launches as well as better traction for its internal combustion engine models, electric vehicles and CNG trims.

4:22 PM

PM Modi holds roadshow as BJP national executive begins in Delhi

Enthused BJP workers and supporters lined the roads to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his roadshow here as the party's two-day national executive began in Delhi on Monday.

In an atmosphere enlivened by music and the cheering crowd, the roadshow started from Patel Chowk and continued till the NDMC convention centre. People showered Modi with flower petals and chanted slogans in his support.

4:15 PM

SC grants Centre 4 weeks to respond to plea against age restriction for conducting pre-natal diagnostic tests

The Supreme Court on Monday granted the Centre four weeks to file its response to a plea on the age restriction of 35 years on women for conducting pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic tests.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices S K Kaul and A S Oka. The counsel appearing for the Centre requested for some time to file the response confined to the aspect on which the court had issued notice on October 17 last year.

4:00 PM

PM Modi arrives at NDMC Convention Center for BJP's national executive meeting

3:46 PM

Reliance suspends gas auction after change in marketing rules

Reliance Industries Ltd and its partner bp plc on Monday suspended a planned auction for the sale of natural gas from their eastern offshore KG-D6 block after the government altered marketing rules to cap margins.

In a notice, Reliance and its partner BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd (BPEAL) said the auction has been suspended indefinitely.

3:34 PM

Cong promises monthly Rs 2,000 to each housewife if voted to power: Priyanka

The Congress in Karnataka on Monday promised to give Rs 2,000 a month to a housewife in every household if voted to power, said party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a convention here.

This is the guarantee given by the AICC general secretary to every woman in Karnataka, it was announced in the "Na Nayaki" event organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) at Palace Grounds here.

3:24 PM

Union Minister Piyush Goyal pitches for startup database in country

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday called for making a strong database of all startups in the country as it would belp both public and private sectors.

He said the database can help the government in its procurement of goods and services. Goyal added that there must be a number of startups having different levels of success and are not there in any database.