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11:08 PM

Bangladesh elections: PM Hasina's AL inching closer to landslide victory amid boycott by Opposition BNP

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to secure a record fourth straight term as her Awami League party was on Sunday leading in most of the seats in the general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition BNP and its allies. Hasina won the Gopalganj-3 seat for the eighth time since 1986. She bagged 249,965 votes while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party secured just 469 votes, bdnews24 reported.

10:34 PM

Gunfight breaks out between militants, security forces in Manipur's Moreh town along the India-Myanmar border

A gunfight broke out between security forces and militants in Manipur's Moreh town along the India-Myanmar border on Sunday night, police said. Hills-based militants attacked state police forces, who retaliated, resulting in a gunfight, a police officer said

9:58 PM

Bangladesh elections: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina re-elected to parliament from Gopalganj-3 constituency

Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to parliament on Sunday from the Gopalganj-3 constituency after a landslide victory in the general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Hasina, 76, bagged 249,965 votes while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party secured just 469 votes, bdnews24 reported. She has won the Gopalganj-3 seat for the eighth time since 1986

9:22 PM

PM Narendra Modi hails Navy's heroic operation in rescuing sailors of merchant ship, success of Aditya L1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed as "heroic" the successful conduct of an operation by the Indian Navy to free a merchant ship from the clutches of pirates in the North Arabian Sea. Addressing the 58th conference of the DGPs and the IGPs here, Modi also referred to the success of India's first solar mission craft Aditya L1 and said it is a testament to the power of India and the prowess of Indian scientists. "Two days ago, the Indian Navy completed a very successful heroic operation. When it got the message that a merchant ship was in distress, the Indian Navy and the marine commandos got active," he said.The prime minister said there were 21 sailors in the ship of which 15 were Indians. The ship was about 2,000 km away from the Indian coast

9:08 PM

Chhattisgarh: Congress joins protest against coal mine projects in Hasdeo forest area

Chhattisgarh Congress chief Deepak Baij on Sunday alleged the newly-elected BJP government is working in the interest of corporates and trees are being chopped in bio-diversity rich Hasdeo Arand area for a coal mine extension project. Baij and several Congress workers joined villagers in Hariharpur in Surguja district in an ongoing protest against coal mine projects. Hasdeo-Arand coalfield spread over a 1,878 sq km area in Korba, Surguja and Surajpur districts in the northern part of the state, is located about 300 km from Raipur. The region is called as 'lungs of Chhattisgarh' for its rich forest.

8:15 PM

Bangladesh elections: Counting begins amid sporadic violence, boycott by main opposition party BNP

Counting of votes started on Sunday after the polling ended in Bangladesh's general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition BNP and its allies, paving the way for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to secure a record fourth straight term. According to the initial estimates, the voter turnout was around 40 per cent but the figure could change after the final count, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said. An hour before the voting ended, the election commission had said that the voter turnout was 27.15% at 3 p.m. The 2018 general election recorded an overall turnout of more than 80 per cent.

 

7:43 PM

Maldives govt suspends three ministers over derogatory remarks against PM Narendra Modi

The Maldives government on Sunday suspended three ministers who posted "derogatory remarks" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it distanced itself from their comments on social media and said these opinions are "personal and do not represent the views of the Government". The development came after opposition leaders slammed the "appalling language" used by the officials against the Indian leader. "Government officials who posted derogatory remarks about neighbouring India have been suspended, state broadcaster PSM News reported, citing the President's Office

6:54 PM

Congress begins formal negotiations for seat-sharing with INDIA bloc partners for Lok Sabha polls

After extensive internal consultations, the Congress has begun seat-sharing talks in some states with like-minded parties of the INDIA bloc for Lok Sabha elections. Sources said senior leaders of the party have been told to reach out to other leaders of the alliance and talks with some parties have begun. Formal negotiations for seat-sharing with Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab and Delhi will begin on Monday, the sources added

6:43 PM

Government of Maldives issues statement over derogatory remarks against PM Modi

6:01 PM

Envoy takes up minister's derogatory remarks against PM Modi with Maldivian govt

Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Munu Mahawar, has taken up with the Maldives government the derogatory remarks made by a deputy minister in the island nation, sources informed on Sunday. The development comes amid growing outrage over Maldivian Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Mariyam Shiuna's post on X, making a mocking and disrespectful reference to Prime Minister Modi over his recent visit to Lakshadweep, which lies close to Maldives. The post by Shiuna -- which has now been deleted -- featured images of PM Modi from his recent visit to the Union Territory.

5:13 PM

Drinking water facilities reached 72% households in country: Union Jal Shakti Minister

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday said drinking water facilities have reached 72 per cent households in the country and the remaining will be completed by December 2024. When the Jal Jeevan Mission started in 2019, a little over 16 per cent of the households had access to drinking water facilities, Singh told a group of visiting journalists from Assam here. He emphasised that the implementation of the scheme is the responsibility of the state governments, and each state faces different geographical challenges and availability of water resources ranges from surplus to scarce. 

4:43 PM

Bangladesh general elections: Only 27.15% voter turnout as of 3 pm amid sporadic violence and boycott by BNP

Bangladeshis on Sunday turned up in low numbers to cast their votes for the general elections likely to be won by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for a fourth straight term, amid sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition party BNP and its allies. The turnout for the 12th national parliamentary election has only been 27.15 per cent as of 3 pm, Election Commission Secretary Md Jahangir Alam said

4:29 PM

Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu: Flooding in Old Courtallam Falls due to heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats

3:30 PM

Celebrities including Akshay Kumar, Sachin Tendulkar endorse PM Modi's appeal to explore Indian islands

2:55 PM

A coordination committee of INDIA alliance has been formed: Supriya Shrinate on seat sharing

2:06 PM

Delhi CM to address public meet in Guj on 8 Jan, meet jailed AAP MLA

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to embark on a two-day visit to Gujarat today and will also meet jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitra Vasava on Monday. "Chaitra Vasava of the Aam Aadmi Party is a very popular tribal leader. He and his wife have been jailed for several days by the BJP Gujarat government in a fake case. Today I and Bhagwant Mann ji are going to Gujarat. We will meet people in his area and tomorrow we will go to meet him in jail," Delhi CM posted on X.

1:45 PM

PM Modi likely to kick-start election rally from Bihar's Bettiah on Jan 13

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to kick-off his campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Bihar's Champaran on January 13 by addressing a rally at the Raman Maidan in Bettiah city. Reports suggest that during this visit, the prime minister is also expected to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for various projects, including roads and bridges, across Bihar,

12:45 PM

ED issues notice to former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac in connection with masala bond case of KIIFB

Enforcement Directorate (ED) today issued a notice to former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac, directing him to appear in the office on 12 January in Kochi. The notice has been issued in connection with the masala bond case of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

12:34 PM

Tata Electronics is set to sign MoU worth Rs 12,082 cr with Tamil Nadu govt: Reports

Tata Electronics is set to sign an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) worth Rs 12,082 cr with Tamil Nadu government, according to reports. "It's raining investments in Tamil Nadu," CM Stalin was quoted as saying by the Economic Times at the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2024 in Chennai.

12:18 PM

'Why hasn't the WB Police taken action against the culprits,' asks BJP MP Ravi Prasad on ED assault case

11:19 AM

Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2024 to be inaugurated today at Chennai Trade Centre

10:57 AM

Congress leader Mewaram Jain suspended from primary membership of the party

Congress has suspended its former Barmer MLA Mewaram Jain, accused in a gang rape case, after two video clips, allegedly featuring him in an obscene act, went viral on social media. He has been suspended from primary membership of the party with in view of his involvement in "immoral activities" an official release said.

10:41 AM

Delhi schools to remain closed for next 5 days from Nursery to Class 5, says AAP minister Atishi

Schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 5 days due to the prevailing cold weather conditions, for students from Nursery to Class 5, AAP minister Atishi said in a post on social media platform X. Earlier this morning, the government of Delhi withdrew its order to extend winter vacation in schools within the national capital hours after its issuance. The Department of Education clarified that the earlier order, which extended the winter break, was mistakenly issued.

9:53 AM

Preparations on in full swing ahead of consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Jan 22

9:44 AM

Drivers end strike in Odisha, say "hope govt will fulfil our demands"

The Odisha Drivers' Mahasangha announced the withdrawal of the strike on Saturday night, the third day of the agitation, after getting assurance from the state government that their demands would be looked into.  "We hope the Odisha government will fulfil our demands," the drivers said. Truckers and drivers across the country were on strike over stringent provisions for hit-and-run' cases under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaces the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Mahasangha was part of the All-India strike.

 

9:33 AM

In a first, IAF C-130 J aircraft carries out night landing at Kargil airstrip

An IAF C-130 J aircraft, for the first time, carried out a night landing at the Kargil airstrip. "Employing terrain masking en route, the exercise also dovetailed a training mission of the Garuds," the Indian Air Force posted on social media platform X.

 

(Video: IAF)

9:17 AM

Ayodhya Development Authority plants Ramayana-era trees ahead of Ram temple consecration ceremony

The Ayodhya Development Authority has planned to plant Ramayana-era plants and extinct trees across the city ahead of the Ram temple consecration ceremony. As many as 50,000 plants are in order and are said to be arriving in Ayodhya quite soon. The Ram temple in Ayodhya will be consecrated on January 22 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Saturday, Nursery Director Ram Prakash Rathore said "currently, there is an order of 50,000 plants. More varieties of plants will come here and they are being sent here with the help of different vehicles."

9:04 AM

Democracy should continue in Bangladesh, says Sheikh Hasina as general elections begin

The Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasised the importance of democracy for development of the country as the nation goes to the polls for the 2024 general elections today. "Our country is sovereign and independent...We have a big population. We have established people's democratic rights...I want to make sure that democracy should continue in this country and without democracy, you can't make any development. As we are a long-term democratic system from 2009 to 2023, that is why Bangladesh made this much of an achievement," she said.

8:12 AM

Making efforts to shift everybody to shelter homes: MP CM Mohan Yadav

Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav said that his government is actively working to ensure the relocation of everyone to shelter homes. "We have made sure that such people are protected in the cold weather. I distributed blankets today, the authorities should help such people," he said while speaking to media. Earlier in December 2023, the MP CM conducted a surprise inspection at the Chief Minister Shelter Home in Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital in Bhopal and distributed blankets there, just days after he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state.

7:52 AM

Bangladesh Election Commission's Tk21 crore app crashes ahead of polls

The Bangladesh Election Commission's election application, "Smart Election Management BD" crashed on the eve of general elections scheduled to be held today (January 7), as per media reports. The Tk21 crore app, launched by the Election Commission for voters to find election-related details, including polling centre locations, stopped working a day before the polling date.