Updates: Grap 3 curbs back in Delhi-NCR amid rise in air pollution levels

Latest news updates: Catch all the major news updates from around the world

10:24 PM

Indian music teaches harmony, synergy and discipline, says RSS chief Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said Indian music teaches synergy, harmony and discipline.

Bhagwat was speaking at the 'Swar Shatak Malwa' programme in Indore city where 870 Sangh volunteers played traditional musical instruments in a group performance. "Some of the participants in this programme would be expert players. But they do not perform as per their own whim. They match their tune and rhythm with that of others," he said.

9:52 PM

Nippon Steel plans to sue US government over Biden halting US steel deal

Nippon Steel plans to sue the US government over Biden halting US Steel deal. It's legal action will be focussed on committee on foreign investment in US review that formed basis for Biden's decision.

9:17 PM

German airports hit by IT outage: Report

Airports across Germany have been hit by a IT outage affecting federal police systems used to check incoming passengers, Bild newspaper reported on Friday, citing the police. "Our colleagues have to do a lot of things manually that the system used to do. We're still managing to get it done at the moment," said a police spokesperson responsible for Frankfurt airport, Germany's busiest. Federal police were not immediately available for comment.

9:16 PM

PM Modi meets Koneru Humpy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met noted chess player Koneru Humpy, who recently won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship, and hailed her as a sporting icon. The chess grandmaster earlier described her meeting with Modi as "an incredible honor and a once-in-a-lifetime privilege".

9:15 PM

Pakistan issues 94 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims for visit to Shadani Darba

Pakistan has issued 94 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims to visit the neighbouring country for the birth anniversary celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib at a shrine in Sindh, the High Commission here said on Friday. The issuance of visas is covered under the framework of Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.

8:27 PM

It's everyone's responsibility to keep workplaces women-friendly: NCW chief

National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar on Friday said every place of work, whether government or private, must ensure a safe and secure environment for women and this is the responsibility of everyone. She was speaking at a review meeting held at the Latur collector's office with members and heads of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) formed under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

8:01 PM

NIA seizes land in J&K's Anantnag in terror case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Friday attached a property in Anantnag district under the UAPA in a terror-related case, officials said. The NIA attached a 19-marla land parcel in Halpora area of Kokernag in the south Kashmir district, they said. The property belongs to Halpora resident Mohammad Akbar Dar.

7:44 PM

BJP demands legal action over Delhi mayor's wife's 'dual registration' as voter

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor has written to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena requesting legal action against Delhi Mayor Mahesh Khichi over the alleged discovery of dual registration as a voter of his wife. Kapoor, in a letter on Friday, alleged that Khichi's wife had been registered as a voter under two different names at the same address and with the same photo.

7:41 PM

Prez Murmu to confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, MEA announces names

President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman during the valedictory session of the upcoming PBD Convention, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday as it announced the names of the awardees for this year.

7:13 PM

Biden blocks sale of US Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel

US President Joe Biden officially blocked Nippon Steel's proposed $14.9-billion purchase of U.S. Steel on Friday, dealing a probably fatal blow to the contentious merger plan after a year of review. "A strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority and is critical for resilient supply chains," Biden said in a statement.

6:54 PM

'Closely following developments': MEA on Nimisha Priya case

India on Friday said it is closely following the developments in the case of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, facing a death sentence in Yemen. Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, has been found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July, 2017.

6:35 PM

Delhi Assembly polls: Congress fields Alka Lamba from Kalkaji against CM Atishi

The Congress on Friday announced the candidature of Alka Lamba from the Kalkaji constituency where she will take on AAP leader and Chief Minister Atishi in the upcoming assembly polls. The Congress on Friday released its third list of candidates -- which has just one name -- for the Assembly polls due in February.

6:08 PM

GRAP 3 curbs back in Delhi-NCR amid rise in air pollution levels

The Centre's panel on Delhi-NCR's air quality on Friday brought back stage 3 curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan amid a rise in air pollution levels owing to unfavourable meteorological conditions, according to an official order. Delhi's air pollution levels showed an increasing trend and the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 371 at 4 pm.

5:38 PM

BJP to launch campaign to celebrate Constitution ahead of Republic Day

The BJP will launch a fortnight-long campaign to celebrate the Constitution and spread awareness about its values and the role of its architect, B R Ambedkar, in the run-up to the Republic Day on January 26, official sources said on Friday. The drive marks the stepping up of the ruling party's counter-campaign to project itself as a champion of the Constitution, following opposition parties' relentless attacks on it for its alleged attempts to weaken the values of the country's guiding document.

5:19 PM

Forex reserves decrease by $4.112 bn to $640.279 bn in the week ended Dec 27: RBI.

India's forex reserves dropped by $4.112 billion to $640.279 billion in the week ended December 27, according to the latest data released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

5:13 PM

Trump's strength and unpredictability can help end war with Russia, says Zelenskyy

US President-elect Donald Trump is strong and unpredictable, and those qualities can be a decisive factor in his policy approach to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, Zelenskyy said it won't be possible to end the almost three years of war in one day, as Trump claimed during his election campaign he could do.

4:48 PM

Boeing still needs culture change to put safety above profits, according to head of FA

A year after a panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during flight, the nation's top aviation regulator says the company needs "a fundamental cultural shift” to put safety and quality above profits. Mike Whitaker, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, said in an online post Friday that his agency also has more work to do in its oversight of Boeing.

4:41 PM

News update: Will take measures to protect interests, says MEA on China's mega dam plans

4:38 PM

India has lodged protest with China over two new counties in Hotan prefecture, says MEA

We never accepted illegal Chinese occupation of Indian territory in this area, says MEA on China establishing two new counties in Hotan prefecture. 

4:32 PM

For 39 minutes in his 43-minute speech, PM Modi abused Delhi people and govt: Arvind Kejriwal

PM said there is 'AAPDA' in Delhi. BJP faced with 'aapda' (disaster) as it has no CM face, narrative, issue for Delhi polls, Kejriwal stated today. 

4:27 PM

India aims to strengthen economic ties with US, engage with Trump administration

India is looking forward to strengthening its economic relationship with the United States by engaging with the incoming Trump administration, India's trade minister Piyush Goyal told reporters in New Delhi on Friday.

4:07 PM

Court acquits 6 men booked under MCOCA for extortion, assault; cites lack of evidence, lapses

A court  has acquitted six persons, including a former corporator, booked under the  Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for allegedly extorting and assaulting a mobile shop owner, citing "lack of evidence" and "procedural lapses" by the prosecution. The special court hearing MCOCA cases in Thane district delivered the judgement on January 1, giving the accused a "benefit of doubt" for the above reasons as well as for "unreliable testimonies" of witnesses.

3:45 PM

Normalcy not fully restored in Jammu-Kashmir yet: CM Omar Abdullah

Normalcy has not been fully restored in Jammu and Kashmir yet as terror attacks continue to take place but the process for establishing peace is underway, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday. Abdullah's remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Article 370 had sowed the seeds of separatism in the minds of Kashmir's youth and that the Narendra Modi government not only ended terrorism in the valley but also the terror ecosystem.

3:30 PM

Shiv Sena (UBT) praises Fadnavis over development plans for Gadchiroli

The Shiv Sena (UBT), in a rare instance since the undivided Shiv Sena's fall out with the BJP in 2019, praised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday for his efforts to turn Naxal-hit Gadchiroli district into a steel city. In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party referred to Fadnavis as 'Deva bhau' and said he visited Gadchiroli, the farthest district of Maharashtra in Vidarbha, on New Year's Eve and started a chapter on development.

3:26 PM

Supreme Court slams ED's 'high-handedness', upholds arrest of ex-Haryana Congress MLA illegal

The Supreme Court has observed ED's "high-handedness" and "inhuman conduct" during an almost 15-hour long interrogation of former Haryana Congress MLA Surender Panwar and upheld an order saying his arrest was illegal. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said it was an "inhuman conduct" on part of ED officers as the case was not related to some terror activity but of an alleged illegal sand mining.

2:01 PM

I never built house for myself; I could also have built 'Sheesh Mahal': PM Modi

Pucca houses, instead of slums, symbolise self-respect, new hope, says PM  Modi after inaugurating flats under Delhi slum rehabilitation project.

1:54 PM

PM Modi inaugurates 1,675 newly constructed flats at Swabhiman Apartments, Ashok Vihar

"When I am here today, it's obvious to remember many old memories. When the country was fighting against Indira Gandhi's dictatorship, for many people like me who were part of the underground movement, Ashok Vihar used to be a place for me to live," PM Narendra Modi stated today.

1:42 PM

PM Narendra Modi unveils Swabhiman Flats in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hands over the keys to the beneficiaries of newly constructed flats for the dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters at Swabhiman Apartments, Ashok Vihar, Delhi

1:27 PM

News update: Delhi BJP chief won't contest polls, says will work for party

1:24 PM

Maharashtra received Rs 1.13 trillion FDI in just six months in 2024-25: Maharashtra CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the state received Rs 1.13 lakh crore FDI in just six months in 2024-25, which is almost what it has received annually over the last four years. In a post on X, the chief minister said the state received Rs 1,13,236 crore in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first two quarters of the financial year ending in September 2024.