Breaking News, January 16 | Highlights

After the successful completion of Paush Purnima and Makar Sankranti in the Maha Kumbh, the Uttar Pradesh government is now focusing on the preparations for the Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya falling on January 29. Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar visited the Maha Kumbh area on Thursday and chaired a high-level meeting to review and strengthen the arrangements, an official press statement said.

India cannot afford to take cyber security resources even from friendly nations as it will be a threat to security and sovereignty of the nation, a senior government official said on Thursday. During a roundtable with start-ups organised by Start-up Policy Forum, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), Secretary S Krishnan said that the funding of start-ups especially in growth and later stage is crucial for entities in deep-tech space like cyber security.

The Constitution Gallery, located on Triveni Marg for Maha Kumbh was inaugurated on Thursday by the Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna. The event featured a tour of the exhibition and a curated library on the Indian Constitution by the minister and chief guest Khanna as well as other distinguished guests. Adding to the grandeur of the inaugural ceremony, the Indian Army Band performed a musical repertoire of patriotic songs, including Vande Mataram.

The Patna High Court on Thursday directed the Bihar government and the state public service commission to file counter affidavits on a bunch of petitions seeking the of the Combined Competitive Exams (CCE) held last month. Justice Arvind Singh Chandel set January 31 as the next date for hearing and ruled that the results of the December 13 exam would depend on the final outcome of these petitions. 

Kumbh Mela 2025: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the revered saints, 10 lakh Kalpvasis, and 20 lakh devotees who had the privilege of taking a holy dip in the sacred waters of the Sangam at the Mahakumbh 2025 in Prayagraj. He noted that over 30 lakh people had gathered for the event today, and so far, more than 7 crore devotees have participated in the holy bath at the Triveni. He extended his heartfelt congratulations to all those who had earned the spiritual benefit of the sacred ritual.

Ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections, the BJP has announced candidates for nine of the remaining 11 seats, leaving two seats for its allies JDU and LJP (Ram Vilas). JDU has named its candidate for the Burari seat, while LJP (RV) is expected to field a candidate for the Deoli (SC) seat.

The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved a Rs 413.71 crore project to upgrade the hospitals operated by the Bengaluru civic agency under the 'Brand Bengaluru' scheme. Under this scheme, the dilapidated buildings would be replaced with new ones. "Under the Brand Bengaluru scheme, all the hospitals run by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) would be upgraded at a cost of Rs 413.71 crore," Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil briefed reporters after the cabinet meeting.

A 7th-century shrine of Lord Shiva in Hampi has banned bananas on its premises, stating that devotees tend to overfeed the temple elephant as well as litter the place of worship with banana peels. The management of Virupaksha temple said on Thursday that they decided on the ban for the good of the temple, the elephant as well as the devotees.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis arrives at PVR Bandra to attend the special screening of the movie 'Emergency' organised by party MP and actress Kangana Ranaut.

Gujarat: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates Vadnagar Archaeological Museum.

Delhi Minister and AAP candidate from Greater Kailash seat, Saurabh Bharadwaj files his nomination for Delhi Elections 2025.

Delhi Polls: Congress promises Rs 500 LPG cylinder, free ration, electricity.

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan arrives at Lilavati Hospital, where her husband & actor Saif Ali Khan is admitted after an attack on him by an intruder in his Bandra home.

Mahakumbh: A 21-member delegation from 10 different countries visits the sacred Sangam in Prayagraj.

Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan arrive at Lilavati Hospital, where their father & actor Saif Ali Khan is admitted after an attack on him by an intruder in his Bandra home.

J-K: Bhaderwah and its adjoining areas receive snowfall.

Formula e-race case: BRS working president KT Rama Rao arrives at ED office.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj offer prayers at Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place ahead of filing nomination from Greater Kailash constituency.

India welcomes announcement of pact for release of hostages and ceasefire in Gaza. 

Mumbai: Police bring its sniffer dog as investigation is underway into the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan by an intruder in his Bandra home.

Delhi: President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam receives a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi receive Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Forensic team conducts probe at actor Saif Ali Khan's apartment in Mumbai. Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was injured after an intruder attacked him with a knife at his residence in Mumbai in the early hours of Thursday, officials said. Khan was hospitalised and required a surgery following the incident which took place at around 2.30 am at his house in Bandra area, they said.

BJP candidate from Moti Nagar Assembly seat Harish Khurana performs 'havan' ahead of filing nominations for the Delhi Assembly election 2025. 

Mumbai Police Crime Branch officials arrive at the Bandra residence of Actor Saif Ali Khan to investigate the attack on the actor by an intruder at his home.

Docking of satellites as part of Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) performed successfully, ISRO sources.

Heavy rainfall intensifies cold conditions in various parts of Uttarakhand. Visuals from Haridwar. 

Punjab: Dense fog blankets Bathinda city as cold wave intensifies in Northern India.

Parts of Himachal Pradesh receive snowfall. Visuals from the upper reaches of Shimla. 

Tamil Nadu: World famous Alanganallur Jallikattu competition begins in Madurai.

Agra: Tourists disappointed as Taj Mahal remains blanketed in dense fog amid intense cold in the region.

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan injured in knife attack by intruder at his house in Mumbai; hospitalised, said police.

A chemical tanker overturned on Delhi-Jaipur highway and a fire broke out causing a huge traffic jam near Kotputli, Rajasthan. More details are awaited. 

BJP MP Sambit Patra said on Delhi CM Atishi announcing the implementation of the New Excise Policy in Delhi if AAP comes to power. "During an interview, Delhi CM Atishi said that they will re-implement the New Excise Policy in Delhi if AAP comes to power again... This is the same policy because of which AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal went to jail, AAP's corruption came to light... This policy was introduced without LG's approval, and right after the introduction, it had to be revoked as CBI launched an inquiry into it. For the first time, more bottles were sold but there was no profit. Re-introducing this policy shows the arrogance of AAP."

Odisha: Dense fog engulfs Mayurbhanj as winter's chill intensifies in the city.

A thick layer of fog envelops Mumbai, Maharashtra.

A layer of fog engulfs parts of Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya as mercury dips in several parts of Northern India.

Delhi: Parade rehearsal of defence personnel for the 76th Republic Day is underway at Kartavya Path.

US President Joe Biden delivers farewell address to the Nation. He said, "After 8 months of nonstop negotiation by my administration, a ceasefire & hostage deal has been reached by Hamas..."

Devotees take holy dip at Triveni Sangam - a sacred confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and 'mystical' Saraswati on the fourth day of the 45-day-long MahaKumbh.

Parts of the national capital received a fresh spell of rainfall amid winter's chill that intensifies further in Northen India.