Breaking News, January 16 | HIGHLIGHTS

India's growth prospects are very good, and the country's banking sector has seen a remarkable recovery, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a session here, Das said there is a lot of international confidence in India and the macroeconomic and financial sector stability that the country offers.
"...I think we need to really look back at the business opportunity in India.

Shri Ram-Janaki Yatra, a theme-based train route from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to Janakpur in Nepal, was among the five most preferred tourist circuits in 2023, the Indian Railways said on Tuesday.
The other four equally popular circuits were Shri Jagannath Yatra, 'Garvi Gujarat' tour, Ambedkar circuit and North-East tour, the railways said in a statement.

Iran launched attacks Tuesday targeting what it described as bases inside Pakistan for the militant group Jaish al-Adl. The state-run IRNA news agency said missiles and drones were used in the attack.
Pakistan did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea filed by the CBI seeking cancellation of bail granted to Rajeev Saxena, an accused-turned-approver in the AgustaWestland chopper scam case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said the trial court, while granting bail to Saxena, had noted his medical condition and that he was cooperating in the investigation.

Russia's top diplomat on Tuesday hosted his North Korean counterpart for talks on expanding ties between the two countries amid international concerns over an alleged arms cooperation deal between Pyongyang and Moscow.
At the start of the meeting, Sergei Lavrov said he and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui would discuss “active work” on implementing the agreements reached by the countries' leaders.

 Nearly two weeks after a series of earthquakes killed over 200 people in Japan, the island nation was hit by another earthquake of magnitude  5.0 on Tuesday, January 16. According to the local media outlet, NHK, the government has issued an emergency for Ishikawa prefecture. As of writing this article, no tsunami warning has been issued.

A Korean Air Lines plane scraped against a Cathay Pacific Airways aircraft at New Chitose Airport on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Tuesday, Fuji TV reported. No injuries have been reported so far, the broadcaster reported. An airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment, Reuters reported.

Incarcerated AAP leader Manish Sisodia was brought to the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital for consultation for orthopaedic issues on Tuesday, sources said. The former Delhi deputy chief minister is lodged in jail in connection with the excise policy case. "Sisodia was brought to the LNJP today around 11 am. He had some orthopedic issues for which he was brought there for treatment and consultation," a source said.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Tuesday appeared before a special investigation team of the Punjab Police in Patiala district in a drugs case. The former minister was summoned by the SIT led by Deputy Inspector General (Patiala range) Harcharan Singh Bhullar.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has attached assets worth more than Rs 30 crore of the promoter of a Kerala-based realty group and concerns linked to him as part of a money-laundering investigation connected to an alleged bank loan fraud case. A total of 62 immovable properties belonging to Heera Construction Company Private Limited, its managing director Abdul Rasheed, his trust Heera Educational and Charitable Trust and sister company Heera Summer Holiday Homes Private Limited have been attached under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the central agency said in a statement.

Tea exports from the country dipped 1.65 per cent at 182.69 million kilogramme during January to October of 2023 as compared to 185.75 million kilogramme in the same period of the previous calendar. Exports from North India during the first 10 months of calendar 2023 stood lower at 110.33 million kilogramme, registering a decline of 4.62 per cent from the preceding similar period, according to Tea Board data.

 Award-winning Malayalam writer K B Sreedevi died following age-related ailments at her home in Tirpunithura here on Tuesday, family sources said. She was 84 and survived by three children, they said. Hailing from a traditional Brahmin community, Sreedevi entered into the world of writing at a younger age and showcased her literary talents in various genres, including novels, stories, children's literature and so on.

Four persons were killed and three others injured after their car hit a divider in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday. The accident occurred on the bypass of Badarwas town of the district on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, an official said. Prima facie, the car hit the divider, but further investigation is underway, Badarwas police station in-charge Ravi Chouhan said.

 A 12-year-old boy died after his throat was slit by a glass-coated kite string while five others were injured in similar incidents in the district, police said on Tuesday. Surendra Bheel, a student of class 5, was flying kites along with his friends on the rooftop of his house on Monday evening when the incident took place. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead, assistant sub-inspector Bhanwar Singh said.

A thick layer of fog cloaked the Indo-Gangetic plains in north India on Tuesday, with poor visibility disrupting road and rail traffic. Satellite imagery showed a dense elongated band of fog stretching from Punjab to the northeast. A spokesperson for the railways said 30 trains arriving in Delhi were delayed by up to six hours due to foggy weather.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday participated in a cleanliness drive at the Hanuman Setu temple in Lucknow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to carry out cleanliness drives at temples and places of religious importance ahead of the January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Singh, who is the MP from Lucknow, paid obeisance at the temple and also swept its floor with a broom.

The parade rehearsal for the Republic Day is underway at Kartavya Path in the national capital. French President Emmanuel Macron will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26.

The Jallikattu competition has begun in Tamil Nadu. The visuals have surfaced from Madurai's Palamedu.