Breaking News, January 20 I HIGHLIGHTS

An ex-convict who obtained millions of dollars by subjecting his daughter's ex-college roommates to forced labour and prostitution was sentenced Friday to 60 years in prison. Lawrence Ray, 63, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Lewis J.Liman, who described his crimes as “particularly heinous.”

AAP leader Anurag Dhanda on Friday lashed out at the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Haryana over allegations of sexual harassment against its MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and state minister Sandeep Singh, saying the duo must resign to ensure a fair investigation.

Managing Director of Ajanta Manufacturing Ltd, the firm which was given contract for operation and maintenance of a suspension bridge in Gujarat's Morbi town that collapsed on October 30 last year killing 135 people, has moved a court here for anticipatory bail fearing arrest in the case.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Friday said departments concerned have agreed on a six-month action plan on eight parameters -- including augmenting sewage treatment and laying sewer network in unauthorised colonies -- to clean the Yamuna river.

Six Naxalites, two of them carrying rewards on their heads, were arrested and explosives were seized from their possession in Chhattisgarh's Bastar division, police said on Friday. Three Naxalites were apprehended from Polampalli police station area in Sukma district in the early hours of Friday when they were allegedly trying to plant an explosive to target security personnel, a senior police official said.

A man allegedly ended his life due to distress at his wife giving birth to twin girls, which took the total number of daughters in his home to four, police in Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh said on Friday.

The Centre is likely to come out with a 'Blue Economy' policy, aimed at harnessing ocean resources, in the next couple of months, a senior official said on Friday.

The Delhi government has 'again sent' a proposal to the Lt Governor's Office to send teachers of state-run schools for a training programme to Finland, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday, days after VK Saxena allegedly rejected a similar proposal. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also expressed hope that permission would be granted for the teachers to travel abroad for the programme.

Former Sri Lankan presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaska on Friday held discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on a range of issues of mutual interest and thanked the Indian government for its steadfast commitment to assisting Colombo during its troubled times.

In a fresh war of words, Lt Governor V K Saxena on Friday accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of making "misleading and derogatory" remarks against him, prompting the AAP leader to hit back, saying he should focus on improving the law and order situation to prevent another Kanjhawla-like incident.

Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, Chief of the Air Staff, on Friday emphasised that the IAF should derive relevant lessons from the recent geopolitical scenarios and effectively utilise all available resources to their best potential.

More that 15 years after a woman died in unnatural circumstances, a court here has convicted four accused, including her husband and in-laws, of causing her death for dowry and subjecting the victim to cruelty. The court was hearing a case against her husband Pawan Kumar, mother-in-law Satbiro, father-in-law Kaptan Singh and brother-in-law Daljeet Singh.

Hindu temple in the US state of Texas has been raided by burglars who stole some of the valuables from the premises, leaving the Indian community in a state of shock, according to a media report. The incident took place at Shri Omkarnath Temple in the Brazos Valley, Texas on January 11, KBTX-TV reported on Friday.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday inaugurated the ‘International Craft Summit’, the first of its kind confluence of pioneering craftspeople, culture and art enthusiasts, in Jajpur, about 100 km from here. Delegates from 15 countries have arrived in Jajpur to engage with local artisans and other stake holders, an official said.

A 31-year-old man from Maharashtra’s Thane district lost nearly Rs 14 lakh to an online scam, an official said on Friday. A woman, who identified herself as Geeta, got in touch with the complainant through the Telegram app last week and persuaded him to invest in cryptos promising high returns, said the official.

Sustaining the current 19.5 per cent growth rate in income and corporate tax collections may be difficult in next fiscal year given headwinds from a slowing world and high base effect, a government source said.

With the Supreme Court turning down Google's plea for a stay on the CCI order, the tech giant on Friday said it is reviewing the details of the decision which is limited to interim relief and did not decide the merits of the appeal. The company said it remains committed to users and partners and "will cooperate with the CCI on the way forward in parallel with our appeal.”

The Bombay High Court granted interim bail to Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot on Friday, nearly a month after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the ICICI Bank-Videocon loan fraud case. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and P K Chavan granted bail to Dhoot on a surety of Rs one lakh. The court permitted him to furnish cash bail and then deposit the surety amount two weeks thereafter. The bench also refused the CBI's request to stay its order so that it could approach the Supreme Court in appeal.

Minimum temperatures registered a slight increase at most places in Haryana and Punjab on Friday, bringing relief from the severe cold conditions. A cold wave had swept the two states, including Chandigarh, for the past three weeks.

The Congress on Friday said the 71,000 appointment letters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed to the youth are too little and sought to know where are the 16 crore jobs that were promised to be provided in eight years.

Supreme Court on Friday agreed to constitute a 5-judge bench to hear PILs challenging the constitutional validity of Polygamy Halala Mutah Misyar and Sharia Court.

The rupee opened on a positive note and gained 15 paise to 81.15 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday. Forex traders said the rupee opened stronger tracking gains in the non-deliverable forward (NDF) markets. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 81.24 against the dollar, then gained further ground and touched 81.15, registering a rise of 21 paise over its previous close.

Germany faced mounting pressure to supply battle tanks to Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aired frustration about not obtaining enough weaponry as Western allies conferred on how best to support Ukraine nearly 11 months into Russia's invasion.

The US wireless carrier T-Mobile said that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November and stole data on 37 million customers, including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.

A federal judge has ordered Boeing Co. to be arraigned on a felony charge stemming from crashes of two 737 Max jets, a ruling that threatens to unravel an agreement Boeing negotiated to avoid prosecution. The ruling by a judge in Texas came after relatives of some of the victims said the government violated their rights by reaching a settlement with Boeing without first notifying the families.

The United States has announced another military assistance package of USD 2.5 billion for Ukraine to fight against Russian aggression, taking the total US military assistance to USD 27.5 billion.

The United Nations has reported a deadly new attack in volatile northeastern Congo by the same local militia blamed for killing nearly 50 people recently discovered in mass graves. UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Thursday that the latest attack took place overnight Wednesday at a camp for displaced people and reportedly killed seven people and sent many others fleeing from the site. UN peacekeepers were deployed immediately after the overnight attack to secure the camp, 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) east of Djugu in Ituri province, and deter further violence, he said.

A father-son duo involved in heroin smuggling allegedly set the house of a man on fire on Thursday over a financial dispute killing his seven-year-old son, police said.

Terrorism is alive in Jammu and Kashmir and can only be finished by holding dialogue with Pakistan, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Thursday, lashing out at the BJP for "spreading hatred" which is a danger to the integrity of the country. He also said the Kashmiri Pandits need a balm on their wounds which is possible when you replace hatred with love.

Aam Aadmi Party MLAs on Thursday assailed Lt Governor VK Saxena and the BJP-ruled centre during a debate on the law and order situation in the national capital, and said Delhi needs an institutional change. Citing the drug menace in the city and the Kanjhawla incident, in which a 20-year-old woman was killed after being dragged by a car for over 12 kms, they again demanded the force to be placed under the administrative control of the city government.