Breaking News, January 17

The Republic Day parade this year is unlikely to have a tableau from Delhi, official sources said on Monday. However, there was no version available from the Delhi government on the matter.

"There will be no tableau from Delhi in the Republic Day Parade 2022. The reason is not known," an official said, adding that this year, 'Delhi-City of Hopes' was chosen as the theme for the tableau.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to the world on the first day of the WEF's online Davos Agenda 2022 summit reflects his commitment to reforms and to become a reliable and resilient partner for global value chains, India Inc said on Monday.

Citing India's commitment to deepen economic reforms and improve ease of doing business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that this is the best time to invest in the country as policy-making is focussed on the needs for the next 25 years for a 'clean and green' as well as 'sustainable and reliable' growth period.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday alleged that the crisis in the Kashmir Press Club seemed to be “orchestrated” in order to shut down the institution which had served as a medium for journalists to debate and discuss issues freely.

Her comments came after the Jammu and Kashmir administration said the Kashmir Press Club has “ceased to exist” as it took back the premises allotted to the largest journalists’ body in the Valley following “dissensions” between two factions, one of which had tacit support from the government.

Centre on Monday sought time from the Delhi High Court to frame its stand on the issue relating to the criminalisation of marital rape.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Centre, urged a division bench of justices Rajiv Shakdher and C Hari Shankar, to grant some more time to formulate its stand on the issue.

SG Mehta said that considering the fact that it is a 2015 matter, the govt needs a reasonable time as this is a matter which might need consultation. SG Mehta also stated that nothing imminent is going to happen in the coming weeks.

A 65-year-old man from Rajasthan has been arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) in Mumbai with heroin worth Rs 3 crore, a police official said on Monday. According to the official, the accused, identified as Pyare Amanulla Khan, is a native of Pratapgarh in Rajasthan. Khan was nabbed by the Mumbai police's ANC on Saturday, he said.

India's overall economic activity remains strong, driven by an upbeat consumer confidence and uptick in bank credit, and expectations that Omicron may turn out to be a "flash flood rather than a wave" have further brightened the prospects, according to a RBI article.

"On the vaccination front, India has made rapid strides. On the Omicron variant, the recent data from the UK and South Africa suggest that such infections are 66 to 80 per cent less severe, with a lower need for hospitalisation," the article on the state of economy published in the RBI Bulletin said on Monday.

The state-level Republic Day celebration in Sikkim will be held at the Manan Kendra, a government building complex in Gangtok, and not in Paljor Stadium, the usual venue, as the administration on Monday decided to keep it a low-key affair amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an official statement said.

During a meeting attended by senior government officers and representatives of the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, it was decided that the state-level Republic Day celebration will be organised at 'Manan Kendra' in view of the Covid-19 situation.

Several Supreme Court lawyers once again on Monday received calls from various international numbers, allegedly from Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), that threatened the SC judges regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security breach during his visit to Punjab on January 5, 2022. Supreme Court Lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who last week also filed a complaint with the Delhi Police in this regard, today again received threat calls.

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf will lead an inter-ministerial delegation to Afghanistan on Tuesday to discuss the issue of border-fencing and take stock of the humanitarian needs of the war-torn country with the Taliban regime, according to a media report. During his visit from January 18 to 19, Yusuf will discuss ways to channel humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in line with the requirements of the UN other and international sanctions, officials told the Dawn newspaper.

Cold day to severe cold day conditions in some pockets are very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan during the next 2 days and abate thereafter. Fresh active Western Disturbance is likely to affect Northwest India from Jan 21, says IMD.

Noted environmentalist Prof M K Prasad, a prominent figure in the historic grassroot level movement to save the evergreen tropical rain forests in Kerala's Silent Valley from destruction, passed away on Monday morning, his colleagues said. He was 89. He breathed his last at a private hospital here while undergoing treatment for Covid related complications, they said. Prasad was a guiding force behind the national movement against the state government's move to set up a hydro-power project in Silent Valley in Palakkad district in the 1970s.

Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti on Sunday met Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati. The subject of discussion between the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and the seer is, however, not known. Bharati could not visit Lord Jagannath temple here as the 12th century shrine was closed for devotees in the wake of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases. She had darshan of “Patitapaban” (replicate of Lord Jagannath) from outside the temple near the Lion’s Gate before going to meet the seer. The meeting was held ahead of the assembly elections in five states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur.

Noted lyricist and director Alleppey Ranganath passed away late Sunday night, family sources said. He was 73. Ranganath was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at the medical college hospital. The eldest among six children of Alappuzha Vezhappra Kunjukunju Bhagavathar and Gana Bhushanam M G Devammal, Ranganath has directed 42 plays and 25 dance dramas. He wrote and composed music for a play by the Kanjirapally People's Arts Club at the age of 19 and first composed music for the song Hosanna from the 1973 film, Jesus.

Seven Delhi-bound trains are running late due to fog: Northern Railway