Breaking News, January 31 | HIGHLIGHTS

Six persons have been arrested here for trying to extort Rs 164 crore from a real estate developer and threatening to initiate Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe against him or even kill him if he did not cough up money, police said on Wednesday. The main accused in the case is also a builder who was once the complainant's partner in a real estate project, said a Mumbai crime branch official.

A local court in Odisha’s Balasore district on Wednesday sentenced a woman to life in jail for murdering her companion. The district and sessions judge of Balasore, Asanta Kumar Das, also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000, said public prosecutor Prasanta Malik.

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday asked the central government to specify whether a state government can have a statutory education board permitting religious education. The Lucknow bench of justices Vivek Chaudhary and Subhash Vidyarthi passed the order on a writ petition filed by Anshuman Singh Rathore questioning the constitutionality of the U.P. Board of Madrasa Education Act 2004.

After Hemant Soren stepped down as Jharkhand Chief Minister following daylong questioning by the Enforcement Directorate, the BJP on Wednesday dubbed him "one more feather of corruption" in the opposition bloc INDIA's cap. After Soren's resignation, senior JMM leader Champai Soren was named as his successor. JMM's Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji claimed that the 48-year-old Hemant Soren was in the "custody" of the Enforcement Directorate. The chief minister was questioned by the agency for more than seven hours during the day on money laundering charges in an alleged land fraud case.

Hemant Soren arrested by Enforcement Directorate after resigning as Jharkhand CM

Demanding the re-introduction of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), a section of Assam government employees on Wednesday said they will intensify their agitation if it is not met. The All Assam Government NPS Employees' Association (AAGNPSEA) organised a rally in Guwahati, in which thousands of state employees participated. "The NPS should be abolished and the OPS must be restored for government employees. This is the common call of teachers, workers and all employees of the state," AAGNPSEA president Achyutananda Hazarika said.

Normal life was disrupted and 134 roads, including four national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh as the tribal areas and other high reaches received the first major snowfall of the year. Intermittent snowfall has continued since Tuesday night and more snow is likely as the local MeT office has issued an orange warning of heavy snow and rains at isolated places in five districts of Shimla, Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti on January 31 and February 1. About 15 cm snow has been recorded in the higher reaches of Shimla district since Tuesday night, MeT expert Sandeep Sharma told PTI on Wednesday, adding that the day temperatures have dropped by four-five days in one day. Shimla city was lashed by thunderstorms, rain and sleet on Wednesday evening.

As many as 109 students of a private ashram school, including 63 girls, were rushed to a government hospital in Thane district after showing symptoms of food poisoning on Wednesday, an official said. The ashram school (residential schools for tribal children) is located at Bhatsai in Shahapur taluka on the outskirts of Mumbai.

After experiencing a drier-than-usual December and January, northwest India is expected to see normal to above-normal rainfall in February, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said India cumulatively may experience above-normal rainfall in February.

The rear window of a car carrying Rahul Gandhi was damaged during the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', with West Bengal unit president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleging that the vehicle was "pelted with stones" in Malda district, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed the incident took place in adjoining Bihar.

Senior IAS officer Avinash Kumar was removed as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department of the Jharkhand government on Wednesday, a statement said.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) response on a plea by R K Arora, the chairman and promoter of realty major Supertech Group, challenging an order denying him bail in a money laundering case. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice to the ED and listed the matter for further hearing on February 21.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow a 26-year-old woman, who had lost her husband in October last year, to terminate her over 32-week pregnancy, saying the medical board has held that there were no abnormalities in the foetus.

The proposed international film city near Noida airport will be the best in the world with several global-first features, real estate developer Bhutani Group CEO Ashish Bhutani said on Wednesday. Bhutani Group is part of Bayview Projects which was on Tuesday selected as the concessionaire for developing the greenfield project along the Yamuna Expressway in a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Uttar Pradesh government. Bayview Projects, which will operate and maintain the film city, is backed by ace filmmaker Boney Kapoor and has Parmesh Construction Company along with Noida Cyberpark as consortium members for financial and technical roles, respectively.

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, on a plea challenging a Varanasi court's refusal to direct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of the 'wazu khana' area in the mosque complex. The order was passed by Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal on a revision petition filed by Rakhi Singh, who is one of the plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri worshipping suit, which is presently pending before the Varanasi district court. In the application she had filed before the Varanasi court, Singh's primary contention was that the survey of the 'wazu khana', excluding its portion where a 'Shivling' was claimed to be found, is necessary to ascertain the religious character of the property in question.

Rahul Gandhi's car was pelted with stones during the Congress yatra in Bengal's Malda.

Will sit on dharna if Centre does not clear Bengal's dues by Feb 1: CM Mamata Banerjee.

Former DCW chief Swati Maliwal takes oath as a Rajya Sabha Member of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

 Aam Aadmi Party and Congress councillors protest against mayor election results in Chandigarh.

Passengers of Delhi-Deoghar IndiGo flight raise slogans and protest against the airline after it cancels the flight originating from Terminal 2 of Delhi airport.

President Droupadi Murmu departs from the Parliament for Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Himachal Pradesh's Kufri turns into a white wonderland as it receives snowfall.

Chandigarh: Members of Youth Congress protest outside Mayor Office over Chandigarh Mayoral Election.

Chandigarh: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar leaves for Kurukshetra.

Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrives at the Parliament on the first day of the Budget session.

Swati Maliwal offers prayers at Hanuman Temple at Connaught Place in Delhi.

Security heightened outside ED's Ranchi office.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi meets people during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that resumed from Kolasi village in Katihar district of Bihar this morning. 

Himachal Pradesh: Higher reaches of the state receive fresh snowfall.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said, "Tamil Nadu people should stand by PM Modi. Only 40 days remain for the election. The upcoming general elections will serve as the foundation for political change in Tamil Nadu, to end the corrupt rule of the DMK."

Jammu and Kashmir: Trees and houses covered in a blanket of snow as Ramban receives fresh snowfall.

Flight operations are affected as a thick layer of fog grips the national capital.

Tamil Nadu: Madurai bench of the Madras High Court orders that non-Hindu are not allowed to cross the Palani Murugan Temple beyond the flagpole.

 Uttar Pradesh: Braving the early morning cold, devotees gather at Rampath for the darshan of Ram Lalla at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.

Uttar Pradesh: A layer of fog continues to engulf Noida.

Delhi: A thick layer of fog enveloped parts of the national capital this morning.  

 Delhi: Passengers faced difficulty as several trains were delayed and cancelled at Anand Vihar Railway Station due to dense fog.