Breaking News, January 31 | HIGHLIGHTS

At least 14 people, including women and children, were charred to death and several others injured, after a major fire broke out in a multi-storeyed building in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Tuesday evening, officials said. The blaze erupted at 6 pm on the second floor of Ashirwad Tower in Dhanbad's Joraphatak area, around 160 km from the state capital Ranchi.

Police have filed two FIRs on the complaints of a Bajrang Dal leader that he has received death threats from suspected cattle smugglers, officials said on Tuesday.Monu Manesar, a prominent member of cow vigilante groups active in Haryana, said in his complaint that on Monday evening a person called him on the WhatsApp and threatened to murder him.

The death toll from the suicide attack rose to 100 on Tuesday after rescue workers retrieved more bodies from the debris of the devastated mosque inside a major police facility, as an investigation is under way into how the bomber sneaked into the high-security zone in Pakistan's northwestern Peshawar city. According to security officials, the suicide bomber who was present in the front row during the Zuhr (afternoon) prayers on Monday blew himself up, causing the roof to collapse on the worshippers - one of Pakistan's deadliest attacks in recent years.

Ahead of the inauguration of the newly-constructed Telangana Secretariat building here on February 17, a meeting of senior state government officials on Tuesday decided to provide high-level security to the new office complex.Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari discussed the security arrangements relating to the complex named 'Dr B R Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat Building' and the arrangements to be made for the Formula E racing event to be held on February 11 at a high-level meeting, an official release said.

The Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday recommended to the Centre the names of Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Aravind Kumar for elevation as apex court judges. All the six members of the Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, were unanimous in recommending the name of Justice Bindal, said the resolution uploaded on the apex court website.

Pfizer surprised Wall Street with a prediction for a bigger-than-expected sales drop this year for two key products: its COVID-19 vaccine and treatment.
The drugmaker also released an earnings forecast that is below analyst expectations, sending shares lower before the opening bell Tuesday.

 Applauding the Railways' efforts for recovering in both the passenger and freight segments post the Covid pandemic, the Economic Survey for 2022-23 has credited the government for substantial increase in funds that has allowed the national transporter to augment infrastructure at a fast pace.
The survey that details the state of the economy was tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, a day before she presents the Union Budget 2023-24.

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on a woman co-passenger on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi.
Additional Sessions Judge Harjyot Singh Bhalla granted the relief on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.

The minimum temperatures at several places in Punjab and Haryana hovered close to normal limits on Tuesday. According to the meteorological department (MeT), while Chandigarh recorded a low of 10.2 degrees Celsius, Ambala and Karnal in Haryana registered 11.2 degrees Celsius and 9.2 degree Celsius, respectively.

 A Pakistani court on Tuesday announced it will charge former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case on February 7.
Khan, the 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, is in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as prime minister at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.

The Adani Group's entry into Israel through its strategic acquisition of the Haifa port will turn this northern coastal Israeli city into a strong and exciting Mediterranean hub, the city's mayor said on Tuesday.

 A constable posted at the residence of a senior police officer here allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself on Tuesday morning, police said.
Abhishek Yadav, a constable of 2020 batch, was posted at the residence of a superintendent of police for the last one month. He shot himself with his service rifle, Superintendent of Police Keshav Kumar said.

Air traffic to Kashmir was restored on Tuesday, a day after snowfall snapped connectivity to the Valley, officials said. Air connectivity to and from the Valley was restored on Tuesday morning after the weather improved. Flight operations resumed as the weather stayed dry and the visibility improved, they said. The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, however, remains closed due to snow accumulation and landslides at several places along the stretch, the officials added.

At least two women were killed and 34 others were injured after a bus with over 40 passengers on board fell into a roadside ditch in West Bengal’s Malda district, police said on Tuesday. The accident occurred on Monday night when the speeding bus hit a goods carrier on National Highway 34 before falling into the roadside ditch, a senior officer said. 

Police have registered a case against a 40-year-old school teacher for allegedly hitting a five-year-old boy with a stick and slapping him in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Tuesday. The child suffered injuries in the incident which took place on Monday at a private school in Kalyan area, the official from Mahatma Fule Chowk police station said. A probe was on to ascertain what provoked the accused to thrash the child, he said.

A seven-year-old girl allegedly hanged herself accidentally while playing with a piece of saree in Madhya Pradesh's Anuppur district, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place in Pakaria village on Monday when the girl was playing outside her home while her mother was working inside, Kotma Police Station in-charge Ajay Baiga said.

A local court in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district has sentenced a woman and her partner to life in prison for murdering her husband. The Court of District and Sessions Judge Griesh Kumar Vaish on Monday found the couple guilty under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code on the basis of testimony provided by her six-year-old son, the government's counsel said.

Assam is all set to host the first set of G20 events, with delegates arriving in the northeastern state for a meeting that will begin later this week, an official release said. The state will host the first Sustainable Financial Working Group (SFWG) meeting and Youth 20 Inception event in February as part of India's year-long G20 presidency.

A robber wanted in several states and carrying a reward of Rs 1.15 lakh on his head was arrested after an encounter in Rajasthan's Dholpur district, police said on Tuesday. The robber, identified as Keshav Gurjar, was wanted in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

A 45-year-old Italian woman passenger allegedly punched a crew member, spat on another staffer and stripped on board a Vistara flight to Mumbai from Abu Dhabi after she was stopped from entering the business class, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Monday and after the flight landed in Mumbai, the crew members handed her over to Sahar police and she was arrested, they said. 

19 patients were evacuated from Max Neuro Hospital as a safety measure after a fire gutted a nearby tyre godown in the Kasarwadi area of Pimpri Chinchwad in the Pune district late last night. The fire was later doused.

Sensex down by 325 points currently at 59,175, and Nifty at 17,559. 

Two motorcyclists were killed in a collision with an SUV in the district's Shahganj area, police said.

An unidentified man threatened a 72-year-old woman with a revolver and looted valuables and cash worth Rs 12 lakh from her home in central Mumbai on Monday evening, a police official said. The incident took place in a residential building near Kirti College in Dadar (West), he said, adding the elderly woman was alone at home at the time of the robbery.

President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared.

The UN humanitarian chief warned Monday that the Taliban's ban on women aid workers in Afghanistan is “a potential death blow” to many important humanitarian programmes. If the Taliban don't make exceptions to their edict “this would be catastrophic,” Martin Griffiths said at a news conference.