Breaking News, January 8

Amid a political slugfest with the BJP, TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday held separate meetings with senior leaders of the CPI(M) and CPI and discussed finding common ground in opposition to the Centre's PSU disinvestment and other policies.

Reliance Industries acquires majority stake in New York's luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental for USD 98.

James Webb Space Telescope completes deployment

Haryana records 3,541 fresh COVID cases, 377 recoveries, and two deaths in the last 24 hours Active cases: 13,937 Today's positivity rate: 7.26%

Venezuela's annual inflation rate hit 686.4% in 2021, demonstrating a deceleration of consumer price growth versus the previous year when inflation was 2,959.8%, reported news agency Reuters quoting country's central bank on Saturday. Monthly inflation in December rose 7.6% and, since September, the inflation rate has remained in the single digits.

The Taliban's foreign minister visited Iran on Saturday to discuss Afghan refugees and a growing economic crisis, in the first such trip to the neighbouring country since the hardline Islamists seized power. Iran, like other nations, has so far not recognised the new government formed by the Taliban after it took power amid a hasty withdrawal by US-led foreign forces in August.

West Bengal reports 18,802 fresh COVID cases, 8,112 recoveries, and 19 death in the last 24 hours Active cases: 62,055 Death toll: 19,883 Daily positivity rate: 29.6%

Delhi Police have arrested two persons for killing two Uber drivers within a span of few hours, an official said here on Saturday.

The accused have been identified as Akku alias Aakash and Junaid, both residents of Anand Parbat.

According to the official, at around 8:45 a.m. on January 7, a police patrol vehicle noticed an Uber taxi parked on the roadside near the Ramjas ground with a man lying unconscious inside it. The person was immediately shifted to RML Hospital where he was declared brought dead. No apparent injury was visible, but blood was seen coming out of the victim's mouth.

The identity of the deceased was revealed as Anil Yadav, 48, a resident of south-west Delhi. The mobile phone and wallet of the deceased were found missing and the manner of death seemed to be suspicious.

Thereafter, the wife of the deceased was informed and she said that her husband had left the house around 6:30 am for work.

Based on all these details, an FIR under Sections 302 and 34 was registered and the probe was taken up.

During the course of investigation, it was revealed that the body of another Uber driver, namely Chavvi Nath, a resident of Noida, was also found in the north-west area of the city with similar signs.

While investigating the Bulli Bai case, the Delhi police have found out that app creator Niraj Bishnoi had created five different Twitter handles with the initial name 'giyu', named after a gaming character to carry out his satanic deeds. The following Twitter handles have been identified, which are @giyu2002, @giyu007, @giyuu84, @giyu94 and @giyu44. Out of these, the account @giyu2002 has been found associated with one FIR registered in the Kishangarh police station of South West Delhi. Bishnoi, from the @giyu2002 Twitter handle, had made lewd comments and tweeted about auctions of women, DCP IFSO special cell, KPS Malhotra claimed on Thursday.

The Karnataka government is planning to stop Congress workers from participating in the Mekedatu padayatra at Kanakapura border before reaching Mekedatu.

The police department has erected barricades all over the Ramnagar district and deputed 2,000 police personnel to manage the situation as the face-off continues between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress on the issue.

Ramnagar district authorities have clamped prohibitory orders in the entire district. As per Congress leaders, thousands of workers are expected to participate in the padayatra from surrounding districts.

The police department sources said that reserved forces and extra staff have been kept ready. They are also ready to initiate action against participants of padayatra and are waiting for the government's instruction in this regard.

On the other hand, Congress sources said that if government resorts to punitive action, it will be good for the Opposition as it will dent the image of the ruling BJP in the state.

Police officers who are in a fix over the issue have decided to take action as per the situation until direct orders come from the government.

The Congress has started preparing for Mekedatu padayatra and made arrangements for cooking and shelter for the workers at choultries and school grounds along the route.

Padaytra on Mekedatu will begin on January 9 and conclude on January 19.

CEC Sushil Chandra on Saturday said that elections will be held for 403 assembly seats in UP, 117 in Punjab, 70 in Uttarakhand, 60 in Manipur and 40 in Goa.

The meeting of all legislative parties in Tamil Nadu, barring BJP, on Saturday decided to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and also get legal opinion on getting the state exempted from NEET.

At least 19 mobile phones were recovered from the possession of inmates at the high-security Tihar Jail in the national capital during a surprise check, an official said here on Saturday. The surprise check was conducted by the jail authorities on the intervening night of January 6-7. 

Normal life was affected in parts of Rajasthan as rainfall with hailstorm triggered by the western disturbance lashed many parts of the state in the last 24 hours, officials said on Saturday. Hailstorms also occurred at several places in the state which damaged standing mustard crops.

Senior IPS officer Viresh Kumar Bhawra has been appointed the director general of police of Punjab, according to an order. The Charanjit Singh Channi-led government selected the 1987 batch IPS officer out of a panel of three officers shortlisted by the Union Public Service Commission. The other two officers in the panel were senior IPS officers Dinkar Gupta and Prabodh Kumar. 

The National Green Tribunal has formed a committee to look into a plea alleging discharge of sewage on open land, roads, internal lanes and storm water drains in 93 villages of Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

The Madras High Court has ruled that an evangelist who made offending remarks against Hindus cannot claim immunity after outraging religious beliefs of others and stated he cannot be equated as a neutral commentator or a stand-up comedian like Munawar Faruqui.

Taliban's First Deputy Prime Minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Friday urged the international community to help Afghans amid freezing winter and heavy snow.

Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday seized an abandoned Pakistani boat near the border outpost in Ferozepur district of Punjab. Ferozepur is a sensitive district because of its proximity to the international border with Pakistan. Earlier, many drones from Pakistan breached Indian territory in the district.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan has tested positive for Coronavirus, according to party sources. The senior Kerala BJP leader, who was seen at a few functions in the state on Friday, learnt about the virus after he went for Covid testing as a mandatory requirement to travel to Bengaluru.

Shimla covered under a white blanket of snow

Heavy rainfall causes waterlogging 

A lunchtime explosion at an office cafeteria killed 16 people in southwest China on Friday and injured 10 others, authorities said. A gas leak is the suspected cause of the blast, the Chongqing city government said in an online statement.

India and China to hold 14th round of Corps Commander level talks on January 12 to resolve the ongoing stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). 

The investigation in the ‘Bulli Bai’ application case has so far suggested that the intention of the mastermind was to get publicity and make an identity of his own, the Delhi Police said on Friday. The probe has so far not revealed anyone else’s involvement in motivating Niraj Bishnoi (21) into doing such activities and his action can be attributed to the type of social media content he consumed, it said.