Breaking News, January 7 | HIGHLIGHTS

Eleven more families in Joshimath were moved to safe locations on Saturday as the number of houses developing cracks in the sinking town rose to 603, officials said.

A 35-year-old man died and three were injured after a portion of the ground floor and staircase of a four-storey building collapsed in north Delhi's Sadar Bazar area on Saturday, officials said.

Indian Army troops on Saturday evening opened fire after noticing suspicious movement near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The troops picked up the suspicious movement in the Balakote sector and opened "speculative fire", they said, adding the firing lasted for a few minutes and there was no report of any casualty.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday declared Kerala as the first state in the country to go fully digital in its banking service and said this recognition would boost the state economy. In an event held here, Vijayan said this achievement was possible due to social interventions through local self-government institutions along with infrastructure development and technological advances in the banking sector.

Packing Kyiv's 1,000-year-old Lavra Cathedral for Orthodox Christmas, hundreds of worshippers heard the service in that church in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades, a demonstration of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Pakistani police arrested five terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan outfit during intelligence-based operations in Punjab province on Saturday. According to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police, the terrorists were arrested in Lahore, Okara, Mandi Bahauldin, Faisalabad and Layyah districts of Punjab. “Explosive material, suicide vests, weapons and banned literature have been recovered from the possession of the arrested terrorists,” the CTD said in a statement.

Kolkata Police's special task force arrested two persons, suspected to be terrorists allied to the ISIS, from Howrah's Tikiapara area, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

An unmarried couple was found hanging inside a cottage here on Saturday, police said. The bodies of a 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were found hanging inside the cottage in Kataiya village under Powayan police station, they said.

Newly-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy on Saturday said he will look into the issue of public debt and pledged that the House will address the "rise of the Chinese Communist party." McCarthy, 57, was elected the House Speaker in a historic post-midnight 15th ballot on Saturday. He replaced Nancy Pelosi, 82, of the Democratic Party. McCarthy defeated 52-year-old Hakeem Sekou Jeffries by 216 to 212 votes, in the 15th round of votes that went past midnight. In his maiden speech as Speaker, McCarthy said he wanted the US to win the economic competition with China.

Forty-three cadres of different militant groups on Saturday surrendered before Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh during a "home coming ceremony" organised by the state Home department here. The militants laid down 19 arms, 17 hand grenades, 5 handheld sets, one Kenwood set, 9 PEK, 5 IED, and 209 ammunition before the CM. The surrendered militants include 13 from valley-based Kangleipak Yawol Kanba Lup (KYKL), five from People's Liberation Army, 11 from Kangleipak Communist Party (People's War Group), five from United National Liberation Front (UNLF), five from KCP (N), two from PREPAK (PRO) and one from the hill-based NSCN (U). Welcoming the militants to normal life, the chief minister said "I understand the hardship and unrest experienced by you.

The minimum temperature across Kashmir rose by several degrees, comforting people from intense cold ahead of a possible wet weather spell that may last a few days beginning Saturday, the weather department said. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius on Friday night – up by over four degrees from minus 5.5 degrees the night before, officials said. Qazigund, the gateway to the Valley, registered a minimum of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, a frontier district, recorded a minimum of minus 1.8 degrees. Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 1.4 degrees, the officials said. The tourist resort town of Pahalgam in Anantnag district, which also serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius -- up from minus 8.6 degrees. The minimum temperature in Gulmarg, the famous ski resort town in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, recorded a temperature of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius – up from the previous night’s minus 5 degrees Celsius, the officials said.

The second phase of metro lines 2A and 7 will become operational soon, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said. The line 2A connects Dahanukarwadi in Kandivali to DN Nagar and line 7 connects Aarey Road to the Andheri Highway. The MMRDA will take a 16-hour mega block for the integration of the first phase of metro lines with the second phase between 6 am to 10 pm on January 8 on lines 2A and 7 for testing of integrated signalling systems. The entire civil work, as well as system works of both the metro lines, have been completed, the MMRDA said in a release issued on Friday. It said road traffic will ease once both the lines become fully operational. "The entire civil work and the system works of the metro lines have been completed and soon the second phase of the metro 2A and 7 will be in service of Mumbaikars," said SVR Srinivas, metropolitan commissioner of MMRDA.

The Andaman and Nicobar unit of the BJP requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to set up a training centre in Great Nicobar island for 'Agniveers' under the new recruitment scheme in the armed forces, a party functionary said on Saturday. A delegation of leaders of the saffron party led by its Andaman unit vice president Sanjay Kumar Singh met the defence minister during his two-day visit to the archipelago from January 5, and requested him for a training unit for 'Agniveers' in the southernmost island of the union territory. The BJP team apprised the minister of difficulties being faced by 'Agniveer' aspirants for travelling from remote islands to Port Blair to participate in the armed forces recruitment scheme due to non-availability of a regular sea transport system. "We are thankful to our defence minister for interacting with our party leaders at Campbell Bay on Friday. Among several issues, our team demanded a regimental and training unit for 'Agniveers' in Great Nicobar," Andaman and Nicobar BJP's media convenor M Vinod told PTI.

The government will enhance its focus on providing micro-credit facility in the range of Rs 3,000-5,000 to street vendors in 2023, with the help of digital technologies, Union IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. While speaking at Digital India Awards, Vaishnaw said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allocated around Rs 52,000 crore for taking 4G and 5G services across all nooks and corners of the country for digitally connecting every citizen. "In 2023 there will be a big focus on providing credit facilities to street vendors in a simplified manner to meet small credit requirements of Rs 3,000-5,000," Vaishnaw said. The minister said that the country will see the roll out of indigenously developed 4G and 5G technologies this year.

There was no let-up in cold wave conditions sweeping Haryana and Punjab, with the minimum temperature at most places settling below normal limits on Saturday. Fog blanketed several parts of the two states, reducing visibility in the early hours of the morning. According to a meteorological department report, the mercury settled at a low of 2 degrees Celsius in Narnaul and Hisar in Haryana. Sirsa recorded a minimum temperature of 3.2 degrees Celsius, Bhiwani 5.2 degrees Celsius, Rohtak 4.4 degrees Celsius, Karnal 4.5 degrees Celsius and Ambala 5.4 degrees Celsius.

Delhi Police has arrested from Bengaluru the man who allegedly urinated on a woman co-passenger on an Air India flight, officials said on Saturday. The accused, Shankar Mishra, allegedly urinated on the woman, a senior citizen, in an inebriated condition in the business class of the Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26 last year. Delhi Police had registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airport) Ravi Kumar Singh said, "Accused Shankar Mishra in IGIA case has been arrested from Bengaluru by a Delhi Police team. He has been brought to Delhi and further investigation into the case is in progress." The accused was staying at his sister's home in Sanjay Nagar, Bengaluru. The city police assisted the Delhi Police team in arresting him, a Bengaluru police official said.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed its journey in Haryana on Saturday morning, with scores of people joining the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led foot march as it entered Karnal district from adjoining Panipat. Olympic medallist boxer Vijender Singh and senior Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Randeep Singh Surjewala were among those who joined the yatra which began from Kohand village in Gharaunda here.According to the schedule, the yatra will halt for the night in Indri here before moving to Kurukshetra district next morning. The yatra re-entered Haryana on Thursday evening from Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi addressed a rally in Panipat on Friday and slammed the BJP government over the economy and unemployment, saying there are two Indias under Prime Minister Narendra Modi – one of farmers, labourers and the jobless and the other of "100 people" who hold "half" of the nation's wealth. The yatra covered over 130 km in its first phase in Haryana from December 21-23, passing through Nuh, Gurugram and Faridabad districts.

City police arrested three persons with 90 kg ganja worth Rs 9 lakh in a village in Thane district of Maharashtra, an official said on Saturday. An Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) official said they intercepted a car in Balpada village near Badlapur city on Thursday on a tip-off and seized 90 kg of ganja. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the official added.

An Indian-American body has welcomed the nomination of lawyer diplomat Richard Verma for Deputy Secretary of State, a top diplomatic position in the State Department. In December, the White House in a statement said that Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate 54-year-old Verma to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. If confirmed by the US Senate, Verma, also a former US ambassador to India, would be the highest-ranking Indian-American in the State Department. “This nomination is yet another historic addition by President Biden in his campaign pledge to diversify the current administration,” Indian American Impact Fund said in a statement. Verma’s historic opportunity to join the State Department is the culmination of his long and illustrious career in public service.

Delhi Police has summoned Air India staff in connection with an incident in which a man allegedly urinated on a co-passenger onboard a flight from New York to Delhi, sources said. The Air India staff, including the pilot and co-pilot, were issued summons for Friday, but they didn't appear. Now, they have been summoned to the office of deputy commissioner of police (airport) at 10:30 am on January 7, the sources said on Friday. Police on Wednesday registered an FIR and formed several teams to nab the accused passenger. The accused, Shankar Mishra, had urinated on his co-passenger, a senior citizen in her 70s, allegedly in an inebriated condition in the business class of the Air India flight on November 26 last year. Mishra is the vice president of the India Chapter of an American multinational financial services company headquartered in California.

Tribal bodies stepped up their demand to “free” the Parasnath hills in Jharkhand's Giridih district from the “clutches” of the Jain community and said thousands will assemble there on January 10 as a mark of protest. A day after the Centre stayed all tourism activities at the site, the tribal bodies on Friday warned of a revolt if their demands were not met by the union and the state governments. Jains across the country have been demanding the scrapping of a 2019 Jharkhand government notification designating Parasnath hills as a tourist place, fearing this would lead to an influx of travellers who may consume non-vegetarian food and liquor at their holy site. Even as the Centre stayed the Jharkhand government’s move to promote tourism at the Parasnath hills after protests by Jains, tribals jumped into the fray staking a claim to the land and asking for it to be freed.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered immediate evacuation of around 600 families living in houses which have developed huge cracks and are at risk in Joshimath town which is sinking. "Saving lives is our first priority. Officials have been asked to shift around 600 families living in endangered houses in Joshimath to safe locations," Dhami told reporters here on Friday after reviewing the situation in the sinking town with officials via video conference. "We are also working on short and long-term plans to address the situation in Joshimath," he said.
The chief minister will visit Joshimath on Saturday, meet the affected people and hold a meeting with officials.

The Centre has banned the People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a proxy outfit of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, for its involvement in terror acts in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere. The Union Home Ministry on Friday also designated Arbaz Ahmad Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba member, as an individual terrorist under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In a notification, the ministry said the PAFF has been regularly issuing threats to security forces, political leaders and civilians working in Jammu and Kashmir from other states. The PAFF, along with other organisations, is involved in pro-actively conspiring both physically and on social media to undertake violent terrorist acts in Jammu and Kashmir and major cities in India, it said. Along with other organisations, the PAFF is indulging in radicalisation of impressionable youth for recruitment and training in handling guns, ammunition and explosives. The group has also been involved in terrorism. It has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India, the ministry said.

Therefore, exercising the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the central government declared the PAFF a banned organisation, it said.

Personal emails linked to 235 million Twitter accounts hacked some time ago have been exposed according to Israeli security researcher Alon Gal — making millions vulnerable to having their accounts compromised or identities exposed if they have used the site anonymously to criticize oppressive governments, for instance. Gal, who is the co-founder and chief technology officer at cybersecurity firm Hudson Rock, wrote in a LinkedIn post this week that the leak “will unfortunately lead to a lot of hacking, targeted phishing, and doxxing”. While account passwords were not leaked, malicious hackers could use the email addresses to try to reset people's passwords, or guess them if they are commonly used or reused with other accounts. That's especially a risk if if the accounts are not protected by two-factor authentication, which adds a second layer of security to password-protected accounts by having users enter an auto-generated code to log in.

A six-year-old student shot and wounded a teacher at his school in Virginia during an altercation inside a first-grade classroom Friday, police and school officials in the city of Newport News said. No students were injured in the shooting at Richneck Elementary School, police said. The teacher — a woman in her 30s — suffered life-threatening injuries. Her condition had improved somewhat by late afternoon, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said. “We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting,” Drew told reporters, later adding that the gunshot was not an accident. Drew said the student and teacher had known in each other in a classroom setting. He said the boy had a handgun in the classroom, and investigators were trying to figure out where he obtained it. The police chief did not provide further details about the shooting or what happened inside the school.

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Hawaii's Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is erupting again and providing a spectacle that includes bursting lava fountains and lava “waves,” but no Big Island communities are in danger. Kilauea began erupting Thursday inside its summit crater, the U.S. Geological Survey said — less than one month after the volcano and its larger neighbor Mauna Loa stopped releasing lava. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected a glow in webcam images indicating Kilauea had begun erupting inside Halemaumau crater at the volcano's summit caldera, the agency said. Kilauea last erupted for 16 months starting in September 2021, and for about two weeks starting last November, Hawaii had two volcanoes spewing lava side by side when Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in 38 years.

A 38-year-old retired NASA satellite is about to fall from the sky. NASA said Friday the chance of wreckage falling on anybody is “very low.” Most of the 5,400-pound (2,450-kilogram) satellite will burn up upon reentry, according to NASA. But some pieces are expected to survive. The space agency put the odds of injury from falling debris at about 1-in-9,400. The science satellite is expected to come down Sunday night, give or take 17 hours, according to the Defense Department. The California-based Aerospace Corp., however is targeting Monday morning, give or take 13 hours, along a track passing over Africa, Asia the Middle East and the westernmost areas of North and South America.

A woman and his son were shot dead over a land dispute in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district on Friday, police said. The two were attacked by a villager who fired gunshots at them in Bir-Bagehra village. The deceased were in their field when the accused Chanchal Singh fired at them from the top of his house and killed them, said locals. The deceased were identified as Karan Katoch and his mother Bimla Devi. This incident was a fallout of a land dispute between two families, villagers maintained. When contacted, Hamirpur SP Akriti Sharma said a case had been registered and DSP Sunil Dutt had gone to the spot to help the local police authorities investigate the case. She said the accused has been taken into custody and a case of murder has been registered against him under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.