Breaking News, January 15

Abdullah Azam, the son of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, was released from Sitapur jail late Saturday evening. Abdullah Azam and his father were lodged in Sitapur jail after they were shifted from Rampur jail on 27 February 2020. According to Sitapur jail superintendent Suresh Singh, Abdullah Azam's release order was received earlier but there was discrepancy in it.

A fresh order was sent from a Rampur court paving the way for his release, he said. Abdullah has as many as 43 cases registered against him in Rampur and the jail authorities got release orders in all the cases. Several supporters had gathered outside the jail to receive Abdullah Azam who later headed to Rampur with family members in a car. In brief interaction with mediapersons present there, he said that "oppression will end and the oppressor will be dethroned on March 10", when the Uttar Pradesh assembly poll results will be declared. Assembly polls in the state will be held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7.

Three men claimed to be illegal Bangladeshi migrants were arrested by the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police for allegedly selling firearms and indulging in looting and theft, officials said on Saturday. The force nabbed the three men around 2.30 am from Jhansi, where they had been living illegally, the officials said. “The Noida unit of the STF was working on cases of Bangladeshi citizens living in Uttar Pradesh without proper documentation.

The agency said it seized two illegal pistols and some ammunition from the possession of the accused who have been identified as Suleman alias Jilman, Aliman alias Mintu, and Zakir Khan alias Aslam - all natives of Bagerhat Khulna district in Bangladesh. The accused worked as scrap dealers as a front but were engaged in sale of firearms and loots and thefts here, it said. One of them told officials that his parents had also lived in India illegally in the past but have now gone back to Bangladesh and it was not the first time that he was staying in the country without proper documents, the statement read.

RBL Bank has inducted NARCL Chairman Pradip Shah as an external expert to assist its search panel in finding a full-time MD and CEO, after the removal of Vishwavir Ahuja from the post last month. Global headhunting firm EgonZehnder has also been roped in for the exercise. Currently, Rajeev Ahuja is looking after the day-to-day operations of the lender as interim MD and CEO. The board of the company in a meeting held on Saturday decided to induct Pradip Shah, chairman, National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL) as an external expert to assist the search panel, RBL Bank said in a regulatory filing. Shah will work with the search committee comprising Manjveev Singh Puri, chairman, Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) and two other directors of the bank -- Ishan Raina and Veena Mankar.
 

The CBI has booked E S Ranganathan, director (marketing) of public sector undertaking GAIL, and others in connection with an alleged bribery case, officials said Saturday. Following the registration of the case, CBI teams carried out searches at several locations in Delhi-NCR including the residence of Ranganathan, they said.

A Pakistani national was arrested shortly after he inadvertently crossed into the Indian side along the International Border (IB) in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, a senior BSF official said. Deputy Inspector General of Border Security Force (BSF), S P S Sandhu said the intruder would be returned to Pakistani Rangers through flag meeting after completion of necessary formalities.

An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending large tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or the extent of the damage as communications with the small nation remained problematic. Video posted to social media showed large waves washing ashore in coastal areas, swirling around homes and buildings.
New Zealand's military said it was monitoring the situation and remained on standby, ready to assist if asked.
Satellite images showed a huge eruption, a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a mushroom above the blue Pacific waters.

Till now, Centre has neither formed a committee on MSP nor approached us on it. Govt hasn't removed the MoS whose son is involved in Lakhimpur Kheri incident. If govt doesn't respond to our demands then we'll celebrate 'Virodh Diwas' on Jan 31: Yudhvir Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Union

The Delhi High Court has said that it would continue hearing cases through the virtual mode till February 11.

According to an office order dated January 12, the district courts would also hear matters only through the video conferencing mode till then.

"In continuation of this court's office order dated 30.12. 2021, as directed by Hon'ble the Chief Justice, the existing system of hearing of cases in this court [including the courts of Registrar and Joint Registrar (Judicial)] as well as in the district courts in Delhi shall continue till 11.02.2022," the latest order said.

On December 30, the high court - which resumed physical hearings from November 22 - had decided to shift to the virtual mode from January 3 in view of rise in COVID-19 cases and the subsequent 'yellow alert' declared by the government in the national capital.

Traffic restrictions to be imposed at Rajpath-Rafi Marg, Rajpath-Janpath, Rajpath-Mansingh Rd & Rajpath-C-Hexagon between 9am-12pm on Jan 17, 18, 20 & 21, to facilitate Republic Day Parade rehearsals on Rajpath. Vijay Chowk to India Gate route will remain closed: Delhi Traffic Police

Leader of Opposition and Congress leader V.D.Satheesan on Saturday asked the CPI-M to spell out its policy on China as two of its top leaders have been speaking in "different tones". It was veteran CPI-M politburo members S. Ramachandran Pillai and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who in a space of days, came out with different positions on China and this was what Satheesan took advantage of. The Congress leader asked the CPI-M to "come clean on what's more important our national interest or the China's Communist party's interest."

Days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke about challenges when asked about the electric car's entry into the Indian market, TRS Working President KT Rama Rao has invited the billionaire businessman to set up shop in Telangana. Rao said Telangana is a champion in sustainability initiatives and his government would be happy to partner with Tesla in working through the challenges.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the nomination for Nari Shakti Puraskar, 2021 is open till January 31, and applications or nominations may be made on the online on the portal www.awards.gov.in. The MHA also said that the details regarding eligibility and guidelines with respect to Nari Shakti Puraskar are available on the above-said portal. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to acknowledge the contributions made by individuals and institutions to celebrate women as "game-changers" and "catalysts of positive change in society".

Security has been tightened at the Ghazipur flower market in Delhi, a day after an improvised explosive device (IED) stuffed with RDX and ammonium nitrate was found inside an unattended bag there ahead of Republic Day, officials said on Saturday. The IED was defused around 1:30 pm on Friday. According to police, while the flower market is not exempted from the Covid curbs in the national capital, fruit and vegetable market is spared and is functioning.

14th round military-level talks held between India, China recently to keep the situation under control: Gen Naravane on eastern Ladakh standoff.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a cold day for Delhi with the maximum and minimum temperatures dipping to 16 and 6 degrees Celsius respectively, this morning. Meanwhile, due to fog, the visibility at Palam was reduced to 600 meters at 6.30 a.m. The relative humidity at 8.30 a.m. stood at 100 per cent. As per IMD, the next six days will be densely to moderately foggy with the possibility of light rain on January 19 and 21.

A major fire broke out at a shoe manufacturing factory in the national capital's Narela industrial area on Saturday, a fire department official said, adding there were no casualties. The official informed that they received a call about the fire incident at 9.36 a.m. in the factory at plot no A-171 near Shri Ram Dharam Kanta after which as many as 14 fire tenders were immediately pressed into the service.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday launched ‘The Climate Hazard & Vulnerability Atlas of India' that has been prepared for 13 most hazardous meteorological events that lead to loss of human and animal lives, causing extensive damage and economic losses. "The primary purpose of the climate vulnerability maps is for the users of disaster management sectors to identify the vulnerable districts for taking preventive and adaptive measures. Thus, in vulnerability maps, vulnerability assessment was focused on the district levels," the IMD said. The map was released at an event to mark the 147th foundation day of IMD.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday asked the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to establish a grievance redressal mechanism so that the government can rapidly react to the farmers and farmer producer organisations in distress. "Establish a grievance redressal mechanism to react rapidly to farmer/Farmer Producer Organisation in distress. Reaching out to farmers through 'Jan Jagrukta' programmes at grass-root level to spread awareness," the Minister said as he listed out five principles to better FCI's progress on the occasion of its 58th foundation day.

Chief of Armed Forces - General Manoj Mukund Naravane (Army), Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari (Air Force), and Admiral R Hari Kumar (Navy) lay wreath at the National War Memorial on the occasion of ArmyDay

US health officials have encouraged more Americans to wear the kind of N95 or KN95 masks used by health-care workers to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Those kinds of masks are considered better at filtering virus from the air. But they previously were in short supply, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials had said they should be prioritised for health care workers. In updated guidance posted late Friday afternoon, CDC officials removed concerns related to supply shortages and more clearly said that properly fitted N95 and KN95 masks provide the most protection. However, agency officials noted some masks are harder to tolerate than others, and urged people to choose good-fitting masks that they will wear consistently. The CDC has evolved its mask guidance throughout the pandemic.

A firing drill for checking and judging the proficiency in the action procedures of the railway-borne missile regiment of North Phyongan province took place, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of North Korea or Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) reported early Saturday. The drill was aimed at checking the alert posture of the combatants of the regiment and bolstering their ability of discharging firepower mission, according to the KCNA report. It was supervised by commanding officers of the Korean People's Army and leading officials of the Academy of Defence Science, it said. The media report added that the regiment received a firepower mission at short notice from the General Staff in the morning on Friday before swiftly moving to the firing ground, and precisely struck the set target in the East Sea of Korea with two tactical guided missiles, Xinhua news agency reported. Military officials discussed setting up a proper railway-borne missile operating system across the country and finding out ways for further completing the DPRK's style of fighting methods with railway-borne missiles, according to the report.

One person succumbed to injuries and 80 others were injured in the Jallikattu competition in the Avaniyapuram area of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, the Health Official informed on Friday."Total 80 injured, 1 succumbed to injuries in the Jallikattu competition in Avaniyapuram area of Madurai, Tamil Nadu," the health official.According to the official, the injured includes 38 bull tamers, 24 bull owners, and 18 spectators. Amid loud whistles, applause and cheers at Avaniyapuram village in Madurai district, as many as 300 bulls were let out into the arena of bull tamers.The Tamil Nadu government had allowed Jallikattu with 300 bulls and 150 spectators. However, hundreds of villagers gathered on roofs and outside the barricades at Avaniyapuram to watch the events.Every year during Pongal, the Jallikattu competition is conducted in the villages of Tamil Nadu. 

US President Joe Biden has announced his nomination of three Federal Reserve officials, as he seeks to reshape the central bank amid bumpy economic recovery. Biden on Friday nominated Sarah Bloom Raskin to serve as Vice-Chairman for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system, and nominated Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system, according to a White House statement. "Raskin is among the most qualified nominees ever for the position of Vice-Chairman for Supervision, while Jefferson and Cook are talented economists with decades of experience working on a broad range of economic issues," the US President said in a statement. Raskin has served both as the Deputy Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury and as a Governor of the Federal Reserve Board. She also served as the Commissioner of Financial Regulation for the State of Maryland, Xinhua news agency reported. Cook, currently a Professor of Economics and International Relations at Michigan State University, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, served at the White House Council of Economic Advisers under former President Barack Obama. She serves on the advisory boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Jefferson, Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and the Paul B. Freeland Professor of Economics at Davidson College, serves on the Vassar College Board of Trustees, the Board of Advisors of the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He is a past President of the National Economic Association.