Breaking News, January 1

Nigerian police confirmed on Saturday that nine kidnapped people have regained their freedom during a raid by security forces in the country's north state of Kaduna.

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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has decided to increase its working hours by 30 minutes in an attempt to deal with vast pending cases. To make it mandatory for all benches, including division benches, it has made amendments to this effect in the Madhya Pradesh High Court Rules, 2008.

So far, the working hours of the High Court were scheduled from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., including an hour's recess between 1.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. Now, with post amendment in its rule, the High Court will function from 10.15 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., with reduced recess time from 1.30 p.m. to 2.15 p.m.

"Increasing the timing by half an hour each day would help in disposing of pending cases," a press note issued by MP High Court said.

It further stated that, "amendments (increasing in working hours) have been published in the Madhya Pradesh Gazette Notification and shall be effective from next working day namely January 3, 2022."

It may be noted that in November 2021, the MP High Court Bar Council Association (MPHCBA) had unanimously passed a resolution stating that the working hours of the High Court should be increased by half an hour every day.

As many as 44 naxals including nine women cadres surrendered before police in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-affected Sukma district on Saturday, a senior official said. The rebels, mostly lower-rung cadres who were active in Chintalnar, Kistaram and Bheji areas of the district, turned themselves in at the newly-set up police camp in Karigundam village, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma.

One of them, Madkam Dula, a member of Maoist platoon no. 4, was carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head. Others were members of naxals' militia or the Chetna Natya Mandli, a cultural wing of Maoists, Sharma told PTI. A large number of local villagers accompanied the cadres when they arrived at the police camp, located more than 400 km from capital Raipur, he said.

The surrendered cadres said they were disappointed with the "hollow" Maoist ideology and "impressed" by the district police's rehabilitation drive for naxals, called 'Puna Narkom', he said. Puna Narkom, a Gondi word, means a new dawn. 

A crowd of 50-60 people pelted stones & some of them opened fire at a police party that had gone to nab dug supplier Dharamvir in Delhi's Inder Puri today, injuring 4 policemen. In self-defence, police also opened fire in which 2 persons sustained injuries: Police

Two rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip toward central Israel but fell short in the sea, the Israeli army said in a statement on Saturday morning.

The rockets were sent from the Gaza Strip toward the Mediterranean, a military spokesperson said in a statement, adding they "fell off the coast of Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area."

No sirens were triggered, and no interceptions were made, Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement.

Residents in Tel Aviv said they heard loud explosion sounds.

The rocket launch came four days after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz held a meeting in Israel.

On Wednesday, Israeli tanks fired into the Gaza Strip after gunfire from the coastal Palestinian enclave mildly injured an Israeli worker doing routine maintenance at the border barrier between Israel and Gaza.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 occurred 84-km South East of Fayzabad in Afghanistan: National Center for Seismology

Delhi's several top educational institutions, social and cultural hubs besides the country's top medical body are among the 5,789 entities whose FCRA registration is deemed to have ceased on Saturday.

These entities did not apply for renewal of their FCRA licence. In addition, the Union Home Ministry also rejected renewal applications of 179 organisations, officials said.

According to the official website related to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, among the organisations and entities whose registration under the FCRA ceased or validity expired were IIT Delhi, Jamia Milia Islamia, Indian Medical Association, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, India Habitat Centre, Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Delhi College of Engineering.

Karnataka Minister BC Nagesh says he has tested positive for COVID-19  "I have quarantined myself & are taking all the necessary precautions and medication required," he says

The old-age pension amount has been increased from 2,250 to 2,500 per month and will be implemented from this month onwards

Responding to a question on relationship with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, CM Charanjit Singh Channi says, "I've told Sidhu sahab: jithe challeinga challangi tere naal, ticktan do lae layin. (I follow you wherever you will go). I'll continue to work with him."

The city's air quality turned 'poor' on Saturday morning, hours after revellers burst firecrackers to ring in 2022, an official of West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said.

People of Kolkata woke up to grey skies as emission from firecrackers, coupled with winter smog, added to the pollution levels, he said.
At the monitoring station of Ballygunge, the air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 237 around 11 am, while the one at Rabindra Bharati University logged 239. Similarly, at Fort William, the AQI clocked 179 during that hour, and at Jadavpur it was 187.

"We will give machines to those who go to sewer and clean them by hand so that they can do their business," Arvind Kejriwal was quoted as saying by ANI

India on Saturday supplied 5,00,000 doses of the Covaxin vaccine to Afghanistan, the second tranche of humanitarian aid to the war-torn country after its takeover by the Taliban. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the consignment of vaccine doses was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kabul. It said another batch of additional 5,00,000 doses of the vaccine would be supplied to Afghanistan in the coming weeks.

About 2 lakh 65 thousand students of Class 10 and 12 of degree colleges and state schools will get benefit from this scheme, as per government data.

A radical Pakistani group has announced that it will hold demonstrations across Balochistan on Saturday to protest against a bomb attack in Quetta that targeted participants of a conference alleging the attack took place due to "negligence" of the Imran Khan government.The explosion took place on Thursday night at the gate of Science College in Quetta when workers and leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-I) were returning from the college auditorium at the end of the Shuhada Conference. The bomb attack left six people dead and 13 injured.According to Samaa TV, the blast has targeted the participants of a JUI-N conference.

The registration of 12, 580 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) has been ceased or expired on Saturday. The total number of NGOs underactive or alive category as of Saturday has come down to 16,829 from 22,762, as per the data uploaded on the Ministry of Home Affairs website on Saturday. In the updated list on January 1, the registration of 5933 NGOs has either been canceled or they did not apply for renewal."The NGOs were given enough time but they failed to update. Even after being given extension still, some of NGOs, had not applied," said MHA sources.

Total NGOs registered under FCRA that are active or alive as of today comes down to 16,829 from 22,762 a day ago. The registration of 12580 NGOs under FCRA deemed to have ceased or expired as on today. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases 10th installment of financial benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme via video conferencing. 

Today at this holy place I promise that if we will form a government in Punjab, every child from the Scheduled Caste community will be provided with best education: Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal after visiting 'Shri Ram Tirath Mandir' in Amritsar. 

"Saddened by the unfortunate landslide accident in Dadam mining zone at Bhiwani. I am in constant touch with the local administration to ensure swift rescue operations and immediate assistance to the injured," tweets Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Incident of a landslide in a mining quarry took place in Haryana's Bhiwani. Two injured and several missing. More details are awaited: Haryana Police.

Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across banks are all set to increase service charges per transaction from Saturday, following an order from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and customers will have to Rs 1 more beyond the permissible free transactions for cash as well as non-cash purposes.As per the RBI notification dated June 10, 2021, from January 1, 2022, banks have been permitted to charge Rs 21, instead of Rs 20 with applicable taxes, if any, shall be additionally payable.

Greeting people on the new year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished joy and good health to everyone. "Happy 2022!  May this year bring abundance of joy and good health in everyone's lives. May we keep scaling new heights of progress and prosperity, and work even harder to fulfil the dreams of our great freedom fighters," he tweeted. Modi also shared a clip of the recent episode of 'Mann ki Baat', his monthly radio broadcast, in which he had extended his wishes to people in the new year. 

Three dead and five injured in a fire incident at a cracker manufacturing factory near Virudhunagar District, says the Meghanatha Reddy District Collector.

Delhi reported 1,796 COVID-19 cases on Friday. The positivity rate is at 2.44%. No Covid1-19 deaths were reported yesterday (December 31). However, the number of cases is rapidly increasing: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh reaches Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital where injured people were admitted following stampede incident in Katra.

Maharashtra: A 4-month-old leopard slipped into the well in search of prey. The villagers informed forest officials, a team reached the spot and rescued the leopard. Primary treatment is being given to the leopard: VS Nevase, Forest Range Officer, Nashik.

Pune: A total of 10 ministers and over 20 MLA's have tested positive for COVID19 in Maharashtra, says Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

"The proposed study visit of department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs to Hyderabad and Goa from January 7 to January 11 has been postponed due to rise in COVID-19 cases in the country," reads the official letter.

Tamil Nadu: Heavy rainfall has caused waterlogging in several parts of Chennai.

COVID-19 | India reports 22,775 new cases, 8,949 recoveries and 406 deaths in the last 24 hours. Active caseload currently stands at 1,04,781. Recovery Rate currently at 98.32%. Omicron case tally stands at 1,431.

I'm on my way to Katra. PM Modi is monitoring the situation following a stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra, Jammu, and issued instructions to provide all possible medical aid and assistance to the injured: Union Minister Jitendra Singh. 

CoWin registrations for the COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 15 to 18 years begins today.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expresses condolences over the tragic incident of the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.

12 dead, 13 injured in the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra. The incident occurred around 2:45 am, and as per initial reports, an argument broke out which resulted in people pushing each other, followed by stampede: J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh. 

An ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of those who died in the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra; Rs 2 lakh for the injured: J&K LG Manoj Sinha. 

An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra, J&K. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM Modi.

PM Narendra Modi expresses grief over the deaths in stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra, Jammu & Kashmir.

West Bengal: First sunrise of New Year 2022 from Howrah Bridge, Kolkata. 

Injuries reported in a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra. Rescue operation underway: Police Control Room, Reasi.