Breaking News, January 3 | HIGHLIGHTS

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its response to a petition filed by former Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan challenging his detention. The high court gave four weeks to the central agency to file an affidavit. Ranjan has moved the court, challenging the order of cognisance taken against him by the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Court, Ranchi.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda inaugurated the new campus of the School of Advanced Studies, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), deemed to be a university, in Bengaluru on Friday. He also launched DIGI-Vyasa and Vyasa TV.

Approximately Rs 9 crore was frozen in Delhi in connection with cyber frauds, with around Rs 2 crore released back to the victims in west district in 2024, an official said on Friday. "These efforts are part of an ongoing initiative to protect the public from cyber criminals, who exploit digital platforms for fraudulent activities," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said.

Delhi Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj withdrawing his petition in the Supreme Court relating 'Farishtey' scheme that it alleged was rendered ineffective due to non-payment of dues, shows his claims were baseless and intended to malign the LG, Raj Niwas said on Friday. The Aam Aadmi Party withdrew the petition fearing its "lies" will be exposed in the court, the office of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor said in a statement.

A special MP-MLA court here on Friday framed charges against several BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Minister Kapil Dev Aggarwal, former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan and ex-UP minister Suresh Rana, Samajwadi Party MP Harender Malik and others in a 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots-related case, a lawyer said. Special MP-MLA court judge Devender Singh Fauzdar framed charges against 19 accused.

The Vande Bharat sleeper train has achieved a peak speed of 180 km per hour in multiple trials over the last three days on a 40-km stretch in Rajasthan, the Railway Ministry said on Friday. "The trails will continue until this month's end before this world-class long-distance travel is made available to the rail commuters across the nation," it said in a press statement. The ministry also highlighted a recent video shared by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on X.

A Naxalite was killed in an encounter with security forces in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh on Friday, police said. The gunfight took place in the forest of Kandeshar village under Indagaon police station limits on the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation, an official said.

Two persons attempted self-immolation, flaring tensions in Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh on Friday as protests against the planned disposal of 337 tonnes of hazardous waste from Union Carbide continued. According to eyewitnesses, the two men, who were part of a demonstration organised by 'Pithampur Bachao Samiti', poured flammable liquid on themselves and tried to ignite it, but their actions were swiftly thwarted by fellow protesters who intervened to extinguish the flames. 

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Friday said the education revolution brought by the Delhi government has transformed education system and children face no shortage of opportunities now. Inaugurating a new academic block at the Government Senior Secondary School in Jhilmil Colony, Atishi said the importance of the new building becomes evident when one sees the smiles on the faces of the children studying there.

Dense fog shrouded Punjab and Haryana on Friday while the minimum temperature in the region hovered close to normal limits, meteorological department officials said. Large parts of the two states have been witnessing thick fog for the past few days leading to reduced visibility in most places, they said.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Friday said the Centre's river interlinking initiative warrants comprehensive review and needs to be thoroughly examined, according to an official statement. Sandhwan characterised the initiative as an unprecedented intervention in natural systems and cautioned that such projects could adversely impact agricultural productivity and disrupt monsoon patterns.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Jammu-based White Knight Corps, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, visited forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch on Friday to review security and operational preparedness, officials said.