LIVE: India to include concerns of Global South in G20, says LS Speaker

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India will make efforts to include concerns of the Global South in the G20 framework during its ongoing presidency of the grouping, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Monday.

Birla, who is leading an Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya, made the remarks as he met Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.


With an eye on the upcoming Assembly election which is less than four months away, the Bharatiya Janata Party will launch 'Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra' from January 21 to 29. The BJP national president J P Nadda will flag off the campaign from Vijayapura in north Karnataka on January 21. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa and local MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal will attend the event.

The number of cases of COVID-19's XBB.1.5 variant, responsible for the rise in cases in the US, has gone up to 26 in India, according to INSACOG data on Monday.

The cases of XBB.1.5 variant have been found across 11 states and Union territories till now, including Delhi, Maharashtra and West Bengal, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be leading a mega roadshow in New Delhi today ahead of the BJP’s national executive meeting that kicks off at the NDMC Convention Centre. Roads from Connaught Place (CP), Jantar Mantar and Sansad Marg are to remain closed from 2:30 pm to 5 pm. 
 

11:11 PM

Ensure foolproof arrangements for G20 meetings in Punjab: CM Mann to officials

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday directed the officials to ensure foolproof arrangements for meetings of the G20 summit slated to take place in Amritsar in March and June.

Chairing a meeting here to review the arrangements of the mega event, the chief minister said no stone should be left unturned for making it a huge success, an official release said.

10:02 PM

Nepal plane crash: Black box recovered from accident site as rescue workers retrieve 69 bodies

The black box of the crashed Yeti Airlines' aircraft with 72 people, including five Indians, on board was recovered on Monday, as rescue workers retrieved 69 bodies from the accident site in Nepal's resort city of Pokhara.

Officials said 41 bodies out of 69 recovered so far have been identified as Nepal observed a national day of mourning on Monday. Three missing persons are believed to be dead and rescuers will resume their operation on Tuesday to retrieve the bodies.

10:01 PM

Sushil Modi dares Tejashwi Yadav to speak against triple talaq, hijab

Amid the Ramcharitmanas row in Bihar, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP on Monday dared RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to object triple talaq, hijab, and multiple marriages.

"His (Tejashwi Yadav) party legislator and Education Minister has made an objectionable statement on Ramcharitmanas, and the state president of RJD has supported him. More importantly, Tejashwi Yadav did not take any action against any of them, which means the party supports them," Sushil Modi said.

9:54 PM

India's FTA talks with EU, UK are on track, says govt official

The ongoing negotiations of India for the proposed comprehensive free trade agreements with the UK and European Union (EU) are on track and the next round of talks with both the regions will happen soon, a top government official said on Monday.

India has recently concluded the sixth round of talks with the UK and third round with the EU. "The seventh round with the UK and the fourth round with the EU will be held very soon. Both the trade agreements are on track," the official said.

9:43 PM

Ensure BJP doesn’t lose any of 9 state polls in 2023, Nadda tells members at party meet

BJP national president JP Nadda on Monday called on the party’s executive members to prepare to win the nine Assembly polls to be held in 2023.

Speaking at the BJP national executive meeting at Delhi’s NDMC Convention Centre, Nadda underlined the importance of winning the nine polls in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
 

9:42 PM

'LG not our headmaster', Kejriwal targets Saxena as AAP MLAs march to Raj Niwas

LG VK Saxena should not "behave like a headmaster" checking students' homework, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday as AAP MLAs led by him marched to the lieutenant governor's office here against alleged interferences in the elected government's functioning.

The remark came on a day the ruling party MLAs staged the march from the Delhi assembly, claiming that the city government's proposal to send school teachers to Finland for training was rejected by Saxena, a charge refuted by the LG's office.

9:20 PM

Cold wave conditions over northwest India likely to abate from Jan 19: IMD

India Meteorological Department on Monday said that two western disturbances in quick succession are likely to affect northwest India on January 18 and 20, as a result, cold wave conditions over northwest India are likely to abate from January 19.
 

9:14 PM

BJP panic-stricken by Cong's 'poll guarantees' announced in Karnataka: Surjewala

Congress general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala on Monday claimed the BJP was "panic-stricken" by his party's guarantees of 200 units of free power and Rs 2000 cash per month to all households, and dared it to implement it in the state.

He asked if Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will defy Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is against the "revri culture" (freebies). "We challenge PM Modi and BJP President J P Nadda to implement our guarantees in BJP-ruled states," he said.

8:45 PM

Yes Bank-DHFL case: Accused Avinash Bhosale in hospital since Oct, CBI seeks AIIMS board to assess his health

The Central Bureau of Investigation has approached a special court in Mumbai seeking the setting up of a board under the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to assess the health of builder Avinash Bhosale, an accused in the Yes Bank-DHFL case.

Bhosale was arrested on May 26 last year by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate later took his custody in a money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody and has been admitted in a hospital since October. Special PMLA Judge MG Deshpande said it would not make sense to hear the CBI plea now as it has already given instructions to the Enforcement Directorate in the matter.
 

8:34 PM

DRI seizes mobile accessories, branded goods worth Rs 80 cr at Mundra port, Gujarat

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized mobile accessories, e-cigarettes, branded bags and cosmetics worth Rs 80 crore from Mundra port in Gujarat's Kutch district and arrested two persons, an official said on Monday.

The articles were concealed in a consignment of garment accessories and ladies footwear having a declared value of Rs 1.5 crore, he said.

8:21 PM

Masks, sanitisers, social distancing back in Kerala for a month

Covid restrictions, like those stipulated during the pandemic time, will be in force in Kerala with immediate effect for a month, it was announced on Monday.

All will have to wear masks and maintaining of social distancing is also a must at all places. A government order to this effect came out on Monday evening which states that the fresh steps are being undertaken to prevent Covid from spreading.

8:15 PM

Road to recovery has begun and ready for challenges ahead: Pant tweets for first time

Premier India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who survived a horrific car crash on last December 30, on Monday gave his first official statement since that accident and said he is on the road to recovery after a successful triple surgery few days back.

Pant survived a horrifying car crash on NH-58 on December 30 last year when he was driving back home from Delhi to Rourkee. He was first admitted in a hospital in Dehradun and then shifted to Mumbai, where he had three surgeries -- two on knee and one on ankle. He is expected to be out for one year.

8:09 PM

Rajasthan govt should act against 'big sharks' behind paper leaks: Pilot

Indirectly targeting his own party's government in Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday said the state should take action against the "big sharks" behind the string of recruitment exam paper leaks reported recently.

Addressing farmers and the youth at a Kisan Sammelan in Nagaur's Parbatsar, the former deputy chief minister also called for a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

7:38 PM

Activists write to PM; accuse U'khand govt of slow-paced relief-rehabilitation work in Joshimath

The Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti on Monday demanded scrapping of NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and asked the Centre to take over the relief and rehabilitation works in the land subsidence hit-town, accusing the Uttarakhand government of carrying them out at a snail's pace.

Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS) convenor Atul Sati, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accused the state government of ignoring its warnings about the imminent disaster for 14 months and dealing with it now at a slow pace.

7:14 PM

Delhi court seeks ED's reply on Jacqueline Fernandez's fresh plea to travel abroad

A Delhi court on Monday sought response from the Enforcement Directorate on a fresh plea moved by Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, an accused in a money laundering case, seeking permission to travel abroad.

Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik directed ED to file its response by January 25 on Fernandez's application to travel to Dubai in the last week of the month for a professional work.