LIVE: Badrinath to reopen on occasion of 'Basant Panchami' tomorrow

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Badrinath to reopen on auspicious occasion of 'Basant Panchami' tomorrow

The sacred portals of Shri Badrinath Dham would open on April 27 while the 'Gaadu Ghada Kalash Yatra' would begin on April 12, confirmed the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee. The gates would be opened at around 7 AM on April 27. On the auspicious occasion of 'Basant Panchami' which was celebrated at the royal court of Narendra Nagar, the dates for opening the gates of the Badrinath shrine were decided after studying the calendar, also called 'Panchang Gadhna', said the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee.

Amid row and a ban, Congress in Kerala screens BBC documentary on PM Modi
 

The Congress unit in Kerala is screening the controversial BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi in Thiruvananthapuram today even though the central government has banned it in India saying it's false and motivated "propaganda". The public showing of the two-part series — which speaks about the 2002 Gujarat riots and PM Modi's politics, among other things — is one of many such events organised by several Opposition parties and free-speech activists across the country. The Congress is in the opposition in Kerala, too, but the ruling CPM has also taken a stand against banning the documentary.

President Murmu leads nation in celebrating Republic Day; Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi chief guest

Six 'Agniveers' have been made part of the Navy's marching contingent during the 74th Republic Day celebrations when the ceremonial parade will take place on Kartavya Path amid patriotic fervour. President Droupadi Murmu will lead the nation in celebrating the Republic Day, and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be the chief guest at the ceremonial event. The country's military assets which will be displayed during the parade include made-in-India equipment, showing the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Main battle tank Arjun, Nag Missile System (NAMIS) and K-9 Vajra will also be showcased, the defence ministry said in the statement.

India moving past 'mentality of slavery', says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India was moving past a "mentality of slavery" and exhorted the country's youth to embrace India's rich heritage, said a press release by the Prime Minister's Office. Addressing the National Cadet Corps cadets and National Service Scheme volunteers in New Delhi, PM Modi said, "You are young, this is time for you to make your future. You are the creator of new thoughts and new standards. You are the trailblazer for New India." Mentioning the resolution of 'pride in our heritage' and 'freedom from the mentality of slavery', he highlighted the role of youth in these resolutions.

"China-India border situation stable at the moment": Chinese Vice FM Sun Weidong

Calling the China-India border situation "stable at the moment", Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong told Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat that the two sides should stand high and look far and view the bilateral relations from a comprehensive and long-term perspective. Sun said both India and China should implement the important consensus between the leaders of the two nations and also strengthen communication, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said in a statement. "The China-India border situation is generally stable at the moment, and is switching from emergency response to normalized management and control," Weidong said.

 

11:35 PM

Cyberattacks target websites of German airports, admin

The websites of German airports, public administration bodies and financial sector organisations have been hit by cyberattacks instigated by a Russian "hacker group", authorities said Thursday.The Federal Cyber Security Authority (BSI) had "knowledge of DDoS attacks against targets in Germany", a spokesman told AFP. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is designed to overwhelm the target with a flood of internet traffic, preventing the system from functioning normally.

 

9:55 PM

Delhi: Upset over delay, passenger falsely tweets flight hijacked; arrested

A man was arrested for allegedly falsely tweeting that a flight going from Dubai to Jaipur had been hijacked, police said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday. Moti Singh Rathore, a resident of Nagaur in Rajasthan, arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport after a Dubai-Jaipur was diverted to Delhi due to bad weather, Deputy Commissioner of Police (airport) Ravi Kumar Singh said.

9:32 PM

Spain to end mandatory use of face masks on public transport

Spain is set to end the mandatory use of face masks on public transport nearly three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said that she would recommend that the government remove the health regulation when the Cabinet meets on February 7. Face mask will remain obligatory inside hospitals, health clinics, dentist offices and pharmacies.

 

9:31 PM

PM Modi shares highlights from today’s Republic Day parade

9:10 PM

Locals protest against Min Sandeep Singh on Republic Day

8:59 PM

Pak rupee reaches all-time low after devaluation

Following the rupee's devaluation in the open and interbank markets, the benchmark index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rallied and gained by more than 1,000 points, as per media reports

 

8:16 PM

A massive fire broke out at a car showroom in Surat's Udhna area

7:54 PM

A grenade found near former MLA Choudhary Muhammad Akram's house in Poonch, Jammu & Kashmir

A grenade has been found near the outer wall of former Surankote MLA Choudhary Muhammad Akram's house in Poonch. Investigation underway, informed Poonch Police.

 

7:15 PM

Power surge crashes Pakistan grid, plunging millions into darkness

Pakistan's generators produced more power than was required on Monday, causing voltage fluctuations that culminated in a system collapse that plunged 220 million people into darkness, an internal government document reviewed by Reuters showed. Complete grid failures are rare, and operators of modern grids count local shocks from integration of renewable energy as their primary challenge. But the blackout in Pakistan on Monday was its second near-complete grid failure and the third in south Asia in three months.

 

6:46 PM

More than 160 Afghans die in bitterly cold weather

More than 160 people have died from the cold in Afghanistan this month in the worst winter in more than a decade, authorities said, as residents described being unable to afford fuel to heat homes in temperatures well below freezing. "162 people have died due to cold weather since January 10 until now," said Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the Minister of Disaster Management. About 84 of the deaths had taken place in the last week.

 

6:22 PM

Glimpses of the 74th Republic Day parade and celebrations

6:20 PM

President Droupadi Murmu hosts 'At Home' reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Republic Day

4:00 PM

Halwa Ceremony' held at Finance Ministry to mark the beginning of printing of Union Budget documents

2:52 PM

Everyone has right to work for growth of one's party: Maha CM Shinde on Uddhav's Thane visit

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said that in a democratic set-up, everyone has the right to carry out the propaganda of one's political party and work towards the growth of the organisation.

He was responding to a query on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Thane city scheduled later during the day. It is Thackeray's first visit to the city after Shiv Sena's split last year. Thane is the home turf of Shinde, who represents the Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency in the district.

2:48 PM

Republic Day celebrations at Jammu-Kashmir's Anantnag