LIVE: Election Commission issues notification for Tripura Assembly election

Live news updates: As per the schedule, the polling to the 60 Assembly constituencies will be held on February 16 and counting will take place on March 2

Live news updates: The aggrieved grapplers called off their protest late on Friday night after getting assurances from the government that their grievances would be addressed, the first step of which was the stepping aside of under-fire Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Dahiya, decided to end their protest after a breakthrough was achieved during a marathon second round of talks with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was granted 40-day parole, the police sources said on Friday. The Dera Sacha Sauda chief was serving a sentence for rape and murder in Rohtak's Sunaria Jail. According to the sources, the paperwork for his parole is yet to be completed and he is likely to be released today (January 21).

The local police force where Rishi Sunak filmed a social media video in a moving car without a seatbelt on Friday fined the British Prime Minister for the legal breach. Lancashire Police, which had been looking into the matter, confirmed it had issued a fixed penalty notice to Sunak, which involves a 100 pounds fine for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car. 

Nikki Haley, the Indian- American Republican who is eyeing a bid for the White House in 2024, has been accused of plotting to become former US President Donald Trump's Vice-President. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who made this accusation in his memoir that just hit the stands, goes on to claim in the book that Haley's co-conspirators were Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, who both held senior position in the White House at the time.

3:03 PM

False allegations against Delhi's education dept: Sisodia tells L-G

In a letter, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday lashed out at Lt. Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena accusing him of making "false allegations" against the national capital's Education Department.

"A letter was written by you to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. The figures given by you while criticising the functioning of the Education Department of Delhi are false. Delhi's 60,000 teachers, 18 lakh children and their 36 lakh parents, who have improved the education system with their hard work, are hurt and humiliated", Sisodia said in his letter to Saxena.

On Friday, Saxena wrote to Kejriwal in which he raised several issues related to the city's education sector.

3:02 PM

Joshimath crisis: Badrinath National Highway develops cracks

Cracks of one to two metre long have devloped on the Badrinath National Highway in Joshimath, which is the only road that leads to Badrinath, a place of faith for millions of Hindus.

Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha said that the administration has been keeping a close watch on the land subsidence of the highway.

Sinha stated that the concerned agencies have been instructed to repair the road. He said it would be completely repaired before the Char Dham yatra.

Repairing the road before the yatra would pose as a big challenge for the government.

2:59 PM

SC turns down plea seeking to enforce 'one car one person' norm

The Supreme Court has junked a plea seeking to enforce the "one car one person" norm, besides demanding the imposition of environmental tax on the second vehicle of an owner.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha said the issues raised in the plea pertain to the policy domain.

"The issues which are raised in the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India in the present case pertain to the policy domain. Hence, we are not inclined to entertain the petition.

"The petitioners are at liberty to pursue their grievances before the authorities in accordance with law," the bench said.

2:58 PM

India willing to partner with UAE to make it global educational hub: Indian diplomat

India will be happy to be a partner with the UAE in its efforts to make the Emirates a global educational hub besides being a financial hub, an Indian diplomat here has said.

Tadu Mamu, Consul (Press Information, Culture and Labour) of the Indian Embassy, who was the chief guest at a global education conclave here, said that the pandemic had unleashed the potential of online learning in a big way that was attracting students.

She said there was a need to bring a balance between the physical mode of learning with edu-tech.

She said the UAE leadership is striving to make the Emirates a global educational hub besides being a financial hub.

2:42 PM

If you ever want to make a movie over here, let's talk: James Cameron to SS Rajamouli

American cinema veteran James Cameron is mighty impressed by SS Rajamouli's work on "RRR" and has offered to support the Telugu director if he ever plans to make a film in Hollywood.

Rajamouli and "RRR" composer MM Keeravani recently met Cameron at the Critics' Choice Awards (CCA) where the movie won the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Song for Telugu track "Naatu Naatu".

In a new clip of their brief meeting, shared by the Telugu blockbuster's official Twitter handle, Cameron told Rajamouli to approach him if he decides to pursue Hollywood.

"If you ever want to make a movie over here, let's talk," Cameron said.

"RRR" (Rise Roar Revolt) is a pre-Independence fictional story focusing on two real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s -- Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR). The movie also features Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn in special appearance.

During their conversation, the "Avatar" director praised the film's structure and Rajamouli's filmmaking style.

2:40 PM

Will win from Kolar even if PM and Amit Shah campaigned against me: Siddaramaiah

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who has decided to contest the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka from Kolar segment, asserted on Saturday that he will surely win even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were to campaign against him.

The former Chief Minister has decided to shift his constituency from Badami in Bagalkote district in North Karnataka to Kolar citing age factor and the distance. Let (BJP national general secretary) B L Santhosh come, BJP national president J P Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah and campaign against me. I will surely win from Kolar, he told reporters. Siddaramaiah was reacting to a query that a negative campaign has begun ever since he expressed his desire to contest from Kolar in the assembly poll, which is just four months away. There were reports that handbills are being distributed in the district against Siddaramaiah. The Congress veteran added that the same was tried in Badami from where he contested in the 2018 assembly election and he won despite the campaign by Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders.

2:13 PM

Sections of Balkan river become floating garbage dump

Tons of waste dumped in poorly regulated riverside landfills or directly into the waterways that flow across three countries end up accumulating behind a trash barrier in the Drina River in eastern Bosnia during the wet weather of winter and early spring.

This week, the barrier once again became the outer edge of a massive floating waste dump crammed with plastic bottles, rusty barrels, used tires, household appliances, driftwood and other garbage picked up by the river from its tributaries.

The river fencing installed by a Bosnian hydroelectric plant, a few kilometres upstream from its dam near Visegrad, has turned the city into an unwilling regional waste site, local environmental activists complain.

Heavy rain and unseasonably warm weather over the past week have caused many rivers and streams in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro to overflow, flooding the surrounding areas and forcing scores of people from their homes. Temperatures dropped in many areas on Friday as rain turned into snow.

2:00 PM

Turkey cancels planned visit by Swedish defense minister

Turkey on Saturday cancelled a planned visit by Sweden's defense minister in response to the Nordic country's permits for anti-Turkish protests.

It is the latest backlash from Turkey, a NATO member which has been holding off on approving Sweden's application to join the military alliance until the Swedish government cracks down on groups that Ankara regards as security threats.

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the scheduled Jan. 27 visit by his Swedish counterpart Pl Jonson would not take place. He said the visit no longer held any importance or point because Sweden continued to allow disgusting demonstrations against Turkey.

1:50 PM

Joshimath crisis: Pets and cattle displaced as owners navigate subsidence fallout

As land sinks in Joshimath, buildings are razed and hundreds of families forced out of their homes, there is another tragedy playing out in this Himalayan town many dogs, cattle and other domestic animals left untended as their owners navigate the life-changing crisis.

Some animals have been left behind in houses, desolate and deserted as the cracks on their walls deepen, and some smaller pets have been crammed into shelter homes along with families forced into one room. The snow and the dipping temperatures have exacerbated the many woes.

The displacement is at many levels, say animal rights activists who have rushed to the once bustling town of Joshimath to keep the voiceless safe.

1:50 PM

Uttar Pradesh Day: Three-day celebrations to see public participation first time

The three-day celebrations marking the 'Uttar Pradesh Day' will include public participation this time with a focus on investment and employment, officials said on Saturday.

The statewide event will be held from January 24- 26, they said.

The foundation day of Uttar Pradesh on January 24 is being celebrated for three days since 2018 with the participation of all government departments. However, this time, in 2023, it has been decided to ensure public participation in the celebrations, an official statement quoted Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra as saying.

Detailed guidelines in this regard have been issued to all district magistrates, the statement said.

The state-level event on 'Uttar Pradesh Day' will be organised in 'Awadh Shilp Gram', Lucknow and 'Noida Shilp Gram', Noida while the district-level events will be held at all district headquarters of the state, it said.

1:37 PM

Flu case numbers in Japan surge, signal epidemic beginning

The average number of flu patients per medical institution in Japan in the week through January 15 came to 7.37, signaling the beginning of an epidemic, a health ministry survey said.

About 5,000 medical institutions in all of Japan's 47 prefectures reported 36,388 cases of seasonal flu during the seven-day period, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said.

The nationwide per-institution figure was more than 1.5 times that of the previous week, while the tally of influenza patients across the country is estimated to stand at about 257,000, reports Xinhua news agency.

1:28 PM

Foreign shipping lines may stop services for cash-strapped Pakistan: Report

The ship agents have forewarned the cash-strapped Pakistani government that all export cargoes could come to a halt as foreign shipping lines are considering stopping their services for the country after banks stopped remitting freight charges to them due to a lack of dollar availability, according to a media report on Saturday.

Apart from bordering countries, almost all the international logistics from Pakistan are catered by sea and any disruption could create serious issues for the country's international trade, Pakistan Ship's Agents Association (PSAA) chairman Abdul Rauf warned Finance Minister Ishaq Dar through a letter.

If the international trade is stopped the economic situation will worsen, the association warned, adding that the foreign shipping lines are already considering winding up their services in Pakistan due to reduced cargo volumes.

12:59 PM

Google may introduce ChatGPT competitor in May

Tech giant Google is preparing to introduce at least 20 artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools and a search chatbot during its annual developer conference in May this year, amid pressure from OpenAI's ChatGPT, the media reported.

The chatbot powered by AI, ChatGPT, has overtaken the tech world over the past several months because it can give people the information they need in an understandable way, reports Engadget.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has declared a "code red" and boosted AI development, as the tech giant sees ChatGPT as a threat to its search business.

According to a slide deck, the tech giant's AI projects include an image generation tool, an upgraded version of AI Test Kitchen, a TikTok-style green screen mode for YouTube and a tool that can create videos to summarise other clips.

12:51 PM

Allegations are sometimes serious, but in some cases intention is 'something else': V K Singh

Union minister V K Singh has said that sometimes the allegations levelled by some people are serious, but in some instances the intention behind the charges is "something else", which needs to be checked.

The former Army chief was responding to a query on the allegations of sexual harassment made by top wrestlers against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. V K Singh was in Jabalpur on Friday to attend the 'Sansad Khel Mahotsav' (Member of Parliament Sports Festival) organised by Jabalpur MP Rakesh Singh. When media persons asked him about the sit-in protest by the wrestlers in Delhi, the Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways said, "Sometimes the allegations are serious. Sometimes serious allegations are made. Sometimes the intention is something else. That is why I said go and see what is behind it." The tussle between the wrestlers and the WFI ended on Friday for the time being after the grapplers called off their protest following assurances from the government that their grievances would be addressed.

12:50 PM

Scoot acted promptly regarding passengers missing Amritsar-Singapore flight on Jan 18: DGCA

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday said there was prompt response from Scoot with regard to many passengers missing its Amritsar-Singapore flight due to rescheduling of the departure timing on January 18.

The timing of the flight was changed on account of the prevailing foggy conditions at the Amritsar airport, according to the regulator.

In a statement, DGCA said it had sought a report from Scoot regarding the January 18 flight -- which departed from Amritsar to Singapore in which 17 passengers were affected as they were not informed by their travel agent about the change in time.