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2:20 PM

Explosion reported in Pakistan's Peshawar; multiple injuries feared

Dawn newspaper is reporting that an explosion has hit the busy Police Lines area in Pakistan's Peshawar city.
It says multiple people may be injured.

The area has been cordoned off and an emergency has been imposed in the locality. 

The blast happened at 1:40 pm (local time) when afternoon prayers were being offered at a mosque.

    

2:14 PM

Probe into killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar completed: CBI tells Bombay HC

The Central Bureau of Investigation told the Bombay High Court on Monday that it has completed its probe into the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in 2013 and the investigating officer has submitted a closure report to the competent authority.

However, a lawyer representing Dabholkar's daughter claimed before the court that the CBI has not investigated the case properly and there are many loopholes that are yet to be probed. Dabholkar (67), founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, was shot dead by two persons, allegedly linked to the radical outfit Sanatan Sanstha, while he was on a morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013.

The CBI has so far chargesheeted five accused in the case.

 

1:38 PM

Bharat Jodo Yatra wasn't for winning elections: Kharge

Bharat Jodo Yatra was not for winning elections but against hate, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in rally to mark yatra's culmination on Monday

1:36 PM

Odisha FM Niranjan Pujari gets Health Ministry after Naba Das' death

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has allocated the Health and Family Welfare dept to Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari, informed Chief Minister's Office. 

 

This comes after Naba Kishore Das, 60, was shot dead at Brajrajnagar town around 1 pm on Sunday allegedly by Assistant Sub-inspector of Police (ASI) Gopal Das, who is believed to be suffering from mental disorder.

 

The state government on Sunday evening had announced three-day mourning across Odisha as a mark of respect to the departed minister. There will be no official entertainment for three days from January 29-31 throughout the state, a notification said.

1:32 PM

Philips said it would scrap 6,000 jobs to restore profitability

Dutch health technology company Philips said it would scrap 6,000 jobs to restore its profitability following a recall of respiratory devices that knocked off 70% of its market value, Reuters reported 

1:31 PM

Omar Abdullah requests Rahul Gandhi to undertake yatra from west to east

I request Rahul Gandhi to undertake yatra from west to east, would like to walk with him, said Omar Abdullah at culmination of Bharat Jodo Yatra

1:09 PM

Delhi court reserves order on bail plea of Shankar Mishra

Delhi court reserves for Jan 31 order on bail plea of Shankar Mishra, arrested for allegedly urinating on co-passenger on Air India flight

 

1:08 PM

Tripura CM holds roadshow ahead of polls

12:44 PM

Heavy traffic chokes routes to central Delhi due to VIP movement

Commuters travelling towards central Delhi from the eastern parts of the national capital and Noida faced heavy traffic due to VIP movement towards and away from Rajghat on Monday.

 

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered floral tributes to the Father of the Nation at his memorial in Rajghat.

 

According to police, those commuting via ITO, Pragati Maidan and Barapulla will face heavy traffic as these routes are completely choked.

 

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi Traffic Police alerted commuters to avoid certain stretches.

12:28 PM

India undeniably a global powerhouse, says South Korea at G20 summit

South Korea on Monday said India is undeniably a global powerhouse and that the Indian presidency of G20 will unleash its potential and pay heed to insights and feedback from members and contribute to the international community.

 

The statement came from a representative of South Korea who was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group meeting here.

 

The discussions during the meeting will be jointly steered by Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank of India along with France and South Korea who are co-chairs of the International Financial Architecture Working Group.

12:13 PM

Pompeo says Chinese President came across as 'most unpleasant' among leaders he met as US Secretary

Mike Pompeo has said that among the dozens of world leaders he met as the US Secretary of State he found the "most unpleasant" was Chinese President Xi Jinping, who threatened to stop sending PPF kits to America if it kept asking for accountability from Beijing on Covid-19.

 

In his book titled 'Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love,' former US Secretary of State Pompeo, 59, writes that he held multiple interactions with the Chinese leader and found him "dour" and a "quintessential Communist apparatchik".

 

He writes that Xi told stories about Chinese victimhood and talked about his "demands to avenge grievances from long before any of us were born.

11:53 AM

Rahul Gandhi unfurls flag at 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' campsite, Kharge at PCC office

11:49 AM

Pakistan's deepening politico-economic crisis, IMF terms could fuel instability in region: Experts

As dwindling forex reserves, nationwide power outages, stampedes at state-run food distribution centres and a Pakistani rupee, which plunged nearly 50 per cent in a year to 260 to the US dollar on Monday, propels the neighbouring country towards being an international "basket case", Indian analysts believe there could be serious consequences for the region.

 

Amid this economic crisis, the Shahbaz Sharif government will begin crucial negotiations with the Washington-based IMF (International Monetary Fund) for a bail-out package on Tuesday which may come with "tough and possibly politically risky" pre-conditions of austerity, feeding into a bigger political crisis, they said.

 

The risk for India would not only be instability in Pakistan with its fall-out of rising extremism in the region but also unpredictable actions which could include bids to divert domestic public attention by focussing on an external enemy.

11:41 AM

Boris Johnson claims Putin 'threatened him with missile strike'

Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "threatened him with a missile strike in an extraordinary phone call" before Russia launched an offensive in Ukraine.

 

The details of the exchange have been revealed in a BBC documentary titled 'Putin Vs the West' which will be broadcast on Monday. The documentary analysed Putin's interactions with world leaders.

 

According to the BBC documentary, Johnson said that the comment was made after he warned that the war would be an "utter catastrophe" during a "very long" call in February 2022.

11:38 AM

6.1-magnitude quake hits China's Xinjiang, no casualties reported

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Monday, authorities said, adding that there were no immediate reports of casualties.

 

According to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), the epicentre was monitored at 40.01 degrees north latitude and 82.29 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 50 km, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

The epicentre is located in an unpopulated area, 105 km away from the city of Alaer and 141 km away from the Shaya county seat.|