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10:21 PM

West Bengal will observe 23rd January as 'Desanayak Dibas': Mamata

West Bengal will observe 23rd January as 'Desanayak Dibas'. I don't know the exact meaning of 'Parakram', maybe 3-4 meanings are there so I can't discuss now: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Purulia earlier today

 

9:43 PM

Earthquake of magnitude 3.6 hits Jammu and Kashmir

8:26 PM

Bird flu: Goa bans poultry items from Maharashtra and Karnataka

The Goa administration on Tuesday banned transportation and entry of birds and eggs from neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka in wake of the bird flu scare. The orders issued by the North and South Goa District Magistrates come into force with immediate effect.

 

"Any person contravening this order shall be punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code," the order says.

 

The state government has also appointed the Assistant Director, Disease Investigation Unit, of the state Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, as the nodal officer for bird flu or avian influenza, heading a desk looking at "any unusual sickness and mortality in poultry and wild birds".

8:02 PM

IRFC IPO subscribed 1.22 times on second day

The initial public offer of Indian Railway Finance Corporation was subscribed 1.22 times on the second day of subscription on Tuesday. The offer received bids for 1,52,64,04,775 shares against 1,24,75,05,993 shares on offer, as per the data available with NSE. The category reserved for non institutional investors was subscribed 24 per cent and retail individual investors (RIIs) 2.33 times.

 

The initial public offer (IPO) is of up to 178.20 crore shares, comprising a fresh issue of up to 118.80 crore shares and an offer for sale of up to 59.40 crore shares.

 

Price range for the offer has been fixed at Rs 25-26 per share. At the upper end of the price band, the IPO is expected to fetch Rs 4,633 crore. IRFC had on Friday raised a little over Rs 1,398 crore from anchor investors.

7:42 PM

Joe Biden picks transgender woman as assistant health secretary

The US President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate.

 

A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide.

 

She won past confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate and has emerged as the public face of the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE...

6:21 PM

CBI seizes Rs 2.04 crore more in railway bribery case

The CBI seized more than Rs 2 crore on Tuesday during follow-up searches in bribery cases involving senior Northeast Frontier Railway officers, taking total seizures to Rs 4.43 crore in last three days, officials said. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said here that the agency officials seized Rs 2.04 crore during searches at the office of ABCI Infrastructures Ltd in upscale Kailash Colony in south Delhi.

 

Besides cash, the CBI also seized several other things from the premises. The official said that certain items were removed by company officials and concealed at other place in Delhi.

 

The official said that CBI searches were carried out on Tuesday at several locations in Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. In the last two days, the CBI has arrested five persons from different locations.

5:56 PM

TMC, Forward Bloc criticise Centre's decision to observe Netaji's birthday as 'Parakram Diwas'

The ruling Trinamool Congress and the Forward Bloc in West Bengal Tuesday criticised the Centre's decision to observe January 23 as 'Parakram Diwas' to commemorate the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. TMC leader Saugata Roy said, the announcement to observe the day as 'Parakram Diwas' (day of valour) was not enough.

 

"January 23 should be announced as a national holiday. It is our long-standing demand. As he was a national leader and head of Azad Hind Fauj, these two aspects are not reflected through 'Parakram Diwas'. We had also demanded observance of the day as 'Desh Prem Diwas' (patriotism day).

 

"It appears to be a stunt keeping in mind the upcoming assembly polls in the state, and not as a mark of respect to Netaji," he said.

5:01 PM

Rishabh Pant surpasses Dhoni to become fastest India stumper to hit 1,000 test runs

Rishabh Pant on Tuesday surpassed the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni to become the fastest Indian wicketkeeper-batsman to reach the 1000-run mark in Test cricket. Pant achieved the feat in only 27 innings, scoring at an average of 40.04. Dhoni had taken 32 innings to reach the milestone.

 

Coming on to bat in India's second innings in the fourth and final Test against Australia at the Gabba on Tuesday, Pant needed only one run to achieve the record and he fetched it by pulling Pat Cummins to get off the mark with a double.

 

Besides Pant and Dhoni, there are five other Indian stumpers -- Farokh Engineer (36 innings), Wriddhiman Saha (37 innings), Nayan Mongia (39 innings), Syed Kirmani (45 innings) and Kiran More (50 innings) -- who touched the 1000-run milestone in Test cricket. READ ON...

4:35 PM

Crude bombs, stones thrown at BJP rally in West Bengal

BJP workers on the way to attend party leader Suvendu Adhikari's rally in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district were attacked with crude bombs and stones on Tuesday, police said. The incident happened around 2.15 pm when the BJP workers were heading towards Heria to attend the rally, they said.

 

Several BJP workers were injured as crude bombs and stones were hurled, besides a few vehicles were also vandalised, following which roads were blocked by them in protest, a police officer said. BJP alleged that TMC workers were behind the incident, a charge denied by the ruling party. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident yet as a large number of policemen are busy at the rally venue for ensuring security, the officer said.

 

"The incident happened around 2.15 pm as some unidentified people attacked the BJP workers who were going to attend a rally. Some of them were injured. We are looking into the matter and the situation is under control," he added.

4:13 PM

Govt declares Subhas Chandra Bose birth anniversary as Parakram Diwas

The government has decided to observe January 23 as 'Parakram Diwas' to commemorate the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the first 'Parakram Diwas' programme in Kolkata on January 23 on Bose's 125th birth anniversary and inaugurate an exhibition on the grounds of National Library to mark the occasion, Patel said.

 

He said 200 Patua artistes from West Bengal will make a painting on a 400-metre-long canvas depicting Bose's life.

 

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will participate in a programme in Cuttack, Odisha, where Bose was born. Another programme will be held in Haripura village in Gujarat's Surat district where Bose was elected as president of the Indian National Congress in 1938. A 85-member high-level committee helmed by PM Modi has been formed to plan year-round programmes to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the minister said.

3:37 PM

Rahul Gandhi responds on being asked about 'PM Modi's silence on farmers' protests

3:03 PM

JEE, NEET syllabus to remain unchanged for 2021

The Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced that the syllabus of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Eligibility-cum- Entrance Test (NEET) would remain unchanged for 2021, PTI reported.

 

"The syllabus for JEE Main 2021 will remain the same as the previous year. But students will be given a choice to answer 75 questions (25 questions each in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) out of 90 questions (30 questions each in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics)," said the Education Ministry.

 

In JEE Main 2020, the Education Ministry said there were 75 questions all of which have to be answered by the candidates. The exact pattern for the NEET (Undergraduate) 2021 is yet to be announced.

 

However, in view of the reduction of syllabus by some education boards across the country, the NEET (UG) 2021 question paper would also have options on the lines of the JEE (Main).

2:45 PM

Schools reopen for Class 10, 12 students in Chennai, Madurai after nine months

Students of Class 10 and 12 in Chennai and Madurai on Tuesday were given a warm welcome, with all COVID-19 safety protocols put in place, as the schools reopened after nine months following COVID-19 induced lockdown.

 

"I'm happy that schools have reopened after nine months. School administration took all precautionary measures," a student who came to attend the first day of school told ANI.

 

Students who attended the schools on the first day after reopening were excited to meet their friends after nine months and said 50 per cent of their syllabus has been completed though online classes.

 

"Half of our syllabus was covered during the online classes. I'm happy to see my friends after so long but we have to maintain social distance," added a student.

 

In the wake of the reopening of schools, a delegation of educational officials had on Monday paid inspection visit to Tiruchirapalli schools to check their preparedness against COVID-19.

2:00 PM

PM Narendra Modi congratulates Indian cricket team for win in Australia

1:47 PM

SC adjourns hearing of plea challenging provisions under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act

The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a plea filed by Buffalo Traders Welfare Association challenging the validity of certain provisions under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, SA Bobde adjourned the hearing after the petitioner sought time to file an affidavit in the case.

 

Last week, while hearing the case, the Bench had said that Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017, which allows seizure and of animals, including cattle, before the conviction of owner is in 'dissonance' with Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

 

"We told you last time that Rules are in dissonance with the Sections. The animals are the source of livelihood for people. The section is clear that only after the conviction that the animals can be taken away. The Rules permit to take away animals even before conviction," the Bench had asked Centre.