Updates: Proud to honour extraordinary achievements of Padma awardees, says PM Modi

Latest news updates: Catch all the major news updates from around the world

5:04 PM

Osamu Suzuki awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously

Late Japanese industrialist Osamu Suzuki, the former chief of Suzuki Motor Corporation, has been honoured with India's second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Suzuki, who took a risk and bet on India when no one else believed in having a viable automobile company in India, has been awarded the 'Padma Vibhushan' for the year 2025 "for exceptional and distinguished service" in the field of trade and industry.

4:35 PM

Govt announces names of Padma Awardees for 2025

The list comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards. 23 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees.

4:16 PM

Former Chief Justice of India (retd) Jagdish Singh Khehar awarded Padma Vibhushan

Government has decided to award former Chief Justice of India (retd) Jagdish Singh Khehar, the Padma Vibhushan Award, the second-highest civilian honour of India.

3:56 PM

TN varsities in dire financial crisis, autonomy eroded, says Governor Ravi

Many state-run universities in Tamil Nadu are starved of funds and are in a dire financial crisis and unable to pay salaries to teachers, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi said on Saturday. Their autonomy has been "severely eroded to such an extent that it was not the university syndicates but the state Secretariat that runs the varsities," the Governor alleged.

1:24 PM

Arvind Kejriwal playing politics of deceit and lies, BJP will end this: Amit Shah

Hitting the campaign trail in Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of playing "politics of deceit and lies", and exhorted people to vote for the BJP for the development of the city.

 

Addressing his public meeting in the city for the February 5 assembly polls, Shah also slammed the AAP for allegedly misleading people by claiming the BJP will discontinue all existing welfare schemes in Delhi if voted to power.

 

"PM Modi has himself assured that no existing welfare scheme for the poor in Delhi will be discontinued but Arvind Kejriwal is spreading lies... They are misleading people. I am saying it again again the BJP will not stop any scheme meant for the welfare of the poor," he told the rally in Rajouri Garden.

1:06 PM

SpiceJet to expand flight connectivity between Chennai and Prayagraj from Feb 1

SpiceJet to expand flight connectivity between Chennai and Prayagraj from February 1 

1:06 PM

Maha Kumbh: Diplomats from 73 countries, including Russia and Ukraine, to take dip in Sangam

Maha Kumbh: Diplomats from 73 countries, including Russia and Ukraine, to take dip in Sangam 

12:18 PM

BJP Delhi polls manifesto: Clean Yamuna, welfare schemes for gig workers

With less than two weeks left for the Delhi Assembly polls, senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday promised to clean Yamuna in three years, provide complete ownership rights in 1,700 unauthorised colonies, and welfare measures for gig workers and labourers.

 

Shah slammed AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of "lying" and not fulfilling his promises and asserted that "getting rid of liars and betrayers" is the biggest poll issue in the national capital.

11:51 AM

Congress alleges Maharashtra govt elected illegitimately, cites voter list data

Opposition Congress on Saturday alleged that the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra was "not legitimately elected" and claimed there was a suspicious addition of a large number of voters and manipulation of votes during the November 2024 assembly polls.

 

Congress' data analytics department chairperson Praveen Chakravarty and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithiviraj Chavan made the allegations in a press conference.

 

"The government in Maharashtra is not legitimately elected through a fair electoral process. We say this with full responsibility as India's oldest political party and as the only political party that fought for India's freedom and helped establish India as a constitutional republic," Chakaravarty said. There has been significant manipulation of the voter results in the recently-held state assembly elections in Maharashtra, he said.

11:25 AM

Egyptian state-run TV says Israel has released 70 Palestinian prisoners into Egypt in Gaza ceasefire deal

Egyptian state-run TV says Israel has released 70 Palestinian prisoners into Egypt in Gaza ceasefire deal, reports AP

11:04 AM

NHRC admits petition on mysterious deaths in J-K's Rajouri

The NHRC has admitted a petition filed by a Jammu-based RTI activist over the mysterious deaths of 17 people from three Scheduled Tribe families in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district during the past one-and-a-half months.

10:49 AM

Israel says won't allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza until another hostage freed

Israel says it will not allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza until Arbel Yehoud, one of the dozens of hostages held by Hamas, is released. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Yehoud was supposed to have been released Saturday as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

10:27 AM

Home minister Amit Shah releases third part of BJP's manifesto for Delhi Assembly polls

Home minister Amit Shah on Saturday released BJP's third part of manifesto for Delhi Assembly polls. He said that these are not hollow promises. Shah accused Kejriwal of not fulfilling promises of cleaning Yamuna, providing clean drinking water and making Delhi pollution-free.

10:13 AM

BSF seizes huge consignment of Phensedyl worth 1.4 crore near India-Bangladesh border

A huge consignment of 62,200 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup valued at Rs 1.4 crore was recovered from underground storage tanks by Border Security Force personnel during a raid near the India-Bangladesh Border in West Bengal's Nadia district, the paramilitary force said in a statement on Saturday.

10:04 AM

Hamas frees 4 female Israeli soldiers as part of Gaza ceasefire

Hamas militants released four captive female Israeli soldiers on Saturday after parading them in front of a crowd. Israel was set to release 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees later in the day as part of the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Israel confirmed that the hostages were with its forces after the militants had earlier handed them over to the Red Cross at a gathering of thousands in Gaza City.