A thick blanket of fog descended over the national capital on Saturday morning, significantly reducing visibility and disrupting train operations. As per officials, as many as 45 trains were delayed due to the adverse weather conditions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Safdarjung, one of the key weather monitoring stations, recorded minimum visibility of 50 metres between 12:30 am and 1:30 am. Visibility gradually improved to 200 metres but continued to remain low until 7:30 am, impacting transportation across the city. Dense fog was reported in several areas of Delhi during the early morning hours, causing difficulties for commuters and significantly slowing down traffic. Train services bore the brunt of the reduced visibility, with 45 trains experiencing delays, leading to inconvenience for passengers. The minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 7.7 degrees Celsius, which is considered normal for this time of year, according to the IMD. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 15 degrees Celsius, with predictions of thunderstorms and rain during the day. The IMD also noted that humidity levels stood at 100 per cent at 8:30 am, adding to the chilly and damp conditions experienced across the city. The combination of high humidity and foggy conditions has led to poor air quality, further exacerbating health concerns for residents. Delhi’s dense fog and cold wave conditions are typical during the winter season but often bring significant disruptions to daily life. The low visibility frequently causes delays in both rail and road transport, while also posing risks for commuters. Authorities have advised drivers to exercise caution, use fog lights, and avoid speeding during these conditions. Railway officials are reportedly working to manage the delayed train schedules and ensure the safety of passengers amidst the foggy conditions. The IMD has issued a forecast for potential thunderstorms accompanied by rain later in the day, which may further impact visibility and outdoor activities. Residents have been advised to stay updated on weather conditions and plan their day accordingly. (With inputs from PTI)
11 January,2025 10:01 AM IST | New DelhiThe Agartala GR police station, in collaboration with the Agartala Railway Protection Force (RPF), arrested two individuals, a man and a woman, at the Agartala railway station on charges related to a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case. The accused duo, identified as Mohammad Mehedi Hasan Nazmul (20) and Shaheena Akhtar (30), were allegedly involved in trafficking narcotics across state borders using long-distance trains. During the operation, authorities seized a total of Rs 8.3 lakh in cash from the accused, suspected to be proceeds from drug transactions. Rs 6.3 lakh has been seized from Nazmul, while Rs 2 lakh has been seized from Akhtar. The arrested individuals will be presented before a court tomorrow. Authorities believe further arrests may follow as the investigation into the case continues. The joint operation conducted by the Agartala GRP police and RPF highlights ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking in the region. Meanwhile, on Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids at seven locations across Tripura as part of a major crackdown on suspected financial irregularities linked to drug trafficking networks. The simultaneous operations, which began early in the morning, saw a significant deployment of security personnel to maintain law and order during the search and seizure operations. Sources close to the investigation revealed that the raids are connected to an ongoing probe into money laundering activities tied to the illegal drug trade. Officials are reportedly examining documents, digital records, and other evidence to uncover the operations of a suspected nexus between drug traffickers and financial offenders. Further details about the outcome of the raids and the evidence collected are awaited. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:51 AM IST | Agartala (Tripura) | ANIMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard. On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added. That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said. Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government. Asked about who between Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah is more strict, Fadnavis said Modi is a very disciplined politician, while Shah can be convinced once in a while to take a political decision for convenience. "However, Modi ji won't do something for convenience," Fadnavis asserted. He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre. After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP. Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added. On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it. On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen." Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray was a friend and now Raj Thackeray is a friend, he said, though adding that the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief was not a "shatru". Asked if he preferred to be CM or BJP national president, he said he would take up whatever assignment is given to him by the party. "If I was not in the BJP, no one would give me any importance. I know if I start my own party, I and all those with me will lose their deposits in the polls. My identity is because of BJP. If it asks me to sit at home, I will without question do it," Fadnvais asserted. He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism. In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:50 AM IST | Nagpur | PTIThe Supreme Court on Friday refused to examine pleas challenging the delimitation clause in the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Act which reserves one-third seats for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale was not inclined to entertain the petitions filed by one Jaya Thakur and the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) under Article 32 of the Constitution. The bench pointed out Jaya Thakur’s petition challenged the bill, which had become the Act, whereas the NFIW challenged the delimitation clause of the law. On November 3, 2023, the top court while hearing Thakur’s plea said it would be “very difficult” for the court to strike down a part of the women’s reservation law which would come into effect after the census. On September 21, 2023, the watershed bill to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women received the parliamentary nod. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:49 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesAligarh Muslim University (AMU) received a threat email “to blow up the campus”, following which the security arrangements have been intensified, police said on Friday. City SP Mrigank Shekhar Pathak said that checking at all sensitive areas in and around the campus has been ongoing since last evening all top varsity officials including the Vice Chancellor received the email. The authorities are “not taking any chances” on this threat, Pathak said. AMU spokesperson Asim Siddiqui said that the email letter also mentions “ransom money”. “The university authorities reported this matter to the police, who have also activated the Cyber Crime Cell to trace the origins of the mail ID from which the threat was issued,” he added. Circle Officer (Civil Lines) Abhay Pandey said the police were trying to ascertain whether the threat was a hoax or aimed at disturbing the peace of the city. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:49 AM IST | Aligarh | AgenciesAn eight-year-old boy from Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district has contracted human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection, taking the number of cases in the state to three, an official said on Friday. The boy, who belongs to a family of farm labourers from Prantij taluka, was found positive for HMPV in a test run by a private laboratory but health authorities had sent his blood samples to a government lab for confirmation, he said. The child, who is currently admitted to a private hospital in Himmatnagar town, had been considered a suspected HMPV case until now. Doctors at the hospital said that the boy was on a ventilator. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:49 AM IST | Himatnagar | AgenciesThe Delhi BJP held a protest on Friday against AAP for allegedly making “fake” claims regarding registration of voters from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the electoral rolls. Hundreds of protesters were seen raising slogans against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, with some attempting to breach the security barricade near Kejriwal’s residence. The police used water cannons to prevent the protesters from breaching security. Kejriwal on Thursday accused BJP of manipulating the electoral rolls by registering “fake” voters in his constituency. In a formal complaint to the Election Commission, Kejriwal raised concerns over applications for the addition of 13,000 new voters between December 15 and January 8. Addressing the media after lodging the complaint, Kejriwal said, “Apparently many of these voters have been brought in from UP, Bihar and other neighbouring states to create fake voter registrations. This manipulation undermines the election process.” Delhi will go to polls on February 5. BJP buying votes AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP leaders distributed Rs 1,100 openly to buy votes. “We have received information from sources that leaders of the ‘Gali-Galoch’ (BJP) party were given Rs 10,000 each by their party to be distributed. Their leaders thought that when there was no chance of winning elections, they should save Rs 9,000 and distribute only Rs 1,100”. Feb 5Day of Delhi Assembly polls Left parties to contest 6 seats Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said the Left parties have decided to contest six seats in the Delhi Assembly polls, and support the “strongest candidates” fighting against the BJP in other constituencies. She said the CPI(M) would contest two out of the six seats, and “make all efforts to stop the BJP from coming to power” in the national capital. “Candidates of all the parties have already been decided for the Delhi elections. The Left has decided to fight six seats. The CPI(M) will contest two seats. The party has also decided to extend its support to the strong candidates who are contesting against the BJP in the rest of the seats,” she said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:49 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesFive members of a family were found murdered in their home with the bodies of the parents wrapped in sheets and their three children, the youngest one-year-old, stuffed in sacks and kept in a bed box, police said on Friday. All five had deep head injuries and slash marks on their necks. The incident took place in the Suhail Garden area under Lisari Gate police station. While two named suspects were held, several others have also been taken into custody in connection with the murder, police said. SSP Vipin Tada said, “Based on a complaint filed by the relatives of the deceased woman, a case has been registered against three named accused and some unidentified persons. Two named suspects and several others have been taken into custody for questioning.” Tada added that one named suspect is absconding, and police teams have been deployed to arrest him. “All pieces of evidence are being gathered, and the case will be solved soon,” he said. The SSP, who visited the crime scene Thursday night along with other senior officers, said the family’s house was locked from outside when locals and neighbours checked it in the evening. “After gaining access through the roof, they found the bodies,” Tada said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 January,2025 07:48 AM IST | Meerut | AgenciesKarnataka police have registered a case against 12 Sri Ram Sene (SRS) activists for conducting rifle training in a village in Bagalkot. According to the complaint, the SRS activists held a rifle training camp where 196 youth underwent training in the last week of December, 2024. The rifle training was allegedly held on the last day of a week-long 'personality development programme'. The training was held in a farmer's field in Todalabagi village, Bagalkote police said, adding that he had no idea that rifle training was part of the programme. According to Bagalkot police, the case was registered on the complaint of a Bengaluru-based NGO, All India Association for Justice. The members of the NGO submitted a memorandum to the Director General of Police Alok Mohan seeking action. In their memorandum, the NGO had claimed that they were alerted after a video of the rifle training was shared on social media. "A case has been registered and investigation is on," Amarnath Reddy, Superintendent of Police, told reporters in Bagalkot. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 11:07 PM IST | Bengaluru | PTIPrime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a state visit to France and then participate in the AI Summit to be held here in February, President Emmanuel Macron has said. “France will be hosting on February 11 and 12 the AI Summit, a summit for action, which will enable us to have a discussion on artificial intelligence,” Macron said. “Prime Minister Modi will be there immediately after the state visit to our country. This (the AI Summit) will enable us to have a dialogue with all the powers, IEA, US, China and major nations such as .... India which has a role to play as well as the Gulf States,” he said. Even though Macron said February 11 and 12, the “AI Action Summit” is to be held on February 10 and 11. French was addressing a gathering of French Ambassadors earlier this week. He presented his foreign policy for 2025 and spoke on a number of topics, including its equation with the US post-Trump win, according to his speech livestreamed on France24. Modi's last meeting with Macron was on November 18 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the third meeting between the two leaders in 2024, after President Macron’s visit to India as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January and their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy in June, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said then. During the November 2024 meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advance the India-France Strategic Partnership as well as their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, outlined in the Horizon 2047 roadmap and other bilateral declarations. They commended the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation, including in strategic areas such as defense, space and civil nuclear energy, and committed to accelerating it further with a view to reinforcing their shared commitment to strategic autonomy, the MEA said. “The two leaders commended the strengthening of trade, investment, and technology ties, including in the areas of digital technology and Artificial Intelligence, as well as India France partnership on Digital Public Infrastructure,” the MEA said, adding, “In this context, Prime Minister welcomed the initiative of President Macron to organise the forthcoming AI Action Summit in France.” EuroNews.com said last week that the AI Action Summit in France comes after the UK and South Korea hosted the first events on AI, gathering heads of state, international organisations as well as businesses. “France’s AI Action Summit, to be held on 10 and 11 February, aims to present Europe as the 'leading AI continent,' Euronews said, quoting the minutes of the bloc's telecom attachés seen by it. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 10:49 PM IST | Paris | PTIThe Kerala Police have registered at least four FIRs and arrested six persons for allegedly raping a girl at various locations when she was a minor. The arrests were made based on the statement of an 18-year-old girl, who alleged she has been subjected to rape multiple times since the age of 16, the police said on Friday. They said five persons were arrested in connection with two FIRs filed by the police, while another person was already in jail in connection with a separate case. A total of four FIRs have been registered in connection with the rape incident allegedly involving several people, police said. According to police sources, over 60 people are suspected to be involved. The issue came to light during counselling conducted by the Child Welfare Committee, after the victim's teachers at an educational institution informed the panel about noticeable changes in her behaviour. The committee subsequently notified the police, who initiated an investigation. According to the police, women officers were in the process of recording the victim's statement and gathering more information. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 10:44 PM IST | Pathanamthitta (Kerala) | PTIADVERTISEMENT
