News Updates: BJP releases 2nd list of 29 candidates for Delhi polls; Kapil Mishra fielded from Karawal Nagar

Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday said a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) will be opened in each of the country’s 543 parliamentary constituencies.

The Union minister also said that six new passport centres will be opened in MP this year.

Fire breaks out in hotel in Mumbai's Kurla area; no report of injuries as of now.

BJP announces second list of 29 candidates for Delhi Elections 2025

Kapil Mishra fielded from Karawal Nagar, Harish Khurana from Moti Nagar, Priyanka Gautam (who recently joined BJP from AAP) fielded from Kondli

Four infiltrators from Bangladesh have been apprehended by Assam police and handed over to authorities of the neighbouring country, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.

"4 more illegal infiltrators apprehended near the international border! Maintaining their high state of alert, @assampolice nabbed 4 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and pushed them across the border," the Chief Minister posted on 'X'.

Cold wave continued in Himachal Pradesh and the local meteorological department has predicted moderate rain in low-lying and plains and snow in isolated areas in middle and high hills on Saturday and Sunday.

Weather remained mainly dry in the past 24 hours. A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from the night of January 14, 2025, the MeT said and also predicted light rain and snow in isolated places in middle and high hills on Thursday and Friday.

Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, the first time Ukraine has announced the capture of North Korean soldiers alive since their entry into the war last autumn.

AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday accused the BJP of fabricating false allegations against the Delhi government and dismissed the party's claims about a CAG report as "manufactured and baseless."

Responding to the BJP's claims about the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, Kakkar alleged during a press conference here that the report presented by the BJP was not authentic and had neither been seen by key stakeholders, including the chief minister and the LG, nor listed on the CAG's official website.

A three-year-old child who had been undergoing treatment for Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in a private hospital for the past few days was discharged on Saturday.

Director of Health for Puducherry, V Ravichandran, told PTI, "The child has fully recovered from the disease and was discharged on Saturday. The parents were given necessary instructions on the care and precautionary measures they should take for the child’s health at home." He mentioned that this was the first case of HMPV in Puducherry.

A case has been registered against BJP leader P C George for allegedly making remarks that could incite religious hatred, police said on Saturday.

George, a former MLA, was accused of hate speech against a minority community during a TV discussion held earlier this week, they said.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has assured garlic traders to look into their concerns over illegal imports of the agri commodity, an official said on Saturday.

A delegation of garlic traders met the minister on January 10 and highlighted difficulties faced by farmers and traders due to imports of Chinese garlic, the commerce ministry official said.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday requested the church, community and other leaders of the Naga community to take a greater role in resolving the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state.

Clashes between Kuki and Meitei communities have left over 250 people dead and thousands homeless since May 2023. The Nagas were not involved in this conflict.

Security has been beefed up around the Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district which is likely to be thrown open by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13, officials said.

At least 23 people were rescued while some others are trapped under the debris after an under-construction lintel (roof slab) collapsed at the Kannauj railway station in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.

Details here.

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday said that its jawans thwarted a smuggling attempt by a group of Bangladeshis in West Bengal's Malda district.

The incident occurred around 2.10 am at Border Outpost Nawada, under the 119th Battalion of the BSF's South Bengal Frontier.

The Army on Saturday conducted a search operation after getting a tip-off about suspicious movement near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Akhnoor sector here, security officials said.

Some villagers observed the movement of some suspected persons, believed to be terrorists, at Jogiwan in the early hours of the day and reported the matter to the nearby Army camp, the officials said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday virtually inaugurated the office of the newly formed Bhopal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The CAG has projected a loss of Rs 2,026 crore due to the Delhi government's excise policy, and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party has not tabled the report in the assembly to hide its misdeeds, the BJP claimed on Saturday.

BJP leader Anurag Thakur told a press conference the CAG report has arrived at 10 major findings about the policy, which was scrapped by the AAP government amid a row, asserting that former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will have to answer the questions it has raised.

Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday accused the BJP of attempting to deceive the Election Commission by submitting fake voter registration applications in large numbers from the residential addresses of its leaders.

Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh claimed that dozens of voter registration applications had been filed from single small shops and basements.

He also accused the BJP of submitting multiple new voter registration applications using the residential addresses of their leaders.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari stated, “The CAG has exposed the full extent of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s corruption. He has acted as a broker, destroying the happiness of Delhi. This is the same CAG report Kejriwal once waved in 2013 to challenge Sheila Dikshit, but today it has declared Kejriwal corrupt.”

Singh went on to call the alleged actions of the BJP an "election scam," accusing the party of undermining the credibility of the Election Commission. "The BJP and its leaders are trying to deceive the Election Commission. This is a blatant attempt to manipulate the electoral process," he said, emphasizing that union ministers and MPs were complicit in the alleged scheme.

Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh claimed that multiple voter registration applications had been filed from dubious locations, such as small shops and basements.

Singh alleged that the BJP was using the residential addresses of its leaders to submit fake applications, accusing top party figures, including union ministers, of being directly involved. "This is the reality of the biggest political party in India. This is how Prime Minister Modi's party plans to win the elections," he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday leveled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of attempting to deceive the Election Commission by submitting fake voter registration applications in bulk, including from the residential addresses of its own leaders.

Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva has strongly criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, calling the construction of the 'Sheesh Mahal' a result of corruption and exploitation of Delhi's people.

"During the Mughal era, people visited Delhi to see grand palaces, but this 'AAP-DA' Azam built the 'Sheesh Mahal' after looting the blood and sweat of the common people," Sachdeva stated. "This is a stain on Delhi's reputation. His shamelessness is evident as he comes daily, attempts to conceal his theft, and insults the very people of Delhi who made the mistake of electing him," he added.

(From ANI)

The IMD’s 150th anniversary celebrations will feature several neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, along with nations from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. A senior IMD official confirmed to PTI that invitations were sent to all countries that were part of India when the IMD was founded 150 years ago. While Pakistan has agreed to attend, Bangladesh has not formally responded.

(From PTI)

Director of BMD, Mominul Islam confirmed on Friday that while Bangladesh had received an invitation to the event a month ago, the government’s policy restricting foreign travel for non-essential events led to their decision not to attend. “We maintain good relations with the IMD and continue to collaborate with them,” he noted. Islam emphasized that his department’s recent interactions with IMD included a visit to India on December 20, 2024, for a meeting with Indian meteorologists.

(From PTI)

Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) officials will not attend the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), citing restrictions on non-essential foreign travel at government expense, according to Mominul Islam, the acting director of BMD.

The Union Ministry of Culture also announced a partnership with France’s Museums Development (FMD) for the development of the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum in Delhi. This project may be reviewed by PM Modi and President Macron during their upcoming discussions, marking another milestone in India-France bilateral relations.

At a press conference in December, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi stated that both deals are nearing completion. "It is just a matter of completing the formalities of the acquisition process, and we expect the Rafale-M deal and the Scorpene submarine deal to be signed soon," he said. The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has already given its approval for the procurement of the Rafale-M fighters and the submarines.

In addition to discussions on Artificial Intelligence, significant defence agreements between India and France are in the final stages of negotiation. The two major deals are valued at $10 billion and include the purchase of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers, and three additional Scorpene-class submarines.

The announcement follows PM Modi’s previous visit to France in July 2023 as the guest of honour at the Bastille Day parade. This was shortly followed by French President Macron’s visit to India as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January 2024. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a state visit to France and will participate in the upcoming ‘Artificial Intelligence Action Summit’ in February.

Addressing the French Ambassador Conference, Macron shared that France will host the AI Summit on February 11-12, with discussions involving major global players such as the United States, China, and India, alongside Gulf states. "This summit will enable us to have an international discussion on Artificial Intelligence," Macron said. He confirmed that PM Modi would attend the summit immediately after his state visit to France, adding that this marks the first official confirmation of Modi's participation. While the French government has issued an invitation, the Indian government has yet to officially announce the Prime Minister's visit.

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