Aditya L1 Mission Highlights: India creates yet another landmark, country's first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches its destination, says PM Modi

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Winter vacation in Delhi schools extended till January 10 due to cold weather conditions: Officials

As per IMD forecast, 24-hour tendency of Maximum temperature departures is suggesting rise (shown in green) in departures at many places over UP, MP, Delhi and at some places over Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan bringing down severity of Cold Day Conditions over these regions. (IMD)

On Ayodhya visit and Ram Temple Consecration Ceremony, Maharastra Minister Uday Samant says, "I am fortunate to come here. I prayed that the people of Maharashtra do not have to face any crisis... Balasaheb Thackrey's dream is being fulfilled today under PM Modi's leadership..." It is a matter of pride for us..."

On alcohol ban in Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan says, "I have always supported total prohibition (of alcohol) because the sales are exceeding beyond limits and are spoiling the coming generations of the Tamil society. So I am against it..."

Three workers were injured in a cylinder blast at Balaji Ice Factory in the Uppalwadi MIDC area of ​​Nagpur at around 4.30 pm. The wall of the factory also collapsed and vehicles parked nearby were damaged, due to the ammonia gas leakage causing difficulty in breathing for the residents of the area. Injured workers were immediately taken to the hospital for treatment: BP Chandankhede, Chief Fire Officer, NMC Nagpur

In view of the cold wave, the Lucknow district administration ordered to close schools up to Class 8 till January 10. Schools will remain open from 10 am to 3 pm for classes 9 to 12.

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy held a review meeting with representatives of the Bulk Drug Manufacturing Association (BDMA) at the Secretariat.

On Saturday night, a large fire started in a forested region close to the Modi Mill flyover on Mathura Road in Delhi.

Seven firemen in all hurried to put out the flames.

In a historic first for Bangladesh, Anowara Islam Rani emerged as the lone transgender candidate in the upcoming 12th general election on January 7.

With 849 registered transgender voters in the country, Anowara Islam Rani’s candidature from Rangpur-3, the northern part in the country, marks a significant stride towards inclusivity, ANI reported.

A massive fire broke out at an oil company in Valsad. Fire tenders are present at the spot. More details awaited.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar speaks on the anti-piracy operation to save 15 Indians from hijacked vessel MV Lili Norfolk in the Arabian Sea. He says "It is our duty to protect our national interest, no matter where they are. It was not an Indian-flagged ship but the crew were Indian and it is our national policy to help them whenever they are distressed. We did the same in Sudan and Ukraine. We take the challenge to bring back our countrymen from wherever they are. Directions have been given to our Naval officers to take action to prevent piracy at any cost. We want to keep the Indian Ocean region safe and secure..."

At least 26 girls from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, went missing from an allegedly illegally-run shelter home. They were found and saved from several regions, including Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan.

The incident started when Priyank Kanungo, the head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), unexpectedly paid a visit to the Aanchal Girls hostel, which is situated in the Parwalia neighbourhood outside of Bhopal.

“In an operation that lasted 220 seconds, we were able to achieve the Halo Orbit Insertion of the Aditya L1 mission. With this, India became the 4th country in the world to have a solar observatory. We will be getting uninterrupted information about the Sun and space weather for the next 5 years. The major benefit from the mission is that during the period of 2025 to 2028, when the solar activities will be at the peak due to the sun cycle, we will get the chance to study the Sun,” says Nilesh Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC/ISRO), Ahmedabad, on ISRO’s Aditya-L1 mission.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar says, "It seems that after seeing our aircraft and drones operating all over the ship hijacked by them, the Pirates ran away from the Lili Norfolk in the night of 4-5 January itself. The Marine Commandos had to sanitise the vessel for any traps or other issues..."

Traffic is affected on Mathura road in the carriageway from Ashram Chowk towards Apollo Hospital as a major fire has broken out under Modi Mill Flyover alongside Mathura road, tweets Delhi Traffic Police

Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh M Desai speaks on ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit successfully. "For around 220 seconds, after the thrust fire and other operations happened, and the Halo Orbit Insertion took place successfully... The satellite will for work 5 years..."

Today cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed over some parts of East Rajasthan, northwest Rajasthan & Haryana and in isolated pockets over Punjab. Cold day conditions also prevailed at isolated pockets over Delhi. (IMD)

CJI DY Chandrachud inaugurated the new building complex of District and Sessions Court - Rajkot, Gujarat, earlier today.

Pursuant to the Alaska Airlines incident involving Boeing 737 -9 Max aircraft, there have been no inputs guidance from Boeing so far. None of the Indian air operators have Boeing 737-9 Max as part of their fleet yet. However, as an abundant precautionary measure, DGCA has directed all the Indian air operators to carry out a one-time inspection of the emergency exits immediately on all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft currently operating as part of their fleet: DGCA

On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, NASA Scientist Dr Amitabha Ghosh says, "India is right now in most of the areas where it's scientifically important. And then there is 'Gaganyaan' which is the human space flight part, that is in the works right now. So been a tremendous strike for the last 20 years. So going from, not having a planetary science program to where we stand today, and where we stand after the success of Aditya. It's been a very remarkable journey..."

Enforcement Directorate Lawyer Saurabh Pandey speaks on ED naming former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel in the supplementary charge sheet in the Mahadev betting app case.
"Investigations are underway, all those will be summoned and called against whom evidence will be found," he said.

"Another milestone in Bharat's journey through space!! Our first solar observatory AdityaL1 reaches its destination in the space. It is a momentous event in history that takes us closer to our civilizational goal of achieving human welfare through excellence in science and technology. My heartfelt congratulations to our genius scientists and the people of our nation," posts Union Home minister Amit Shah.

Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant says, "On behalf of the people of Maharashtra and Shiv Sena, Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has given Rs 18 Crore for the Ram Temple. Today we have come here to hand over the cheque."

"It was a complex mission, I won't say challenging mission. Challenges are something which we love, complexities are something which we have to overcome. Today, we have overcome the complexity, and we were able to achieve that very precisely. Payloads are working very well, but now many more things are to be done on payloads to make sure that the data is reliable and usable, so that will start from now. He (PM Modi) messaged us through his social media platform and appreciated the work what we did. We are very happy about it. We are waiting, maybe he will interact with us at an appropriate time," says ISRO chairman S Somanath on Adiyta-L1 mission.

On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, ISRO Chairman S Somanath says, "So it is very satisfying for us because it is the end of a long journey. 126 days from lift-off to now, it has reached the final point. So reaching the final point is always, an anxious moment, but we were very sure about it. So it happened as predicted. We are very happy."

On Police Administration’s meeting with Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra General Secretary Champat Rai, ADG Piyush Mordia says, "Ayodhya Police had a meeting with the authorities of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Trust regarding the upcoming 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. The motive was to gain the details of the sequence of the events... Police have been deployed and AI CCTVs have been installed in the whole district, areas around the Ram Temple, tent city... Our manpower would be deployed in a way that no one would face any kind of problem..."

Visit of Union Minister of Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Zubin Irani and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 07-08 January 2024.

On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, Former ISRO Chief Dr G Madhavan Nair says, "The thrusters be fired in such a way that the spacecraft takes a stable orbit at the Lagrangian point from which the observation of the sun can be made uninterrupted, continuously for next few years. The journey commenced in September and while it is going towards the sun, most of the instruments have been calibrated, and they have sent some x-ray images as well as other particle counts as well. So that shows the spacecraft is in healthy condition. And once it is in a stable orbit, it will be able to carry out the indented observation of the solar corona phenomena as well as the photosphere and the various activities, especially the solar winds and related radiation..."

On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "I think it's a great feat... I have seen the Space, program for many years. I have been a member of the Space Commission. I think a moment of great pride for us just like the Chandrayaan program was..."

"This also becomes significant from India's point of view that now we have a huge, huge stake in space. We have a number of satellites operating and therefore it is imperative for us to discover the various phenomena emanating from the Sun - the magnetic fields, the occurrence of solar storms. Now, what Aditya L1 is going to feed us with, is something that the rest of the world will also be looking forward to," says Union Minister of State (Ind. Charge) Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Aditya-L1 mission.

“The Halo Orbit Insertion has been done and it is a very important moment in the journey of Aditya L1. Now the mission will start its transition from the cruise phase to the orbit phase. In this phase we will be able to do all the science operations,” says Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, Space Scientist & Astronomer RC Kapoor says, "There is a solar exclusion zone which is about 5 degrees. So we placed our satellite in Halo orbit. This halo orbit is perpendicular to the line of sight towards the sun. So in moving in that orbit, our satellite is always looking at the sun. So 24 hours a day and all the days of the year, it is going to observe the Sun. For ISRO reaching L1 and placing a satellite in an orbit around it is remarkable. It's for the first time. The second thing is, for all Indian institutions that have payloads on Aditya L1..."

Delhi Court allows AAP leader Sanjay Singh to physically visit to file his nomination forms for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

South Korea says North Korea has conducted a new round of firing drills near the rivals' disputed sea boundary, reports AP

- Today, Aditya L1, the first solar mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), underwent its final manoeuvre to achieve its goal and was injected into its final orbit with success.

- A satellite in a halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultations/eclipses, they said, adding, this will provide a greater advantage in observing solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.

- ”This manoeuvre (at around 4 pm on Saturday) will bind the Aditya-L1 to a halo orbit around L1. If we don’t do this, there is a possibility that it will continue its journey, maybe towards the Sun,” an ISRO official told.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets, "India creates yet another landmark. India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches it destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this extraordinary feat. We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity."

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached a residential house in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a weapons seizure case. NIA attached four properties owned by members of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s organised terror-crime syndicate. NIA found all these properties to be proceeds of terrorism, used for hatching terror conspiracies and executing serious crimes: NIA

"The police have fully prepared for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. The summit will be organised on different places, and we have prepared accordingly for that. An ADG rank official will supervise everything related to the summit," says Virendra Singh Yadav, DIG, Gandhinagar Range on security arrangements for Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024.

Varanasi court to decide on Jan 24 whether to provide ASI report on Gyanvapi mosque to parties in the case

Dense to Very Dense fog (visibility<50 meters) in night hours/morning hours very likely at isolated pockets of Haryana & Chandigarh during 6th & 7th January, 2024, says IMD.

- 'One Nation, One Election' high-level committee, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, invites public suggestions "for making appropriate changes in the existing legal administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections in the country."

- The suggestions can be posted on the committee's website http://onoe.gov.in or sent by e-mail to sc-hlc@gov.in. The deadline to submit suggestions is 15th January 2024.

- BJP president J P Nadda is reaching here Sunday on a daylong tour to discuss and finalise the party's Lok Sabha poll strategy for Jammu and Kashmir, a leader said.

- Nadda will begin his tour by paying obeisance at the historic Raghunath temple in the heart of the city before chairing a meeting of senior members led by J-K BJP president Ravinder Raina at the party headquarters.

- National General Secretary, incharge J&K, Tarun Chugh will also attend the meeting along with both Member Parliaments from J&K -- Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma -- who have won Udhampur and Jammu seats twice for the party, respectively.

- Pakistan's law enforcement agencies on Saturday claimed to have foiled a major terror plot by arresting seven terrorists, mostly linked with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in Punjab province.

- The Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab police said in a statement that it conducted 59 intelligence-based operations in different districts of Punjab province during this week in which seven alleged terrorists were arrested with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials.

- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said he will "very soon" take a decision on whether he will attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.

- Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi have been invited for the event and the Congress had earlier said that their decision would be conveyed at the "right time".

- Textile mills associations have urged the government for financial relief to help them tide over the ongoing crisis owing to the slowdown in exports, along with quality control issues.

- In an appeal to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, the textile mill associations said the industry is going through acute financial stress, due to slowdown in exports -- especially in the cotton-based segment -- following external factors such as the prolonged Ukraine-Russia conflict and the recent Israel-Hamas war.

- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted the resignation of DCW chief Swati Maliwal, who is among the AAP's candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, and forwarded it to the lieutenant governor.

- The AAP on Friday nominated Maliwal as its Rajya Sabha candidate, and renominated Sanjay Singh and Narain Dass Gupta for a second term in the Upper House of Parliament.

-'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' will start from January 14.

- "Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, this yatra will begin from Manipur's Imphal and will pass through 15 states of the country before concluding in Mumbai," said Congress chief Kharge.

- This yatra will cover 110 districts, 100 Lok Sabha seat and 337 Assembly seats.

- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said his party is taking out the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as the government did not give it a chance to raise issues in Parliament.

- "The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will focus on basic social, political and economic issues of the country," Kharge told a press conference.

- The Congress had earlier said that the east-to-west Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would prove to be as impactful and transformative as the earlier south-to-north Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

- Less than a fortnight after joining the ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh in the presence of its chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu announced his decision to quit the party on January 6.

- Making the announcement, Rayudu said he wanted to stay out of politics 'for a little while'.

- "In compliance with the instructions given by District Magistrate Maneesh Kumar Verma in view of the dense fog and extreme cold, all the board (CBSE/ICSE IB, UP Board and others) affiliated schools (from Class nursery to 8) running in the district Gautam Buddh Nagar, will observe holiday till January 14," a statement order stated.

- Meanwhile, District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) Dharmveer Singh said the timings for Classes 9-12 will be 10 am to 3 pm during this period.

- Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has ordered all schools in Noida and Greater Noida to observe holiday for students up to Class 8 till January 14 in view of the prevailing dense fog and cold weather conditions.

- Issued by District Basic Education Officer Rahul Panwar, the order stands applicable to all schools recognised by the state board, CBSE, ICSE, IB and others.

- He said, "We are going among the people to tell them that there is no other way. We tried to speak in the Parliament and raise the issues. But the Government gave us no opportunity...146 MPs were suspended, for the first time in the history of this country."

- "He at least came to the Lok Sabha but never once did he even take a peek at the Rajya Sabha," he added.

- ISRO will perform the final manoeuvre on Saturday to inject Aditya-L1 spacecraft -- the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun -- into its final destination orbit, some 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.

- According to ISRO officials, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km from the Earth. The L1 point is about one per cent of the total distance between the Earth and the Sun.

- Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 12 National Highway projects with a total length of 105 km, worth over ₹1464 Crore,

- The proposed projects aim to enhance seamless connectivity between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, ensuring swift and trouble-free transportation. This initiative holds the promise of reducing overall transportation costs. Furthermore, a focus on eliminating black spots on National Highways is anticipated to contribute to a significant decrease in road accidents.

- Jharkhand's tableau showcasing the production of the famed tasar silk in the Santhal Pargana region was selected for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.

- Jharkhand is among 16 states and Union Territories the tableaux of which have been selected for the January 26 parade, officials said.

- BRS Working President K T Rama Rao slammed the Congress government in Telangana over Formula E cancelling the Hyderabad E-Prix slated to be held on February 10.

- "This is truly a poor and regressive decision by the Congress government. Events like Hyderabad E-Prix enhance the brand image of our city and country across the world. We had put in a lot of effort and time to bring Formula E-Prix for the first time to India," Rama Rao said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

- Sri Lanka's first Jallikattu event began at Trincomalee.

- 200 bulls are expected to participate and more than 100 police personnel are deployed for security.

- The event was inaugurated by Senthil Thondaman, the Governor of Eastern Province and Malaysian MP M. Saravanan.

- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on January 5 approved the proposal for launching sulphur coated urea called 'Urea Gold.'

- It will cost Rs 266.5 per 40 kgs.

- Four people died and as many were injured in Jaisalmer when a speeding car hit two pedestrians before colliding with a stationary pickup van, police said.

- The incident took place on Friday night when the car was going towards Barmer from Akal village in Jaisalmer. A police team tried to stop the car at a checkpoint but its driver did not stop, police further said.

- Sikkim recorded a nearly 1 per cent increase in its total voters this year, according to the latest electoral rolls.

- According to the Final Electoral Roll dated January 1, the total number of voters in Sikkim rose by 4,050 or 0.88 per cent to 4,62,456. Of them, 2,32,117 were men, 2,30,334 were women and five transgenders.

- As per media reports, an Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Oregon on Friday after a window and chunk of its fuselage blew out in mid-air.

- "“Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure,"” the company said in an emailed statement. “

- "The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 174 guests and 6 crew members," it read further.” The company said it would share more information when it became available.

- A thin layer of ice formed on the surface of the Dal Lake here and other water bodies in Kashmir as cold wave-like conditions gripped the region, officials said.

- The minimum temperature in several parts of the valley dropped below the minus 4 degrees Celsius-mark on Friday night.

- Kashmir is currently under the grip of "Chilla-i-Kalan", a 40-day harsh winter period, when a cold wave sweeps the region and temperatures drop considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies as well as water in pipes.

- A search operation of the Indian Army Romeo Force & SOG Police is underway in the Poonch district.

- India has recorded a single-day rise of 774 COVID-19 cases while the number of active cases stands at 4,187, the Union health ministry said

- Two deaths, one each from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, were reported in a span of 24 hours.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) ended its searches in a money laundering probe involving the suspected diversion of monies worth more than Rs 2,000 crore from Religare Finvest Limited (RFL) on Saturday. According to sources, the agency conducted the raids on Friday and raided nine premises in Delhi-NCR, including the corporate headquarters of RFL, M3M India Holdings, RHC Holding Pvt Ltd, Hillgrow Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Dion Global Solutions, and Prius commercial. The raids came to an end on Saturday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has included former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in a supplemental chargesheet submitted on January 1, 2024. The chargesheet stems from claims that bribes of about Rs 508 crore were received from the promoters of the Mahadev App. According to the ED chargesheet, throughout the investigation, Mahadev App promoter and accused Subham Soni made shocking confessions. Several more defendants are named in the chargesheet, including Subham Soni, Anil Kumar Agrawal alias Atul Agrawal, Rohit Gulati, Bhim Singh Yadav, and Asim Das.

Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi approves two weeks' interim bail for Sameer Mahendru, citing his wife's medical condition as grounds.

CDC reports JN.1 variant comprises 62% of US COVID cases. JN.1, an offspring of BA.2.86, dominates globally, rising in Asia.

Speeding lorry hits autorickshaw in Balanagar Chowrasta, Mahabubnagar; five, including an infant, killed on the spot, confirms SP Mahabubnagar.

On Saturday, dense fog blanketed sections of Delhi-NCR, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold wave. The national capital, which was already experiencing cold weather, witnessed another drop in temperature as the cold wave tightened its grip. Residents manoeuvred through dense fog, with temperatures plunging, making it a difficult morning for travellers.

The death toll from a huge earthquake in western Japan rose to 100 on Saturday, as rescue workers battled aftershocks while gently pulling survivors from the rubble, reports AP.

In Rajasthan, Jaipur city experienced a blanket of fog wrapping its streets and is anticipated to endure 'dense or extremely dense fog with cool day conditions' today, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The minimum temperature is expected to be 8°C, with the maximum temperature reaching 18°C.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense to very dense fog and cold day to severe cold day conditions are expected in a few spots across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Rajasthan. Dense fog is expected to form in isolated areas over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.Cold wave conditions are forecast in isolated areas of Rajasthan and West Uttar Pradesh.

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