Delhi assembly election highlights: Jobs for youngsters will be my top priority in next 5 years, says Kejriwal

Fifteen leaders of the Nationalist People's Party (NPP) Nagaland unit, including the party's vice president, officially joined the Congress on Monday.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at Congress Bhavan here by Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president and Lok Sabha MP, S Supongmeren Jamir.

NPCC working president Khriedi Theunuo welcomed the new members into the party fold.

Myanmar's military government and a major ethnic rebel group in the country's northeast have signed a formal ceasefire agreement, mediator China said Monday.

The ceasefire between the military and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which seized large tracts of territory along the border with China, is the second such pact in little over a year and came into effect on Saturday. A previous pact in January last year was not honoured by either side.

The new ceasefire was brokered by China in mid-January, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing in Beijing.

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched an online system to procure bonfire wood for the pilgrims to combat the cold weather, an official statement said on Monday.

The Uttar Pradesh Forest Corporation has made firewood depot locations that are accessible through Google. Devotees can easily locate depots by searching "firewood depot Prayagraj" online, streamlining the process and ensuring a hassle-free experience.

DSM Prayagraj RK Chandna said that 16 firewood depots have been set up across the Maha Kumbh Mela area, with wood priced at Rs 600 per quintal.

If the AAP is voted to power in Delhi again, his top priority would be to provide employment opportunities to youngsters, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday.

Addressing a "janasabha" in the Vishwas Nagar Assembly constituency ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls, Kejriwal said, "The biggest work I am going to do is on employment. I will arrange employment for our youngsters. Providing employment to our youngsters will be my top priority." During his address, the AAP national convenor also highlighted the achievements of his party's government in Delhi over the last 10 years, including providing free electricity, water and quality healthcare to people, as well as improving the condition of government schools.

"We are providing free electricity, water, healthcare and good government education. You can call your relatives in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana, and ask if they get zero electricity bills," Kejriwal said.

The Assam government asserted on Monday that no elephants were transported outside in the recent past, dismissing speculations that a convoy of animal ambulances ferried jumbos from the northeastern state.

“I categorically state, with all the authority at my command, that the elephants shown being transported in vehicles over the last two days are not from Assam,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X.

He was responding to a post by Mukrang Engti, the founder of Karbi Anglong Animal Welfare Society, on X in which he had sought clarification over media reports regarding the matter.

A convoy of animal ambulances was captured on camera travelling through Assam from a neighbouring state over the past two days.

A Delhi court would likely hear on February 1 arguments in a criminal complaint filed by a BJP leader against AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj, accusing him of defamation.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Neha Mittal on Monday directed the complainant, Suraj Bhan Chauhan, to supply the copy of his complaint and related documents to Bhardwaj.

The judge passed the order after Bhardwaj's counsel submitted certain pages in the copy of the complaint earlier supplied by Chauhan were missing.

Ride-hailing to electric mobility player Ola Group on Monday said it is offering digital and green mobility experience to millions of devotees attending the Maha Kumbh.

By leveraging its comprehensive ecosystem -- Ola Electric and Ola Consumer, the group aims to offer pilgrims a seamless, sustainable, and connected experience by integrating AI, green mobility, and enhanced options for travel during the Maha Kumbh Mela, it said in a statement.

Ola Founder Bhavish Aggarwal said Maha Kumbh 2025 is a reflection of India's rich traditions and aspirations for a tech-driven future.

A Delhi court granted bail to a man accused of rape and criminal intimidation, saying there was no legal impediment in granting him the relief.

Additional sessions judge Arvind Bansal was hearing the accused's regular bail application and observed his custody was not required and police had filed a chargesheet in the case.

Two Madhya Pradesh police assistant sub inspectors were suspended after a video showing them taking part in a birthday celebration in the company of a person with a criminal record went viral on social media, an official said on Monday. ASIs Sunil Tomar and Jagdish Thakur, posted at Nai Abadi police station, have been suspended, Mandsaur Superintendent of Police Abhishek Anand told PTI.

"FORDA initiated and led the entire movement against the RG Kar rape-murder case. The verdict that has come now is surprising. The medical community is totally dissatisfied with this verdict... It should have been a capital punishment. This is not acceptable to us. Our lawyers are now looking into the basis on which the judge has given the order, so we are studying it and after studying it we will see what to do," said Sarvesh Pandey, FORDA General Secretary.

CPI-M leader Brinda Karat says, "Kerala court gave death sentence to a girl because the girl was proven to have poisoned her boyfriend. It shows the failure of our laws to bring justice in cases of crimes against women, particularly rape and murder because there are such different standards which are being applied. The other aspect is that there has been a destruction of evidence... Who along with Sanjay Roy is guilty?... Which is the nexus? How is it that the state government is defended?. In the RG Kar case, at every phase and stage, we are seeing injustice. The main accountability must be with the state government and the way that it has tried to conceal the facts of this case."

Former NCW chief and Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma said, "It is very unfortunate. I think the investigations done by Kolkata Police were presented in front of the CBI and because of the the shortcomings in the investigation, the convict was sentenced to life imprisonment and not death penalty. The victim's family and all of us are really sad. It is the insensitivity of the judges that such a huge case was not called rarest of the rare cases."

Sealdah court Judge Anirban Das said it is not the rarest of rare case. The victim's family will receive a compensation of Rs 17 lakh, with Rs 10 lakh allotted for the murder and Rs 7 lakh for the rape. Justice Anirban Das stated that the convict has the right to appeal in a higher court, and legal aid will be provided.

BJP candidate from New Delhi constituency, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma through Sandeep Singh registered a complaint against AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his party workers alleging bribing by them to influence voters in violation of Model Code of Conduct

Victim's father told ANI, "He (accused Sanjay Roy) tried to speak on Saturday, the court asked him to speak on Monday. We don't know what he will say. He is a criminal, there are other people involved with him...he should get the harshest punishment."

Kolkata Doctor case verdict live updates: Visuals from outside Sealdah court

A court in Kerala on Monday sentenced a woman to death for the sensational murder of her boyfriend in 2022, reported PTI. The Neyyattinkara Additional District Sessions Court also sentenced her uncle, Nirmalakumaran Nair, the third accused in the case, to three years of imprisonment.

The 24-year-old convict, Greeshma, had sought leniency in sentencing by citing her academic achievements, lack of prior criminal history, and the fact that she is her parents' only daughter.

Accused Sanjay's lawyer says, "Even if it is a rarest of rare case, there should be scope for reformation. The court has to show why the convict is not worth reformation or rehabilitation... The public prosecutor has to present evidence and give reasons why the person is not worth reformation and should be completely eliminated from society..."

Lawyer of the victim's parents says Roy had access to RG Kar hospital as civic volunteer. "We pray for highest penalty on behalf of the victim," deceased Doctor's parents through their lawyer in court.

Accused Sanjay Roy told the judge, "I have not done anything, neither rape nor murder. I am being falsely implicated. You have seen everything. I am innocent. I already told you that I was tortured. They made me sign whatever they wanted.

The central agency has sought the death penalty for the main accused, Sanjay Roy. The CBI also arrested former RG Kar principal Sandeep Ghosh and Tala police station officer Abhijeet Mondal for alleged attempts to destroy evidence in the case. The case was transferred to CBI by the Calcutta High Court, passing strong remarks against the police and the state government for its approach in handling the immediate aftermath of the crime.

The parents of the deceased doctor, who were on their way to the court, said they trusted the judiciary to deliver justice. “We have faith in the judge,” said the victim’s father. The deceased doctor's mother, however, expressed disappointment with the CBI investigation, alleging that "other perpetrators involved in the crime had not been brought to justice".

“Only one person is not involved in the crime, yet the CBI has failed to apprehend the others. Such criminals have no right to live if we are to prevent future crimes in society,” the mother said.

mid tight security arrangements, Sanjay Roy, who has been convicted of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, was brought to a court here on Monday for pronouncement of the sentence, PTI reported. Flanked by several police vehicles, Roy was brought out of jail around 10.15 am. The Sealdah court has been fortified with nearly 500 policemen deployed and the authorities left no stone unturned to prevent any untoward incident, an officer said.

The mother of Sanjoy Roy, who was convicted for the rape and murder of the medic of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Sunday said if her son is guilty then he should get the punishment he deserves, even if it means hanging. She said she will "cry alone" but will accept his punishment as destiny.

Accused Sanjay Roy brought to Sealdah Court. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence in RG Kar rape-murder case today. The court found Sanjay Roy guilty in the rape and murder case on January 18.

In a tragic incident reported from Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, a young tourist from Gujarat fell to her death while paragliding on January 18. The incident unfolded at the Indranag Paragliding Site when the glider being used by 19-year-old Khushi Bhavsar lost balance, causing her to fall into a 60-foot-deep gorge, reported News18.

Khushi Bhavsar, a resident of Ahmedabad, was vacationing with her family in Dharamshala when decided to go paragliding around 5pm on Saturday at the Indranag Paragliding Site. During the flight, her paraglider became unbalanced, resulting in Khushi and her pilot, Munish Kumar, falling into a deep gorge.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 11.4 degrees Celsius, 3.8 notches above normal, and a thin layer of fog enveloped parts of the city on Monday morning, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Relative humidity was recorded at 91 per cent at 8.30 am. The IMD has forecast clear skies during the day. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 26 degrees Celsius.

A 35-year-old man was shot dead in Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, police said on Monday, reported PTI. The incident happened on Sunday night on Gurudwara Road in the Mango police station area, they said.

Santosh Singh was near his residence when shots were fired at him by armed men who came to the spot on a motorcycle. He managed to run and entered a nearby house but the gunmen chased him on the motorcycle and shot him, police said.

After 15 months of collective grief and anxiety, three Israeli hostages left Hamas captivity and returned to Israel, and dozens of Palestinian prisoners walked free from Israeli jail, leaving both Israelis and Palestinians torn between celebration and trepidation as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold Sunday, reports AP. After months of tight Israeli restrictions, more than 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid rolled into the devastated territory