Seven people were detained while protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens in central Delhi's Turkman Gate on Thursday, police said.

They were released in the evening.

Police said that the protesters were detained for blocking a road in the area and were taken to Rajinder Nagar Police Station.

Some of the demonstrators alleged that the police personnel manhandled them and snatched away their mobile phones.

According to the demonstrators, the protest had begun on Wednesday afternoon when some students of Jamia Millia Islamia and the locals gathered at Turkman Gate at around 3 pm.

In the evening, scores of people gathered at the protest site. However, on Thursday morning, the police arrived and dispersed the crowd while detaining the seven protesters.

"I was in Khureji last (Wednesday) night when I got to know about the protest at Turkman Gate. Several women were protesting here and I rushed to join them," Sara Javed Chawla, one of the protesters said.

Chawla claimed that shopkeepers in the area closed their establishments and formed a human chain to support the protesters.

"We were about to leave from the protest site when the police crackdown happened in the morning," one of the protesters said.

However, after the police left, the protesters regrouped and returned to the site carrying placards with messages like 'no CAA, no NRC', 'say no to CAA' and 'pyaar banto, desh nahi'.

Mohammad Naeem, a resident of Jama Masjid, said that the protest which began on Wednesday will go on till the time the CAA and NRC are not revoked.

"People, especially students and women, are holding a protest at Turkman Gate since Wednesday. We want the government to revoke the CAA and drop the idea of a possible pan-India NRC.

"Yesterday, the students marched from Lal Kuan till Turkman Gate," Naeem said.

He claimed that a similar protest was ongoing at the historic Jama Masjid.

"Women gather inside the mosque daily from 8 pm to 9 pm after finishing their work. It is a silent protest and nobody raises slogans against anyone. The protesters sing national anthem at the end of the protest," he said.

Meanwhile, several demonstrators protesting in east Delhi's Khureji area since Wednesday claimed that the police tried to forcefully disperse them by cutting the power connection and knocking down the tents at their protest site.

The Delhi Police, however, refuted the claims saying no 'coercive action' was taken. An indefinite protest at Shaheen Bagh had started on December 15 against the CAA and the NRC.  -- PTI

The Centre may give a relatively smaller window of just three months to those who want to apply for Indian citizenship in Assam under the newly-enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), officials said on Thursday. 

Some Assam specific provisions are expected to be incorporated in the rules to be issued for the implementation of the CAA.

There is a possibility of giving a smaller window of just three months for those living in Assam to apply under the CAA, an official, privy to the development, said.

The move came in view of the continuing protests against the CAA in Assam where protests have been going on since the legislation was passed by Parliament in December.

The CAA rules are expected to be issued in next two weeks, the official said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week and made a request to keep a limited period window for applying under the CAA and also incorporate some other Assam specific provisions in the CAA rules.

Asked about the protests in Assam against the CAA, Sarma told reporters at an event here on Thursday: "Wait for some time. Some good news are coming."

According to the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants and given Indian citizenship.

Another official said, an applicant will have to prove that he or she was a victim of religious persecution besides proving that he or she has entered India before the cut-off date of December 31, 2014.

The Assam specific provisions in the CAA rules are expected as the state has been witnessing widespread protests against the CAA.

There has been a growing feeling among the indigenous people of Assam that the newly-enacted legislation will hurt their interests politically, culturally as well as socially.

The Assam Accord provides for detection and deportation of all illegal immigrants, who have entered the country after 1971 and are living in the state, irrespective of their religion.

The protesters in Assam say that the CAA violates the provisions of the Assam Accord.  -- PTI

JUST IN: Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad released from Tihar Jail.

A Delhi Court had granted him bail yesterday, ordering him to not hold any protest in Delhi till February 16.  -- ANI

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad member Komal Sharma, who has been called for questioning by the Delhi Police in connection with the January 5 violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in New Delhi, wrote to the head of the investigating team on Thursday, saying she was ready to join the probe.

'It is being claimed in the media and social media that I am absconding, which is false, and so I write to you to join the investigation. I can join in for questioning either at the office of the National Commission for Women or at a place and time appropriate to you, which may be communicated to me through this mail.

'Me and my family are concerned about my security and ask you to ensure the same (sic),' she said in a letter to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Joy Tirkey.  -- PTI

Nita Kanwar, who migrated to Jodhpur from Sindh in Pakistan nearly a decade back, chasing her dream of a good education and a marriage partner, is now all set to test the electoral waters.

The 36-year-old, who became an Indian citizen only last September, is contesting for the post of the sarpanch from Natwara gram panchayat in Rajasthan's Tonk district.

The elections are on Friday.

Her candidature comes in the backdrop of the row over the the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The amendment makes it easier to get citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who entered India before 2015 following religious persecution in three neighbouring countries.

"I know only this that CAA is good for those who want a better education and life in India," Nita Kanwar said.

She said she is a Sodha Rajput whose members 'cannot marry within their own caste'.

That is one reason for many members of the community to migrate to India, mostly Jodhpur.

"I had migrated in 2001 for college education and later on found a perfect match," Kanwar said.

She said she had to fight for three years to receive Indian citizenship and it was last September when the Tonk district administration handed over the papers.

"Now, I am contesting for sarpanch from Natwara, a general seat reserved for women candidates. I will work for promoting gender equality, women empowerment and development of villages," she said.

Nita Kanwar migrated in 2001 and got her BA degree from Sophia College in Ajmer in 2005 and married Punya Pratap Karan in 2011.

She had migrated with her sister Anjana Sodha, who is also married and settled in Jodhpur.  -- PTI

Old allies Jana Sena and BJPcame together once again and announced an alliance on Thursday, seeking to emerge as the 'third alternative' in Andhra Pradesh.

The reunion of the two parties, which comes after a separation of three years due to what they termed 'communication gap', may alter the political scenario in the state, where the local body elections are round the corner.    

Describing it as a 'historic and important development', Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and state BJP president Kanna Lakshmi Narayana announced the alliance at a press conference, after a four-hour-long meeting of leaders of the two parties in Vijayawada on Thursday.

They exuded confidence that the partnership would clinch power in the state in 2024.

Right from the upcoming polls to the local bodies, the alliance will go on to fight the 2024 general elections as well.

"Our alliance is intended to protect the state," they said.

Alleging that the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress government completely failed the people in a very short time, the alliance leaders promised to fight against its policies.

The state BJP chief said the Sena agreed to ally with his party 'unconditionally' in the interest of Andhra Pradesh and its people.

A coordination committee would soon be constituted with leaders of the two parties to carry forward their agenda.

Pointing to the 'communication gap' between his party and the BJP, which led to a fallout three years ago, Kalyan said, "We held a series of discussions over the past few months and bridged that gap. Thus, we are back in alliance."

The actor-turned-politician held talks with BJP working president J P Nadda in New Delhi on January 13.

"BJP was our first (political) ally," Kalyan recalled.

The Telugu film star claimed that the people of AP were yearning for a third alternative, vexed with the 'dynastic, despotic and corrupt' politics of both Telugu Desam Party and YSRC.

"The BJP and the Jana Sena will be the third alternative that people are looking for. We will emerge as a formidable force by 2024," Kalyan noted.

"We have over four years time to strength ourselves in the state and we will certainly clinch power in 2024," he asserted.

BJP state in charge Sunil Deodhar stressed that there was no question of any realignment with the TDP.

"We have already made it clear that the TDP is no longer welcome. There will not be any type of alliance with either the TDP or the YSRC," he added.

As soon as the Sena was founded in March 2014, Kalyan supported the BJP-TDP combine in the elections in AP and Telangana.

The Sena remained out of contest in the two states.

Two years down the line, it fell out with the BJP and the TDP for various reasons and allied with Bahujan Samaj Party and the Left parties for the 2019 elections.

Sena bit the dust in the elections to both Lok Sabha and assembly in the state last year, managing to win just one seat in the 175-member assembly.

Rajya Sabha member G V L Narasimha Rao, former Union Minister Daggubati Purandeswari, MLC Somu Veerraju represented the BJP while Political Affairs Committee chairman Nadendla Manohar, retired bureaucrat Rama Mohan Rao and others attended the meeting on behalf of the Sena.  -- PTI

A soldier was killed and three others were injured when an avalanche hit an army post in Drass belt of Ladakh's Kargil district on Thursday, officials said.

The avalanche hit the army post in Mushkoh valley in which four soldiers were buried, they said.

One soldier died while three injured were rescued, they added. -- PTI

All the four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case were shifted on Thursday to Tihar prison complex's jail number three where their hanging is set to take place, a jail official said.

The four death row convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Kumar Singh, Mukesh Kumar Singh and Pawan Gupta -- were scheduled to be hanged on January 22.

However, the Delhi government told the high court on Wednesday their execution has to be postponed in view of the pendency of a mercy petition by one of them.

"We have shifted all the four convicts to jail number three of Tihar, where the execution is set to take place," a senior jail official said.

Till now, Vinay Sharma was lodged in jail number four, while Akshay, Mukesh and Pawan were lodged in jail number two of Tihar.  -- PTI

The Union Home Ministry has convened a meeting on Friday to discuss the modalities for the 2020 Census and the National Population Register (NPR), officials said.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai will chair the meeting which will be attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and Chief Secretaries and Census Directors of all states.

The meeting will discuss the modalities for the houselisting phase of the census and the NPR, to be carried out from April 1 to September 30, a Home Ministry official said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already announced that representatives from her state will not attend the meeting.

A few state governments, including West Bengal, have declared that they will not participate in the NPR exercise now as it is a prelude to a country-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Officials said the objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country.

The database would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars, they said.

The notification for the houselisting and NPR exercise came amid furore over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The ministry officials said most states have notified provisions related to the NPR, which is a register of usual residents of the country.

It is being prepared at the local (village/sub-town), subdistrict, district, state and national levels under provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.

The rules have a provision for fine of up to Rs 1,000 on those violating it.

The data for NPR was last collected in 2010 along with the houselisting phase of the Census 2011. Updating of this data was done in 2015 by conducting door to door survey.

While updating the register in 2015, the government had asked for details like Aadhaar and mobile numbers. This time, the information related to their driving licence and voter ID card may also be gathered, the officials said, adding that PAN card details will not be collected as part of this exercise.

For the purposes of the NPR, a usual resident is defined as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more, or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months.

The law compulsorily seeks to register every citizen of India and issue a national identity card.

The NPR exercise will be carried out between April and September 2020 in all states and UTs, except Assam, along with the houselisting phase of the census exercise.

Assam has been excluded because the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise has already been conducted in the state.

The demographic details of every individual are required for every usual resident: name, relationship to head of household, father's name, mother's name, spouse's name (if married), sex, date of birth, marital status, place of birth, nationality (as declared), present address of usual residence, duration of stay at present address, permanent residential address, occupation, educational qualification.

The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 3,941.35 crore for the NPR exercise.  -- PTI

Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday released five politicians including three former legislators after keeping them in preventive detention for more than five months following abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.

Officials said the five mainstream politicians were released from preventive detention this afternoon.

The leaders who were released include Altaf Kaloo (ex-MLA National Conference), Showkat Ganaie (ex-MLC National Conference) and Nizamuddin Bhat (ex-MLC People's Democratic Party).

Former mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation Salman Sagar (National Conference) and Mukhtar Bandh (PDP) were also released.  -- PTI

Amid registration boycott by a section of students, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) said on Thursday the deadline to register for the next semester has been again extended, this time till January 17 following requests from several students.

JNU Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said students had approached the administration to extend the last date for winter registration by another two days.

"The deadline for registration for the ongoing winter session has been extended up to January 17 without late fees. However, by paying late fees of up to Rs 500 one can register till February 9," a senior university official said.

"After February 9, the VC may consider written requests for registration and if deemed fit, grant permission for the same with imposition of appropriate amount of fine at his discretion," the official said.

Out of the about 8,500 students in JNU, on-campus accommodation in different hostels is provided to about 6,450. The remaining students are day scholars, the VC said.

Nearly 95 per cent of day scholars have cleared their semester dues, Kumar said, adding more than 65 per cent of students staying in the hostels on the campus have cleared their hostel dues by paying the new hostel charges.

Many of the remaining hostel residents are returning to the campus from their homes, he added.

"Since January 15 was the last date for registering in the winter semester, there was a last-minute rush yesterday. Several students approached us to extend the last date for winter registration by another two days," the VC said.

Following this, the university decided to push the deadline by two days to January 17.

All the schools and centres have announced their time-tables and are working on conducting tests for those students who did not complete the last semester academic requirements, the vice chancellor said.

"The university has been doing everything possible to help the students continue their academic activities. A great number of faculty members are actively working to make sure that the academic interests of the students are addressed," he stressed.  -- PTI

Police on Thursday said it averted a major attack ahead of Republic Day by busting a module of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit in Srinagar and arresting five of its operatives.

It said that huge expolsive material has been recovered from the five terror operatives.

'In a major success, the Srinagar Police busts Jaish Module. Two grenade blasts in Hazratbal area worked out. Major attack averted ahead of Republic Day,' Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a tweet.

'Those arrested are Aijaz Ahmed  Sheikh of Sadarbal Hazratbal, Umar Hameed Sheikh of Asaar Colony Hazratbal, Imtiyaz Ahmed Chikla @ Imran of Asaar Colony Hazaratbal, Sahil Farooq Gojri of Ellahibagh Soura and Naseer Ahmed Mir of Sadarbal Hazratbal,' it added.  -- PTI

An associate of Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists was arrested from Awantipora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Thursday. 

"Police arrested a terrorist associate of proscribed outfit LeT in Awantipora," a police spokesman said.

He has been identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Dar alias Maheed resident of Dangerpora-Padgampora in Pulwama district, the spokesman said.

"As per police records he has been assisting the active terrorists of proscribed outfit LeT operating in the areas of Padgampora, Sonrigund, Gulzarpora, Beighpora, Reshipora and Dangerpora areas of Awantipora," the spokesman said.

As per the investigation, Dar was involved in threatening and intimidating civilians residing in the area, the spokesman said adding he was also involved in providing logistic support to LeT cadres operating in Awantipora.

Case under relevant section of law has been registered at Police Station Awantipora and further investigation in the matter is in progress.  -- PTI

India on Thursday hit out at China for helping Pakistan in trying to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council, saying Beijing should seriously reflect on the global consensus and refrain from such actions in the future.

"I was in Khureji last night when I got to know about the protest at Turkman Gate. Several women were protesting here and I rushed to join them," Chawla said. The shopkeepers in the area closed their establishments and came out to form a human chain. The protesters said they will again come out on road in the evening. 

"The shopkeepers in the area closed their shops and formed a human chain. We will come out on road in the evening and will raise slogans against the CAA and NRC," she said. Despite several attempts, senior Delhi police officials could not be contacted. PTI

File pic of protesters at Shaheen Bagh, Delhi.

The court passed the directions after jail authorities informed that they have written to the Delhi government on the issue of scheduled execution on January 22 in view of pending remedies. The matter is now listed for Friday at 3:30 pm.As per the Delhi Prison rule 840, the jail authorities are supposed to write to the Delhi government seeking a response whether the date of execution be postponed.

The court has pointed out that it was only informed about mercy petition being filed and not on whether rule 840 has been followed.On the other hand, the Delhi government, earlier in the day, rejected the mercy plea of Mukesh Kumar, one of the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya case. 

The mercy plea was then forwarded to Lieutenant Governor, who has now sent it to Union Ministry of Home Affairs.The convicts were sentenced to death for raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in the national capital on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012.

The film saw a great Wednesday collection of Rs 16.72 crore, earning a total of Rs 107.68 crore in just six days.

The movie grossed Rs 15.10 crore on the first day. On Saturday and Sunday, the movie did get Rs 20.57 crore and Rs 26.26 crore respectively. The weekday collection of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday has been peggged at Rs 13.75 cr, Rs 15.28 cr and Rs 16.72 cr respectively.

The flick has been receiving a unanimous response from critics and audience, generating a great word of mouth.'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior' shows Ajay Devgn essaying the role of Maratha warrior Taanaji Malusare fighting for the principle of 'Bhagwa' (saffron) flag and 'Swaraj' (home-rule) and 'Satya' (truth).

Kajol, who essays the role of the wife of Tanhaji, Savitribai Malusare, is shown as a strong character, who accompanies him in taking firm decisions.

Saif Ali Khan, who plays the antagonist, comes out strong as Uday Bhan, a Rajput official, who works for Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The film is produced by Ajay Devgn's ADF and Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, and has been directed by Om Raut. -- ANI

Published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, the study in mice shows how the body clock mechanism boosts our ability to maintain our bodies when we are most active. 

Because we know the body clock is less precise as we age, the discovery may one day help unlock some of the mysteries of ageing, said Professor Karl Kadler from the University of Manchester in the UK. The discovery shines light on the body's extracellular matrix, which provides structural and biochemical support to cells in the form of connective tissue such as bone, skin, tendon and cartilage. Over half of our body weight is matrix, and half of this is collagen -- and scientists have long understood it is fully formed by the time we reach the age of 17. However, the researchers have now discovered there are two types of fibrils -- the rope-like structures of collagen that are woven by the cells to form tissues. Thicker fibrils measuring about 200 nanometres in diameter are permanent, and stay with us throughout our lives, unchanged from the age of 17. One the other hand, thinner fibrils measuring 50 nanometres are sacrificial, breaking as we subject the body to the rigours of the day but replenishing when we rest at night. The collagen was observed by mass spectrometry, and the mouse fibrils were observed using state of the art volumetric electron microscopy every four hours over two days. 

When the body clock genes where knocked out in mice, the thin and thick fibrils were amalgamated randomly, the researchers said. "Collagen provides the body with structure and is our most abundant protein, ensuring the integrity, elasticity and strength of the body's connective tissue," said Kadler. 

"It's intuitive to think our matrix should be worn down by wear and tear, but it isn't and now we know why: our body clock makes an element which is sacrificial and can be replenished, protecting the permanent parts of the matrix," he said. Kadler said just like people need to oil a car and keep its radiator topped up with water, the thin fibrils help maintain the body's matrix. 

"Knowing this could have implications on understanding our biology at its most fundamental level. It might, for example, give us some deeper insight into how wounds heal, or how we age," he said. -- PTI

Nainar Nagendran is being tipped to be the next BJP president of Tamil Nadu. An announcement is expected tonight from Chennai, according to sources in Delhi. 

Nagendran, who joined the BJP from AIADMK is known for his organisational skills. He was given a Lok Sabha in the 2019 polls.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, say sources, has cleared the appointment. 

This morning, Dilip Ghosh, was re-elected as the President of BJP's West Bengal unit for the term 2020-2023.

"Citizenship is a subject of Union list. The CAA has been passed by both houses of parliament and the president has given his assent to it. The states have no choice but to implement it," Meghwal said. 

"The Kerala CM is saying the CAA would not be implemented, the West Bengal CM is also saying the same thing. But they will have to implement it as they have no options," he said.   -- PTI

The Home Ministry has received the mercy petition of 2012 Delhi gang-rape case convict Mukesh Singh from the Delhi government and it is under process. 

The 38-year-old double World Cup-winning former India captain's omission from the list was not unexpected as he has not played any international cricket for over six months now.

"Let me clarify that one of the top-most BCCI office-bearers spoke to MS and told him about how they are going about in the central contracts. He was clearly told that since he hasn't played any game in the said period (September 2019 till date), he cannot be included for the time being," the official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. 

Asked who among BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah and CEO Rahul Johri spoke to Dhoni, the official refused to divulge. "Let's not get into who spoke. The fact is that a player of his stature needs to be told that he is not being awarded a central contract for the time being and it was done in an appropriate manner," he said.

 However, the official said that if Dhoni makes it to the World T20 team in Australia (October 2020, after current contracts' duration ends) or even before that, he can be included on a pro-rata basis. -- PTI

The 417-page book, 'A Very Stable Genius', written by Philip Rucker and Carol D Leonnig, detailed similar vivid incidents from Trump's tumultuous first three years as President, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. 

The businessman-turned-politician won the US presidential election in 2016 and assumed the position on January 20, 2017. The book claimed during one of his meetings with Modi, Trump told him, "It's not like you've got China on your border." 

However, the Washington Post report did not mention the year in which President Trump made this gaffe. After Trump bungles his India-China geography, the authors, both Post reporters, claimed that "Modi's eyes bulged out in surprise" and his "expression gradually shifted, from shock and concern to resignation". 

The two reporters were part of the team that won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on Trump and Russia. The book quoted a Trump aide as saying that Modi probably "left that meeting and said, 'This is not a serious man. I cannot count on this man as a partner'". 

"After the meeting", the aide told the authors, "the Indians took a step back in their diplomatic relations with the United States."

India and China have an unresolved border dispute that covers the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC). 

Modi and Trump, who have developed a personal rapport, met four times in 2019, including their joint appearance at the historic 'Howdy Modi!' event in Houston. They spoke over phone at least twice last year. -- PTI

The IT department had asked Ravi Gupta to pay Rs 3 crore 49 lakh as a tax by March 30, 2019.

He has been given extension till January 17, 2020.The victim has filed a complaint with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh police and also the Reserve Bank of India.So far, no organisation has reacted to his complaint. -- ANI

"Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister of West Bengal and not the leader of the entire country. At least she should understand her constitutional duties," Naqvi said.

Earlier in the day, Banerjee said she will not participate in the Central government's upcoming meeting on NPR which is scheduled for January 17 in the national capital.On being asked about JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh comment on the government where she said somewhere the government started from Kashmir that our Constitution is snatched from us, the leader said: "Student movement is a good thing but it should not be made into an anarchist movement."

After the Congress questioned the arrest of Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Davinder Singh along with two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, the minister said, "This is the same Congress party that used to cry at the death of Osama bin Laden. Congress party always supports terrorist leaders and their activities. They are the voice of Pakistan." -- ANI

Singh on Tuesday appeared at the office of a regional television and confessed his involvement in killing Kaur following which the police rushed to the studio and arrested him when the programme was being telecast live, police said. 

Out on bail, 31-year-old Singh is already convicted in a 2010 murder in Haryana's Karnal, police said. During the interview, Singh confessed that he had killed Kaur as well as another woman in 2010. 

The TV management informed police, who barged into the studio and arrested the accused. Singh wanted to marry Kaur but his family was against their inter-caste marriage so they decided to go for court marriage, the police said.

Singh claimed Kaur was ready to marry him, but later he came to know that she was in touch with another man. Police said Singh had strangled Kaur and later slit her throat with a knife in the hotel room. -- PTI

The BCCI announced the central contracts for the period of October 2019 to September 2020. Dhoni was in the A category, which fetches a player Rs 5 crore, until last year. Skipper Virat Kohli, his deputy Rohit Sharma and top pacer Jasprit Bumrah were retained in the highest A+ bracket of Rs 7 crore. -- PTI

Image: MS Dhoni. 

"All parties will try but they (15 MLAs) are a part of our family and I hope they will remain so," Kejriwal said at a press conference here.The party has denied tickets to 15 MLAs and has fielded 24 new faces. The party has given tickets to 46 sitting MLAs.

Raut had claimed that former prime minister Indira Gandhi would come to Mumbai to meet yesteryear don Karim Lala. 

Infuriated with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut's claim that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used to meet underworld don Karim Lala, the Congress has demanded that the Shiv Sena leader should withdraw his statement. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that Raut's statement is "deplorable"."#SanjayRaut linking Indira Gandhi with the underworld with a straight face is deplorable. How does he make such comments without doing saamna with the rich history of his own party?" he tweeted.

Party leader and former Mumbai unit chief Milind Deora called Raut's remark "ill-informed statement"."Indira ji was a true patriot who never compromised on India's national security. As former Congress Mumbai President, I demand that Sanjay Raut withdraws his ill-informed statement. Political leaders must show restraint before distorting the legacies of deceased Prime Ministers," Deora tweeted.

Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam warned Raut that he will have to repent if he propagates against Gandhi.

A mass public contact and awareness programme would be launched in which over 30,000 neighbourhood meetings will be held across the city.

The aim would also be to highlight the policies being pursued by the incumbent state government led by Arvind Kejriwal, sources said."We will tell people who are against the welfare of Hindus. Who has not given their assent to action on tukde-tukde gang? Who is supporting Shaheen Bagh? And Aam Aadmi Party government's stand on the CAA," they said.

Sources pointed out that on most of these issues the Arvind Kejriwal government stand was 'not in favour of the nation's interest'.They stated that the RSS, the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will hold over 30,000 small public meetings in the national capital aimed at reaching out to the masses.

"The purpose of this public contact programme would be to connect with the youngsters, senior citizens and others across Delhi. The RSS cadre will be activated to ensure that the AAP's stand on these important issues is brought before the people," sources added.

According to sources, the Sangh has clarified that it would not be seeking votes for any political party. "Our only plea would be that the vote should be for the establishment of a government which aims for Hindu welfare and welfare of the population in general," sources added.

At these meetings, the Sangh is also unlikely to criticise the freebies that are currently being offered by the AAP government.

"The subsidies are not going to be reversed. The government that comes to power should continue these subsidies," sources added.

In Delhi, where 70 seats are at stake will go to polls on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. The contest is a direct fight between the BJP and the AAP.

The BJP is trying hard to regain lost ground and is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the revival of its fortunes. The party has been out of power in the Delhi assembly since 1998.

Though BJP has been regularly winning the Lok Sabha and Municipality polls, the victory has been elusive for the BJP in Delhi Assembly.

On the other hand, the AAP is trying to regain control of the Assembly where it had secured an overwhelming 67 seats in the 2015 Assembly polls. -- ANI

Khan, while speaking to reporters at the airport in Thiruvananthapuram, said protocol demanded that he should have been informed first. "Even the rules of the Assembly provide that the legislature shall not discuss any subject which does not come under their constitutional jurisdiction. I have no problem if they go to the Supreme Court. Even there I feel, without informing the constitutional head of the state, what they have done is improper," Khan said. "Yet I do not find anything wrong with it. I do not find any fault with their decision to go to Supreme Court, why because, Constitution gives that authority to the Supreme Court. But the protocol demanded that they should have informed me first," the Governor added. 

The Kerala government had on January 13 filed a petition in the apex court, saying the CAA was contradictory to constitutional ethos. PTI

Coalition dharma politics at play: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that he has always stood up for former prime minister Indira Gandhi whenever people have targeted her.

"The respect that I have always shown towards Indira Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and the Gandhi family, despite being in opposition, nobody has done it. Whenever people have targeted Indira Gandhi, I have stood up for her," said Raut.

"Many political people used to come to meet Karim Lala, times were different back then. He was a leader of the Pathan community, he had come from Afghanistan. So, people used to meet him over the problems faced by the Pathan community," he added. His statement came a day after he claimed Indira Gandhi used to go and meet yesteryear don Karim Lala in Mumbai.

"There was a time when Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel, Sharad Shetty used to decide who would be Police Commissioner of Mumbai and who would sit in the 'Mantralaya'. Indira Gandhi used to go and meet Karim Lala. We've seen that underworld, now it's just 'chillar'," Raut said yesterday.

Lala operated in smuggling, narcotics, gambling, forced property evictions, and extortion rackets in Mumbai for over two decades. He died in 2002 at the age of 90.

The Shiv Sena leader also claimed that he has photographed the fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim and has even threatened him."I have conducted a photo session of Dawood Ibrahim and others. There are a few people in the country who have seen and talked to Dawood Ibrahim. I have seen him, talked to him several times and even threatened him but that was a different time. -- ANI

Image: Indira Gandhi with Mother Teresa

Patel had made herself a household name after turning up for India's matches during the 2019 World Cup.

She went on to storm social media after she was seen cheering for the Men in Blue during their World Cup clash against Bangladesh.After the match, the entire Indian side went to meet Patel and both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were seen meeting the octogenarian fan.

"I am a very religious person and have so much trust in God. So, when I pray, it comes true and I am saying that India is going to get the World Cup, definitely," Patel had told ANI during the World Cup.

The 87-year old had caught everyone's eyes when she was ardently cheering for the Indian team when they were batting.

Patel had also stated that she was there in the stadium when India lifted their first World Cup, back in 1983, under the leadership of former cricket Kapil Dev.

"I have been there. When they won the World Cup, I was so proud, I started dancing. And today also, I told my granddaughter that when India is going to defeat Bangladesh, I am going to dance," she had said.

"I have been watching cricket for decades. When I was in Africa, I used to watch it, then I came to this country in 1975. Here I had work because of which I did not get time to watch but I used to watch it on TV. But nowadays as I am not working, so I have the interest and I am very lucky that I get a chance to watch cricket," she added.

Following an initiative taken by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a group of central ministers will visit Jammu and Kashmir starting from 18 January including sensitive areas in the valley to spread awareness about the positive impact of abrogation of Article 370 provisions and the development measures taken by the government for the region, sources said Wednesday.

Thirty-six Union ministers will visit different districts in both the divisions of the Union Territory starting from January 18 to January 24 and the Home ministry is coordinating it, the sources said..

"The registration deadline for ongoing winter session has been extended up to January 17 without late fees. However, registration will continue till February 9 by paying late fees up to Rs 500," a senior varsity official said. 

"After that deadline, the VC may consider written requests for registration and grant the permission for late registration, if deemed fit, with imposition of appropriate amount of fine at his discretion," the official added. -- PTI

Banks will also hold a strike on March 11, 12 and 13. Also, an indefinite strike will be held from April 1.General Secretary, All India Bank Officers' Confederation West Bengal Sanjay Das has stated that the nationwide strike has been called over several demands.

"The demands include--wage revision settlement at 20 per cent hike on payslip components with adequate loading thereof and scrapping off New Pension Scheme (NPS)," said Das.

There are several demands to hold the strike including the merger of special allowance with basic pay, updation of pension, improvement in the family pension system, five-day banking, allocation of staff welfare fund based on operating profits and exemption from income tax on retiral benefits without a ceiling."

Other demands include-- a uniform definition of business hours, lunch hour etc in the branches, introduction of leave bank, defined working hours for the officers and equal wage for equal work for the contract employee," said Das. -- ANI

According to railway officials, 12 trains were running behind schedule in the northern railway sector due to weather conditions. Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 272 at 9.30 am, which falls in the poor category.  An AQI between 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe". An AQI above 500 falls in the "severe plus" category. PTI

"We've to bring an end to terrorism and that can only happen the way Americans started after 9/11, they said let's go on a spree on global war on terror. To do that you have to isolate the terrorists, anybody who is sponsoring terrorism has to be taken to task. 

"Terrorism is here to stay so long as there are going to be states that are going to sponsor terrorism & they are going to use terrorists as proxies, make weapons available to them, make funding for them, then we can't control terrorism.

"You have to come to a peace deal with everybody (in Afghanistan), if you've to come to a peace deal with them you've to go for negotiated peace. Taliban or whichever org is contemplating terror has to give up that weapon of terror, they must come to the political mainstream."

After hitting a record peak of 42,009.94, the 30-share BSE index was trading 127.65 points or 0.30 per cent higher at 42,000.38. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty scaled a lifetime intra-day high of 12,377.80. It was trading 28.45 points or 0.23 per cent higher at 12,371.75. 

Sun Pharma was the top gainer, rising 1.30 per cent, followed by Nestle India, HUL, Kotak Bank, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Auto and Bharti Airtel. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, NTPC, Titan, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tech Mahindra, ONGC and Asian Paints were trading in the red. 

According to traders, global stocks rallied as investors heaved a sigh of relief after the US and China on Wednesday signed the first phase of a trade deal, concluding more than a year of tough negotiations between the two largest economies of the world. 

The deal includes Intellection Property Protection and Enforcement, ending forced technology transfer, dramatic expansion of American agriculture, removing barriers to American financial services, ending currency manipulation, rebalancing the US-China trade relationship and effective dispute resolution. 

Bourses in Tokyo and Seoul were trading on a positive note in their early sessions, while those Shanghai and Hong Kong were flat. Benchmarks on Wall Street ended at record highs on Wednesday. -- PTI

In the meeting over breakfast, Zarif apprised Jaishankar about the overall situation and Tehran's position over it. It is learnt that the two ministers also deliberated on various aspects of bilateral ties between India and Iran including progress of the Chabahar port project.

The Iranian foreign minister arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday on a three-day visit in the midst of global focus on escalating tension between Iran and the US following the killing of Soleimani in an American drone strike. 

On Wednesday Zarif told PTI that India can play a role in de-escalating tensions in the Gulf region as it is an important regional player In an address at the Raisina Dialogue, he hit out at the Trump adminstration for killing of Soleimani and attributed the action as a "sad reflection of a serious problem in Washington's thinking". 

"If you are an ignorant-arrogant or an arrogant-ignorant, with power, it brings disaster," he said on Wednesday, alleging that Soleimani's killing was a US attempt to unilaterally shape policies in the region. The attack, he said, was "unforgivable". 

India has been maintaining that it would like the situation to de-escalate as soon as possible and the country has been in touch with key players, including Iran, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar, as it has important interests in the region. Maj Gen Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite al-Quds force, was killed when a US drone fired missiles on his convoy in Iraq on January 3. 

Last week, Iran launched over a dozen ballistic missiles targeting at least two bases where US military and coalition forces are stationed in Iraq.

-- PTI

Ajay Devgn-starrer historical film Tanhaji will be made tax-free in Maharashtra, a state minister said.

Congress leader and minister Yashomati Thakur tweeted that the issue was discus in the cabinet meeting, and the chief minister's office would make an announcement in this regard on Thursday.  -- PTI

Five coaches of Mumbai-Bhubaneswar Lokmanya Tilak Express derailed near Cuttack in Odisha Thursday morning after the train hit a goods train, Railway officials said.

 

At least 25 people have been injured in the accident that happened around 7 am between Salagaon and Nergundi stations, they said.

All passengers had been admitted to a nearby hospital and they are stated to be out of danger.

The officials said there was heavy fog at the site but it was not clear what led to the accident. -- PTI

A series of protests were organised in several colleges of the Delhi University on Wednesday against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

   

At Ramjas College, a group of students read out the Preamble of the Constitution.

 

Organisers of the protest claimed that policemen were present inside the campus and the college administration tried to stop their agitation.

 

However, police denied that they were present on the campus.

An official of the college administration said authorities have made it mandatory for everyone to take permission for organising events at the institution's amphitheatre.

 

He said clashes broke out between students in 2017, and the college administration does not want the same thing to happen again.

 

At Ram Lal Anand college and Hansraj college, public meetings were held against the new legislation, while at Zakir Husain college, students protested against the police action on their counterparts at Jamia Millia Islamia in December last year. -- PTI  

The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to send articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate, in a major development to remove him from office for his alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

In a 228-193 vote, which was mainly on party lines, the House appointed seven impeachment managers who will argue the Democrats' case for removing Trump from the office of the US President.

The managers were named by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The 435-member House, where Democrats enjoy a majority, on December 18 charged Trump with "high crimes and misdemeanors" and impeached him for pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political rival.

Congressman Adam Schiff, chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is the lead manager.

The other managers are Congressman Jerry Nadler, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, chairwoman of the House Committee on House Administration, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Chairman of the House Democratic and Congresswoman Val Dening -- Demings, a member of both the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Judiciary Committee.

The impeachment process now moves to the Senate where Trump's Republican party has majority in the 100-member Upper House.

The trial -- likely to begin on January 21 -- would be presided by the Supreme Court Chief Justice. 

The White House will defend the President during the trial.

Given that the Senate has a majority in the Senate, White House is confident that Trump will sail through the process.

During a China trade deal signing ceremony at the White House, Trump described this as a hoax and asserted that the it is going week.

The Trump Campaign slammed Pelosi for the impeachment process. -- PTI

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday "forfeited" the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to deputy superintendent of Police Davinder Singh, who has been arrested for helping terrorists travel out of JK, an official order said.

It said the suspended officer's act amounted to disloyalty and brought the force into disrepute.

According to the order, Singh was awarded Jammu and Kashmir's highest police award in 2018. 

Police had arrested Singh, a deputy superintendent of police, at Mir Bazar in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Saturday, along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Baba and Altaf, besides a lawyer who was operating as an overground worker for terror outfits.

"Consequent upon the arrest of Mr. Davinder Singh on January 11 while trying to assist terrorist to travel outside J&K and recovery of arms and ammunition which amounts to disloyalty and conduct that has brought the force into disrepute, the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry, is hereby forfeited," said the government order, signed by Shaleen Kabra Principal Secretary (Home). 

Police had said on Tuesday that searches were carried out at Singh's residence here, right next to the Army's XV corps headquarters at Badami Bagh cantonment, where he had sheltered Naveed, Altaf and a new joinee in the banned terror outfit. -- PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her state will not take part in the meeting convened by the Centre on National Population Register (NPR) in New Delhi on January 17.

She also dared Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to 'dismiss' the state government for not toeing the line of the Centre.

Banerjee, who has been at the forefront of protests against the NPR, the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, said the West Bengal government had already stayed the process of NPR updation in the state.

"On January 17, the Union government had convened a meeting on NPR. I won't be going, neither any representative of my government will attend that meeting," she said while addressing a rally in Kolkata.

"If I don't attend, there is a person here in Kolkata (Governor Dhankhar), who is the representative of the Union government. He might say that he is dismissing my government. He can very well do that, I don't care. But, I will not allow CAA-NPR-NRC," she asserted.

Last week, during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kolkata, Banerjee had urged him to rethink on the amended Citizenship Act and withdraw the contentious legislation along with the NPR.       

"The Left and the Congress are spreading canards. They are saying NPR is underway in the state. It is absolutely false. We had stayed the process of NPR updation last month itself," she added.  -- PTI