THE HEADLINES:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar slams Pakistan for openly backing terror camps in big cities for decades.
26 Naxalites surrender in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
Delhi police registers FIR and detains five persons for stone-pelting during demolition drive; Five policemen also injured in the clash.
Another Hindu youth dies in Bangladesh after being chased on suspicion of theft.
North India reels under dense fog and severe cold wave, affecting rail and air operations.
ICC rejects Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to shift Men’s T20 World Cup matches outside India.
And, in Badminton, PV Sindhu advances to Women’s Singles pre-quarterfinals of Malaysia Open.
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The External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has slammed Pakistan for openly backing terrorists training camps in big cities for decades. Dr Jaishankar said, India’s relationship with Pakistan remains an exception in contemporary global diplomacy due to Islamabad’s long-standing and open support to terrorism. The Minister said this while interacting with members of Indian community in Luxembourg today. He said, no other country today has pursued the kind of policies Pakistan has against a neighbouring state.
Describing this as an unpalatable reality, Dr Jaishankar said, India cannot afford to ignore it while shaping its foreign policy.
The External Affairs Minister also criticised what he described as Western hypocrisy in reactions to Operation Sindoor, India’s military action against Pakistan.
On US military operation in Venezuela, the External Affairs Minister said, India is concerned about the recent developments in the South American country.
On relations with Europe, the Minister said India will see an upswing in ties with the region this year. He appreciated the role of the Indian diaspore in strengthening ties between India and the European country.
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In Chhattisgarh, 26 Naxalites surrendered in Sukma district today. Of them, 13 Naxalites were carrying a collective bounty of 65 lakh rupees. Talking to media, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said, the cadres, including seven women, turned themselves in before senior police and CRPF officials under the Poona Margem rehabilitation initiative. The surrendered Maoists were involved in several incidents of violence in Abujhmad and Sukma in Chhattisgarh and bordering areas of Odisha. All the surrendered Naxalites were provided an assistance of 50,000 rupees each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government’s policy.
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Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia has said, power and energy systems are the lifeline of the country’s aerospace capability. Air Marshal Ghuratia was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Military Power Systems India 2026.
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A three day India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management, IICDEM -2026 will be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from 21st of this month. The International Conference is being organised by India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, IIIDEM under the aegis of Election Commission of India in partnership with International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance- International.
Addressing media in New Delhi today, Director General of IIIDEM, Rakesh Verma said that the theme of the Conference is Democracy for inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world. Talking exclusively to Akashvani News, Mr. Verma said that besides deliberations on various electoral practices and the challenges being faced by Election Management bodies, different sessions will also be organised.
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The Government has said that a total of 50 thousand health facilities have received the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification in the country. The Health Ministry said, this landmark achievement reinforces national commitment to quality, safety, and patient-centred care, bringing India closer to equitable and high-quality healthcare for all.
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The Delhi police has detained five person and registered an FIR in connection with the stone-pelting incident that occurred last night during a demolition drive in Old Delhi. Talking to reporters, Deputy Commissioner of Police Nidhin Valsan said, the demolition was carried out by Municipal Corporation of Delhi pursuant to the directions of the High Court. He said, five police personnel have been injured in the incident.
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The Delhi High Court directed the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to remove all social media posts within 24 hours linking BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam to the Ankita Bhandari murder case. The court passed the interim order on a defamation lawsuit by Mr Gautam.
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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has achieved two Guinness World Records for laying Bituminous Concrete on Vanavolu-Vankarakunta section of the six-lane Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada Economic Corridor. The records include around 29 lane kilometer, the longest distance of Bituminous Concrete laid continuously within 24 hours, and over ten thousand metric tonnes, the highest quantity of Bituminous Concrete laid continuously within 24 hours. In a social media post, NHAI said, the Corridor, will strengthen inter-state connectivity between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the PSLV-C62 mission on the 12th of this month. In a social media post, ISRO announced that the primary payload of the mission is Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-N1, an imaging satellite developed for strategic purposes by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. The mission will also carry 18 co-passenger satellites from various Indian and international users.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Somnath Temple in Veraval in Gujarat on Sunday. During the visit, Mr Modi will attend ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv’ as year-long activities have been planned to mark one thousand years since the first attack on Somnath took place. The celebrations also coincide with the upcoming 75th anniversary of the inauguration of the restored temple, which was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1951. The Prime Minister in his recent article had noted that while aggressors of the past have faded into history, the temple stands tall as a testament to the unbreakable courage of the Indian people.
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North India is reeling under dense fog and severe cold wave, affecting rail and air operations. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Odisha and Rajasthan over the next two days. Meanwhile, dense fog conditions have disrupted train services in several parts of the country. According to Northern Railways, more than 50 Delhi-bound trains are running late due to low visibility conditions in the morning.
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Large parts of Rajasthan are also reeling under dense fog, cold wave conditions, and icy winds, severely disrupting road, rail, and air traffic, with visibility dropping to near zero in several areas. More from our correspondent:
“Holidays have been declared for students up to Class 8 in schools across 24 districts until January 10. In 28 cities of the state, the mercury dipped below 10 degrees Celsius last night. Lunkaransar, Mount Abu, and Sikar recorded minimum temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius. According to Jaipur Met Centre, maximum temperatures are also being recorded 2 to 8 degrees Celsius below normal. There is no likelihood of relief from the severe cold over the next two to three days. Jitendra Dwivedi, Akashvani News, Jaipur.”
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In Bangladesh, another Hindu youth lost his life after jumping into a canal while trying to escape a mob, chasing him on suspicion of theft. The body of the victim identified as 25-year-old Mithun Sarkar from Bhandarpur village has been recovered. The incident occurred in the Hatchakgouri Bazar area of Mahadebpur upazila. It comes amid a sharp rise in violence targeting religious minorities in the neighbouring country as it prepares for its first parliamentary elections next month since the protests that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government in 2024. Police said further investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Sources have said that in last one month around 51 minority places have been attacked and ten gruesome murders’ have taken place in the country.
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Bangladesh will import one lakh eighty tonnes of diesel from India’s state-owned Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) till December this year at a cost of 119.13 million dollars. The diesel will be imported by the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), with part of the payment made directly by BPC and the rest financed through bank loans.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, were trading lower in afternoon session today. The Sensex fell 345 points to 84 thousand 718, while the Nifty shed 107 points to 26 thousand 71, when reports last came in.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB’s) plea to shift their matches of 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup out of India to another country. The 2026 T20 World Cup begins on 7th of next month in India and Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, citing security concerns. This came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League after protests from several outfits for the atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh. In a virtual meeting between the two bodies, the ICC said the BCB does not have a valid reason for the relocation of matches at the last minute, citing that the BCCI has already promised the head of state security for the national cricket team.
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In Badminton, star Indian player PV Sindhu advanced to the women’s singles pre-quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open today. The eighth-seeded Sindhu defeated Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun, 21-13, 22-20 in the opening round. Sindhu will next face Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki in the second round.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar slams Pakistan for openly backing terror camps in big cities for decades.
26 Naxalites surrender in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
Delhi police registers FIR and detains five persons for stone-pelting during demolition drive; Five policemen also injured in the clash.
Another Hindu youth dies in Bangladesh after being chased on suspicion of theft.
North India reels under dense fog and severe cold wave, affecting rail and air operations.
ICC rejects Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to shift Men’s T20 World Cup matches outside India.
And, in Badminton, PV Sindhu advances to Women’s Singles pre-quarterfinals of Malaysia Open.
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