THE HEADLINES::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to flag off country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train between Howrah and Guwahati from Malda district in West Bengal today; To also launch a slew of rail and road projects worth over three thousand crore rupees.
- India and Japan launch AI Dialogue and decide to convene Joint Working Group on critical minerals; External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says partnership between two sides holds immense potential to de-risk global economy.
- ED files money laundering chargesheet against Al Falah University Chancellor and others; Attaches assets worth 140 crore rupees linked to the group.
- President Donald Trump threatens tariffs on countries opposing US claim on Greenland.
- In Cricket, India to take on Bangladesh in their second Group A match of Men’s Under-19 ODI World Cup at Bulawayo in Zimbabwe this afternoon.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to West Bengal and Assam beginning today. The Prime Minister will first travel to West Bengal where he will flag off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) at Malda town railway station this afternoon. He will also virtually flag off the return service. By significantly reducing travel time by around 2.5 hours on the Howrah-Guwahati route, the fully air-conditioned Vande Bharat Sleeper train will give a major boost to religious travel and tourism.
“With the introduction of the sleeper version of the Vande Bharat Express, long-distance train travel in India is set to become faster, safer and more comfortable for common passengers. The Howrah-Guwahati route is among the most significant rail corridors in the country, supporting the daily movement of lakhs of passengers. The visits to major pilgrimage centres like Kalighat Temple and Kamakhya Devi Temple will become easier, safer and more convenient. The Saraighat Express takes around 17 hours to cover the distance between Howrah and Guwahati, and in comparison, the Vande Bharat Sleeper will complete the same journey in just 14 hours. With Dipendra Kumar from Guwahati, Saklen Akhtar Akashvani News.”
Prime Minister Modi will also dedicate to the Nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple rail and road infrastructure projects worth over three thousand two hundred crore rupees in a public function at Malda district in West Bengal today. The projects include, new railway lines, electrification of key sections in north Bengal, freight and Vande Bharat maintenance facilities, four new Amrit Bharat Express trains, and the four-laning of the Dhupguri-Falakata stretch of National Highway-31D.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi in a social media post said, he is looking forward to being among the people of Malda and neighbouring areas during the BJP rally today. Mr Modi said, every passing day, some or the other instance of Trinamool Congress misrule comes to the fore. He said, the people of the state want a development-oriented BJP government.
Later in the evening, the Prime Minister will travel to Assam to take part in Bagurumba Dwhou, a historic cultural event celebrating the rich heritage of the Bodo community in Guwahati.
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India and Japan have unveiled new initiatives to push bilateral cooperation in the sector of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and critical minerals during the 18th Strategic Dialogue between the two countries. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi yesterday, the External Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi participated in the dialogue in the National Capital. Mr Jaiswal said, during the meeting, the two leaders launched a new AI dialogue and also decided to convene a Joint Working Group on critical minerals.
Meanwhile, speaking at the 18th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said, India and Japan hold immense potential for shaping the world order and de-risking the international economy.
Briefing media, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, India is keeping a close eye on the prevailing situation in Iran, amid escalating tensions in the region. He said, around nine thousand citizens, mostly students are currently living in Iran. Mr Jaiswal said, in recent days, the Ministry has issued few advisories suggesting Indians to avoid visiting Iran and also those present in the West Asian country to leave Iran in view of the volatile security situation.
On the Chabahar port, Mr Jaiswal said, in October last year, the US Department of the Treasury had issued a letter outlining the guidance on the conditional sanctions waiver, which is valid till 26th April, this year. He said, India remains engaged with the US side in working out this arrangement.
Meanwhile, several Indian Nationals arrived in New Delhi late last night from Iran. Talking to media, an Indian national thanked the government for their support and cooperation.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a formal Prosecution Complaint or chargesheet against Managing Trustee and Chancellor of Al Falah University, Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, (PMLA) 2002. The ED said, the complaint was filed before the Competent PMLA Court against the accused in connection with the alleged generation and laundering of Proceeds of Crime (POC) linked to Al-Falah Charitable Trust, Al-Falah University and its allied institutions. The agency’s investigation is based on FIRs registered by Delhi Police following a car blast near Red Fort in Delhi last year. The ED in a statement said that it has provisionally attached assets worth about 140 crore rupees linked to the Haryana-based group.
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The Republic Day Celebrations at Kartavya Path this year will be a unique blend of 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram. India’s military might and cultural diversity. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi yesterday, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said, the celebrations will mark a unique tribute to the national song alongside the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
“As 150 years of Vande Mataram will be the theme of Republic Day Parade 2026, a series of paintings created by Tejendra Kumar Mitra in 1923, illustrating the verses of Vande Mataram will be displayed as view-cutters along Kartavya Path during the parade. Pan-India band performances on the theme Vande Mataram will also be organised from Monday till 26th January by the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, and other Central Armed Police Forces. The performance venues will also include the ancestral home and birthplace of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay at Naihati district, West Bengal. Various tableaux under the broader themes Svatantra ka Mantra- Vande Mataram and Samriddhi ka Mantra- Aatmanirbhar Bharat will also be showcased. SHIVANG MISRA FOR AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”
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US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose trade tariffs on countries that oppose the United States’ plan to acquire Greenland. Talking to reporters outside the White House, President Trump said, Greenland is important to protect US from Russia and China’s growing presence in the Arctic.
However, Denmark and Greenland have rejected the US President’s demand to sell the semi-autonomous territory, and several NATO allies have supported Denmark by strengthening security in the region.
Meanwhile, Russia has said it has no intention of acquiring Greenland and criticised Western countries over the issue.
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Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Radosław Sikorski, will be on a three-day visit to India, beginning today. Tomorrow, Mr. Sikorski is scheduled to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival in Rajasthan.
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In Maharashtra, the BJP has emerged as the clear winner in the state’s civic body elections across 29 Corporations. The Maharashtra State Election Commission had declared the results for 2,784 out of the 2,869 seats across 29 municipal corporations till midnight. The party has emerged as the single largest party by winning 1,372 seats so far.
Breaching the bastion of the Thackeray family, the alliance of BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena also secured a clear majority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections by bagging 118 out of 227 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked the people of Maharashtra for blessing the NDA’s agenda of pro-people governance.
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In Delhi, amid the deteriorating air quality, Commission for Air Quality Management invoked stage-three of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the entire National Capital Region with immediate effect. The decision was taken after the Air Quality Index in the city was recorded at 354 last evening, which falls into the very poor category.The restrictions include a complete ban on all construction and demolition activities.
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In Jammu and Kashmir, the picturesque town of Bhaderwah in Doda district is all set to host the two-day Bhaderwah Winter Festival from today.
“The event will feature snow-based activities, cultural performances, and local traditions, offering visitors an immersive winter experience. The festival aims to project Bhaderwah as an emerging winter destination while creating livelihood opportunities for local artisans, performers, and tourism stakeholders. The festival underlines the administration’s commitment to leveraging cultural events to drive tourism-led growth and regional development. Tourism Department has planned the festival as a mega event, featuring colourful cultural programmes and a special performance by renowned singer G. Khan to entertain tourists and locals alike. Local artists, folk performers and singers will also participate and showcase their talent on a common platform. This is N. Gulshan Raina For Akashvani News from Jammu.”
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted very dense fog over Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand today. The Met Department has forecast dense fog conditions over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya.
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In the Men’s Under-19 Cricket ODI World Cup, India will take on Bangladesh in their second Group A match at Bulawayo in Zimbabwe this afternoon. The match will start at 1 PM Indian Standard Time. India defeated United States by six wickets using DLS method in the rain-marred opening game.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Papers lead with the results of BMC elections with BJP led Shiv Sena sweeping the polls as well as the deteriorating air quality in Delhi NCR as also developments in Iran.
- ‘Saffron cruise on Marine Drive, BJP top force in Maha civic polls’ says Hindustan Times while The Times of India writes, ‘Triple Engine Sarkar Mumkeen Hai (highlighting Mum-keen): BJP bags richest civic body.’ The Indian Express headlines, ‘BJP comes to power in BMC, trumps Thackeray brothers.’
- The Asian Age quotes the Prime Minister in its headline, ‘StartUp India has now become a revolution, says Modi.’
- ‘India remains engaged with USA on unconditional sanctions waiver for crucial Chabahar Port project.’ writes The Statesman.
- And finally, ‘Marathon in Mumbai, runners in Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Darjeeling’. The Times of India informs that this is the second year on the trot when Mumbai Marathon will see a strong virtual event with remote runners comprising seven per cent of the field.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to flag off country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train between Howrah and Guwahati from Malda district in West Bengal today; To also launch a slew of rail and road projects worth over three thousand crore rupees.
- India and Japan launch AI Dialogue and decide to convene Joint Working Group on critical minerals; External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says partnership between two sides holds immense potential to de-risk global economy.
- ED files money laundering chargesheet against Al Falah University Chancellor and others; Attaches assets worth 140 crore rupees linked to the group.
- President Donald Trump threatens tariffs on countries opposing US claim on Greenland.
- In Cricket, India to take on Bangladesh in their second Group A match of Men’s Under-19 ODI World Cup at Bulawayo in Zimbabwe this afternoon.
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