National

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday said it will decide on January 29 whether to summon journalist Priya Ramani or not in the defamation case filed by former Union Minister M.J. Akbar.

MALDA (WEST BENGAL): The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers of vandalising posters and decorative gates ahead of party chief Amit Shah's rally here.

TUMAKURU (KARNATAKA): Thousands of people from across Karnataka have paid homage to the 111-year-old seer Shivakumara Swami at the Siddaganga Mutt on the town's outskirts, said an official on Tuesday.

AGRA:  Green activists will attempt to construct a Taj Mahal with plastic and polythene waste at the Etmauddaula viewpoint park on the Yamuna river here.

NEW DELHI: The January 24 meeting of the high-powered selection committee headed by the Prime Minister to select the next chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is expected to add to the controversy surrounding the federal investigative agency with Congress leaders saying Mallikarjun Kharge will play hardball to ensure that no officer with any link to or relationship with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) makes the cut.

KOLKATA: Five people were arrested in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district for trafficking a leopard skin worth Rs. 10 lakh from Gorumara enroute to Nepal, Belacoba Forest Range Officer Sanjay Dutta said on Monday.

NEW DELHI:  A Delhi court on Monday agreed to hear defamation complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and set February 5 for recording the statement of complainant and BJP leader Rajeev Babbar.

AGARTALA: Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya celebrated their 47th Statehood Day on Monday.

DHARAMSHALA: In a wonderful meeting of hearts and minds, Kulbir Singh Khalsa, son of the late Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji and chief of Sikh Dharma International today , met with his Holiness the 14thDalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people at Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

NEW DELHI:  Accusing the AAP and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of dividing the society on caste lines and spreading mispropaganda, the BJP on Monday approached the Election Commission (EC) and demanded derecognisition of the party.

PATNA: With the 2019 general elections round the corner, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday stressed the need for a caste-based census in 2021 and supported the demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions according to caste population.

CHANDIGARH: Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2018 will bring competition and choice for the final consumer, claims the government but practically this is going to further divide the unbundled electricity industry into numerous fragments making the way for private companies to cherry pick the profitable areas and consumers, said V K Gupta Spokesperson All India power Engineers Federation (AIPEF). The state sector incumbent power distribution  companies will be left with the obligation of serving loss making areas comprising of low paying consumers.

RANCHI:  The Jharkhand High Court on Monday ruled that Congress President Rahul Gandhi will not have to appear in person when the case of his "unsavoury" remarks against BJP chief Amit Shah is heard.

HYDERABAD:  AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that central Minister Prakash Javadekar's warning of anarchy if Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't retain power reflects the 'fascist thinking' of the BJP.

NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday mourned the death of Karnataka's 111-year-old revered seer, Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru.

HANOI: A truck on Monday hit a group of people crossing a road to attend a funeral in Vietnam's Hai Duong province, killing nine and injuring three others.

AGARTALA:  Veteran Tripura tribal leader Nagendra Jamatia died here after prolonged illness, sources said on Monday.

NEW DELHI:  The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant relief to Siddharth Vashisht, also known as Manu Sharma, the main culprit in the Jessica Lall murder case, directing the Delhi government instead to reconsider his premature release plea in the Sentence Review Board (SRB) meeting in March.

GREATER NOIDA: Asserting that the BJP is going to retain power in 2019, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the opposition's attempt to forge a 'mahagatbandhan' (grand alliance) is a sign how other parties fear the BJP.

RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Monday ruled out the possibility of increasing the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota from the existing 14 to 27 per cent.