Women take the lead in Republic Day parade
For the first time, an all-women tri-services contingent was part of the Republic Day parade on Jan 26.
In another historic first, Lieutenants Deepti Rana and Priyanka Sevda led the Swathi weapon-locating radar and Pinaka rocket system at the parade.
The parade also saw more than 100 women artistes playing Indian musical instruments such as sankh, naadswaram and nagada, for the first time instead of the traditional military bands.
Fifteen women pilots also enthralled the audience during the Indian Air Force’s fly-past.
Chinese soldiers clash with Indian shepherds in Ladakh
A video showing Chinese soldiers intercepting Indian shepherds in the Kakjung area of Ladakh and claiming the area belongs to China is doing the rounds on social media.
The confrontation, which happened on Jan 2, saw the shepherds reportedly throwing rocks at the Chinese soldiers, according to The Hindu.
Mr Ishey Spalzang, councillor of Nyoma, a village in Ladakh, told the newspaper that the disputed area aligns with India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control (border).
Earthquake of 4.1 magnitude strikes Kachchh
The National Centre for Seismology said an earthquake of magnitude 4.1 hit the Kachchh region of Gujarat at 8.06am on Thursday, with the depth of the quake recorded at 15km.
A quake, recorded at 4.0 magnitude, had hit the same region on Sunday. On both occasions, there were no reports of any damage or loss of life.
The epicentre of the earthquake was reported near Bharush district, said the Institute of Seismological Research.
A massive earthquake had hit the region in 2001, which resulted in the deaths of more than 13,000 people.
Naval ships deployed near Red Sea to rein in piracy
India has deployed at least a dozen warships east of the Red Sea to provide security against pirates, and has checked more than 250 vessels as Western powers focus on attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, Indian officials said.
India has not joined the United States-led task force for the Red Sea and does not have any warship there. But it currently has two frontline warships in the Gulf of Aden and at least 10 warships in the northern and western Arabian Sea, along with surveillance aircraft.
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said India’s growing capability, interests and reputation warranted its help in difficult situations. “We will not be considered a responsible country when bad things are happening in the surrounding countries, and we say ‘I have got nothing to do with this’,” he said on Tuesday.
Bihar chief minister says he will remain in NDA ‘forever’
Days after he dumped the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and the INDIA bloc to form a new government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday asserted that he will now stay in the fold of the National Democratic Alliance “forever”.
“Today, I have resigned as the chief minister and I have also told the governor to dissolve the government in the state. This situation came because not everything was alright (with the alliance),” he said.
Mr Kumar’s departure weakens India’s opposition parties, which had decided to set aside their differences last year to form an alliance to take on the BJP in general elections due by May.
Police report lodged after 117 students get food poisoning
Police registered a report against four persons on Thursday, a day after 117 students of a private school in Maharashtra’s Thane district suffered from food poisoning after consuming the mid-day meal, an official said.
The 117 students, including 48 girls, were admitted to the Shahapur sub-district hospital.
The Sant Gadge Maharaj Primary and Secondary Ashram School, where the incident took place, is located at Bhatsai on the outskirts of Mumbai.
Students were served pulao and gulab jamun from a caterer, following which they experienced vomiting and other symptoms of food poisoning, the official said.
2 arrested over money laundering case involving Delhi Jal Board
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested a retired chief engineer and a contractor in connection with its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the tendering process of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), official sources said.
Jagdish Kumar Arora, a retired chief engineer and contractor Anil Kumar Aggarwal have been taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The directorate is investigating two separate matters of irregularities in the tendering process of the DJB and its criminal case stems from a report by Delhi’s anti-corruption branch.
Sony, Zee clashed over Russia assets, cricket deal
Sony and Zee disagreed over more than 20 compliance issues, including the Indian firm’s failure to dispose of some Russian assets and its US$1.4 billion Disney cricket rights deal, before their India merger was scrapped, according to internal e-mails reviewed by Reuters.
The communications between Sony’s legal executives in India and Los Angeles with top Zee executives provide undisclosed details on the high-stakes backroom tussle that preceded the Japanese firm’s Jan 22 decision to pull the plug on the US$10 billion merger.
E-mails exchanged between Dec 20 and Jan 9 show executives from both companies accusing each other of not honouring the merger commitments. Zee executives repeatedly said that there was nothing out of line, and asked Sony to extend the closure deadline.
Friend drugged then raped me, says Bigg Boss contestant
The Delhi Police has registered a rape case after a former Big Boss reality show contestant and television actor accused her “friend” of raping her in a south Delhi flat last year.
“No arrest has been made. Teams have been formed to investigate the matter,” a senior police officer said.
The actor gained popularity during her stint on the Bigg Boss show. Originally from Mumbai, she also models and has worked in television serials.
Police sources said that, according to the complaint, the accused invited the actor to his residence where he offered her food and drinks.
“She alleged that the accused gave her a spiked drink and then raped her,” a source said.
Hemant Soren challenges arrest in Supreme Court
Former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to hear the plea of the former Jharkhand chief minister, which will take place today.
Mr Soren was arrested on Wednesday in the case after resigning as the Jharkhand chief minister. Party loyalist and Transport Minister Champai Soren was named his successor.
