Voting is underway across 29 Maharashtra municipal corporations, with 3.48 crore voters deciding among 15,931 candidates. Mumbai’s BMC, India’s richest civic body with a ₹74,400 crore budget, sees 1,700 candidates contesting 227 seats after a four-year delay. The Thackeray brothers face the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Vote counting is January 16.
PM Shehbaz Sharif said several countries are in talks with Pakistan to acquire fighter jets, including JF-17 Thunders and Mushshak trainers, following last year’s conflict with India. Defence Minister Raza Hayat Haraj added that deals must ensure jets go to friendly nations, with China supporting exports, and highlighted JF-17s’ lower cost compared to global jets.
Elon Musk’s “X” will block Grok AI users from generating sexualized images of real people, including bikinis and underwear, in regions where illegal. This applies to all users, including paid subscribers. The move follows global backlash, legal probes in the US, UK, France, and actions in Indonesia, Malaysia, and India over non-consensual deepfakes.
“Anaganaga Oka Raju,” starring Naveen Polishetty and Meenakshi Choudhary, directed by Maari, hit cinemas worldwide yesterday. The film has secured a major OTT deal, with Netflix acquiring its streaming rights. The Sankranthi entertainer is receiving positive audience feedback, and producer Naga Vamsi shared his happiness over the reaction on social media.
Superstar Rajinikanth is currently shooting for “Jailer 2,” directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the sequel to the 2023 blockbuster “Jailer.” Vijay Sethupathi is making a cameo, saying, “I did it because I love Rajinikanth sir and learn a lot. I now choose only exciting villain or cameo roles.” His appearance promises to be special. The film […]
The State Department, led by Marco Rubio, will suspend immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, from January 21 over “public charge” concerns. Non-immigrant visas remain unaffected. The directive expands Trump-era rules, evaluating age, health, finances, education, skills, family, and English proficiency.
Denmark said a “fundamental disagreement” remains with the US after talks on Greenland, though both sides agreed to form a working group. Donald Trump continues pushing for US control of the island, citing security concerns. Danish leaders rejected the idea and announced plans to strengthen military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic with NATO […]
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said 169 of 328 missing ‘saroops’ have been recovered, calling it a duty, not an achievement, while addressing a gathering on Maghi. He announced a proposed ₹1,000 monthly assistance scheme for women in the upcoming budget and claimed his government has fulfilled all promises made to the people of Punjab.
A monkey was spotted in the spectator stands during the India Open badminton tournament in New Delhi, drawing attention online and inside the venue. Organisers termed the incident unfortunate but confirmed no matches were disrupted. BAI said doors may have been left open and assured tighter safety measures after players earlier criticised venue conditions.
India recorded its first launch failure of 2026 on Jan 12 when PSLV-C62 suffered a third-stage technical glitch, forcing the mission off course. The rocket failed to reach orbital velocity, leading to the re-entry and burning of EOS-N1 and 15 satellites, said former ISRO engineer Manish Purohit. ISRO has formed a failure analysis team to […]
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there would be no “hanging today or tomorrow,” despite earlier vows to fast-track trials of protesters. Speaking to a US broadcaster, he claimed peaceful economic protests turned violent due to Israeli orchestration, but order has since been restored, adding he was confident no executions were planned.
In the second ODI, New Zealand defeated India by seven wickets, chasing 285 in 47.3 overs. New Zealand star batter Daryl Mitchell starred with an unbeaten 131, supported by Will Young (87) and Phillips (32). For India, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, and Kuldeep Yadav took key wickets. The three-match series is now tied 1-1.
The Supreme Court will hear producers’ plea on January 15 over Thalapathy Vijay’s film ‘Jana Nayagan’, challenging a Madras High Court interim order on its release. Originally set for January 9, the film was delayed due to CBFC clearance. The cast includes Vijay, Pooja Hegde, and Bobby Deol, with music by Anirudh Ravichander.
Canada announced their 15-player T20 World Cup 2026 squad, which will take place from Feb 7 to March 8. The squad includes: Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.
A major fire broke out at Magh Mela in Prayagraj’s Sector 4 today, burning two tents. Eight fire engines controlled the blaze, and no injuries were reported. This was the second fire in two days after a similar incident in Sector 5. Authorities suspect a short circuit and have increased safety and security measures during […]