India News LIVE: Maharashtra's JN.1 caseload rises to 110 with 78 new cases

On Thursday, 78  instances of the Covid sub-variant JN.1 in Maharashtra were recorded, bringing the total caseload to 110. In addition, the state reported 171 new cases of Covid-19 in the previous day, and 15,404 tests were performed at that time, yielding a test positivity rate of 1.1%.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate sent “false summons” to him in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The first visuals of arrested Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Javed Matoo arrested by Delhi Police's special cell has surfaced. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Visuals of the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Javed Mattoo who was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell earlier today pic.twitter.com/GY9qZlVW9J

— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2024

India, while reiterating its long-standing position on China, said the two countries continue to engage on the diplomatic and military sides for some sort of a resolution.
"India's position on China is very well known.

"It is a relationship, which is not normal, but we have had dialogues both on the military side and on the diplomatic side in October and November. And the idea is that we engage so that we can have some sort of resolution," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing on Thursday.

The Ayodhya Ram Temple trust shared new pictures of the magnificent Sinh Dwar of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir.

The Varanasi district court is likely to pronounce its verdict on the Gyanvapi case on January 5. 

A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Javed Matoo wanted in a number of terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir arrested by Delhi Police. 

Resident of North Kashmir's, Baramulla district Javed Matoo is top Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, who was active for over one decade. Official told Republic that he was a resident of Khushal area of Sopore and was active since 2010

He was A++ category commander in the police records and exfiltrated to Pakistan to lead Hizbul Mujahideen from Pakistani soil. His movement was detected by central intelligence agencies near Indo Nepal border some days ago. Police said he was operating via names of Musaib and Faisal.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav are currently in a meeting before the latter meets up with Congress leadership. Sources say Congress preferred Nitish Kumar as the convener of the INDI Bloc whereas Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee favoured Mallikarjun Kharge. 

The Congress party has hardened its stance against West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee amid differences over the PM candidate for 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Sources revealed that Mamata wanted Mallikarjun Kharge as the convener whereas the Congress leadership preferred Nitish Kumar. Sources have also revealed that the Congress party will meet with Nitish regarding the same. 

The ED has recovered 14 rounds of 9mm cartridge from the residence DC of Sahibganj.

According to ED, these are banned cartridges. ED has seized electronic devices from premises linked to press advisor of CM Hemant Soren.

The agency is currently examining the digital records.

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a plea by Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera for quashing criminal proceedings against him over a remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Khera had addressed the PM as “Narendra Gautam Das Modi”, for which he was arrested and granted bail.

Protest by BJP workers over arrest of karsevak Srikanth Poojari is underway in Karnataka. The family of the 'Karsevak' Srikanth Poojari arrested in Karnataka has called the move "politically motivated." Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, his family also pleaded the state government to release him. Poojari is accused of being involved in the Hubbali riot case a day before the demolition of Ayodhya's Babri Mosque in 1992.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Thursday moved Delhi high court seeking bail in connection with Delhi excise police case.

The anti-terror operation in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir entered the second day on Thursday as security forces continued search operations to track down terrorists who had briefly engaged in a firefight last night. There has been no fresh firefight but search operations are still in progress, a police official said.

BJP workers are staging a protest against NCP-Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad statement in Maharashtra. 

India saw a single-day rise of 760 new cases of Covid while two more people succumbed to the viral disease, the health ministry said on Thursday.

The number of active cases of the infection has been recorded at 4,423, it said.

The new fatalities -- one each from Kerala and Karnataka -- were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but cases have again gone up after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.

A man, his minor son and another person were killed when two motorbikes collided head-on in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Thursday. The accident took place at around 7 pm on Wednesday on Kukru-Khamla road near Lahar village, nearly 75 km from the district headquarters, when five people were travelling on the two vehicles, Bhainsdehi police station inspector Anjana Dhurve told PTI. Three persons, identified as Suresh Gannu Barskar (30), Ravindra Kasdekar (28) and his son Priyanshu (3), died on the spot, she said.

YS Sharmila, founder of YSR Telangana Party & Andhra Pradesh CM's sister, joined the Congress party on Thursday. She had arrived in the national capital late on Wednesday.

After the merge, Sharmila said, "Today, I am very happy to be merging YSR Telangana party into the Congress party. It gives me immense joy that the YSR Telangana Party is going to be a part of the Indian National Congress from today onwards," says YS Sharmila after the merger of YSR Telangana Party into the Congress."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reached Nepal on Thursday. Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to Nepal. 

 YSRTP chief YS Sharmila arrived at AICC headquarters in Delhi ahead of her party's likely merger with Congress.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted raids at 20 locations in connection with Haryana in illegal mining case. The Enforcement Directorate is carrying out searches at premises linked to Congress leader Surender Panwar and former INLD legislator Dilbag Singh.

A professor of Jamia Milia Islamia University has been booked in a case of alleged bribery, the Central Bureau of Investigation said. The professor has been identified as Khalid Moin. The director of Technical Projects Consultants Pvt. Ltd, Amrit Paul, has also been booked in the case. 

A fire broke out in the Teaching Block of AIIMS Delhi today, which led to damage to furniture and office records. No casualty was reported, said the Delhi Fire Services.

YS Sharmila, founder of YSR Telangana Party, is likely to join the Congress here on Thursday, sources said.

Sharmila arrived in the national capital on Wednesday night.

A "very eminent personality" will join the party at 10.30 am on Thursday at the AICC headquarters here, the Congress said on Wednesday.

Upon her arrival at the Delhi airport, when Sharmila was asked whether she was joining the Congress, she told reporters, "Yes, looks like it".

A thick layer of fog enveloped several states including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tripura among others on Thursday. A significant drop in temperature was witnessed, which affected the normal life. 

Police arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old girl in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam. The minor girl claimed that she was gang-raped by 13 men, including his boyfriend and his friend on different dates. The arrested accused have been sent to judicial custody till January 12. According to police, the girl was raped by his boyfriend Imran and his friend Shoaib on her birthday when they all had gone for an outing. The next morning, the two accused dropped her to her workplace. After which she attempted to end her life at RK Beach just when she was approached by a group of photographers who pretended to give her ‘moral strength’ and then took her to a lodge and allegedly raped her. Police said they have arrested 11 people and efforts are on to nab the remaining two accused.

Dense fog enveloped Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh as cold wave conditions continued to prevail in the region on Thursday morning.

Several flight operations are facing delays at Delhi airport due to low visibility amid fog.