Workers decorate a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Ram with flowers on the eve of the temple’s grand opening in Ayodhya, India, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Ram temple consecration | PM Modi, priests to lead ceremonies in Ayodhya today
The temple town of Ayodhya was decked with flowers, serenaded with bhajans, and covered with a multi-layered security blanket on the eve of the pran pratishtha, or consecration ceremony, to be held at the Ram Mandir on January 22. In the culmination of a decades-long religious and political movement to restore the worship of Lord Ram in a new temple at what is considered his birthplace, the rituals to consecrate the idol are expected to begin at 12:20 p.m. in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and almost 8,000 invited guests,
Manipur CM Biren Singh to seek meeting with PM
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has assured the representatives of 10 non-BJP political parties that he would on Monday seek an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the ongoing unrest in the State.
81% of citizen responses have affirmed simultaneous polls: Law Ministry
The Ram Nath Kovind-led high level committee (HLC) on “One Nation One Election” has received over 20,000 responses from citizens and 81% of them have “affirmed” the idea of simultaneous polls, a Law Ministry statement said on Sunday.
PM Modi visits Dhanushkodi and Arichalmunai, worships at Kothandaramar Swami Temple
A day ahead of the Ram Temple inauguration in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his spiritual tour of the State by visiting the famous Sri Kothandaramaswami Temple and Arichalmunai point in Dhanushkodi, situated at the tip of the Indian mainland.
Ron DeSantis ends his struggling presidential bid before New Hampshire, endorses Donald Trump
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his Republican presidential campaign Sunday on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, ending a White House bid that failed to meet expectations that he would emerge as a serious challenger to former President Donald Trump.
NISAR Mission on track for early 2024 launch, says JPL official
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, designed to observe natural processes and changes in earth’s complex ecosystems, is on track for an “early 2024” launch, a senior official at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said on Sunday.
Bilkis Bano case | All 11 convicts surrender at Godhra sub-jail
All 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case surrendered late on Sunday night at Godhra sub-jail in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district in keeping with the deadline imposed by the Supreme Court.
Russia takes village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region: defence ministry
Russian forces have taken control of the village of Krokhmalne in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday, and a Ukrainian military spokesman confirmed that Kyiv’s forces had withdrawn.
India-England Test match in Hyderabad a sellout, says HCA
The canopy covering all the stands and the new floodlight system at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Uppal here is in place to make it as spectator-friendly as possible for the India-England Test match from January 25, says Hyderabad Cricket Association president A. Jagan Mohan Rao.
Amit Shah sets three-year deadline to free Chhattisgarh from Maoist menace
At a review meeting of Chattisgarh’s Left Wing Extremism (LWE) situation held in Raipur on Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised the need to free the affected pockets of the State within the next three years.
Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpasses 25,000 while the prolonged war divides Israelis
The Palestinian death toll from the war between Israel and Hamas has soared past 25,000, the Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Sunday, while the Israeli government appeared far from achieving its goals of crushing the militant group and freeing more than 100 hostages.
Expulsion of Indians from Uganda by Idi Amin was a mistake: Museveni
Nearly 52 years after Ugandan dictator Idi Aminexpelled the Indian community of his country, President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni called that move a “mistake” and expressed gratitude to the Indian community of Uganda for the service that they rendered over the decades.
Strike on busy market kills 25 in Russian-held Donetsk
A strike on a crowded market in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine left at least 25 people dead and 20 wounded on Sunday, Moscow-backed officials said.
India Open badminton | Chirag-Satwik fall at the final hurdle, again
Notwithstanding a sound start, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj finished second best to Koreans Kang Min Kyuk and Seo Seung Jae in three games and fell short of regaining the India Open title won here in 2022.
India’s invitation to Taliban envoy in UAE is ‘routine’, there is no change in stance, say officials
The invitation from the Indian Embassy in the UAE to the acting Afghan Ambassador and Taliban envoy Badruddin Haqqani, for the Republic Day reception is “routine”, official sources said, reacting to criticism that the Modi government is ‘normalising’ the Taliban regime, especially those responsible in the past for terror attacks on Indian missions.