QUICK NEWS

At least six people have died in an earthquake that struck Japan on New Year's Day as authorities on Tuesday struggled to assess the full extent of a disaster that wrecked buildings and roads and left thousands without power in freezing temperatures. 

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck in the middle of the afternoon on Monday, prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground as tsunami waves about 1 metre (3.3 ft) high hit Japan's western seaboard.

A war of words erupted between BJP leaders and DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran after he called members of the party's IT wing "jobless barbers" on Saturday. This came weeks after an old video of Maran surfaced where he made remarks about Hindi speakers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. 

In the four-year-old video, the DMK MP remarked, "the Hindi speakers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar clean toilets in Tamil Nadu". It sparked a controversy and BJP leaders said Maran insulted North Indians.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday rejected the Centre's proposal to display the state's tableau at Bharat Parv in Red Fort. Notably, the Central government has not included Punjab's tableau in the Republic Day Parade 2024. Mann said that Punjab's tableau will not be showcased in a "rejected category".

After the Punjab's category could not make it to the Republic Day parade in Delhi, the Defence Ministry invited the state government to display the tableau during Bharat Parv from January 23 to 31.

BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath listened to the 108th edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme here on Sunday.

The Prime Minister discussed the achievements of 2023 in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme. While discussing the International Year of Millets, especially the startups of Uttar Pradesh, he called it a big step towards lifestyle health innovation.

The Indian Navy has enhanced surveillance efforts and increased force levels in the Central/North Arabian Sea after the region saw multiple attacks on merchant ships this month.

In a statement issued on Sunday (December 31), the Navy said: "Task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident. Aerial surveillance by long-range maritime patrol aircraft and RPAs has been enhanced to have a complete maritime domain awareness. Towards effective surveillance of EEZ, Indian Navy is operating in close coordination with Coast Guard."