A plea will be heard by the Supreme Court today, for non-profits to receive funding from abroad against the Centre’s refusal to renew licences and people in Nepal have started protesting against China for various reasons…writes Joyeeta Basu
News in brief from South Asia
India
Plea to clear foreign funds to 6,000 NGOs in Supreme Court today: A plea will be heard by the Supreme Court today, for non-profits to receive funding from abroad to carry on their humanitarian, advocacy, and other operations in India, against the centre’s refusal to renew licences, reports NDTV.
COVID-19: India showed a marginal improvement as the country reported 3.06 lakh COVID-19 cases today, which is marginally lower than yesterday. Currently, India is the second worst-hit country after the US, reports NDTV.
Assembly elections 2022: The BSP has released its list of star campaigners for the first phase of the elections in UP as Former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh has confirmed he will contest the upcoming elections from his home turf of Patiala, reports DNA India.
CBSE Class 10, 12 Term 1 Results: Board likely to announce results today: CBSE has released the Term-2 sample question papers on the official website and Term-2 exams are slated to be conducted in March-April 2022. Students are advised to check the official websites – cbse.gov.in or cbseresults.nic.in for updates, reports DNA India.
Alert in Bihar ahead of Republic Day 2022: An alert has been issued in Bihar and authorities have been asked to observe Naxal dominated areas. The Indian Railways have also suspended important services ahead of the nationwide celebrations on January 26, reports DNA India.
Financial news
Online tracking of food grains from April to help cut storage cost: To bring in operational efficiency in the storage, movement, and distribution of food grains in India, the government will roll out a digital system to provide real-time data about the volume and quality of food grains with government agencies from April 1, reports the Financial Express.
Pakistan
Imran Khan says he would be more dangerous if forced to step down: “If I take to the streets, then you (opposition parties) won’t find any place to hide,” the Prime Minister Imran Khan said, adding that he would be more dangerous if forced to step down, reports The Hindu.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh makes it to the ICC Women’s Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022: Bangladesh registered its third win while Malaysia won their first in the ICC Women’s Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022, reports ICC Cricket.
Afghanistan
‘I’ve already sold my daughters; now, my kidney’: winter in Afghanistan’s slums: Crushing poverty is forcing starving displaced people to make desperate choices, says a special report by The Guardian.
India ready to ship wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan: India and Pakistan have finally reached an agreement to transport 50,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan via the Attari-Wagah border in February, reports The Times of India.
Nepal
Nepal citizens voice concerns over China’s BRI project, allege encroachment: People in Nepal have started protesting against China for various reasons including Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt Road Initiative, reports Republic World.
On a lighter note…
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s daughter Vamika’s face revealed; fans call her ‘mini Virat’: Anushka Sharma and her daughter Vamika’s were spotted enjoying Virat Kohli’s match and the leaked pictures have gone viral, with many calling her ‘mini Virat’, reports The Times of India.
Priyanka Chopra fans slam critics for calling ‘surrogacy a trend’: Twitter has been flooded with critics trolling the celebrity couple for having a baby through surrogacy to avoid pregnancy pain. However, an equal number of supporters came out in support of the stars and urged everyone to respect their privacy, reports Mid-day.
Kim Sharma holidays in Bahamas with Leander Paes: Actress Kim Sharma is currently holidaying in the Bahamas with her ‘best person’ and former tennis ace Leander Paes, reports Mid-day.