Jan 20 news LIVE | EU, India on brink of 'mother of all deals': Ursula in Davos

V-P Radhakrishnan to visit Karnataka on Jan 21

Vice-President of India CP Radhakrishnan will visit Karnataka on January 21.

During the visit, he will be the chief guest at the 7th Commemoration Day of Sree Sivakumara Mahaswamiji at Sree Siddaganga Math in Tumakuru district, a press release said on Tuesday.

In the afternoon, he will attend the silver jubilee celebrations of CMR Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, it added.

SIT questions BRS leader Harish Rao in phone tapping case

Telangana BRS MLA T Harish Rao was on Tuesday questioned by the SIT in the case related to alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS regime.

Harish Rao appeared before the SIT officials at the Jubilee Hills police station in Hyderabad at about 11:30 am and was questioned till 6 pm.

Speaking to reporters after his examination, Harish Rao, nephew of BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, called the notice issued to him by SIT "trash". He said the investigators did not produce any evidence to show his involvement in the phone tapping case.

The notice, Rao said, was issued on Monday, soon after he levelled allegations of corruption in tenders of state-run miner, Singareni Collieries.

According to him, the notice and his examination in the phone tapping case is an attempt by the Congress government to divert attention from its corruption.

Attacking Revanth Reddy, Harish Rao said the CM should order a probe by a sitting Supreme Court or High Court judge into allegations of corruption in tenders of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).

He further alleged that a relative of the CM benefited from the "corruption".

PM Modi to visit Thiruvananthapuram on Jan 23

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Thiruvananthapuram on January 23, and the BJP is planning a grand welcome, including a large roadshow, party leaders said on Tuesday.

This is Modi's first visit after the BJP won the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending over four decades of Left rule.

According to them, around 25,000 workers are expected to gather at Putharikandam Maidan at 11 am to greet him.

During his visit, the Prime Minister will hand over a development blueprint of Thiruvananthapuram to Mayor VV Rajesh.

This plan outlines the city's growth and development up to 2030, party leaders said.

He will also inaugurate four new trains approved for Kerala.

Trump again claims credit for ending India-Pakistan conflict, says Norway controls Nobel Prize

US President Donald Trump has again credited himself for ending the conflict between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, as he asserted that Norway controls the Nobel Peace Prize, an honour he claims he deserves for ending eight wars and saving millions of lives.

He also said that while he may not care about the prize, he does care about saving lives.

“I don't care about the Nobel Prize... A very fine woman felt that I deserved it and really wanted me to have the Nobel Prize. And I appreciate that. If anybody thinks that Norway doesn't control the Nobel Prize, they’re just kidding. They have a board, but it's controlled by Norway, and I don't care what Norway says,” Trump told reporters after attending a college football championship game in Miami on Monday.

Last week, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Trump at the White House, which he described as a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect".

The president also said that he has "saved tens of millions of lives".

"If you look at India, Pakistan...two nuclear powers. You look at so many of the countries that were in a 30, in some cases a 35-year-war, I got it done. We stopped eight wars, and maybe we'll be stopping the ninth very soon," he said.

Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for stopping the India-Pakistan conflict, a claim he has now made about 80 times since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two nations had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after talks mediated by Washington.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.

Pakistan, Chinese companies sign 79 MoUs worth USD 4.5 billion

Pakistani and Chinese companies signed 79 MoUs worth USD 4.5 billion, signalling confidence of Chinese investors in Pakistan's agriculture and food sectors, Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Tuesday.

“These MoUs were signed during the recently concluded Pakistan-China Agri Investment Conference,” Hussain was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan.

The minister highlighted that investment agreements were concluded across 10 high-impact agricultural and allied sub-sectors. These include: food processing and value addition, agri-technology, seeds and plant protection, livestock and dairy, meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, fisheries and aquaculture, animal feed, post-harvest infrastructure, and agricultural inputs.

Hussain said the scale and depth of investment commitments reflect a decisive shift from dialogue to on-ground, investment-led collaboration.

Udupi’s Sri Krishna Math enforces dress code for devotees

The Sri Krishna Math in Karnataka's Udupi has enforced a strict dress code, requiring male devotees to remove their shirts before entering the temple, while women must wear "modest and traditional attire." The directive, issued by the Paryaya Shiroor Math, came into effect on January 19.

Previously, the shirtless requirement for men applied only to those attending the early morning Mahapuja before 11 am. Under the revised guidelines, the dress code will now be enforced throughout the day.

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EU, India on brink of 'mother of all deals': Ursula von der Leyen in Davos

India and the European Union are on the verge of a “historic trade agreement” that could create a market of nearly two billion people accounting for almost a quarter of global GDP, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, days ahead of her visit to New Delhi.

“I will travel to India… we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals,” von der Leyen said, adding that it would give Europe a “first-mover advantage” with one of the world’s fastest-growing regions.

Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will be in India from January 25 to 27 for the India–EU summit, where both sides are expected to announce the conclusion of negotiations on the long-pending free trade agreement. The EU is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral goods trade at USD 135 billion in 2023–24.

Beyond trade, the summit is likely to unveil a defence framework pact and a joint strategic agenda for 2026–2030, strengthening cooperation in security, defence, energy and technology.

Referring to global uncertainty and trade disruptions, von der Leyen said “geopolitical shocks can--and must--serve as an opportunity,” stressing the need for a “new form of European independence” while deepening partnerships with growth centres like India.

R Praggnanandhaa confirmed for Norway Chess 2026

Israeli forces fire tear gas at Palestinian trade school in East Jerusalem

Israeli forces began firing tear gas at Palestinian trade school in East Jerusalem on Tuesday (January 20), marking their second targeting of a UN facility.

Earlier, forces demolished portions of the main compound of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA.

Roland Friedrich, the group's West Bank director, said Israeli forces had arrived at a vocational school for young Palestinians in Qalandia, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. More than 300 young refugees receive job training in technology and welding.

The raids are the latest in Israel's long-running campaign against UNRWA, which it has banned from Israeli territory and accuses of being infiltrated by militants - a charge UNRWA denies.

SC slams Maneka Gandhi for criticism of orders on stray dogs, says she committed contempt

The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on former Union minister Maneka Gandhi for her remarks criticising apex court orders in the stray dog issue, saying she has committed contempt of court.

However, a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria said it is not initiating contempt of court proceedings against Maneka because of the court's magnanimity.

The Bench said the former minister has made "all kinds of comments" against everyone without even thinking.

Questioning senior advocate Raju Ramachandran who appeared for Maneka, the Bench said, "A little while ago you were telling the court we should be circumspect. Did you find out what kind of remarks your client has been making? Have you heard her podcast?"

"She has made all kinds of remarks against everybody without even thinking. Have you seen her body language? What she says and how she says. Your client has committed contempt. We are not taking cognisance because of the court's magnanimity," it said.

Ramachandran replied that it was not a contempt matter and politicians do make different statements.

He said he has even appeared on behalf of 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack convict Ajmal Kasab and that in the instant matter was only putting forth his client's plea.

Ramachandran was a Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae to represent Kasab in his appeal against the death sentence.