Jan 23 news LIVE | Rupee hits all-time low of 92 against USD

Rupee hits record low of 91.99 against US dollar in intraday trade

The rupee slumped 41 paise to hit a record low of 91.99 against the US dollar in intraday trade on Friday, as persistent foreign fund outflows and a volatile geopolitical situation kept investors cautious.

Forex traders said the intervention from the Reserve Bank of India is helping smooth volatility to some extent, but is not reversing the overall negative trend for the domestic unit.

Moreover, for the currency, the pending trade agreement with the US remains a key stabilising factor. Until the geopolitical risk eases and the trade deal materialises, the rupee is likely to remain vulnerable to external shocks, they said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.45 against the US dollar. In the initial trade, it touched an early high of 91.41 but soon pared the gains, hitting a record low of 91.99, registering a 41-paise fall from its previous close.

Adani takes over IANS news agency

Billionaire Gautam Adani's group has taken full control of news agency IANS by purchasing the remaining 24 per cent stake for an undisclosed sum of money.

AMG Media Networks Ltd, the media arm of the group's flagship firm Adani Enterprises, has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire the remaining stake in IANS India Private Limited, according to a stock exchange filing by the company. It, however, did not disclose the financial details of the transaction.

The group in December 2023 acquired a majority 50.50 per cent stake in IANS (Indo-Asian News Service), making the newswire agency a subsidiary of the Adani media arm. In January 2024, AMG Media Networks (AMNL) increased its ownership of IANS shares with voting rights to 76 per cent, and nearly all non-voting shares, up from 50.5 per cent each earlier.

"AMNL has now executed a Share Purchase Agreement on January 21, 2026, to acquire the balance stake in IANS. Upon completion of the proposed transaction, IANS shall become a wholly-owned step-down subsidiary of the company," Adani Enterprises Ltd said in the filing.

Prior to this, AMNL held 76 per cent of Category-1 shares of IANS and 99.26 per cent of Category-II shares.

"Acquisition of following shares in IANS (is being done) by AMNL - 24 per cent Category I shares - with voting rights; 0.74 per cent Category II shares - without voting rights," it said.

IANS, one of India's established multi-language news agencies, provides news content across print, digital and broadcast platforms. The full takeover further deepens Adani's presence in the media and content ecosystem, following earlier moves, including stakes in NDTV and other media properties.

Adani Group's entry into the media sector began in 2022 as part of a strategic diversification beyond its traditional strengths in ports, energy and infrastructure. In April 2022, Adani Enterprises set up AMG Media Networks Ltd as its primary vehicle for media and publishing acquisitions. Soon after, AMG Media bought a stake in Quintillion Business Media Ltd, operator of the business and financial news digital platform BQ Prime.

In December 2022, the group moved into mainstream broadcast news by acquiring a controlling stake (around 65 per cent) in NDTV, one of India's leading news broadcasters.

This was followed by the group's first acquisition of IANS (Indo-Asian News Service) on December 15, 2023.

The acquisitions - from BQ Prime to NDTV to IANS - underscore Adani's rapid build-out of a multi-platform media presence, spanning digital, broadcast and newswire services.

The IANS acquisition extends Adani's presence across the content supply chain that serves publishers, broadcasters and digital platforms. 

VP C P Radhakrishnan pays tribute to Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Friday (January 23) paid tributes to Subhas Chandra Bose on his 129th birth anniversary, and said all those who fought for the country’s Independence must be honoured by every Indian.

Highlighting Bose’s fearless leadership, indomitable spirit and unwavering commitment to the freedom struggle, Radhakrishnan said his life embodied the true essence of ‘Parakram’ (valour), and it continues to inspire generations to uphold courage, sacrifice and national unity.

Radhakrishnan, who arrived in Bhubaneswar earlier in the day on his maiden Odisha visit, attended the ‘Parakram Diwas’ celebrations at the birthplace of Bose in Cuttack.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video message played out at the event here at Odia Bazaar, the Vice President said the PM ensured due honour to Bose by declaring his birth anniversary as ‘Parakram Diwas’ (Day of Valour) in 2021.

“There may be difference of opinion, different ways of fighting for independence... But, the great sacrifices should be recognised and honoured by every Indian,” Radhakrishnan said

Upset with Rahul's 'Kochi snub', Tharoor to skip key Cong meet: Sources

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is set to skip a strategy meeting of the party for the upcoming Kerala polls on Friday (January 23) as he is upset over Rahul Gandhi not properly acknowledging his presence at a recent event and repeated attempts by state leaders to "sideline" him, sources said on Friday.

They said that while a series of events had led to his disappointment with the treatment meted out, the tipping point was Gandhi not acknowledging him at the 'Maha Panchayath' held in Kochi on January 19 to felicitate local body poll winners.

Rahul acknowledged other senior leaders on stage and took their names but did not mention Tharoor, a four-time MP and one of the three CWC members from the state, who was also on the dais, the sources said.

Tharoor's office said he has informed the party over his inability to attend the meeting due to his prior commitments at the Kerala Literature festival in Kozhikode.

However, according to a PTI report, citing sources close to him, he is very upset at the treatment meted out to him by the party especially after differences had been ironed out at the Wayanad meetings on the sidelines of the Lakshya 2026 leadership camp, organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, to chalk out strategies for the upcoming state Assembly elections.

Bike taxis are back in Bengaluru!

The Karnataka High Court on Friday (January 23) permitted bike taxi services to operate across the state, offering relief to aggregators and riders after months of uncertainty over the legality of such services following state government restrictions.

All flights cancelled at Srinagar airport due to heavy snowfall

The air traffic to and fro Kashmir was suspended on Friday after flight operations were cancelled at the Srinagar airport due to heavy snowfall in the valley, which has rendered the runway unsafe for aircraft operation, officials said.

"In view of continuous snowfall, accumulation of snow on operational areas, and the prevailing forecast of adverse weather en route, all flight operations at Srinagar airport stand cancelled for the day in the interest of passenger safety," officials at the airport said.

They said the passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for updates and re-accommodation.

"Due to adverse weather conditions and snowfall in Srinagar, the runway is currently not available for safe aircraft operations. In the interest of passenger safety, all flight operations to and from Srinagar have been cancelled for the day," an official of Airport Authority of India (AAI) said.

He said the airlines and airport authorities are closely monitoring the weather situation and will resume operations as soon as conditions improve and the runway is declared operational.

PM Modi holds road show in Thiruvananthapuram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a road show in this capital city of poll-bound Kerala. The road show was organised from the Thampanoor overbridge to the Putharikandam Maidan, where the PM will launch various projects and flag off new trains.

Following that, he will also address around 25,000 workers who are expected to converge there to greet him. Standing on the footboard of his vehicle Modi waved to the thousands of people, including party workers and supporters holding BJP flags and wearing saffron colored caps, gathered on either sides of the road.

They welcomed the PM by showering flowers on him. Party workers and supporters also carried 'Vikasita Keralam' (developed Kerala) placards. People, attired in colorful costumes, performed local dance forms to the tune of drum beats along the PM's road show route.

BJP flags and boards carrying Modi's image were set up along the entire route that the PM's road show took.

Basant Panchami puja held at Bhojshala in MP's Dhar amid heavy security

The Basant Panchami puja began at the 11th-century Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district in the early hours of Friday under a heavy security cover, as faithfuls gathered in large numbers for worship at the disputed site.

Around 8,000 police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in the city to prevent any untoward incident, as the Hindu festival and Friday prayers of the Muslim community have fallen on the same day.

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a specific time-sharing formula to prevent communal friction, ruling that the Hindu community will be permitted to perform prayers from sunrise to sunset, and the Muslim side will be allowed to offer namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm.

Devotees began gathering at the historic site, decked in saffron flags and flowers, at sunrise.

Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti, a local organisation, began the puja by installing an image of Goddess Saraswati, also known as Maa Vagdevi, amidst chanting of Vedic mantras, and the 'Akhand Puja' (a continuous sequence of prayers from sunrise to sunset) was initiated by offering oblations in the 'havan kund'.

Security personnel have covered every corner of the disputed complex.

Jamieson replaces injured Adam Milne in NZ squad for T20 World Cup

New Zealand has drafted pacer Kyle Jamieson into their T20 World Cup squad after Adam Milne was ruled out of the marquee event with a torn left hamstring.

Milne suffered the injury in the first over of the SA20 clash between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town last Sunday, and scans have revealed the extent of the damage, according to New Zealand Cricket.

“Jamieson, who is currently part of the Blackcaps white-ball tour of India, has been added to the T20 World Cup squad after originally being named as the traveling reserve for the February-March tournament in India and Sri Lanka,” NZC said on their website.

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said Milne, who wasn’t a part of the squad touring India, was getting himself ready for the T20 World Cup.

“We’re all gutted for Adam. He’d worked so hard to get himself ready for the tournament and was looking back to his best in his eight games for the Eastern Cape Sunrisers,” Walter said.

Putin meets Trump's envoys as Kremlin says Ukraine settlement hinges on territory

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with US President Donald Trump's envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be resolved to reach a peace deal.

The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3 a.m. Friday, came hours after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply criticized his European allies Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response to Russia's nearly four-year full-scale invasion that he said has left Ukraine at the mercy of Putin amid an ongoing U.S. push for a peace settlement.

Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who participated in Putin's meeting with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, said "it was reaffirmed that reaching a long-term settlement can't be expected without solving the territorial issue,” a reference to Moscow's demand that Kyiv withdraws its troops from the areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed but never fully captured.