Breaking News Highlights: Congress leader Bhupinder S Hooda tests positive for Covid-19

The southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka continued to report high single-day Covid-19 cases on Saturday. Karnataka logged 42,470 fresh cases, while Tamil Nadu and Kerala reported 30,744 and 45,136 infections, respectively.

Congress leader Bhupinder S Hooda took to Twitter on Saturday to inform that he has tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19). He added that he has isolated himself at his home as per the directions of his doctor.

Mamata Banerjee-led the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday released its second list of seven candidates for the forthcoming Goa assembly elections.

Mumbai on Saturday logged as many as 3,568 new Covid-19 cases, which is a further drop from Friday's 5,008 infections, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data.

Delhi's Covid tally rises slightly with 11,486 cases, while the case positivity reduces further to 16.36%. New deaths also increased marginally after 45 people succumbed to the virus as opposed to 38 on Friday.

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan moves Supreme Court, seeking interim bail to campaign in forthcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. He remains lodged at the Sitapur jail with multiple cases against him, according to ANI.

Congress Punjab chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday said that employment is the “most important issue” for the Congress party in the upcoming assembly elections. “We will create skill-oriented entrepreneurship in the state and connect it to sports,” he told ANI.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday released the sixth list of candidates for Goa assembly elections.

Delhi on Saturday recorded the wettest January in 27 years. Furthermore, with 14.7 degrees Celsius maximum temperature, the national capital recorded the lowest maximum day temperature of the season.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows in all poll-bound states till January 31 in wake of the Covid-19 situation in the country.

Session court in Patiala dismisses anticipatory bail petition of Bulli Bai app case accused Vishal Sudhirkumar Jha.

Kerala high court on Saturday passed an interim order in which it restrained actor Dileep's arrest till January 27. However, the court has directed the actor to appear before the investigation team for the next three days. The order was passed after a day long hearing. Notably, probe is underway against Dileep in actress assault case from 2017.

A fire has broken out at a thermocol factory in the Rajapur area of Domjur police station in West Bengal's Howrah district, according to ANI, As many as three fire tenders have reached the spot.

A military court in Myanmar on Saturday sentenced Phyo Zeyar Thaw, a lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party to death, according to a report by Al-Jazeera.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Pune guardian minister Ajit Pawar said on Saturday that over 16,000 Covid-19 cases were reported in the city on Friday, thus the administration has decided not to reopen schools in the district for the next one week. “Covid numbers are not likely to come down in Pune, for at least the next eight days,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

All three accused in Clubhouse chat case Akash Suyal, 19, Jaishnav Kakkar, 21 and Yash Parashar, 22 have been remanded to police custody till January 24, cyber police officials said. They were arrested from Haryana on Friday for making inappropriate and abusive remarks against Muslim women on Clubhouse, audio chat application. The accused men were produced before the Bandra holiday court on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each from PMNRF for the families of those who died in Mumbai's Kamala Building fire incident, according to a statement by the PMO. “The injured would be given ₹50,000 each,” the statement added.

Maharashtra government to give ₹5 lakh compensation to families of those who lost their lives in the Mumbai high rise fire incident, Aaditya Thackeray announces on Twitter.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually launches the District Good Governance Index (DGGI) in Jammu and Kashmir.

The first shipment of the United States' $200 million security support package for Ukraine arrived in Kyiv, the US Embassy said on Saturday.

Samajwadi Party chief national general secretary Ramgopal Yadav at Akhilesh Yadav's press conference that just began announced: "I am making a formal official announcement now. Our national president Akhilesh Yadav will contest the Karhal assembly constituency in Mainpuri..and he will win with massive mandate on the seat."

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati released the second list of 51 candidates her party will field in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Read More

Over 10 people were injured as a result of a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit southwestern and western Japan, media reported on Saturday.

Government has identified 122 districts in 22 states lagging on just one or two parameters; they should take it as challenge to address that, says PM Modi. 

The Prime Minister asks district magistrates to make plans for taking various government benefits to every citizen in their districts in time-bound manner.