Times of India

The absence of active western disturbances (WDs) is the main reason for the prolonged fog spell in north India this winter. The dense fog has caused 'cold day' and severe 'cold day' conditions, with temperatures staying consistently low during the day and night. This has made the winter in January one of the harshest in recent years.

The giant fog layer over north India, which at times covers a 2,500 km swathe from Lahore to Dhaka, has now persisted for more than a month. This makes it the longest spell of large-scale fog/low cloud cover over the region since daily satellite data started being analysed in 2014.

A conflict between two benches of Calcutta High Court over whether CBI should probe an alleged fake caste certificate scam in Bengal boiled over Thursday. The controversy erupted the previous day after Justice Gangopadhyay allowed CBI to probe the case, only for the division bench to stay the order twice.

Sony's cancellation of the merger with Zee poses a threat to Zee due to low promoter holding, potential takeover bid, and leadership changes. Goenka's 4% ownership in Zee may be at risk. Institutional investors may voice concerns, and Zee needs to prevent a takeover. The failed merger would have increased Zee's promoter ownership.

Airbus is set to sign an accord to establish an assembly line in India for the production of H125 civil helicopters. The line will be overseen by Tata Advanced Systems Limited. This agreement is expected to be announced during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India.

Chief minister M K Stalin has condoled the death of Ilayaraj's daughter Bhavatharani's death and said that he was both shocked and saddened by her sudden demise. Bhavatharani who was born into a family of musicians captured the hearts of many at a very young age, he said. Her unique voice made it easy to distinguish and identify her songs. Chief minister Stalin also recalled how the singer had bagged the national award for her song, in the film `Bharathi' for which her father was the music director. She has also been music director for many films.

As India celebrates Republic Day in 2024, this collection offers 50 wishes, messages, and quotes to share the patriotic spirit with loved ones. Marking the adoption of the Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950, the historic day signifies unity, diversity, and democratic principles. The wishes encompass the spirit of togetherness and national pride. Additionally, the quotes reflect on the values of justice, liberty, and equality embedded in the constitution, paying tribute to the relentless efforts of leaders like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Calling her a "birdbrain" and warning that those contributing to her campaign will be "permanently barred from the MAGA camp," former US President Donald Trump is attempting to bully Nikki Haley into quitting Republican nomination race amid growing disquiet in the country about his politics of vengeance.Trump went after Haley on Thursday after securing a comfortable win in the New Hampshire primary, denigrating her in sexist terms after she pledged to continue fighting for the nomination despite losing to him in the first two states that had inner-party elections.

MEA rejected Pakistan's false claims of Indian involvement in assassination of Pakistani nationals. Pakistan alleged that "Indian agents" used technology and sought refuge abroad to carry out killings. Pakistan foreign secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi made these allegations during a press conference, claiming that India was carrying out "extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings" within Pakistan.

During the stowed condition, the boom was securely held in position by two hold-downs, transferring launch loads to the spacecraft body. A thermal cutter-based release system was employed to execute the deployment on command.

Thursday saw hectic developments in Bihar with both Nitish and Lalu meeting their party leaders in Patna and the BJP summoning its state leaders to the national capital. BJP Bihar president Samrat Chaudhary and party leader Sushil Modi are likely to meet Union home minister Amit Shah, news agency ANI said quoting sources. However, leaders of both RJD and JD(U) have denied reports of any rift.

PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held a mega roadshow ahead of the 75th Republic Day. Macron's state visit marks France's sixth participation, the highest of any other nation, as chief guest on India's Republic Day. Furthermore, it comes months after PM Modi's Paris trip on France's Bastille Day on July 14, 2023.

The Google Pixel 8 series now includes the Circle to Search feature, which was originally introduced in the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. This feature allows users to seamlessly search for information without leaving their current app. By using gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling, or tapping, users can select items in photos, videos, or on-screen content.

Zomato has received authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator through its subsidiary Zomato Payments Private Limited (ZPPL). This allows users to make digital payments through the Zomato app. The authorization, effective from January 24, expands Zomato's role beyond food delivery and restaurant discovery. Zomato joins other players like Tata Pay, Razorpay, and Cashfree in obtaining approval from the RBI. Zomato previously partnered with ICICI Bank to introduce Zomato UPI, its own unified payments interface.

This marks the fourth time that Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli has been honoured with ICC men's ODI Cricketer of the Year award, a testament to his consistency and dominance in ODI cricket. In the 2023 season, Kohli emerged as the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs, trailing only behind his compatriot Shubman Gill. The year 2023 will be etched in memory as the one where Kohli surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's record of ODI centuries. Kohli not only achieved a personal milestone but also guided the country to the World Cup final.