German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be on two day official visit to India, beginning January 12 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Merz is scheduled to hold talks with PM Modi in Ahmedabad, and both leaders will participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront. This will be followed by bilateral engagements at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, according to the statement released by the Prime Minister's Office. This will be Chancellor Merz's first official visit to India. In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office stated, "The two leaders will review the progress made in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which has recently completed 25 years. Their discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties." The two leaders will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance, as well as engage with business and industry leaders of India and Germany. Ahead of Chancellor Merz's visit, German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Thursday, discussing bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment. "German Ambassador Dr Philipp Ackermann called on Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh today. The Ambassador conveyed new year greetings to the Defence Secretary on behalf of the German side. They also discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment," Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, posted on X. In November last year, PM Modi met German Chancellor Merz on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa. PM Modi described the relationship between India and Germany as strong and expanding across key sectors, including trade, technology and innovation. The Prime Minister had shared details of the interaction in a brief post on X, in which he underlined the growing strategic and economic engagement between the two countries. "It was wonderful to meet German Chancellor, Mr Friedrich Merz. India's ties with Germany are robust, especially in areas such as trade, technology, innovation and more," PM Modi had written on X. PM Modi and Friedrich Merz had also met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June last year. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Chancellor Merz assumed office in May 2025. Germany is one of India's largest trading partners in the European Union and a leading source of investment, engineering expertise and advanced technology. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
09 January,2026 02:25 PM IST | New Delhi | IANSThe Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a CBI investigation into the role of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior police officials and others for allegedly obstructing its raids in Kolkata against political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director. PTI has reviewed the writ petition of the federal probe agency, where it has also sought "immediate seizure, sealing, forensic preservation, and restoration to lawful custody of the ED" all digital devices, electronic records, storage media, and documents "illegally and forcibly" taken away from the search premises. The high court is expected to hear the petition on Friday. The search was mounted on Thursday at the Salt Lake office of I-PAC and its founder and one of the directors Pratik Gandhi as part of an alleged coal scam-linked money laundering case. Some other locations in the state and Delhi were also raided. The ED had alleged in a press statement on Thursday that Banerjee entered Jain's residence on Loudon Road in Kolkata during the raids and "took away key evidence" and followed the same action at the I-PAC office. The ED claimed in the petition that about Rs 20 crore of Hawala funds, generated from alleged coal pilferage in West Bengal, found its way to I-PAC. The organisation has been providing political consultancy to TMC and the state government since 2021. "Concrete material found during investigation revealed that at least Rs 20 crore worth of proceeds of crime was transferred to IPAC through hawala channels. "In continuation of the ongoing investigation and to trace out the proceeds of crime and utilisation thereof a search action was initiated against IPAC and certain other entities in relation with coal smuggling case," the petition said. It said the chief minister entered the premises despite a "categorical request being made (by ED officials) for not interfering with the ongoing search proceedings under PMLA." "However, violating all law and order, Ms. Mamta Banerjee with the aid of police personnel, forcibly took possession of all digital devices along with key incriminating documents from the possession of the authorised officer and left the premises at about 12:15 PM," it said. The agency claimed the 'panch' witness were "effectively hijacked" by the respondents (state of West Bengal, CM, others) and made to write that the search was conducted in a peaceful manner and nothing was recovered rather than truthfully or correctly recording that the digital device and key incriminating documents were "forcibly taken possession by the Hon'ble Chief Minister with the aid of State Police." The ED said its officials were "not allowed to perform their lawful duties and were obstructed to carry out their duties." The agency also urged the high court to pass an interim order restraining any access, deletion, cloning, or tampering with the seized digital devices and electronic records. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
09 January,2026 02:06 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIThe mercury dipped to 5 degrees Celsius in the national capital on Friday as cold weather continued, with rain lashing parts of the city, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). A thick layer of smog also covered several areas, while air quality remained in the 'poor' to 'very poor' category across Delhi, as per data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). CPCB readings showed that Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 280, which falls under the 'poor' category. Several areas witnessed a sharp decline in air quality. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 385, placing it in the 'very poor' category. Other locations with high AQI levels included Chandni Chowk at 335, Jahangirpuri at 340, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 354, ITO at 307, Ferozeshah Road at 307, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range at 360, Dwarka Sector 8 at 346, Ashok Vihar at 328 and Nehru Nagar at 392. Some parts of the city recorded relatively better air quality. IGI Airport Terminal 3 reported an AQI of 252, which still falls under the 'poor' category, according to CPCB. Other locations with similar readings included Alipur at 280, Aya Nagar at 299, Bawana at 276, Burari Crossing at 278, CRRI Mathura Road at 299 and DTU at 289. As per AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'. The IMD said light rainfall is likely at a few places in Delhi, including Preet Vihar, ITO, India Gate, Akshardham, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, Nehru Stadium, Vasant Vihar, RK Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar, Kalkaji, Mehrauli, Tughlakabad, Chhattarpur, IGNOU, Aya Nagar and Deramandi. Light intermittent rainfall or drizzle is also likely at isolated locations such as Mundaka, Paschim Vihar, Rajouri Garden, Buddha Jayanti Park, the President's House, Rajeev Chowk, Jafarpur, Najafgarh, Dwarka, Delhi Cantonment and IGI Airport, the IMD said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
09 January,2026 02:06 PM IST | New Delhi | ANIWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday registered a complaint at two police stations in Kolkata against the Enforcement Directorate's simultaneous raid and search operations at the office of the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain. According to sources, one complaint has been registered at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station under Kolkata Police, and the other at Electronic Complex Police Station. However, in both complaints, neither any ED officials nor Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel have been named. The complaints have been registered at the two police stations against unidentified individuals. Kolkata Police have filed a suo motu complaint at the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station. Reacting to the complaints registered by Mamata Banerjee at the two police stations, the Union Minister of State and former state president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, Sukanta Majumdar, said it is unfortunate that the Chief Minister herself had registered a complaint at two police stations, to "save" a businessman. "I request the Chief Minister to at least maintain the dignity of her chair," Majumdar said. Incidentally, Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh will hear three petitions on ED's I-PAC raid later in the day. The main petition is from the ED accusing the West Bengal Chief Minister of misusing her constitutional position by allegedly creating hindrances to the official duties of central agency officials during raid and search operations at these two places. There are two counter-petitions against this main petition by ED, the first by Pratik Jain himself and the second by the Trinamool Congress. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
09 January,2026 12:34 PM IST | Kolkata | IANSMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday expressed concerns over what he described as a steady erosion of ideological commitment in politics, alleging that most political parties have abandoned their core principles and are resorting to different tactics to expand their ranks. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Pawar, who also heads the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), said party-hopping has become rampant, with leaders being lured or coerced into switching sides. "Lately, political parties have almost abandoned their respective ideologies. Leaders are going anywhere and doing whatever they feel", Pawar said. He alleged that some leaders are being poached through inducements, while others are pressured by highlighting pending inquiries against them and assuring that probe agencies would be managed after a switch. He further claimed that money and muscle power are being openly used in the political arena. "Those who have money and muscle power are using it. Those who feel that votes can be sought by raking up caste issues are adopting that tactic", Pawar said, responding to a question on frequent defections by party leaders and workers. Pawar also said that a candidate is being assessed on perceived electoral merit, not on what he has delivered as a leader. He said a new trend has emerged where surveys are used to gauge candidates' popularity. "Surveys are being used to check who is the most popular candidate in a particular area. If that person belongs to the opposite party, efforts are made to poach him or her", he said ahead of the upcoming civic polls in the state. Continuing his criticism against the local leadership of the BJP in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pawar alleged that their "lack of vision" had pushed the two civic bodies into "crisis", despite massive spending over the last eight to nine years. NCP is a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the state. Elections to 29 municipal corporations, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic bodies, across the state are scheduled for January 15. Votes will be counted the next day. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
09 January,2026 12:13 PM IST | Pune | PTIThe Trinamool Congress MPs who participated in the dharna were Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad, and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. The protest was held ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rally in Kolkata against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC. During the demonstration, Trinamool Congress MPs raised slogans and alleged that the BJP-led Centre was misusing investigative agencies to harass opposition parties ahead of elections. Visuals from the site showed MPs holding placards criticising what they described as “dirty politics” being practised by the Modi government. Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra were detained by police while protesting outside the Home Minister’s office. The brief detention took place as security personnel attempted to prevent the protesters from blocking access to the premises. After being detained, Derek O'Brien said, "Why are we being detained? Look at this. You are seeing what is happening with Amit Shah’s Delhi Police. You are seeing what is happening to MPs. All our MPs have been taken into custody." The protest follows Enforcement Directorate raids conducted on Thursday at the Kolkata office of I-PAC and the residence of its chief and co-founder, Pratik Jain. During the raids, CM Mamata Banerjee reportedly visited the search locations, accusing the central agency of attempting to “loot” sensitive documents related to the Trinamool Congress. Acting on a call given by party supremo and CM Mamata Banerjee, leaders and workers of the Trinamool Congress on Thursday evening held protest rallies across the state to condemn the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director and co-founder, Pratik Jain. The ED on Thursday conducted search operations at the Salt Lake Sector V office of I-PAC, which has been working as a political consultancy firm for the Trinamool Congress since 2019. ED teams also searched the Loudon Street residence of Pratik Jain, who is a co-founder and director of I-PAC. Following the searches, CM Mamata Banerjee visited Jain’s residence in central Kolkata. While leaving the premises, she was seen carrying documents and a laptop, which she said belonged to the Trinamool Congress and were related to the party’s upcoming Assembly elections. Banerjee later went to the I-PAC office in Salt Lake. During her visit, police officials accompanying her were seen removing files and diaries from the office and placing them inside her vehicle. The West Bengal CM alleged that the ED, under the guise of conducting raids, had 'looted' documents related to the party’s election strategy, candidate list, internal data and financial papers. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
09 January,2026 11:46 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSA Delhi court on Friday ordered framing of charges against RJD chief and former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and others in the alleged land-for-job scam. Special Judge Vishal Gogne said Yadav used the railway ministry as his personal fiefdom in order to carry out a criminal enterprise where public employment was used as a bargaining chip to acquire land parcels by the Yadav family in connivance with railway officials and his close aides. The court framed charges in the case against 41 persons, and discharged 52, which included railway officials. Earlier, the CBI had submitted a verification report regarding the status of accused persons in the case, saying out of the 103 accused named in its charge sheet, five died. The court has posted the matter for formal framing of charges on January 23. The CBI filed charge sheets against Lalu Yadav, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their son Tejashwi Yadav and others in connection with the alleged scam. It alleged that appointments in the Group-D category of the West Central Zone of the Indian Railways based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, were made during Lalu Yadav's tenure as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009 in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the names of the RJD supremo's family members or associates. The CBI also claimed that the appointments were made in violation of norms and that the transactions involved benami properties, amounting to criminal misconduct and conspiracy. The accused have denied the charges, claiming the case is politically motivated. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
09 January,2026 11:41 AM IST | New Delhi [India] | PTIPune continued to reel under an unusually intense cold spell on Friday, with minimum temperatures dipping into single digits across several parts of the district. Pashan recorded a minimum temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius, while Shivajinagar registered 8.4 degrees Celsius, underlining the sustained chill gripping the city. Outlying areas see sharper temperature drop According to temperature data for January 9, several outlying and semi-urban areas witnessed even steeper declines. Malin recorded 7.8 degrees Celsius, while NDA and Haveli reported the lowest minimum temperature at 6.9 degrees Celsius. Baramati, Daund, Talegaon also report chilly conditions Other regions such as Baramati (9.2 degrees Celsius), Daund (9.5 degrees Celsius), Talegaon (9.8 degrees Celsius) and Ambegaon (10 degrees Celsius) also experienced notably cold conditions. Core city relatively warmer than outskirts In contrast, central city areas reported higher minimum temperatures, with Magarpatta at 15.3 degrees Celsius, Wadgaonsheri at 14.8 degrees Celsius and Chinchwad at 14.2 degrees Celsius. The city had slipped into single-digit temperatures on Thursday as well, recording 9.5 degrees Celsius — the first such instance since December 30. Rare January cold spell alarms weather observers Weather experts noted that while Pune witnessed single-digit temperatures in December after several decades, the continuation of this trend into January is unusual. Health advisory issued as cold intensifies The persistent dip in mercury indicates one of the coldest winters in recent years, with residents reporting biting cold during early mornings and late nights. Health experts have advised extra precautions for the elderly and children.
09 January,2026 11:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Archana DahiwalThe National Medical Commission (NMC) has decided to withdraw its letter of permission to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra, citing a failure to meet “minimum standards” following a surprise inspection on January 2. The withdrawal follows weeks of protests by the Sangharsh Samiti, a conglomerate of right-wing organisations backed by the BJP, demanding the cancellation of the current batch’s admissions to 42 Muslim students from Kashmir, seven Hindus, and one Sikh candidate. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2026 06:58 AM IST | Jammu | AgenciesThe Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the home of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata as part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, official sources said. The I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake and Jain’s house on Loudon Street are among about 10 premises, including four in Delhi, being raided by the federal probe agency since 7 am, they said. Jain, the co-founder and a director of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and an IIT-Bombay alumnus, is being raided as there is specific evidence against him related to certain hawala transactions and cash deals emanating from the coal scam case in West Bengal, the sources said. I-PAC chief Pratik Jain Jain is also the head of the IT cell of the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal. The ED case stems from a November 2020 FIR filed by the CBI, which alleged a multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields mines in West Bengal’s Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol. Local coal operator Anup Majhi, alias Lala, is the prime suspect in the case. The ED earlier questioned Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, the 38-year-old nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and claimed that he was a beneficiary of the funds. Mamata Banerjee Family alleges theft by ED Jain’s family filed a police complaint against the ED, alleging theft of important documents during a raid at home, an officer said. The search operation, which began at 7 am, continued for over nine hours, an official of the probe agency said, adding that ED officials left Jain’s residence on Loudon Street in the southern part of the city around 3 pm. “Shortly after that, Pratik Jain’s wife filed a complaint at Shakespeare Sarani police station alleging theft by the ED. It is alleged in the complaint that essential documents were stolen from their home during the raid,” a police officer said. ‘Politically motivated’ Mamata Banerjee reacted sharply to the ED action and reached the residence of Jain in an official convoy, terming the raids “politically motivated and unconstitutional”. ED sources said the action was taken “purely on the merits of the coal scam case and the proceeds of crime linked to it, and there was no political angle” to it. The officials conducting the searches are seizing specific computer peripherals and documents, they added. Condemning the ED action, Banerjee said, “They have raided the residence of our IT chief. They are confiscating my party’s documents and hard disks, which have details about our candidates for the Assembly polls. I have brought those back.” She also accused the central agency of trying to take away hard disks, mobile phones, candidate lists and internal strategy documents of the ruling party. Following this, the ED sought permission from the Calcutta High Court to file a petition alleging interference in its investigation alleging that CM Banerjee entered Jain’s residence and took away key evidence including physical documents, electronic devices. The agency further claimed that the CM, along with her aides and police personnel, also went to the I-PAC office, from where documents and electronic evidence were forcibly removed. I-PAC also moved the HC over the central agencie’s searches. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2026 06:55 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesA Delhi court on Thursday remanded five men arrested in connection with a stone-pelting incident near the Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid at Turkman Gate here in 13 days of judicial custody. The five accused — Mohammad Arib, Kashif, Adnan, Mohammad Kaif and Sameer — were produced before Judicial Magistrate Pooja Suhag. On Thursday, six more persons — Afaan, Adil, Shahnawaz, Hamza, Atharr and Ubed, all residents of the Turkman Gate area — were arrested. “We have arrested six more people. So far, a total of 11 people, including one juvenile, have been apprehended,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan said. An anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday triggered violence as many people pelted stones, injuring five of them, including the area’s station house officer. The police claimed that around 150-200 people were involved in the incident. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2026 06:47 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
-1767941910983_d.png "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. File Pic")
-1767940143197_d.png "Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. File Pic")
-1767938412306_d.png "Lalu Prasad Yadav. File pic")
