Today’s news LIVE: Jan 29 | Phone-tapping case: KCR served notice to appear before SIT

Seven incidents of leopard movement were reported in residential colonies of Jaipur over the past year, the Rajasthan Assembly was informed on Thursday (January 29).

Replying to a question raised by BJP MLA Kalicharan Saraf, Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma said the forest department has taken several steps to prevent leopards from straying into inhabited areas.

He said two Quick Response Teams (QRTs) were constituted on December 2, 2024, and are kept on 24-hour alert. These teams have been deployed in areas such as Malviya Nagar and Vidhyadhar Nagar, where leopard movement was reported earlier.

Trained trackers from Ranthambore were called, and six local persons from the Jhalana and Amagarh areas were trained for a month. Continuous tracking is being carried out at points from where leopards move out of forest areas, the minister added.

He said an enclosure is being prepared inside the forest to improve habitat conditions, where prey animals will be introduced. Sharma further said that six new water holes have been constructed in the forest to ensure adequate water availability for wildlife. He also informed the House that 20 new camera traps have been installed for tracking leopard movement, which has taken the total number of camera traps in the area to 60.

These measures are aimed at monitoring leopard movement and reducing human-wildlife conflict in Jaipur, he said.

The Railway Ministry rationalised passenger fares on three occasions over the last five years, consequent to which the share of freight earnings in its total income declined gradually from 68 per cent to 65 per cent, and is further expected to fall to 62 per cent, according to the Economic Survey for the financial year 2025-26 tabled in Parliament on Thursday (January 29).

The Survey analysed the Railways’ economic performance over the past financial year and presented an outlook for the upcoming fiscal.

It focused on cross-subsidisation in railway traffic, under which the Railways earns profits from freight services but uses them to offset losses from passenger and other services.

“During the last five years, passenger fare has been rationalised on three occasions, i.e., on January 1, 2020, July 1, 2025, and December 26, 2025, and consequently, the share of freight earnings in gross traffic receipts declined gradually from 68 per cent in FY-23 to 65 per cent in FY-25 and is budgeted to be 62 per cent in FY-26,” the Survey said.

Citing the financial year 2022-23, it said that freight earnings accounted for about 68 per cent of the gross traffic receipts (total earnings) of Railways. However, the profit from freight traffic was utilised to offset the loss on passenger and other services, leaving an uncovered loss of Rs 5,257 crore from passenger operations.

“The CAG has recommended critically analysing the cost of passenger operations, taking steps to reduce its losses, and diversifying its freight basket to enhance freight earnings,” the Survey said.

World Bank group president Ajay Banga on Thursday (January 29) said India should think less about tariffs and focus more on opportunities, amid concerns over global trade due to geopolitical tensions.

Elaborating on India’s opportunities in trade deals, Banga said over 100 regional and bilateral pacts have been signed by the country in the last 20 years, and the recent India-EU free trade agreement is an example of that.

“Think less about the tariffs, and more about the opportunities like you (India) have done (the FTA) with the European Union,” he said.

Banga’s comments came while interacting with media representatives during his tour of the Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC) in Bhubaneswar.

All trade deals are important, the top World Bank official said.

“If you look at the way trade has changed over last two decades, the global trade has quadrupled, while the share of the emerging markets doubled from 20 per cent to 40 per cent. Therefore, emerging markets like India have now become key components in the global trade,” he said.

A SIT of the Telangana police probing allegations of phone tapping during the previous BRS regime on Thursday (January 29) issued a notice to the party chief and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to appear for examination.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) asked KCR, as Rao is addressed, to appear before it in Hyderabad on January 30 at 3 pm.

In its notice, the SIT told Rao that since he is aged above 65 years, and as per the provisions of section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, he may either appear before the investigators at the Jubilee Hills Police station or inform a place convenient to him in Hyderabad for the examination. KCR was further requested to intimate his preferred place "well in advance" for examination.

KCR's son and BRS Working President KT Rama Rao hit out at the Congress government over the notice issued to his father. It is an example of the "most despicable vendetta politics", he said. The notice is an attempt by the Congress government to divert attention from its failures and lapses in governance, he alleged.

"This is not an investigation… This is revenge. This is not justice…This is political malice. The BRS condemns the vendetta politics and people would teach the Congress a lesson,” he said in a release.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, on Thursday (January 29) hosted a meeting of directors from all AIIMS institutions to sign a memorandum of understanding establishing a pan-India collaborative research consortium.

The initiative aims to strengthen coordinated biomedical and clinical research aligned with national health priorities, according to an official statement. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) provides a structured framework for collaboration among 20 AIIMS institutions across the country.

The consortium will facilitate joint research projects, multi-institutional studies, clinical trials and the exchange of researchers. It also aims to ensure systematic sharing of knowledge and best practices.

The participating institutions include AlIMS Delhi, Bathinda, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bibinagar, Bilaspur, Deoghar, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kalyani, Madurai, Mangalagiri, Nagpur, Patna, Raebareli, Raipur, Rajkot, and Rishikesh.

The statement said the consortium is envisaged as a national research network that will leverage the combined clinical expertise, infrastructure, and patient base of the AIIMS system to address priority health challenges.

Bharti Airtel is going to provide 360 million Indians free access to the Adobe Express Premium, the app that enables people to create anything quickly and easily. This is the first initiative of its kind in the world.

This partnership by Bharti Airtel, one of India’s largest telecom service providers, with Adobe Express Premium will provide all Airtel customers the opportunity to create short videos, marketing material, and high-quality social assets quickly and with minimum effort. The app, worth about Rs 4,000, will be available for free for one year.

The Adobe Express Premium subscription will be available to mobile, DTH, and Wi-Fi customers of Airtel. They can use the subscription by logging into the Airtel Thanks App.

Mawlynnong in Meghalaya’s East Khasi district, widely known as Asia’s cleanest village, will remain closed to single-day tourists on Sundays from now on, as the local authorities decided to suspend all visitor-related activities on that day.

Noting that Sunday is a day of religious observance for most residents, the “Dorbar” or the village council said Mawlynnong will remain open to visitors from Monday to Saturday. All tourist-related services, including restaurants, shops, stalls and public toilets, would also be closed, it said.

“In Mawlynnong, Sunday is when almost everyone has to attend religious services in the churches for most of the day, hence they would not be able to offer or render any kind of services or hospitality to the visitors,” the Dorbar said in a statement.

The Dorbar said the restriction was also aimed at avoiding inconvenience to visitors, especially elderly tourists, and preventing dissatisfaction that could harm the village's reputation.

However, tourists staying overnight in guest houses or homestays during weekdays and extending their stay till Sunday, as well as those checking in on Sunday nights, will be exempted from this restriction, it said, adding that in such cases, the responsibility of providing services will rest with the respective accommodation owners.

Several other tourist locations in Meghalaya, including Nongjrong sunrise village, have also adopted similar measures.