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ED seeks CBI probe into Mamata Banerjee’s role in I-PAC raids, moves Calcutta HC

The 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.

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Kerala Minister Sivankutty seeks arrest of ED official sent on premature retirement

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty on Friday demanded the arrest of an ED official who probed the 2020 diplomatic channel gold smuggling case and was recently directed by the union government to retire prematurely.

The central government recently ordered the Enforcement Directorate (ED) deputy director, who earlier worked at the federal agency’s Kochi office, to retire after allegedly finding misconduct on his part.

The officer had investigated the case involving the smuggling of a large quantity of gold from the UAE through diplomatic baggage, during which the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Office also came under scrutiny in 2020.

“He created a lot of buzz by raising allegations related to gold smuggling, the Life Mission case, and by trying to project the Chief Minister as an accused,” Sivankutty alleged. The minister further claimed that the ED officer may have amassed crores of rupees during his tenure.

Jaishanakar meets French President Macron

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed contemporary global developments and appreciated his “positive sentiments for our Strategic Partnership”.

Jaishankar, who is on a six-day visit to France and Luxembourg, also addressed the Ambassadors’ Conference of France on Thursday. “Delighted to call on President @EmmanuelMacron of France today and convey warm wishes of PM @narendramodi,” Jaishankar said in a social media post.

“Deeply appreciate his perspectives on contemporary global developments and positive sentiments for our Strategic Partnership,” he added.

The external affairs minister, in another post on X, said it was an honour to address the Ambassadors’ Conference of France. “Underlined contemporary global shifts driven by trade, finance, technology, energy, resources and connectivity. Changes in mindset have been the crucial factor,” he said.

“As well as the significance of India France partnership in promoting multi-polarity and strategic autonomy,” he added.

Police arrest man who sent 'death threat' to Bengal Guv

Police have arrested the man, who allegedly sent a death threat email to West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, a senior Lok Bhavan official said on Friday.

The accused was nabbed from Salt Lake area near Kolkata late on Thursday, he said. “This person is being questioned for more information regarding the matter,” the official said.

Bose had on Thursday night received a death threat via email, following which his security was tightened. The sender had threatened to "blast" the governor, the official said, adding the accused had also mentioned his mobile number in the email.

Bose, who is under Z-plus security cover, now has around 60-70 central police personnel deployed for his protection. 

Madras High Court clears path for Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’ with U/A certificate

In a major relief for fans of Tamil superstar Vijay, the Madras High Court on Friday (January 9) directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to immediately issue a U/A certificate for his film Jana Nayagan, widely billed as his final cinematic outing before full-time politics.

Justice PT Asha quashed the CBFC's decision to refer the film to a revising committee, ruling that the process violated procedural norms as the producers were not properly notified. The court ordered the immediate granting of the U/A certificate, paving the way for the film's release. The bench strongly criticised the complaint against the film that triggered the delay, describing it as “dangerous” and warning that encouraging such complaints could open the floodgates for frivolous objections against movies.

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TMC MPs detained outside Amit Shah’s office as ED raids on I-PAC spark showdown

The confrontation between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) intensified on Friday (January 9), with several TMC MPs being detained after the political row spilled over to the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The escalation followed a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a surprise visit to the residence of the I-PAC chief and the consultancy firm’s office during ED searches in Kolkata.

On Friday morning, eight Trinamool Congress MPs staged a sit-in protest outside Amit Shah’s office in the national capital, objecting to the ED raids conducted at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office a day earlier.

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Russia attacks Ukraine with drones and missiles, killing 3 in Kyiv

Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles, killing three and injuring at least 16 in the capital overnight into Friday, Ukrainian authorities said.

Russia also struck critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv using an unidentified ballistic missile, said Mayor Andriy Sadoviy. The Western Command of Ukraine's Air Force later said the missile travelled at a speed of 13,000 kilometres per hour, and that the specific type of rocket was being investigated.

Several districts in Kyiv were hit in the attack, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In the Desnyanskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-storey building. At another address in the same district, the first two floors of a residential building were damaged as a result of the attack.

In Dnipro district, parts of a drone damaged a multi-storey building and a fire broke out. Running water and electricity were disrupted in parts of the capital as a result of the attack, Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The attack took place just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alerted the nation about Russia's intentions for a large-scale offensive. He said that Russia aimed to take advantage of the frigid weather in the capital, making roads and streets perilously icy.

Delhi reels under biting cold as mercury plunges to season's lowest

Delhi recorded its coldest morning of this winter season on Friday, with a biting chill gripping the city as the minimum temperature plunged to its lowest level so far, even as trace rainfall was reported at several places across the national capital.

The minimum temperature settled at 4.6 degrees Celsius, about 2.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal, marking the coldest morning of the season.

Weather stations across the city also reported trace rainfall during the early hours, adding to the wintry conditions.

Station-wise data showed that Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal, while Palam logged 5.0 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 5.2 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees below normal, while the Ridge station reported 5.4 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below normal.

Only Supreme Court can rein in ED: Sibal after raids on I-PAC

A day after the ED conducted searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday said federalism is at ED's mercy and asserted that only the Supreme Court can rein in the probe agency.

Sibal's remarks came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action in West Bengal ignited high drama, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly storming into the sites during raids, alleging that the central agency was trying to seize the TMC's sensitive data ahead of the high-stakes state polls.

The ED, which maintained that the searches were part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, accused Banerjee of obstructing a lawful investigation and claimed that she and the state police forcibly removed "key evidence" during the raids.

In a post on X, Sibal said, "Only Supreme Court can rein in ED. Every opposition state, every significant opposition leader is targeted. What is happening in West Bengal is truly disturbing! That too in the midst of an impending election." "Federalism is at ED's mercy!" the Rajya Sabha MP said.

FIR against four for raising over Rs 4 cr illegally to ‘support’ Palestine

Four persons have been booked in Maharashtra’s Beed district for allegedly collecting more than Rs 4 crore fraudulently by claiming the money would support Palestine amid the war with Israel, a police official said.

Since fighting between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, the overall Palestinian death toll stands at 71,391, while another 1,71,279 have been wounded. More than 400 deaths have been reported since a ceasefire was reached to halt fighting in Gaza in October 2025.

“Local police and its anti-terrorism unit had specific information about suspected terror funding. A search was conducted at Patrud village in Majalgaon. The accused have collected over Rs 4 crore under the pretext of support to Palestine," the official said on Thursday.

“The money was collected in the bank account of a trust not registered with the charity commissioner. This makes the collection of funds illegal. A case of cheating and fraud has been registered by Majalgaon rural police against the four, two of whom have been arrested,” he said.

Police are verifying if the accused have links with any proscribed organisation and if the amount collected by them was part of terror funding, the official added.