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Essential HuffPost
US President Barack Obama told Pakistan that it "can and must" take more effective action against terrorist groups operating from its soil by "delegitimising, disrupting and dismantling" terror networks there.
A blizzard that has paralysed much of the US East Coast brought Washington to a standstill, forcing the closure of roads, bridges and tunnels into New York. In all, there were at least 19 deaths in several states related to the storm. It ranked No. 3 in terms of snowfall accumulation in New York City history with at least 26.8 inches, said reports.
To reinforce the value of having a girl child, the Haryana government sent out invitations for front row seats at the Republic Day events to over two lakh families, addressed to the girl child. Despite various efforts and schemes by successive governments, the sex ratio has continued to fall.
French President Francois Hollande indicated that the nearly Rs 60,000-crore Rafale jets deal is unlikely to be signed during his current visit although it is on the "right track”. "The Rafale is a major project for India and France. It will pave the way for an unprecedented industrial and technological cooperation, including 'Make in India', for the next 40 years,” he said.
Three women students of SVS Medical College committed suicide, blaming the college management for their deaths. They were reportedly upset over the lack of basic infrastructure and for being charged “excessive fees”.
Main News
V Radhika, mother of Rohith Vemula, the PhD research scholar who committed suicide, was taken to the hospital after she complained of chest pain. She had earlier visited the University of Hyderabad Health Centre, where an ECG test was done.
After Kalaignar television sets, now it’s Amma table-top wet grinders that have made it to Ongole in a big way. One of many freebies of the Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu, the wet grinders are up for grabs. It even comes with a two-year warranty.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said India had given fresh leads on the Pathankot terror attack and Pakistan was verifying the facts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Union Cabinet recommended President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. The political crisis in the state was triggered after 21 of 47 Congress MLAs in the 60-member House, along with 11 BJP and two Independent MLAs, extended support to the Deputy Speaker.
Off The Front Page
The iconic Rock Garden in Chandigarh hosted two high-profile visitors as Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined French President Francois Hollande for a tour of the place, housing sculptures made from industrial and household waste. Hollande is in India as the chief guest at India’s 67th Republic Day celebrations.
Earlier this week, astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown reported that a body as big as Neptune — but as yet unseen — orbits the Sun every 15,000 years. The object, which the researchers have nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass about 10 times that of Earth. It would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the Sun.
Meet Rupa Devi, the first woman referee from Tamil Nadu to be selected by FIFA.
Hindi poet Uday Prakash refused to take back his Sahitya Akademi award, claiming the NDA government was merely trying to restore its image by persuading the “award wapsi” campaign writers to re-accept their awards.
Asia's biggest opium alkaloid processing plant in Madhya Pradesh is sitting on a stockpile of highly inflammable chemicals that can trigger a tragedy comparable to Bhopal's Union Carbide disaster. Alarm bells are ringing as seven of the 17 vessels containing combustible chemicals at the Government Opium and Alkaloid Works are leaking.
Opinion
The whole society is culpable in Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s death but the focus should also be on why the media can be held responsible for this heart-wrenching case of suicide, writes Karthikeyan Damodaran in the Hindustan Times. Dalit representation is abysmally low and there is a tendency to reduce to ‘Dalits to cover Dalits’.
National security and crime are the two major threats looming large in our country. What is needed is a public movement against crime and criminality running parallel to an awareness to shore up national security, writes Hiranmay Karlekar in The Pioneer.
The Sensor Board, the so-called custodian of morality and sensibilities, is out of sync with today’s India, writes a columnist in the Hindustan Times. Let us not give audiences sanitised films. If they don’t like a particular scene, they can choose not to waste their money watching it, but that choice should belong to them, not the Nihalanis of the world who would like to keep us permanently infantilised.
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