India’s Navy is establishing a new naval detachment at Haldia in West Bengal to strengthen its maritime presence in the northern Bay of Bengal amid rising Chinese naval activity and shifting regional security dynamics involving Bangladesh and Pakistan. The base will use the existing Haldia Dock Complex, with a dedicated jetty and shore support, and host Fast Interceptor Crafts (FICs) and New Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts (NWJFACs) for rapid-response patrols. Around 100 officers and sailors will be stationed, enhancing surveillance, coastal defence, anti-infiltration efforts, and safeguarding sea lanes. The move aligns with India’s broader maritime expansion strategy. (PC: India Today)

A speeding Skoda car driven by a reportedly intoxicated 42-year-old man crashed into the barrier and then the exterior wall of the Barbeque Nation restaurant on Indiranagar’s busy 100 Feet Road in Bengaluru late Thursday night. CCTV footage shows the vehicle jumping a road divider, narrowly missing pedestrians who had just finished dining outside, before colliding with a two-wheeler, whose rider suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital. No fatalities were reported. Police have registered a case at Jeevan Bheema Nagar Traffic Police Station, and investigations into the cause, including alleged drunk driving, are ongoing. 

A nine-seater IndiaOne Air aircraft crash-landed near Jalda, about 10 km from Rourkela in Odisha on Saturday, injuring six people, including four passengers and two crew members, officials confirmed. The flight from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela experienced a technical issue mid-air, prompting the pilot to attempt an emergency landing, which helped avert a major disaster. All on board sustained minor to serious injuries and were rushed to hospitals in Rourkela for treatment; no fatalities were reported. Rescue teams, fire brigades and local authorities responded swiftly, and investigations by the DGCA and AAIB are underway. 

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Supreme Court after the Calcutta High Court deferred hearings in the politically charged I-PAC case involving West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party’s strategic partner, I-PAC. The ED filed an Article 32 petition, claiming its investigation into alleged irregularities linked to a coal scam was obstructed by state authorities, including alleged removal of documents and electronic evidence during raids. The West Bengal government has filed a caveat to ensure it is heard before any orders are passed. The deferral has intensified tensions between the central agency and the state ahead of elections. (PC: PTI)

4 members of a family from Himachal Pradesh were killed in a car-bus collision in Hoshiarpur on Saturday. The crash happened near Dosarka on the Dasuya road amid dense fog. The family was travelling to Amritsar airport when their car hit a Punjab Roadways bus coming from Pathankot. All four died on the spot. One person was injured and taken to hospital. Police shifted the bodies for post-mortem. Bus passengers were safe. Police said fog likely caused poor visibility and a case is being registered. (PC: HT)

1 person was killed and 16 others were injured after a speeding Audi hit pedestrians in Jaipur late Friday night. The crash took place near Kharabas Circle in the Journalist Colony area. Police said the car first hit a divider and then rammed into roadside vendors. Several stalls were destroyed. Many people ran in panic. The injured were taken to Sawai Man Singh Hospital and other hospitals. Police suspect drunk driving. Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa said one person was detained. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma ordered proper treatment for victims. (PC: X)

MBBS students at Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College in Jammu and Kashmir are facing sudden uncertainty after the college lost recognition. Barely three months into their course, around 50 students were told the college would close. The National Medical Commission withdrew permission, citing deficiencies. Students say the move followed political protests over the admission of Muslim students. Outside the campus, BJP and right-wing groups celebrated the closure. Inside, students said politics destroyed their future. “We studied medicine, not religion,” a student said. BJP leader Sunil Sharma called the decision “historic.” The college, inaugurated by Narendra Modi in 2016, now stands shut.

Multiple district court complexes in Punjab — including Ludhiana, Ropar (Rupnagar), Ferozepur, Mansa and Moga — were evacuated on Thursday after anonymous bomb-threat emails were received on official judicial addresses, prompting panic and suspension of court proceedings. Security forces, including bomb disposal squads and police, conducted thorough searches, but no explosives were found. Punjab Police cybercrime units traced the threatening emails’ origin to Austria and Germany, with suspects masking identities using VPNs and Tor networks. Officials have sought international cooperation for further investigation amid heightened alert in court complexes. (PC: The Tribune)

Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil has slammed the Centre’s repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), calling the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act “draconian” and harmful to rural workers’ rights. The state cabinet unanimously decided not to accept the VB-G RAM G Act and to challenge it in court, accusing it of violating the right to work and livelihood and undermining panchayat authority. Patil said the repeal strips rural labourers of guaranteed work and decentralised decision-making, prompting legal and public opposition. (PC: ANI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a major protest rally in Kolkata on January 9 against Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the I-PAC office and the home of its chief, Pratik Jain, part of a money-laundering probe. Banerjee has angrily criticised the central agency, accusing it of attempting to seize Trinamool Congress internal data, hard disks and strategy documents linked to election campaigning, and labelled the action politically motivated ahead of upcoming state polls. Thousands of TMC workers are expected to join the demonstration, marking an escalation in the political standoff with the central government. (PC: ANI)