Meet Poonam Gupta, CRPF officer, who will become first person to get married at Rashtrapati Bhavan on…
The event will be attended by a limited number of family members and close friends, with strict security checks in place for all attendees
Amrit Udyan to open for public from February 2: Check timing, slots to visit, entry fee and more
Amrit Udyan will be accessible to visitors six days a week, excluding Mondays, which are reserved for maintenance.
S Jaishankar reveals why he feels ‘ashamed’ to go abroad, reason is…
He further said that Delhi has been “left behind” over the past decade and urged voters to consider a change in government when they cast their ballots on February 5
Trump orders tariffs on Mexico and Canada — Texas’ biggest trading partners
The tariffs, which also target China, are reportedly scheduled to go into effect Tuesday. Mexico is by far Texas’ largest trading partner, followed by Canada with China coming closely behind.
Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa to visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday
Syria’s leader will be in Saudi Arabia for two days and is expected to discuss bolstering relations between the two countries. Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was named president of the transitional government earlier this week, is set to visit Saudi Arabia for his first foreign trip after taking office. Sources in Syria told Al Jazeera on Saturday that al-Sharaa will be in Saudi Arabia for two days and is expected to discuss bolstering relations between the two countries. Al-Sharaa’s appointment came after opposition forces led an offensive against Bashar al-Assad last December and ended his rule. As president, al-Sharaa has also been authorised to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase which will carry out its task until a new constitution is adopted. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent congratulatory messages to al-Sharaa after his appointment as president and wished him success. Last month, al-Sharaa told Al Arabiya TV that Saudi Arabia “will certainly have a large role in Syria’s future”, pointing to “a big investment opportunity for all neighbouring countries”. Advertisement Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Damascus, promising help to secure the lifting of international sanctions imposed during al-Assad’s rule. During a news conference after his meeting with al-Sharaa, Prince Faisal added that Riyadh is engaged in “active dialogue with all relevant countries, whether the United States or the European Union, and we are hearing positive messages.” Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also travelled to Riyadh last month. Adblock test (Why?)
Twelve killed in Russian missile, drone attack on Ukraine
Twelve civilians die in Russian missile attack on Ukraine, targeting residential buildings and energy infrastructure. At least 12 people have been killed after Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine that targeted residential buildings as well as energy infrastructure. On Saturday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 123 drones and more than 40 missiles. It managed to shoot down 56 of the drones and redirected 61, it said, without providing figures on how many missiles were intercepted. Ukraine’s Emergency Services said a missile struck a residential building in the central city of Poltava, about 120km (75 miles) from the border, killing eight people, including a child, and injuring 17. About 18 buildings, a kindergarten and energy infrastructure were damaged. In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the mayor said a woman was killed and four people were wounded in a drone attack. Sumy regional officials also said three police officers were killed as they patrolled a town during the attacks. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said damage was caused in six regions – Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhia. Advertisement “Last night Russia attacked our cities using various types of weapons: missiles, attack drones, and aerial bombs,” he wrote on the Telegram app. “Each such terrorist attack proves that we need more support in defending ourselves against Russian terror. Every air defence system, every anti-missile weapon, saves lives.” Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces launched attacks aimed at Ukraine’s gas and other energy infrastructure and had shot down 108 Ukrainian drones in the last 24 hours. Fighting in the nearly three-year war has shown no signs of de-escalating, despite US President Donald Trump’s promise to enact a ceasefire within “24 hours” of taking office on January 20. Both Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have said they are ready for talks on ending the war, but neither side has said when or how. Trump has been critical of the billions Washington has spent arming Ukraine, while threatening to impose additional sanctions on Russia if Putin does not reach a “deal” to end the war. Since March 2024, Russia has launched multiple missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s power sector and other energy infrastructure, knocking out about half of the country’s available generating capacity and forcing rolling blackouts. Adblock test (Why?)
Imavov knocks out Adesanya to stake UFC title claim
Nassourdine Imavov stakes title-fight claim with defeat of former UFC champion Israel Adesanya in Saudi Arabia. Nassourdine Imavov scored a sensational second-round knockout of former UFC champ Israel Adesanya to put his name in the title picture in the run-up to next week’s showdown between champion Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland. The 30-year-old Frenchman lived up to his nickname of “The Sniper” by landing a lightning-fast precision punch with his right hand to signal the beginning of the end of the fight early in the second round. Fighting in a non-title fight for the first time since February 2019, Adesanya was attempting to kick-start another run for the belt that he controlled for several years before losing three of his last four attempts to be crowned champion. He was dethroned by Brazil’s Alex Pereira in November 2022, but he won the rematch before losing the title again on points to American Strickland and suffering a submission defeat by Du Plessis of South Africa in his last outing in August 2024. Israel Adesanya in action during his fight against Nassourdine Imavov [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] Nicknamed “Stylebender”, Adesanya started well, landing heavy kicks to the body and using feints to draw out his 30-year-old French opponent, who came into the fight following a run of three wins from three in 2024. Advertisement However, the tide turned sharply and the writing was on the wall for the Nigerian-born New Zealander when Imavov landed that thunderous overhand right on his jaw, following it up with a vicious left uppercut as his opponent stumbled to the canvas. Referee Marc Goddard gave Adesanya a chance to recover but as Imavov continued to rain down blows, the referee waved off the fight, resulting in a knockout win for Imavov. “I said it all week long that I was in perfect shape,” Imavov said through an interpreter. “I proved it tonight that I was the better striker. Now the real bonus for me is going to be to fight for the belt.” In the co-main event, England’s Michael “Venom” Page scored a unanimous decision win over Shara Magomedov, handing the Russian middleweight the first loss of his professional MMA career in a tense, tactical battle during which Page used his unpredictable striking to out-point his opponent. Sharaputdin Magomedov in action during his fight against Michael Page [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] Adblock test (Why?)
Trump signs tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China: ‘National emergency’
The Trump administration is implementing tariffs through its new International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In a statement obtained by Fox News on Saturday, the White House said that the legislation comes amid an “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency. “President Donald J. Trump is implementing a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China. Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff,” the statement read. REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Democrats elect new chair who branded Trump a ‘traitor’ as party aims to rebound from disastrous 2024 election
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday elected Minnesota party leader Ken Martin, who once called for President Donald Trump to be tried for treason, as its next national chair in the wake of the party’s disastrous performance in the November elections. The election of Martin is the party’s first formal step to try and rebound from the November elections, in which President Donald Trump recaptured the White House, and Republicans flipped the Senate, held on to their fragile majority in the House and made major gains with working-class, minority and younger voters. “We have one team, one team, the Democratic Party,” Martin said following his victory. “The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.” Martin, over the past eight years, has served as a DNC vice chair and has led the association of state Democratic Party chairs. FINAL DNC CHAIR DEBATE ROCKED BY PROTESTS In 2020, Martin called Trump a “traitor” who should be tried for treason. “[Donald Trump] should be immediately impeached and then put on trial for treason,” Martin wrote on June 29, 2020, citing an anonymously sourced news story. “His actions led to the deaths of American soldiers. He is a traitor to our nation and all those who have served.” He topped Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler by over 100 votes among the 428 DNC members who cast ballots as they gathered for the party’s annual winter meeting, which this year was held at National Harbor in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Martin O’Malley, the former two-term Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration during former President Biden’s last year in office, was a distant third in the voting. Among the longshot candidates were Faiz Shakir, who ran the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Marianne Williamson, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 and 2024 Democratic presidential nominations. Williamson endorsed Martin on Saturday, ahead of the vote. The eight candidates in the race were vying to succeed DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who decided against seeking a second straight four-year term steering the national party committee. With no clear leader in the party, the next DNC chair could become the de facto face of Democrats from coast to coast and will make major decisions on messaging, strategy, infrastructure and where to spend millions in political contributions. “It’s an important opportunity for us to not only refocus the party and what we present to voters, but also an opportunity for us to look at how we internally govern ourselves,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital. Buckley, a former DNC vice chair who backed Martin, said he’s “very excited about the potential of great reform within the party.” He emphasized that he hoped for “significantly more support for the state parties. That’s going to be a critical step towards our return to majority status.” In his victory speech, Martin stressed unity and that the party needed “to rebuild our coalition.” “We need to go on offense,” Martin said. “We’re going to go out there and take this fight to Donald Trump and the Republicans.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who succeeded President Biden last July as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer, spoke with Martin, Wikler and O’Malley in the days ahead of Saturday’s election, Fox News confirmed. But Harris stayed neutral in the vote for party chair. In a video message to the audience as the vote for chair was being tabulated, Harris said that the DNC has some “hard work ahead.” But she pledged to be with the party “every step of the way,” which could be a signal of her future political ambitions. The debate during the three-month DNC campaign sprint mostly focused on the logistics of modern political campaigns, such as media strategy and messaging, fundraising and grassroots organizing and get-out-the-vote efforts. On those nuts-and-bolts issues, the candidates were mostly in agreement that changes are needed to win back blue-collar voters who now support Republicans. But the final forum included a heavy focus on race and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, issues that appeared to hurt Democrats at the ballot box in November. The forum, moderated and carried live on MSNBC and held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., devolved into chaos early on as a wave of left-wing protesters repeatedly interrupted the primetime event, heckling over concerns of climate change and billionaires’ influence in America’s elections before they were forcibly removed by security. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The chair election took place as a new national poll spelled more trouble for the Democrats. Only 31% of respondents in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted over the past week had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 57% seeing the party in an unfavorable light. “This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question,” the survey’s release noted. Meanwhile, 43% of those questioned had a favorable view of the GOP, with 45% holding an unfavorable opinion, which was the highest favorable opinion for the Republican Party ever in Quinnipiac polling.
Reagan National Airport has bothered lawmakers for years, but quick access to power has stalled change
Ask many of Congress’ frequent fliers, and they’ll tell you Ronald Reagan National Airport has sent up red flags for years. “I’ve long been very, very nervous about congestion at Reagan National,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “The congestion of the airspace around Reagan and D.C. as a whole definitely played a part in this,” said Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., a former firefighting pilot. “The sheer number of aircraft in the air is as high as it’s ever been.” “A lot of aircraft transit up and down the Potomac,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut. “Getting in and out of certain areas. The Pentagon. Other military installations. Reagan right there in that highly trafficked area.” “Whenever I’m at Reagan and I see new gates being built, the terminal getting larger, I realize that there will never be another inch of runway. The skies are pretty congested,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “I often think there’s too much activity for this small plot of land. And I’m sure there’ll be a reevaluation of all of that.” REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET The nation’s worst air disaster in nearly a quarter-century spilled into the Potomac River just short of Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. Sixty-seven people died after American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., collided with an Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter feet from the runway. Aviation experts say flying in and out of Reagan National is one of the most complicated airports in the country. The approach from both the north and south is over water. Pilots must navigate a narrow corridor above the river – but not fly over the nearby Pentagon. That’s to say nothing of piercing Washington, D.C.’s super-protective airspace. The White House and U.S. Capitol are clearly visible when planes take off to the north. Moreover, the airport is known for notoriously short runways. The runway on which the American Eagle flight attempted to land stretches a little more than 5,200 feet. Slightly less than a mile in length. That’s not even the main runway. Standard commercial runways average around 13,000 feet. The longest runway at Reagan National is about 7,000 feet. Plus, all three runways cross one another. Such a configuration is rarely seen at modern airports. DC PLANE CRASH: ATC STAFFING LEVELS UNDER SCRUTINY AS BARGES ARRIVE TO HELP SALVAGE OPS Last spring, there were two incidents where planes nearly crashed into one another while crossing runways. The runways are some of the most overused in the entire American flight system. The airport was designed to handle 14 million passengers annually. But that number spiked to 25 million in 2023. The airport accommodates a staggering 800 takeoffs and landings each day. There were efforts to close Reagan National when Dulles International Airport opened in 1962. Dulles is a monstrosity of a campus. However, it resides nearly 30 miles from Washington, D.C., proper. The nation’s movers and shakers never gravitated to Dulles when it was so easy to fly into Reagan National, deplane, catch a cab and arrive at the State Department for a meeting 15 minutes later. Lawmakers, aviation, national security officials and the Secret Service conducted serious conversations about permanently closing the airport after 9/11. It was thought that air traffic in and out of Reagan National posed too much of a risk to the seat of government. It wouldn’t take much for hijackers to commandeer an aircraft and reroute it to Capitol Hill. After all, one plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. The fourth plane – which went down in a field near Shanksville, Penn. – was ultimately bound for the Capitol. DC PLANE CRASH: POTOMAC RIVER DIVERS’ SEARCH FOR BODIES COMPLICATED BY CONDITIONS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL That said, advocates for maintaining Reagan National argued it was nearly impossible to hijack a plane taking off and immediately send it barreling toward the Capitol. It takes a while to engineer a hijacking. There was simply not enough time to execute such a plan seconds after takeoff. Still, authorities shuttered Reagan National for more than three weeks following 9/11. New safety rules were in place once the airport re-opened. Planes couldn’t have more than 156 seats. All passengers were required to be seated a half-hour before landing. Air marshals patrolled most if not all flights in and out of the airport. The feds loosened many of those restrictions anywhere from a few months to nearly four years after 9/11. But that didn’t diminish questions about the safety of this particular airport. VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER However, proponents of maintaining Reagan National had some of the most powerful allies in the nation: Members of Congress. Lawmakers keep insane schedules. In fact, the invention of the jet airplane contributed to such bedlam. Lawmakers are in high demand in their districts or states – and on Capitol Hill. That’s to say nothing of conferences in Aspen or Halifax – and glitzy fundraisers in New York or San Francisco. So air travel, coupled with access to a nearby airport, is paramount in the modern Congress. The importance of aviation is even incorporated into the Congressional vernacular. Mondays or Tuesdays are often deemed “fly-in” days. The House and Senate don’t truly get going until late in the day during the first day of the week. Thus, votes on Monday might not unfold until 5:30 pm et in the Senate and 6:30 in the House. Depending on if the House (and sometimes the Senate) convenes on a Monday or Tuesday, Thursdays and Friday are considered “getaway” days. The House might cut town by late morning or noon on a getaway day. If the Senate doesn’t toil for five days (which has happened a lot this year, but not this week), the last vote often hits around 2:15 or 2:30 pm. on a Thursday. Thus, lawmakers have a vested interest in keeping