Archives for January 2026

Berlin (AP): The eight European countries targeted by US President Donald Trump for a 10 per cent tariff for opposing American control of Greenland blasted the move Sunday, warning that the American leader’s threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”

In an unusual and very strong joint statement coming from major US allies, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland on Sunday said troops sent to Greenland for the Danish military training exercise “Arctic Endurance” pose “no threat to anyone.”

Trump’s Saturday announcement sets up a potentially dangerous test of US partnerships in Europe. The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to US national security.

“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the group said. “Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”

There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the EU is a single economic zone in terms of trading.

It was unclear, too, how Trump could act under US law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a US Supreme Court challenge.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from the divisions between the US and Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.”

Trump’s move was also panned domestically.

US Sen. Mark Kelly, a former US Navy pilot and Democrat who represents Arizona, posted that Trump’s threatened tariffs on US allies would make Americans “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need.”

“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in,” he wrote on social media. “The damage this President is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn’t change we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”

Six of the countries targeted are part of the 27-member EU, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was not immediately clear if Trump’s tariffs would impact the entire bloc. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks for Sunday evening to determine a potential response.

The tariff announcement even drew blowback from Trump’s populist allies in Europe.

Italy’s right-wing premier, Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said Sunday she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she described as “a mistake.”

The deployment to Greenland of small numbers of troops by some European countries was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni told reporters. She said the deployment was not a move against the US but aimed to provide security against “other actors” that she didn’t name.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that “no intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations.” He added that “tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”

Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France and also a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the US, describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”

Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties — including the hard-right Reform UK party — all of whom criticised the tariff threat.

“We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a longtime champion and ally of Trump, wrote on social media. He stopped short of criticising Trump’s designs on Greenland.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the centre-left Labour Party, said the tariffs announcement was “completely wrong” and his government would “be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to address the crisis Sunday in Oslo during a news conference.

 Police on Sunday said they carried out a series of swift, technology-enabled rescue operations over the last 12 days in which several missing and unattended children were traced and reunited with their families within minutes under the Bengaluru Safe City Project.

In a press release, police said the operations were carried out through the project and the ‘Namma-112’ emergency system, which allowed real-time response, GPS-based deployment of patrol vehicles, and coordination between the control room and field staff.

“Coordination between the control room and field personnel played a crucial role in these operations. This response reflects the city’s emphasis on modern, technology-driven policing,” the statement said.

The police said the first incident was reported on December 27, 2025, under the JP Nagar police station limits, when a mentally unstable woman attempted to take away a two-year-old child.

An assistant sub-inspector noticed the incident and alerted ‘Namma-112’, following which a Hoysala patrol vehicle reached the spot within five minutes, and the child was safely handed over to the mother.

On the same night, under the Chamarajapete police station limits, a 16-year-old mentally challenged boy who had gone missing was traced and reunited with his mother within minutes of receiving the emergency call, the police said.

Subsequent incidents were reported from Bellanduru, Rajagopalanagar, Kadugodi and Kumbalagodu police station limits, where unattended children found alone were traced and escorted back to their families.

Another incident occurred on January 14 near the Hosakerehalli flyover under Girinagar police station limits, where a toddler was found wandering on a busy road. Police said a Hoysala patrol vehicle reached the spot within four minutes, and the child was reunited with the parents after verification.

The police said response times in the incidents ranged from four to 20 minutes, and all the children were safely reunited with their families.

Thiruvananthapuram: Former CPI(M) MLA S Rajendran on Sunday joined the BJP after accepting party membership from state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar here.

Rajendran, a veteran leader from Idukki district, represented the Devikulam Assembly constituency from 2006 to 2021.

The induction took place at the BJP state headquarters, where Rajendran was joined by three other leaders, including CPI leader Gurunadan and CPI(M) leader Santhosh from Kuttanad.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajendran said he had not been active in party politics for the past four to five years but had continued working among the public.

He said he had been “living with regret and emotional distress after losing faith in his political space.”

“Till the last day, I never betrayed the politics I followed throughout my life. There has never been any allegation that I worked against my party or its committees,” he said.

He clarified that the decision to join the BJP was taken after discussions with people close to him.

Rajendran said his decision to meet BJP leaders was linked to issues related to plantations and plantation workers.

He said he was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand and expressed confidence that issues faced by plantation workers could be resolved under the BJP’s governance.

BJP leaders said around 100 people are expected to join the party at an event scheduled to be held in Munnar on February 8.

Addressing the gathering, Chandrasekhar said Rajendran had told him that only the BJP could resolve the state’s problems.

He said issues faced by people in Munnar and Idukki remained unresolved and asserted they would be addressed when the BJP comes to power.

Chandrasekhar thanked the Railway Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allotting three new trains to Kerala.

He said the BJP would campaign in the upcoming elections on development, security and the protection of faith.

“Those who support these causes will be welcomed, irrespective of the party they belong to,” he said.

Chandrasekhar alleged that Congress-led governments had been voted out in several states and at the Centre since 2014 and accused the Congress of “supporting corruption and appeasement politics.”

He also alleged that CPI(M) state secretary M A Baby and Congress leader Robert Vadra had “spoken in favour of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and claimed that the Congress-led UDF supports Jamaat-e-Islami in Kerala.”

Calling Jamaat-e-Islami “an extremist and anti-secular organisation”, Chandrasekhar said it “posed a danger” to the state. He also alleged that the Hindu community had the lowest per capita land and housing ownership.

Referring to Karnataka, he alleged that the Congress came to power by making false promises and claimed there “was corruption and a lack of funds for development” after it assumed office.

“This organisation is destroying Bangladesh and Pakistan and is causing problems in other countries as well. This should be debated,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader and MLA M M Mani said Rajendran had neither been a party member nor a sympathiser for several years and that his joining the BJP did not matter to the party.

“It is a closed chapter. Whether he goes with the BJP or even the devil does not matter to us. We will take care of our own matters,” Mani said.

He said the CPI(M) leadership in Idukki district had not made any attempt to bring Rajendran back when reports of his possible move to the BJP emerged.

“He has not been in the party for several years. We had taken action against him and expelled him. It does not matter to us if he joins any other party,” Mani said.

Mani added that even if he himself were to resign, the party would not be affected.

He denied allegations that the party had harmed Rajendran.

“We made him district panchayat president and MLA several times. He and his wife are receiving pensions for life,” Mani said.

At least nine people, including five women, were killed and over 80 others injured after a bus carrying wedding guests overturned in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on Sunday, police said.

The accident occurred at Orsa Bangladara valley under Mahuadanr police station limits.

“A bus carrying a marriage party was coming from Balrampur district in Chhattisgarh for a wedding at Mahuadanr in Latehar. The bus overturned, and five people died on the spot. Among them, four were women. The injured were taken to a hospital,” Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav told PTI.

Two persons died during treatment in Latehar hospital, while two in Gumla Sadar hospital, another official said.

Gumla civil surgeon Shambhu Nath Choudhary said nine injured were referred to the Sadar hospital here, of which two were brought dead.

In a post on X, Chief Minister Hemant Soren asked the Latehar deputy commissioner to provide appropriate medical facilities to the injured.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vipin Kumar Dubey said 60 injured were admitted to Mahuadanr community health centre and over 20 at a private hospital.

“Thirty-two people, who are serious, are being referred to RIMS Ranchi for better treatment,” he said.

The deceased were identified as Reshanti Devi (35), Prema Devi (37), Sita Devi (45), Sonamati Devi (55), Sukhna Bhuiyan (40) and Vijay Bhuiyan. Identification of a woman, who died in Latehar hospital, is underway, Dubey said.

The bus driver, Vikas Pathak, said around 90 passengers were on the bus.

“The brakes of the bus failed. Despite attempts to stop the vehicle using the handbrake and switching off the engine, I could not regain control, and the bus eventually overturned,” he told reporters.

Mumbai: Mumbai will have a Mahayuti mayor, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Sunday after interacting with newly-elected Shiv Sena members of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), who have been shifted to a hotel.

Shinde’s assertion comes amid speculation over the decision to move 29 corporators-designate of his party to a hotel after the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance secured a narrow majority in the recent civic polls.

Taking a dig at Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Shinde said voters had chosen development over emotional issues.

“Mumbai will have a Mahayuti mayor. Even neighbouring cities like Kalyan-Dombivli will have a Mahayuti mayor,” he told reporters.

Rejecting allegations that the corporators were being kept under watch at a luxury hotel, Shinde said the Shiv Sena was fearless.

“The new corporators will get a common platform to interact at the hotel. I wanted to meet them as we are registering the group of 29 corporators with the Konkan divisional commissioner,” he said.

Amid speculation in political circles over Shiv Sena’s stand vis-a-vis the next mayor of Mumbai, party leader and minister Uday Samant said the civic body polls were contested as the Mahayuti alliance.

“The Shiv Sena will not do what the earlier Shiv Sena (headed by Uddhav Thackeray when he allied with the Congress after the 2019 polls) did,” he said.

When asked about demands from within the party for the mayor’s post, Samant said, “Every party wants the main post, and Bal Thackeray’s (birth) centenary year gives that demand a different dimension.” 

In a swipe at the Opposition, Samant said many corporators will become not-reachable, and people will realise which party they belonged to.

Addressing the newly elected members, Shinde said people had rejected the Shiv Sena (UBT) and urged them to utilise the opportunity to serve citizens.

He asked them to prepare ward-specific development action plans and ensure that their wards become model constituencies. Shinde also cautioned them against any conduct that could tarnish the party’s image.

“People have rejected the Shiv Sena (UBT) and those who oppose development,” he said.

Shinde noted that the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the civic polls, followed by the Shiv Sena, calling the results a precursor to the upcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.

In the recently concluded civic polls, the alliance of the BJP and Shinde-led Sena won a clear majority in the 227-member BMC, securing 89 and 29 seats, respectively. The Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, while its ally MNS emerged victorious on six.

Shinde further appealed to newly-elected Sena members to follow up on schemes like ‘pagdi-free Mumbai’, which refers to a plan to overhaul the old, problematic pagdi (tenant-ownership) system, aiming to clear stuck redevelopments.

New Delhi: Air India on Thursday cancelled at least three flights to the US, and certain services to Europe will face some delays due to Iranian airspace closure, according to a source.

At least three flights — two from the national capital to New York and Newark, and one from Mumbai to New York

the airline said that due to the emerging situation in Iran, the subsequent closure of its airspace, and in view of the safety of our passengers, flights overflying the region are now using an alternative routing, which may lead to delays.

“Some Air India flights where currently rerouting is not possible are being cancelled,” the airline said, and regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen disruption.

Air India uses Iranian airspace for flights to the US and Europe, and the alternative option is to fly over Iraq airspace.

Since using Iraq’s airspace will mean a longer duration, the aircraft will not have enough fuel to operate some of the services to the US, the source said.

With the Pakistan airspace closure, Air India is already taking longer routes for many of the West-bound flights.

Tensions are mounting between Iran and the US, with apprehensions that the situation could escalate into a conflict between the two countries.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a programme marking a decade of the Startup India initiative on Friday and interact with members of India’s vibrant startup ecosystem.

Startup India was launched on January 16, 2016, as a transformative national programme to nurture innovation, promote entrepreneurship and enable investment-driven growth, with the objective of making India a nation of job creators rather than job seekers.

On the occasion of National Startup Day, Prime Minister Modi will interact with members of India’s vibrant startup ecosystem, an official statement said. Select startup representatives will share insights from their entrepreneurial journey.

The prime minister will also address the gathering on this occasion.

Over the past decade, Startup India has emerged as a cornerstone of India’s economic and innovation architecture. It has strengthened institutional mechanisms, expanded access to capital and mentorship, and fostered an enabling environment for startups to grow and scale across sectors and geographies.

India’s startup ecosystem has witnessed unprecedented expansion during this period, with more than 2,00,000 startups recognised across the country, the statement said.

These enterprises have become significant drivers of employment generation, innovation-led economic growth and the strengthening of domestic value chains in diverse sectors, it added.

Bengaluru: Makara Sankranti, marking the Sun’s transition into Makara Rashi or capricorn sign, is being celebrated with traditional fervour across Karnataka on Thursday, with temples witnessing heavy footfall and households observing age-old rituals.

In Bengaluru, thousands of devotees thronged the historic Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple at Gavipuram in Basavanagudi from the early hours.

The temple holds special significance on Makara Sankranti as the setting Sun’s rays pass through the horns of the stone Nandi and illuminate the Shiva Linga inside the cave temple.

The Sun’s rays directly falling on the Linga in the afternoon on Makara Sankranti is a rare and unique occurrence, symbolising the cosmic alignment and Lord Shiva’s blessings, temple authorities said.

Police and temple authorities have made elaborate arrangements to regulate the crowd as devotees queued up to have a darshan of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the cave shrine.

Across the state, devotees offered prayers in temples and observed Sankranti rituals at home.

The festival is traditionally celebrated as Suggi in Karnataka, marking the harvest season.

On this day, festive dishes are prepared and ‘Ellu-Bella’, a mix of sesame seeds, jaggery, groundnuts and coconut is distributed to the near and dear ones wishing for their safety and good luck.

In rural parts of Karnataka, farmers celebrate the harvest with special pujas, cattle worship and community gatherings, reflecting gratitude for a good crop.

Cultural programmes and traditional games will also be organised on this day adding colour to the celebrations in several districts.

Flowers, jujube fruits and sugarcane were in great demand in the market as they are the key ingredients for the pujas.