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Israel vowed Saturday to stop the UN humanitarian aid agency in Gaza from operating after the war, and called for its chief to resign, after the sacking of staff accused of involvement in the October 7 attack. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Friday it had fired several employees over Israel's accusations, promising a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified.

By Jarrett Renshaw and Steve Holland

By Tim Reid

Congress Nyay Yatra permission for a public meeting scheduled to be held in Siliguri, reports Hindustan Times. The development comes amid reports of rift between Bengal's ruling party and INDIA bloc ally Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and the Grand Old Party. According to a senior official of Congress, uncertainty also looms over Gandhi’s programme at Falakata in Alipurduar on Sunday.

PTI. The VHP also sought the structure be declared 'a Hindu temple and handed over to the community. It demanded Hindus be permitted to offer 'sewa puja' to the 'Shivlinga' found in the 'so-called Wazukhana area' at the disputed site. "The evidence collected and the conclusions provided by the ASI do prove that the religious character of this place of worship existed on the 15th day of August, 1947, and as at present is of a Hindu Temple," VHP working president Alok Kumar said in a statement.

budget session of Parliament starting next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined on Saturday the significance of proper conduct of members in the House and rued that some political parties defend the erring members as well as those indicted in corruption. He also called upon presiding officers of the Assembly and the parliament to encourage more participation of women and the young members. In his inaugural address to the All India Presiding Officers’ Conference, Modi said, “The world perceives a parliamentary system by the way the representatives conduct themselves and the way the House functions….

China on Saturday said that top diplomat Wang Yi and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held «candid, substantive and fruitful» talks in Thailand's capital Bangkok, where issues including Taiwan were discussed. Beijing and Washington have clashed in recent years on flashpoint issues from technology and trade to human rights, as well as over the self-ruled island and competing claims in the South China Sea.

Karnataka BJP is set to win all 28 seats for the Lok Sabha in the upcoming polls, said Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday. The minister was attending the party's state executive committee meeting in Bengaluru as a part of the preparation for the Lok Sabha polls, along with Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former Karnataka chief ministers BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP President BY Vijayendra, party leaders Jagadish Shettar, CT Ravi, etc. “People of Karnataka, who value their historical culture as well as Information & Technology, are fully behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise of a Viksit Bharat (developed India) that also values its Virasat (heritage),” Yadav said. This was the first such meeting being held after Vijayendra took over as the BJP state president and a new team of party state office-bearers was formed.

BANGKOK (Reuters) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had «candid, substantive and fruitful strategic communication» with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, aimed at furthering a pledge of dialogue by their leaders, China's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

By David Shepardson and Maria Martinez

₹25 crore each and a BJP ticket to contest polls if they switched sides. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that Kejriwal should stop "lying" and dared him to tell the names of the MLAs who, the AAP chief has claimed, were contacted by the BJP. "Kejriwal's statement shows his political frustration.

Nitish Kumar is the initiator of the INDIA bloc and his return to the BJP-led NDA will harm his image, senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said on Saturday. He also asserted that if Kumar has any grievances, they will be addressed. «The RJD and all of us are ready to find a solution,» Rawat said.

ASI survey report has «reconfirmed» that the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi was constructed after demolishing a «magnificent temple» at the site and demanded that the structure be declared 'a Hindu temple and handed over to the community. It also demanded that Hindus be permitted to offer «sewa puja» to the 'Shivlinga' found in the «so-called Wazukhana area» at the disputed site. «The evidence collected and the conclusions provided by the ASI do prove that the religious character of this place of worship existed on the 15th day of August, 1947, and as at present is of a Hindu Temple,» VHP working president Alok Kumar said in a statement.

Trinamool Congress on Saturday asserted that its leader, Mamata Banerjee, has never indicated a departure from the opposition bloc INDIA at the national level, despite recent announcements of the party's decision to contest the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal alone. On the ongoing speculation surrounding TMC's stance within the opposition front, spokesperson Kunal Ghosh emphasised that Banerjee only advocated the party's solo participation in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal owing to «unreasonable demands» from the Congress.

semiconductor companies including Intel, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co in the coming weeks to help build new factories in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The forthcoming announcements are aimed at kick-starting manufacturing of advanced semiconductors that power smartphones, artificial intelligence and weapons systems, the WSJ reported, citing industry executives familiar with the negotiations.

Narendra Modi on Saturday said he was happy that Parliament and state legislatures were working towards realisation of the goal of 'one nation, one legislative platform'. Addressing the 84th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) here virtually, he also rued that some political parties defend their members even if they violate the rules of the House, and warned that it did not augur well for Parliament and state legislatures. «In 2021, during discussions with you, I spoke about 'one nation, one legislative platform.' I am happy that our Parliament and state legislatures are now working towards this goal through E-Vidhan and Digital Sansad platforms,» the prime minister said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a letter, requested Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to issue directions to ensure smooth passage of Rahul Gandhi's Bharata Jodo Nyay Yatra through the state. Expressing concern that the Yatra was allegedly targeted by some miscreants in the neighbouring states, Kharge wrote in his letter, «While the first Bharat Jodo Yatra went across the country without any untoward incidents and culminated in a rally in Kashmir,. However, you would be aware that some miscreants targeted the current Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in your neighbouring states.

Nitish Kumar, who heads the 'Mahagathbandhan' government, is likely to tender his resignation by Sunday morning, a source close to the CM said on Saturday. Talking to PTI, the source, who requested anonymity, said though the possibility of resignation by late Saturday evening could not be ruled out, «it would definitely take place by Sunday morning».

Samajwadi Party on Saturday announced that it has offered 11 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, with former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav asserting that their alliance is «off to a good start». UP Congress president Ajay Rai said that the decision on the matter will be taken by his party's national leadership. Yadav said in a post in Hindi on X, «Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats.

700 grapplers, representing all affiliated state units except Punjab and Odisha, will participate in the Senior National Championship in Pune from Monday, the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) said on Saturday. The national body was suspended by the Sports Ministry on December 24, just three days after it held its election for violating its own constitution after it announced to host the 2023 age group nationals in Gonda, UP in last week of December.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday, with the JD(U) president appearing to be inching towards his second political volte face in less than three years. For Kumar, who has maintained a deafening silence over the turmoil in the 'Mahagathbandhan', ignoring pleas from allies RJD, Congress and the Left to clear the confusion, it was business as usual. The longest-serving CM began the day by flagging off a number of new fire brigade engines at the city's veterinary college ground, which saw him address a mammoth party rally earlier this week.