Washington, Jan 15; PTI: Raj Shah, the first Indian-American to hold a top White House Press Office post, has quit to join an arm of a prominent communications and lobbying firm, becoming the latest of several senior officials to leave the Trump administration in recent months.

Shah, 34, White House deputy spokesman and a former researcher at the Republican National Committee, was in the administration since president Trump took office in January 2017.

New Delhi, Jan 15; PTI: Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming the appointment of M Nageswara Rao as the CBI's interim director "illegal" and demanding that a meeting of the selection committee be convened immediately to appoint a new chief of the probe agency.

Kharge, who is part of the prime minister-headed three-member panel that removed Alok Verma as CBI chief, alleged that the government is scared of CBI led by an "independent" director.

Chennai, Jan 15 (PTI): Tamil Nadu lad D Gukesh Tuesday became the second youngest Grand Master in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at 12 years, seven months and 17 days, erasing the mark set by his state-mate R Praggnanandhaa in June last year.

He achieved his third and final GM norm at the ongoing 17th Delhi International Open Chess tournament in Delhi after beating compatriot D K Sharma in the ninth round.

Gukesh becomes India's 59th Grand Master.

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal Wednesday demanded that the sedition law be scrapped as those in power are "manipulating" it.

He also called for a change in the government to save the country.

"Scrap sedition law (section 124A,IPC), a colonial hangover.

"Real sedition is when those in power manipulate institutions, misuse the law, breach peace and security by inciting violence. Punish them in 2019. 'Sarkar badlo Desh bachao' (change government, save country)," Sibal said on Twitter.

New Delhi, Jan 15; PTI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear a plea by Zakia Jafri, challenging the SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 Godhra riots, after four weeks.

Zakia, the wife of ex-MP Ehsan Jafri who was one of the 68 killed in Ahmedabad's Gulberg society, has challenged the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the SIT's decision.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi.

Jammu, Jan 15 (PTI) In a bid to build bridges between Raj Bhawan and Hurriyat Conference, J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik Tuesday reached out to the separatist leaders urging them to apprise him directly of the cases of "atrocity and injustice" to common people that they may come across.

Malik made the offer with an appeal that the Hurriyat Conference leaders should not treat him as "an alien".

"I have a message for Hurriyat that they should not consider me as an alien," Governor Malik told PTI in an interview.

Kolkata, Jan 15 (PTI) Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is a better leader than many others, but it cannot be said at this juncture if she would make a good prime minister, former national security advisor M K Narayanan said Tuesday.

Narayanan, also a former governor of West Bengal, said he had spent a lifetime in intelligence and had seen almost all leaders since Independence and she is "better suited among others as she is a listener at least to some.... She is a difficult person with some remarkable qualities."

16 Jan 2019; DW: More Germans are applying for basic weapons licenses according to the country's Interior Ministry. As of December 31, 2018, some 610,937 citizens had been issued licenses.

The jump of 53,377 gun permits over 2017 represents a 9.6 percent increase in the number of Germans now licensed to carry gas pistols, flare guns, pepper spray and other weapons not intended for deadly use.

Lucknow, Jan 15 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for the Kumbh Mela being held in the 'sangam' city of Allahabad, which is over thrice the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013, making the mega pilgrimage perhaps the costliest ever.

"The UP government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for 2019 Kumbh Mela. The previous state government had spent around Rs 1,300 crore for the Maha Kumbh, which was held in 2013," state Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal told PTI.

MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. Russia and Zimbabwe signed a range of agreements for implementation of a joint project on development of the Darwendale platinum group metals deposit. Documents were signed in presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa after their talks.

JAKARTA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia planned to accelerate plans of producing electric vehicles by harmonizing the existing regulations, lobbying the parliament and issuing a presidential decree in doing so, Indonesian Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said here on Tuesday.

Alipurduar, Jan 16 (PTI) A leopard snatched away a three-year-old girl from her mother's lap after entering their home at a tea garden in West Bengal's Alipurduar district, officials said Wednesday.

Parts of her body were found scattered in the Garganda tea garden in Madarihat area of the district this morning.

The leopard sneaked into the house in the labour line on Tuesday night and grabbed Pranita, who was on her mother's lap, the officials said.