UK ambassador to Iran arrested
Iranian authorities briefly detained Britain's ambassador in Tehran on Saturday, according to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, after he was reportedly arrested during protests against the regime.
"The arrest of our ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law," Raab said in a statement after the detention of Rob Macaire.
The minister warned Iran that it was "at a cross-roads moment", and had to choose between "its march towards pariah status" or "take steps to de-escalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards."
Macaire was arrested for allegedly "inciting" protesters in Tehran angry at the military's accidental downing of a Ukranian passenger jet, killing 176 people, most of them Iranian citizens, according to the Daily Mail. He was released after around an hour, it added.
Maradu: Remaining 2 illegal flats to be demolished today
After successfully razing down two high-rise apartment complexes through controlled implosion on Saturday, the remaining two illegal flats will be demolished on Sunday. The 17-floor Jain Coral Cove apartment complex with 122 flats would be razed at 11am and the Golden Kayaloram with 40 flats comprising 17 floors would be demolished at 2pm on Sunday.
Holy Faith H2O and Alfa Serene twin towers—two of the four waterfront structures ordered to be demolished for violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms—were razed through controlled implosion Saturday. The Supreme Court had on May 8 last year ordered to raze the structures built in violation of the CRZ norms.
PM Modi's second day in Bengal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was greeted with black flags and angry chants of "Modi, go back", as he arrived on a two-day visit in Kolkata on Saturday, will attend a prayer meeting at Belur Math on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, founder of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Modi will also participate in the sesquicentenary celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust on Sunday.
The prime minister and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will share dais at the programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Sunday. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will also be present.
Banerjee, arguably the most bitter critic of the prime minister on the CAA, on Saturday met Modi at Raj Bhavan, after deciding not to receive him at the airport. "I told him that we are against CAA, NRC and NPR. I told him there should be no discrimination among masses and no citizens are left out and tortured," she told journalists after meeting Modi at Raj Bhavan.
Moments later, she was present at an anti-CAA protest nearby. Banerjee, who called her meeting with Modi a "courtesy visit", said the prime minister had asked her to come to New Delhi to discuss the vexatious issues.
India vs New Zealand: Squads to be named today
The Indian teams for the New Zealand tour will be picked in Mumbai on Sunday. With all-rounder Hardik Pandya's anticipated return getting delayed after he failed the fitness test, India's limited overs squads are unlikely to be tinkered with much for the upcoming six-week tour of New Zealand.
Starting January 24, India will be playing five T20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Test matches, and squads for the tour will be picked on Sunday.
Pandya was expected to make the Indian squad after remaining out of action for four months due to a back injury but the all-rounder could not clear the mandatory fitness test, indicating that it will take him more to recover from the surgery he recently had.
India will be playing eight white ball games in New Zealand, and it will be interesting to see if the selectors pick a 16 or 17-member squad, instead of 15.
With the India A team's shadow tour coinciding with the seniors' visit, it gives the selectors an option to draft players on SOS basis if the need arises.
The selectors will primarily focus on zeroing in on the core for white ball cricket considering that this is a T20 World Cup year.
While the T20 squad that played against Sri Lanka in the just-concluded series all but picks itself, Pandya was expected to be included once he proved his fitness in the warm-up games. However his failure to clear the fitness test is an indication that he is far from ready for interests.
It will be interesting to note if the ODI team is an extension of the T20 squad.
(With PTI inputs)
