Pioneer in short
Belagavi dispute heads to court
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the State has objected to Maharashtra’s jurisdiction in a Supreme Court case related to the long-running border dispute, particularly over Maharashtra’s claim on Belagavi. He said Karnataka would contest the matter strongly and engage a competent lawyer. “Maharashtra has filed the case. Our objection is on jurisdiction. The court must first decide whether they have the locus standi to file it,” Siddaramaiah told reporters, adding that he saw no merit in the petition. On reports that nearly three crore voters have not been mapped during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the chief minister said the Congress had urged caution. He denied politicising the process, stressing that the party’s only concern was that genuine voters should not be excluded from electoral rolls. Siddaramaiah said the Congress supports conducting municipal elections through ballot papers. On the Governor returning the bill on internal reservation among Scheduled Castes, he said the Government would provide clarifications.
Spain train crash kills 39
At least 39 people were confirmed dead after a high-speed train collision in southern Spain late Sunday, with authorities warning the toll could rise as rescue teams continue recovering bodies from the wreckage, police said Monday. The crash occurred at about 7.45pm near Adamuz in Cordoba province when the rear of a train carrying around 300 passengers from Malaga to Madrid derailed and slammed into an oncoming Madrid-to-Huelva service, rail operator Adif said. The second train, carrying nearly 200 passengers, took the brunt of the impact. Transport Minister Oscar Puente said the first two carriages of the second train were knocked off the tracks and plunged down a four-metre slope, where most fatalities occurred.
2,500 artistes to perform on R-Day
Nearly 2,500 artistes representing diverse Indian dance forms will perform a mega cultural presentation on Kartavya Path during the 77th Republic Day parade on January 26, with the main theme marking the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram. The performance will revolve around the themes Swatantra Ka Mantra — Vande Mataram and Samriddhi Ka Mantra — Viksit Bharat. The creative team includes Oscar-winning composer MM Keeravani as music director, Subhash Sehgal as lyricist, actor Anupam Kher as narrator and Santosh Nair as choreographer, under the supervision of Sandhya Purecha. Costumes and creative design will be handled by Sandhya Raman. Artistes will showcase classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi and Manipuri.
