Five must-read stories—January 26

Rural-job Aadhaar clock ticks

The Centre has set a March 31 deadline for an estimated 10 crore workers under the national job scheme MGNREGA to get Aadhaar-enrolled to be able to get work, in a move that activists fear could deprive millions of poor of employment and cause "havoc" in rural India, reports The Telegraph.

Nirbhaya fund: Allocation of ₹1,000 crore remains unspent for third year in a row

In every Budget since 2013, the government has allocated ₹1,000 crore towards the Nirbhaya fund—for schemes to ensure the safety and security of women. But like every year since 2013, the allocation in 2015-16 remained unspent, reports The Indian Express.

Breeding breakthrough: A non-GM, Indian mustard as good as canola

Indian scientists have bred and released for commercial cultivation the first “canola-grade” mustard variety containing low levels of erucic acid and glucosinolates, regarded as negative from a health standpoint, reports The Indian Express.

Usain Bolt stripped of 2008 Olympic relay gold after Nesta Carter fails drug test

Usain Bolt has been stripped of one of his nine Olympic gold medals following confirmation that his 4x100m relay team-mate Nesta Carter took a banned substance at the Beijing Olympics. It means the legendary Jamaican sprinter can no longer claim to have done the “triple-treble”, reports The Guardian.

Trump blocks Syrian refugees and orders Mexican border wall to be built

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday began a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, ordering the immediate construction of a border wall with Mexico and aggressive efforts to find and deport unauthorised immigrants, reports The New York Times.