January 19: Top news at 2 pm  

Several schoolchildren killed as bus collides with truck in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah

At least 10 children were killed when their school bus collided with a lorry near Asadpur village in Etah, Uttar Pradesh this morning. ANI news agency reported that 24 children had lost their lives. The JS Vidyaniketan bus was taking the students to school when it met with the accident, police said. The victims were in the age group of 10-15 years. Senior police officials have rushed to the spot. President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and several leaders across the country condoled the tragic death of the young ones. Yesterday, four persons, including a woman, died and six others were injured today after a tourist bus hit a tractor trolley in Fatehpur Sikri area near Agra, police said.

Jallikattu matter is sub-judice: PM tells Tamil Nadu CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually indicated his government's inability to promulgate an ordinance on allowing Jallikattu noting that the matter is sub-judice as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met him in New Delhi seeking Centre's intervention. After the meeting , PMO said, " While appreciating the cultural significance of Jallikattu, the Prime Minister observed that the matter is at present sub-judice." At the same time, it said, "The Centre would be supportive of the steps taken by the state government." As protests demanding the lifting of the ban on bull taming sport Jallikattu spread across Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister rushed in New Delhi last night to meet the Prime Minister with a request for ordinance. The PMO added that a central team would be deputed to Tamil Nadu shortly to assess the drought situation.

BJP workers protest tickets to turncoats, burn Minister Mahesh Sharma's effigy in Noida

Protesting party's decision to give tickets to "outsiders" and turncoats, some BJP workers on Thursday burnt effigy of Union minister and local MP Mahesh Sharma at DND flyway in Noida disrupting traffic, before they left for Delhi. The protesters also shouted slogans against Sharma and carried placards which read "bahari logon ke ticket vapas lo (take the tickets back from the outsiders)." The BJP has decided to field Tejpal Nagar, 58, from Dadri who had quit BSP during 2014 Lok Sabha elections and joined BJP. Dhirendra Singh, who quit Congress and joined the BJP on January 8, has been named as party candidate from Jewar. Sharma said: "I have not selected the two candidates. The central election committee decided to field them. I have nothing to do with it. They should protest in Delhi."

UP polls: District Magistrate orders FIR against 121 presiding officers

Just less than a month before the UP polls, District Magistrate on Thursday ordered to lodge FIR against 121 presiding officers for remaining absent from a training programme organised by the district election office in Ghaziabad. "The presiding officers who abstained from their duties will face legal action under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and appropriate sections of IPC for creating hindrance in government work," DM Nidhi Keserwani said. The absentee officers belong to different organisations including Insurance companies, banks, Central Electronics Limited, BSNL, Ghaziabad Development Authority and Central Excise Department. The program was conducted to teach handling of Electronic Voting machines and briefing about the election duties, the DM added.

Jammu & Kashmir: Militant killed in encounter in Bandipora district

A Lashkar-e-Toiba militant was on Thursday killed while a policeman was injured in an encounter in Bandipora district of north Kashmir. A police official said, “On a specific intelligence input about presence of militants in Hajin area of Bandipora, security forces launched a cordon and search operation. He said during the search operation, the hiding militants fired upon the forces, which was retaliated in which a militant was killed. A police constable was also injured in the gunfight, the official said, adding he has been referred to a hospital in Srinagar. The militant belonged to LeT outfit, the official said. He said some miscreants pelted stones on the security forces near the encounter site. Further details were awaited.