Evening news wrap: Mamata Banerjee leads march against ED raids; MEA rebuts US commerce secy’s trade deal remarks and more

Mamata Banerjee at Kolkata march; MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

Here are top five stories of the day:

Mamata Banerjee hits the streets: West Bengal CM leads Kolkata rally against ED raids on I-PAC

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee led a protest rally in Kolkata on Friday against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a day after the central agency conducted raids at the office of political consultancy I-PAC and the residence of its chief, Partik Jain. The rally was held near the 8B bus stand in Jadavpur, where a large number of TMC leaders and workers gathered, raising slogans against the alleged misuse of central agencies. Heavy police deployment was seen in the area. Read full story

‘Inaccurate’: MEA rebuts Trump aide’s ‘PM didn’t call’ remarks; cites 8 Modi-Trump calls in 2025

The ministry of external affairs on Friday termed the remarks made by US secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick that “PM Modi’s reluctance to call Trump” was the reason behind the delay in the trade deal between the United States and India, as “inaccurate.”In a media briefing MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “PM Modi and President Trump have spoken on eight occasions in 2025.” Read full story

‘Hands of US president stained with the blood’: Iran’s Khamenei says ‘arrogant’ Trump will be overthrown; vows crackdown on protesters

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday warned the protesters, saying the Islamic Republic would “not back down” amid escalating unrest accusing “foreign-backed elements” of trying to destabilise the country. He also targeted Donald Trump, claiming the “hands of the US President are stained with the blood of Iranians” further asserting that the “arrogant” leader would eventually be overthrown. In a speech aired on state television, the 86-year-old leader said, “Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, and it will not back down in the face of saboteurs.” Read full story

Jana Nayagan: Thalapathy Vijay’s film will not release on Pongal; next hearing on January 21

The Madras high court’s chief justice has temporarily stayed the single judge’s order that directed the CBFC to grant a UA certificate. The matter has been posted for further hearing on January 21, after the Pongal holidays. Representing the Censor Board, the ASG stated that the single judge held the Chairperson’s January 6 letter to be without jurisdiction, but argued that the letter itself was never challenged before the court. He pointed out that no writ of certiorari was sought against the letter. The ASG further contended that the CBFC should have been given an opportunity to defend its position by filing a counter affidavit. Follow live updates

‘Cousin thought I died’: Jemimah Rodrigues recalls horrific ‘church’ incident

Indian women’s cricket team batter Jemimah Rodrigues recently shared a scary yet funny story from her childhood that left everyone shocked at the time. The incident happened when she was just eight years old, long before she became a World Cup hero for India. Jemimah recalled that she was at a church programme with her cousins. The kids were playing outside an auditorium while the adults were busy inside. Like most children, they were full of energy and mischief. Read full story Go to Source