LIVE: PMO cancels ministers’ foreign trips; Charlie Hebdo to publish Prophet cartoon on new cover

1. Ministers foreign trips cancelled by PM

At least 21 proposals for foreign trips by 12 Union Ministers — nearly one-fourth of a total of 88 — were grounded after the NDA government took charge on May 26 last year, with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) directly turning down nine of them.

READ: PMO turns down 21 proposals for foreign trips by 12 ministers

2. Charlie Hebdo attack

As world leaders assemble in Paris for a rally against terror, France scours african desert for Jihadist commander and his 3½-ft executioner.

READ: Charlie Hebdo attack: Hunt for ‘Mr Marlboro’

3. Sports

Players from Indian basketball’s powerhouse, Punjab, had a miserable outing at the recently concluded national championships in Bhilwara, getting ousted in the quarter-finals. But concerns over the state’s downward spiral run deeper than shooting lapses and rebounding errors. The international ruling that bars Sikh players from wearing a patka is dissuading many youngsters from joining the sport in which Punjab has excelled over other states.

READ: No-turban rule may well kill basketball in Punjab: Sikh players

4. Opinion by Gul Panag

In a country where political awareness and interest levels are at new highs, there is a simple question that few, including the highly educated, have asked: How do political parties actually raise funds to fight elections?

READ: Party planning

5. BJP vs SAD

Since the defeat of Arun Jaitley in the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar in May 2014. Coming amid the nationwide triumph of the BJP, it set off a chain of events that saw Punjab’s junior partner repeatedly asserting itself against the SAD.

READ: Explained: All that BJP and SAD are fighting about