Top news of the day: January 9, 2026

TMC protest in Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee leads march against ED action

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (January 9, 2026) is protesting against the raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the I-PAC office and residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain. On Thursday (January 8, 2026), Ms. Banerjee visited the I-PAC office and the ED accused her of removing key evidence from both locations.

MEA refutes U.S. Commerce Secretary statements on PM Modi not speaking to Donald Trump

India rejected U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s statement that the India-U.S. trade deal fell through due to Prime Minister Modi not calling U.S. President Trump when it was agreed. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said the comments were “inaccurate” pointing out that the two leaders have spoken eight times in 2025.

Budget session from January 28; Union Budget on February 1

The Budget session of Parliament is likely to commence on January 28, and the Union Budget is set to be tabled on February 1, a Sunday. Officials, citing the tentative schedule finalised by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, said on Friday (January 9, 2026) that President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the two Houses on January 28.

Musk’s Grok chatbot restricts image generation after global backlash over sexualized deepfakes

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is preventing most users from generating or editing any images after a global backlash that erupted after it started spewing sexualized deepfakes of people. The chatbot, which is accessed through Mr. Musk’s social media platform X, has in the past few weeks been granting a wave of what researchers say are malicious user requests to modify images, including putting women in bikinis or in sexually explicit positions.

Iran protests: Khamenei tells Trump to ‘focus on problems in his country’

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday (January 9, 2026) that security forces would crack down on protesters after they screamed from windows and marched through the streets overnight, directly challenging U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to support those peacefully demonstrating.

‘Jana Nayagan’ censor row: Madras High Court orders to grant U/A certificate to Vijay-starrer, CBFC files appeal

A single judge of the Madras High Court on Friday (January 9, 2026) allowed a writ petition filed by KVN Productions LLP and ordered the issuance of U/A 16+ certificate to actor Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), however, made an immediate mention before the Chief Justice’s Bench for an urgent hearing of a writ appeal to be filed against the order.

Jaishankar meets French President Macron, appreciates ‘positive sentiments’ for strategic partnership

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has met with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed contemporary global developments and appreciated his “positive sentiments for strategic partnership”.

Land-for-jobs case: Delhi court frames charges against Lalu Prasad, others

A Delhi court on Friday (January 9, 2026) framed charges against former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his family members and others in a corruption case related to a land-for-jobs scam. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was probing the matter.