On 1 January, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was overwhelmed by the response to the 15-day trial run of the Odd-Even formula to reduce cars on the road and subsequently combat pollution.

NDTV quoted director of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, Gufran Beig, as saying that pollutants in Delhi's air dipped by 10 per cent between 8 am to 2 pm on 1 January.

Only odd-numbered cars were allowed on the roads between 8am to 8pm on 1 January. Only cars with even number plates will be allowed in this time slot on 2 January.

Veteran Communist leader A. B. Bardhan breathed his last on Saturday in a private hospital in the national capital. He was 91 and was being treated at G. B. Pant hospital here. He was undergoing treatment after tests detected a blood clot in his brain and had described his condition as "critical" . Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan was born September 24, 1924. He was the former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), one of the oldest political parties in India.

A maximum alert was sounded and security strengthened across Punjab today in the wake of the attack on an Air Force Base in Pathankot by suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists.

Officials said that in view of the attack, which comes after the terror strike in July last in Dina Nagar town in adjoining Gurdaspur district, security had been beefed up across the state and along its borders with neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir.

-- PTI

Three youths from Pune, who were on a bicycle rally to spread the message of peace, were allegedly abducted by Naxals from the insurgency-hit Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, police said today.

As per preliminary information, the victims were identified as Aadrash Patil, Vilas Valake and Shrikirhna Shevale, he said. The youths had launched a cycle rally under their "Bharat Jodo" (Link India) campaign to propagate the message of peace in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, the states worst affected by Naxalism over the past three decades.

The fifth terrorist has been killed by security forces at the Pathankot Air Force base during the combing operations on 3 January morning.

Fresh firing and explosions were heard at the site 24 hours after the attack took place on 2 January. The death toll of security personnel went up to seven after Lt Colonel Niranjan Kumar of National Security Guard succumbed to injuries during an accidental bomb explosion today morning.

Asserting that the aim of the terrorists has been defeated Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said on Sunday that the security forces would very soon neutralise all terrorists.

The Home Secretary further said, "Due to active intelligence inputs and advance information, the security forces, especially the Air Force, were able to protect the air force assets."

In Pathankot airbase the combing operation is still going on. During search operation, a blast was reported from inside in which a Lt. Col. of the Indian Army lost his life and five commandos were injured who are being treated. The total number of martyrs during the operation has reached seven so far.