As India celebrates Republic Day today, the parade at the Kartavya Path in Delhi is  ‘women-centric’, indicating the roles played by women in various sectors. For the first time, the parade is heralded by 100 women artists playing Indian musical instruments. The parade commenced with the music of Sankh, Naadswaram, Nagada, etc. played by women artists. French President Emmanuel Macron is the chief guest at the parade.

The theme of this year’s Republic Day is ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Bharat: Loktantra ki Matruka’, which symbolise the country’s aspirations and its role as the nurturer of democracy.

This year, India is commemorating its 75th Republic Day, marking the adoption of the constitution on January 26, 1950, and the attainment of sovereignty. The constituent assembly held its first session in December 1946 and the last session in November 1949, following which the constitution was enacted a year later with Dr BR Ambedkar as the head of the drafting committee.

Here are the LIVE Updates on 75th Republic Day Celebration:

Nitish Kumar will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for a seventh time on Sunday with support from the Bharatiya Janata Party, his on-again-off-again ally, sources told NDTV Friday, as the churn in the state’s political landscape spins to a conclusion. For its backing, the BJP will get two Deputy Chief Minister berths, which mirrors the deal after the 2020 election.

The Assembly will not be dissolved, and election will not be held, at this time, sources also said. Bihar is due to vote next year anyway, so it is understandable that neither party is in a rush. The immediate focus will be on the Lok Sabha election.

Sources said the Janata Dal (United) boss has cancelled all his engagements for January 28, including addressing a public meeting, sparking buzz he is set to reclaim his ‘paltu Kumar’ nickname by reversing his 2022 jump from Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s BJP to Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, which itself was a reprisal of his 2017 shuffle of loyalties.

NDTV has been told Nitish Kumar’s return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will follow a detailed game-plan that will begin with the nomination of an Assembly Speaker and include re-shuffling of the cabinet – one ministerial berth for every four MLAs – to accommodate BJP leaders. Crucially, the terms of Nitish’s ghar wapsi are said to include a reduction in Lok Sabha seats offered to the JDU. In 2019 the party contested 17 and won 16 seats, but will have to be satisfied with 12-15 seats this time, given its weakened position – coming off this switch – and the need to accommodate other NDA partners.

NDTV Explains | Inside Story Of Nitish’s Stunning U-Turn-Again – Just Before Polls

Nitish’s BJP re-alignment, though not yet confirmed, gained further currency after his former deputy (and close aide), Sushil Kumar Modi’s “in politics, doors are not permanently closed” comment. “Politics is a game of possibilities, anything can happen,” Mr Modi, replaced by Tarkishore Yadav and Renu Devi after the 2020 election, said. Now a Rajya Sabha MP, he has been a frequent critic of Nitish Kumar since an apparent breakdown in ties, making his ‘open doors’ remark significant.

The BJP ghar wapsi has triggered mixed reactions from Bihar’s political players and, according to a second set of sources, a divide within Nitish Kumar’s party. Lalan Singh, deposed as the JDU boss by Nitish last month, is understood to be against dropping the RJD, while a group led by Sanjay Jha and Ashok Choudhary is pushing for a tie-up with the BJP.

Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and his Hindustan Awam Morcha – for now a JDU ally and part of the state government – are also being courted, with junior Union Home Minister Nityanand Rai reportedly tasked with getting that deal done. Mr Manjhi has been cryptic so far, only saying he had predicted Nitish Kumar’s jump.

“Therefore, after breaking alliance, he may contest Lok Sabha elections independently or join other alliance…” he said.

The INDIA bloc has not lost hope, at least not publicly. A Bihar Congress leader, Prem Chandra Mishra, told ANI, “I can say with confidence Nitish Kumar will remain with the alliance… (he) has resolved to throw BJP out of power, and we trust him.”

The RJD is also (publicly) optimistic; party spokesperson Shakti Yadav said the tie-up talk reflected a “scared” BJP.

Nitish set the cat among the pigeons Thursday – first snubbing an invitation to join Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, and then leaving the Congress-led INDIA bloc on edge by reaching out to the BJP. By the day’s end, he – credited with coaxing the opposition into the unlikely alliance – was closer to re-aligning with the BJP than being able to oust Mr Modi.

NDTV Explains | The ‘Final Straw’ – A Tweet – That Led To Shock Nitish Kumar Move

Should, as is now most likely, Nitish Kumar re-align with the BJP, there were several factors that would have led to his political fifth flip-flop in 11 years – one that could reshape the state’s political landscape in the BJP’s favour.

Among these are friction with the RJD, amplified by the (now deleted) social media posts by Lalu Yadav’s daughter, Rohini Acharya, and discord within the INDIA group, where Nitish’s name had been snubbed as both a PM candidate and Convenor..

The decision of the US aviation regulator to restrict an expansion in manufacturing of the controversial Boeing 737 Max aircraft could be bad news for India’s airlines. Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air have already placed orders for hundreds of variants of the jet.

Boeing is facing intensifying scrutiny over its quality control practices in the aftermath of a near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight three weeks ago when a panel blew out mid-air. Fortunately, the aircraft landed safely with only minor injuries to passengers. However, the aftermath has prompted heightened scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing processes.

That January 5 incident on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 followed months of earlier, smaller problems with the same aircraft.

The Alaska Airlines episode represents the most serious operational problem for Boeing since two crashes on 737 MAX 8 planes in 2018 and 2019 resulted in 346 causalities and led to a lengthy grounding of the jet.

The US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, has now ruled that Boeing cannot expand production of the controversial aircraft until it gets its act together

“We will not agree to any request from Boeing for an expansion in production or approve additional production lines for the 737 MAX until we are satisfied that the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved,” the FAA said in a statement.

This announcement poses a significant challenge for Indian airlines, including Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, which have collectively placed orders for hundreds of variants of the Boeing 737 Max. Air India Express has orders for 181 737 Max aircraft as part of a $70 billion deal signed last year, while Akasa Air and SpiceJet have orders for 204 and 142 Max jets respectively.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already inspected all Boeing 737 Max aircrafts in service in the country and has raised safety concerns. The exact implications of the FAA’s decision on Indian airlines remain uncertain, but it could potentially impact Boeing’s plans to establish a new manufacturing line for the 737 Max.