LIVE: Mamata unlikely to attend Ram Mandir inauguration, says TMC

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9:22 PM

Fire broke out in a shopping centre in the Malad area of Mumbai

Fire broke out in a shopping centre in the Malad area of Mumbai. 11 people were safely evacuated from the shopping centre. No injuries reported. Fire tenders at the spot and douse to control the fire is underway: Mumbai Fire Brigade

5:53 PM

West Bengal CM Mamata unlikely to attend Ram Mandir inauguration, says TMC

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January, a senior TMC leader said on Wednesday. According to TMC sources, neither Banerjee nor any representative of the West Bengal government or the party will be present at the programme scheduled on January 22. "There is no question of Mamata Banerjee or any other representative of the TMC attending the Ram Mandir inauguration at Ayodhya next month. We don't believe in mixing politics with religion," a senior party leader privy to the development told PTI. The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the grand "Pran Pratistha" ceremony.

5:45 PM

No substantial evidence of 'extortion' in Tihar prison: CBI

There is no substantial evidence of any major extortion racket in Tihar prison, the CBI has said while filing a closure report in a Delhi High Court-ordered probe arising out of allegations levelled by the family of Ankit Gujjar, an inmate who was beaten to death in the prison, news agency PTI reported.
 

Officials said Gujjar's family had alleged that he was killed as he failed to meet the extortion demands from the prison officials. The Delhi High Court had directed the CBI to probe the allegations of extortion in the jail as well as Gujjar's death. The agency had initiated two separate investigations - one related to the death of Gujjar and the other a general investigation into the alleged extortion activities in Tihar jail--on the orders of the high court, they said.

5:35 PM

Fire in building's parking lot in northeast Delhi, no one injured

More than 30 people were rescued after a fire broke out on Wednesday in a residential building's parking area in Kardampuri area of northeast Delhi, officials said.

A scooter was gutted and a car parked outside the building was partially damaged due to the flames. No one was injured in the incident, they said, adding three fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze.

"We got a call at around 11.14 am that a scooter caught fire due to a short circuit in the cables of an electricity meter. Soon after the call, three fire engines were rushed to the site," a DFS official said.

5:24 PM

Jal Jeevan Mission achieves 72% rural tap water coverage, eyes 100% in 2024

Making substantial progress towards the government's ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission, approximately 72 per cent of rural households now have access to tap water connections, according to official data.

In 2024, the Jal Shakti ministry faces the crucial target of achieving the 100 per cent coverage of tap water connection to every rural household -- a commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.

A senior official expressed confidence that the government will reach the 100 per cent coverage goal by the end of the coming year.

5:16 PM

Amid high drama, ex-Pak foreign minister Qureshi arrested after being released from jail

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's vice chairman and a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi was on Wednesday manhandled by police as they re-arrested him outside a jail in Rawalpindi, a step termed “illegal” by him and his party, news agency PTI reported. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) released a video on X where Qureshi, who was granted bail in the cipher case by the Supreme Court last week, is seen being pushed and shoved by policemen after he was picked up right at the gate of the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and packed off into an armoured police vehicle.

5:00 PM

Govt bans Masarat Alam faction of Muslim League Jammu Kashmir

A faction of Muslim League Jammu Kashmir, led by separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat, was on Wednesday declared a banned organisation by the government under the stringent anti-terror law. The ban comes as a response to the outfit's involvement in anti-national and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, with the intent to create a reign of terror in the country, the Union Home Ministry said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while announcing the ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, emphasised that the Modi government's message is clear that those who act against the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of the nation will face the full wrath of the law and will not be spared.

4:42 PM

DU's Ramanujan College teachers' body demands withdrawal of mandatory clause in 'course' on Gita

Teachers' outfit Democratic Teachers' Front has demanded the withdrawal of the mandatory registration and attendance for a certificate-cum-refresher course on Srimad Bhagavad Gita being offered by Delhi University's Ramanujan college. In a statement on Wednesday, the Left-leaning body said that teaching and non-teaching staff of the college are being coerced into registering for the certificate course on Bhagavad Gita and called the move an "autocratic trait" on the college administration's part. It alleged that the college is forcing the teaching and non-teaching staff to attend the course beyond their office hours.

4:31 PM

At least 44 hospitalised after gas leak at Chennai fertiliser unit

At least 44 people were hospitalised after an ammonia leak from a pipeline belonging to Coromandel International near its Ennore plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, hospital sources said on Wednesday.  "We noticed abnormality on Dec. 26 at 11:30 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) in the ammonia unloading subsea pipeline near shoreside, outside the plant premises," Coromandel said in an exchange filing earlier in the day.  Forty-four people were rushed to Akash Hospital in Chennai, two hospital officials told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to talk to the media.  

3:56 PM

At least 10 cylinders stored illegally explode in Pune after fire

At least 10-12 LPG cylinders exploded near Symbiosis College in the Viman Nagar area of Pune city, news agency ANI reported. Around 100 LPG gas cylinders were stored illegally in an under-instruction site. Out of 100 LPG cylinders, 10 cylinders exploded after a fire. 3 fire tenders are present at the spot... Fire is under control. No damage or casualties reported as of now. More details awaited, said the Pune Fire Department.

3:43 PM

Will check end-to-end encrypted calls of phones near Israel embassy: Delhi Police

The Delhi Police will look into "end-to-end encrypted calls" of active mobile numbers near the Israel Embassy as part of its probe into a low-intensity blast that occurred there on Tuesday night, sources in the police said.

 

Police have intensified its probe after the blast and have identified two suspects who were caught on camera walking on the road close to the spot shortly before the explosion.

2:57 PM

EAM Jaishankar meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Russian MFA Reception House in Moscow

2:23 PM

32 people injured as tourist bus falls into a gorge near Brahmnigaon police limits in Odisha

2:17 PM

Congress Prez Kharge, gen secy Venugopal, CM Sukhu hold AICC HP meeting

2:08 PM

BJP President JP Nadda, Minister Meenakshi Lekhi, interact with Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra beneficiaries

1:15 PM

India records single-day rise of fresh 529 Covid-19 cases

India on Wednesday recorded 529 fresh COVID-19 cases, while the country's active infection count stood at 4,093. According to the ministry's data updated at 8 am, three new fatalities, two from Karnataka and one from Gujarat, were reported in the last 24 hours.

12:54 PM

PM Modi interacts with beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra via video conferencing

12:35 PM

Rajnath Singh, Army chief arrive at Jammu to review on-ground situation following recent attacks

11:56 AM

Tamil Nadu Health Minister meets people who were hospitalised due to ammonia gas leak at Ennore

11:55 AM

Ammonia gas leak detected in a sub-sea pipe in Chennai's Ennore

11:40 AM

Several commuters were injured in pile-up on Yamuna Expressway amid dense fog

Several commuters were injured in a pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida this morning amidst dense fog across the national capital and NCR. As per officials, the incident happened around 8 am on the Agra to Noida lane of the expressway in Dayanatpur area under the Jewar police station limits. "No person suffered fatal injury in the incident while the number of those injured was yet to be ascertained," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Ashok Kumar told media.

 

11:13 AM

Central Agency officials start investigations around Israel Embassy

11:12 AM

Many injured on Agra-Lucknow expressway collisions amidst dense fog

Several commuters were injured this morning on the Agra-Lucknow expressway when at least seven to eight vehicles collided due to a dense layer of fog. The low visibility led to a massive collision of vehicles near the Jharna Nala flyover.

10:41 AM

US shoots down 12 'Iran-backed' Houthi attack drones, 5 missiles in Red Sea

The US government on Tuesday said that it had shot down twelve attack drones and five missiles, which it claimed were launched by the Iran-backed Houthis. The USS Laboon, a guided-missile destroyer, and F-18 fighter jets from the Eisenhower carrier strike group are in the southern Red Sea as part of a US-led coalition meant to protect shipping lanes from attack by the Houthis in the key Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to The Times of Israel.

10:34 AM

2 flights of SpiceJet diverted at Delhi airport due to dense fog

Two flights of SpiceJet have been diverted at Delhi airport today morning due to bad weather, an official told PTI. The flights were diverted to Jaipur between 0900 and 0915 hours, the official further said. Several areas in the national capital were engulfed in dense fog this morning resulting in low visibility. The minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 7.8 degrees celsius.

10:29 AM

Mysterious object found in Lawapora area of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir

10:17 AM

Fire breaks out at scrap godown in Attapur area of Telangana

9:48 AM

Cong leader Rahul Gandhi meets wrestlers at 'akhara' in Haryana's Jhajjar

Rahul Gandhi visited an "akhara" in Haryana's Jhajjar district and met a group of wrestlers including Bajrang Punia today. The Congress leader's meeting with the wrestlers comes against the backdrop of a controversy surrounding the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

9:32 AM

Delhi englufed under thick blanket of fog as temperature dips further

9:11 AM

South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun of Oscar-winning film 'Parasite' dies

South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning film ''Parasite'' dies, say reports. As per the Police reports, Lee was found dead at a car in a central Seoul park. Earlier PTI reported that Lee was found unconscious at an unidentified Seoul location. Yonhap news agency of S Korea reported that police had been searching for Lee after his family reported he left home after writing a message similar to a suicide note earlier on Wednesday.