News updates: Stricter pollution curbs under Grap-4 reimposed in Delhi and surrounding areas

Latest news updates: Catch all the major news updates from around the world

Stricter pollution curbs under Grap-4 reimposed in Delhi and surrounding areas.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Sri Sri Radha Madanmohanji Temple, an Iskcon initiative in Navi Mumbai.   The Supreme Court on Wednesday protected former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination, from arrest till February 14.

  Indian Navy warships INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer were commissioned at the Naval Dockyard here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The commissioning of the three frontline naval combatants will strengthen the country's efforts towards being a global leader in defence and augment its strength towards self-reliance, PM Modi said in a post on X on Tuesday.  A special investigation team (SIT) is likely to soon file the charge sheet in the 12 cases stemming from violence in Sambhal in November last year. According to senior police officials speaking on Tuesday, these charge sheets need to be filed soon due to an approaching deadline.   

  A total of 26 trains are experiencing delays as a result of reduced visibility caused by fog, as reported by Indian Railways on Thursday. For the past several days, rail operations have been hit by inclement weather conditions, primarily dense fog. The air quality in the national capital dropped down to the 'very poor' category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI was recorded at 344 in Delhi today at 7 am. Yesterday at the same time it was 252.   

Prolonged incarceration without trial amounts to infringement of the right to life under the Constitution, the Bombay High Court has said while urging a special court to expedite the trial in the 2018 Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. The high court has also said the special court shall frame charges in nine months. Framing of charges is the first step towards start of the trial. In its detailed order, made available on Tuesday, the bench said it was a settled and recognised principle of law that the prolonged incarceration of the accused without trial amounts to infringement or violation of Article 21 of the Constitution. "That, long period of incarceration and unlikelihood of the trial being completed in the near future necessitates consequential release of the undertrial on bail," the bench said.

 

 

10:06 PM

FDA bans red dye found in candy and cakes

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday banned the use of Red Dye no. 3, which is found in certain candies, cakes and some ingested drugs giving them a bright, cherry-red color.
 

Studies have shown that use of the dye can cause cancer in male rats, but the regulator said research on other animals and in humans did not show any evidence of the same.

 

9:09 PM

SC warns states it will initiate contempt proceedings against them for their inaction over misleading ads

The Supreme Court on Wednesday warned the states that it will initiate contempt proceedings against them for their inaction over misleading advertisements. 

7:25 PM

Polish Prime Donald Tusk says Russia has planned acts of terror against 'airlines over the world', reports AP

7:19 PM

US consumer inflation rises to 2.9% in December

US consumer inflation rose for a third straight month in December, according to government data published Wednesday, adding pressure on the Federal Reserve to pause rate cuts. The consumer price index (CPI) rose to 2.9 percent last month from a year ago, up slightly from 2.7 percent in November, the Labor Department said in a statement. This was in line with the median forecast of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

7:00 PM

Stricter pollution curbs under Grap-4 reimposed in Delhi and surrounding areas

5:41 PM

Death toll from South African mine siege rises to 78, rescued now at 166

South African rescuers have so far pulled 78 bodies and rescued 166 people from the Stilfontein gold mine over three days of operations, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe told reporters at the scene on Wednesday.

5:40 PM

China and Sri Lanka sign investment agreement

China and Sri Lanka have agreed on more investment and economic cooperation, after China's President Xi Jinping met recently elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Beijing on Wednesday.

The countries signed a total of 15 cooperation documents.

4:53 PM

Three injured, over 100 goats killed in multiple-vehicle collision on Agra-Delhi Expressway

A dense fog on the Agra-Delhi Expressway led to a massive collision near Tappal here on Wednesday morning, leaving three people seriously injured and killing over 100 goats, police said. The accident occurred when poor visibility caused multiple vehicles to crash into each other. A truck transporting approximately 230 goats was among the vehicles involved. Six vehicles, including three trucks, were heavily damaged in the pile-up. "The injured individuals have been admitted to a nearby hospital," a police official said.

4:31 PM

Fire at Indore shopping mall destroys garments worth about Rs 2 crore

A fire in a shopping mall destroyed garments worth about Rs 2 crore in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Wednesday, an official said. Fire Department's assistant sub-inspector Sushil Kumar Dubey told PTI that no one was injured in the fire that broke out in the basement and first floor of a four-storey shopping mall located in the city's Dewas Naka. The commercial building was filled with smoke.

 

4:23 PM

Torres scam: Bombay HC shocked over police lethargy, orders protection for `whistleblower'

The Bombay High Court took Mumbai Police to task for its lethargy in the investigation of the Torres investment scam, and ordered protection for a chartered accountant who claims to be the whistleblower in the case. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale directed the city police commissioner to provide protection to Abhishek Gupta who claims to have exposed the scam, even as the police told the court that they were still ascertaining if he faced any threat. The court's order came in response to a petition filed by Gupta.

3:29 PM

Mathura Shahi Idgah row: SC defers hearing on mosque panel's plea to March

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred hearing to March the plea of the mosque management committee against an order rejecting its petition in the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute in Mathura, UP. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said it had to hear another case in the day and couldn't take up the mosque committee's plea.

3:16 PM

Antitrust ruling could force roll back of features, hurt business, says Meta

Meta may have to "roll back or pause" some features in India due to an antitrust directive which banned its WhatsApp messaging service from sharing user data with Meta for advertising purposes.  Meta is seeking to quash the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) November directive which found the company abused its dominance and "coerced" WhatsApp users into accepting a 2021 privacy policy which allegedly expanded user data collection and sharing.

3:08 PM

3-member panel set up to investigate charges against suspended govt official in J-K's Kathua

The Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted a three-member team to conduct a detailed inquiry into the charges levelled against an official who was placed under suspension last month for his alleged failure to stop illegal mining in Kathua district, officials said on Wednesday. The inquiry into the conduct of the then district mineral officer of Kathua, Naveen Kumar, will be completed within one month, the officials added,

2:50 PM

Formula E race case: SC refuses to examine KTR's plea against FIR

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to examine a plea filed by BRS working president K T Rama Rao against the order that refused to quash an FIR against him in the Formula E race case. After a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Prasanna B Varale said it was not inclined to interfere with the high court order, Rao's counsel withdrew the appeal and the matter was dismissed as withdrawn.

2:42 PM

Delhi WCD launches drive to trace Ladli Yojana beneficiaries

The Delhi Women and Child Development Department has initiated a district-wise drive to identify Ladli Yojana beneficiaries who have not claimed their entitled payments.