Breaking news on December 5

Congress MP from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi offered prayers at Mahadeva Temple, in Kodenchery

Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

4-yr-old child, Bhima, who fell into a borewell in Sirohi rescued today, after over 8 hours.District Magistrate Surendra Kumar Solanki (pic4) says, "I congratulate the team of NDRF and all others who were involved. The child showed a lot of courage and lived up to his name".

The Unnao rape survivor has reached Delhi for treatment. 

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces US President Trump to be impeached.

Rahul Gandhi said: "Everybody knows the state of the economy in India today. India's biggest strength something that UPA built over 10-15 years has been destroyed. Finance Minister of the country is asked about onion prices and she has that arrogance to answer that she doesn't eat onion or garlic."

"Finance Minister's job is not to tell India what she eats. And the fact of the matter is she has no idea what is going on. Basically she is incompetent. UPA believed in putting competent people in charge of the economy," he added.

Opposition parties held a joint meeting to discuss the strategy to counter the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Parliament. The meeting took place in the chambers of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Parliament.

National Investigation Agency has filed charge-sheet against 8 arrested accused and 4 absconding accused in Gadchiroli Naxal case.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issues three-line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs for 9th December to 11th December. 

Maharashtra Congress has asked it's Bhiwandi unit and it's leader of the house in Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation to initiate action against its 18 corporators on charges of voting against Congress party line during today's mayor elections in Bhiwandi.

Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party writes to Election Commission to initiate action against Jevargi Congress MLA Ajay Singh alleging he was campaigning in Shivajinagar constituency today.

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear former RSS ideologue K N Govindacharya's plea seeking live streaming of Constitution bench hearing of a batch of pleas challenging abrogation of provisions of Article 370.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajya Sabha said: "What was statement given by one of the finance ministers when in 2012 price rise was high, "When urban middle class can buy a bottle of water for Rs 15 ,why do they make so much noise about price rise".

"These are the people accusing me of being elitist, this Government of being elitist. I condemn this approach," she added. 

The woman who was set ablaze in the Bihar area of Unnao earlier today is being taken to Lucknow airport from where she will be airlifted to Delhi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs Group of Ministers meeting; Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Narendra Singh Tomar and Cabinet Secretary Rajeev Gauba and Advisor to PM PK Sinha present.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said: "Congress will oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament."

The Air ambulance to airlift rape survivor has departed from Delhi to Lucknow. 

Indian rupee rebounds from day's low, settles 24 paise higher at 71.29 to USD

The An IndiGo NEO A320 aircraft was operating Mumbai-Bangalore this morning. During the flight, the pilot observed a caution message. Standard operating procedures were followed and aircraft returned to Mumbai as a precaution. Aircraft is currently under inspection in Mumbai.

As many as 4,000 passports were delivered in Jammu and Kashmir post-August 5, Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday told Rajya Sabha and appreciated India Post for its good service. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said: "CCTV will be installed in 5,500 DTC and cluster buses, 3 in each. 10 panic buttons and automatic vehicle location system will be set up in each bus. A command center will be set up for all buses. It'll be helpful in maintaining the security of women."

A special court in Delhi dismissed the interim bail plea of Former Bhushan Steel CMD Sanjay Singhal in a money laundering case. Court has sent him to the Judicial custody for 14 days in the case.

The Unnao rape survivor will reach Delhi today at 6:30 pm. She will be treated at Safdurjung Hospital. 

The security has tightened in Ayodhya ahead of the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary tomorrow.

Equity benchmark BSE Sensex dropped over 100 points in the afternoon session on Thursday after the Reserve Bank of India kept the key policy rate unchanged at 5.15 percent and decided to continue with its accommodative stance to support the economy.

4-yr-old child falls into a borewell in Sirohi. Bhagirath Chowdhary, SDM Shivganj says,"The child is stuck at 15 feet. Water and oxygen has been supplied to the child. A team of doctors are present at the spot; rescue operation underway, a team of SDRF on its way to the spot".

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 9 and will be taken up for passage the next day, official sources said on Thursday.

The bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there, will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha after being dealt with by the Lower House of Parliament.

Gold prices on Thursday rose Rs 15 to Rs 38,109 per 10 gram in futures trade as speculators widened their bets on spot demand, tracking a positive trend overseas. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold contracts for February delivery traded higher by Rs 15, or 0.04 per cent, at Rs 38,109 per 10 gram in a business turnover of 17,308 lots.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident in which a woman was set ablaze in Bihar area of Unnao, today. CM has said treatment of the victim will be carried out on government expenses and strict action will be taken against the accused.

The economic slowdown is a man-made catastrophe: Chidambaram attacks govt

Government is clueless and incapable of reversing the economic slowdown, P Chidambaram said in his first press conference after coming out on bail from Tihar jail.

"It is unprecedented that the RBI has lowered the GDP growth forecast in last seven-eight months," Chidambaram said.

Suspected explosive found near the Mother Dairy plant in Motihari in Bihar. Police present at the spot

Congress leader Former finance minister P Chidambaram addresses media day after release from Tihar jail.

• My record as Minister and my conscience are absolutely clear. Officers who have worked with me, business persons who have interacted with me and journalists who have observed me know that very well, says Chidambaram
• We will be lucky to end the year if growth touches 5%. Please remember Dr Arvind Subramanian’s caution that 5% under this government, because of suspect methodology, is not really 5% but less by about 1.5%, he added.
• Prime Minister has been unusually silent on the economy. He has left it to his ministers to indulge in bluff and bluster. The net result, as the Economist put it, is that the government has turned out to be an ‘incompetent manager’ of the economy, says Chidambaram.
• As I breathed air of freedom last night, my first prayers for people of Kashmir who have been denied basic freedom: Chidambaram

A fire broke out in the Jharkhand Assembly building here, Fire Brigade sources said on Thursday. The fire broke out on the third floor of the newly
constructed Assembly building on Wednesday night, the sources said, adding that the fire brigade personnel brought the blaze under control within two and half hours.

 A 25-year-old technician was found dead inside a private hospital here on Thursday, police said. Shamshaad, a resident of Delhi's Vinod Nagar, worked as an operation theatre technician at the Jaypee Hospital in Sector 128 of Noida, the police said.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till noon as the chairman disallowed the Opposition members, especially from the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, from raising issues not listed for Zero Hour.

After laying papers and parliamentary standing committee reports in the Upper House, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu announced setting up of an informal group to look into Internet pornography issues and prepare a report within a month.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the Unnao rape and murder case, main accused Shivam Trivedi is still absconding.

Supreme Court agrees to hear an application seeking direction to live stream, video/audio record or transcript of proceedings in batch of cases challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are living in their own 'imaginary world' and that is why the country is in such trouble, said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar waiting in front of locked gate 3 of West Bengal Assembly.

Why is the gate closed? Assembly adjourned does not mean Assembly is closed: Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.

I am here to see that Constitution is respected: Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar standing outside Assembly gate

SC agrees to hear next week plea of Kerala woman who was prevented from visiting Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.

 CJI Bobde said: September judgment was not the last word in Sabarimala.

A voter turnout of 6.33 per cent was recorded till 9 a.m. in the 15 Assembly seats in Karnataka in the first round of polling, the Election Commission said on Thursday.

Constituency-wise voting percentage at 9 a.m. was 8.33 in Athani, 6.94 in Kagwad, 6.11 in Gokak, 7.54 in Yellapur and 5.59 in Hirekeru.

In Ranibennur, the voting percentage was 6.22, 6.5 per cent in Vijayanagara, 6.91 per cent in Chikkaballapur, 6.15 per cent in K. R. Pura, 4.19 per cent in Yeshwantpura, 8.21 per cent in Mahalakshmi Layout and 3.04 per cent in Shivajinagar.

In Hosakote, 9.01 per cent voting was recorded, 6.2 per cent in Krishnarajapete and 6.18 per cent in Husunuru, the election commission said.

The second round of polling has been scheduled at 11 a.m., followed by round 3 at 1 p.m., round 4 at 3 p.m. and round 5 at 5 p.m.

Congress leader & Rajya Sabha MP, P. Chidambaram arrives at Parliament. P Chidambaram was granted bail by Supreme Court on Thursday in the INX Media money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate.

Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a money laundering case linked to the INX Media, arrived in Rajya Sabha today to attend the proceedings. 

Former Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram leave for Parliament. He was granted bail by Supreme Court on Wednesday in INX Media money laundering case. Chidambaram walked out of Tihar jail after spending 106 days in the prison.

The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 8.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning, with a thin layer of smog affecting visibility. The city had recorded a minimum of 7.9 degrees Celsius, the season's lowest, on Wednesday as cold winds continued to blow from hilly regions. On Thursday, the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 24 degrees Celsius. 

Ahead of the key monetary policy announcement by the Reserve Bank of India, the Indian equity indices opened on a positive note on Thursday.

Investors expect the sixth consecutive rate cut by the monetary policy committee in the announcement scheduled later in the day, and a cut in line with expectation will boost the markets, analysts said.

At 9.26 a.m, the BSE Sensex was trading at 40,939.26, higher by 88.97 points or 0.22 per cent from the previous close of 40,850.29 points.

It had opened at 40,988.14 and has so far touched an intra-day high of 41,002.41 and a low of 40,908.74.

The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange traded at 12,067.95, higher by 24.75 points or 0.21 per cent from its previous close.

Further, development on the US-China trade front would also impact the Indian equity market, analysts said.

Sensex up 84.17 points at 40,934.46 in early deals; Nifty edges 21.95 points higher at 12,065.15.

 At least 14 passengers were killed and 10 others seriously injured when their bus rammed into a stationary truck in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district on Thursday

Eighteen Indians on board a Hong Kong-flagged vessel were kidnapped by pirates near the Nigerian coast, said a global agency tracking maritime developments in the region.

Official sources said following the reports of kidnapping, the Indian mission in Nigeria has approached the African nation's authorities for help to ascertain the details and rescue those abducted. 

Sorces also said that Indian mission is in touch with Nigerian authorities.

Pearl Harbor military base in Hawaii on lockdown after reports of shooting

Voting for begins in 15 assembly seats of Karnataka after they fell vacant due to disqualification of 17 Congress and JD(S) rebel MLAs.

A man was seen thrashing a woman with a stick. ACP Gurugram says, "It happened in Pataudi Road area. We registered a case & arrested the accused, Gajendra. We'll take strict action against him. They had a property dispute. The investigation is on" 

With the arrest of three persons, police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a fake currency racket in Mehmoodnagar locality here and seized fake Indian counterfeit notes of Rs 59,000 face value.

The fake currency notes were in the domination of Rs 2000, 500 and 100, senior superintendent of police Abhishekh Yadav said. Acting on a tip-off, police raided the house in the Mehmoodnagar area and arrested the accused and also seized a printer-scanner along with fake currency notes. The accused were identified as Gulfam, Salman and Sarik.

Two persons were killed on Wednesday in an indiscriminate firing by an unidentified person during a marriage function at Doraha, about 20 km here, police said. A guest identified as Balwant Singh died on the spot while his nephew Gurpreet Singh succumbed to injuries in a local hospital, they further said.
Some unidentified persons engaged into a verbal spat over some issue during the function, following which one of them opened fire, police said. A noted Punjabi singer Babbu Maan was also performing at the wedding ceremony, they further said, adding he escaped unhurt. Police said investigations were underway.

Amid the onion prices soaring to Rs 120 a kg in open markets of the state, the Odisha government on Wednesday sought to provide succour to people, saying the cost of the pungent vegetable bulb is likely to decline by January first week after production of new crop.

While the onion price in open market was around Rs 90 a kilogram on Tuesday, it registered an overnight jump by Rs 30 in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Businessman Gulshan Vasudeva, his wife and business partner received several injuries and died of shock and haemorrhage, according to the postmortem report released on Wednesday. While his two children died of slit injuries, the report said.

Vasudeva (45), his wife Praveen and business partner Sanjana jumped to their death in the early hours of Tuesday from the eighth floor of their apartment block in Krishna Apra society in Indirapuram on the outskirts of Delhi.

The Pune Police on Wednesday handed over `cloned copies' of the electronic evidence seized during the investigation to the accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

Hard disks containing cloned copies were given to the lawyers of all nine accused -- Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferriera, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao -- in the court of additional sessions judge S R Navander.

The Odisha government on Wednesday suspended a doctor for allegedly administering wrong medicine to a one-year-old child suffering from Diarrhoea, official sources said. The suspended doctor was identified as Biju Agrawal of the Paediatric Department of the Patnagarh Sub-Divisional Hospital in Bolabgir district.

The government action came after Health Secretary P K Mehera found the discrepancy in the doctor's prescription of medicines for the child during his recent visit to the hospital.