Breaking News, December 17

An 'All India Muslim Mahapanchayat', which was scheduled to be held at the Ramlila ground here on Monday, has been "deferred" as the Delhi Police did not receive "written assurance" from the organisers about safe and smooth conduct of the event, an official said. On December 1, the city police told the Delhi High Court that they have granted permission to Mission Save Constitution, an organisation that claims to be working for protection of citizen rights, to hold the event at the Ramlila ground on December 18 with subject to certain conditions for safe and smooth conduct of the event.

A massive fire broke out inside a flat in Mumbai's Kurla area today (December 17). The fire broke out on 5th floor of the building on Sunday night. 

(With inputs from Suraj Ojha) 

Doctors at a leading Army hospital here have successfully conducted a "high-risk" bone marrow transplant, giving a new lease of life to a seven-year-old child diagnosed with a "rare disorder". The procedure was recently performed at Army Hospital (Research & Referral) , the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Sunday, and termed it an "extraordinary medical achievement". The hospital authorities have claimed that this procedure was the "first such transplant for this immunodeficiency in India". Doctors in the department of hematology and stem cell transplantation at the hospital have "successfully conducted a life-saving bone marrow transplant (commonly known as BMT) for a child diagnosed with a rare primary immunodeficiency disorder," it said.

A fire broke out during the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, an annual Indian classical music festival, here on Sunday and it was put out quickly, said fire officials.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday described anti-national narratives as a Covid virus and said they have to be neutralised. He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural function of 8th three-day international seminar on 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam: Shrimad Bhagwadgita & Global Unity' organised by Kurukshetra University and Kurukshetra Development Board. The event was organised in Kurukshetra as part of the ongoing International Gita Festival there.

A woman and her two children were charred to death when a fire broke out in a slum of migrant labourers in Una district of Himachal Pradesh, police said on Sunday. The incident took place in Kailua village in the Haroli area on Saturday night. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Sumitra Devi (25), her nine-month-old son Ankit and five-year-old daughter Naina, all hailing from Uttar Pradesh, were burnt alive, police said.

An 11-year-old boy was allegedly sodomised by his tuition teacher here, police said on Sunday. The incident took place on Saturday when the child went to take tuition from accused Dev Kumar, ASP (City) Abhimanyu Manglik said. An FIR in this regard was registered by the boy's father under relevant sections of the IPC and POCSO act, he said. The accused has been arrested, he said, adding that a detailed probe is on in the matter.

A 35-year-old woman sustained serious injuries after she was allegedly thrashed by her neighbours for allegedly urinating near their house here, police said on Sunday. The neighbours allegedly hit the woman on her private parts using an iron rod due to which she fainted, they said. The incident took place in a village in Ram Chandra Mission police station area after the victim allegedly urinated in a drain near her house, and had a dispute over it with her neighbours, Circle Officer BS Veer Kumar said.

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of 11 people allegedly involved in cases of obtaining passports by furnishing false and forged documents, Raj Niwas officials said on Sunday. With this, the LG has granted prosecution sanction against 69 people whose names have figured in 46 FIRs under the Passports Act, 1967 that have been sent to him since April this year, they added. The sanction for prosecution was sought by the home department under Section 15 of the Passports Act for the offences enlisted in Section 12 of the act for obtaining passports and travel documents like visa etc. on the basis of false, fabricated and forged documents, an official said. The LG expressed concern that the agents who are co-accused and more often than not kingpins of rackets take innocent people for a ride yet remain untraced, the official said. The LG was informed that eight agents involved in six cases of forged documents have not been traced as yet, the official said.

The winter session of Jharkhand Assembly, which will recommence on Monday, is likely to be stormy with the BJP-led opposition deciding to attack the state government over various issues, including ED summons to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and seizure of over Rs 350 crore from premises linked to a Congress MP, a senior BJP leader said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived for a two-day visit in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Sunday to launch 37 projects worth over Rs 19,000 crore for the development of the region. After his arrival in Varanasi, the cavalcade of the prime minister was showered with flower petals by people as it left the airport. On the first day of his visit to Varanasi, Modi will launch the second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam in the evening at the Namo Ghat. At the event, he will flag off the Kashi Tamil Sangamam Express, which is to ply between Kanyakumari and Varanasi.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday expressed concerns over the security breach at the new Parliament building in New Delhi and said it was quite a serious matter.

A court in Odisha's Kandhamal district sentenced a man to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a school girl. Fast track court, Judge, Anita Sahu on Saturday convicted Nagarjun Bisoi (27) of Bisipada village for raping the girl and sentenced him to 20 years rigorous imprisonment after examining 13 witnesses, medical and scientific reports. The court has also imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on Bisoi, said special public prosecutor Banamali Behera.

A Delhi court has dismissed former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain's plea seeking a stay on proceedings in a money laundering case against him till charges are framed in another case related to alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat against India in the opening ODI of the three-match series here on Sunday.

 The top two US military leaders are travelling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war.

A tragic incident unfolded in Maharashtra's Nagpur district as a blast occurred at an explosives manufacturing company, resulting in the loss of five lives, according to the local police. The explosion, which took place at the manufacturing facility, has prompted an urgent response from authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Tamil Nadu: Ayyappa devotees thronged to Courtallam waterfalls in Tenkasi, as the water level in waterfalls increases.

In a momentous event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the state-of-the-art terminal building at Surat Airport in Gujarat. The unveiling ceremony marked a significant milestone for the region, showcasing advancements in aviation infrastructure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the first time, reacted to the incident of security breach in Parliament on December 13. While speaking to a daily (Dainik Jagran), PM Modi said it was a sad incident. He asserted instead of arguing or protesting on accident, it is necessary to go deeper into it.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his two-day visit to Varanasi and described him as the "architect of new India". Adityanath posted on X, "Hearty welcome and greetings from the 25 crore people of the state to the 'architect' of new India, respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji!" In the same message, Yogi said, "During his two-day stay in the holy city of Baba Shri Vishwanath, the Prime Minister is inaugurating the second edition of 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam' which is deepening the spirit of 'Ek Bharat-Shrestha Bharat'. He said the PM, apart from launching the 'Kanyakumari-Varanasi Tamil Sangam Train', will also gift many projects for the all-round development of Varanasi and surrounding areas.

A man was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Saturday for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a community by sharing a sensitive video on a social media platform, a police officer said. The accused has been identified as Mohammad Yasir of Samna Mal of Kotranka, the officer said. He shot a video and posted it on a social media platform hurting the religious sentiments of a community, he said and added that the video had the potential to disturb peace.

At least three people died and another 3 got injured after a dumper truck rammed into a dhaba in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday night. The incident took place in Manikpur Mode under the Ikdil police station area.

An advocate - Om Prakash Solanki - filed a PIL in the Rajasthan High Court on Saturday challenging the "swearing-in" of Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa as deputy chief ministers. He claimed that the Constitution does not recognise the deputy CM post.