Breaking News, December 18 | HIGHLIGHTS

Heavily-armed militants attacked a newly-constructed police station in Pakistan's troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province early Sunday morning, leaving four policemen dead and as many injured, officials said. The Burgai police station in Lakki Marwat bordering the South Waziristan tribal district was attacked by militants carrying lethal weapons, including hand grenades and rocket launchers, they said.

India has jumped to the third position in the global ranking in scientific publications, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday after a review of the functioning of the ministry.

North Korea test-fired a pair of ballistic missiles with a potential range of striking Japan on Sunday, in a possible protest of Tokyo's adoption of a new security strategy to push for more offensive footing against North Korea and China. The launches came two days after the North claimed to have performed a key test needed to build a more mobile, powerful intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the U.S. mainland.

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday greeted her Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog on the occasion of Jewish festival Hanukkah. "We wish that the holiday of Hanukkah will bring with it hope, light, and a positive spirit, to all who celebrate the holiday of lights. Happy Hanukkah, Honorable President," Murmu said in a tweet in Hebrew, tagging Herzog.

A 40-year-old man was shot dead by his neighbours over enmity in a village here, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Saturday night in Tarwan area's Baghra village, they said.

 A man has been arrested in Latur in Maharashtra for allegedly sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl, a police official said on Sunday. The incident took place on December 14 in Udgir, the official added.

Twelve girl students of a residential school in Rajasthan's Sirohi district were taken ill after consuming contaminated khichdi, officials said on Sunday.

Delhi's air quality was recorded in the "very poor" category on Sunday and the minimum temperature settled at 6.2 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average.

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly killed by her stepfather at their house here on Sunday for reportedly continuously talking over phone, police said. When the girl was talking over phone by her stepfather, he forcefully took her phone away and beat her, the police said based on the complaint from her elder sister.

The body of a 45-year-old farmer was found in his farmland in Surla village here on Sunday, police said.

Former Maharashtra chief minister and MLC Uddhav Thackeray will attend the winter session of the state legislature beginning here on Monday, opposition leader Ajit Pawar said.

A book on Malegaon blast accused Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit was launched here on Sunday amid protests from some groups who claimed it was inappropriate to hold such an event when the trial in the case was underway. The launch of 'Lt Colonel Purohit - The Man Betrayed' written by Smita Mishra took place in SP College in the presence of retired Indian Police Service officer Jayant Umranikar, with the programme being hosted by defence expert and television personality Major Gaurav Arya (retired).

A 25-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by jumping off a high-rise in Andheri West in Mumbai, a police official said on Sunday. The incident took place late Saturday night in the limits of DN Nagar police station, he added.

A man was allegedly beaten to death by his relatives over an old enmity in Baran district, police said on Sunday. The incident happened in Chardiya village under Anta police station area on Saturday evening, they said. The deceased has been identified as Mohammed Akthar alias Akthar Mirza, they said.

Worli Unit of Mumbai Police's Anti Narcotics Cells arrested a Nigerian drug peddler from Mazgaon area and seized MD and methamphetamine drugs, worth Rs 35.30 lakhs in the international market from his possession. A case has also been registered under the NDPS Act.

2 drug cartels were busted & 6 drug peddlers were arrested in a series of ops conducted in the Nand Nagri area of North East Delhi. A huge quantity of narcotics, including 1307 grams of heroin, worth Rs 1.5 Cr in the international market was also seized.

The number of deaths in Bihar hooch tragedy have increased to 72. 

Station House Officer of Isuapur, Saran district, Sanjay Ram, security guard Hari Rai, officer Krisha Singh and security guard of Ramnath Manjhi of Saran’s Masrakh police station have been suspended over Saran Hooch Tragedy in Bihar. The probe is currently underway and more officers are under the lens.

IPS officer Rajwinder Singh Bhatti has been appointed as the new DGP of Bihar. He was serving as the ADG of Border Security Force (BSF) Eastern Command.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the golden jubilee celebrations of the North Eastern Council, in Shillong, Meghalaya today. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of the northeastern states and others also participated in the celebrations.

Eight people were arrested for raping a minor girl in Palgahr. A case was also registered under various sections of the IPC and POCSO Act at Satpati Police Station in Palghar.

12 parts of the body of a 22-yr-old woman belonging to a primitive tribal community found in Sahibganj. Some parts of the body are still missing & search for them is underway. The woman's husband, who is suspected to be the culprit, has been detained by police.

13 people were injured in a collision b/w a bus and a truck on National Highway in Varanasi. The injured people have been admitted to BHU Trauma Centre. The bus was coming to Varanasi from Gaya in Bihar and the incident happened after the driver reportedly fell asleep.

Amid the raging border dispute with neighbouring Maharashtra and around five months to go for assembly elections in Karnataka, the winter session of the state legislature will begin at 'Suvarna Vidhana Soudha' in Belagavi on Monday.

Four men were killed and two others injured after they were hit by a speeding dumper truck in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Sunday. The accident took place in Chandangaon area close to Chhindwara city late Saturday night, they said, adding that the condition of one of the injured persons was critical.

History sheeter Akhtar Mirza was shot dead over alleged ongoing illegal mining dispute in Mirzapur, Baran district.

UP Govt has signed MoU with Austin University for a US$ 42 Bn project-Austin Smart City of Knowledge. UP Min Suresh Khanna, ex-min Sidharth Nath Singh, Addl Chief Secy, Infrastructure & Industrial Development Arvind Kumar & others were present on the occasion.

A man was taken into custody for allegedly molesting a minor girl in Kerekadu village of Mulki in Mangaluru. A case has been registered under POCSO act.

A Pakistani drone was seen inside the Indian territory, at a height of 250 metres, at the Chandu Wadala post of BSF in Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district. The drone went back to the Pakistani side after the jawans fired at it. Search in the nearby areas is underway.

North Korea has fired an 'unidentified ballistic missile' days after Pyongyang announced a successful test of a solid-fuel motor for a new weapon system, said Seoul's military in its statement.

Three people died in a collision between two buses on Greater Noida Expressway under Knowledge Park. Police personnel are present at the spot.

The administration of Lucknow University has issued a circular prohibitting the movement of students to and from its hostel after 10 pm.

PM Modi will visit Meghalaya and Tripura today and unveil projects worth over Rs. 6,800 crore. The projects encompass a wide array of sectors including agriculture, housing, road, telecom, IT, tourism and hospitality.

Outside a funeral home in eastern Beijing, dozens of people were bundled up in parkas and hats against the freezing temperatures Friday evening as workers in full protective suits wheeled out coffins one by one. When an employee with a clipboard shouted the name of the dead, a relative trundled up to the coffin to examine the body. One of the relatives told The Associated Press their loved one had been infected with COVID-19. Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting no fatalities, even as the country is seeing a surge of cases. That surge comes as the government last week dramatically eased some of the world's strictest COVID-19 containment measures. On Wednesday, the government said it would stop reporting asymptomatic COVID-19 cases since they've become impossible to track with mass testing no longer required.

An Indian-American entrepreneur and her dog perished in a fire which broke out at her Dix Hills cottage home in Long Island, New York on December 14, officials said. According to police, they responded to the blaze at 2:53 am on December 14 inside the cottage in Dix Hills. Two police officers and a sergeant attempted to save Tanya Bathija (32), but the flames were too strong. The victim died in the incident before local fire departments were able to fully extinguish the blaze. The policemen were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment after inhaling smoke, they said on Saturday.