News updates: All govt programs on Fri cancelled, 7-day mourning in honour of Dr Manmohan Singh

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

12:11 PM

Chhattisgarh cancels cop recruitment in Rajnandgaon; SIT to probe fraud charges

The Chhattisgarh government has cancelled the process of recruitment of police constables in Rajnandgaon district amid allegations of irregularities and set up an SIT for a probe into it, an official said. State Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds the home portfolio, gave an order to this effect on Wednesday afternoon, he said.

 

12:00 PM

News update: Airtel faces outage; users say mobile, internet services down

11:58 AM

Chhattisgarh cancels cop recruitment in Rajnandgaon; SIT to probe fraud charges

The Chhattisgarh government has cancelled the process of recruitment of police constables in Rajnandgaon district amid allegations of irregularities and set up an SIT for a probe into it, an official said. State Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds the home portfolio, gave an order to this effect on Wednesday afternoon, he said. "Irregularities came to light in the ongoing recruitment process in the 8th battalion of Rajnandgaon and a case was registered in this connection at Lal Bagh police station on December 17," the official said.

11:42 AM

Services affected; 18 trains running late due to low visibility: Railways

Rail services in north India have been adversely hit by low visibility in the region, with over 18 trains running late as of Friday morning. Among the affected trains, the Avadh Assam Express, which was scheduled to arrive at 07:07, is running 278 minutes late, while the Unchahar Express is delayed by 229 minutes. Similarly, the Vikramshila Express, expected to arrive at 07:20, is running 65 minutes behind schedule. In the Northern Railway region, as many as 18 trains are running late due to dense fog and low visibility.

11:33 AM

Housing sales volume falls 4% in 2024 in 7 cities; value up 16%: Anarock

Housing sales are estimated to fall 4 per cent this year in seven major cities to nearly 4.6 lakh units on lower launches, while sales in value terms are up 16 per cent to Rs 5.68 trillion, according to Anarock. Average housing prices grew 21 per cent this year across the seven major cities on rising rates of land, labour and some building raw materials.

11:23 AM

Jal Shakti ministry eyes 2025 to complete tap water connections in rural India

The Jal Shakti ministry has set its sights on 2025 to achieve the ambitious targets of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) after falling short of the 2024 deadline to provide tap water connections to all rural households. The ministry also aims to ensure universal Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus status for villages while advancing ecological restoration under the Namami Gange Programme.

11:00 AM

China gives nod to construction of world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet

China has approved the construction of what will be the world's largest hydropower dam, kicking off an ambitious project on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau that could affect millions downstream in India and Bangladesh.

10:51 AM

Navi Mumbai sees 654 drug cases in 2024 compared to 475 last year; 939 persons held

Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township has seen a rise in drug related crimes with 654 such cases being registered this year compared to 475 in 2023, a senior police official said on Thursday. Among those arrested, 58 were foreign nationals, predominantly Africans, marking a rise from 37 in 2023, the official said. The total value of contraband seized in these cases was Rs 33.27 crore against Rs 22.97 crore last year.

 

10:35 AM

Afghanistan summons Pakistani envoy over Barmal airstrikes

After the airstrikes in Afghanistan's Barmal district of Paktika province, which left 46 dead and six injured, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan on Wednesday summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul to deliver a strong protest note regarding the airstrikes conducted by Pakistani military jet in the Barmal district of Paktika province near the theoretical Durand Line," spokesperson of Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Hafiz Zia Ahmad stated.

10:22 AM

Director MT Vasudevan Nair passes away; Mammootty, Mohan Lal pay tributes

Major figures from the Malayalam film industry including Mammootty, Mohan Lal and Manju Warrier paid their final respects to legendary M T Vasudevan Nair, who died on December 25. Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as MT, was a towering figure in Indian literature and cinema.

10:00 AM

Before Delhi polls, AAP will split into factions: BJP leader Gaurav Vallabh

Following notices issued by senior Delhi government officials disowning the ruling AAP's registration process for two of its schemes in the national capital,   BJP leader Gaurav Vallabh hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal saying that nowadays Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is not listening to him. "These days CM Atishi is not listening to Arvind Kejriwal. On one hand, Kejriwal is announcing welfare schemes but on other side, Atishi is saying there are no such welfare scheme. I think there is a split in the party. One faction is with Arvind Kejriwal and the other faction is with Chief Minister Atishi... One faction is with Sanjay Singh while Punjab faction is with Punjab CM. So I think that before the Delhi elections, there is going to be a split in the Aam Aadmi Party," Gaurav Vallabh said.

9:50 AM

Opposition demands apology from Union Minister Amit Shah: SP MP Dharmendra Yadav

Amid the row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on BR Ambedkar, SP MP Dharmendra Yadav demanded an apology and said that the "insult" won't be tolerated. "Currently, the biggest issue in the nation is the disrespect of Babasaheb Ambedkar by the Union HM Amit Shah. The opposition demands an apology from the Union HM. The insult of Babasaheb Ambedkar will never be tolerated," Yadav said.

9:46 AM

Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor' amid cold wave

Delhi's air pollution levels stayed in the 'very poor' category despite showing a declining trend. On Thursday (December 26), the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 341 at 8 am. Read here for more details.

9:44 AM

Bihar Police deny any 'injury' to BPSC aspirants protesting in Patna

After Bihar Police resorted to "lathi-charge" on Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) aspirants who gathered to "gherao" the commission's office in Patna, demanding the cancellation of the examination on Wednesday, police department authorities issued a clarification, claiming that they used "mild force" and denied any injuries to the protesting aspirants.

9:41 AM

Srinagar freezes at -7.3°C, dense fog blankets Delhi

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 7.3 degrees Celsius, with similar conditions expected today. Minimum temperatures remained below zero degrees Celsius across many parts of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. In the National Capital Region (NCR), cold wave and fog conditions persisted, with the minimum temperature dropping to 8.4 degrees Celsius.