Catch all the latest news and updates here.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)
Police arrested three persons in connection with the murder of a woman after she resisted a rape attempt in Moradabad, ANI reported.
"The accused have accepted their crime and revealed that the lady was specially-abled," said Ankit Mittal, SP Moradabad.
(Source: ANI)
Islamic State claimed attack on Libyan Foreign Ministry that took place on Tuesday, 25 December. Suicide attackers stormed the Libyan foreign ministry in the capital Tripoli killing at least three people including a senior civil servant in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.
Twenty-one other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.
A car bomb exploded near the ministry, prompting security forces to rush to the scene, said special forces spokesman Tarak al-Dawass.
(Source: PTI)
Protests erupted Tuesday, 25 December, in Tunisia after the death of a journalist who set himself on fire to protest economic problems in the North African nation, prompting clashes with police and nationwide concern.
Journalist Abderrazak Zorgui posted a video online before his self-immolation in the struggling provincial city of Kasserine describing his desperation and calling for revolt. He expressed frustration at unemployment and the unfulfilled promises of Tunisia's 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Authorities said Zorgui died of his injuries Monday, 24 December, soon after being taken to the hospital.
(Source: PTI)
An 8-year-old boy from Guatemala died in government custody in New Mexico early Tuesday, 25 December, US immigration authorities said, marking the second death of an immigrant child in detention this month.
The death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with a partial government shutdown underway over President Donald Trump's request for border wall funding.
(Source: PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not expected to make any foreign visits in the first four months of 2019 in order to focus on local issues ahead of the general elections.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
Sensex dropped by 287 points and opened at 35,183.02 on Wednesday.
(Source: ANI)
Three people were seriously injured in Muzaffarnagar district when their car caught fire after the gas cylinder exploded, police said Wednesday.
The incident happened Tuesday, 25 December, evening in Khalapur area under Khotwali police station limits.
The injured have been admitted to a hospital and their condition is stated to be serious, police said. They were visiting the area for a wedding.
(Source: PTI)
At least eight people have been injured in a violent clash between two groups over a long-pending land dispute in Muzaffarnagar district, police said Wednesday.
The people involved in the clash used batons after an argument over the authority of a plot of vacant land turned violent last evening in Ekta Vihar area, they said.
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
An investigation is under way.
(Source: PTI)
Japan said Wednesday it is withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission and will resume commercial whaling next year, in a move expected to spark international criticism.
The announcement had been widely expected and comes after Japan failed in a bid earlier this year to convince the IWC to allow it to resume commercial whaling.
(Source: PTI)
The rupee gained 19 paise against the US dollar Wednesday to trade at 69.95 after increased selling of the US currency by exporters and banks.
At the Interbank Foreign Exchange, the rupee opened on a strong note at 69.79 a dollar against the previous close of 70.14. Further, the domestic unit surrendered early gains to quote at 69.95, showing a gain of 19 paise.
(Source: PTI)
Security forces on Wednesday busted a militant hideout in a forest area close to Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo's village, during a cordon and search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.
The hideout is close to Beighpora village, the ancestral village of Naikoo, who is at the top of security forces wanted list in south Kashmir.
Security forces on Wednesday launched a cordon and search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.
(Source: IANS)
An Indian Army soldier has shot to death following a verbal spat by his colleague in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, police said.
"Havaldar Rajesh was fired upon by his colleague inside an army camp in Bhaderwah area late on Tuesday. The injured was shifted to a hospital, where he succumbed," a police officer said.
(Source: IANS)
It was a bitter cold morning in the national capital on Wednesday as the mercury dipped to 3.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average -- the lowest so far this season, the Met said.
(Source: IANS)
Golfer Jyoti Randhawa was arrested on poaching charges in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich. A .22 rifle was also recovered.
(Source: ANI)
NIA, on Wednesday, conducted searches at 16 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with a new ISIS module styled as 'Harkat ul Harb e Islam.' Till now 10 people for alleged involvement with ISIS inspired terror module, confirmed officials.
(Source: PTI)
Two rights activists were taken away Wednesday after protesting outside the tightly-guarded courthouse where the trial of a prominent human rights lawyer is set to begin, witnesses saw.
Wang Quanzhang, 42, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in a 2015 sweep aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities known as the "709" crackdown.
Charged in January 2016 with alleged "subversion of state power", Wang had been in legal limbo - detained without a trial date - until Monday, when his government-appointed lawyer finally contacted his wife with his court date.
(Source: PTI)
United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU) on Wednesday, protested against the proposed merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda in Bhopal.
(Source: ANI)
A police officer has been arrested in Tripura for his alleged involvement in drug smuggling, police said.
Cash amounting to Rs 10.01 lakh was recovered from the house of the Assistant Sub-Inspector(Special Branch) Sushil Debbarma during a police raid on Tuesday.
A suo-motu case had been registered at West Agartala police station here on June 27 as part of a drive against the menace of drug and ganja.
(Source: PTI)
Enforcement Directorate issued a Look Out Circular against Manoj Arora. He is a suspect in arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari I-T case.
(Source: ANI)
Police recovered-one AK-47, four magazines and arrested three people during a raid conducted in Bihar’s Munger.
(Source: ANI)
Ten people have been killed in a bus accident at one of Tehran's largest universities, Iran's conservative news agency Tasnim reported Wednesday.
The bus was carrying 30 students along a mountainous road within the science research campus of Islamic Azad University in northwestern Tehran when it came off the road and hit a concrete column on Tuesday.
Seven were killed instantly, state TV said, while an updated death toll of 10 was reported by Tasnim the day after the crash.
(Source: PTI)
Three students were killed in a Beijing university Wednesday in a laboratory blast, the city's fire department said.
"There was an explosion at the experimental site during a scientific research experiment" on wastewater treatment in the Environmental Engineering Laboratory, the Beijing Fire Department said in a statement posted on its social media account.
(Source: PTI)
Two persons were killed and three others injured in a firecracker explosion at a house in Gunauli Dharupur village Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki, police said Wednesday.
The explosion occurred in the house of one Mohd. Hashim when firecrackers were being manufactured on Tuesday, 25 December.
The explosion left two persons dead. They were identified as 15-year-old Sarju and 28-year-old Mohd Vaish.
(Source: PTI)
An Uzbek woman was arrested in Sonauli town near the border in Uttar Pradesh when she was allegedly trying to cross over to Nepal without valid documents, an official said Wednesday.
Dilafruz Norova, 32, who was on her way to Nepal from Delhi, was arrested by the immigration department after officials found she did not have proper visa documents, Sonauli check-post officer Sakieel Ahmed Ansari said.
A case has been registered and the Intelligence Bureau has been informed, he said.
(Source: PTI)
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday hit Sicily around Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna, injuring at least two people, Italian media reported.
The earthquake struck at 3.19 a.m. near Viagrande, the BBC reported.
(Source: IANS)
Iran, on Wednesday, held talks with Afghan Taliban, confirmed an official .
(Source: AFP)
Despite decline in crude oil prices the Sensex on Wednesday afternoon dropped 100 points over concerns of a slowdown in global growth and a partial shutdown of the US government.
All sectors, except consumer durables and capital goods, traded in red. Heavy selling pressure was seen in finance, banking and IT stocks.
(Source: IANS)
Noted sitar player Manju Mehta has been conferred with the 'Tansen Samman' for 2018 by the Madhya Pradesh government for her contribution in the field of music.
Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar presented the award to Mehta, 74, at the inaugural ceremony of the Tansen Music Festival in Gwalior on Tuesday.
She was given a cash award of Rs 2 lakh and a memento.
(Source: PTI)
Delhi Police Crime Branch busted a fake education board racket and arrested 3 people including the alleged mastermind Altaf Raja.
(Source: ANI)
India challenged the WTO dispute panel's ruling that the country's move to impose safeguard duty on some iron and steel products was inconsistent with certain global trade norms, an official said.
The appellate body and the panel are part of the World Trade organisation's (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism. It is a 164-member multilateral body which make rules related to global exports and imports.
(Source: PTI)
The air quality of the national capital was recorded in the 'very poor' category as slightly improved meteorological conditions marginally favoured dispersion of pollutants, authorities said.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed the overall air quality index (AQI) at 'very poor' level of 396, while the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) showed an AQI of 369 which too falls in the 'very poor' category.
The overall PM2.5 level — fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometer — was recorded at 249 and the PM10 level at 378, the CPCB said.
(Source: PTI)
Grenade, iron sockets etc were recovered from Amethi’s third year civil engineering student’s Jafradbad residence. The bomb manufacturing equipment were exactly similar to one used by Abdul Karim Tunda, said sources.
(Source: News18.com)
A 24-year-old worker was charred to death and another injured after a fire broke out at a helmet manufacturing factory in northwest Delhi's Swaroop Nagar, police said Wednesday.
The deceased has been identified as Devender, a native of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, they said, adding, the incident took place on Tuesday.
(Source: PTI)
An Afghan official says a suicide bomber disguised as a beggar has killed six people in a wealthy subdivision of the southern city of Kandahar.
Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member, says the attack on Tuesday happened a block away from his home and appeared to have targeted a group of Pakistanis from that country's Baluchistan region.
(Source: PTI)
A sessions court judge was allegedly assaulted by an assistant prosecutor in a court premises in Maharashtra today, a police official said.
The incident took place around noon outside a lift on the seventh floor of the district sessions court, he said.
Senior civil judge KR Deshpande alleged that assistant public prosecutor DM Parate slapped him outside the courtroom, Sadar police station in-charge Sunil Bonde told reporters, quoting the judge's complaint.
(Source: PTI)
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Pannerselvam's brother, who was sacked last week, was re-inducted into the AIADMK following the "forget and forgive" policy, the ruling party said today.
However, this would not apply to deposed party leaders VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran and they would never be re-inducted, senior AIADMK leader and state Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters.
(Source: PTI)
Pakistani national, Imran Qureshi Warsi, who was lodged in a Bhopal jail for 10 years (for forging documents and spying) returns to Pakistan from the Attari-Wagah border.
(Source: ANI)
A businessman was arrested in Hyderabad after he allegedly opened fire with his licensed revolver following an argument with his neighbour over a property dispute, police said today.
Inspector Ramesh Kotwal said Sadiq Bin Mahfooz fired two rounds in the air on Tuesday evening after an argument over the issue. He was arrested and the weapon seized from him, the Inspector added.
(Source: PTI)
Rebel SP leader Shivpal Yadav, who recently floated the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), has said he was willing to join hands with the Congress to defeat the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
To a question on the possibility of coalitions for the next year's Lok Sabha polls, he said, "We have our party's organisation in 75 districts of the state...the party has decided to contest all the seats against the BJP...to defeat the BJP, we can also enter into an alliance with the Congress."
(Source: PTI)
A 14-year-old rape victim has approached the Bombay High Court seeking permission to terminate her 22-week pregnancy. A vacation bench of Justice Bharati Dangre directed the victim to be medically examined by a team of expert doctors at the state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai.
"The team should examine her (victim) and submit a detailed report on whether it is feasible and advisable to terminate the pregnancy of the victim," the court said. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy can be done only after seeking nod from the high court.
(Source: PTI)
In the wake of two recent bus accidents in which eight students were killed and several others injured, the Gujarat government banned school picnic buses from plying during night hours. The decision was taken at the state Cabinet meeting held in Gandhinagar, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said after the meeting.
(Source: PTI)
Pakistan's former lawmaker Syed Ali Raza Abidi was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside his home in Karachi, the latest in a series of attacks targeting political leaders in the southern port city.
Two armed men on a motorbike opened fire on the former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker's car outside his house in Khayaban-e-Ghazi neighbourhood in Karachi on Tuesday night, Dawn newspaper reported.
(Source: PTI)
Three teenagers of a family from Nalgonda district of Telangana died in a fire accident at Collierville in Tennessee in the US, relatives said today.
According to them, the siblings- Sathwika Naik (16), Suhan Naik (15) and Jaya Suchith (14), were studying there and attended a Christmas party at a local resident's house which caught fire on 24 December.
(Source: PTI)
Dindoshi sessions court will give the order on the anticipatory bail application of actor Alok Nath on 28 December.
(Source: ANI)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that large quantities of explosive material, weapons and ammunition including a country made rocket launcher have been recovered so far, during searches conducted in Delhi’s Seelampur and UP’s Amroha, Hapur, Meerut and Lucknow. The NIA claimed that it has conducted searches at 17 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with a new ISIS module styled as 'Harkat ul Harb e Islam' which was in an advance stage of carrying out a series of blasts.
Their targets were political persons, other important personalities and vital security installations.
Read more here.
(Source: ANI)
At a time when the opposition has alleged that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is more focused on cows than human lives, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the officials concerned to make immediate arrangements for proper care of stray cows. He has also ordered clearing of grazing grounds in different parts of the state from encroachments.
In a meeting with senior officials, the chief minister told them to set up a committee to consider measures for providing better shelter facilities for stray cows and directed Chief Secretary Anup Chanda Pandey to present recommendations in this regard in a week.
(Source: PTI)
Five workers were injured in an explosion at the plant site of Maithan Ispat Limited in Jajpur today. Four workers have been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
(Source: ANI)
In another major administrative reshuffle in four days, the newly-elected Congress government in Chhattisgarh has assigned new postings to 16 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including superintendents of police of 11 districts.
The latest order for transfer and postings of 16 IPS officers was issued late Tuesday night by the state Home department, an official said.
(Source: PTI)
BJP president Amit Shah appoints party in-charges for 17 states for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
(Source: PTI)
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of making false claims of providing crop insurance to farmers in West Bengal, and said the state has paid 80 percent of the insurance payout.
(Source: PTI)
The Jharkhand Assembly passed the Rs 1,117 crore supplementary budget today.
After the supplementary budget was passed, the Speaker Dinesh Oraon adjourned the House till Thursday.
(Source: PTI)
With the search operation launched by the Coast Guard to trace the missing trawler 'Suvarna Tribhuja' off Karnataka and Goa waters yielding little success, the maritime agency is now looking at uninhabited areas along the coasts of these two states, a senior official said.
The ship, carrying seven crew members, belonged to one Nityanand Kotian. The last contact established with the ship was on December 16, the official said.
(Source: PTI)
Afghanistan's presidential election, initially scheduled for April, will be postponed for several months to allow time to fix technical problems that surfaced during October's parliamentary elections, officials said today.
(Source: PTI)
Two persons were killed in a road accident in central Assam's Nagaon district, police said today.
(Source: PTI)
Two people holding replica guns sparked a panic at Paris' main Charles de Gaulle airport today before they were quickly arrested, sources close to the investigation said. Passengers were evacuated from Terminal 2 for around 45 minutes after the incident.
(Source: PTI)
BSP President Mayawati today denounced the Noida administration's "improper and arbitrary" order on Friday namaaz, saying such a policy, if any, should be implemented in all districts and on people from all religions.
(Source: PTI)
Parents of a week-old twin girl who died four days after a blaze ravaged state-run ESIC hospital in Mumbai last week alleged that the authorities slashed the Rs 10 lakh compensation payable to them to Rs 2 lakh, saying "the premature baby was anyway going to die naturally".
(Source: PTI)
Seven people have been booked for the killing of a JD(S) worker, that has led to a big political row after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's call to "shoot" the killers "mercilessly."
(Source: PTI)
A 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir today but there were no reports of damages, officials said.
(Source: PTI)
Two 5.56 MM live round cartridges has been recovered from a passenger at Delhi’s airport. The matter is currently under investigation.
(Source: ANI)
Northern Railway PRO has said that, due to foggy weather conditions, 11 trains have been cancelled; additionally, 2 trains were partially cancelled and there has been a reduction in the frequency of 6 trains.
(Source: ANI)
Three people have been killed after a portion of a house collapsed in Panchamahalla Mohalla area in Jehanabad in Bihar.
(Source: ANI)
An umbrella body of traders from across the country announced a city-wide agitation in Delhi on 3 January, seeking relief from the ongoing sealing drive.
(Source: PTI)
An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 struck 78 km east of Mataram in Indonesia today.
(Source: ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin today hailed final tests of a hypersonic missile, which he earlier said would render existing missile defence systems obsolete.
"On my instructions, the Ministry of Defence prepared and conducted a final test of this system. This has just been completed with absolute success," Putin said during a televised meeting with members of the government.
(Source: PTI)
The UGC and the AICTE have cleared the backlog of scholarships using a special grant of Rs 250 crore from the HRD Ministry, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said today.
(Source: PTI)
A 17-year-old IIT aspirant from Bihar was found hanging in his hostel room in Rajasthan's Kota, the third suicide of a student since Saturday, police said.
Jitesh Gupta of Bihar's Siwan district was on Tuesday found hanging from the ceiling fan of his hostel room in Kota's Mahavir Nagar-II area, sub-inspector Ramswroop said today.
(Source: PTI)
Boko Haram jihadists ambushed a military convoy in northeastern Nigeria, killing 13 soldiers and a policeman, the army said today. But an officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants had overrun an army base, and put the death toll at 18.
(Source: PTI)
A 55-year-old civilian was killed today in unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, a defence spokesman said. "At around 1200 hours, Pakistan army initiated unprovoked firing in Noushera sector, resulting in fatal casualty of one civilian, Bodhraj, a resident of Deeing villagle," Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said.
(Source: PTI)
Ministry of Law & Justice has notified the constitution of a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh from 1 January 2019, in Amaravati. President Ram Nath Kovind signed the notification today. Andhra Pradesh High Court will be the 25th High Court in the country.
(Source: ANI)
More than a month after its board decided to constitute an expert panel to decide on appropriate size of RBI's reserves, the central bank today constituted a six-member committee headed by former Governor Bimal Jalan with former secretary Rakesh Mohan as the vice chair.
(Source: PTI)
The CJM court of Assam's Nagaon district has summoned Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain to appear before it on 8 January 2019 in connection with the alleged rape of a 24-year-old woman in that district.
The summons, which became public Wednesday, was issued on 28 November.
(Source: PTI)
Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain asked authorities today to control local polluting factors such as garbage burning and dust, and warned of action against senior officials if they fail to comply with the directions.
(Source: PTI)
Around 25,000 bank employees went on a one-day strike today in Rajasthan to protest against the merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda, a union leader said.
(Source: PTI)
An exchange of fire took place between Maoists and security forces at Gandhamardan hill range in Bargarh district, a senior police officer said today. Police claimed that at least two Maoists suffered injuries in the gun battle on Tuesday night.
(Source: PTI)
Two former Egyptian presidents appeared today in the same Cairo courtroom, with Hosni Mubarak testifying in a retrial of Mohammed Morsi on charges related to prison breaks at the height of the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.
(Source: PTI)
Aslam Baloch, the leader of the Balochistan Liberation Army, was among the six killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan’s Kandahar on Monday, 24 December, reported ANI, citing TOLO News.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police said that five Delhi trekkers, one guide and five porters have been rescued today from Munsiari by 14 Battalion ITBP personnel. They were stranded in the region since 24 December due to snowfall on the Khaliya Top in Bhainstal area. All the rescued persons are in good health.
(Source: ANI)
Six policemen, including an inspector and a sub-inspector, were booked today on charges of "killing" a Dalit youth in their custody in Amroha district in UP, said a senior official. The Department has already suspended 11 police officials of the Dhanaura police station for their alleged involvement in the custodial death, said Amroha Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh.
(Source: PTI)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot met Congress president Rahul Gandhi today amid reports of disagreement between the veteran leader and his deputy Sachin Pilot over portfolio allocation in the state.
(Source: PTI)
The Centre has decided to call a meeting of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu chief ministers soon to resolve the issue regarding the proposed construction of Mekedatu dam across the Cauvery river which led to stalling of Parliament proceedings last week.
The issue was discussed in detail by Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in a meeting with Union Water Resources and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today.
(Source: PTI)
British and French maritime authorities have rescued more than 40 migrants trying to cross the Channel into the UK in six small boats over two days, officials said today.
Five dinghies, carrying 40 people from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, were spotted on Christmas Day, the UK Home Office said.
(Source: PTI)
Thousands of people lit "Ayyappa Jyothies" (lamps) across Kerala from the northern Kasaragod district to the state capital down south today evening, vowing to protect the rituals and traditions of the famous hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.
(Source: PTI)
Two dead and over 25 injured after a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus travelling from Nalagarh to Jainagar fell in a gorge in Jamli area in Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh. The injured have been shifted to a district hospital. Rescue operation is currently underway.
(Source: ANI)
Madhukar Shetty, Senior IPS Officer and Deputy Director of Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy, is in critical condition due to H1N1.