Top Highlights: Indian Army rescues 26 women, 10 children from Vasaipuram amid incessant rain

Bollywood Actress Jacqueline Fernandez moves Delhi High Court seeking quashing of ECIR (FIR) and supplementary chargesheet filed by ED in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case.

The plea stated that evidence filed by the Directorate of Enforcement would prove that the Petitioner is an innocent victim of Sukesh Chandrashekhar's maliciously targeted attack. 

Owing to incessant rains in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Army’s Relief Column was activated at Vasaipuram, Tamil Nadu today. Till 9:30 pm, 17 Ladies and 13 others including children were evacuated by the first column. 

The second column evacuated 12 women including one pregnant woman, 6 children including an infant and 12 others. Simultaneously, 26 women, 10 children and 28 others were evacuated by the third column.

Tamil Nadu | Several areas of Thoothukudi city face severe waterlogging and flood-like situations as the region continues to receive heavy rainfall over the past few days. Drone visuals show the impact of the heavy rainfall in the city.

On Free Trade Agreements (FTA), EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "We are right now, in the middle of some fairly serious negotiations with some fairly serious partners... I hear this naysayer narrative coming back, why isn't India quickly signing up with the UK? Nobody says why isn't the UK quickly signing up with India? So somewhere, it is like we have to make that accommodation. We are the people who somewhere are holding back, and we should speed it up because every FTA and every open step is an achievement in itself..."

Tamil Nadu CM and DMK leader MK Stalin arrives in Delhi for the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled to be held in Delhi tomorrow, December 19.

On cabinet expansion, Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Prahlad Singh Patel says, "...as per my knowledge, it cannot be expanded in the middle of the assembly session, so I think we should wait."

Thane Court grants bail to all three accused Ashwajit Gaikwad, Romil Patil and Sagar Shedge on bail bond of Rs 15,000 each.

Thane runover case | Thane Court sends all three accused Ashwajit Gaikwad, Romil Patil and Sagar Shedge to 14-day judicial custody.

The eight ISIS agents arrested during the raids were involved in actively promoting terror and terror-related acts and activities of ISIS, the proscribed organisation. They were operating under the leadership of Minaz alias Md. Sulaiman. The raids also led to the seizure of explosive raw materials, such as Sulphur, Potassium Nitrate, Charcoal, Gunpowder, Sugar and Ethanol, sharp-edged weapons, unaccounted cash and incriminating documents, along with smartphones and other digital devices.

NIA teams raided 19 locations spread across Ballari and Bengaluru in Karnataka; Amaravati, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra; Jamshedpur and Bokaro in Jharkhand; and Delhi.

Maharashtra: On Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha's letter to BMC to organise programs on Ram Mandir ahead of the installation of Lord Ram's idol in Ayodhya, Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad says, "Division is in their nature because they do not have answers to the basic questions... Was the school education minister consulted before sending such a letter?... Children must not be brought into politics... They are the future of our country and they are the asset of our country..."

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan visits & interacts with people at the Mittayi Theruvu - SM Street in Kozhikode.

Winter Session: The Lok Sabha on Monday suspended 16 more MPs, bringing the total to 31.

As per sources, the decision on Gyanvapi survey case will be made on December 21, 2023. 

The Lok Sabha was adjourned amid chaos and is set to resume proceedings from 3 pm. 

The hearing for the Gyanvapi Case began around 2:15 pm. The ASI is also expected to submit its survey report soon. 

Before the presentation of the survey report in the Gyanvapi case in Varanasi, the Muslim side filed a petition in the court. The community has demanded that the report of the ASI survey should be presented in a sealed envelope and no one should be allowed to make it public without an affidavit.
 

Proceedings in the Upper House resumed at 2:00 pm. The opposition has begun sloganeering “Jawab do, jawab do.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra event in Sewapuri, Varanasi. 

A video shared by news agency ANI showed the prime minister interacting with winners of the games organised under the Kashi Sansad Sports Competition 2023 as part of the Yatra programme. 

On Monday, the cold wave continued to sweep across Odisha with the mercury dipping below 10 degrees Celsius in many places in the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported.

G Udaygiri in Kandhamal district and Kirei in Sundergarh district were the coldest places in the state with minimum temperature recorded at 8 degrees Celsius. Other other places where the temperature plummeted below 10 degrees Celsius were - Koraput (8.6), Keonjhar, Daringbadi, Phulbani and Angul (9), Ranital in Bhadrak district at 9.6 followed by Sundergarh and Rourkela at 9.8 degrees Celsius, the weather bulletin added.
 

On Monday, five people were taken into custody by NIA after seven kg of sodium nitrate was recovered in Bengaluru during raids.

The accused have been identified as Shamiullah, Azaz Ahmed, Suleman, Tabrez and Muzamil.

(With inputs from Prajjwal)

Amid the chaos in the Lower House, the ‘The Telecommunications Bill, 2023’ was introduced.

The Lower House resumes its proceeding, starting at noon

As the Rajya Sabha resumed its proceedings at 11:30 am, the House witnessed protest from the Opposition leaders. Following this, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar felt compelled to name a few of the members of the House, and eventually adjourned the proceeding till 2 pm.

Rajya Sabha resume proceedings from 11:30 am.

A video shared by News agency ANI shows suspended MPs sitting on the stairs of Parliament's Makar Dwar, while Congress Parliamentary Chairperson Sonia Gandhi enters the building. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday inaugurated the world's largest meditation centre Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi.

He along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a tour of the centre that can seat 20,000 people at a time for meditation.

Verses of the Swarveda have been carved upon the walls of the Mahamandir -- a seven-floor superstructure.

(With PTI inputs)
 

Amid the havoc created by opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha, the proceedings have been adjourned till 12 pm.

The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 11:30 am amid a ruckus created by opposition MPs.

Ruckus by opposition MPs during Question House in Lok Sabha over Parliament security breach incident . 

Speaker Om Birla said, "It is sad that politics is being done on this issue...To enter the Well of the House and sloganeering is against the dignity of the House. I request your (opposition) cooperation to hold discussions on important issues."

The proceedings for Lok Sabha began at 11 am after the house was adjourned on Friday amid chaos created by the opposition. 

Important businesses for the day:

1.Question Hour

2. Ministers to lay papers on the table

3. The Secretary-General is to report two messages from the Rajya Sabha regarding the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 and the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023

4. Members to present reports of the Public Accounts Committee

5. Ministers to make statements regarding certain issues

6. The Post Office Bill, 2023, The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023, The Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023, to be moved
 

On Monday, December 18, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge launched the “Donate for Desh” campaign to raise funds ahead of the 2024 General Elections.

During the launch, Kharge said, “It's the first time Congress is asking people for donations for the nation. If you work only by depending on the rich people, then you have to follow their policies. Mahatma Gandhi also took donations from the public during the freedom struggle.”

In a post shared on social media platform X, the party said, Congress President Shri @Kharge inaugurates '𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐡' – Indian National Congress' Online Crowdfunding Initiative. Beyond a campaign, it's a commitment to champion the rights of marginalized communities, bridge disparities, and stand as a formidable opposition against a government favouring the affluent. Join us in the fight against unprecedented unemployment and rising costs. Stand with the Indian National Congress as it strides beyond its 138th year, stronger and more determined than ever. Be a Changemaker, Contribute.  Click the link below to make a donation.

As the probe for the Parliament security breach case on December 13 intensifies, the Delhi Police searched one of the accused Neelam Azad's residence in Harayana's Jind. 

Click to read the details. 

Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari gave an Adjournment Motion notice to discuss the Parliament security breach incident. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi also gave an Adjournment Motion notice to discuss “efforts to restore normalcy and safeguard the life of all citizens of Manipur.”
 

After social media flooded with reports of underworld fugitive Don Dawood Ibrahim being hospitalised due to health complications, his relative dismissed the claims on Monday.

Speaking to Republic exclusively, the relative of Dawood claimed that he had not been poisoned and called the reports to be 'false.'

Click to read more. 

Amid heavy rainfall warnings from IMD in southern Tamil Nadu, several trains and flights have been cancelled in Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts.

A public holiday has been declared for schools, colleges, banks and private organisations as a precautionary measure. Chief Minister M K Stalin instructed ministers and senior bureaucrats for relief and rescue operations, with a senior bureaucrat assigned to monitor each affected district.

Seventeen trains including the Vande Bharat train to and from Tirunelveli have been partially or fully cancelled. Furthermore, Tuticorin-bound flights have been diverted or cancelled.
 

Tourists in the Ahera Tourism Zone of Kuno National Park, Shivpuir in Madhya Pradesh can now see two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, making a historic wildlife moment. 

the two cheetahs were successfully released in the Parnod Forest area of Kuno National Park. The release from the Forest Department said, "On December 17, two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, were successfully released in the Parond Forest area of Coon National Park. Both the cheetahs are completely healthy. Parond Forest Area is under the Ahera Tourism Zone. With the presence of cheetahs in the tourist zone, tourists will now be able to see cheetahs."
 

At least five people were critically injured when an SUV overturned after crashing into a bike on the Rajiv Chowk underpass around 7:30 pm.

The injured include two bike riders and three occupants of Scorpio. As per police officials, three women and two men were travelling in the SUV at the time of the crash. 

In today's Winter Session, opposition leaders including TMC's Derek O'Brien and DMK's K Kanimozhi are to strategise on floor coordination as the central government faced suspending MPs and pushing controversial bills.

New Delhi: The minimum temperature in the national capital on Sunday was recorded at 6.5 degrees Celsius. two notches below the season's average said IMD.

The weather bulletin showed that the humidity levels oscillated between 35 per cent and 100 per cent.

The air quality in the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 4 pm stood at 331 on Sunday and 354 on Saturday, which falls into 'very poor' category.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', 401 and 450 'severe', and above 450 'severe-plus'.

New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued flood warnings for southern districts of Tamil Nadu as heavy rain showers continue in the state. Districts like Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Ramanathanpuram have been grappling with incessant rainfall since the early hours of December 17, Sunday.

These warnings come after Cyclone Michaung caused havoc across the southern state.

In response to these alarming situations, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, fire and rescue personnel and other officials are en route to the affected districts of the state, strategically initiating rescue operations. 

As part of precautionary measures, the Tamil Nadu  government declared a holiday on Monday for all schools, colleges, private institutions, banks, and financial institutions in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari and Tenkasi districts due to expected heavy rainfall.

For all the latest update, click this link.