In Satna district, Madhya Pradesh, a woman has accused Ashok Singh, husband of a BJP councillor, of raping her at knifepoint, secretly recording the assault and then threatening her with the video to coerce compliance, according to her complaint to police. A viral clip shows Singh allegedly telling her, “Nothing will happen to me,” asserting influence and intimidating authorities, while the distraught woman talks about filing a complaint. She alleges ongoing harassment and fear for her and her family’s safety. Police are verifying the video and evidence and have begun investigation; no confirmed arrest yet. 

In Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai, a 30-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly strangling her six-year-old daughter, Mansi, driven by a preference for a male child, police said. Initially claiming the girl died of ill health, she took the child to a hospital; doctors alerted police after suspicious findings. A post-mortem revealed suffocation, prompting a murder case. During interrogation, the mother admitted to killing her daughter, also expressing unhappiness that the child spoke mainly Hindi and not Marathi and had speech difficulties. She has been remanded in custody as the investigation continues.

The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognisance of the escalating controversy over its Aravalli Hills definition and mining issues, scheduling a hearing on Monday before a three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice. The move follows nationwide protests by environmentalists and citizens who fear the recent definition — which counts only landforms above 100 m as part of the Aravalli Range — could weaken protections and spur mining. Public outcry and ecological concerns prompted the apex court to re-examine the November verdict amid calls for stronger conservation measures. (PC: India Today)

Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said two pollution rules under GRAP-4 will now be permanent. Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will not get fuel in Delhi until further orders. Sirsa also said vehicles from outside Delhi that do not meet Bharat Stage VI norms will not be allowed to enter the city. The decision was taken by the Delhi cabinet to curb air pollution. Officials said vehicular emissions are a major cause of poor air quality. Delhi’s air remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Saturday, with AQI near 391. (PC: HT Photo)

The Election Commission of India has removed over 10.56 lakh names from Assam’s draft voter list. The clean-up was done through a Special Revision exercise ahead of Assembly elections. Officials said names were deleted due to deaths, migration, and duplicate entries. Nearly 4.8 lakh voters were found deceased. Over 5.23 lakh had moved away. Around 53,000 were duplicates. Assam now has 2.51 crore voters, excluding over 93,000 D-Voters. The revision followed door-to-door checks across the state. Voters can file objections till January 22. The final list will be released on February 10. (PC: Representative photo)

The Supreme Court of India will hear a case on the Aravalli issue on Monday. The court took up the matter on its own. A three-judge bench will examine the new definition of the Aravalli Range and related concerns. The row began after the Centre issued a revised definition. Activists and scientists said it could allow more mining in fragile areas. The court has paused new mining leases for now. It said mining can resume only after a proper plan is made. The government has also stopped new leases and asked experts to mark no-mining zones. 

Three satellite-tagged Amur falcons from Manipur have completed rare long flights from India to Africa in December. Apapang flew about 6,100 km in six days and reached Kenya after crossing the Arabian Sea and the Horn of Africa. Alang covered nearly 5,600 km, with short stops in Telangana and Maharashtra, before landing in Kenya. Ahu flew about 5,100 km to Somalia after halting in Bangladesh. The birds are now moving across parts of southern Africa, including Zimbabwe and Botswana. Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India are tracking the birds to study routes and support protection of global migration paths.

Hyderabad police have filed a detailed chargesheet in the Pushpa 2 stampede case, naming 23 accused, including Telugu star Allu Arjun, his security team and Sandhya Theatre management, in connection with a deadly crowd surge at Sandhya Theatre in December 2024. A woman died and her young son was seriously injured when an overwhelming crowd rushed during the film’s premiere event due to fans trying to see the actor. The chargesheet accuses organisers of failing to manage crowd control, holding them responsible for the tragedy. Legal proceedings are expected as the court examines the roles of those named.

At the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting attended by Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, top issues included the new Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act replacing MGNREGA, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and unrest in Bangladesh. Kharge condemned scrapping MGNREGA, calling VB-G RAM G one-sided and announced a nationwide “MGNREGA Bachao Andolan” from January 5, 2026 to protest its repeal. Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor also criticised the renaming and restructuring of the rural jobs law. (PC: HT)

India’s worsening water scarcity, especially in Rajasthan’s arid region, is creating operational and community challenges for global beverage firms like Heineken, Carlsberg and Diageo. Strict Indian laws force these companies to maintain production in each state due to limits on moving liquor across borders, despite intense competition for dwindling groundwater. While industry uses a small share of water, locals in places like Alwar face acute shortages and blame factories, though courts found compliance with regulations. Companies are boosting water efficiency, harvesting rainwater and investing in community projects. Experts say broader infrastructure and sustainable water management are crucial to ease tensions and secure long-term operations. (PC: Reuters)