Ram Temple Trust's general secretary, Champat Rai, confirmed, "Both are elders of the family, and considering their age, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both." LK Advani, 96, and MM Joshi, 90, founding members of BJP, won't attend the Ayodhya temple consecration. PM Modi is set to attend on January 22, with former PM HD Deve Gowda invited. Rai added, "Shankaracharyas of six darshanas and around 150 saints and sages will participate." Celebrities like Dalai Lama, Rajnikanth, and Amitabh Bachchan are also invited. Preparations conclude by January 15, with rituals commencing on January 16.

Ram Temple Trust's general secretary, Champat Rai, confirmed that BJP stalwarts LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, key figures in the Ayodhya Ram temple agitation, are unlikely to attend the consecration ceremony on January 22 due to health and age considerations. Rai stated, "Both are elders of the family, and considering their age, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both." The preparations for the ceremony, slated to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are in full swing and expected to be completed by January 15, with puja rituals for "pran pratishtha" commencing from January 16 to 22.

India marks a significant milestone in polar research with its inaugural winter expedition to the Arctic. Launched from Prithvi Bhavan in New Delhi, the groundbreaking mission, aligned with India's Arctic Policy, explores the Arctic's impact on global climate, sea levels, and biodiversity. Led by the Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Kiren Rijiju, a team of four scientists will conduct atmospheric observations during polar nights, study auroral changes, and monitor sea ice variations. The research, based at the Himadri station in Svalbard, Norway, enhances India's Arctic capabilities and promotes scientific cooperation and environmental protection.

"A rape is a rape, even when it is committed by a man on his wife," the Gujarat High Court observed, stating that the silence around sexual violence against women in India needs to be broken. Justice Divyesh Joshi said actual incidents of such violence are "probably much higher" than what data shows, and women face hostility and violence in the environments they inhabit. He slammed social attitudes that trivialize and even romanticize stalking, assault, and harassment as "minor," saying they have a "lasting and pernicious effect on the survivors." The court made the observations while denying bail to a woman accused of subjecting her daughter-in-law to cruelty while her husband and son raped and filmed her. "A man is a man; an act is an act; rape is a rape, be it performed by a man, the 'husband', on the woman, 'wife'," it stated.

In a commendable effort, the Chinar Warriors of the Indian Army rescued over 60 tourists on Saturday, including women and children, stranded in the snow-clad beauty of Gulmarg, Kashmir. Intense snowfall had left them trapped, prompting the Army to provide heating arrangements, sleeping bags, and hot meals to ease their ordeal. Gulmarg, a renowned tourist destination, transformed into a winter wonderland after the fresh snow. The Chinar Warriors, part of the Indian Army's Chinar Corps, have consistently aided the valley's residents, including organizing medical camps and assisting the fire department in recent incidents.

In an unprecedented move, 79 MPs were suspended on Monday for protests demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach in Parliament last week. This includes 30 Lok Sabha and 35 Rajya Sabha members suspended for the full winter session. Another 14 MPs were already suspended last week over the issue, taking the total count to 92. The suspended Lok Sabha MPs comprise top Congress leaders like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi. Trinamool MPs Kalyan Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Saugata Ray, and Satabdi Roy, and DMK members A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran are also on the list. Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien had been suspended for seeking a discussion on the breach. The mass suspension comes as the opposition has been demanding answers over the major lapse in Parliament security.

The NIA on Monday said it has arrested 8 terrorists linked to an ISIS module in Karnataka's Ballari and foiled their plans to trigger IED blasts after raids in 19 locations across 4 states. Explosive materials like sulphur, and gunpowder were recovered along with weapons, documents with details on proposed strikes, and digital devices. Leader of the Ballari module Minaz, also known as Mohammed Sulaiman, is among those held in the operations that were carried out in Ballari, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, and Jharkhand's Bokaro. Caches of explosives, sharp weapons, and cash were seized. This was a major anti-terror crackdown by NIA and cops on ISIS elements who were at the preparatory stage of bomb strikes during the winter holidays.

The Delhi Police has formed teams that are investigating the December 13th security breach at Parliament in six states - Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra. 50 separate teams are probing the digital, bank and background details of the accused. Special cell teams have taken the accused to safe houses across the six states for questioning. Key accused Lalit Jha and Manoranjan D. have been handed to special teams in Delhi, while probe of accused Neelam Devi is being handled by the special cell team in New Friends Colony. After investigation by various special cell units, the accused will be handed to the NFC team for further investigation.

Several districts in Tamil Nadu declared a holiday on December 18th due to heavy rainfall forecasts. The India Meteorological Department predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall in south Tamil Nadu, specifically calling out Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Ramanathapuram districts. Thoothukudi witnessed severe waterlogging, flooding, and overflowing rivers from the downpour. The state government has set up relief camps and deployed disaster response teams across the affected districts. Precautionary measures are in place as heavy rains are likely to continue on December 19th as well.

Uttar Pradesh achieves a significant milestone, emerging as India's second-largest economy, according to a report by soic.in. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's efforts drive the state's economic rise, surpassing GDP shares of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and West Bengal. Rapid progress in various sectors, including reduced organized crime, improved industrial development, and enhanced ease of doing business, marks Uttar Pradesh's transformation. The state attracts over Rs 40 lakh crore in investment proposals, anticipating substantial job creation. CM Yogi's strategic leadership positions Uttar Pradesh as a key contributor to India's economic growth.