Top five stories from Mumbai you shouldn’t miss
After two weeks of unfruitful talks and a tussle over seats, the fate of the alliance between the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Mumbai civic polls is likely to be decided in the next 24 hours. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met early Wednesday morning, according to sources. Read
2. BMC polls: Mumbai police to keep an eye on parties’ spend on Facebook, Twitter campaigns
Not just outdoor campaigning, candidates and political parties in Mumbai will also have to explain their expenditure on social media promotion this Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The Mumbai police have handpicked a core group from among their social media cell (SMC) to keep an eye on promotional posts on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media sites and report the matter to the state election commission (SEC). Read
3. Morning walk, cycle ride along cleaner, greener Mithi river in Mumbai may soon be possible
You could soon walk and cycle along a clean Mithi river, as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has selected a final design for the revamp of the Maharashtra Nature Park at Dharavi. The park, transformed from a wasteland into a green woodland, is spread along the south bank of the river. Read
4. Weather concerns: El Niño shows signs of resurfacing, could affect monsoon 2017: Skymet
El Niño could resurface this year, affecting rainfall in the country, private weather forecaster Skymet has said. Skymet said that climate models from across the world suggested a shift in weather conditions from mid-January, that could lead to the resurfacing of El Niño — a weather phenomenon caused when warm water from the western Pacific Ocean flows east. Globally, it rains where the water is warm. If the Pacific warms up, the precipitation shifts in that direction, weakening monsoon currents in other parts of the world. Read
5. Mumbai police arrest 3 Guj residents deported from London for travelling on fake passports
The London airport authorities deported three people from Gujarat -- two women and a man -- who were on their way to Canada on tourist visas for travelling using fake passports. The trio landed in Mumbai on Saturday and will be in the custody of Sahar police till January 26. Read