Highlights: Fire breaks out in grassland stretch in Navi Mumbai's Kharghar hill

Fire breaks out in Navi Mumbai's Kharghar hill in a stretch of dry grassland. No fire has been reported in any residential area.

Israel's ministry of health said Wednesday it had recorded two cases of new Covid variant, but which officials said they were not unduly worried about, reported news agency AFP.

 Day after sacking 5 PCC chiefs, Congress on Wednesday appointed Rajani Patil, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken, Jitendra Singh and Avinash Pandey, to assess the post-poll situation and suggest organizational changes in the recently concluded poll states.

A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday evening, triggering a tsunami advisory.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested Md. Khalid Moin, a professor in the Jamia Milia Islamia University in a bribery case, reported news agency PTI.

Kerala registered 966 new Covid-19 cases, and five deaths in the last 24 hours. The tally of active cases stands at 7,536, according to a bulletin by the health ministry.

Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed re-opening of four floors of the mosque in the Nizamuddin Markaz building, for Shab-e- Baraat, while removing the restrictions on the number of people who can offer prayers at the mosque.

Corbevax, Covid vaccine for kids aged 12-14, to cost ₹990 per dose in private hospitals, 145 per dose in government facilities.

Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday filed a supplementary chargesheet against ex-CAG and former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma and several Indian air force (IAF) retired officials.

Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday informed Rajya Sabha that the Centre is planning to develop India’s road infrastructure equivalent to that of the US by the end of 2024r, reported ANI.

The Indian government has restored 5-year e-tourist visa, suspended since March 2020, to nationals of 156 countries with immediate effect, news agency PTI reported.

New Covid cases in China came back down to 3,054 as the mass outbreak in Jilin province eased off, a day after infections in the nation broke above 5,000 for the first time since the early days of the pandemic, reported news agency Bloomberg.

Aam Aadmi Party's Bhagwant Mann takes oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab in Khatkar Kalan.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi to meet party's MPs from Punjab at Congress Parliamentary Party office at 12.30pm today, reported news agency ANI.

Supreme Court upholds 'one rank, one pension', says ex-servicemen's pension will be re-fixed from July 1, 2019, and arrears paid in 3 months.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday launched the Covid-19 vaccination drive for children between 12-14 years at the Rukmini Gaon Baalika Vidyalay High School in Guwahati. 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Uttar Pradesh government to ensure protection of witnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. The apex court also sought a response from the state government on a petition by the victims' families to cancel the bail of main accused Ashish Misra, who is the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra. 

As India vaccinates its teenagers aged 12-14 beginning Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to hail the “important day” in the country's efforts to inoculate its citizens amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Read more

Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday resigned as Punjab Congress boss, a day after Sonia Gandhi demanded the chiefs of all the five states that went to the polls to quit over election results.

People have begun arriving at Punjab's Khatkar Kalan, where AAP's Bhagwant Mann will take oath as chief minister of Punjab shortly. Mann had invited the people of the state for the ceremony, urging men to wear 'basanti (yellow)' turbans and women to wear yellow 'dupatta (stole)' for it.

A rape accused was killed in police firing while he had tried to flee from police custody and attacked police personnel in Guwahati on Tuesday night, the same day he was arrested. Two lady police personnel were also injured: Guwahati City Police

AAP's Bhagwant Mann will take oath as Punjab chief minister on Wednesday at Khatar Kalan, the birthplace of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

Officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) are conducting raids at 75 locations across Karnataka in connection with disproportionate asset cases registered against 18 government servants, reported news agency ANI.