New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Following are the top stories at 5 PM: NATION DEL53 CAB-CENSUS (4.45 PM)

Cabinet nod for Census 2027; Rs 11,718 crore sanctioned New Delhi: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the government has approved Rs 11,718 crore for the conduct of the Census of India 2027.

BOM15 MH-4THLD SHIVRAJ PATIL (2.46 PM)

Congress stalwart and Ex-Union minister Shivraj Patil passes away at 90; funeral on Saturday Latur: Veteran Congressman Shivraj Patil, who served as the Lok Sabha Speaker and was Union Home Minister during the 26/11 attacks, passed away at his hometown Latur in Maharashtra on Friday morning, family sources said.

PAR11 LS-LD RAHUL (2.27 PM)

Rahul Gandhi flags issue of air pollution, seeks discussion in LS New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday said major cities across the country were living under a blanket of poisonous air, and sought a discussion on the issue of air pollution in Lok Sabha.

DEL38 AVI-INDIGO-EXPERT-PROBE (3.48 PM)

IndiGo board ropes in external aviation expert for flight disruption probe Mumbai: IndiGo's board on Friday announced the appointment of an external aviation expert to carry out a root-cause analysis of recent flight disruptions.

CAL13 MN-PRESIDENT-SPEECH (1. 45 PM)

President Murmu urges all communities in Manipur to support efforts for peace, reconciliation Imphal: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday called on all the communities of Manipur to continue the efforts for peace, understanding, and reconciliation and said that the Union government is committed to the well-being and progress of the people of the state.

DEL41 LSQ-MEA-MIDDLE EAST (4.03 PM)

5,945 Indians evacuated from Middle East during last 3 years in view of their safety: Govt New Delhi: Keeping in view their safety and security, the government has evacuated 5,945 Indian nationals from Israel, Iran, Syria and Iraq in the Middle East during the last three years, the Centre informed the Parliament on Friday.

CAL18 AS-ZUBEEN-CHARGESHEET-MURDER (3.10 PM)

Zubeen Garg death: 4 accused charged with murder in SIT chargesheet Guwahati: A Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing into the death of singer Zubeen Garg, on Friday charged four accused with murder in its chargesheet filed in a Guwahati court.

PAR13 LS-ISSUES (3.56 PM)

LS: BJP's Anurag Thakur accuses DMK-led TN govt of 'crushing' sentiments of Hindus New Delhi: BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Friday accused the Tamil Nadu government of contempt of court for cane-charging Hindu devotees taking out a procession at Thiruparankundram temple near Madurai.

DEL25 GOVT-CIC (1.14 PM)

CIC appointments: Govt sources counter Rahul, say 5 of 8 shortlisted names from disadvantaged groups New Delhi: A high-level panel has recommended the names of five people belonging to disadvantaged sections for filling vacancies in the CIC, sources said, dismissing opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's reported claim that the finalised list lacked names from SC, ST, OBC and minority communities.

CAL20 AN-SHAH-BHAGWAT-STATUE (4.02 PM)

Shah, Bhagwat unveil statue of Savarkar in Andamans Sri Vijaya Puram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday unveiled a statue of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar at Beodnabad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

CAL10 AS-ACCIDENT-LD SURVIVOR (1.11 PM)

Lone Arunachal accident survivor admitted to Assam hospital in critical condition Dibrugarh/Tinsukia: The lone survivor of the Arunachal Pradesh road accident in which 18 people died, has been admitted to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh in a critical condition, officials said on Friday.

DEL32 RSQ-MGNREGS-DAYS (3.17 PM)

Average 50 days of employment per household provided under MGNREGS in last five years: Govt New Delhi: An average 50 days of employment per household was provided to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the last five years, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

BOM16 MH-ASSEMBLY-SCUFFLE-REPORT (3.21 PM)

2 BJP, NCP (SP) supporters get civil custody, barred from entering Vidhan Bhavan over scuffle Nagpur: The Maharashtra legislature's privileges committee on Friday recommended two-day 'civil custody' for two supporters of rival BJP and NCP (SP) MLAs and a ban on their entry in Vidhan Bhavan premises for their involvement in a scuffle during the monsoon session.

CAL19 NL-DZUKOU-FIRE (3.14 PM)

Major wildfire breaks out in Nagaland's Western Dzukou Valley Kohima: A major wildfire broke out in Nagaland's Western Dzukou Valley in Kohima district on Friday, officials said.

CAL14 MN-BIREN-MLAs (2.14 PM)

BJP central leadership has asked party MLAs to reach Delhi for discussion: Biren Singh Imphal: Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Friday said the BJP central leadership has asked the party MLAs to come to Delhi to discuss issues related to the state.

MDS8 KL-JUSTICE-COURTS-CPIM (12.51 PM)

Some Kerala courts not showing sense of justice expected of them: CPI(M) gen secy Thiruvananthapuram: CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby on Friday said that some courts in Kerala are unable to show the "sense of justice" expected of them by the public in certain cases and termed it as "unfortunate".

MDS12 TN-THIRUPPARANKUNDRAM-BJP(R) (1.59 PM)

Doesn’t augur well for democracy if TN govt aims to appease minorities: BJP chief Chennai: Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran has said that it does not augur well for democracy when the state government challenges the authority of the judiciary to appease minorities but accepts judgment only when they are delivered in its favour.

MDS19 KA-ASSEMBLY-AEROSPACE-DEFENCE (4.07 PM)

Dropping land acquisition will not be setback to Aerospace & Defence Park: Minister Belagavi (Karnataka): Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil on Friday told the Assembly that the state government's decision to drop acquisition of 1,777 acres in Devanahalli near Bengaluru, following farmers' protests, will not be a setback to the Aerospace & Defence Park project there.

BUSINESS DEL33 BIZ-INDIA-RUSSIAN-OIL (3.22 PM)

India's Russian crude imports hit five-month high in Nov; fuel exports to Australia soar New Delhi: India's imports of Russian crude oil rose 4 per cent in November to a five-month high of Euro 2.6 billion, with a large part of the refined fuels produced from it being exported to Australia, a European think tank said.

DEL26 BIZ-CCI-INDIGO (1.15 PM)

Regulator CCI examining whether IndiGo violated competition norms: Official New Delhi: Fair trade watchdog CCI is examining whether the country's largest airline, IndiGo, violated competition norms, a senior official said on Friday amid the carrier facing regulatory scrutiny over significant flight disruptions.

DEL34 CAB-INSURANCE-BILL (3.30 PM)

Cabinet approves bill to hike FDI in insurance sector to 100 pc New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a bill to raise foreign direct investment in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, according to sources.

LEGAL LGD12 SC-KL-MUNAMBAM (3.52 PM)

SC stays Kerala HC order on Munambam land, orders status quo on disputed property New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Kerala High Court order that said notifying the Munambam land as waqf was a "land-grabbing tactic of the Kerala Waqf Board" and ordered status quo over the property in dispute.

LGD13 SC-KARUR STAMPEDE (4.14 PM)

Karur stampede: SC refuses to modify its direction on suspension of enquiry commission New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday turned down Tamil Nadu government's plea to modify its order suspending a one-man enquiry commission and the SIT to look into the Karur stampede in which 41 people were killed saying, "We want everything to be fair and impartial."

LGD10 SC-DEPORTATION-COMMENTARY (2.09 PM)

We are completely immune, says SC, flags half-baked running commentary on pending cases New Delhi: Observing that half-baked truth and ill-informed running commentary on sub-judice cases affects public perception, the Supreme Court on Friday asserted that it is "completely immune" from reporting of cases for the sake of publicity or narrative building.

LGD9 SC-JUDICIARY (1.38 PM)

Don't bring down judiciary by filing such cases: SC on plea challenging its decision on RTE Act New Delhi: Don't bring down the judiciary by filing such cases, the Supreme Court on Friday remarked while expressing strong displeasure over a plea challenging its earlier decision granting exemption to minority schools from the provisions of the Right to Education Act.

FOREIGN FGN35 RUSSIA-FROZEN ASSETS (3.59 PM)

Russia's central bank to approach court amid EU plans to confiscate frozen assets Moscow: Russia's central bank on Friday described the European Union’s decision to freeze its assets as “illegal actions” and threatened to file lawsuits to recover damages. By Vinay Shukla

FGN34 PAK-CM-LD IMRAN (3.08 PM)

Pakistan’s KPK CM alleges Imran Khan subjected to mistreatment in jail Peshawar: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Chief Minister Muhammad Sohaib Afridi on Friday alleged that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are being subjected to mistreatment in jail.

FES26 SINGAPORE-INDIA-WOMEN (1.33 PM)

High Commission sets up centre in Singapore to help Indian women in distress Singapore: The High Commission in Singapore has opened a One Stop Centre (OSC) as part of the government’s scheme to support Indian women in distress overseas.

* PTI PRK

Census 2027 funding approved; Cabinet backs 100% FDI in insurance; Supreme Court stays Munambam waqf notification. Cabinet approvals: Rs 11,718 crore sanctioned for Census 2027 and a bill approved to raise foreign direct investment in the insurance sector to 100 per cent. Regulatory oversight: competition authority examining whether a major airline violated competition norms; government sources report shortlisted appointments to the Central Information Commission include disadvantaged-group candidates. Judicial actions: Supreme Court stayed a Kerala High Court order on Munambam land as waqf and ordered status quo, and refused to modify its suspension order concerning an enquiry commission and SIT in the Karur stampede matter.