3,746 Challaned, 61,000 PUCs Issued On Day 1 Of 'No PUC, No Fuel' In Delhi

Delhi's 'No PUC, No Fuel' directive came into force across the national capital on Thursday amid claims of strict enforcement. Thousands of challans were issued, border checks intensified, and surprise inspections were carried out by the Environment Minister. But on the ground, enforcement appeared uneven, and the city's air quality only deteriorated through the day.

The overall AQI stood at 356 around 7 am and worsened to 397 by 9 pm, inching closer to the 'severe' category despite a full day of restrictions and checks.

Certificates Issued, But Pollution Persists

Official data shows over 61,000 Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCCs) were issued between December 17 and 18 - 29,938 on Wednesday and another 31,974 by Thursday evening. During the same 24-hour window, 3,746 vehicles were challaned for not carrying a valid PUCC.

At Delhi's entry points, joint teams of the Traffic Police and Transport Department checked around 5,000 vehicles, turning back 568 non-compliant vehicles and diverting 217 non-destined trucks via the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways.

Despite these measures, there was no corresponding improvement in air quality through the day.

No Enforcement At Several Petrol Pumps

An NDTV ground reality check found that enforcement of the 'No PUC, No Fuel' rule was missing at several petrol pumps on day one.

At the Delhi Gate petrol pump, NDTV found the government notification prominently displayed across fuel dispensing aisles, clearly informing motorists that a valid Pollution Under Control certificate was mandatory for refuelling. However, no transport or enforcement officials were present at the pump at the time of NDTV's visit.

Petrol pump staff said officials had made only a brief appearance earlier in the day.

"Two DTC officials came in the morning, clicked some photos, and left. After that, we don't know where they are," a pump employee told NDTV.

The staff was also clear that they are not responsible for enforcing the rule.

"We are just informing customers about the rule. We are not the enforcing authority. These are our customers. If we try to enforce it, there will be arguments or fights, and we don't want that," the employee said.

'Even 80% Implementation Is Success' 

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who conducted surprise inspections at select petrol pumps, acknowledged that the rule may not be implemented uniformly everywhere on day one.

Speaking to NDTV, Sirsa said, "Even if 80% is implemented, it will be successful."

He also said he was receiving regular, real-time updates from the Transport Department on the status of enforcement at petrol pumps across the capital, indicating that the government was closely tracking compliance as the rule rolled out.

'This Is Not About Challans'  

Sirsa urged petrol pump staff to remain calm while informing commuters about the requirement.

"You are the first interface of this campaign on the ground... politely explain that this rule is for their own health and for the health of our children," he told them.

Addressing commuters, the minister added, "This is not about challans; this is about clean air. Every valid PUCC issued today is a small victory in our war against pollution."

Impact Of Dust, Waste Action Unclear

Civic agencies also reported action on other pollution fronts over the past 24 hours, including mechanised sweeping of 2,300 km of roads, deployment of mobile anti-smog guns across 5,524 km, closure of 132 illegal dumping points, and processing of over 38,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste.

Even so, Delhi's AQI climbed steadily through the day, raising questions about how quickly such measures can translate into relief during peak winter pollution.

Sirsa said the steps were unavoidable, adding, "The Delhi Government has had to adopt tough but necessary steps so that pollution levels can be visibly reduced." He also flagged that several private offices are yet to comply with the 50% work-from-home advisory under GRAP-IV, warning that non-compliance could invite action.

As Delhi heads into another polluted night, the first full day of the 'No PUC, No Fuel' rule once again underlined a familiar gap—strong enforcement claims, partial implementation on the ground, and air quality that continues to worsen.

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Maharashtra's 'Rummy' Minister Resigns Hours After Conviction In 1995 Case

Maharashtra Sports Minister and NCP leader Manikrao Kokate resigned, hours after a court upheld his conviction in a three-decade-old housing scam case, triggering political churn within the state's ruling Mahayuti alliance and intensifying pressure on Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Kokate, who held the sports portfolio and was later left without charge following earlier controversies, stepped down on Wednesday after a Nashik sessions court confirmed a two-year prison sentence against him. The Maharashtra Sports Ministry is now under Ajit Pawar's charge. 

Kokate and his brother, Vijay Kokate, were convicted in a case dating back to 1995, relating to the alleged misuse of a 10 per cent quota meant for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in a housing scheme. The brothers were found guilty of offences including cheating and forgery.

The sessions court upheld the sentence earlier awarded by a magistrate, paving the way for Kokate's possible disqualification from the Maharashtra legislature. Under election law, a conviction of two years or more attracts immediate disqualification unless stayed by a higher court.

Following the verdict, an arrest warrant was issued against the minister. His lawyer subsequently approached the Bombay High Court seeking an urgent hearing. The court said it would take up the matter on Friday. Later in the day, Kokate was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital, temporarily shielding him from arrest.

Kokate made headlines earlier this year after being found playing rummy on his mobile phone in the state assembly.

Political Pressure On Ajit Pawar

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar cancelled his scheduled election engagements and held meetings with senior leaders of the NCP, which he heads. He also met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to brief him on the situation.

Sources said Fadnavis sought clarity on contingency plans within the cabinet if Kokate's conviction is not stayed. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena are understood to have insisted on Kokate's exit, arguing that the government could not afford to be seen as protecting a convicted minister.

According to sources, Kokate's resignation letter has not yet been received by the Chief Minister. As a result, the Mahayuti has also stripped Kokate of his portfolios, similar to how Nawab Malik was kept as a minister without a portfolio during the Mahavikas Aghadi government.

Opposition Alleges Double Standards

Opposition parties moved quickly to criticise the government, accusing it of selective action. Leaders from the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction questioned why Kokate had not been immediately disqualified, drawing comparisons with earlier cases involving Rahul Gandhi and former Maharashtra minister Sunil Kedar, where disqualifications followed soon after court verdicts.

They argued that the ruling alliance was applying different standards depending on political convenience.

Dhananjay Munde-Amit Shah Meet

The Kokate episode coincided with a surprise meeting in Delhi between senior NCP leader Dhananjay Munde and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, fuelling speculation of a possible cabinet reshuffle.

Munde, who resigned as a minister in March after his close associate was linked to a murder case in Beed district, has recently resumed public activity ahead of local body elections. However, he dismissed political interpretations of the meeting, saying his visit had been pre-planned.

In a post on X, Munde said he had sought the inclusion of the Prabhu Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga pilgrimage site in Parli Vaidyanath under the Centre's PRASHAD scheme.

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Flipperachi Reveals What Life After Akshaye Khanna Made FA9LA Viral Is Like

Bahraini rapper Flipperachi, whose track FA9LA has taken the internet by storm, has opened up about how dramatically life has changed since Akshaye Khanna grooved to the beats of his song in Dhurandhar.

What began as a standalone hip-hop release has now transformed into a global phenomenon.

Speaking to NDTV's Aditya Raj Kaul, Flipperachi reflected on how the film played a crucial role in catapulting FA9LA into the mainstream.

"The movie came in, picked it up, and I mean, the rest is history," he said.

The rapper admitted that the scale of the song's success caught him completely off guard, particularly in India, where the track has dominated reels, memes, and music charts.

"I honestly didn't expect it to blow up like this," Flipperachi shared. "People don't really understand what I'm saying lyrically, but the beat is powerful, and that is crazy. It connected with them. It really got to them."

FA9LA, also known as Faasla, blends Arabic hip-hop with Indian tabla percussion - a fusion that Flipperachi now realises was key to its widespread appeal. Still, he insists he never imagined the song would resonate so deeply with Indian listeners.

"To have this kind of impact - I wouldn't have believed in a thousand years that it would blow up in India," he said. "Yes, it has Indian flavour in it, but I didn't know it would rise to this level."

Beyond India, the rapper pointed out that Dhurandhar's global success has helped the track travel far beyond language barriers.

"The film has done incredibly well globally, not just in India," he noted. "It's a Hindi-language film, but people all across the world are watching it. It's right at the top of the charts."

Social media has played a massive role in sustaining the song's popularity, with thousands of reels and memes continuing to surface weeks after the film's release.

"There have been so many reels and memes coming in," Flipperachi said. "I've been reposting as many as I can, but my DMs are blowing up. I honestly can't keep up."

From a viral beat to a cultural moment, FA9LA's journey reflects the growing power of cross-cultural collaborations in cinema and music. 

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar hit the big screens on December 5 and shattered several box office records. Apart from Akshaye Khanna and Ranveer Singh, the movie features Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, and several others in prominent roles.

ALSO READ: "Big Fan Of Akshaye Khanna And Ranveer Singh, Want To See Dhurandhar": Rapper Flipperachi On Film Ban In Middle East

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"Every Australian Wanted To Do": Angry Man Stomps On Bondi Shooter's Head

An Australian bystander who stomped on the head of one of the men accused in the Bondi Beach mass shooting has said he feels no remorse for his actions, describing them as an instinctive response to the scenes he had just witnessed.

Jacob Barnfield said his reaction reflected the anger many felt after the attack that left 15 people dead. He told The Sun that what he did was something "every Australian wanted to do."

"People were just stomping on his head. I got a pretty good shot on his head as well, but I feel like it was pretty well deserved considering the circumstances," Barnfield said.

According to Barnfield, the violence he witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the shooting overwhelmed any sense of restraint. "I had so much anger built up just to kick them because you've just seen all the dead bodies, you've seen the families screaming and crying," he said. "There [were] children on the floor screaming and crying."

He acknowledged the brutality of his actions but stood by them. "It was a bit of a dog shot, but I don't regret it at all. He deserved every bit."

Barnfield was among several members of the public who confronted the alleged attackers – Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid – after the shooting, which also left 40 people injured. The attack happened when hundreds of Jewish families had gathered at Bondi Beach to celebrate Hanukkah.

Video footage shows Barnfield running shirtless across a concrete footbridge before stomping on the head of one of the suspects, shouting, "F**king bash him!" It is still unclear which of the two accused men was targeted in the footage.

Reflecting on the moment, Barnfield said concern for his own safety never crossed his mind. "You don't think about how dangerous it is when you're running past kids bleeding out, families covering their children, and people with organs exposed. It's just fight or flight," he told The Sun.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, another bystander was widely praised for intervening during the chaos. Social media footage showed an unarmed man tackling one of the gunmen, an act that prevented further bloodshed.

READ | "Would Do It Again": Man Who Snatched Gun From Sydney Shooter May Lose Arm

The clip shows the man taking cover behind parked cars before sprinting towards the shooter from behind. He restrains him by the neck, disarms him and pins him to the ground, turning the rifle back toward the attacker.

The man was later identified as 43-year-old fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed, who reportedly suffered two gunshot wounds during the attack.
 

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Putin To Jordan Prince: PM Modi's Quiet 'Car Diplomacy' With World Leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday for a two-day visit. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali personally received PM Modi from the Addis Ababa airport and drove him to his hotel. They made an unscheduled detour at the Science Museum and Friendship Park. 

"Celebrating age-old India-Ethiopia ties! Prime Minister @narendramodi arrives in Addis Ababa on his maiden bilateral visit to Ethiopia. In a special gesture, PM @AbiyAhmedAli came to personally receive him at the airport. Prime Minister was accorded a warm and colourful welcome," the Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.

During the visit, PM Modi is expected to hold wide-ranging discussions with his Ethiopian counterpart, covering all aspects of India-Ethiopia bilateral relations.

Celebrating age-old India-Ethiopia ties!

Prime Minister @narendramodi arrives in Addis Ababa on his maiden bilateral visit to Ethiopia. In a special gesture, PM @AbiyAhmedAli came personally to receive him at the airport. Prime Minister was accorded a warm and colourful… pic.twitter.com/m6fJ6gFcY7

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) December 16, 2025

PM Modi arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday in the second leg of his three-nation visit. This will be his first visit to the African country, and it reflects India's strengthening partnership with the continent.

A Rare Visit To Jordan

Earlier in the day, PM Modi concluded his two-day visit to Jordan to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Although he was received by his Jordanian counterpart, Jafar Hassan, in a special gesture, Jordan's Crown Prince, Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, drove PM Modi to the country's museum in Amman.

This is the first time in 37 years that an Indian prime minister has made a bilateral visit to the country. 

In pictures posted by PM Modi, he is seen in the passenger seat of the 31-year-old Crown Prince's BMW car. "On the way to the Jordan Museum with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II," he wrote on X.

On the way to The Jordan Museum with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II. pic.twitter.com/CtwcQHkHBZ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 16, 2025

PM Modi will visit Oman in the third leg of his visit.

PM Modi's Evolving 'Car Diplomacy'

The Jordan moment is part of a broader pattern often described as PM Modi's 'car diplomacy'.

The 75-year-old leader has an increasingly popular tradition of sharing informal car rides with world leaders to signal personal trust and strategic closeness.

Putin, Protocol And A Fortuner

Recently, PM Modi broke protocol to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin at Palam Airport. Putin travelled with PM Modi in the back seat of a white Toyota Fortuner to his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.

Putin was in India after four years for a two-day visit to attend the India-Russia Annual Summit.

The gesture followed a ride in 2025 where PM Modi joined Putin in his Russian-made Aurus Senat limousine during an SCO summit.

PM Modi's Fortuner represented an Indian-assembled, non-Western SUV over European luxury vehicles and sent a message of "independent foreign policy" and the "Make in India" initiative amid Western sanctions on Russia.

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Video: Ukraine Hits Russian Submarine In First Underwater Drone Attack

Ukrainian underwater drones struck and disabled a Russian Kilo-class attack submarine in the Russian navy's most important remaining Black Sea base, in the first operation of its kind, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.

The strike carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) with its "Sub Sea Baby" drones hit the submarine in the port of Novorossiysk where Russia has rebased many naval vessels to put them out of reach of Ukrainian strikes.

Footage published by the SBU showed a powerful explosion erupting from the water at a pier near where a submarine and other vessels were docked. Reuters confirmed the location of the video using the port's layout and piers.

Alexander Kamyshin, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, wrote on X that it was the first time in history that an underwater drone had neutralised a submarine.

Ukraine, which has practically no naval fleet left, has used sea drones and missiles to harry Russia's large naval Black Sea Fleet and dislodge it from its perch in the port city of Sevastopol on the occupied peninsula of Crimea.

The diesel-electric submarine was one of many vessels that Russia was forced to move from Crimea to Novorossiysk in southern Russia, the SBU said.

Footage has been released by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) showing a first-of-its-kind underwater drone attack against the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea using “Sea Baby” Unmanned Surface Vehicles, with at least one striking and causing significant damage… pic.twitter.com/OMblxDCWUc

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 15, 2025

The submarine is capable of carrying at least four Kalibr-type cruise missiles, one of the workhorses of Russia's massive strikes that in recent months have inflicted serious damage to the Ukrainian power grid.

Russia did not immediately comment publicly about the attack.

TURNING POINT

The strike comes amid a tense period of US-brokered peace negotiations that have sparked fears among Ukrainians that they will be bullied to accept settlement terms with Russia that they see as tantamount to capitulation.

Ukraine has been trying to show it can inflict significant damage on Russia, especially after US President Donald Trump said that Zelenskiy did not "have the cards" in the negotiations.

Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the operation to hit a submarine - the most difficult target to hit - marked "another turning point" in the naval battle between Ukraine and Russia.

"This day once again upends the perception of the possibilities of naval combat in this war," he told Reuters.

It will be hard for Russia to repair the submarine as that would have to be done above water, which would mean the vessel would again be exposed to attack, he added.

Russia has now lost one of its four submarines stationed in Novorossiysk, three of which are Kalibr-carriers, Pletenchuk added.

Ukraine, which has been developing long-range drone and missile capabilities to narrow the gap with Russia's large weapons arsenal, has been stepping up strikes on Russian oil, gas, power and military targets.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Perverse": Trump Faces Outrage Over "Sick" Post On Rob Reiner, Wife's Death

Donald Trump faced a storm of condemnation Monday after posting what critics described as "perverse" and "sick" remarks suggesting Rob Reiner and his wife were murdered because of the celebrated filmmaker's criticism of the US president.

As tributes for Reiner poured in from celebrities and movie world figures, Trump used his Truth Social platform to launch a crude attack on the director of "When Harry Met Sally" and other huge hits.

Trump claimed the Reiners had died "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."

"He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession with President Donald J Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness," the Republican leader wrote.

Trump's comments came as police announced that Reiner's son, Nick, had been taken into custody and booked into a Los Angeles jail on suspicion of murder, a development that intensified the backlash.

"This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies," US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally turned outspoken critic, wrote on X in response to his attack.

"Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It's incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy, especially when it ends in murder."

Thomas Massie, another critic of Trump on the Republican side of the House of Representatives, called the president's comments "inappropriate and disrespectful."

"I guess my elected (Republican) colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they're afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it," Massie said.

Trump has a long record of incendiary social media posts that have outraged Democrats, but open condemnation from within Republican ranks was once almost unthinkable.

Miles Taylor, a former Trump administration homeland security official who became a prominent internal critic after anonymously publishing a 2019 tell-all book, accused Trump of "mocking the dead" and branded him a "sick creep."

"His attacks on (Republican senator) John McCain after the veteran's death pushed me to speak out from within his administration. (The) taunting of Rob Reiner's murder makes me even more determined to defy Trump."

Democrats also responded with fury. David Axelrod, the former chief strategist to President Barack Obama, described Trump's post as "perverse."

"The absence of empathy & grace for the Reiner family in their moment of profound loss and grief is sad and revealing. For @POTUS, his grievances trump their grief."

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said Trump had "lost it."

"Now saying Rob and Michele Reiner caused their own murder because they didn't support him. So sick," he wrote.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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