At least 40 pilgrims were injured, three of them seriously, in a stampede at the Sabarimala temple on Sunday night after a barricade gave way in the huge rush, authorities said....
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he was also "feeling the pain" demonetisation has caused to people across the country but defended the move to curb corruption and black money in India....
Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been regretting his decision to leave the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance....
Christians in Meghalaya on Sunday celebrated Christmas with fervour and spirit, exchanging greetings and gifts with friends and relatives....

Describing the currency being deposited in banks following last month's demonetisation of high-value notes as money that has lost its earlier "anonymity", Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said these funds now available with the banks have strengthened the Indian banking system....
Lauding the public for their support in exposing the wrong-doings of the corrupt post-demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday promised to operationalise the law to deal with 'benami' properties as part of the government's crusade against corruption....

Pope Francis celebrated a late Saturday night Christmas Mass at the Vatican amid heavy security, a media report said on Sunday....

A Russian military plane, reported missing on Sunday shortly after takeoff from the city of Sochi with 92 people aboard, has crashed, leaving a trail of plane wreckage in the Black Sea, the Defence Ministry announced. ...
Infrastructure projects, construction of roads, riverfront projects, new healthcare facilities, hospitals, pension schemes, freebies to government employees, free treatment to indigent senior citizens, new cancer institutes -- it's raining sops in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh....

Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a Santa on the Christmas Day and announced two schemes to promote digital transactions and banking to make India a cashless economy. For the next 100 days from Sunday, he said, some 15,000 people making e-payments will get Rs 1,000 cash back in a daily lucky draw....