December 29: Top headlines at noon

Penultimate day to deposit old notes; PM to address nation on New Year’s Eve

It is over 50 days since the decision to demonetise high denomination ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes. Tomorrow, December 30, is the last day to deposit these old notes in your bank account. Meanwhile, ANI News has reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation before the ‘dawn of New Year’.

AIADMK appoints VK Sasikala as party General Secretary

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has appointed late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's close confidante VK Sasikala as the General Secretary of the party, at it’s general council meeting in Chennai today. The council also adopted a resolution condoling the passing away of J Jayalalithaa. The venue of the meeting, Srivaru Venkatachalapathi Kalyana Mandapan sported life size hoardings of a smiling Jayalalithaa waving to party workers in the departed leader's favourite green colour.

Encounter underway in Kashmir

An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Bandipora district of north Kashmir this morning, police said. Acting on specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in Shahgund village of Hajin area of the district, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation, a police official said here. He said as the forces were conducting the search operation, the hiding militants fired upon them, triggering an encounter.

Demonetised currency haul: ED arrests Delhi lawyer Tandon

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested lawyer Rohit Tandon in Delhi in connection with a money-laundering probe in a case of seizure of ₹13.6 crore. The money was seized earlier after Delhi Police's Crime Branch and the Income Tax Department raided the premises of a law firm Tandon is associated with, as part of an anti-black money operation post demonetisation. Officials said Tandon, who was being questioned by the ED for the last few days, was placed under arrest late last night under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and will be produced in a court here for further custody. The agency suspects Tandon was allegedly instrumental in the illegal conversion of demonetised currency worth about ₹60 crore in purported connivance with Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha and arrested Kotak Bank manager in Delhi Ashish Kumar.

5 coaches of Kurla-Ambernath local derail in Thane

Five coaches of the Kurla-Ambernath local train derailed this morning between Kalyan and Vitthalwadi stations in Thane district near Mumbai, officials said. No one was injured in the mishap that took place at 5:53 am, but services were disrupted on the Central Line of Mumbai suburban railway, and were suspended on the Kalyan-Karjat line. The incident comes a day after the Ajmer-Sealdah express derailed while it was crossing a bridge near Rura Railway Station in Kanpur Rural district of Uttar Pradesh, leaving 62 passengers injured.

With inputs from NH National Bureau.