December 31: Top headlines at noon

Day after expulsion, Akhilesh holds meeting, majority of MLAs present

Setting the stage for a show of strength, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was expelled from Samajwadi Party by his father and SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, today held a meeting at his residence where a majority of the 229 party MLAs were present . Though the exact number of those present at the meeting was not immediately known, insiders maintained that a majority of the 229 SP MLAs were present. Besides, some SP MLCs and senior party functionaries loyal to Akhilesh attended the meeting. Akhilesh is expected to meet his supporters and party workers later in the day to prove his strength.

The chief minister's 5-Kalidas Marg residence appeared to be the hub of high drama with youth supporters of Akhilesh assembling in large numbers to vent their fury over his expulsion and that of his uncle Ramgopal Yadav.

Buxar jailbreak: Five prisoners escape

Five convicts, including four serving life imprisonment, escaped from Bihar’s Buxar Central Jail late last night by scaling the prison wall. District Magistrate Raman Kumar said today that the jailbreak took place between midnight and 3 am. An iron rod, pipe and 'dhoti' have been found at the spot from where the prisoners scaled the wall, he said. The DM said that after probing the incident, responsibility would be fixed on the erring jail officials for the jail break. Superintendent of Police Upendra Sharma admitted that security has been breached and said thick fog must have helped them in escaping.

Two held as Bengal-based executive freed from abductors

A West Bengal-based executive, who was abducted on Tuesday, has been rescued from Chakla village on the outskirts of Ranchi in Jharkhand and two alleged abductors who had demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh to release him have been arrested, police said today. Sudipto Mukherjee, general manager of Kolkata-based Purushottam Homeo Vikash Company, was abducted from village Sardarpur on G T Road (NH 2) on the night of December 27 when he and his company's managing director Trinath Chatterjee were proceeding to Varanasi on business assignment, Superintendent of Police Bhimsen Tuti said.

TMC MP Tapas Pal arrested by CBI

TMC MP Tapas Pal was arrested by CBI in connection with the apex agency's probe into the Rose Valley scam, and is likely to be produced in a Bhubaneswar court tomorrow. Pal was taken to NSC Bose International Airport on way to Bhubaneswar amid tight security late last night, a top airport official said on condition of anonymity. On way to airport, a routine medical check up was also conducted on Pal. Pal was arrested after being interrogated for four hours.