A series of loud explosions followed by a massive fire were reported at a refinery of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) at Chembur in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai.

 A woman died after being hit by train while crossing the track in Thokkottu under the limits of Ullal police station this morning.

The deceased has been identified as Tabassum (23).

The main accused in the Bihar shelter home horror case, Brajesh Thakur, who is in jail, on Wednesday denied any involvement in the rape of 34 minor girls in the welfare facility here, saying he was being framed.

He said it was a "conspiracy" and he has no relation with Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma. He said he was innocent.

A youth committed suicide by jumping into the river from Ullal Bridge on NH66 on Wednesday afternoon at around 1:45.

A woman who witnessed the incident said that a boy wearing a t-shirt suddenly jumped into the river while walking across the bridge. He was looking like a college student, she added.

Two persons were killed and at least 30 injured on Wednesday in a stampede outside the Rajaji Hall here as hundreds of thousands thronged for a final glimpse of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, witnesses said.

"There has been heavy jostling and pushing and pulling in the crowd since morning," one man at the site said, explaining what led to the stampede.

The BJP was hit again when it lost the power of Enmakaje panchayat in Kasaragod after the no-confidence motion was passed. The no-confidence motion was moved by the Congress-led UDF members against President Roopavani R Bhat.

With the Indian government talking tough on WhatsApp's failure to check the spread of fake and provocative content on its platform, the instant messaging service on Wednesday said it has begun rolling out its forward message limit to five chats for over 200 million users in India

Saudi Arabia has stopped all medical treatment programmes in Canada and is coordinating for the transfer of Saudi patients to medical facilities outside the country, Saudi press agency reported on Wednesday.

The agency cited Dr Fahd bin Ibrahim Al Tamimi, Saudi Health Attache in the US and Canada, as saying that "the mission seeks to ensure the safety of Saudi patients who receive treatment in Canada with their companions, and to complete their treatment elsewhere".