India Live News Updates: Vehicles stuck, tourists stranded after heavy snowfall in Himachal’s Manali; 700 rescued

Nippon Steel said on Monday it has not received any update from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States about the national security risks of the Japanese company’s proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel.

The Washington Post reported on Monday that CFIUS was unable to reach a consensus on the proposed deal, citing two people familiar with the matter.

As negotiations between the treasury and the opposition began to address political disputes, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government’s committee, said on Monday that they have agreed to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) demand to consult Imran Khan – the incarcerated founder of the party, as reported by Geo News.

The PTI and the government started the negotiation process at the Parliament House in Islamabad with “hopes of a positive outcome” with an aim to ease the country’s political tensions.

Siddiqui, speaking on a Geo News programme, said, “People want peace and democratic norms rather than anarchy and economic instability in the country.”

Two people were rescued and a third swam to safety after a California pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean Monday as the state’s central coast was pounded by heavy surf from a major storm expected to bring hurricane-force winds to the seas off the Pacific Northwest, authorities said.

Residents were warned to stay away from low-lying areas near the beaches around the Santa Cruz Wharf, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of San Francisco, as the storm rapidly gained strength.

The storm’s high surf and flooding prompted the city of Capitola — some 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) east of the wharf along the Monterey Bay — to order guests at a waterfront hotel to evacuate if they had ocean-facing units. Residents in the city’s business district were told to shelter in place or leave the area immediately.

The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that comments coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea. The Manhattan district attorney charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.

Mangione’s initial appearance in New York’s state trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

The Israel military said in a statement early on Tuesday that sirens sounded in several areas in central Israel following the launch of a projectile from Yemen.

The missile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, it added. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Iran-backed group in Yemen has repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what it describes as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

A fresh spell of heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh’s Manali on Monday left several vehicles stuck and tourists stranded in their vehicles for hours between Solang and Atal Tunnel, Rohtang.

According to officials, around 1,000 vehicles were stuck in a long traffic jam, prompting police to launch a rescue operation and shift around 700 tourists to safe places.

Visuals from the area showed police personnel assisting travellers and drivers in navigating their vehicles as snowfall continued.

Local authorities also coordinated the rescue operations.

The influx of tourists arriving to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the snow-covered mountains seems to have added to the situation.

Earlier, Shimla was blanketed in a pristine sheet of snow, bringing renewed hope and joy to the city.