Mid-Day Top News at this hour: Citizens want decongested roads, not smaller buses in Mumbai; Mumbai faces 15 per cent water cut and more

BEST’s mini-buses plying in Mumbai. File pic/Satej Shinde

Welcome to Mid-Day's Top News at this hour! We bring you a curated selection of the most significant and compelling news from around the globe. Stay informed with the latest developments in the nation, Mumbai, entertainment, sports, and more. Let's dive into the headlines shaping our world today.

Not BEST solution: Citizens want decongested roads, not smaller buses in Mumbai

The plan by the BEST undertaking to stop plying 12-metre-long buses on busy and congested streets, especially near railway stations, will defeat the purpose of public transport, leading to more crowding, more buses, more services, and more manpower, commuters have said. Commuters questioned the logic behind such a decision, suggesting that authorities should instead focus on clearing roads of illegal hawkers and parking, which drastically narrow the roads. Transport experts have offered mixed opinions. Read more.

Mumbai: Malwani school parents get calls their kids have been kidnapped or arrested, one family pays ransom

Parents of students from a school at Malwani in Malad have raised concerns after receiving fraudulent calls from unknown individuals. The callers, posing as crime branch officers or kidnappers, falsely claimed that their children had been arrested or kidnapped and demanded ransom. Read more.

Mumbai faces 15 per cent water cut on December 14-15: How it will affect you

Mumbai, Thane, and Bhiwandi will experience a 15 per cent water cut on Saturday and Sunday. A sudden transformer failure at the Pise Power Substation has led to the shutdown of six out of the 20 booster pumps supplying water to Mumbai and surrounding areas. The incident occurred at 1:00 AM on Saturday, December 14, when the B-phase current transformer of the main transformer (No. 1) failed unexpectedly. Read more.

Indians must 'run' hard

The middle day of a Test match is considered the moving day, though in this series, by the time of Day Three, the outcome has been a foregone conclusion. By extension, the middle Test of a five-match series, especially one beautifully balanced at 1-1, is of vital significance for obvious reasons. Read more.

Aryan Khan to shoot award function sequence featuring 18 stars including Shah Rukh Khan for Stardom

Whenever there is a series about the entertainment industry, an award show sequence is almost always woven into it. It seems to be true of Aryan Khan's debut series, Stardom, as well. mid-day has learnt that the first-time writer-director began shooting an award function scene in Mehboob Studios in Bandra yesterday. Sources tell us that as many as 18 stars have been lined up for the sequence. Read more.