News at a glance: December 9, 2017

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Here's a quick look at the top stories of the day:

1. Gujarat polls LIVE updates: All eyes on 89 seats, 2.12 cr voters in phase 1

Voting for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections, covering 89 constituencies of the Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions, began at 8 am on Saturday. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray and around 2.12 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise. Read full report

2. This is how Election Commission has promised to make polling fair

A day before the first phase of polling in Gujarat, the Election Commission on Friday sought to allay apprehensions vis-a-vis the integrity of its EVMs by saying that it has put in place "an elaborate framework of system, security protocols and procedural checks" to prevent any "possible misuse" of the voting machines. Read full report

3. PM Narendra Modi urges for record turnout, Rahul Gandhi predicts wave for Congress

The battle for Gujarat has been hotting up India's political weather in recent weeks. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been the star campaigner for BJP and urged Gujaratis to come out in 'record numbers' to vote, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi too held numerous rallies and said no one can stop his party from being triumphant. Read full report

4. Mumbai wakes up to blanket of dense fog, local trains suffer delays

At a time when fog is quite common in several north Indian cities, Mumbai basks under bright sunshine. Saturday was a grim tale however as the Maximum City too was engulfed in dense fog with visibility dropping in several areas of the city. Read full report

5. US issues travel advisory for travel to Pakistan, says terror threat imminent

The United States on Friday advised its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a threat to them throughout the country. The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. Read full report

5. Max Hospital a habitual offender: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Saturday slammed Shalimar Bagh's Max Hospital terming it 'habitual offender'. This comes a day after the hospital's license was cancelled as it falsely declared a newborn dead and gave it away to the parents in a packet. Read full report