Breaking News, November 6

The United Nations' climate change summit opened in Egypt on Sunday with the inclusion of 'loss and damage' finance in the official agenda and India hoping that fair negotiations on it would follow. Loss and damage is a term used to refer to the consequences of climate change that go beyond what people can adapt to, or when options exist but a community doesn't have the resources to access or utilise them. 

Pakistan’s ousted premier Imran Khan on Sunday questioned the Pakistan Army’s “logic” and said it was “shocking” that it believed the criticism of a military official was akin to defaming the armed forces.

BJP MLA from the Keshoraipatan area of Bundi district Chandra Kanta Meghwal climbed on top of a water tank on Sunday in protest against police over a spate of burglaries in the last few weeks in Kapren town.

Illegal hacking operatives, dubbed “hack-for-hire” companies, are operating across India and infiltrate emails and phones of VIPs and states for a fee paid by private investigators around the world, an undercover investigation has claimed on Sunday.

The main accused in the Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri murder case was "self-radicalised" and committed a hate crime, police said on Sunday. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to further probe the case, they said. The SIT will be supervised by Additional Director General of Police (Internal Security) R N Dhoke and led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (detective) Jagjit Walia.

Three motorcycles belonging to policemen were set on fire by unidentified miscreants in a slum in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, an official said on Sunday.

The Supreme Court will live stream the proceedings of the ceremonial bench headed by Chief Justice of India U U Lalit on Monday as it will be his last working day. CJI Lalit will be superannuating on November 8, which is a court holiday due to Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Two teenagers were killed here on Sunday when the motorcycle they were travelling on rammed into a stationed truck on a national highway.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that waterways were a key to increasing farmers' income and local job creation as he laid foundation of projects worth Rs 80 crore.

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Sunday attacked the Central government by accusing it of trying to prevent implementation of welfare schemes and destroy higher education in the state as the BJP wants to control everything.

The Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by party leader Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Madhya Pradesh on November 20 and cover various districts of the state before entering Rajasthan on December 3, a party leader said on Sunday.

The global mean temperature in 2022 is estimated to be 1.15 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average, likely making the eight years from 2015 the warmest on record, the World Meteorological Organisation said in a report on Sunday.

Two men died in Gondia in Maharashtra after coming in contact with a fence having a live wire, a police official said on Sunday. The incident happened at around 11pm on Saturday in Parastola village in Deori tehsil and the deceased have been identified as Anmol Gaikwad (22) and Ashish Kosre (26), he said.

A 27-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly beating to death his cousin for an apparent delay in feeding the former's pet dog, police said here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu have been invited to attend the month-long centenary celebrations of Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj to be held from December 15 by Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS) Swaminarayan sect.

An 82-year-old businessman allegedly drowned himself in Yamuna, jumping in the river at Sur Ghat in north Delhi's Timarpur early Sunday morning, police said.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has suggested the government to ease the minimum capital requirement of Rs 100 crore and permit the regulator to fix the amount depending upon business plans of the prospective company.

Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Sunday joined the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on its 60th day in Telangana.
Manda Krishna Madiga, leader of Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS), an outfit fighting for categorisation of SCs, also joined the rally which resumed this morning from Alladurg in Medak district, party sources said.

The BJP on Sunday retained the Gopalganj assembly seat in Bihar, beating the RJD in a by-poll that turned out to be a cliffhanger of a contest. BJP candidate Kusum Devi, wife MLA Subhash Singh whose death had necessitated the by-election, polled 70,032 votes, while RJD's Mohan Gupta got 68,243.

BJP's Bhavya Bishnoi is inching towards victory in the Adampur assembly segment as he gained a lead of 17,369 votes over his nearest rival and Congress candidate Jai Prakash during counting of votes for the bypolls.

Mild tremors were felt in parts of Uttarakhand's Garhwal region on Sunday triggering panic as people rushed out of their houses, officials said. The earthquake of 4.5 magnitude occurred at 8.33 am.

BJP candidate Bhavya Bishnoi is leading by 17,988 votes over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Jai Prakash in Adampur assembly after nine rounds of counting on Sunday.

Syed Haider Ali, a domestic cricket stalwart, and one of the finest left-arm spinners who never played for India, has passed away after battling prolonged illness.

In view of the upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat, the Election Commission (EC) has directed all banks in the state to keep a watch on suspicious transactions of more than Rs 10 lakh in the accounts, officials said on Sunday.

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have become parents to a baby girl. Alia, who announced her pregnancy in June this year, gave birth to her and Ranbir's first child at HN Reliance hospital in South Mumbai.

Syrian government forces shelled a tent settlement housing families displaced by the country's conflict in the rebel-held northwest early Sunday, killing at least six people and wounding more than a dozen, opposition war monitors said. The shelling is the latest violation of a truce reached between Russia and Turkey in March 2020 that ended a Russian-backed government offensive on Idlib province that is the last major rebel-held stronghold in Syria. The truce has been repeatedly violated over the past two years killing and wounding scores of people. The tent settlement, known as the Maram camp, is just northwest of the provincial capital of Idlib. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported that government forces fired about 30 rockets toward rebel-held areas, including the Maram camp Sunday morning killing six and wounding 15. It said the dead included two children and one woman.

An autorickshaw driver died after he was hit by a vehicle while trying to escape from north Delhi's Civil Lines police station, where he was brought for allegedly harassing a woman, officials said on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Rahul, a resident of Majnu ka Tilla area, they said. At around 11:15 pm on Saturday, a 40-year-old woman came to Civil Lines police station and alleged that an autorickshaw driver misbehaved with her at a metro station, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said. Constables Rakesh, Prem and Naresh went with her to Vidhan Sabha metro station and found the autorickshaw driver, who was in an inebriated condition, there. They asked him to come with them to the police station, he said.

BJP candidate Aman Giri has taken a comfortable lead of about 25,000 votes over his nearest rival as counting of votes progressed in the Gola Gokarannath assembly bypolls on Sunday. While Giri has got 73,371 votes so far, Samajwadi Party's Vinay Tiwari got 48,739 votes, officials said after the 18th round of counting. Counting started here at 8 am amid tight security arrangements. Returning Officer Anurag Singh said the counting is likely to be held in 32 rounds. The November 3 Gokarannath assembly bypolls recorded a polling percentage of 57.35 per cent. Seven contestants were in the fray. The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA Arvind Giri on September 6.

Having set an ambitious target of winning 150 seats to retain power, the ruling BJP in Karnataka is pressing all its firepower on 60-odd constituencies, where it is weak or has never won an election. The party has adopted a multipronged approach, which includes extensive touring of its top leadership in these constituencies, assigning of special tasks to the cadre on the ground, identifying fresh faces within or inducting winnable candidates from outside. "We are working on all the seats together categorising them into A,B and C. (A means seats where victory is assured, B is where there is some difficulty, but can be won, and C means seats that are difficult)," state BJP General Secretary Mahesh Tenginakai told PTI.

At least nine people including two police personnel were injured when CPI(M) and BJP supporters clashed at Teliamura in Tripura's Khowai district, police said on Sunday. CPI(M) leaders and supporters had gathered at Karoilong around 30 km from state capital Agartala, for a meeting on Saturday night. "When the meeting was going on, a group of youths suddenly attacked the CPI(M) activists who also put up resistance that led to a clash between two sides", said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Teliamura, Prasun Tripura. He said at least nine people including two policemen who were deployed to provide security to the CPI(M) rally were injured.

The RJD has established a lead in the two assembly seats of Mokama and Gopalganj in Bihar after the first round of counting, with BJP nominees found trailing, Election Commission trends revealed. In Mokama, Neelam Devi garnered 4,159 votes after the first round, and BJP’s Sonam Devi 3,508 votes.
Mohan Gupta of the RJD is leading in Gopalganj with 2,713 votes. He is followed by Kusum Devi of the BJP with 1,798 votes. Of the 6.10 lakh voters -- Gopalganj (3.31 lakh) and Mokama (2.70 lakh) – 52.3 per cent had exercised their franchise in the two seats on November 3, he said.

With 1,132 people testing positive for the coronavirus infection in a day, India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,46,60,579, while the active cases declined to 14,839, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll has climbed to  5,30,500 with 14 fatalities which includes five deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The  active cases comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.78 per cent, according to the health ministry website.

A doctor from Pune has embarked on a mission to save the girl child as part of which he not only waives the fees if a baby girl is born in his hospital, but also makes sure the little one gets a rousing welcome. As part of his 'Beti Bachao Janandolan' initiative, Dr Ganesh Rakh, who runs a maternity-cum-multispeciality hospital in Hadapsar area here in Maharashtra, has been trying to create awareness against female foeticide and infanticide. He claims to have delivered more than 2,400 girl children in the last 11 years without charging fees from their parents and relatives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting in Valsad district of poll-bound Gujarat on Sunday and attend a mass marriage programme in Bhavnagar, a BJP functionary said. This will be the prime minister's first visit to his home state after the Election Commission declared polls for the 182-member Assembly. “PM Modi will address a rally in Nana Pondha in Valsad district on Sunday afternoon. He will attend a mass marriage function in Bhavnagar in the evening,” BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said on Saturday. Elections will be held in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Gujarat in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won 99 seats out of the total 182 and the Congress bagged 77. This time, the poll contest will be triangular in view of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) entry into the fray. 

Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was with the national squad for T20 World Cup in Australia, has been arrested on charges of sexual assault, team sources said on Sunday. It has been learnt that the 31-year-old Gunathilaka was arrested and taken to Sydney City police station in the wee hours of Sunday following an investigation into alleged sexual assault of a woman on November 2. "Daushka Gunathilaka has been arrested for an alleged rape. The Sri Lankan team has left Australia without him," a source close to the Sri Lankan team. Sri Lankan team was eliminated from the tournament after losing to England on Sunday.

Counting of votes is underway on Sunday in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states including former chief minister Bhajan Lal's family bastion Admapur in Haryana. Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi, who contested on a BJP ticket, and RJD's Neelam Devi, whose husband Anant Singh's disqualification necessitated the by-election in Bihar's Mokama, are among the prominent candidates in the fray. The other constituencies where results of the November 3 bypolls will be out were Gopalganj in Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha.

A major fire erupted in the electrical metre room of a 15-storey building at Thakurli in Thane district of Maharashtra on Saturday, a Fire Brigade official said. Fire officer Namdeo Choudhary of Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) said no one was injured in the fire that broke out due to a short circuit at around 9 AM. The fire was doused after a short while. The blaze destroyed the wiring in the building duct up to the 13th floor. At least four residents of the building were admitted due to the inhalation of smoke at a local hospital, he said. Thankfully, the blaze didn't spread.

Congress leader Naseem Khan was injured in a car accident on Wednesday while travelling to Nanded in Maharashtra from Hyderabad. Khan, a former Maharashtra minister, was going to Nanded to join Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra which will be entering the state on November 7, party sources said. Khan is the in-charge of the Yatra's Nanded leg. The accident took place at Bhiloli toll plaza in Nanded where a speeding vehicle collided with the SUV in which Khan was travelling. The driver of the SUV too was injured, party sources said. The impact of the collision was such that the entire front bonnet of the SUV was damaged, they added. "I have suffered a minor injury to my right leg and I am safe. I am excited to fulfil my responsibility as in-charge of Bharat Jodo Yatra," Khan stated later. 

A 30-year-old journalist from Bhosari area of Pune city in Maharashtra was arrested on Saturday for allegedly killing his 28-year-old girlfriend, police said. The accused, working with a web portal in Pimpri Chinchwad township, had lodged a missing complaint in August, following which a search operation was launched by the police to trace the woman. However, the investigation revealed that he had killed the woman and disposed of her body near Bhor Taluka in the Pune district.

Twitter on Saturday launched a subscription service for $8 a month that includes a blue checkmark now given to verified accounts as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the platform's verification system just ahead of US midterm elections. In an update to Apple iOS devices, Twitter said users who “sign up now” can receive the blue checkmark next to their names “just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow.” The change represents the end of Twitter's current verification system, which was launched in 2009 to prevent impersonations of high-profile accounts such as celebrities and politicians. Before the overhaul, Twitter had about 423,000 verified accounts, many of them rank-and-file journalists from around the globe that the company verified regardless of how many followers they had.

India is the fastest growing innovation ecosystem in the world where around 102 unicorns have been created in the last few years, Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said. Speaking at 'Vishwa Sadhhavna' event here on Saturday, Chandrasekhar said that none of these unicorns have famous last names. “They don't have any political connection. They have been built on enterprise and capability, and determination and hard work,” he said.

The United Kingdom will have another reason to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III, for the government has declared a special public holiday to mark the occasion. The holiday will be on Monday, May 8, capping a three-day weekend that will begin with the coronation. The coronation of Charles' late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was also marked with what is known as a bank holiday in Britain. “The coronation of a new monarch is a unique moment for our country. In recognition of this historic occasion, I am pleased to announce an additional bank holiday for the whole United Kingdom next year,'' new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “I look forward to seeing people come together to celebrate and pay tribute to King Charles III by taking part in local and national events across the country in his honor.” Charles will be crowned on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. His ceremony will be designed to preserve the historical traditions of the monarchy while looking to the future following the late queen's 70-year reign. The coronation is expected to be shorter and less extravagant than the three-hour ceremony that installed Elizabeth in 1953, in keeping with Charles' plans for a slimmed-down monarchy.