Breaking news on November 6

Ahead of SC verdict on Ayodhya, PM Narendra Modi asks Union ministers to avoid making unnecessary statements on the issue.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to visit Serbia from 7-9 November. During the visit, EAM will hold bilateral delegation-level talks with his counterpart and meet President of Serbia and President of Serbian National Assembly.

A man was lynched and another was seriously injured when a group of people thrashed them for allegedly stealing the battery of a truck in Bokaro
district on Wednesday, a senior police official said. Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident which took place at Govindpur village, Bokaro superintendent of police P Murugan said.

Of the two who were thrashed one died on the spot, while the other was admitted to hospital in a serious condition. Five persons, including a woman were arrested after an FIR was filed against them for murder, attempt to murder and conspiracy under sections of the Indian Penal Code. They were produced before a local court later in the day and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Light to moderate rainfall over low and middle hills and snowfall over high hills expected to occur from 6-8th Nov due to an active western disturbance its interaction with Cyclone MAHA.

PM Modi, today,chaired 31st interaction through Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) to tackle stubble burning. PM directed Department of Agriculture,Cooperation and Farmers Welfare to distribute equipment to farmers of Punjab, Haryana and UP on a priority basis

A farmer attempted suicide at Dokulapadu village panchayat in Narasannapet. Police say,"Village officials built a drain in 2017 in farmer's agricultural land without taking his consent.His requests for removal weren't heard. Probe is on."

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, said, "Government, SBI, LIC to provide Rs 25,000 cr for an alternate investment fund for giving funds to stalled housing projects."

Cabinet approves the establishment of 'Special Window' to provide priority debt financing for the completion of stalled housing projects in the Affordable and Middle-Income Housing sector.

The government shall act as the sponsor of the fund and infuse funds up to Rs 10,000 Crore; Fund will provide relief to developers with unfinished projects and ensure delivery of homes to buyers

Indian Railways is planning to resume services for Jammu and Kashmir soon. A team will visit the state for inspection along with the local administration.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met a high-level delegation led by Foreign Minister of Finland, Pekka Haavisto.

A woman and her husband were stoned to death by the brothers of the woman as they were from different communities, the woman was from the Lambani community and the man was from the Dalit community. The investigation is underway.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented Russian Defence Minister, General Sergey Shoigu, a bowl mounted on a triangular base with three Indian Army soldiers’ statuettes in ceremonial regalia and rifle.

Supreme Court directs Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to provide support of Rs 100/quintal to small, marginal farmers who haven't burned stubble. The top court directs that the financial support to small and marginal farmers be given within 7 days from today in the 3 states.

Congress leader, Ashok Chavan said, "the present situation in Maharashtra is because of BJP not taking its allies into confidence.That is why Shiv Sena is disturbed and there is tension between the two. There cannot be a solution till Shiv Sena withdraws from the alliance."

Justice Mishra asked Delhi Chief Secretary, you cannot deal with road dust, construction & demolition or garbage dumping. Why are you holding the post?

" Construction activities are still going on in Delhi. Look at the level of pollution. Please take strict action against the violators, he added. 

Justice Mishra also said, "what is happening to the funds coming from World Bank for better infrastructure and development. So much of funds have come, where is the concept of a smart city? Why have the roads not improved?

A UK court has rejects fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi's new bail application.

Honeypreet Insan has been granted bail in a case related to Panchkula violence. She claims to be the adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter". Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

Three tourists were stabbed in Jerash, in Jordan, along with a local guide and a security guard. According to police, a man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing. 

Supreme Court on Delhi-NCR pollution: "Don't you feel ashamed that flights are being diverted and citizens are not safe even in their homes. We can't even visualise what kind of diseases people are suffering from due to pollution. You have forgotten concept of welfare govt, not bothered about poor people, this is very unfortunate. If state governments don't bother about people, you have no right to be in power".

Lawyers vs Cops: In a big setback for Delhi Police, the Delhi High Court has rejected plea by the MHA that sought clarifications on its earlier order that had barred "coercive action against lawyers. The Delhi High Court has maintained the status quo meaning the Delhi Police can not take any coercive action against lawyers involved in the Tis Hazari Court Complex.

Lawyers vs Cops: Implications of Delhi High Court order today

• Implication 1: No coercive action against lawyers involved in the Tis Hazari court complex incident on Saturday (Nov 2).
• Implication 2: Suspension of Delhi Police cops in Tis Hazari Court Complex to continue.

Indian markets on Wednesday logged fresh highs on the back of the strong inflow of foreign funds and earning optimism in select stocks. Banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC, IndusInd Bank gained the most.

Sensex hit the record high of 40,606.91 while the Nifty surpassed the key 12,000-mark for the first time since June. At 3 p.m., the Sensex was up 232.91 points to 40,481.14 while the Nifty was up by 54.70 points at 11,971.90.

Hinting at a big boost to the realty sector, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are in the process of resolving the issues faced by the real estate sector.

Cyclone Maha to skirt Saurashtra coast by tomorrow afternoon

Cyclone Maha Update: Severe Cyclonic Storm MAHA  is currently over Arabian Sea, about 400 km WSW of Porbandar at 0830IST of 6th. Cyclone Maha is likely to weaken and skirt Saurashtra coast as Deep Depression around tomorrow afternoon (7th November)

Meanwhile, the Deep Depression over Bay of Bengal about 390 km WNW of Maya Bandar at 0830IST of 6th, to intensify gradually.

Delhi High Court has began hearing the plea from MHA that sought clarification on its earlier order that restrained Delhi Police from 'coercive action' against lawyers involved in Tis Hazari Court Complex on Saturday.

Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj is appearing for the Delhi Police.

In a bid to ensure comfortable and safe travel for women commuters, BEST will add 37 Tejaswini buses to its fleet and ply these on major routes in the city
and suburbs, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) is already running a few ladies special buses on major routes, one of which is a double-decker bus between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-National Center for the Performing Arts(NCPA).

PTI

Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has urged the Shiv Sena to join BJP in forming a government in Maharashtra. Swamy said the "cause oof unity in Hindutva forces required patience for one more decade so best to bear it."

"I urge Shiv Sena to find a way to join with BJP to form the Government. It is true Shiv Sena has genuine grievances about BJP leadership as do many stalwarts in BJP also have. But the cause of unity in Hindutva forces require patience for one more decade so best to bear it," Swamy tweeted.

Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar made it clear that his party and Congress would sit in the Opposition. 

Facebook has said roughly 100 developers might have improperly accessed Groups member data despite of its lockdown initiated last year.

"As part of our ongoing review, we recently found that some apps retained access to group member information, like names and profile pictures in connection with group activity, from the Groups API, for longer than we intended. We have since removed their access. Today we are also reaching out to roughly 100 partners who may have accessed this information since we announced restrictions to the Groups API, although it's likely that the number that actually did is smaller and decreased over time. We know at least 11 partners accessed group members’ information in the last 60 days. Although we’ve seen no evidence of abuse, we will ask them to delete any member data they may have retained and we will conduct audits to confirm that it has been deleted," Facebook said in a blog post.

"I don't have anything to say yet. BJP and Shiv Sena have got the mandate of people, so they should form government as soon as possible. Our mandate is to play the role of Opposition...Where is the question of a Shiv Sena-NCP government? They(BJP-Shiv Sena) are together for last 25 years,today or tomorrow they will come together again," Sharad Pawar said. 

Centre should help farmers whose crops have been damaged due to rains.I visited affected areas and feel that farmers must be provided relief.Another issue is of insurance companies not paying farmers for crop damage, Finance ministry should intervene in this matter, Sharad Pawar said.

The way cops were treated in Delhi was not proper: Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar questions delay in Ayodhya verdict

BJP-Sena must handle situation properly, says Sharad Pawar on Maharashtra governmnet formation

A nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her uncle in a village in the district, police said on Wednesday. The 22-year-old lured the girl to a secluded place on Monday and raped her. The accused was arrested after the girl's family approached the police.

Lawyers strike enters the third day in protest over the clash between police & lawyers at Tis Hazari Court on November 2. A lawyer at Rohini Court says,"our fight is against only those policemen who fired at us & lathi-charged us that day. We will protest until they are arrested."

Xerox is mulling a cash and stock takeover bid for HP Inc. at a premium to its current $27 billion market value, Reuters reported quoting WSJ. 

Xerox has already received an informal funding commitment from a “major bank” another report said.

"The U.S. printer maker's board discussed the possibility on Tuesday, the newspaper said here, citing people familiar with the matter. There is no guarantee that Xerox will follow through with an offer or that one would succeed, it added," Reuters reported.

Supreme Court directs that Anti-Sikh riots case convict and ex-Cong leader Sajjan Kumar be examined by a panel of AIIMS doctors. Seeks report on the health of Sajjan Kumar in 4 weeks. SC directs listing of bail application of Sajjan Kumar in summer vacation next year.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre and nine states to file a status report on filling up of vacancies in the Central Information Commission and state information commissions in compliance with its earlier orders.

A bench headed by justices S A Bobde asked the Centre and states to file their status report after RTI activists Anjali Bhardwaj and others submitted that earlier apex court orders were not complied with.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut arrives to meet NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence

"He is a senior leader of the state & the country. He is worried about the political situation in Maharashtra today. We had a brief discussion," says Sanjay Raut after meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Lawyers begins protest against Delhi Police outside Saket Court on Wednesday morning. 

The Indian rupee opened on a cautious note and fell 15 paise to 70.84 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday tracking subdued opening in domestic equities.

However, weakening of the US dollar vis-a-vis other currencies overseas and easing crude oil prices supported the domestic unit and restricted the fall.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 70.80 then lost momentum and fell to 70.84 against the US dollar, showing a decline of 15 paise over its previous closing.

Commissioner of Police, Amulya Patnaik & Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police Rajesh Khurana, along with senior officials of Delhi police arrive at the residence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, for a meeting.

A Supreme Court lawyer serves a legal notice to Commissioner of Police, Delhi Amulya Patnaik for not taking action against Delhi cops.

Schools reopened on Wednesday after an extended Diwali break due to pollution in Delhi-NCR. A large number of students seen using anti-pollution masks to protect them from health hazard. However, the pollution levels have gradually come down since Sunday but the AQI still remains in the 'poor' category.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued cyclone alert for the Gujarat coast and a yellow message as Cyclone Maha is expected to make landfall on the coast between Devbhumi-Dwarka district and Diu on Thursday.

Navy's western command has prepared for humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations along the Gujarat and north Maharashtra coast. Four warships of the Western Naval Command have been loaded with HADR materials like food packets, water, medical supplies and other essential commodities.

Kanpur is reeling under poor air quality after Diwali and the pollution also aggravated due to the burning of paddy straw. The plumes present in the air have further deteriorated the pollution in the city.

"The pollution levels in the city have increased, the level has risen from 333 to 437. Eyes are burning and there is difficulty in breathing. We have to wear an anti-pollution mask to overcome it", ANI quoted local resident as saying.

Two factories here have been fined a total of Rs 1.25 lakh for allegedly not using anti-pollution equipment, officials said on Wednesday. The officials of the pollution department on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 on Sarvottam Rolling Mills (P) Ltd and Rs 50,000 on Amba Shakti Steels Limited, they said.

These units were not found using anti-pollution equipment during the checking conducted by a team of the pollution department, the officials added. Meanwhile, officials led by city magistrate Atul Kumar took action against eight people and imposed fines on them for burning garbage in different places here on Tuesday evening.

The executive officer of the city board, V K Mani Tripathi, told newspersons here on Wednesday that action was taken against the violators.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) on Wednesday opened on a negative note during the morning session of the trade. The Sensex of the BSE opened at 40,311.85 points, which was also the high point. It touched a low of 40,153,99 points.

On Tuesday, the Sensex closed at 40,248.23 points. It is trading at 40,165.28, down by 82.95AA points or 0.21 per cent.

On the other hand, the broader 50-scrip Nifty at National Stock Exchange (NSE) opened at 11,911.50 Apoints after closing at 11,9127.20 points. The Nifty was trading at 11,887.90 points on Wednesday morning.

O​disha Assembly Speaker S N Patro has asked the State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) to launch a vigorous awareness campaign against pollution in all civic bodies across the state. Patro issued this direction while presiding over the State Assembly House Committee on Environment meeting here on Tuesday.

OSPCB member-secretary Debidutta Biswal said climate change, global warming, emission of carbon dioxide and release of toxic chemicals from factories and the rampant use of single-use plastics are the major factors of pollution. He said the emission of carbon dioxide should be brought to a minimum level.

A UK court is set to hear a new bail application on Wednesday filed by fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, who is fighting extradition to India on charges of nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case.

The 48-year-old is expected to be produced before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London to make another attempt at being let out on bail until his trial in May next year. He has been in custody at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, one of England’s most overcrowded prisons, since his arrest in March.

 Gordon Sondland, the US envoy to the EU, has made an amendment to his earlier Congressional testimony, admitting that the US President Donald Trump offered Ukraine a quid pro quo to investigate political rival Joe Biden over alleged corruption.

In a document released by Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Sondland validated the main thesis of the congressional investigation seeking to determine whether or not to impeach President Donald Trump, namely that his administration withheld congressionally-approved security aid to Ukraine for partisan ends, Efe news reported.

Major pollutants PM 2.5 at 279 & PM 10 at 250, both in 'poor' category in Lodhi Road area, according to Air Quality Index (AQI) data.

A layer of smog continues to cover the sky in the national capital. Visuals from the area around India Gate where the air quality remains in 'Unhealthy' category this morning.

725 kg of cannabis was seized from a truck by the Excise team, in Narsipatnam of Visakhapatnam district in Arunachal Pradesh. Two people arrested. The cannabis was being transported from Visakhapatnam to Uttar Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh: 725 kg of cannabis was seized from a truck in Narsipatnam 

Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Pratap Chandra Sarangi on Tuesday called on Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig. B.D. Mishra (Retd.) at Raj Bhavan.

During the meeting, they discussed self-employment and financial empowerment of youth through MSME and Fisheries and dairy development in Arunachal Pradesh.

With loud chants of "Kiran Bedi lao, Delhi Police bachao", protesting Delhi Police personnel on Tuesday remembered the former IPS officer and drowned out seniors trying to placate them as they gathered to vent anger over their colleagues being thrashed by lawyers.

The reason for the police personnel remembering Bedi, the first woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, is rooted to a February 17, 1988 incident at Tis Hazari Court Complex. Bedi backed the police force and had a face-off with lawyers, who were protesting the handcuffing of an advocate on suspicion of theft.

Iran has no credible reason to expand its uranium enrichment programme, the United States has has said as it fully supported the IAEA in conducting its independent verification role in Iran.

"Unfortunately, Iran's continued expansion of uranium enrichment activities comes as no surprise. This is something that they threaten regularly in a transparent attempt at nuclear extortion," a State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Three suspected robbers have been arrested after two separate encounters in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district, police said. Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted two men who were driving a stolen car. When the two tried to flee, they fired upon the police personnel, who retaliated, Senior Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Singh said.

During the encounter, a constable sustained bullet injuries on his left arm, while the two got bullet injuries on their legs, the police said.

Customs officials have recovered unclaimed gold bars worth Rs 2.24 crore that was concealed in the rear toilet of an aircraft that arrived from Dubai on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off that the precious metal was being smuggled in a plane from Dubai, the sleuths rummaged the flight at the airport here, according to a statement.
Four bundles wrapped in black adhesive tapes were found concealed in the rear toilet of the international flight, which was to fly to New Delhi in the domestic sector, it said.