Breaking News, October 19 | Highlights

Latvia will enter into a nearly month-long lockdown, including a curfew, on Thursday due to the worsening coronavirus situation in the Baltic country where the vaccination rate is among the lowest in the European Union.

After a relative respite of two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued an Orange alert for 11 districts of Kerala indicating heavy rainfall. The weatherman has put 12 districts in the state on Orange alert on Thursday also.

The IMD sounded an Orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts on October 20.

An Orange alert has been issued for all districts other than Kannur and Kasaragod on October 21.

Africa's rare glaciers will disappear in the next two decades because of climate change, a new report warned Tuesday amid sweeping forecasts of pain for the continent that contributes least to global warming but will suffer from it most. The report from the World Meteorological Organisation and other agencies, released ahead of the UN climate conference in Scotland that starts Oct. 31, is a grim reminder that Africa's 1.3 billion people remain “extremely vulnerable” as the continent warms more, and at a faster rate, than the global average.

And yet Africa's 54 countries are responsible for less than 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The new report seizes on the shrinking glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda as symbols of the rapid and widespread changes to come.

Automaker Jeep India on Tuesday said it is recalling 39 fully imported units of Jeep Wrangler in order to inspect and replace fuel supply line connector. The company said it is recalling the SUV units manufactured between January 24, 2020 and March 17, 2020.

As part of the regular vehicle audit process, quality control identified the potential to replace the fuel supply line connector, which may have a propensity to crack, resulting in a leak from the fuel lines, which may cause a fire hazard, Jeep India said in a statement.

As a safety precaution, the 39 Jeep Wrangler units will be voluntarily recalled in order to eliminate any risk to the vehicle occupants, the vehicle itself and the people who might be in close range of the vehicle at any given time, it added.

A 38-year-old shopkeeper was shot dead allegedly over a monetary dispute in a village in Muzaffarnagar on Tuesday, police said. Pravinder Kumar was at the shop in Phaguna village when the accused, identified only as Bhura, killed him, they said. Villagers staged a protest following the murder, and police have launched a manhunt to nab Bhura, officials said.

In a separate incident, an unidentified dead body was found in the Luhari Khurd area under the Charthawal police station limits of the district on Tuesday, they said.

The shutter of Kerala's Idukki dam opened today after the catchment area received heavy rainfall

"Go for it India, continue to rapidly march towards our milestone of 100 crore COVID-19 vaccinations," tweets Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel had a telephonic conversation with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami to provide necessary assistance to the pilgrims from Gujarat who are stranded there due to natural calamity and rains in Uttarakhand.

Helpline number 079-23251900 has been announced following the instructions of the CM so that the pilgrims from Gujarat trapped there can be contacted and other information can be obtained. 

Two cases of recent civilian killings in Jammu & Kashmir are to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) soon

12 people, incl 3 HDFC Bank employees, arrested for their involvement in attempts to make unauthorized withdrawal from a very high-value NRI account. 66 attempts of unauthorized online transactions made by this group on the high-value account: DCP(Cyber Cell) KPS Malhotra

The accused had fraudulently obtained a checkbook, it has been recovered. Mobile phone number identical to that of account holder’s US-based phone number was procured by the fraudsters: DCP (Cyber Cell) KPS Malhotra

An under-construction bridge, over a raging Chalthi River in Champawat, washed away due to a rise in the water level caused by incessant rainfall in parts of Uttarakhand

Sensex opens for the day, currently at 62,111.64 - up by 346.05 points

India reports 13,058 new COVID cases (lowest in 231 days), 19,470 recoveries and 164 deaths in last 24 hrs as per Health Ministry

Total cases: 3,40,94,373
Active cases: 1,83,118 (lowest in 227 days)
Total recoveries: 3,34,58,801
Death toll: 4,52,454

Total Vaccination: 98,67,69,411

Milad-un-Nabi greetings. Let there be peace and prosperity all around: PM Narendra Modi

Jammu and Kashmir: As of now, 6 patients have tested dengue positive. We've made all arrangements to curb dengue and a special lab and ward established for testing & caring of patients: Dr. Vijay Raina, Medical Superintendent, District Hospital, Udhampur

NCP leader Eknath Khadse's wife Mandakini Khadse will appear before ED office today for inquiry in a case related to Pune land scam: Directorate of Enforcement 

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Tuesday in a continuation of its recent weapons tests, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, hours after the U.S. reaffirmed its offer to resume diplomacy on the North’s nuclear weapons program.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately say what kind of ballistic missile it was or how far it flew. Japan’s coast guard issued a maritime safety advisory to ships but didn’t immediately know where the weapon landed.

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Good wishes to all fellow citizens, especially to our Muslim brothers & sisters on Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad: President Ram Nath Kovind

Uttarakhand: Nandakini River swells as Chamoli region continues to experience incessant rainfall, causing a rise in its water level

Two shutters of Idamalayar Dam in Ernakulam district opened for 50 cm each at 6 am today. The present water level of the dam is 165.70 m with the full reservoir level being 169 m and the maximum water level being 171 m.

Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir Pandurang K Pole on Monday held a meeting regarding the operation of international flights from Srinagar International Airport, necessary arrangements needed to put in place and management of passengers in view of COVID-19 pandemic, said an official press release.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has held a virtual conference with his counterparts from the US, Israel and the UAE, ​agreeing to utilise complementary capabilities to fulfill overlapping interests and strengthening the strategic partnership at a quadrilateral level. Jaishankar, who is currently on a five-day visit to Israel, was accompanied by the home nation's Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, during the quadrilateral-level meeting on Monday, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated virtually.

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First kid-friendly vaccination centre has been set up in Delhi, with toys, musical instruments, so that children are able to spend waiting time post vaccination.

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