Breaking News, October 23

The deep depression over Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclone on Sunday evening and is very likely to gather further strength becoming a severe cyclonic storm before crossing the Bangladesh coast on October 25 morning, the IMD said.

The mortal remains of an Army pilot from Rajasthan who died in a helicopter crash in Arunachal Pradesh two days back were buried with military honours in Udaipur on Sunday night, police said. Major Mustafa Zakiuddin Bohra and four more Army personnel were killed when an indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter crashed near Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday.

A Russian warplane crashed into a residential building in the Siberian city of Irkutsk Sunday, regional authorities said. There was no immediate information on casualties. Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev said the plane came down on a two-story building in the city.

Russia's military leadership has withdrawn its officers in the Russian-annexed city of Kherson across the Dnieper River in anticipation of an advance of Ukrainian troops, the Institute for the Study of War think tank said on Sunday. To delay the Ukrainian counteroffensive as the Russians complete their retreat, Moscow has left newly mobilised, inexperienced forces on the other side of the wide river, it added.

Iran's atomic energy agency alleged that hackers acting on behalf of an unidentified foreign country broke into a subsidiary's network and had free access to its email system. An anonymous hacking group claimed responsibility for the attack on Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, demanding Tehran release political prisoners arrested in the recent nationwide protests.

German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clear" message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "today's era is not of war" resonated widely in Europe in a very positive way. The German envoy said this while complimenting India's call for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. According to him, there has been a "certain shift" in India's position on the war in Ukraine as he referred to the Indian statement on the UN resolution against Moscow's annexation of four Ukrainian regions. 

Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly reached Eden Garden in Kolkata to file his nomination for the post of president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Earlier this week, former cricketer Roger Binny replaced Ganguly as the chief of BCCI. 

Legislator and Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Vishwanath Chandrashekar Mamani, also known as Anand Mamani, passed away at a private hospital here, family sources said. The three-time MLA, representing Saundatti Yellamma segment in Belagavi district, was suffering from liver ailment. He died on Saturday night, leaving behind wife, a son and a daughter. Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Mamani was a formidable leader who worked extensively for social empowerment. "He also worked to strengthen BJP across Karnataka. Condolences to his family and supporters," Modi said in a tweet.

Two days of tribal fighting in Sudan's south killed at least 220 people, a senior health official said on Sunday, marking one the deadliest bouts of tribal violence in recent years. The unrest added to the woes of an African nation mired in civil conflict and political chaos. Fighting in Blue Nile province, which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan, reignited earlier this month over a land dispute.

Realty major DLF Ltd's sales bookings rose 62 per cent year-on-year during the April-September period to Rs 4,092 crore on better demand for its housing properties. Its sales bookings stood at Rs 2,526 crore in the first half of the previous financial year, according to an investors presentation by the firm. DLF Ltd has given guidance of sales bookings at Rs 8,000 crore for the current 2022-23 financial year, a 10 per cent increase from the previous fiscal.

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he will participate in the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra when it enters Maharashtra as an attempt is being made through it to bring harmony in society. Talking to reporters here, Pawar said state Congress leaders Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat had met him and extended an invitation to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass outreach programme, when it enters the state on November 7. The Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to cover a distance of 3,570 km in 150 days. It started on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and will conclude in Jammu and Kashmir.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday questioned why people, who are worried due to inflation, should not get access to free education and treatment, and said by calling such things free "revdi", the common man should not be insulted. Kejriwal tweeted a media report in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed the political culture of "revdi" or freebies. "People are quite worried due to the price rise. Why should they not get free education, treatment, medicines and electricity? Politicians get so many facilities for free. Banks waived the loans of so many rich people. By calling it free revdi again and again, do not insult the common man," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief said in a tweet in Hindi. Modi had slammed the freebie culture in his address after virtually conducting the "grih pravesh" ceremony of 4.51 lakh beneficiaries of the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

In a quaint Assam village, Pranita is busy peeling and chopping vegetables while another woman cleans a boat at the nearby pond and two others sit by the entrance, chatting among themselves. This could well be the scene of any rural household in Assam, except that these women are busy with the activities at a tourist spot nestled in an interior part of Golaghat district.

Two siblings drowned while playing in a water tank in Jaisalmer district's Mohangarh area on Sunday, police said.  SHO Bhawani Singh said the deceased children have been identified as Krish (2) and his sister Sapna (3). After post-mortem, the bodies were handed over to the relatives, he said.

OneWeb on Sunday announced the successful deployment of 36 satellites launched by ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Bharti Global is the largest investor in OneWeb, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company. This latest launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NSIL marks one of the biggest commercial orders by India's premier space organisation, and the first using the LVM3 rocket, OneWeb said in a statement.

Forest authorities have arrested 12 people and detained a minor boy for allegedly killing an elephant calf and burying the carcass in a paddy farm in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, officials said on Sunday. As per preliminary investigation, the accused spotted the elephant calf at the farm in Bania village under Pasan forest range on October 18 and allegedly poisoned it to death the next day. They buried the carcass in the farm to hide the crime, Katghora Divisional Forest Officer Premlata Yadav said.

Two Russian banks have opened a special vostro account following permission from the Reserve Bank of India to facilitate overseas trade in rupee. Sberbank and VTB Bank -- the largest and second largest banks of Russia -- are the first foreign lenders to receive this approval after the RBI announced the guidelines on overseas trade in rupee in July. These banks have opened special vostro account in their respective branches in Delhi, sources said. Last month, state-owned UCO Bank received the RBI's approval to open a special vostro account with Gazprombank of Russia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the temple town on Sunday to attend Deepotsav celebrations which will see around 18 lakh earthen lamps being lit to celebrate Diwali. Besides offering prayers at the Ram temple, the prime minister will also inspect the construction work of the temple and later perform a symbolic coronation of Lord Rama, according to a statement issued by his office on Saturday. Around 6.30 pm, the prime minister will witness an "aarti" on the banks of the River Saryu, which will be followed by launch of the Deepotsav celebrations, the statement said.

Indraprastha Gas Ltd, which retails CNG and piped cooking gas in the national capital and adjoining cities, reported a 4 per cent rise in its September quarter net profit as rise in input natural gas prices hurt margins. The net profit stood at Rs 416.15 crore in July-September compared with Rs 400.54 crore in the same period a year back, the company said in a statement. Revenue almost doubled to Rs 3,922.02 crore in the second quarter of fiscal year starting April 1 against Rs 2,015.99 crore revenue in the year ago period. Gas prices have doubled since Russia invaded Ukraine. IGL's expense on purchase of natural gas soared from Rs 929.97 crore in July-September 2021 to Rs 2,610.03 crore in the current year.

Three plots of land worth Rs 7.5 crore of mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari will be soon attached under the Gangsters Act, a senior police official said. Additional Superintendent of police (ASP) Tribhuvan Nath Tripathi said on Saturday that "gangster Mukhtar Ansari had bought three plots of land in the name of his mother using money earned from criminal activities." "The district administration issued orders for the attaching the plots under the provisions of Gangster Act on Saturday. The attachment will be done soon," he added. The gangster is currently lodged in Banda jail of Uttar Pradesh. 

A wide range of rocks, crystals, minerals and fossils are on display at a newly-developed museum in the campus of a city-based premier engineering institute, where people can not just view but also touch and handle these rare exhibits. The 'Geology Museum' opened last month in the College of Engineering Pune Technological University (COEPTU) in Shivajinagar area in the heart of the city provides an opportunity to researchers, students and amateur geologists alike to handle and have a first-hand experience of the geological treasure, which comprises as many as 22,000 specimens. Housed in a heritage structure built in 1892, which used to serve as a "principal's bungalow" during the British era, the museum has several rarest of the rare rocks, fossils, minerals and crystals, which experts said include those formed first on the Earth's crust, different types of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

Hundreds rallied in Washington and tens of thousands in Berlin on Saturday in a show of international support for demonstrators facing a violent government crackdown in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of that country's morality police. On the U.S. National Mall, several hundred men and women of all ages — donning green, white and red, the colors of the Iran flag — chanted. “Be scared. Be scared. We are one in this,” some shouted, ahead of the group's march to the White House. “Say her name! Mahsa!”

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday reviewed the development work at Mangarh Dham in Banswara district. He said the government is working for the development of Mangarh Dham, a pilgrimage site for the tribals. He said he has written twice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Mangarh Dham be declared a monument of national importance. In 1913, the British army opened fire on the tribals gathered under the leadership of Govind Guru in Mangarh. More than 1,500 tribals were killed. To highlight the sacrifice of the tribals and the contribution of Govind Guru, the state government has built Tribal Freedom Struggle Museum at Mangarh Dham, Gehlot had said in one of the letters to the PM. The chief minister also passed directions to complete the preparations for the proposed visit of the prime minister to Mangarh Dham on November 1. 

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Flights at the Toronto island airport were suspended and passengers ordered evacuated as police reported a possible explosive device was found near the airport's ferry terminal. Police said two people had been detained and were cooperating with the investigation. Police said they were called shortly before 4 pm on Saturday to Billy Bishop airport's mainland ferry terminal to investigate a suspicious package. “We are dealing with a potential explosive device,” Toronto police said in a tweet.

A 35-year-old man died after he collapsed coughing at Pune railway station late Saturday evening, a police official said. The man, who worked as a construction labourer and was reportedly suffering from tuberculosis, was to board the Pune-Danapur Express along with two friends, the official said. "At 9pm, while entering platform number 1 through the security gate, Sajan Manjhi started coughing and collapsed outside the platform. He was taken to Sassoon general hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival," Inspector Pramod Khopikar said. Refuting rumours of a stampede-like situation at the station due to the Diwali rush of passengers, he said Manjhi died at least 200 metres away from the main platform. 

Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine told all residents of the city of Kherson to leave “immediately” Saturday ahead of an expected advance by Ukrainian troops waging a counteroffensive to recapture one of the first urban areas Russia took after invading the country. In a post on the Telegram messaging service, the pro-Kremlin regional administration strongly urged civilians to use boat crossings over a major river to move deeper into Russian-held territory, citing a tense situation on the front and the threat of shelling and alleged plans for “terror attacks” by Kyiv. Kherson has been in Russian hands since the early days of the nearly 8-month-long war in Ukraine. The city is the capital of a region of the same name, one of four that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month and put under Russian martial law on Thursday.

Indian Space Research Organisations' heaviest rocket LVM3-M2 on its maiden commercial mission on Sunday successfully placed 36 broadband communication satellites of a UK-based customer into the intended orbits, the space agency said, describing the mission as 'historic'. OneWeb Ltd is the UK-based customer of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, and a global communication network powered from space, enabling internet connectivity for governments and businesses. Bharti Enterprises is one of the major investors in OneWeb.

A man died in a California shooting in a Sacramento parking lot after a high school football game, police said. Investigators believe the shooting Friday night broke out after a disturbance involving about 20 people near the end of the game at Grant Union High School. Officers found a firearm and shattered glass in a school parking lot. Police said the shooting victim — a man in his mid-20s — was able to get to a nearby hospital but later died. Police provided no information on a suspect or motive. The Sacramento Bee reported that about 2,000 people attended the game and police believe those involved in the disturbance were not students, though that information is preliminary.