Breaking News, October 4 | LIVE UPDATES

Representatives from industry body CII met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed issues related to the state of the economy. The meeting took place on Tuesday. "Sanjiv Bajaj, President, CII and Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, CII called on Hon Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to seek his advice, guidance and discuss matters of economy and industry," Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) tweeted. 

India's rank in the Global Innovation Index has risen from 81st to 40th, President Droupadi Murmu said here on Tuesday. She was speaking after launching `herSTART', a platform for women entrepreneurs created by Gujarat University. “I am informed that this university has over 450 start-ups. Out of which over 125 are headed by women,” Murmu said. “It is a matter of pride for me to inaugurate the herSTART platform. This will be a bridge for budding entrepreneurs with government schemes and private funds,” she said.

The Centre has amended the policy guidelines for the expansion of private FM radio stations by simplifying the financial eligibility norms to allow participation of companies with net worth of Rs 1 crore in the bidding process for category ‘C’ and ‘D’ cities. The decision, taken by the Union Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, also decided to remove the three-year window period for restructuring of FM radio permissions within the same management group during the license period of 15 years.

Two minor siblings drowned in a pond in Kamta Bujurg village of the Paniyara area here, a police officer said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday evening when Sagar (6) and Garima (4) were bathing in a pond located in front of their house and slipped into deep water and drowned, Circle Officer Ajai Singh Chauhan said. Later, villagers fished out the bodies from the pond, Chauhan said, adding that they have been sent for post-mortem. The father of the deceased, Mahendra Verma, is posted in the Army in Jammu in the Dogra Regiment. 

Eleven states and Union Territories, including Goa and Jammu and Kashmir, have no functional eye banks, according to official data. Doctors, however, underlined that such banks alone don't serve the purpose as there is an increased demand for eye donors especially in view of the COVID-19 pandemic which exacerbated the situation. According to the response to an RTI application filed by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur, there are a total of 320 functional eye banks in the country.

A First Information Report (FIR) would be registered against a woman for shooting video of a dance on the premises of a temple in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh and posting it on social media, Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Tuesday. Neha, the young woman who had posted the video on Instagram on October 1, later deleted it and apologized after some Bajrang Dal members took objection. The `reel' (short video) had been shot on the temple steps to the tune of hit Bollywood song “Munni Badnam Hui”.

Eight students of a government polytechnic institute have been awarded life imprisonment by a local court here for raping a minor girl two years ago. Additional District and Sessions Judge Nitendra Kumar also imposed a fine on the convicts on Monday. Special Public Prosecutor Vijay Singh Khushwaha said the incident took place on October 11, 2020 when the girl was going for tuitions. The convicts took her to a vacant polytechnic hostel and gang-raped her. All the accused were aged between 20 and 24 at the time of the incident and were students of a polytechnic. An FIR was registered under relevant section of the IPC and POCSO Act. Those awarded life sentence included main accused Bharat Kumar, Rohit, Sanjay Khushwaha, Dharmendra Sen, Monu Paria, Shailendra, Mayank, and Vipin Tiwari. 

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan left for a tour of Europe in the wee hours of Tuesday. A delegation, led by the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues- Industries Minister P Rajeeve and Fisheries Minister V Abdurahiman left for Norway from the International Airport here, official sources said. The trip, which would also cover England and Wales, is envisaged to woo more investments to the state, to visit IT companies, meet stakeholders in Ayurveda and tourism sectors and also to understand the education models in those countries, they said.

A video showing the employees of a private airline along with a few passengers and security personnel dancing to Garba tunes at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport circulated on social media on Tuesday. The video was shot on Monday evening when passengers were waiting to board a Bhopal-Ahmedabad flight of IndiGo, said an airport official. Some staff members of the airline started dancing to Garba tunes played on a mobile phone, he said. A few passengers and two women security personnel also joined them. They had time on hand as boarding had been delayed, the official added. The dancing continued for ten minutes until the announcement of gate opening for boarding. 

At least six persons were injured after revellers at a Garba venue were attacked by some intruders in Gujarat's Kheda district, police said on Tuesday. Police were deployed at Undhela village in Matar tehsil following the incident on Monday night, said an official. "A group of people led by two men identified as Arif and Zahir entered the Navratri Garba venue and started causing trouble. They even pelted stones," said Kheda Superintendent of Police Rajesh Gadhiya. "Six persons were injured. We have deployed police force in the village and efforts are underway to arrest the accused," he said, adding that a home guard deployed at the spot was among those injured. Stone pelting was reported in the village square where the Garba dance had been organized on the occasion of the Navratri festival, and also on the approach road from a locality behind the venue, the SP said. Those who indulged in stone-pelting have been identified and the locals were being questioned thoroughly, he added. 

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President Droupadi Murmu will launch a start-up platform for women entrepreneurs created by Gujarat University here on Tuesday. On the second day of her two-day visit to Gujarat, the president will also inaugurate or lay foundation stones of various projects related to education and tribal development at a function at Gujarat University. `Her Start' is an initiative of the varsity for women entrepreneurs.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) alleged that its former national vice president Prashant Kishor was working "on behalf of the BJP" and questioned the source of funding for his much publicised 'Jan Suraaj' campaign. JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan also berated Kishor's statewide "pada yatra" and fulminated against his refrain that Bihar remains a laggard despite over a decade of Kumar’s claim of good governance. "The people of Bihar know how much progress there has been under Nitish Kumar's rule. We do not need a certificate from Prashant Kishor. Though like any other citizen he is free to take out a march or a demonstration," the JD(U) chief told reporters on Monday.

US President Joe Biden has said they will impose costs on perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters in Iran, the country witnessing protests over the death of a woman in the custody of the morality police. "This week, the United States will be imposing further costs on perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters. We will continue holding Iranian officials accountable and supporting the rights of Iranians to protest freely," Biden said in a statement. Biden said the United States is making it easier for Iranians to access the internet. The United States is also holding accountable Iranian officials and entities, such as the morality police, that are responsible for employing violence to suppress civil society, he said.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris and Indian actress Priyanka Chopra shared a stage past week, reflecting on their Indian connections, marriage equality and climate change. Chopra, who is now settled in Los Angeles, was invited by the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum to interview the Vice President for a fireside chat. The Indian actress kicked off the fireside chat with their Indian connection.

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Singapore is planning to hire 180 junior doctors from India over the next three years, a move questioned by many, according to a media report. A tender set to close on October 10 states a target to recruit 60 medical officers from India yearly from 2022 to 2024, with the possibility of extending the plan to 2025. Singapore has been recruiting doctors from overseas to ease the "heavy workload" here and to supplement its healthcare capacity needs, said MOH Holdings (MOHH), a company of Singapore’s public healthcare institutions. Confirming the tender, the firm said it was not only recruiting doctors from India but also Australia and Britain.

A 12-year-old girl was killed after being hit by a four-wheeler here, police said. The incident took place at Abhaypura Mor under the Malpura police station limits, they said. The girl was crossing the road when the four-wheeler hit her, police said, adding that driver of the vehicle fled the spot. The girl was rushed to the Sarojini Naidu hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, police said. The family members of the deceased did not allow the post mortem to take place, police said, adding that search is on to nab the accused driver. 

Indian National Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s husband and businessman Robert Vadra attended the marriage function of an eminent Indian-American from Chicago. The wedding of Iram Shareef, daughter of Chicago-based businessman Iftekhar Shareef, last Friday at the popular Shalimar Banquets in the city was attended by eminent Indian-Americans, including Bharat Barai and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "Robert Vadra presented a special congratulatory message signed by Gandhis to Iftekhar Shareef," said a media release issued on Monday. The media release carried a set of pictures of Vadra attending the marriage ceremony. In one of them, Vadra is seen presenting a letter to Shareef signed by his wife Priyanka Gandhi. Shareef, who is from Andhra Pradesh, is the president and CEO of National Bankcard Corp, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Jammu and Kashmir's Director General (Prisons) Hemant K Lohia was found murdered at his residence here on Monday night with police suspecting his domestic help as the main culprit, police said. Director General of Police Dilbag Singh described it as an "extremely unfortunate" incident and said a manhunt had been launched to nab his domestic help identified as Jasir, who is absconding. Giving details, Singh told PTI that the suspect had even attempted to set ablaze the body of 57-year-old Lohia, who was promoted and appointed as Director General of prisons in the Union Territory in August. Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh, who visited the house at Udaiwala on the outskirts of Jammu, said Lohia, a 1992-batch IPS officer, was found dead with burn injuries on his body and his throat slit.

Federal officials are warning ahead of the November midterms that Russia is working to amplify doubts about the integrity of US elections while China is interested in undermining American politicians it sees as threats to Beijing's interests. An unclassified intelligence advisory, newly obtained by The Associated Press, says China is probably seeking to influence select races to “hinder candidates perceived to be particularly adversarial to Beijing.” In the advisory, sent to state and local officials in mid-September, intelligence officials said they believe Beijing sees a lower risk in meddling in the midterms versus a presidential election.