Breaking News, November 2

Veteran journalist Ramesh Nayyar passed away here on Wednesday evening, his family said. Nayyar (82), who had been ailing for the last three months, complained of uneasiness and died at his home in Raipur at around 4 pm, his son Sanjay Nayyar said. Chhattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Uikey and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel condoled his death and called it an irreparable loss to journalism.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed the officials concerned to ensure the security of enemy properties located in different districts of the state, an official statement said. Enemy properties are properties that have been left behind by people who have taken citizenship of Pakistan and China. There have also been reports of encroachment at certain places. In such a situation, a report of the updated status of all the enemy properties should be prepared. To make them free from encroachment, statewide action should be initiated under the supervision of the Home Department, the chief minister was quoted as saying in the official release issued here.

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday expressed grief on the death of women's rights activist Ela Bhatt and said her quiet but dogged spirit of activism will be sorely missed. Bhatt, 89, a Padma Bhushan recipient, died in Ahmedabad earlier in the day due to age-related issues. "Sad to know about Elaben Bhatt’s death. Gandhian to the core, she helped countless women win economic independence. Her successful experiments in organizing them have great lessons for the whole world. Her quiet but dogged spirit of activism will be sorely missed," Murmu tweeted.

Assam Rifles (AR) and Customs officials seized foreign cigarettes worth Rs 2.47 crore in Mizoram's Champhai district near the Indo-Myanmar border on Wednesday, AR sources said. Acting on specific inputs, troopers of Assam Rifles and Custom Preventive force officials carried out a joint operation at new Zotlang village and seized 190 cases of foreign cigarettes, the sources said.

Bharat Yatris and the Seva Dal team walking in the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir have been organised into 14 groups named after freedom fighters and party leaders, including Bhagat Singh, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and B R Ambedkar. This information was given by Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on Twitter. "Bharat Yatris and National Seva Dal team walking in Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir have been organised into 14 groups. Each group has a rotating captain, with every Yatri getting a chance to become captain," he said.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on the issue of the sale of unused floor area ratio (FAR) of Amrapali Group of Companies in order to generate funds for its stalled projects. FAR is the ratio of a building's total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land on which it is built. A bench of Chief Justice of India U U Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi reserved its verdict on the issue.

Cooperation on migration and security issues was on the agenda at a meeting between UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami here. The envoy called on the Indian-origin Cabinet minister on Tuesday to discuss the India-UK security partnership and to "make progress" under the India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP). The meeting follows Braverman’s controversial remarks last month that referenced the MMP as not working very well in tackling illegal immigration and visa overstayers from India.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to Punjab National Bank and two others on two separate petitions of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office in relation to a case of alleged siphoning off funds of Bhushan Steel Ltd. A bench comprising Chief Justice U U Lalit and Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi took note of the submissions of the SFIO that the accused were complicit in the case related to the fund embezzlement.

The Delhi High Court has directed the Tihar Jail authorities to inform the procedure of dealing with requests for setting up video calls with prisoners and whether the Aadhaar cards furnished for the purpose were verified by them. The court posed the questions while dealing with a claim by an accused in a kidnapping case that the victim was trying to contact him by requesting video calls in jail on several occasions.

India has started talks with Sri Lanka for the quick implementation of a USD 15 million Indian grant for the promotion of Buddhist and Tamil cultural ties in this island nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a USD 15 million special grant for the promotion of bilateral Buddhist ties at a virtual bilateral summit on September 26, 2020, and the MoU governing it was signed on March 28, 2022, during the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar's, visit to Colombo.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress saying it is a party of 'rajas and ranis' and even though many chief ministerial aspirants might be in the fray in Himachal Pradesh, no one will actually get a chance. Addressing a poll rally in Nadaun, he launched an all-out attack on the Congress for practising nepotism and for not doing anything in the name of development. The home minister also highlighted surgical air strikes against Pakistan, the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, the implementation of 'one rank, one pension' and the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir to woo the electorate in this segment of the state which goes to polls on November 12.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP on Wednesday of targeting farmers over stubble burning as revenge for breaking its "arrogance" with the protest against the now-repealed farm laws. Mann's statement came a day after the BJP targeted the state government over the rising stubble burning cases and asked it to wake up from its "deep slumber". In a video message, Mann said the BJP and the Union government were blaming the Punjab farmers only for stubble burning. He referred to the air quality index of several areas of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.

Swiss smart wearable device maker Garmin on Wednesday said it expects India to be among its top three markets in Asia in the next five years, fuelled by post-Covid health activity trends in the country. Garmin, which announced the appointment of Yeshudas Pillai as the new country head for its India operations, has been witnessing double-digit growth in the country and expects the momentum to continue. It is expanding its retail sales network with plans to add 10 more brand stores by the end of 2023. The company has only three stores in India at present.

The Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against four Muslim clerics for allegedly hurting sentiments of the Shia community, an official said on Wednesday. Based on a complaint by a Mumbai-based man, the J J Marg police on Tuesday registered the case against the four accused hailing from Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kashmir, he said. "We have registered the FIR after receiving multiple applications. We have asked the complainant to submit the audio/video evidence. No arrest has been made so far.

An undertrial charged with murder fled from a hospital where he was admitted after he complained of uneasiness, an official said on Wednesday. Two prison guards were suspended in this connection and an FIR lodged against them, he said. Praveen alias Pradeep Pal, accused of killing a woman on September 28 in Kushinagar's Ram Kola police station limits, was lodged in district jail here. He was shifted to the hospital after he complained of uneasiness.

The Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against four Muslim clerics for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Shia community, an official said on Wednesday. Based on a complaint by a Mumbai-based man, the J J Marg police on Tuesday registered the case against the four accused hailing from Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kashmir, he said.

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday arrived in Nagaland's capital Kohima on a two-day official visit to the northeastern state.
She was received by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, his deputy Y Patton and other senior ministers and bureaucrats upon landing at an Assam Rifles helipad here in the afternoon.

Umesh Mishra will take charge as Rajasthan's new Director-General of Police (DGP) at the police headquarters here on Thursday, a spokesperson said. Mishra will be escorted from his residence to the police headquarters where he will be given a guard of honour. After this, the process of handing over charge will be completed at the DGP office, the spokesperson added.

Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt on Wednesday said no one has the guts to cast an evil eye on India and the country is capable of giving an immediate response. He also said India has emerged as a leader in every sphere including the water, land, and air, under the guidance of Prime minister Narendra Modi. "No one has guts to cast an (evil) eye on us because if anyone dares so, we are capable of giving an immediate response," Bhatt said when asked about China's belligerence in Ladakh. He didn't give a direct reply to the question on China, saying he was not authorised to speak on some issues. Bhatt was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the 'Global Meet on Defence, Transportation and Energy. According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), India, for the first time, is in the league of the top 25 countries exporting defence equipment and weapons.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai appealed to city residents to preferably work from home or use shared transport to reduce vehicular emissions, a major contributor to air pollution in the national capital. He also said that vehicular emissions account for 51 per cent of the air pollution generated locally. "If possible, please share a ride to work or work from home. This is how we can reduce the share of vehicular emissions in Delhi's air pollution," he said during a press conference. Rai asked people to refrain from using coal or firewood for heating purposes and to provide electric heaters to security staff to avoid open burning during winters.

The police in Greater Noida have arrested three men allegedly involved in the loot of a hired taxi from Faridabad in Haryana last week, officials said on Wednesday. Two of the suspects were held after a gunfight with the police in the Dankaur area late Tuesday night, while the third was nabbed during a combing operation post the encounter, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Vishal Pandey said. These three and one more person had hired a taxi from Faridabad on the intervening night of October 26 and 27. They had hired the car to go to Sikandrabad (in adjoining Bulandshahr district), Pandey said. “But when they reached Dankaur (in Greater Noida), the four men overpowered the taxi driver and the car was looted. The driver subsequently informed the police about the incident and an FIR was lodged,” the officer said.

The Kerala government on Wednesday announced rolling back its decision to enhance the retirement age of employees of all state PSUs to 60 years. A decision to this effect was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here, a CMO statement said here. The move comes following strong protests by the opposition Congress and BJP alleging that the LDF government's decision was "betrayal" of the youth of the state, who are dreaming of a career in the public sector. The government had enhanced the retirement age of employees of most of the state PSUs uniformly to 60, drawing sharp criticism from a left-wing youth organisation.

The Morbi Bar Association on Wednesday said its members won’t represent the accused in the suspension bridge collapse that claimed 135 lives. Members of the association on Wednesday held a protest march, a day after passing a resolution to not fight cases for the accused in the bridge collapse tragedy. “Morbi Bar Association and Rajkot Bar Association have decided to not take their case and represent them. Both the bar associations have passed this resolution,” senior advocate A C Prajapati said.

Thirty-six per cent polling was recorded by 12 pm on Wednesday for polls to elect panches and sarpanches in nine Haryana districts in the first phase of the three-phase voting. The polling is going on in the districts of Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Mahendragarh, Nuh, Panchkula, Panipat and Yamunanagar, officials said. The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. In Nuh, some incidents of fight and stone pelting were reported from two villages, though police said these incidents did not take place on the polling booth and the poll process remained unaffected. "There is no incident on the polling booth. However, there were some incidents of fight and stone pelting in two villages," Nuh's Superintendent of Police, Varun Singla told PTI over phone.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday defended the Reserve Bank's handling of the price situation, saying acting prematurely on inflation would have exerted a heavy cost on the economy and citizens. Acknowledging that the inflation target has been missed, Das said the RBI decided to support the economy by not introducing a rate hike in face of a spike in inflation. "We prevented a 'complete collapse of the economy' by keeping rates lower and stayed away from premature tightening," Das said speaking at the annual FIBAC conference of bankers. Acting early would have exerted costs to the economy and the people, Das said.

Five members of a family were killed and three others seriously injured when a speeding dumper truck hit their sports utility vehicle (SUV) in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. The accident took place at around 2 am on Gwalior-Morena Road, about 15 km from the district headquarters, Nurabad Police Station in-charge Shailendra Govil said. The eight persons were returning in the SUV to Bittholi village in Morena from Gwalior after visiting an ailing relative when the dumper truck hit their vehicle from behind, he said.

The UN Security Council scheduled a vote on Wednesday on a resolution that would establish a commission to investigate unfounded Russian claims that Ukraine and the United States are carrying out “military biologcal" activities that violate the convention prohibiting the use of biological weapons. Russia circulated a 310-page document to council members last week alleging that this biological activity is taking place in Ukraine with support from the US Defense Department.

A six-year-old boy from Mumbai who was holidaying with his parents in Goa drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel in North Goa district, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place at the hotel located in Candolim area on Tuesday following which police received a call, Calangute police inspector Dattaguru Sawant told reporters. The body was later sent for an autopsy, he said. The boy and his parents had arrived in Goa a couple of days back, police said. 
 

A 62-year-old woman died after being stuck in an elevator which collapsed in a residential building in Mumbai, a police official said on Wednesday. The incident took place in the multi-storey building in Charkop area on October 21 when the woman was going down from the fourth floor for morning walk. After she entered the elevator, it got stuck between the fourth and third floors, the official from Charkop police station said.

The Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra is bringing about a silent revolution that will change the political landscape, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday. Ahead of the start of Wednesday's Yatra, Kharge interacted with the Bharat Yatris, who are walking the entire distance from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, at Bowenpally, in Hyderabad. "Interacted with the Bharat Yatris at Bowenpally, in Hyderabad. They too are walking 3500 kms with ⁦Rahul Gandhi⁩ ji and are a source of great inspiration to our party cadres," he tweeted.

One person was killed and six others were wounded after gunfire erupted at a crowded Halloween party in Kansas City, Kansas. The shooting happened Monday night at a large party at a Kansas City, Kansas home. Police said between 70 and 100 people were at the party. Police were called around 9 pm and found a 17-year-old dead and six others injured. One person was treated and released and the other five were listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon, police said. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 18, with most being 15 and 16 years old.

Canada has unveiled plans for a big increase in the number of immigrants entering the country, with a goal of seeing 500,000 people arrive each year by 2025 as it seeks to address a critical labour shortage. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser revealed the new plan on Tuesday. It puts a heavy emphasis on admitting more permanent residents with needed work skills and experience, alongside more-modest targets for family members and refugees. The opposition Conservative party welcomed the plan.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was in a strong position to remain in power after her Social Democrats won the most votes in Denmark's election Tuesday and a centre-left bloc in Parliament that backs appeared set to retain a majority by just one seat. The result was preliminary and based on the assumption that a vote count in Greenland expected early Wednesday would give the autonomous Danish territory's two seats to the centre-left bloc. “I am so thrilled and proud. We have gotten the best election result in 20 years,” Frederiksen told supporters early Wednesday in Copenhagen.

South Korea says it has issued an air raid alert for residents on an island off its eastern coast after North Korea fired three missiles toward the sea. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired the three short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday morning from its eastern coastal area of Wonsan. It says one of the missiles landed near the Koreas' eastern sea boundary. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward sea Wednesday, but gave 

A teenage girl was allegedly kidnapped by her neighbour and his relatives here but later rescued by the police although the accused is yet to be nabbed, an official said Tuesday. According to the police complaint, the 17-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped by her neighbour and his associate on the afternoon of October 27. Locals claimed that the accused Arun entered the girl's house along with his relatives by climbing the walls and forcibly took her with him. Many claimed that the crowd gathered around the house on hearing the commotion remained mere spectators. Based on a complaint made to the SSP, the police registered a case and rescued the girl. Tajganj Police Station in-charge Bhupendra Balian said that Arun and nine other accused are absconding and a hunt is on to nab them. 

The decorative candles Yaroslav Vedmid bought more than a year ago were never meant to be lit, but the dried wax that now clings to them attests to how they've been used almost nightly — a consequence of power cuts across Ukraine. Seated at the dinner table with his wife in a village on the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, the two can't count the number of times they've eaten in the dark since Russian attacks triggered the blackouts beginning in early October. Moscow has openly declared its intention to target the country's energy infrastructure and drive the nation into the cold.