Breaking News, March 5

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday inaugurated the World Skill Centre (WSC), a premier advanced skill training institute, in Bhubaneswar.

Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (IMPCL), the public sector undertaking (PSU) of the Ministry of AYUSH, has tied up with the government e-market (GeM) portal for selling its products online. The deal between IMPCL and GeM was finalised on March 3, according to an official statement.

The production of coronavirus vaccines and scaling up global availability could be seriously limited due to ban on exports of critical raw materials by the US, according to Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla.

China has included building of an important “passageway” connecting Tibet with South Asia in the 14th Five Year plan which is due to commence from this year, the official media reported on Friday.

Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday to urge the country’s dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make his first-ever papal visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tributes to former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik on his birth anniversary, and said the nation is proud of his efforts for the state's progress. 

Paying tributes, Modi tweeted, "Tributes to Biju Babu on his birth anniversary. His futuristic vision for India, emphasis on human empowerment as well as social justice inspires us all. The nation is proud of his efforts for Odisha's progress."

The meeting of the BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) scheduled to be held today has been cancelled

A power loom factory was gutted in a devastating fire in the wee hours of Friday in Bhiwandi town in Thane district of Maharashtra, an official said.
However, no casualty was reported.

Santosh Kadam, chief of the Thane Municipal Corporation's Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), said the fire broke out at the factory situated on Naigaon Road at around 2.20 am. 

Firefighters from the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation doused the flames after about two hours, he said.

No one was injured in the blaze but the power loom factory was totally destroyed, Kadam said. The cause of the fire was not yet known, he added.

Sensex dives 440.09 points to 50,405.99 in opening trade; Nifty drops 124.75 points to 14,956

Condemning the terrorists who seek to infiltrate across the Line of Control, the US on Thursday called on all parties to reduce tensions along the LoC by returning to the 2003 ceasefire commitments.

"We have continued to follow very closely developments in Jammu and Kashmir. Our policy towards the region has not changed. We call on all parties to reduce tensions along the Line of Control by returning to the 2003 ceasefire commitments," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told a reporter at his daily news conference.

The Palghar district rural police has seized banned gutka and other tobacco products worth Rs 8,83,500, an official said on Thursday.

A team of of Kasa police stopped a truck heading for Mumbai near Charoti check post on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on Wednesday and seized the contraband, he said.

The driver of the truck was arrested. Further probe was on.

Union minister State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Thursday took part in an agitation by a section of staff of the north corporation over their due salaries, officials said. The stir was being held at the Civic Center, headquarters of the NDMC.

The issue of pending salaries of civic staff of various categories has already become a flashpoint between the ruling BJP in the NDMC and the AAP-led Delhi government.

According to an official in the minister's office, Athawale asked the AAP government to "release dues of the MCD" at the earliest, else the party members will "hold protests" against it.