Breaking news on November 4

As the odd-even road rationing scheme kicked in New Delhi on Monday, the ruling AAP and the BJP accused each other of doling politics over it and not making much efforts to combat air pollution.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday proposed a new initiative to create a safe and secure maritime domain in the Indo-Pacific, indicating India's readiness to play a bigger role in the region where China has been expanding its military assertiveness.

Pakistani rangers on Monday targeted forward posts with small fire arms along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said.

Toughening its stance against the striking TSRCTC employees, the Telangana government on Monday decided not to allow any of them to work after the expiry of the November 5 deadline set by it to rejoin duty.

The government said if the employees continued their stir, it would go ahead with the plan to permit private bus operators to run services in 5,000 of the total of 10,400 routes, leading to a situation where the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation virtually ceased to exist.

Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Monday said 406 ponds were rejuvenated in Puducherry and Karaikal districts as part of the 'Water Rich Puducherry programme' which was launched two years ago.

Bedi said a stretch of 804 km of irrigation channels were desilted during the last two years in Puducherry and Karaikal.

After abstaining from work for more than three weeks in protest against the appointment system of existing judges, lawyers of the Orissa High Court on Monday attended the courts.

Members of the Orissa High Court Bar Association had on November 1 unanimously decided to 'suspend' their strike and resume work, claiming that Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had assured them to look into their grievances and demands.

Tata Steel on Monday said its subsidiary NatSteel Holdings Pte (NSH) has agreed to sell its entire 56.5 per cent stake in NatSteel Vina (NSV) for about Rs 36 crore to a Vietnam-based Thai Hung Trading Joint Stock Company.

"Tata Steel's step-down subsidiary NSH has executed definitive agreements with a Vietnam-based company Thai Hung Trading Joint Stock Company to divest its entire equity stake held in NSV (56.5 per cent)," Tata Steel said in a regulatory filing.

Few places in the coastal Konkan, Goa and Madhya Maharashtra are likely to receive rainfall this week apart from isolated areas in Marathwada region, an IMD official said on Monday.

Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA): Hot mix plants, stone crushers to be closed till November 8 in all NCR districts.

A total of 233 challans were issued by Delhi Traffic Police for violations of the odd-even rule on the first day of its implementation on Monday.

The Congress will hold agitation against the "anti-people" policies of the Centre and the Himachal Pradesh government from Wednesday. The agitations will be held at the state and district levels from November 6-14, state Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore told the media in Shimla on Monday.

Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered a fire safety audit of all hotels across the Union Territory, officials said on Monday. The decision to carry out the audit was taken on the instructions of Lt Governor G C Murmu, an official spokesman said.

Some vendors of BSNL and MTNL are mulling to move insolvency pleas against the state-run firms for non-payment of dues, estimated to be around Rs 20,000 crore, a senior industry body executive said on Monday.

In his speech, PM Modi said 'today, when we look around we see during 7 years of RCEP negotiations many things including global economic and trade scenarios have changed. We can't overlook these changes. Present RCEP Agreement doesn't fully reflect the basic spirit of RCEP'

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis leaves after meeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at latter's residence in Delhi.

Delhi High Court postpones elections of Tis Hazari district court bar association and Karkardooma district court bar association following the clash between lawyers and Police in Tis Hazari Court on November 2

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar arrives at Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi's residence

Shiv Sena leaders Ramdas Kadam and Sanjay Raut met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Supreme Court lawyers hold a protest at India Gate, in support of the lawyers who were injured in the clash with police at Tis Hazari Court on 2nd November.

Madras High Court slams state govt over government doctors' strike issue for pay revision. Court says,"Only Rs. 57,000/month to Government doctors in Tamil Nadu? Govt teachers & PAs to judges draw more salary. Those doing divine service should be paid more."

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) will cripple the Indian economy and 'flood' India with cheap goods which will cost millions of jobs.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Russia from November 5-7, to co-chair 19th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison in Bangkok.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Panchkula, Gian Chand Gupta was unanimously elected as the Speaker of Haryana Assembly, today.

Enforcement Directorate has filed a reply on Ranjeet Bindra’s bail application in the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court today.

Opposition leaders met today over issues of economic slowdown, unemployment and the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.

Supreme Court summons Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to appear before it, on stubble burning and pollution issue.

Supreme Court on air pollution: This is a gross violation of fundamental right to life. Various state governments and civic bodies have failed to discharge their duties.

Pakistan's Lahore High Court grants bail to Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

Lawyers protest outside Supreme Court over different issues, including demand of Rs 10 lakhs compensation each to the lawyers who were injured in clash with police at Tis Hazari court on 2nd November.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said, "27 lakh farmers in Punjab and Haryana, in two years only 63,000 farmers have been given machines which have methods to use stubble instead of burning it. So at this speed it will take 30 years to give it to every farmer. Centre needs to prepare a month wise schedule for it."

Bombay High Court has set November 13 as date for Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to file an affidavit in the PMC Bank case. Next hearing on the petitions is on November 19.

Several people injured in grenade attack in Srinagar on Monday. It is the second grenade attack in last 15 days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the East Asia Summit in Bangkok.

Excise officials seized over 500 kg cannabis from a mini truck in Narsipatnam town of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh today. Two people have been arrested in the case.

BJP leader Vijay Goel on Monday violated odd-even scheme by leaving his home with an odd-numbered car in protest of the Delhi government's scheme. Soon after that, he received challan of Rs 4,000 from a Traffic cop.

While taking his car out Goel said, "This scheme is just a gimmick, they(Delhi Govt) themselves say pollution is due to stubble burning, then how does this scheme help? I am ready to pay the fine for violation."

Rahul Gandhi's former aide Pankaj Shankar said that the Gandhi scion is responsible for the present condition of Congress. He also said that his sister Priyanka Gandhi is a better leader than Rahul. 

According to him, Rahul Gandhi lacks leadership qualities.

A huge cache of explosive materials has been recovered from an under-construction house in Jharkhand's Dumka district, police said on Monday

On a tip-off, a police team led by Dumka Sub-Divisional Police Officer Pujyaprakash searched the under-construction house at Seherpur village under Shikariparapolice station and recovered 100 kg ammonium nitrate and 795 pieces of gelatine sticks on Sunday, Superintendent of Police, YS Ramesh said here

The SP said an FIR has been filed against two persons and search operations launched to nab them.

Amid deadlock over government formation in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today reached Delhi. Fadnavis will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Reports said that Fadnavis will also seek more assistance from Central Government for farmers affected due to unseasonal rain in Maharashtra. 

Security at the Tis Hazari complex has been tightened in view of the strike on Monday by the lawyers against the Saturday violence, which saw a major clash between the lawyers and the Delhi Police personnel.

"We are on strike today in Tis Hazari courts against the police firing and its assault on us," said senior lawyer Satinder Sharma. During the clash on Saturday one lawyer was injured allegedly in police firing and over 28 lawyers and Delhi Police personnel suffered injuries.

In view of the lawyer strike and given the sensitivity of the situation, the Delhi Police has changed its strategy with regards to the deployment of its forces in the complex on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe in Bangkok.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar to meet Congress Interim President, Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, later today.

Statue of Tamil poet and philosopher, Thiruvalluvar vandalized in Pillayarpatti, Thanjavur. Police have registered a case, investigation is underway.

At least 25 people were injured on Monday morning when a Volvo bus hit a truck on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, police said. The accident took place when the bus, which was going from Agra to Lucknow, rammed the truck from behind in Matsaina area, they said. At least 25 people were injured, including three seriously, and they were rushed to the hospital, the police added.

A female dog and its two newborn puppies were rescued by Railways personnel, after they got stuck under a pile of rails at a railway yard near Bhopal Railway Station, Madhya Pradesh.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, leaves for his office on a bicycle, from his residence in Delhi.

Supreme Court has said that it will consider bail application of 1984 anti-Sikh riots case convict Sajjan Kumar. He is currently serving life imprisonment in the case.

The Shiv Sena on Monday said the intricacies of government formation in Maharashtra should not push rain-hit farmers towards existential crisis and demanded that they are provided relief package of about Rs 30,000 crore.

Farmers in the state need to be saved at any cost, it said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', while terming as inadequate the Rs 10,000 crore aid announced by the state government for crop damage due to unseasonal rains.

 A Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus marshal was allegedly beaten up by a policeman in Burari after an argument, police said on Sunday. The policeman was inside his Scorpio car when Parvez came to move the vehicle's rear-view mirror to avoid contact with the bus in a congested road around 2 pm on Saturday, an officer said.

The accused came out of his car and an argument took place, the police said.

A massive fire broke out in a four-storey rexine godown in West Delhi's Peera Garhi area early Monday, leaving three firemen injured, officials said.
The fire department was informed about the blaze in the godown in Peera Garhi village at 12.25 am.

25 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze is yet to be contained. The rear portion of the building collapsed following the blaze at 2.30 am, injuring three fire officials including fireman Samarthlal Meena and fire operators Parvesh and Dharamveer, a senior fire official said.

The Indian equity markets opened on a firm note on Monday as the benchmark Sensex touched a fresh all-time high of 40,434.83 during the early trade. Sensex jumped nearly 250 points, gaining for the seventh straight session over the strong inflow of foreign funds and better than expected earnings post the corporate tax cut.

Global markets have also gained after both the US and China indicated an early resolution. At 9.27 a.m., the Sensex was up 216.40 points or 0.54 per cent at 40,381.43 before it touched the intra-day high of 40,434.83. Nifty was also trading higher by 81.70 points at 11,972.30, slightly lower from its 52 weeks high of 12,103.05.

Traffic Police fine a driver for using an odd-numbered vehicle, near ITO. The driver of the vehicle says, "I live in Noida, I had come for some work last night, I was not aware of the fact that Odd-Even scheme is coming into effect from today."

The fire broke out in a four-storey factory in Peeragarhi area in Delhi, late last night. The fire also spread to an adjacent building. 28 fire tenders are present at the spot. 3 fire-fighting personnel injured. Fire fighting operations are still underway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold meetings with Japan PM Shinzō Abe, Vietnam PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, & Australian PM Scott Morrison in Bangkok, today. He will also attend the East Asia, & Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summits.

Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip have shot down a drone that belongs to the Israeli army. A "Quadcopter" drone that belongs to the Israeli army was shot down in the airspace of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, sources told the Hamas-run Satellite Television Channel of al-Aqsa that airs from Gaza.

The TV station didn't give any more details but quoted the sources as saying that militants opened fire and shot down the drone and then confiscated it.

A 27-year-old Palestinian was killed early on Saturday and two others wounded in intensive Israeli warplanes airstrikes on military facilities and posts that belong to the Islamic Hamas movement's armed wing and the Islamic Jihad.

The Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip military facilities came shortly after militants launched a barrage of rockets from the coastal enclave into southern Israel. No injuries were reported, according to the Israeli media.

Amid the stalemate over government formation in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is likely to arrive on Monday to meet Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.

The leaders of the two allies are expected to discuss the unfolding political situation in Maharashtra. They may clarify their stand after the meeting whether to support the Shiv Sena, which is unhappy with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its ally.

All top leaders of the Congress from Maharashtra have met Sonia Gandhi and briefed her about the developments. They have also met Pawar.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar said in Mumbai that Pawar might meet Sonia Gandhi.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence personnel has seized fake Indian currency notes worth Rs 1.20 lakh, smuggled from Bangladesh, in Darjeeling, West Bengal. A person has also been arrested.

The DRI officials intercepted a Md. Baitullah (40), resident of Suribhita Sabodangi village of Kishanganj district of Bihar, based on intelligence that a consignment of FICN from Chapai Nawabgunj and other areas of Bangladesh was smuggled into India. Baitullah was apprehended after he deboarded from a bus coming from Kishanganj.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday directed top police officials to take help of experts in dealing with the increasing cases of cyber and economic crimes in the state.

At a meeting to review law and order, Gehlot also issued directions to improve the self-defence training given to girls by the police and said a web portal should be created to spread awareness about the techniques.

The chief minister said police officers who do good work should be encouraged and strict action must be taken against negligent and corrupt personnel. He directed top officials to promote the Women Police Volunteer Scheme and the Village Guard Scheme.

Director-General of Police Bhupendra Singh, Director General of Law and Order M L Lather and Home Secretary N L Meena were among the officials who attended the meeting. 

A truck driver was killed when it rammed into a stationary truck on the Outer Ring Road area here on Sunday, police said.
The deceased was identified as Rajnikant Pahad (36), a resident of Adilabad district in Telangana, an official said.

A Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus marshal was allegedly beaten up by a policeman in Burari after an argument. The policeman was inside his Scorpio car when Parvez came to move the vehicle's rear-view mirror to avoid contact with the bus in a congested road around 2 pm on Saturday.

The accused came out of his car and an argument took place. In a video of the incident, the men can be seen arguing over the matter and threatening each other. The policeman is seen hurling abuses at Parvez and later beating him inside the bus that was at a halt.

A woman marshal and some passengers are also seen trying to stop the fight, following which the policeman leaves the marshal, who suffered minor injuries on his limbs and face.

At least 17 people, including a three-months-old infant, were killed when a crowded bus skidded off the road and plunged into a river in central Nepal on Sunday. The incident happened when the bus enroute to Kathmandu from Dolakha district skidded off the highway and fell 100 metres down into the Sunkoshi river.

Police said that 17 people were killed in the accident.