Breaking news on October 9

Forest Department rescued a crocodile from Vadodara-Anand national highway today.

Pakistan violated ceasefire in Degwar sector in Poonch district on Wednesday. The firing stopped at 7:15 pm.

Eric Trappier, CEO, Dassault Aviation said: "It was an important meeting in order to see what is going on with 'Make in India'. We are more than happy. We see that everything is progressing well. The companies are happy to set up facilities in India."

The Election Commission team seized Rs 8.17 Lakh in cash from a car in Dharavi Assembly constituency limits today. Further investigation underway.

A moderate 5.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, days after 40 people were killed in a powerful quake in PoK and other parts of the country. Wednesday's quake struck at a depth of 180kms with epicentre lying at the Hindu Kush mountains. Jolts were felt in Peshawar, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar and Kohistan. The latest tremors came days after a series of earthquakes jolted the northern areas of the country.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Maharashtra on 13th and 15th October, to hold rally in Mumbai on 13th October for the upcoming assembly elections. 

A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led force in northern Syria says Turkish warplanes have started targeting "civilian areas" in northern Syria.
Mustafa Bali of the Syrian Democratic Forces says the airstrikes have caused "a huge panic among people of the region."

Bali's tweet on Wednesday afternoon came shortly after Turkish President Erdogan announced in tweet that Turkish offensive into northeast Syria has started.

Turkey has been massing troops for days in preparation for an attack against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria that Ankara considers a terrorist organization

AP 

Raveesh Kumar, MEA, said: "We have seen the report regarding the meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan which also refers to their discussions on Kashmir."

"India’s position has been consistent and clear that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India. China is well aware of our position. It is not for other countries to comment on the internal affairs of India," he added. 

Father of R Subhasri, has moved Madras High Court seeking to enact a Special act with maximum punishment to curb unauthorized flex boards,  constitute an SIT for investigation & compensation of Rs 1 Crore. R Subhasri had lost her life after a flex-board erected by an AIADMK leader fell on her on September 12. 

Police seized unclaimed effigies from near the railway line yesterday, says "9-10 unclaimed effigies kept near the railway line were seized. Permission from DM is required to erect effigies within 1.5 km of a railway line."

Indian sprinter Nirmala Sheoran has been banned for four years for doping and has been stripped of two titles from the 2017 Asian Championships.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits exhibition on 'Self Reliance Through Innovation and Indigenisation' at Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria’s residence. 

Two people were killed following an attack outside a synagogue in Halle, Germany. One person arrested.

 Higher reaches of Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh receive snowfall.

Ministry of External Affairs says "Clearance from political angle declined" on application of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and 7 others, seeking political clearance to attend the C-40 Climate Summit in Denmark.

Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, said: "Shastra puja cannot be called a tamasha. There has been an old tradition of 'Shastra puja' in our country. The problem is that Kharge Ji (Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge) is an atheist. In the Congress party, not everyone is an atheist. 

The Home Minister Amit Shah said: "The Congress party has opposed the surgical strikes, airstrike, Triple Talaq Bill and abrogation of Article 370 from J&K. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what has his party done for the state? "At the time of assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi has gone off on a holiday", he added. 

Sudhanshu Trivedi elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha in by-election from Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. 

Sensex at 38,177.95 points, up by 645.97 points. Nifty at 11,313.30 points, up by 186.90 points.

2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino “for the development of lithium-ion batteries.”

Nine accused arrested in Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module which was busted by Punjab police, have been sent to judicial custody till October 11 by local court.

A BJP leader was allegedly shot dead at Ranjeet crossing on Malviya road here, police said on Wednesday.

Kabir Tiwari (26), who was also the former student union president of APN college, was shot at around 10 am by an unknown person injuring him seriously, they said.

He was rushed to the district hospital from where he was referred to Lucknow. Tiwari died on the way, they said.

The police have detained one person and are probing the matter.

Supporters of the BJP leader kept the dead body at the gate of the city police station demanding immediate arrest of the accused. 

Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank Ltd (PMC Bank) depositors protested in front of Esplanade court in Mumbai today. Protesters were holding placards demanding no bail for the accused.

Unidentified criminals looted Rs nine lakh from a petrol pump situated in the Premnagar area on the outskirts of the city, police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, seven bike-borne miscreants held the petrol pump employees at gunpoint and fled with the cash on Tuesday night.

A manhunt has been launched to nab the culprits, the police added.

Rahul Gandhi will appear before Surat Court on 10th Oct in connection with a case over his comment "Why do all thieves have Modi in their names". On 11th he'll appear before Ahmadabad Court in connection with a criminal defamation suit against him by Ahmedabad Dist Cooperative Bank

Congress on Wednesday announced that they are boycotting the upcoming Block Development Council (BDC) elections which will be held in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses remained off the roads in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana for a fifth consecutive day on Wednesday as employees geared up to further intensify the strike.

Few buses were seen plying on the roads in the state capital. The daily commuters continue to face tough time in reaching their destinations.

After 52 years Kerala's Pala Assembly constituency on Wednesday got a new legislator in Mani C.Kappen, who was sworn in by Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan.

For the last five decades, late K.M. Mani, the founder-chief of the KC(M)represented Pala in the Kerala Assembly, held the record for the longest-serving Legislator. In fact, in 2006, 2011 and 2016 elections, Mani had defeated Kappan in the Assembly polls.

The Goa government on Wednesday launched '112' as the new integrated emergency number for police, fire and medical emergencies replacing the traditional dial number '100'.

Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank Ltd (PMC Bank) Case: Housing Development Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) Directors, Sarang Wadhawan and Rakesh Wadhwan, accused of loan default, have been sent to police custody till October 14 by Mumbai's Esplanade Court. 

Two men were arrested for allegedly eve-teasing a girl at a Dusshera event here, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place Tuesday evening when the girl had come to witness the burning of Ravan's effigy, they said. Following a complaint by the girl, two men were arrested, police said. 

A Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) worker has been shot dead by unidentified assailants in Mandsaur. Police are present at the spot, investigation is underway.

Karti Chidambaram appears before Enforcement Directorate in connection with the INX Media money laundering case; says, " I just thought to come and say hello to them for Dussehra".

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, "I have very deep pain&concern about where we are today as a party. No matter what happens we won't leave the party, we aren't like those who got everything from the party&when the chips were down, things were difficult they left the party & walked away."

President of Karnataka State Apex Co-operative Bank, KN Rajanna appeared before Enforcement Directorate today. ED had summoned him to probe his role in giving loan to a sugar firm which is owned by close associate of Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who is currently in judicial Custody.

People from five villages participated in age-old Banni festival in Andhra Pradesh's Devaragattu village, Holagunda mandal yesterday. They formed 2 groups to fight with wooden sticks as part of a traditional competition to claim the idol of a local deity.

India and China to jointly hold anti-terror exercise in December 2019, according to sources.

PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to decide dates for the next Special Representatives talks.

Heavy smoke was seen rising in the pantograph (apparatus on the roof of an electric train, tram or electric bus to collect power through contact with an overhead line) after overhead equipment tripped upon the Harbour line at Mumbai's Vashi station on Wednesday. Some media reports said someone threw a bag on the train at Vashi station, leading to the fire and bursts.

Read full story here: Local train catches fire at Vashi Station in Navi Mumbai

Equity benchmark BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty were trading on a cautious note in morning trade on Wednesday amid growing uncertainty over US-China trade talks and unabated foreign fund outflows.

The 30-share index was trading 36.04 points or 0.10 per cent higher at 37,568.02 in the early trade; while the broader Nifty was almost flat with positive bias at 11,127.40, showing a marginal gain of 1.00 points or 0.01 per cent.

President of China, Xi Jinping will visit Chennai from October 11-12 for the 2nd Informal Summit between India and China.

Tension prevailed in Tigai village here after a statue of B R Ambedkar was found damaged, police said on Wednesday. Angry people took to the streets to protest over the incident which was reported on Tuesday, they said.

Station House officer Santosh Kumar Singh said a case has been registered against unidentified persons for vandalising the statue. The damaged statue has been repaired, he said.

Police said security has been tightened in the village and additional personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Dalit organisation Bhim Army condemned the incident.

Karnataka: A raid by City Crime Branch is underway at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru. 

Another member of the powerful Pawar clan in Maharashtra is all set to make his electoral debut in the October 21 Assembly elections, drawing attention from all quarters. Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar's grand-nephew, Rohit Pawar is contesting from Karjat-Jamkhed seat in Ahmednagar in a high-profile manner.

The aggressive yet soft-spoken Rohit, 34, is a Business Management graduate from University of Mumbai and becomes the fifth member from Pawar family to take the plunge in electoral politics this time and make a mark.

The others are Pawar, 78, with over 55 years in politics including thrice as Chief Minister and union minister, his daughter Supriya Sule, 50, a fourtime MP from Baramati, including one stint in Rajya Sabha, and her cousin Ajit Pawar, 60, who's been a two-time Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

Violence erupted during Durga idol immersion in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh following rumours that a piece of meat had been thrown at the idol in the procession. Enraged devotees, set several shops on fire and vandalized vehicles on Ram Janki road area late on Tuesday in Amodha. DIG Ashutosh Kumar said that there was no truth in the rumours but anti-social elements took advantage of the situation and indulged in violence. Efforts were on to identify the culprits at the earliest.

A 66-year old Indian-origin man has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud his employer of more than USD 1.7 million. Rakesh Kaushal of Maryland pleaded guilty last week to the federal charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office said.

Kaushal, who remains detained, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy when sentenced in January 2020.

According to his plea agreement, between August 2015 and approximately January 2017, Kaushal was employed by a company headquartered in Maryland that provided construction and design services, primarily to federal government agencies.

Ivan Victor Thrane was the owner and president of three construction companies operating in Dickerson and Beltsville, Maryland.  

The White House has refused any cooperation by President Donald Trump in the Democrats' impeachment investigation, saying the efforts being made by the opposition is unconstitutional and an attempt to overturn the democratic process. Speaking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said that the impeachment probe against President Trump is purely political.

"The President has done nothing wrong and the Democrats know it. For purely political reasons, the Democrats have decided their desire to overturn the outcome of the 2016 election allows them to conduct a so-called impeachment inquiry that ignores the fundamental rights guaranteed to every American," she said.

"These partisan proceedings are an affront to the Constitution-as they are being held behind closed doors and deny the President the right to call witnesses, to cross-examine witnesses, to have access to evidence, and many other basic rights," she said soon after the White House sent a letter to the Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives informing them of the decision of the Trump Administration.

A staggering 2.2 billion people around the world suffer from eye conditions and visual impairment today, the UN health agency said on Tuesday, noting that ageing populations, changing lifestyles and limited access to eye care are among the main drivers of the rising numbers of people living with vision impairment.

Of the 2.2 billion people living with vision impairment or blindness, over one billion cases could have been prevented or have yet to be addressed. These billion people are not getting the care they need for conditions like short and far sightedness, glaucoma and cataract, according to the first World report on vision issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

While welcoming recent successes in eliminating common conditions such as trachoma in eight countries, WHO highlighted evidence indicating that eye problems are increasingly linked to lifestyle choices, including screen time. Alarcos Cieza, who heads WHO’s work to address blindness and vision impairment, told journalists in Geneva that youngsters are among those at risk. 

The US has announced visa restrictions against officials of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China for instituting a highly "repressive campaign" against ethnic and religious minorities, including the Uyghur Muslims, in the country's Xinjiang province. The US accused China of carrying out high-tech surveillance and draconian controls against the minorities in the country's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

"The Chinese government has instituted a highly 'repressive campaign' against Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other members of the Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

"The repressive campaigns include mass detentions in internment camps, pervasive, high-tech surveillance, draconian controls on expressions of cultural and religious identities and coercion of individuals to return from abroad to an often perilous fate in China,” he said. 

India has moved down 10 places to rank 68th on an annual global competitiveness index, largely due to improvements witnessed by several other economies, while Singapore has replaced the US as the world's most competitive economy. India, which was ranked 58th in the annual Global Competitiveness Index compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil (ranked even lower than India at 71st this year).

Announcing its latest index, the WEF said on Wednesday India ranks high in terms of macroeconomic stability and market size, while its financial sector is relatively deep and stable despite the high delinquency rate, which contributes to weakening the soundness of its banking system.

India has ranked also high at 15th place in terms of corporate governance, while it is ranked second globally for shareholder governance, the WEF study showed. In terms of the market size, India is ranked third, while it has got the same rank for renewable energy regulation.

A 28-year-old man was shot at outside his shop in Outer Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy apparently over a money dispute. Fateh Singh, who runs a hardware shop, suffered a bullet injury and is stated to be out of danger. The incident took place on Monday night when Singh was with his elder brother and two of their friends when four men came and shot him. He was shot in the chest and rushed to a nearby hospital where he is being treated.