Breaking News: November 17, 2020 | Highlights

Schools, colleges and coaching institutions will continue to remain closed till November 30 in Rajasthan, according to an official order issued on Tuesday.

The state home department on November 1 had issued an order saying that educational institutions would remain closed till November 16.

The department on Tuesday issued the order extending the closure of the institutions till November 30.

Home Secretary NL Meena issued the order to this effect.

Higher education institutes in Uttar Pradesh will start classes from November 23 following UGC guidelines, an official spokesperson said Tuesday.

Himachal Pradesh's tourist hotspot Manali recorded minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, while Keylong was the coldest place in the state at minus 6.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the meteorological department said. Kinnaur's Kalpa recorded a low of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius and Dalhousie and Shimla recorded a low of 3.6 and 4.8 degrees Celsius respectively, Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Manmohan Singh said.

The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti's administrative centre Keylong was the coldest place at minus 6.6 degrees Celsius, he said.

High reaches of the state such as Keylong and Kalpa received 2 cm and 0.4 cm snowfall respectively. 

Several other areas including Nahan experienced 22.9 mm rainfall, the weatherman said.

People coming from Delhi to Noida will be randomly tested for COVID-19 from Wednesday, said LY Suhas, Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate.

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called for a joint effort by the BRICS countries on the development of the coronavirus vaccines as he suggested that Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 could be produced in China and India, which are members of the five-nation bloc.

"We believe it is important to speed up the establishment of the centre for development and research of BRICS vaccines, which we agreed to do two years ago, upon the initiative of our South African friends," Putin said while addressing the 12th BRICS summit via videoconferencing.

The summit, hosted by President Putin, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Putin said that Russia's Sputnik V vaccine that was registered in August could be produced in China and India, both members of the BRICS, Sputniknews reported.

The restart will not be possible without a reset. A reset of mindset, processes and practices. I think the historic reconstruction efforts after the two world wars can give us several lessons, PM Modi said at an event.

Things like community gatherings, sports activities, education and recreations are not the same as before. The biggest question before the entire world is how to restart Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Delhi Government has declared November 20 as a public holiday on account of 'Chhath Puja'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday inaugurate the Bengaluru Tech Summit, 2020 that will deliberate on the key challenges emerging in the post-pandemic world.

In 2021, BRICS will complete 15 years. Our 'sherpas' can make a report to evaluate the various decisions taken by us in the past years: PM Modi said at BRICS Summit.

Terrorism is the biggest problem facing the world today. We have to ensure that the countries that support the terrorists are held accountable and this problem is tackled in an organized manner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at BRICS Summit, via video conferencing.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has praised the Uttar Pradesh government for its COVID-19 management strategy terming it as a good example for other states to follow, an official statement said in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Austria has started a new tough lockdown meant to slow the surging spread of the coronavirus in the Alpine nation. As of Tuesday, people are only allowed to leave their homes to purchase groceries, to go to jobs deemed essential, to exercise or to help people who need assistance.

All restaurants, shops, hair salons and other services have been ordered closed, and the nation’s schools have been moved to remote learning programs.

Uttar Pradesh's COVID-19 case count mounted to 5,14,270 on Tuesday with 1,455 fresh infections, while the death toll climbed to 7,412 with 19 more fatalities, officials said.

The number of active cases in the state stands at 22,166, they said.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19, has tested negative for the disease and discharged from a hospital
in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

Khan was admitted to the government medical college hospital on November 9 after he tested positive for COVID-19 on his return from New Delhi.

Equity benchmark Sensex surged 315 points to close at a fresh lifetime high on Tuesday, driven by heavy buying in metal, industrials, banking and finance stocks. After touching its all-time peak of 44,161.16 during the session, the 30-share BSE index settled 314.73 points or 0.72 per cent higher at 43,952.71.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty touched a fresh intra-day high of 12,934.05. It finally finished 93.95 points or 0.74 per cent up at its closing record of 12,874.20. READ MORE

Goa Congress suspends Urfan Mulla from primary membership. He resigned as Goa Congress Committee Minority Chairman, Spox on Nov 15

"Congress suffers lack of org, direction, leadership. Party's old guards in Goa miserably failed in decision making," he had written to Sonia Gandhi

I'm happy he (Tamil Nadu BJP chief L Murugan) said so. But I haven’t decided anything yet. I'll decide my political stand after discussion with supporters. There's no political strategy meet on 21st, it's all rumours: MK Alagiri, says DMK chief MK Stalin's brother 

Gold prices on Tuesday rose by Rs 11 to Rs 50,841 per 10 gram in futures trade as speculators created fresh positions on firm spot demand. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold contracts for December delivery traded higher by Rs 11, or 0.02 per cent, at Rs 50,841 per 10 gram in a business turnover of 8,460 lots.

Fresh positions built up by participants led to the rise in gold prices, analysts said. Gold prices traded 0.17

Bihar Legislative Assembly session to be held from 23rd to 27th November 2020

PM Narendra Modi to deliver an address at the 3rd Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum today. This year, the forum will witness discussions centered on refueling the economy and charting a course for the future, in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal address media amid rise in COVID-19 cases

A fire broke out on the sixth floor of Kidwai Bhawan on Janpath road here on Tuesday, a Delhi Fire Service official said. No injuries have bee reported, he said.

The blaze was reported around 10 am after which 15 fire tenders were pressed into service. The fire has been completely extinguished, Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Service, said.

However, the cooling process is still underway and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the official said.

Police have arrested 10 people, all Nepali nationals, after a raid on a gambling den in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official said on Tuesday. Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the premises on Sunday night and nabbed the 10 people, in the age group of 22 to 38 years, for allegedly being involved in gambling, police spokesman Sachin Navadkar said. A case was registered against them under provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, he said.

Air quality slightly improves in parts of Delhi. As per Central Pollution Control Board data, Air Quality Index in Anand Vihar is at 173 (Moderate), at 205 in RK Puram (Poor), at 213 in Najafgarh (Poor) and at 90 in Lodhi Road (Satisfactory).

 A 42-year-old man was found dead in his apartment in Greater Noida on Monday in a suspected suicide case, police said. The man was found hanging from a fan by his friend who had reached the flat in Supertech Czar, under Dadri police station limits, they said.
"The information about the death was received on emergency 112 service of the pooice. The friend had taken the man's body to a hospital where he was confirmed dead," a police spokesperson said.

Pune Rural Police on Tuesday arrested a man and seized 6.85 grams of Mephedrone drugs, worth Rs 54,000, from his possession. The case has been registered. Further investigation underway.

Mizoram reports 48 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases here to 3444, including 2915 discharges and 5 deaths.

Active cases stand at 524

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lauded the contribution of British Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities in helping the people during the coronavirus pandemic and responding to the crisis with compassion, community spirit and a can-do attitude.

Johnson said this in his message during a virtual Diwali prayer meet organised by NRI entrepreneur G P Hinduja and his family on Sunday.

Two Dalit sisters, both minors, were allegedly killed and their bodies dumped in a pond in a village in the Asodhar area of this Uttar Pradesh district, police said on Monday.

The bodies of the victims with injury marks in the eyes were retrieved from the pond late in the evening, they said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday extended his greetings to Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar upon swearing in as the Bihar Chief Minister.

In a congratulatory message, the UP CM said, "Bihar is sure to touch new pinnacles of progress under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

Karnataka: Congress leader and former Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj has been arrested in DJ Halli and KG Halli violence incident case, says Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner, Central Crime Branch