A blanket of mist enveloped Mumbai on Wednesday, pushing the city's air to the moderate' category on the Air Quality Index (AQI). The phenomenon has been there for the last three to four days, said officials. Mumbai's guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar claimed that ongoing works of development projects such as metro were causing dust pollution in the city.
11:21 PM
Trai asks DoT to consider recommendations for next spectrum auction
Telecom regulator Trai has asked the Department of Telecom to consider its recommendations made last year on spectrum auctions to plan the sale of radiowaves, a senior government official said on Wednesday. DoT Joint Wireless Advisor Gulab Chand, during a panel discussion at the India Spectrum Management Conference, said the government is trying its best to hold spectrum auctions by the end of the current fiscal or early next fiscal.
11:02 PM
Raghubar Das appointed governor of Odisha, Indra Sena Reddy Nallu of Tripura
Former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das and BJP leader Indra Sena Reddy Nallu have been appointed as the governors of Odisha and Tripura, respectively, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique on Wednesday.
10:55 PM
US President announces $100 mn in humanitarian aid for Gaza, West Bank
US President Joe Biden, who is on a visit to Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, has announced humanitarian assistance for both Gaza and the West Bank worth $100 million following the deadly airstrike in Gaza, Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.
10:07 PM
Mumbai faces 'October heat', logs hottest day of month so far in 2023
The Santacruz observatory of the IMD, which tracks temperature and other weather parameters for Mumbai's suburbs, recorded 36.4 degrees Celsius temperature. This is the highest temperature recorded this season for the month of October, IMD scientist Sushma Nair said.
9:49 PM
Current assessment shows Israel was 'not responsible' for Gaza hospital blast: White House
The White House said on Wednesday that a current intelligence assessment shows Israel was not responsible for the explosion at a Gaza hospital, but that information was still being collected. The assessment is based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a social media post.
9:26 PM
UNSC fails to adopt resolution on Israel-Palestine conflict
The 15-nation Council met to vote on the draft resolution that was proposed by Council President Brazil. While 12 Council members voted in favour of the resolution, Russia and Britain abstained. The resolution could not be adopted because of a veto cast by the US. The US, a permanent member of the UNSC and a close ally of Israel, said it is disappointed the resolution makes no mention of Israel's rights of self-defence.
8:39 PM
Fire breaks out at a furniture shop in Delhi's Kirti Nagar
8:26 PM
Israel will allow Egypt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip: Reports
As per media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's office has decided to allow Egypt to deliver humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza Strip.
8:24 PM
Rajasthan assembly polls: BJP president JP Nadda holds meeting with party workers in Ajmer
7:56 PM
Bengaluru-bound IndiGo flight returns to Singapore due to 'baggage error'
"We acknowledge the baggage error on the part of our service partner at Singapore airport with respect to flight 6E 1006 operating from Singapore to Bengaluru, due to which the flight returned to origin. The passengers were kept informed of the delay and served refreshments," the airline said in a statement.
7:51 PM
Principal Secy to PM reviews progress made in implementation of G20 New Delhi Leader's Declaration
As part of the ongoing efforts, a series of seven webinars are proposed to be organised with the respective Ministries taking the lead and involving all relevant departments. The webinars are proposed on the themes of (i) Strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, (ii) Accelerating progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (iii) Green development pact for a sustainable future, (iv) Multilateral institutions for the 21st century, (v) Technological transformation and Digital Public Infrastructure, (vi) Women-led Development, and (vii) Countering terrorism and money laundering.
7:08 PM
Chhattisgarh assembly election: AAP requests EC to change polling date from 17 to 25 November
7:04 PM
Andhra govt will begin BC caste census around November 15: State minister Venugopala Krishna
The Backward Classes Welfare Minister noted the government will extensively deploy the village secretariat system for the caste census, along with the volunteer system. "From November 15, one week here and there, this caste census will begin. For the BC caste census, the village secretariat system will be used extensively, along with the volunteer system," said Krishna, addressing a press conference at the Secretariat.
6:16 PM
9 suspected terrorists arrested in Pakistan's Punjab province: Report
Nine suspected terrorists belonging to ISIS and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been arrested in Pakistan's Punjab province, officials said on Wednesday. "The terrorists had planned to sabotage across the province and wanted to target important installations," the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said in a statement.
Telecom regulator Trai has asked the Department of Telecom to consider its recommendations made last year on spectrum auctions to plan the sale of radiowaves, a senior government official said on Wednesday. DoT Joint Wireless Advisor Gulab Chand, during a panel discussion at the India Spectrum Management Conference, said the government is trying its best to hold spectrum auctions by the end of the current fiscal or early next fiscal. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked the department to go ahead with recommendations for lower frequency bands last year for 5G spectrum auction, and it will take time to come up with suggestions on pricing and other modalities for new frequency bands, he added.
UN Security Council on Wednesday failed to adopt a Brazil-led draft resolution that would have called for humanitarian pauses in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict to allow full access for aid to the Gaza strip after the US vetoed the text. The US, a permanent member of the UNSC and a close ally of Israel, said it is disappointed the resolution makes no mention of Israel's rights of self-defence. The 15-nation Council met to vote on the draft resolution that was proposed by Council President Brazil.
An IndiGo flight en route to Bengaluru returned to Singapore after take-off on Tuesday morning as the airline had forgotten to offload the baggage of passengers of an earlier flight. "We acknowledge the baggage error on the part of our service partner at Singapore airport with respect to flight 6E 1006 operating from Singapore to Bengaluru, due to which the flight returned to origin. The passengers were kept informed of the delay and served refreshments," the airline said in a statement. Some social media users complained about the incident.
The Union Cabinet has approved a hike in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Rabi Crops for 2024-25, says union minister Anurag Thakur. The government has further announced an increase in MSP of wheat by Rs 150 to Rs 2,275 per quintal for the 2024-25 marketing season.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 511 rural skill development centres in the name of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan in Maharashtra on Thursday via video conferencing. The PMO said in a statement that these centres are being established across 34 rural districts of Maharashtra. They will conduct skill development training programs across various sectors to provide employment opportunities to the rural youth, it said. "Each centre will train about 100 youngsters in at least two vocational courses. The training is being provided by empanelled industry partners and agencies under National Skill Development Council," the statement added.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi shows a media report on 'Adani and the mysterious coal price rises' at a press conference in Delhi.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda will visit Rajasthan on Wednesday to hold meetings with party leaders as part of the BJP's preparations for the upcoming state assembly polls, party leaders said. Nadda will be visiting the Ajmer and Kota divisions of Rajasthan, where he will hold discussions with party leaders and workers. Earlier on Monday, Nadda visited Rajasthan's Udaipur where he conducted meetings in two sessions for the Udaipur region in view of the upcoming polls.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday left the White House for a quick trip to Israel to show solidarity with the people of the country in the aftermath of the terrorist attack by Hamas. However, Biden had to abruptly scrap his trip to Jordan for a meeting with leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Palestine after the Palestinian Authority cancelled the summit following a huge explosion at a hospital in Gaza. Hundreds of civilians are feared dead after a deadly blast at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. Israel has denied its involvement in the bombing, while the Palestinians have held it responsible.
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