LIVE: Middle-East conflict raises fuel price concerns, says FM Sitharaman

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11:00 PM

EAM Jaishankar speaks to Saudi Foreign Minister on 'grave' situation in Middle-East

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday spoke to his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan and they discussed the situation arising out of the Hamas-Israel conflict. The phone conversation came two days after Jaishankar discussed the crisis with Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

10:27 PM

Troops have entered Gaza to battle militants, destroy weapons: Israeli military

The Israeli military says for the first time that ground troops have been operating inside the Gaza Strip. In a statement on Friday, the army said troops had entered Gaza to battle militants, destroy weapons and search for evidence about the missing hostages held by Hamas.

10:11 PM

Govt to provide land to homeless people, says MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday promised to provide plots of land to the homeless people in the state so that houses can be built for them and they do not remain without shelter. He also said that his government's flagship 'Ladli Behna' scheme has enhanced the respect and honour of women in their house as their family members now treat them with dignity.

9:23 PM

Middle-East conflict raises fuel price concerns, says FM Sitharaman

Referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict, Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "The recent crisis in the Middle East, and concerns about fuel back again, are worries which many countries do hold and they have expressed as well." The G20 finance leaders are meeting on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meeting in Marrakech. India holds the rotating presidency of the G20, which expires in November.

8:59 PM

Noida airport: Runway, ATC to be ready by Mar 2024; 7,200 workers stationed

"The construction work of the runway at the airport is almost 70 per cent complete. The airstrip work is targeted to be completed by February-March 2024. Goyal also inspected the construction work of the terminal building being constructed at the airport, which is being done at a fast pace," the statement added.

8:29 PM

Ministry initiates investigation into two units' books, says Adani

Adani Enterprises on Friday said it had received communications from an office of India's Ministry of Corporate Affairs, which said it was initiating an investigation into the books of Adani units Mumbai International Airport Ltd and Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd.

7:17 PM

Tata Motors to sell stake worth $194 million in unit to PE fund TPG

Tata Motors said on Friday it will sell a 9.9% stake in its unit Tata Technologies, which is set to go public, to private equity fund TPG Rise Climate SF for Rs 1,614 crore.

6:46 PM

India and Brazil target over three-fold rise in bilateral trade to $50 bn by 2030: Commerce Secretary

India and Brazil are looking at an "aspirational" target of increasing the two-way trade by over three-fold to $50 billion by 2030, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on Friday. He was in Brasilia from October 1 to 4 to discuss ways to promote trade between the two countries. He chaired the sixth meeting of the India-Brazil Trade Monitoring Mechanism (TMM).

6:15 PM

Coca-Cola India's spending on brands expected to be highest in H2

Though the company has not shared the quantum of spending but said it is a "big part of overall investment" that they are going to make during the ICC World Cup, which provides "a very big platform" for their business expansion, Coca-Cola India and South-West Asia Vice President, Marketing Arnab Roy, said.

5:49 PM

Excise policy case: HC seeks ED stand on Sanjay Singh’s plea against arrest

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma asked the ED to file its response to the petition and listed the matter for hearing on Tuesday morning.The counsel appearing for the Rajya Sabha MP said due procedure was not followed when he was arrested by the investigating agency without any prior summons or notice in the case.

5:44 PM

US will make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself, says Lloyd Austin

5:42 PM

Mizoram assembly polls: BJP appoints union minister Kiren Rijiju as election incharge

5:22 PM

Telangana assembly polls: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrives at AICC headquarters to attend CEC meeting

4:42 PM

Vivo PMLA case: ED seeks 10-day extension of custody of 4 accused

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday sought extension of the custody of four people arrested in a money laundering case against Chinese smart phone maker Vivo, including the managing director of Lava International mobile company and a Chinese national, by 10 days.

4:29 PM

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin arrives in Tel Aviv to meet senior Israeli leaders

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Friday in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to meet with senior government leaders and see firsthand some of the US weapons and security assistance that Washington rapidly delivered to Israel in the first week of its war with the militant Hamas group.

4:25 PM

Cricket approved for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, announces IOC president

IOC president Thomas Bach, speaking after the second day of an executive board meeting in Mumbai, said officials had accepted a proposal by LA organisers for cricket to be included as one of five new sports along with baseball/softball, flag football (non-contact American football), squash and lacrosse.

3:59 PM

Excise policy case: Court sends AAP's Sanjay Singh to judicial custody till Oct 27

The anti-money laundering agency had arrested Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, on October 4.

 

3:41 PM

Newsclick Row: Delhi HC dismisses Purkayastha's plea challenging arrest

The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the petitions moved by NewsClick founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha and its Human Resources head Amit Chakraborty challenging their arrest and remand in the UAPA case registered by Delhi Police's special cell. Recently both were arrested in the case and are currently in judicial custody.

2:52 PM

Fresh revelations in Adani issue indicate over Rs 12,000 cr may have been siphoned off in two years: Cong

The Congress on Friday alleged that fresh revelations in the Adani issue by a foreign publication indicate that "more than Rs 12,000 crore may have been siphoned out of the country in two years".

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a statement, dubbed it the "biggest scam" of modern India. He claimed that this was "not a metaphorical loot" but "literally theft" from the pockets of crores of Indians.

He also accused the ruling BJP government of "helping" the Adani group acquire assets and "the BJP is kept flush with electoral bond funds which allows it to buy MLAs at will and break opposition parties".

2:43 PM

Senthil Balaji's remand extended till Oct 20

A sessions court here on Friday extended the remand of DMK Minister V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested in connection with a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate in June, till October 20.

First Additional Sessions Judge D Lingeshwaran, before whom Senthil Balaji was produced through video conferencing from Puzhal prison, extended his remand to judicial custody till next Friday.

Balaji was arrested on June 14 by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister during an earlier AIADMK regime.

2:01 PM

ED arrests US, Vanuatu residents, Indian man in IPO 'scam' linked money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has arrested three persons -- a resident of the US, one of Vanuatu and an Indian -- as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged IPO scam worth crores of rupees in Hyderabad.

Pavan Kuchana, a resident of the US, Nirmal Kotecha, a resident of the Republic of Vanuatu, and Kishore Tapadia were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on October 11.

They were produced before a special court in Hyderabad on Thursday that sent them to ED custody till October 25.

2:01 PM

Friday prayers not allowed at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid

Congregational prayers were not allowed at the historic Jamia Masjid here on Friday in view of apprehensions of protests against the Israeli action in Gaza, sources said.

The grand mosque located in Nowhatta area of the city here was locked and no Friday prayers were allowed, officials said.

Security forces personnel were deployed in strength around the mosque to maintain law and order, they said.

2:00 PM

Senior BJP leader from Amritsar Raj Kumar Verka quits party to join Congress

In a setback to the BJP in Punjab, the party's senior leader Raj Kumar Verka on Friday said he has decided to quit the party and was going to join the Congress terming it as "ghar wapsi".

Verka had switched over from the Congress to the BJP in June last year.

During the past over a year, Verka was among many Congress leaders who had switched over to the BJP including present state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar.

1:54 PM

Sena disqualification row: SC says Maharashtra speaker cannot defeat orders of apex court

The Supreme Court on Friday came down hard on the Maharashtra assembly speaker for the delay in deciding the plea for disqualification of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several MLAs, saying the speaker cannot defeat the orders of the top court.

Somebody has to advise the Speaker that he cannot defeat the orders of the Supreme Court, a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said and asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to apprise the court about the timeline for deciding the issue.

A visibly irked CJI said decision on disqualification pleas has to be taken before next assembly elections or the whole process will become infructuous.

1:42 PM

Jharkhand HC dismisses Soren's petition against ED summons

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, challenging issuance of summons by the ED to him in a case of alleged money laundering.

A bench of Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and Justice Ananda Sen observed that the period of appearance in the summons has already lapsed and hence, there is no merit in the case.

The Enforcement Directorate had sent summons to Soren to depose at the federal agency's office in Ranchi on August 14 and on a later date to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

1:38 PM

AAP protests near BJP headquarters against Sanjay Singh's arrest in money laundering case

The Aam Aadmi Party workers on Friday protested near BJP headquarters here against the arrest of senior leader Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi excise policy.

Raising slogans against the party, the AAP workers tried to proceed towards BJP headquarters on DDU Marg but the police and paramilitary personnel stopped them.

The protest came hours after the Delhi High Court agreed to list during the day a plea by Singh against his arrest.

1:34 PM

Canadian Senate speaker absent from G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit

Amid the diplomatic row with India, Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagne is not attending the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) and Parliamentary Forum set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Speakers and heads of delegation of Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Spain, European Parliament, Italy, South Africa, Russia, Turkey, Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, UAE, Singapore, Japan, Egypt and Bangladesh are present in the event.

The inaugural day of the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) and Parliamentary Forum to hold two separate sessions today. The first session comprises a discussion on 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' with Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) showcasing achievements and accelerating progress. However, the second session is on 'One Earth Sustainable Energy Transition-Gateway to Green Future'.

12:46 PM

Elderly woman dies after being hit by car inside Noida society, driver booked

A 76-year-old woman died allegedly after she was hit by a car inside a group housing society's premises here, prompting the police to book the driver, a co-resident of the condominium, for causing death by negligence, officials said on Friday.

The woman, identified as Krishna Narang, was walking back from the local temple to her home in Mahagun Moderne Society in Sector 78 around 1 pm on Wednesday when a car mowed her down at a turn, according to an eyewitness' account.

12:36 PM

Bihar accident: Delhi-bound up line restored, work underway on down line

The Delhi-bound up line at the accident site near Raghunathpur railway station in Bihar's Buxar district has been restored and work is underway to repair the down line, the East Central Railway said on Friday.

The up line is ready for limited movement of trains but normal movement on this route will be allowed only after restoration of the down line.

Four people were killed and several people were injured after 23 coaches of North East Express, on the way to Assam from Delhi, derailed near Raghunathpur railway station around 9.53 pm on Wednesday.

12:25 PM

SC dismisses plea on banning screening of children for nursery admissions

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea challenging the Delhi High Court's decision refusing to direct the lieutenant governor to give assent to or return a 2015 bill which proposed a ban on screening children for nursery admissions.

A bench of Justice SK Kaul and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia said it cannot pass a direction to enact a law.

"Can there be a mandamus to enact a law? Can we direct the government to introduce the bill? Supreme Court can't be the panacea for everything," the bench said.