Latest LIVE: Congress prez Kharge constitutes 47-member Steering Committee

From INC getting a non-Gandhi president after 24 years and Rishi Sunak's appointment as UK PM to coronavirus cases and air pollution, catch all the latest developments from across the globe here

9:10 AM

Mallikarjun Kharge visits Rajghat ahead of taking charge as Congress president

Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday visited Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi, ahead of formally taking over as the party president.

Kharge, accompanied by Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Anil Chaudhary and Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV, among others, paid floral tributes at the memorial of the Father of the Nation.

"The newly elected Congress president, Kharge ji, reached Rajghat before taking oath today and paid homage to revered Bapu. The path shown by Mahatma Gandhi is guiding not only the Congress, but the country and the world even today," the Congress said in a tweet in Hindi.

9:07 AM

Drugs worth Rs 632 cr to be destroyed today in presence of Amit Shah in Gujarat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair an all-important meeting on Wednesday evening at Gujarat's capital Gandhinagar in the presence of several Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers and administrators to discuss several important matters concerning regional security.

 

"Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Regional meeting on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' in Gandhinagar at 5 pm," sources aware of the development told ANI.

Continuing with the fight against drug trafficking, more drugs will be destroyed today in the presence of Shah and other dignitaries. "A total of 12,438.96 Kgs of drugs valued at Rs 632.68 crores will be destroyed in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah," sources told ANI.

9:04 AM

Suella Braverman returns as home secretary as Rishi Sunak reshuffles cabinet

9:03 AM

iPhone 15 series to have 4 models with major differences: Report

Apple's upcoming next-generation iPhone 15 series will include four models, with bigger feature differences than the iPhone 14 and all the models will feature USB-C charging port, reveals a report.

According to AppleInsider, demand for the iPhone 14 range has been rumoured to be lower than expected, and perhaps most definitely for the base model.

That perceived failure of the larger iPhone 14 follows reportedly poor sales of the smaller iPhone 13 mini. Yet a new report says Apple will continue producing four models for its 2023 iPhone 15 range.

9:02 AM

Russia, Belarus ambassadors barred from Nobel ceremony

The ambassadors of Russia and Belarus have been excluded from this year's Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm because of the war in Ukraine.

The Nobel Foundation, a private foundation which administers the prestigious awards, normally invites ambassadors stationed in Sweden to the annual award ceremony on Dec. 10.

But due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Nobel Foundation has chosen not to invite the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus to the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, it said in a statement Tuesday.

8:57 AM

Delhi air quality improves 2 days after Diwali, but still 'poor'

Delhi's air quality improved on Wednesday morning on the back of favourable wind speed but still it remained poor. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 262 at 6 am, improving from 303 at 4 pm on Tuesday. It was 312 at 4 pm on Monday, the day of Diwali. The neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad (262), Noida (246), Greater Noida (196), Gurugram (242), and Faridabad (243) reported "moderate" to "poor" air quality.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". 

 

Delhi's particulate matter (PM) 2.5 pollution levels on Wednesday morning were three to four times above the national standard of 60 microgram per cubic metre for 24 hours.

Representative Image

8:54 AM

Coronavirus updates: India reports 830 fresh Covid-19 cases

India reports 830 fresh cases and 1,771 recoveries in the last 24 hours, on Wednesday, the lowest single-day rise in 197 days. India's active Covid-19 cases have declined to 21,607 from 22,549 and total case load climbed to 4,46,45,768, according to Union health ministry data.

8:32 AM

'India has incredible vaccine manufacturing capacity': Dr Ashish Jha, White House Covid Response Coordinator

During a press beriefing, Dr Ashish Jha, White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator acknowledge the role of India in fighting the pandemic." He said, "India has been a major exporter of vaccines because of its incredible manufacturing capacity. India is an important manufacturer of vaccines in the world."

Dr Ashish Jha, White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator (Photo: ANI)

8:27 AM

Congress President-elect Mallikarjun Kharge will take charge today of the post today at Delhi headquarters