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1:42 PM

We will not let our Yoga classes stop at any cost: Delhi CM Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said free yoga classes in the city will continue irrespective of the availability of funds for the scheme.

"Stopping yoga (classes) is a sin, rest of the politics can go on," Kejriwal said in his address after felicitating yoga instructors at an event in Delhi.

"But we have decided that we won't let the classes stop, whether funds come or not," he asserted.

Reports have said that Lt Governor VK Saxena has not approved the extension of the scheme after October 31.

1:39 PM

Moosewala's father welcomes detention of gangster Goldy Brar in US

Murdered Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala's father on Friday welcomed the news of detention of gangster Goldy Brar, the prime accused in the case, by the US authorities.
 

However, Moosewala's father Balkaur Singh said he was yet to get any official information about the development. "I do not have any official information. I learnt through media reports that Brar has been detained. If it is so, I welcome it," Singh said when asked by reporters for his reaction.

1:30 PM

Full-service carrier Vistara starts direct flights on Pune-Singapore route

Full service carrier Vistara has started direct flights between Pune and Singapore. The airline said it will operate 4x weekly flights on this route using its A321neo aircraft.

 

"The inaugural flight departed from Pune at 0210 hours (IST) and arrived in Singapore at 1030 hours (GMT)," it said in a release.

 

Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia virtually flagged off the inaugural flight.

 

1:07 PM

Army chief Gen Manoj Pande to review IMA passing out parade on Dec 10

Army chief Gen Manoj Pande will take the salute of the Passing Out Parade at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun on December 10.

According to an IMA spokesperson, 344 gentleman cadets from India and abroad will become an integral part of their respective country's armies as military officers during the parade.

Last year, on December 11, then President Ram Nath Kovind reviewed the Indian Military Academy passing out parade at Chetwode Building Drill Square in Dehradun.

 

12:43 PM

Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea seeking stay of Delhi MCD polls

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking to stay the Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls scheduled to be held on December 4.

A bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka said with the passage of time, the plea has become infructuous. The counsel for petitioner National Youth Party said they are challenging the delimitation of wards done for the poll and seeking stay of the municipal elections.

The bench said the polling is scheduled to be held on Sunday and it cannot interfere at this juncture.

12:05 PM

MCD polls: Delhi Metro services to begin from 4am on election day (Dec 4)

Delhi Metro's train services will start from 4 am on December 4, the day of the civic polls, officials say. 

"On the day of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi election on December 4, the Delhi Metro train services on all lines will start from 4 am from all terminal stations," DMRC said in a statement. "The trains will run with a frequency of 30 minutes on all the lines till 6 am. After 6 am, metro trains will run as per the normal Sunday timetable throughout the day."

Election to the 250 wards of the MCD is scheduled to be held from 8 am to 5:30pm.

 

11:13 AM

Nambi Narayan case: SC cancels anticipatory bail granted to 4 accused officials

Supreme Court sets aside Kerala High Court order granting anticipatory bail to four persons in connection with the 1994 ISRO espionage case relating to the alleged framing of scientist Nambi Narayanan.
 

 The court asks the high court to decide the pleas of accused afresh within four weeks. It also directs that the accused should not be arrested for five weeks.

11:05 AM

Shallow fog covers Delhi sky, air quality continues to be very poor

Delhi's air quality continues to remain in very poor as a shallow fog and mist covered parts of the city Friday morning.

The overall Air Quality Index was at 335 at 9:13 am, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). The level of PM 2.5 and PM 10 was at 165 in the 'very poor' category and 281 in the 'poor' category, respectively.

The air quality in Noida and Gurugram was also recorded in the very poor category with AQIs of 375 and 308, respectively.

Around the Delhi University, the AQI was 359. Pusa recorded an AQI of 322 while Dhirpur recorded an AQI of 397.

10:59 AM

Varanasi court to hear plea seeking worship of 'shivling' in Gyanvapi mosque complex

A court in Varanasi is likely to hear on Friday a plea seeking worship of the "shivling" in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

On November 17, a fast-track court rejected the Gyanvapi masjid committee's objection to a petition seeking right to worship the 'shivling' claimed to have been found in the mosque complex. It fixed December 2 for hearing the case.

The fast-track court judge Mahendra Kumar Pandey found the petition filed by Kiran Singh worth hearing and rejected the objection by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee questioning the maintainability of the plea.

10:13 AM

Gujarat records a moderate voter turnout of 60% in phase 1 of assembly polls

A moderate voter turnout of 60.23% was recorded in the first phase of Gujarat assembly elections on 89 seats of Saurashtra-Kutch and southern regions of the state. This is the provisional figure given by the EC and a final figure willl be provided later, according to th eelection commission.

Officials said the polling on Thursday ended on a largely peaceful note. There were 788 candidates in the contest in this phase.

The voter turnout this year is less than the 66.75% figure  recorded in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly polls in 2017.

10:04 AM

Al-Qaeda in Indian subcontinent, TTP leaders get global terrorists tag

The US has designated four terrorists of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as global terrorists.

"The United States is committed to using its full set of counterterrorism tools to counter the threat posed by terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, as part of our relentless efforts to ensure that terrorists do not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"The Department of State designated four AQIS and TTP leaders as specially designated global terrorists under Executive Order 13224, as amended, for their leadership roles in their respective groups," he added.

9:51 AM

India records 275 new Covid-19 cases, tally of active infections now 4,672

India recorded 275 new coronavirus infections but the number of active cases dipped to 4,672, according to government data released Friday morning.

 

The data released by the Union Health Ministry data showed the active cases declined by 95 cases in the past 24 hours. Active cases now comprise 0.01% of the total infections (4.46 crore).

 

The death toll due to the disease has climbed to 5,30,624 with one fatality being reconciled by Kerala and one death reported from Chhattisgarh. 

 

9:38 AM

Sidhu Moose Wala murder mastermind Goldy Brar reportedly detained in US

Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, one of the main conspirators behind the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, has been detained in the US under anti-terror law, NDTV reports. Sources told the broadcaster that Brar was detained in California around November 20.

Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in Mansa district of Punjab in May this year when he was traveling in his car without his security. Satinderjit Singh, alias Goldy Brar, had taken the responsibility for the killing on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang.

9:33 AM

Rahul resumes Bharat Jodo Yatra from Jahanara village in Madhya Pradesh

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed from Jahanara village in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday morning.

Today is the 86th day of the yatra and its 10 day in Madhya Pradesh. It will enter the Agar Chavani Square town in the Agar Malwa district from Ujjain today.
 

The yatra will enter Rajasthan on December 5. It has already covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.

 

 

9:22 AM

Russia-Pak talks: Moscow refuses to give Islamabad 30-40% discount on crude oil

Russia refused to provide Pakistan a 30-40% discount on Russian crude oil after the Pakistani delegation asked for a reduction in price during talks in Moscow, The News International reported.

A Pakistani delegation comprising State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik, joint secretary and officials of the Pakistan Embassy asked for a discount on crude oil purchase during talks in Moscow. But Russia said it could not offer anything right now as all volumes were committed.

However, Russia has promised to consider Pakistan's demand at a later stage and share its position through diplomatic channels, the report added.