Live news: Series of lapses led to Gujarat bridge tragedy, say cops

Live news updates: Yadav overtook Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan to become just the second Indian player to hold the top T20I batter ranking

10:52 AM

Delhi's air quality improves marginally; curbs under GRAP's stage 4 not likely for now

Delhi's air quality improved marginally on Wednesday morning owing to relatively better meteorological conditions, with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) saying there is no immediate need to implement curbs, such as a ban on the entry of trucks and a closure of educational institutions, under the fourth stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The air quality is likely to improve further on the back of stronger winds from Thursday, forecasters said.

The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 15.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, and a wind speed of around 8 kmph in the morning.

10:44 AM

Nurses of Delhi govt-run hospitals begin strike

Scores of nurses of various Delhi government-run hospitals began their strike on Wednesday to put forth their demands which include regularisation of services and long-due promotions.

The Delhi Nurses Federation (DNF) said it is a "symbolic strike" that will be held from 9-11 am from November 2-4.

"However, emergency and ICU services won't be affected as nominal staff will work for these two services. OPD services and wards will be impacted due to the nursing staffs' strike that began today," DNF secretary general Liladhar Ramchandani said.

10:34 AM

Shah Rukh Khan greets fans on his 57th birthday at midnight

Kicking off his 57th birthday celebrations, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan greeted scores of admirers stationed outside his Bandra home last night.

 

After a no-show last year, the actor revived his annual ritual of meeting fans from the balcony of his sea-facing bungalow 'Mannat', one of the landmarks of Mumbai.

 

10:30 AM

President Droupadi Murmu to visit Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim from Wednesday

President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit three northeastern states Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim on a four-day tour beginning Wednesday, officials said.

On her maiden visit to these states after assuming office, she will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for several projects.

Murmu will first reach Kohima, the Nagaland capital, on Wednesday and the state government will accord her a civic reception.

The President will virtually inaugurate newly constructed government schools, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) roads, and Kohima Super Market, officials said.

10:18 AM

Google to discontinue Street View app next year

Google has announced plans to discontinue its dedicated Street View app on Android next year.

According to 9To5Google, the tech giant has prepared a number of shutdown messages for the Street View app.

In the notice, the company advice users to move to Google Maps or Street View Studio, as the Street View app will end on March 31, 2023.

"Street View App is going away and support will end March 21, 2023," the company was quoted as saying in the report.

10:17 AM

Rupee falls 12 paise to 82.71 against US dollar

The rupee depreciated 12 paise to 82.71 against the US dollar in morning trade on Wednesday amid a muted trend in domestic equities.

Forex traders said the rupee opened on a flat note ahead of the US Federal Reserve's much-awaited monetary policy decision later in the day.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 82.64 against the dollar, then lost further ground to quote at 82.71, registering a loss of 12 paise over its previous close.

10:00 AM

India logs 1,190 news Covid cases, death toll climbs to 530,452

With 1,190 fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally has gone up to 44,655,828, while the number of active cases of the infection has declined to 16,243, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

The death toll due to the viral disease has climbed to 530,452 with 1,375 more fatalities, including 1,369 deaths reconciled by Punjab and two reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The active cases account for 0.04 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has gone up to 98.78 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

A decrease of 1,375 cases was recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has climbed to 4,41,09,133, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent, the ministry said.

9:58 AM

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif meets Xi Jinping in Beijing

Visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed mutual cooperation between the two countries, especially in economic fields.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Sharif said that they also "agreed to increase multilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan, including CPEC, and further strengthen the strategic partnership".

The Pakistani leader also posted images of the meeting.

Sharif landed in Beijing on Tuesday night on a two-day official visit -- the first since he took office in April this year.

9:46 AM

China’s Covid curbs, droughts hit tourist dpots and factory hubs

China’s Covid disruptions and extreme weather this summer dragged on growth for several of the country’s popular tourist spots and factory hubs, underscoring the economy’s fragility.

 

At least eight provincial-level jurisdictions reported slower growth or flipped into contraction in the first nine months of 2022 compared to the first half as Covid hampered businesses and a historic drought created an energy crisis.

 

9:46 AM

Denmark PM to try to form new government after election win

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was in a strong position to remain in power after her Social Democrats won the most votes in Denmark's election Tuesday and a centre-left bloc in Parliament that backs appeared set to retain a majority by just one seat.

 

The result was preliminary and based on the assumption that a vote count in Greenland expected early Wednesday would give the autonomous Danish territory's two seats to the centre-left bloc.

 

I am so thrilled and proud. We have gotten the best election result in 20 years, Frederiksen told supporters early Wednesday in Copenhagen.

 

9:29 AM

China covertly shuts cities as resistance to Covid Zero rises

It’s nearly impossible to eat in a restaurant in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where Covid-19 was first detected nearly three years ago. There are few flights out of Zhengzhou, home to the country’s largest iPhone factory. And many children in the tech hub of Shenzhen haven’t been inside a classroom in weeks. 

 

Sweeping lockdown orders like that deployed in Shanghai earlier this year haven’t been announced in any of these places, yet people, businesses and entertainment venues are operating as if they’re in place.  

 

Local officials, under pressure to implement President Xi Jinping’s strict Covid Zero policy with less impact on society and the economy, are instead trying to stay under the radar, communicating restrictions with businesses directly, or shutting small sections of a city incrementally to avoid the panic of a blanket order. In some cases, residents aren’t even being told, coming home to find they’re locked down.

9:09 AM

Gujarat observes state-wide mourning to condole loss of lives in Morbi bridge collapse

Gujarat is observing state-wide mourning on Wednesday to pay homage to the victims of the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy.

Flags were flown at half-mast, an official said, adding that no official or entertainment event will be held on Wednesday.

This decision to observe the state-wide mourning was taken on Monday in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the situation after the tragedy in which 135 people were killed on Sunday evening when the British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river collapsed.

9:09 AM

Netanyahu takes lead in Israeli general election: Exit poll

Benjamin Netanyahu, the former Israeli Prime Minister who was toppled last year after 12 consecutive years in power, is on course of making a comeback following the general election, exit polls revealed on Wednesday.

Tuesday's election was the fifth since 2019, reports Xinhua news agency.

Exit polls of three main Israeli TV channels indicated that the country's longest serving Prime Minister and his alliance of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties won 61-62 seats in the 120-seat Parliament, or Knesset, suggesting they have enough seats to form a ruling coalition government.

9:00 AM

LG launches 'Operation Clean Delhi', inaugurates mew multi-level car parking

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has launched a special sanitation drive and said the national capital must focus on its cleanliness and beautification so that guests to G-20 meetings would carry back a "good impression" of the city.

India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023.

It is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings during its year-long presidency of the influential group, culminating with an annual summit on September 9 and 10 next year.

8:56 AM

Contractors who repaired Morbi bridge not qualified for such work: Prosecution tells court

The contractors who carried out repairs of the ill-fated suspension bridge at Morbi in Gujarat were not qualified to carry out such jobs, the prosecution told a court here.

 

While the bridge flooring was replaced, its cable was not replaced and it could not take the weight of the changed flooring, the prosecution, citing a forensic report, told the magistrate's court on Tuesday.

 

The collapse of the bridge on Sunday evening claimed 135 lives.