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From national and international political developments to rising air pollution and farm fires, catch all the latest news from across the globe here

10:44 PM

Bangalore-bound IndiGo flight grounded at Delhi airport

IndiGo flight 6E-2131 (Delhi to Bangalore) grounded at Delhi airport after a suspected spark in the aircraft, ANI reported.

9:44 PM

West Bengal govt plans to launch mobile exhibition on cyber security

The West Bengal government is planning to start a mobile exhibition on cyber security to make people aware of how to keep their computers, cell phones and other such devices safe from malicious attackers, an official said on Friday.

The police and information technology (IT) departments are working together on the project in which posters and models on cyber security will be displayed in a large vehicle which will travel to various areas.

8:20 PM

War of words between Delhi LG, AAP govt intensifies over campaign to curb pollution

A war of words between the Delhi LG's office and the AAP government over the "Red Light On, Gaadi Off" campaign continued for the second day on Friday, with the former accusing city Environment Minister Gopal Rai of "lying" about the date of its launch and Rai questioning the lieutenant governor's seriousness about the pollution issue.

Setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with LG V K Saxena, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi had said on Thursday it is postponing the launch of the campaign as the LG's office is yet to approve it.

7:11 PM

Rahul hopes Twitter will now act against hate speech, not stifle voice of opposition in India

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi hoped on Friday that Twitter would now act against hate speech, check facts more robustly and not stifle the voice of the opposition in India, soon after billionaire Elon Musk took over the social media giant and fired four of its top executives.

Gandhi's Twitter handle was temporarily locked after he shared a picture of a rape victim and received a notice from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). He had not used his account on the microblogging website for some time after that. The Congress leader has been using his Twitter handle to attack the Narendra Modi government often.

6:52 PM

Maharashtra logs 273 new COVID-19 cases, one fatality; active tally at 1,621

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 273 new cases of coronavirus and one fatality that raised the tally of infections to 81,31,139 and toll to 1,48,383, an official from the state health department said.

There has been a slight rise in infections, as the state had on Thursday reported 164 new cases.

As per the health department's report, the highest 158 cases were detected in Mumbai circle, followed by Pune with 64, Nagpur 32, Akola six, Nashik four and Latur three cases.

6:01 PM

PM suggests 'One Nation, One Police Uniform', says will give common identity to law enforcement

The idea of 'One Nation, One Police Uniform' for police personnel mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday is yet another scheme of his government for a common policy for citizen-centric services.

This was suggested by the prime minister at a meeting here of state home ministers -- Chintan Shivir -- in which he also emphasised that crimes have become borderless and this needs a collective response.

The government had earlier launched 'One Nation, One Mobility' card, 'One Nation, One Ration Card', 'One Nation, One Sign Language' and 'One Nation, One Grid'.

5:02 PM

India has target to double crude steel output in 10 years: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India has set a target to double the crude steel production capacity from 154 million tonnes per annum now to 300 million tonnes per annum in the next 9 to 10 years in an order to boost indigenous capabilities.

In his virtual address as the chief guest at the "bhoomi pujan" of expansion of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India's flagship plant at Hazira in Gujarat's Surat district, Modi said in the past, India had to import high grade steel for the defence sector, but scenario has changed now. 

4:31 PM

Imran Khan launches all out attack on ISI

Imran Khan launches all out attack on ISI, vows to expose them 'completely'.

 

4:31 PM

Indian steel industry has become second largest in world thanks to everybody's efforts in last 8 yrs: PM Modi

Indian steel industry has become second largest in world thanks to everybody's efforts in last eight years: PM Narendra Modi in virtual address

4:31 PM

In Britain's inflation crisis, healthy diets are a casualty

4:20 PM

German economy sees unexpected growth in third quarter

The German economy grew in the third quarter, an unexpectedly positive performance powered largely by private spending, official figures showed Friday.

 

Gross domestic product in Europe’s biggest economy expanded by 0.3% in the July-September period compared with the previous quarter, the Federal Statistical Office said. That followed a slight increase of 0.1% in the second quarter.

4:19 PM

Let's work together to create safer world for future generation: Odisha CM

Inaugurating golden jubilee celebration of the establishment of Dhauli Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda) near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday called upon all to work together to create a safer world for future generations.

 

Joined by hundreds of monks from Japan, the US, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to celebrate the occasion, Patnaik said that peace has no alternative.

 

It has its significance in all ages. Peace is the only option to achieve the goals of a better and beautiful world, he added.

 

“Let us work together to spread the message of peace and create a safer world for our future generation,” he said.

4:17 PM

Be smart, formulate 'common technology' to check crime, improve policing: PM Modi to states

The law and order system in India can be improved with the help of smart technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, and stressed on mutual cooperation between central and state agencies to check criminal activities.  

Addressing the ‘Chintan Shivir’ of home ministers of states via video conferencing, the Prime Minister said that the law and order system and development of states are linked with each other. “It is very important for the entire law and order system to be reliable. Its trust and perception among the public are very important. Crime is no longer localized and instances of interstate, international crimes are going up. This is why mutual cooperation between state agencies and between central and state agencies is becoming crucial. Whether it is cybercrime or the use of drone technologies for the smuggling of weapons or drugs, the government needs to keep working towards new technologies to tackle the menace."

4:14 PM

Over one million deaths in Africa linked to air pollution exposure: Report

Nearly all the African continent faces some of the most severe health impacts in the world caused by air pollution, with several countries experiencing some of the highest levels of air pollution in the world, according to a new report published by the US-based research organization Health Effects Institute (HEI). The new report, The State of Air Quality and Health Impacts in Africa, provides a comprehensive analysis of major air pollution sources and related health impacts in the continent of more than 1.2 billion people.

4:13 PM

Air quality in national capital continues to be 'Very Poor'

The air quality of the national capital on Friday continued in the “Very poor” category as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city touched 326, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data.

 

The overall concentration of Particulate Matters PM 10 and PM 2.5 was recorded at 239 under “poor” category and 326 under “very poor” category in the capital city. In Pusa, the AQI was recorded 318 while PM 10 was reported at 195 under “moderate” category.

 

The 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”.