LIVE: Delhi's air quality turns 'severe' on Diwali with AQI at 414

PM Modi celebrates Diwali with soldiers at Longewala in Jaisalmer of Rajasthan. He said, 'I can't be away from my own on Diwali, that's why I'm with you (soldiers)'. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

5:29 PM

China regulator says financial innovation must not create oligopolies

China should ensure financial innovation maintains fair competition and does not create oligopolies or construct barriers to entry, a Chinese regulatory official said Saturday.

 

Xiao Yuanqi, chief risk officer at the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBRIC) told the Caixin Summit in Beijing that innovation should not undermine healthy competition or let innovation pioneers become hindrances to further innovation.

 

Xiao defended the role of financial regulation in maintaining a fair market competition environment, reducing "too big to fail" moral hazards and maintaining financial stability.

 

"History tells us that before each major financial crisis ... markets were irrationally exuberant. Regulation is meant to return this exuberance to rationality, and resolutely does not support continuing to push exuberance toward crazy so-called innovation," he said.

5:07 PM

Boris Johnson wishes on Diwali

Extending wishes on the occasion of Diwali, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday expressed his "respect" for the way British Hindus, Sikhs and Jains have "gone out of their way" to help others during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

 

In a video message that he posted on his Twitter handle, Johnson could be seen lighting the lamp. The British Prime Minister said he is confident that "we will triumph over COVID-19".

 

"Happy Diwali and BandiChhorDivas! I know that this year celebrations will be different, but I am filled with respect for the way British Hindus, Sikhs and Jains have gone out of their way to help others throughout this pandemic," he wrote.

 

In his message, Johnson talked about how Diwali this year under the shadow of coronavirus would be different and urged people to follow social distancing in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

5:06 PM

UK to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to announce next week a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, five years earlier than previously planned, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

 

Britain had originally planned to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars from 2040, as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in February Johnson brought this forward to 2035.

 

Citing unidentified industry and government figures, the FT said Johnson now intended to move the date forward again to 2030 in a speech on environmental policy he is expected to give next week.

 

The BBC reported a similar plan earlier on Saturday, without giving any sources.

4:58 PM

Delhi's air quality turns 'severe' on Diwali

Delhi's air quality turned "severe" on Diwali with stubble burning accounting for 32 per cent of the city's PM2.5 pollution and calm winds worsening the situation as they allowed accumulation of pollutants, weather officials said.

 

The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, said, "Even a small increase in local additional emissions is likely to have significant deterioration impact on Sunday and Monday."

 

It said peak levels of PM10 and PM2.5 are expected between 1 am and 6 am in case of additional internal emissions.

 

Earlier, it had said that the PM2.5 concentration in Delhi on Diwali is likely to be the "lowest" in the last four years if no firecrackers are burnt.

 

The city recorded an overall AQI of 414 on Saturday, which falls in the "severe" category.

 

The 24-hour average AQI was 339 on Friday and 314 on Thursday.

4:10 PM

Manohar Lal Khattar rushed to hospital after respiratory problem, discharged later

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar who was rushed to hospital after respiratory issue during his visit to Himachal Pradesh on Saturday has been discharged after a couple of hours.

 

"The doctors here took care for me very well," said the Chief Minister while leaving from a hospital. Manohar Lal Khattar has been taken to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) today for examination after he complained of having some respiratory distress.

 

"Last night, Chief Minister was not able to sleep despite taking precautionary measures. He made a visit here for a routine checkup, we performed several medical tests on him including 'echo' and X-Ray, the reports are fine and has been discharged," said, Dr Rajanish Pathania, Principal of IGMC.

4:10 PM

Bengal FM writes to Sitharaman seeks GST Council meeting

West Bengal Finance minister Amit Mitra has written to Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman urging her to convene a meeting of the GST Council for discussions on Centre's borrowings to meet the collection shortfall.

 

In the letter written on November 13, Mitra said that many states had argued at the GST Council meetings held in August and October that the Central government borrow from RBI's special window to meet the gap between protected revenue at 14 per cent growth rate and GST collections.

 

Towards this, Mitra said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also written to Sitharaman in this regard on October 10.

 

He said it had been unanimously agreed at the meetings to extend the cess collection period beyond 2022 to meet debt servicing by the borrower.

4:09 PM

This year lights, statues of deities were made in India due to COVID-19: Aidtyanath

Promoting locally made products, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that due to coronavirus this year lights and statues of GauriGanesh didn't come from China, and everything was made in the country by potters and at gaushalas (cow sheds).

 

Addressing a gathering at Vantangia village Tinkonia Number-3, Adityanath said, "I appeal to all to light a diyaa (earthen lamp) in the name of martyrs."

 

"We all have to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream come true. Due to corona, 'deep' (earthen lamps), light jhaalar, statues of GauriGanesh didn't come from China and everything here was made by potters and at the gaushalas.

 

"Artists of Aurangabad-Ekla village of Gorakhpur showcased terracotta products in an exhibition in Lucknow, where they said that they earned Rs 8 lakh in three days. A 'deep' stand was sold for Rs 22,000. There is demand but efforts were not made (earlier). We need to be 'vocal with local'," he said.

3:51 PM

Will try to get more flood relief funds, says Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday said his government would try to get additional funds from the Centre for the flood-hit districts of the state.

 

The statement comes a day after the central government approved Rs 577.74 crore as financial assistance to the state, from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

 

"We will take efforts to bring more funds," the Chief Minister told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

 

Yediyurappa was replying to a query whether the amount was inadequate.

3:51 PM

Telangana waives 50% property tax to ease financial struggles

The Telangana government on Saturday announced a 50 per cent domestic property tax waiver in Hyderabad city and 140 more places across the state as Diwali gift, amid financial difficulties being faced by people in times such as the coronavirus pandemic.

"As a Diwali gift, we have decided to give some relief to people on property tax," said K. Taraka Rama Rao, Municipal Administration Minister.

As part of the tax waiver plan, all the domestic households who have to pay property tax up to Rs 15,000 in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits will benefit a 50 per cent reduction.

As many as 13.7 lakh families will benefit in Hyderabad, burdening the state government by Rs 196.4 crore.

3:43 PM

Newsalert: Places of religious worship in Maharashtra to reopen from Monday: CM Thackeray

3:42 PM

3:41 PM

Akhilesh hints at electoral tie-up with estranged uncle for UP Assembly polls

Hinting at a possible electoral tie-up with his estranged uncle's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said Shivpal Yadav will be given a cabinet berth if his party forms the government in the state.

However, he made it clear that the Samajwadi Party (SP) will not enter into any electoral alliance with the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

"Adjustment will be done with smaller parties, but there will be no alliance with larger parties," Akhilesh Yadav told reporters here.

To a question whether the SP will form an electoral alliance with his uncle Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, he said, "We will adjust that party too. Jaswantnagar is his (Shivpal Yadav's) seat and the Samajwadi Party vacated the seat for him. In the coming times, we will make their leader a cabinet minister, and what other adjustment is needed?

3:29 PM

Pondy CM pays tribute to Nehru on birth anniversary

Senior Congress leader and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy led the Union Territoryto pay floral tribute to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's statue on his 131st birth anniversary here on Saturday.

 

Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) V Vaithilingam, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president A V Subramanian, Ministers and legislators were among those who paid homage to the statue.

 

Earlier, the anniversary of the Prime Minister Nehru was celebrated at the PCC office.

2:50 PM

Modi visited the Museum Centre at Longewala post, Jaisalmer

2:48 PM

TikTok granted 15-day extension to reach deal with US buyers

The US government has Chinese short-video making app TikTok a 15-day extension to reach a deal with American buyers, according to a federal court filing.

 

This means that the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to reach a deal with Oracle and Walmart has been extended from November 12 to November 27, Xinhua news agency quoted the US District Court for the District of Columbia as saying in the filing on Friday.

 

Treasury Department cpokesperson Monica Crowley said in a statement that this extension will give the parties and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) additional time to resolve this case in a manner that complies with President Donald Trump's order.