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8:32 PM

55.69% final voter turnout recorded in first phase of Bihar assembly elections: EC

The first phase of the Assembly elections in Bihar recorded 55.69 per cent voter turnout, the Election Commission said on Thursday. A total of 71 assembly constituencies of Bihar went to polls on Wednesday in the first of the three-phase elections amid tight security and with COVID-19 guidelines in place.

 

As compared to corresponding assembly constituencies which went to poll in the 2015 assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the turnout this time was higher. In the 2015 assembly elections, the turnout was 54.94 per cent in the corresponding constituencies. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls -- with the same assembly seats mapped to parliamentary seats -- the turnout was 53.54 per cent.

 

"So turnout in phase one is higher than both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections," a spokesperson said.

8:15 PM

Border dispute: India, China to hold eighth military talks next week

Military delegates from India and China will hold talks for the eighth time next week to resolve the border dispute in Eastern Ladakh.

 

Earlier, the talks had ended in deadlock with no sign of de-escalation of force along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even with winter setting in, leaving soldiers exposed to minus 30-degree Celsius temperature.

 

This time, Lieutenant General P.G.K. Menon will lead the discussions from the Indian side, while Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs, Navin Srivastava, will also be part of the delegation.

 

Menon took over the charge of the 14 Corps Commander in mid October after his predecessor Lieutenant General Harinder Singh was transferred to the Indian Military Academy (IMA) where he would be in charge of training the future generations of Army officers. READ ON...

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7:56 PM

At 12.5 degrees C, Delhi witnesses lowest October temperature in 26 years

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that Delhi has logged an overall minimum temperature of 12.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 26 years in the month of October. Head of IMD's regional forecasting centre, Kuldeep Srivastava, told IANS, "The city had recorded a minimum temperature of 12.3 degrees Celsius on October 31, 1994. This is the lowest since then."

 

According to the IMD's website, Lodhi Road recorded the lowest minimum temperature among 13 monitoring stations at 12.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Mungeshpur at 12.7 degrees Celsius.

 

The IMD scientist said that the dip is due to calm winds and absence of cloud cover over the capital city, adding that the minimum temperature will further plummet to 10 degrees Celsius on November 1. According to the IMD, the wind speed is currently 0 km/hour, which allows formation of mist and fog.

7:38 PM

Bihar election LIVE: 55.69% final voter turnout in first phase, says EC

7:35 PM

Upper and lower limits on domestic airfares will remain in place for another three months post Nov 24: Govt

7:15 PM

Andhra Pradesh allows govt schools, colleges to reopen from Nov 2

Andhra Pradesh has allowed all government schools and colleges to reopen from November 2 with all precautionary measures amid the Covid pandemic. Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney confirmed that the state government is going ahead with reopening educational institutions. The date for reopening schools was already communicated earlier, even as the uncertainty over colleges has also been cleared now.

 

"Schools would be run on alternate days in three phases for which officials are making arrangements. Precautionary measures would be taken to contain the spread of Covid-19," Sawhney said.

 

As part of the reopening, classes 9, 10 and intermediate first and second year will function on alternate days for only half a day.

7:03 PM

Air India bidding would be done on the basis of its enterprise value instead of equity value: Civil Aviation Minister

7:02 PM

Whole world knows truth about Pakistan's role in supporting terrorism: MEA on Pak's reaction to Indo-US 2+2 dialogue

7:02 PM

No amount of denial can hide truth of Pakistan's support to terrorism: MEA

7:00 PM

Govt prohibits the export of onion seeds with immediate effect

6:42 PM

India Sept infrastructure output contracts 0.8% compared to year-ago period

India's infrastructure output in September contracted 0.8% from a year earlier, government data released on Thursday showed.

 

Infrastructure output, which comprises eight sectors including coal, crude oil and electricity and accounts for nearly 40% of industrial output, contracted 14.9% in the six months through September from a year earlier, the data showed.

 

6:33 PM

ED arrests Bineesh Kodiyeri in money laundering case related to Bengaluru drugs seizure

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Bineesh Kodiyeri, the son of Kerala CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, in a money laundering case related to drugs seizure, official sources said.

 

They said Bineesh was arrested under relevant sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the agency wants to put him through custodial interrogation for "financing a drugs network". The agency later produced him before a local court that is stated to have sent him to four days' ED custody, they added.

 

Sources said the central probe agency had thrice questioned Bineesh about his alleged links with an accused, M Anoop, arrested in a narcotics seizure case sometime ago.

6:24 PM

NIA raids NGOs, trusts in Kashmir, Delhi in connection with terror funding case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), after choking the funding of separatists groups, is investigating registered and unregistered NGOs operating in and out of Jammu and Kashmir, and carried out fresh raids on some more organisations on Thursday for allegedly being used as modes for "terror funding".

 

For the second consecutive day, various teams of the NIA under the supervision of an Inspector General along with a Deputy Inspector General carried out searches at nine locations, including the national capital where one NGO 'Charity Alliance' headed by former chairman of Delhi Minority Commission Zafarul-Islam Khan was raided.

6:03 PM

Latest News LIVE: Govt hikes ethanol price by up to Rs 3.34/ltr

The government on Thursday hiked the price of ethanol extracted from sugarcane for doping in petrol by up to Rs 3.34 per litre as it looked to ramp up the programme that has benefited farmers and also helped cut down oil import bill.

 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the price of ethanol extracted from sugarcane juice to Rs 62.65 per litre from current Rs 59.48 per litre for the supply year beginning December 2020.

 

The rate for ethanol from C-heavy molasses has been increased from Rs 43.75 per litre to Rs 45.69 per litre and that of ethanol from B-heavy to Rs 57.61 per litre from Rs 54.27 per litre.

5:41 PM

Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India, Cambodia in health sector

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Cambodia for cooperation in the field of health and medicine. The MoU will encourage cooperation between the two countries through joint initiatives and technology development in the health sector, according to a PTI report.

 

"It will strengthen bilateral ties between India and Cambodia. The MoU shall become effective on the date of its signature and shall remain in force for a period of five years," it said.

 

The main areas of cooperation between the two governments include mother and child health, family planning, HIV/AIDS and TB, drugs and pharmaceuticals, technology transfer, public health and epidemiology, disease control, and medical research and development, the statement said.