LIVE updates: Avalanche near U'khand's Kedarnath Temple, no damage reported

Live news updates: The giant glacier behind Kedarnath broke for the second time since the last month and appeared like a watershed from a distance

9:49 PM

Realme partners Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea to offer bundled 5G smartphones in India

Smartphone maker Realme has partnered with telecom operators Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea to come up with a bundled offer for 5G handsets, the company said after the launch of 5G services at the Indian Mobile Congress.

Realme launched India's first 5G smartphone in India in 2020 and since then, it has added 23 5G smartphones to its portfolio.

"As the first brand to launch a 5G-enabled phone, we believe that 5G has the potential to bring together the entire ecosystem, which is why Realme has dedicated 90 per cent of its research and development efforts to 5G technologies and devices.

7:41 PM

Auto sales on ascending track riding on festive cheer, smooth chip supplies

Robust festive demand coupled with better production due to easing of semiconductor supplies helped the domestic passenger vehicle industry post its best-ever monthly sales performance in September.

The industry volumes in September stood at 3,55, 946 units, registering an year-on-year increase of 91 per cent, enabling the second quarter sales to cross the 10-lakh sales mark.

Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors were able to improve their dispatches to dealers last month on the back of improved production with the easing of chip shortage situation.

7:00 PM

Siddaramaiah dares BJP to order judicial inquiry into scams taken place in 16 years

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday challenged the BJP government in the state to order a judicial inquiry against the alleged corruption that took place in the last 16 years, including five years of his tenure.

Attacking the BJP in a press conference, the Congress stalwart said when he was the Chief Minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2018 had alleged that there was a '10 per cent commission government' in the state without assigning any documentary evidence.

5:28 PM

Kaziranga National Park to open for tourists from Oct 2

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), famed for its one-horned rhinoceros, will formally open for tourists from October two for the season 2022-23, an official said on Saturday.

The Park will be opened partially only for jeep safaris in the two ranges of Kaziranga or Kohora and Western or Bagori range, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Eastern Assam Wildlife Division Ramesh Gogoi said.

4:16 PM

PM Modi led 'Trends' across Digital Space, attaining Brand Value worth 413 crore

CheckBrand has released data analyzing the online sentiments for top politicians in India and evaluated more than 100 million online impressions for the report, a PTI report said.

One of the most impactful and new trendsetters on various digital platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google search, Wikipedia, YouTube, Instagram, Google Trends etc., is the famed politician across the world - "Narendra Damodar Das Modi".

3:23 PM

Hearing in RSS defamation case against Rahul Gandhi adjourned till Dec 3

A court at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday adjourned till December 3 this year hearing in the defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by an activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

On the next date, the court will also hear Gandhi's plea for permanent exemption from appearance in the case.

3:00 PM

Death toll from devastating Pakistan floods reaches 1,693

The overall death toll in Pakistan from the devastating floods has increased to 1,693 after 15 new fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

In its latest update, the NDMA said the victims comprised 11 children and four women, reports Xinhua news agency.

Balochistan and Punjab provinces reported five deaths each, while Sindh and the Gilgit-Baltistan region logged four and one, respectively, the Authority said.

Meanwhile, the total number of injured people has increased to 12,865.

2:50 PM

Auctioning of mining leases in Goa to get over by Nov 2022, fresh extraction to start a year later: CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said the auctioning of eligible iron ore mining leases in the state will get over by November 2022, but it would take one year after that to begin the extraction of fresh ore.

Talking to PTI in Sankhalim, his Assembly constituency in North Goa, Sawant said this one-year period is required to complete all the formalities.

The mining activities in Goa had come to a standstill in March 2018 after the apex court quashed the second renewal of iron ore mining leases given to 88 companies in Goa in 2015, and prohibited the extraction of fresh ore.

2:50 PM

Amit Shah to visit J-K on Tuesday; security review, public meetings on agenda

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will review the security situation, attend public meetings and lay foundations of various development projects during his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah's trip to J-K is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 4.

The Home Minister will start his journey at around 10 am by offering prayers at Vaishno Devi temple on October 4.

He will later address a public meeting at Rajouri around one-and-half hours after visiting the Vaishno Devi temple.

2:38 PM

5G to transform economic landscape of India, say industry leaders

5G will open new avenues for manufacturing, healthcare, education, R&D, gaming and smart city projects by integrating with new-age technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine learning, drones, AI and big data analytics, industry leaders said here on Saturday.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving 5G to the country at the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC), 2022, telecom operators have geared up to provide high-speed services from this Diwali that are poised to transform consumer experiences.

"We will see a multifaceted impact in terms of creating opportunities for people and businesses that have the potential to completely change the economic landscape of India," said Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, DG, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

2:29 PM

"Continuity with change," Salman Khurshid joins issue with Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday joined issue with Shashi Tharoor, who has said his electoral competitor in the AICC presidential poll, M Mallikarjun Kharge was a "candidate of continuity" and of "status quo", while those wanting change in party should vote for him.

Khurshid, who is among the leaders who have backed Kharge, also indicated that if consensus emerges on the poll, it will be good; if not and election does take place as scheduled on October 17, there will be no regrets.

"Shashi says this (Kharge) has elements of continuity, his (Tharoor's) has elements of change. But continuity and change are subjective terms, relative terms", the former Union Minister told PTI.

2:28 PM

NTPC clocks 15.1% growth in power generation during Apr-Sep

State-run power giant NTPC said it has logged 15.1 per growth in power generation at 203.5 billion units (BU) during April-September 2022.

The high generation growth indicates improved performance and an increase in demand for power in the current year, it added.

"NTPC group companies recorded a generation of 203.5 BU from April to September 2022, registering an increase of 15.1% from 176.8 BU generated in April to September 2021," the company said in a statement.

1:54 PM

No petrol, diesel in Delhi without PUC from Oct 25: Gopal Rai

In a bid to curb vehicular pollution, the AAP government has decided that petrol and diesel will not be provided without PUC (pollution under control) certificate at petrol pumps in the national capital from October 25, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Saturday.

 

He said that a notification in this regard will also be issued soon.

 

A meeting of officials from environment, transport and traffic departments was convened on September 29 to discuss the implementation and modalities where it was decided to go ahead with the plan from October 25, the minister said.

1:47 PM

New Congress president will be Gandhi family's "puppet", says Sushil Modi

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday took a swipe at the Congress president election process and said that whoever becomes the party chief will be a "puppet" of the Gandhi family.

"Kharge or somebody else, whoever becomes the chief, he will only be a face to show and would be a puppet of the Gandhi family as the actual decisions will be taken by them only," Sushil Modi said.

During his conversation with ANI, Modi also spoke about Congress Shashi Tharoor whose election manifesto showed a a "distorted map of India" with omitted parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

"It cannot be a mistake, the way Shashi Tharoor removed Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from the map of India reflect his mentality as it is not possible to remove such an important region of the country," he said adding that his confession to the mistake, which is unforgivable, reflects Tharoor's and the Congress party's mentality.

1:32 PM

PM Modi launches 5G services, calls it dawn of new era

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the 5G telephony services that promise to provide ultra high-speed internet on mobile phones, saying it marks the beginning of a new era and presents a sea of opportunities.

The Prime Minister launched 5G services in select cities at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 conference. The services will progressively cover the entire country over the next couple of years.

"5G marks the dawn of a new era and presents a sea of opportunities," he said.

While the nation was dependent on foreign countries for technology for 2G, 3G and 4G telecom services, India has created history with 5G, he said.