LIVE: Third flight of 'Operation Ajay' has departed from Tel Aviv to Delhi
Catch all the latest updates LIVE from across the globe here
 "The third flight of Operation Ajay has departed from Tel Aviv to Delhi: Embassy of India in Israel (Pic: Embassy of India in Israel)")
Third flight of Operation Ajay (Pic: Embassy of India in Israel)
SC slaps Rs 5 lakh cost on man for challenging 'defective oath' taken by chief justice of Bombay HC
The Supreme Court has imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on a man for claiming in a PIL that the oath taken by the Bombay High Court chief justice was "defective", and said it was a frivolous attempt to gain publicity.
A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said the oath having been administered by the Governor and having been subscribed to after the administration of the oath, such objections cannot be raised.
The top court said this was only a frivolous attempt to use the PIL jurisdiction to propagate some publicity for the petitioner.
Lanka-India ferry service will help develop trade and culture: President Wickremesinghe
Welcoming the resumption of ferry services between Sri Lanka and India after a gap of 41 years, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday said it will help improve the connectivity, trade and cultural links between the two countries.
India and Sri Lanka on Saturday launched ferry services between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Jaffna, the capital city of the Northern Province.
Ferry service is an important step in increasing the connectivity between India and Sri Lanka. For thousands of years, people have traversed the Palk Strait to travel from the Indian subcontinent to this island and from Sri Lanka back to the Indian subcontinent. This is how our cultures have developed. This is how our trade developed, Wickremesinghe said in a recorded video message at the inauguration of the ferry service.
Afghanistan: 7 killed, 15 injured in suicide attack at mosque in Baghlan
As many as seven people were killed and 15 persons were injured in Friday's suicide attack at the Imam Zaman Mosque in the Pul-e Khumri area of Afghanistan's Baghlan province, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.
The explosion occurred during Friday prayers at the Shia Mosque. According to the Taliban-led information department in Baghlan province, seven worshippers died and 15 others were injured in the suicide attack at the Imam Zaman Mosque located on the first street of Silo City in Pul-e Khumri.
The injured were taken to the local hospital for treatment. Reports have claimed that Taliban members arrived at the spot following the explosion, according to Khaama Press report.
Odisha govt declares 10-day Durga Puja vacation for schools from Oct 20
The Odisha government declared a 10-day vacation for schools from October 20 on the occasion of the Durga Puja festival, according to notifications.
All the schools will remain closed for 10 days for the festivities till October 29.
According to notifications issued by the directorates of secondary and elementary education on Friday, all the district education officers have been asked to instruct the school authorities about the puja vacation.
The government also declared October 14 as a holiday on the occasion of Mahalaya, the day marking the end of Pitri Pakshya.
Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders mass evacuation with ground attack looming
Palestinians scrambled to flee northern Gaza after Israel's military urged about 1 million people to leave for the territory's south ahead of an expected ground invasion following the surprise attack a week ago by the ruling Hamas militant group despite warnings from the U.N. that evacuating nearly half of Gaza's population would be calamitous.
Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with their possessions crowded a main road southward from Gaza City as Israeli airstrikes hammered the territory Friday. Hamas' media office said warplanes struck cars fleeing south, killing more than 70 people.
The Israeli military said its troops conducted temporary raids into Gaza to battle militants and hunted for traces of some 150 people abducted in Hamas's assault on Israel nearly a week ago.
UP CM launches fourth phase of Mission Shakti aimed at empowering women
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched the fourth phase of the Mission Shakti aimed at empowering women in Lucknow.
On the occasion, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also flagged off the 'Women Empowerment Rally'.
In a post on X (former Twitter), Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Today, 'Women Empowerment Rally' was launched from Lucknow under 'Mission Shakti - Fourth Phase'. The double-engine government is committed to ensuring the safety of mother power and taking them on the path of self-reliance. My heartiest congratulations to all the people working for women's empowerment!"
CBI books 24 in passport 'scam', raids 50 locations in West Bengal, Gangtok
The CBI is conducting searches at 50 locations in West Bengal and Gangtok having booked 24 persons including government officials and private individuals for allegedly issuing passports on the basis of forged documents, officials said Saturday.
The CBI has detained an official posted in Gangtok and also a middleman, they said.
The FIR names 24 individuals including 16 officials who were allegedly issuing passports on the basis of forged documents to ineligible persons, including non-residents, in return for bribes, they said.
The searches are spread across Kolkata, Siliguri, Gangtok, and other locations, they said.
Ferry service launch marks big step for India-Sri Lanka: Jaishankar
The launch of passenger ferry service between Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam and Sri Lanka's Kankesanthurai is "truly a big step" for people-to-people contacts between India and Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.
Jaishankar virtually joined the launch of the ferry services that was flagged off today by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal at Nagapattinam.
In his virtual address, the external affairs minister said the ferry service between the two countries is also an affirmation of the people-centric policies of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Must visit Parvati Kund and Jageshwar temples in Kumaon: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that his visit to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples in Uttarakhand was special adding that one must visit these holy sites for their natural beauty and divinity.
In a post on X (former Twitter), PM Modi said, "If someone were to ask me- if there is one place you must visit in Uttarakhand which place would it be, I would say you must visit Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples in the Kumaon region of the state. The natural beauty and divinity will leave you spellbound."
"Of course, Uttarakhand has many well-known places worth visiting and I have also visited the state very often. This includes the sacred places of Kedarnath and Badrinath, which are the most memorable experiences. But, to return to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples after many years has been special," he said.
MP: Special puja performed at Mahakaleshwar temple for victory of team India
Ahead of India's blockbuster clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Saturday, a special worship was performed at the famous Mahakaleshwar temple located in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district for the victory of team India.
Priests of the temple performed the special worship while reciting a special mantra inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and wished for the victory of the Indian team on the occasion. They also prayed for India to clinch the World Cup.
"Today there is a big match between India and Pakistan in the cricket world cup 2023. This big match is not less than a festival in India. As every festival starts with the prayers of Baba Mahakal (Lord Shiva), today in the same way all the priests of the temple have prayed to Lord Mahakal for the victory of the Indian team," a priest Gaurav Sharma told ANI.
Rajasthan: 4 people dead, 17 injured after bus collides with trolly in Pratapgarh
Four people were killed and around seventeen injured after a bus carrying passengers collided with a trolley in Pratapgarh district in the early hours of Saturday.
At around five in the morning, a bus carrying a group of 41 passengers, who had set out from their villages Lamba Dabra and Kataron Ka Khera to visit Sanwaliyaji and Shani Maharaj, collided with a trolley in Sohagpur.
Inderjit Yadav, Collector of Pratapgarh District said, "Four people have died in the accident and around seventeen people are injured. The entire medical team is engaged to treat them. They are being given all the facilities needed. Myself and the Superintendent of Police (SP) have met the injured people. More details will come up after the investigation."
35 workers from Odisha held captive in Laos, CM asks officers to bring them back
A group of 35 labourers from Odisha alleged that they were held captive by a company in Laos for which they were working.
Urging the government to bring them back, the labourers in a video clip said the plywood company stopped its operations about one-and-a-half-months ago, but they were neither allowed to return nor paid wages.
The workers from Rajkanika block of Kendrapara district alleged that the company had also forcibly taken away their passports.
Delhi air in 'poor' zone on Saturday, min temp 2 notches above normal
The minimum temperature in the national capital on Saturday settled at 21.4 degree Celsius, two notches above the season's average, officials said.
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 260, in the 'poor' category, around 8 am.
The IMD has predicted a mainly clear sky becoming partly cloudy towards afternoon or evening. The maximum temperature is likely to settle at 36 degrees Celsius.
After transfer of four officers on ECI directives, MP govt fills posts
The Madhya Pradesh government has filled the posts of two district collectors and as many superintendents of police (SPs) in the state, which fell vacant after the officials were transferred following the Election Commission of India's (ECI) directives, an official said.
The ECI on Wednesday ordered the transfer of several top police and administrative officers, including 25 police commissioners and superintendents of police, nine district magistrates and four secretaries and special secretaries, in the five poll-going states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram - after finding laxity in their work.
In Madhya Pradesh, four officers were transferred following the poll panel's directives.
Ferry service between India, Sri Lanka will enhance connectivity: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said ferry service between India and Sri Lanka will enhance connectivity, promote trade and reinforce the longstanding bonds between the two countries.
In his message delivered virtually during the flag-off event of the ferry service from India's Nagapattinam to Sri Lanka, he said that during the recent visit of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, they jointly adopted a vision document for the economic partnership between the two countries.
"Connectivity is the central theme of this partnership," he said.
Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel
First Published: Oct 14 2023 | 8:56 AM IST
