LIVE: Drilling at Silkyara tunnel on hold again, workers await rescue

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11:48 AM

2 labourers killed, 1 injured in IED blast at iron ore mine in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-hit Narayanpur

Two workers were killed and another sustained injuries after a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off at an iron ore mine site in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Friday, police said. The incident took place around 7.30 am when the three workers were heading for work in Aamdai Ghati iron ore mine on a hill under Chhote Dongar police station limits, located around 350 km away from state capital Raipur, a senior police official said. Jayaswal Neco Industries Limited (JNIL) has been allotted the iron ore mine in Aamdai Ghati and Naxalites have been opposing the project for a long time.

11:35 AM

AAP leader Satyendar Jain's interim bail extended by SC till December 4

The Supreme Court on Friday extended the interim bail granted to former Delhi minister Satyendar Kumar Jain in a money laundering case till December 4 when his plea for regular bail will be taken up for hearing. A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi posted the matter for hearing on December 4 as Justice A S Bopanna, who is presiding over the case, was not available today. "In the meanwhile, the interim bail, granted earlier, is extended till the next date of hearing, the bench said.

11:11 AM

Chemical tank breaks at factory in Tamil Nadu, no casualties

10:55 AM

UN-led talks weigh goal to reduce aviation emissions thorough less-polluting fuels

A United Nations-led conference wrapping up in Dubai on Friday is weighing goals to reduce carbon emissions from international aviation through less polluting fuel, as a rebound in traffic thrusts airlines into the hot seat over the environment. Airlines are under pressure to lower emissions from flights after countries at an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly joined industry last year to target net-zero emissions from the sector by 2050.

10:39 AM

4-day truce begins in Gaza, setting stage to swap dozens of hostages for Palestinian prisoners

A temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The halt in fighting began at 7 am local time (0500 GMT) and is to last at least four days. During the truce, Gaza's ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took in their deadly Oct 7 attack on Israel. In turn, Israel is to free three Palestinian prisoners for each released hostage. The releases are to take place in stages over the next four days.

10:25 AM

Snag set right, drilling to resume at Uttarkashi tunnel collapse site

Drilling through the rubble to prepare an escape route for the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel was set to resume on Friday morning, a day after another snag hit the rescue efforts, an official said. Former advisor to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe said the operation might successfully be completed by Friday evening if everything went well. Citing the data scanned by a ground penetrating radar, there is no metallic obstruction up to five metres beyond the 46 metre point through the rubble.

10:18 AM

Gopal Rai to hold meeting with DPCC officials today in view of pollution situation

In view of the current situation of pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai will hold a review meeting today with officials of the Environment Department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) at Delhi Secretariat: Office of the Environment Minister 

10:00 AM

German soccer federation limits Facebook comments following racist abuse directed at U17 players

The German soccer federation has had to limit comments on the Facebook page of its junior teams following a slew of racist and discriminatory comments against its Under-17 players. The federation posted a picture of four players from the Germany U17 team, all Black, celebrating Tuesday's 3-2 win over the United States in  the round of 16 at the U17 World Cup in Indonesia.

 

9:41 AM

Rescue op at Silkyara tunnel to resume soon: Former PMO advisor

9:33 AM

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: CM Dhami tracks ops from temporary office camp at Matali

As merely a few metres separated the rescuers and the trapped workers in the collapsed portion of the under-construction of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, a temporary camp office was put together at Matali for Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to monitor the ongoing operation real-time. According to an official release on Friday, CM Dhami was closely tracking the ongoing efforts to safely extract 41 labourers, who were trapped after a portion of the tunnel on the Uttarkashi-Yamnotri road caved in on November 12. Apart from monitoring the rescue operation, the chief minister is also in regular contact with officers on the spot, issuing directions from time to time.

9:26 AM

9th edition of National Level Pollution Response Exercise kicks off in Gulf of Kutch

The Indian Coast Guard has commenced the two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-lX) from Friday at Vadinar in the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat. The exercise will conclude on Saturday. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has embarked on the 9th edition of the National Level Pollution Response Exercise-IX (NATPOLREX-IX) off the Vadinar coast, in line with the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP). The exercise is a critical initiative that tests various facets of marine pollution response mechanisms and assesses the readiness of resource agencies to tackle any marine spill contingencies, according to a Coast Guard official.

8:52 AM

Situation is much better now: Former PMO advisor

8:41 AM

Overall AQI for Delhi recorded at 388 at 7:55 am today

The air quality in the national capital continued to hover in the 'very poor' category on Friday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at over 350 in several areas, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India). The overall AQI for the Capital was recorded at 388 at 7.55 am on Friday. However, as per the pollution numbers recorded on Friday, the air quality did see a marginal improvement from the 'severe' category to 'very poor,' across several areas of the national capital, but continued to remain hazardous for residents.

8:36 AM

Drilling work on hold at Silkyara tunnel

Pipe laid through the rubble to prepare an escape route for workers trapped at the Silkyara tunnel remained stalled on Friday morning with the platform on which the drilling machine stands being stabilised by shotcreting, an official said. Boring through the rubble was put on hold again Thursday apparently after cracks appeared in the platform on which the drilling machine rests, in a fresh hurdle to the rescue of 41 workers trapped inside for 12 days.

8:30 AM

Afghanistan announces permanent closure of Indian embassy

The Afghanistan embassy has announced its permanent closure in New Delhi. Releasing an official statement on the closure of its diplomatic mission in New Delhi, the Afghan embassy said, "Effective from November 23, 2023 owing to persistent challenges from the Indian government. The decision follows the embassy's earlier cessation of operations on September 30, a move made in the hope that the Indian government stance will favourably change to let the mission operate normally." The embassy said it was 'cognisant' that some may attempt to characterise this move as an internal conflict, allegedly involving diplomats who switched allegiance to the Taliban, adding "that this decision is a result of broader changes in policy and interests".