Latest LIVE updates: Strong earthquake tremors felt across Delhi-NCR

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11:48 PM

Train services on Blue Line to be briefly regulated on Sunday morning for maintenance work

To undertake the scheduled maintenance work between Karol Bagh and Rajiv Chowk section of Blue Line (Dwarka Sec-21 to Noida Electronic City/Vaishali) on the intervening night of 4 and 5 November 2023, train services on the line will be be briefly regulated on early Sunday morning," it said. The Blue Line connects Dwarka Sector 21 and Electronic City in Noida.

11:44 PM

Strong earthquake tremors felt across Delhi-NCR

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 jolted Nepal on Friday night with tremors reverberating through parts of north India, including Delhi NCR, the National Centre for Seismology said. The epicentre of the quake was in Nepal at a depth of 10 km, the NCS said. People in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) felt strong tremors and rushed out of their homes. This is the third time in a month that strong quakes have struck Nepal.

11:02 PM

SpiceJet adds 44 flights in winter schedule that will serve new and existing routes

SpiceJet on Friday said it is adding 44 flights in the winter schedule that will serve new and existing routes. The struggline carrier has inducted eight Boeing 737s, including four 737 MAX. "Shillong will be connected with Kolkata for the first time on SpiceJet's network with daily flights," it said in a release. Among others, the carrier is enhancing connectivity between Chennai and Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and Jaipur and Delhi. The winter schedule 2023 is effective from October 29 to March 30 next year.

10:48 PM

Airtel Digital head Adarsh Nair has resigned from the company after a five-year stint

Airtel Digital head Adarsh Nair has resigned from the company after a five-year stint, according to a regulatory filing. Nair joined Airtel five years ago and was elevated to the position of Director of Airtel Digital about four months back. "We wish to inform you that Mr Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer of the company has resigned and accordingly, ceases to be a Senior Management Personnel. His resignation has been accepted on November 3, 2023 and will be relieved from his duties upon closure of business hours on February 15," the filing said on Friday.

10:06 PM

Imran Khan moves SC for post-arrest bail in cypher case

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former prime minister Imran Khan moved to the Supreme Court seeking post-arrest bail in the cypher case, as reported by The News International on Friday. Imran Khan filed the plea through his counsel Salman Safdar. In his 18-page bail plea, the PTI chief challenged the Islamabad High Court's verdict against halting the proceedings of the cypher case against him, dismissing his petitions and allowing interrogation, The News International reported.

10:01 PM

Air quality turns 'severe' in some places in Haryana, 'poor' in parts of Punjab

Many parts in Haryana on Friday reported air quality indices in the "severe" category while it was "poor" in parts of neighbouring Punjab. According to the Central Pollution Control Board data on Friday evening, Faridabad recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 460, followed by Hisar at 456, Sonipat at 455, Jind at 447, Fatehabad at 432, Rohtak at 424, Bahadurgarh at 404, Ballabhgarh at 398, Gurugram at 367, Palwal at 339, Bhiwani at 313, Kurukshetra at 321, Karnal at 312 and Ambala at 218.

9:00 PM

Hezbollah leader threatens escalation as Netanyahu rules out cease-fire in Gaza

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Friday that his powerful militia is engaged in unprecedented cross-border fighting with Israel and threatened escalation. In a widely anticipated speech, Hassan Nasrallah stopped short of announcing that Hezbollah is fully engaging in the Israel-Hamas war. Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the fighting on the Lebanon-Israel border would not be limited to the scale seen until now.

8:40 PM

Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir to visit India next week

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that Kadir's visit will provide an opportunity to comprehensively review bilateral relations and to explore ways to further strengthen them. "At the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir will pay an official visit to India from November 6 to 7 to co-chair the sixth India-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) on November 7 in New Delhi," it said.

7:52 PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press ahead in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a temporary cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, saying he will press ahead with a devastating military offensive until hostages held by the Hamas militant group are released. Netanyahu spoke Friday shortly after meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who pressed Israel for a temporary pause in its offensive in order to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Blinken also urged Israel to do more to protect civilians from its attacks.

7:43 PM

UP CM seeks explanations from 12 DMs on negligence in revenue matters

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh has sought explanations from 12 district magistrates of the state on negligence in revenue-related matters, said an official statement from the government of UP on Friday. During a high-level review of the Revenue Board held on October 31, District Magistrates of districts that performed badly in settling total revenue matters, land measurement (paimaish), and Kurra-Bantwara were asked for explanation. Also, the Sub-District Magistrates (SDMs) were issued warnings, and adverse entries were given to Tehsildars, added the statement.

6:36 PM

Delhi air pollution: Centre defers stricter curbs, says AQI declining

The central government on Friday deferred implementation of stricter measures under the final stage of the air pollution control plan, saying curbs under Stage III were implemented only a day ago and the air quality index in Delhi-NCR is already showing a declining trend. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index stood at 468 on Friday which falls in the "severe plus" category, a stage at which all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated to be initiated and enforced in the National Capital Region.

6:26 PM

UNGA votes against US' economic, trade embargo against Cuba

The UN General Assembly on Thursday voted by a large margin against the US' economic and trade embargo against Cuba, first imposed in 1960, as per a report on the UN's official website. A total of 187 states voted for the resolution put forward each year against the embargo with only the US and Israel voting against and Ukraine abstaining. The resolution is titled the "necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba".

5:03 PM

Delhi LG V K Saxena says air pollution situation extremely worrying

Delhi LG V K Saxena says air pollution situation extremely worrying, calls meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at 6 pm.

4:53 PM

GRAP III invoked, anti-smog guns deployed as Delhi govt step up fight against pollution

Invoking stage III of pollution control plan, deploying anti-smog guns and re-launching the 'Red light on, Gaadi off' campaign are among the measures taken by the Delhi government and other agencies with the city's air quality entering the 'severe' category, officials said. According to a Delhi government official, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) stage 3 has been implemented in the national capital with a complete ban on construction or demolition activities.

4:17 PM

IndiGo posts Q2 profit of Rs 188 cr on steady demand for air travel

Indian airline IndiGo's operator Interglobe Aviation on Friday reported a second-quarter profit on steady demand for air travel, which outpaced a sharp rise in expenses. India's largest carrier reported a profit of Rs 188 crore ($22.58 million) in the three months to Sept. 30, compared to a loss of Rs 1,585 crore a year before.