LIVE: Kerala sees 5,516 new Covid cases, 210 deaths in last 24 hours

Latest live news: Supreme Court orders Delhi and central governments to decide in a day steps to ease Delhi's air pollution.

12:10 AM

BJP passes political resolution to form government on its own in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP passed a resolution on Tuesday that it will form government on its own in the Union territory, without any outside support.

 

The party also said that due to the strong and path-breaking leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the position of India in the world community has grown stronger and more pivotal.

 

The BJP passed the resolution during its working committee meeting in which, apart from the leaders of its unit headed by president Ravinder Raina, Union minister Jitendra Singh and BJP national secretary Narinder Singh participated.

 

The party is convinced that it will form government on its own, without any outside support, in view of the huge public support it is getting from people and looking at its popularity among the masses, the resolution said.

10:59 PM

Tamil Nadu to hold two mega vaccination drives every week: Govt

Stepping up the gas on the vaccination exercise, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to hold two mega vaccination drives every week, hitherto a weekly exercise, as members of the public were evincing hesitation to receive the jabs, State minister Ma Subramanian said on Tuesday.

 

Beginning September 12, Tamil Nadu has been conducting mass vaccination campaigns during the weekends in its fight against Covid-19 pandemic through 50,000 vaccination camps across Tamil Nadu.

 

With effect from November 18, the Health department would hold the vaccination exercises on Thursdays and on Sundays respectively across the state, the Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Subramanian said after inspecting the vaccine inventories at the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine here.

10:11 PM

UN Security Council to hold meeting on Afghanistan situation

The United Nation's Security Council (UNSC) will hold a meeting on the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday, said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

 

Taking to Twitter, UNAMA said that Deborah Lyons, UN Secretary-General Special Representative for Afghanistan will address the meeting.

 

"The situation in Afghanistan will be addressed by the Security Council tomorrow, Wednesday, starting 15:00 in New York (00:30 Thursday Kabul local). The SG's Special Representative for Afghanistan @DeborahLyonsUN will brief at the session," UNAMA tweeted.

9:55 PM

Cumulative Covid vaccine doses given in India cross 113.61 cr: Health ministry

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 113.61 crore on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said. A total of 61,21,626 vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm.

 

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night, the ministry said. The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined.

9:40 PM

Rajasthan cuts VAT to reduce fuel prices by up to Rs 5 per litre

The Rajasthan government on Tuesday decided to reduce petrol price by Rs 4 per litre and diesel rate by Rs 5 per litre from midnight.

 

"In the cabinet meeting today, it was unanimously decided to reduce the rate of VAT on petrol and diesel. After this, the rates will be reduced by Rs 4 per litre in petrol and Rs 5 per litre in diesel from 12 o'clock tonight, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted.

 

The meeting chaired by Gehlot was held at the chief minister's residence.

9:09 PM

Delhi records 44 new cases, zero death

Delhi recorded 44 new COVID-19 cases and zero death while the positivity rate stood at 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here on Tuesday.

 

With the fresh cases, the tally rose to 14,40,484 in the city, while the death toll remains at 25,095.

 

Twenty-four patients were discharged in the last 24 hours. A total of 5,21,66 tests were conducted a day ago.

8:57 PM

Mandaviya seeks NGOs, others' help to strengthen 'Har Ghar Dastak' campaign

"Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi Ji had reiterated that achievements with regard to vaccination belong to the entire country and not the government alone," said Union Health Minister Mandaviya on Tuesday while interacting with representatives of various stakeholders helping in furthering the reach and coverage of COVID vaccination, IANS reported.

 

"Involvement of all stakeholders working according to their expertise and capacity to achieve a collective goal is the very essence of democracy," he said.

 

Mandaviya said that Jan-Bhagidari is essential for such a mammoth exercise like India's vaccination programme. "India stood tall in COVID crisis because of the initiative of non-government organisations and civil society organisations who supplemented the efforts of the government to ensure that nobody went to sleep on a hungry stomach during the COVID lockdown," said the minister.

8:49 PM

Kerala sees 5,516 new Covid cases, 210 deaths in last 24 hours

Kerala recorded 5,516 fresh coronavirus infections and 210 deaths on Tuesday thereby raising the caseload to 50,71,135 and the toll of fatalities to 36,087, PTI reported.

 

With 6,705 more people recovering from the virus since Monday, the total recoveries touched 49,71,080 and the active cases dropped to 63,338, an official press release said.

 

Of the 210 deaths, 39 were reported over the last few days and 171 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the Supreme Court directions, it said

8:21 PM

Goods train derails in Jharkhand's Pakur district; no injuries reported

Three wagons of a coal-laden goods train derailed after hitting a JCB machine at a railway siding in Pakur district on Tuesday, a Railway official said, according to PTI.

 

The JCB machine was badly damaged in the incident and the driver jumped out of it and escaped unhurt.

 

The driver of the goods train also did not suffer injuries, the official said.

8:21 PM

India set to seal $3 billion Predator drone deal with US by current fiscal

India is set to seal a long-conceived proposal to procure 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones from the US for the three services at an estimated cost of over USD 3 billion (around Rs 22,000 crore), official sources said on Tuesday, PTI reported.

 

The proposal to acquire the MQ-9B long-endurance drones, armed with air-to-ground missiles, is likely to be cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in the next few weeks following which it will be placed before the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security, they said.

 

The sources said various key aspects of the procurement including the cost component and weapons package have already been finalised and the mega-deal is set to be sealed with the US by the current fiscal.

7:56 PM

Puducherry: CM announces Rs 5,000 flood relief to each BPL family

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Tuesday said that all Below Poverty Line families in the Union Territory would be provided a flood relief of Rs 5000, PTI reported.

 

He told reporters here that the government had already announced a flood relief of Rs 5000 to each fisherman's family. Now families holding red colour ration cards and coming under the BPL category would would also be paid Rs 5000 per family.

 

He said that around 1.4 lakh families would be benefitted by this relief.

7:52 PM

Fitch affirms India at 'BBB-' with a negative outlook

Global ratings agency Fitch on Tuesday affirmed India's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (IDR) at 'BBB-' with a negative outlook. Fitch says India's rapid economic recovery from Covid pandemic, easing financing sector pressures are narrowing risks to medium-term growth outlook.

Fitch says it forecasts robust GDP growth of 8.7% in FY22 and 10% in FY23 for India.

7:25 PM

Far deeper issues with cryptocurrencies, says RBI Governor

For the second time in a week, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday expressed his concerns over cryptocurrencies, saying there are "far deeper issues" involved in virtual currencies that could pose a threat to the country's economic and financial stability, according to PTI.

 

The statement comes within a few days of the Prime Minister holding a meeting on the cryptocurrencies amid worries over misleading claims of huge returns on cryptocurrency investment.

 

On Monday, PTI had reported that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance discussed the pros and cons of crypto finance with various stakeholders, and several members were in favour of regulating crypto currency exchanges rather than an outright ban on such currencies.

7:23 PM

Navy to get major boost with new submarine, destroyer

6:24 PM

India to co-host 2026 ICC T20 World Cup

6:23 PM

Stalin announces Rs 300 cr relief package for damage caused by rains

5:54 PM

Pfizer agrees to let other companies make its Covid-19 pill

Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday it will allow generic manufacturers to supply its experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill to 95 low- and middle-income countries through a licensing agreement with international public health group Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).

 

The voluntary licensing agreement between Pfizer and the MPP will allow the United Nations-backed group to grant sub-licenses to qualified generic drug manufacturers to make their own versions of PF-07321332. Pfizer will sell the pills it manufactures under the brand name Paxlovid.

 

Pfizer, which also makes one of the mostly widely used COVID-19 vaccines, has said the pill cut the chance of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of severe disease by 89% in its clinical trial. The drug will be used in combination with ritonavir, an HIV drug that is already available generically.

5:27 PM

PM Modi witnesses airshow on Purvanchal Expressway airstrip

Accusing the Congress governments of "ignoring" defence infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that country's security is as important as its prosperity, ANI reported.

 

Inaugurating Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi said provision for emergency landing of fighter jets has been made on the Expressway.

 

"When I laid the foundation stone of Purvanchal Expressway three years back, I had never thought that I will land here on an aircraft one day," PM Modi said.

5:27 PM

Economic recovery taking hold; private investment should resume: RBI Guv Das

Numerous macro indicators suggest that the economic recovery is now taking hold after the beating it has taken during the pandemic, but for growth to be sustainable and reach its potential, private capital investment has to resume, the Reserve Bank Governor said on Tuesday, according to PTI.

 

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the economy has the potential to grow at a reasonably high pace in the post-pandemic scenario, provided private capital investment resumes.

 

Despite many economists revising down their growth forecasts between 8.5 and 10 per cent for the current fiscal, the central bank has not changed its forecast of 9.5 per cent for the year so far.

 

5:06 PM

US journalist jailed in Myanmar for months heads home

American journalist Danny Fenster, who was freed after nearly six months in jail in military-ruled Myanmar, was expected to arrive in the United States on Tuesday, AP reported.

 

Fenster, who was sentenced last week to 11 years of hard labour, was handed over Monday to former U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson, who helped negotiate the release.

 

He is one of more than 100 journalists, media officials or publishers who have been detained since the military ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in February.

5:03 PM

UN responds to Musk on how his wealth could address world hunger

Elon Musk recently challenged the World Food Programme to explain how $6 billion could solve world hunger and now the head of UN's food-assistance branch WFP David Beasley has laid out the plan as to how this amount could prevent 42 million people across 43 countries from starving, IANS reported.

 

"This hunger crisis is urgent, unprecedented, AND avoidable. Elon Musk, you asked for a clear plan and open books. Here it is!," Beasley said.

 

"We are ready to talk with you - and anyone else - who is serious about saving lives."

3:34 PM

Mirage 2000 makes landing on the airstrip of Purvanchal Expressway

2:46 PM

BJP govt now writing new chapter of development: PM Modi in UP

2:36 PM

I initiated a lot of projects for UP: PM Modi

2:13 PM

West Bengal: Schools re-open for classes 9 to 12

2:12 PM

PM Modi inaugurates Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur

1:58 PM

PM Modi inaugurates Purvanchal Expressway

1:54 PM

Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to re-open tomorrow

1:24 PM

'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign (to curb vehicle pollution) extended by 15 days: Delhi govt

 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign (to curb vehicle pollution) which ends on November 18 will be extended by 15 days - second phase from November 19 to December 3: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai

12:52 PM

Biden raises concerns over Xinjiang, Tibet as Xi warns of Taiwan 'red line'

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping talked about China's practices in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, among other areas of friction, the White House said in a statement, after the two held over three hours of virtual talks.

 

"President Biden raised concerns about the PRC's practices in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as human rights more broadly," the White House said.

 

He also told Xi that the U.S. remains committed to the 'One China' policy related to Taiwan, the White House said, and the two pledged to work together on energy and climate issues.

 

Xi in turn told Biden his country would have to take "decisive measures" if "pro-Taiwan independence" forces crossed a "red line," Chinese state media said.

Read on...