Latest news LIVE: TRS renamed as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), says KCR

From coronavirus cases in India to all the latest developments from across the globe, catch all the updates here

3:01 PM

No talks with Pak; Modi govt won't tolerate terrorism, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday ruled out holding any dialogue with Pakistan and asserted that the Modi government will wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir and make it the most peaceful place in the country.

Addressing a rally here, Shah asked whether terrorism has ever benefited anyone as the menace has claimed 42,000 lives since the 1990s in J and K.

He also blamed the families of the Abdullahs (National Conference), Muftis (PDP) and Nehru-Gandhi (Congress) for the alleged underdevelopment of Jammu and Kashmir as they ruled the erstwhile state most of the time since the country's independence in 1947.

2:55 PM

Thirteen Indians trapped in Myanmar's Myawaddy area rescued

Thirteen Indians, who were among a group that was trapped in Myanmar's Myawaddy area after falling prey to an international job racket, have been rescued.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Indians reached Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Last month, 32 Indians were rescued from Myawaddy following joint efforts by Indian missions in Myanmar and Thailand.

"We have been actively pursuing the case of Indians being trapped in fake job rackets in Myanmar.Thanks to the efforts of @IndiainMyanmar & @IndiainThailand, around 32 Indians had already been rescued," Bagchi tweeted.

"Another 13 Indian citizens have now been rescued, & reached Tamil Nadu today," he said.

2:40 PM

Mulayam Singh remains critical, being given life-saving drugs, says hospital

Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit of Medanta hospital in Gurugram and his condition remains critical, the hospital said.

 

He is being administered life-saving drugs, it added.

 

"Mulayam Singh ji is still critical and on life saving drugs, he is being treated in the ICU Medanta hospital, Gurugram, by a comprehensive team of specialists," the hospital said in a health bulletin tweeted by the Samajwadi Party's (SP) official handle.

2:21 PM

Development in Himachal possible as people voted BJP to power both in state, Centre: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that previous governments used to lay stones and forget about completing projects after polls but his government lays stones and also inaugurates projects.

Development in Himachal Pradesh, he said, has been possible as people have voted the BJP to power both at the Centre and in the state.

Addressing a public meeting at Luhnu ground after inaugurating AIIMS and Hydro Engineering College here, Modi said Himachal Pradesh plays crucial role in 'rashtra raksha' (saving nation) and now with AIIMS at Bilaspur, it will also play a pivotal role in 'jeevan raksha' (saving lives).

1:51 PM

RBI plans to extensively use AI, ML to improve regulatory supervision

The Reserve Bank is planning to extensively use advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse its huge database and improve regulatory supervision on banks and NBFCs.

 

For this purpose, the central bank is also looking to hire external experts.

 

While the RBI is already using AI and ML in supervisory processes, it now intends to upscale it to ensure that the benefits of advanced analytics can accrue to the Department of Supervision in the central bank.

1:47 PM

AIIMS Bilaspur will increase access to affordable healthcare, also eco-friendly: PM Modi

"In the last eight years, we have worked on ensuring development benefits reach the remotest parts of the country. AIIMS Bilaspur will not only increase access to affordable healthcare in Himachal but is also eco-friendly and will be known as 'Green AIIMS'," says PM Narendra Modi, in Bilaspur

 

1:45 PM

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) renamed as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) renamed as 'Bharat Rashtra Samithi' (BRS). 

The decision to rechristen TRS to BRS has been taken in the General body meeting. A resolution has been passed by TRS General Body.

 

1:32 PM

Two more PFI members' booked under UAPA by Delhi Police

Delhi Police has booked two Popular Front of India (PFI) members under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their alleged suspicious activities, officials said on Wednesday.

A senior police officer said an FIR has been registered against two PFI activists under IPC sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups), along with section 10/13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at Khajuri Khas police station, for allegedly planning and conspiring against the government and the country.

However, no arrests have been made yet in the matter, he said, adding investigation is underway.

1:11 PM

One pilot killed after Army Cheetah helicopter crashes near Tawang

One pilot killed after Army Cheetah helicopter crashes near Tawang area in Arunachal Pradesh, say army officials=

 

12:55 PM

Sugarcane crushing season to start in first week of November: Haryana Minister Banwari Lal

A target of crushing about 500 lakh quintals of sugarcane has been fixed during the current financial year, Haryana's Cooperation Minister Banwari Lal said.

 

The crushing work of sugarcane in all the sugar mills of the state will start in the first week of November, he added.

 

All the preparations for this must be completed by the end of October, the minister directed the officials while presiding over a review meeting of the Cooperative Federation on Tuesday.

 

12:54 PM

Pakistan entangled in Russia-Ukraine war, supplying arms, ammunition to Kyiv

Pakistan is entangled in yet another controversy as Islamabad has been found supplying arms and ammunition to Kyiv in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

As per reports Pakistan is not impartial in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and has been involved in supplying arms and ammunition, made in Pakistan, for the end use of Ukraine. Islamabad is apparently utilising third-country-based defence suppliers and contractors to route these defence sales to Ukraine, reported Europe-based publication Geo-politik.

Credible inputs suggest that Islamabad-based arms supplier M/s DMI Associates has been in contact with Bulgaria-based firm M/s Defence Industry Group to facilitate the supply of manufactured defence stores to the Ukrainian government.

12:38 PM

Russia to resume gas deliveries to Italy, says Gazprom

Russia to resume gas deliveries to Italy, says Gazprom, reports AFP

12:19 PM

Putin signs laws annexing four Ukrainian regions into Russia

President Vladimir Putin signs laws annexing four Ukrainian regions into Russia in defiance of international law, following sham “referendums” as Moscow loses more ground on the battlefield.

12:16 PM

Both GST and Excise duty can be imposed on tobacco: Karnataka HC

The Karnataka High Court has ruled that the Union government is entitled to levy Central GST (CGST) as well as excise duty on tobacco and tobacco-derived products.

It dismissed a bunch of petitions by tobacco manufacturers who had challenged the same.

"The levy of excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products is a matter of public policy and this court in exercise of writ jurisdiction would not interfere with the same. The CGST itself contemplates levy of excise duty upon tobacco and tobacco products apart from they being taxed under the provisions of CGST," Justice M I Arun said in the recent judgment.

12:14 PM

Navalny allies see weakened Kremlin, say they'll regroup

Navalny allies see weakened Kremlin, say they'll regroup Top allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny announced on Tuesday that they would reestablish a network of groups across Russia, saying the time was right because the government has been weakened by questions about the war in Ukraine.

 

“The sleeping majority woke up, Putin himself woke him up,” said Ivan Zhdanov, former director of Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption, in a YouTube video posted by Navalny's closest ally and top strategist, Leonid Volkov.

12:08 PM

PM Modi inspects AIIMS Bilaspur soon after inauguration

12:01 PM

Amid protests on lifting prohibition, Manipur issues draft liquor policy

The state government issued the draft Manipur Liquor Regulation Policy even as protests continued over the cabinet's decision to partially lift the prohibition from the state.

Aiming to generate employment and increase the revenue of the state, the draft policy issued on Tuesday night said it was seeking to address the problem of the black market in liquor due to prohibition and the menace of illegal drugs.

The draft said the policy seeks to eradicate distillation, transportation, possession, consumption and sale of illicit liquor and restrict the availability of local liquor and Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL).

11:55 AM

PM Modi inaugurates AIIMS Bilaspur

11:32 AM

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti says she is under house arrest

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday claimed that she has been placed under house arrest to prevent her from visiting north Kashmir's Pattan town.

 

"While HM (Home Minister) is going around Kashmir beating drums of normalcy, I am under house arrest for simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker's wedding," she tweeted.

 

"If an ex CM's fundamental rights can be suspended so easily, one can't even imagine the plight of a commoner," she added.

 

11:25 AM

Majestic Hindu temple opens in Dubai

A majestic new Hindu temple that blends Indian and Arabic architecture designs has been inaugurated here in Jebel Ali 

Village, with a powerful message of tolerance, peace and harmony.

 

Located in a neighbourhood referred to as the emirate's 'worship village', the temple formally opened its doors to worshippers across the UAE on Tuesday.

 

"Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance & Coexistence & Amb @sunjaysudhir inaugurated the new Hindu Temple in Dubai. On the occasion, Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir thanked the UAE Government for their support to the 3.5 million-strong Indian diaspora in the UAE," the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi tweeted.

 

11:17 AM

India's support to poor during COVID-19 remarkable, says WB President

India's support to the poor and needy during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis is remarkable, and other nations should adopt the Indian move of targeted cash transfer instead of broad subsidies, World Bank President David Malpass said on Wednesday.

COVID-19 marked the end of a phase of global progress in poverty reduction. During the three decades that preceded its arrival, more than 1 billion people escaped extreme poverty. The incomes of the poorest nations gained ground, Malpass said in the forward to a study -- Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report -- released by the World Bank.

The poorest people bore the steepest costs of the pandemic -- income losses averaged four per cent for the poorest 40 per cent, double the losses of the wealthiest 20 per cent of the income distribution. Global inequality rose, as a result, for the first time in decades, as per the report.

11:16 AM

Rains to lash Bangaluru; yellow alert issued in 8 Karnataka districts

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderous rainfall in Bengaluru and other districts of Karnataka on Wednesday.

Yellow alert has also been issued in Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Kodagu and Shivamogga districts of the state.

Most of the districts in the state have been receiving rain in the recent past. However, IMD has stated that the rain will slow down in the regions of north Karnataka.

Bengaluru is experiencing cold weather due to the cloudy environment. The surrounding districts of Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural are also likely to get light showers.

 

10:49 AM

Expectation in the air as KCR is all set to announce 'national' plan to take on BJP

To put up an effective fight against the BJP across the country, Telangana Rashtra Samiti president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is all set to rename his party and unveil his "national political foray" plan on Wednesday, party sources said.

The presence of party leaders, including JD(S) leader and former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and Tamil Nadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder-chief Thol Thirumavalavan, has led to speculations on the contours of the nationwide plan, that Rao, popularly known as KCR, is contemplating and expected to announce.

While the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), the ruling party in Telangana, is set to be renamed "Bharata Rashtra Samiti" (BRS), a JD(S) functionary said the new outfit would be a "conglomeration of various regional parties," that are fighting the BJP in their respective states.

10:42 AM

U'khand Police release list of 28 trainee mountaineers missing after avalanche

The Uttarakhand Police on Wednesday released a list of 28 trainee mountaineers who went missing after being hit by a massive avalanche at a height of 17,000 feet at Draupadi Ka Danda-II peak in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.

 

The trainees were part of a 41-member team of mountaineers from the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) and were returning along with their instructors after climbing the peak as part of their advanced training course when they were hit by the avalanche on Tuesday.

 

The list of trainees includes those from West Bengal, Delhi, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Haryana, Gujarat, Hmachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

10:21 AM

Power restored in Bangladesh after 96 million suffer blackouts

Power was being restored across Bangladesh after the worst blackouts since 2014 cut supply to half the country, disrupting hospitals to road traffic and internet networks.

 

Four of the country’s eight administrative divisions -- home to about 96 million people -- lost electricity supply Tuesday after a transmission line tripped, with some outrages persisting for as long as eight hours. Supply was restored to much of Dhaka by about 9 p.m. local time, and was being resumed across other regions, according to officials.

 

10:21 AM

Power restored in Bangladesh after 96 million suffer blackouts

Power was being restored across Bangladesh after the worst blackouts since 2014 cut supply to half the country, disrupting hospitals to road traffic and internet networks.

 

Four of the country’s eight administrative divisions -- home to about 96 million people -- lost electricity supply Tuesday after a transmission line tripped, with some outrages persisting for as long as eight hours. Supply was restored to much of Dhaka by about 9 p.m. local time, and was being resumed across other regions, according to officials.

 

9:55 AM

Uttarakhand Police release list of 28 trainee mountaineers missing after avalanche

The Uttarakhand Police on Wednesday released a list of 28 trainee mountaineers who went missing after being hit by a massive avalanche at a height of 17,000 feet at Draupadi Ka Danda-II peak in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.

 

The trainees were part of a 41-member team of mountaineers from the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) and were returning along with their instructors after climbing the peak as part of their advanced training course when they were hit by the avalanche on Tuesday.

 

The list of trainees includes those from West Bengal, Delhi, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Haryana, Gujarat, Hmachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

9:49 AM

India logs 2,468 new Covid cases, 17 deaths

India recorded 2,468 new coronavirus infections, raising the tally to 44,601,934, while the active cases declined to 33,318, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

 

The death toll climbed to 528,733 with 17 more fatalities, which included nine deaths reconciled by Kerala, data updated by the ministry at 8 am stated.

 

The active cases comprise 0.07 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.74 per cent, the ministry said.

 

A decline of 1,280 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 case count in a span of 24 hours, it said.

 

9:37 AM

Putin facing further isolation from international community: White House

Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing isolation from the international community, the White House said as it took note of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"We're asking that countries around the world, and we've been very clear about that, continue to speak out publicly and continue to engage diplomatically on this as well. And so, I think that's what you're seeing from the prime minister (of India)," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday.

Responding to a question, the press secretary said she doesn't has anything to read out on any recent conversation between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi.

9:36 AM

PM Narendra Modi greets people on Dussehra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted people on Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra, and said the festival is symbolic of victory.

In a tweet, he wished courage, restraint and positive energy to everyone on this auspicious occasion.

The prime minister will be inaugurating the AIIMS in Bilaspur and also attend Kullu Dussehra celebrations in Himachal Pradesh.