Latest News LIVE: Suicide bombs rock central Baghdad; 28 dead, 73 injured

Two explosions hit a commercial center in central Baghdad. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

11:06 PM

Kozhikode AI crash: Submission of final report extended by 2 months due to Covid, says aviation ministry

10:46 PM

IMA announces relay hunger strike of doctors against Ayush notification

The IMA on Thursday announced a pan-India relay hunger strike of doctors starting February 1, in protest against a notification issued by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) that authorises post-graduate practitioners in specified streams of Ayurveda to perform general surgical procedures, stating that it will lead to "mixopathy".

 

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is giving immediate directives to all members across the country to launch the "Save Healthcare India Movement", the doctors' body said in a statement. Under the campaign, the IMA will launch a massive awareness drive across the country as this is a clear threat to the safety of healthcare of people.

 

Doctors will take turns to sit on the hunger strike 24x7 from February 1 and the IMA will release posters and banners to raise awareness on the issue across the country, the statement said.

10:45 PM

Delhi HC refuses to stay release of 'The White Tiger'

Delhi HC refuses to stay release of film 'The White Tiger' on Netflix on plea alleging copyright violation

8:44 PM

Reserve Bank of India imposes Rs 2 crore penalty on Standard Chartered Bank

The Reserve Bank on Thursday imposed a penalty of Rs 2 crore on Standard Chartered BankIndia for delays in reporting of frauds to it.

 

The monetary penalty has been imposed on the bank for non-compliance with certain directions contained in the 'Reserve Bank of India (Frauds - Classification and Reporting by commercial banks and select FIs) Directions 2016'.

 

"The penalty has been imposed... for delays in reporting of frauds to RBI, revealed during the statutory inspection of the bank with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2018 and March 31, 2019," the central bank said in a statement.

8:04 PM

Bird flu in poultry confirmed in few more places in Maha, MP, Chhattisgarh

The Centre on Thursday said bird flu cases have been confirmed in poultry birds in a few more districts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

 

So far, avian influenza in poultry has been confirmed in six states -- Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab.

 

In a statement, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said bird flu has been confirmed in poultry samples from Thane (Kalyan), Yavatmal (Dhunki, Pusad), Wardha (Chakni, Hingaghat), Gondia (Nimba, Goregaon), Ahmednagar (BhumirChavan) and Hingoli (Pimpri Khurd) districts of Maharashtra. The disease has also been confirmed in poultry birds in Raisen (Gairatganj) district of Madhya Pradesh as well as Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. READ ON...

7:24 PM

Centre approves construction of over 168,000 houses under PMAY-Urban

The government has approved the construction of over 1.68 lakh (168,000) houses in urban areas under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, taking the total number of houses sanctioned so far to 1.1 crore (11 million), according to a statement on Thursday.

 

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) where officials from 14 states and union territories participated on Wednesday.

 

The statement said that the houses sanctioned by the CSMC are proposed to be constructed in verticals like beneficiary-led construction, affordable housing in partnership and in-situ slum redevelopment under the PMAY (Urban). READ ON...

6:54 PM

Twin suicide bombings rock central Baghdad, at least 28 dead

Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing at least 28 people and wounding 73 others. The rare suicide bombing attack hit the Bab al-Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad amid heightened political tensions over planned early elections and a severe economic crisis. Blood smeared the floors of the busy market amid piles of clothes and shoes as survivors took stock of the disarray in the aftermath.

 

No one immediately took responsibility for the attack.

 

Iraq's military said at least 28 people were killed and 73 wounded in the attack and said some of the injured were in serious condition. Hospital and police officials said the death toll was actually much higher, with at least 27 dead and more than 60 wounded. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

 

Iraq's Health Ministry announced all of its hospitals in the capital were mobilized to treat the wounded.

6:32 PM

Five dead in Serum Institute fire; Covishield facility unaffected

Five persons died and nine were evacuated from a building in the Serum Institute of India's Manjari premises here after a fire broke out at the facility on Thursday, police said. Covishield vaccine production won't be hit due to the fire, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said.

 

The Manjari facility is where the Covishield vaccine used in the nationwide inoculation drive against the pandemic is made. The building where the fire broke out is part of the under-construction site of the Serum facility and is one km from the Covishield manufacturing unit, sources said.

 

"I would like to reassure all governments & the public that there would be no loss of #COVISHIELD production due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies at @SerumInstIndia," Poonawalla tweeted.

 

"We have just received some distressing updates; upon further investigation we have learnt that there has unfortunately been some loss of life at the incident. We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the departed," Poonawalla added.

6:09 PM

Five died during fire incident at SII premises in Pune

6:00 PM

Sensitive data of over 325,000 Indian users leaked in BuyUCoin hack

In yet another data breach, sensitive data of nearly 3.25 lakh users of India-based global cryptocurrency exchange and wallet, BuyUcoin, have been exposed on the Dark Web.

 

The data leaked include names, e-mails, mobile numbers, encrypted passwords, user wallet details, order details, bank details, KYC details (PAN number, passport numbers) and deposit history. According to independent cyber security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia, the 6GB file on MongoDB database contains three backup files containing BuyUcoin data.

 

"This is a serious hack as key financial, banking and KYC details have been leaked on the Dark Web," Rajaharia told IANS and shared some screenshots of the leaked data. READ ON...

5:21 PM

53,000 poultry birds to be culled at Punjab's Mohali

Around 53,000 birds of two poultry farms in Punjab's Mohali are to be culled after some samples from there testing positive for avian flu, a senior official said on Thursday. The reports of samples taken from two poultry farms at Behra village in Dera Bassi in Mohali were received from the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases lab in Bhopal on Wednesday.

 

The culling of around 53,000 birds will either start today evening or tomorrow, said V K Janjua, Additional Chief Secretary (Animal Husbandry and Dairy). As per the government of India guidelines, the birds of poultry farms located within one km of an infected farm have to be culled.

 

There was no other poultry farm other than these two within one km radius, an official said. The department has constituted 25 teams for the culling drive, he added. After culling, the poultry birds would be buried, he said. The samples taken from two poultry farms had tested positive for H5N8 strain on Wednesday.

4:50 PM

Arunachal construction in 'our own territory', says China about village

China's development and construction activities "within its own territory" is "normal" and beyond reproach, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said here on Thursday, reacting to a report about China building a new village in Arunachal Pradesh.

 

"China's position on the Zangnan region (South Tibet) is consistent and clear. We never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing while responding to a question.

 

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India's consistent stand has been that the northeastern state is an integral and inalienable part of the country. Hua said China's development and construction activities "within our own territory is normal." READ ON...

4:25 PM

Karnataka cabinet reshuffled, portfolios given to seven inductees

Over a week after expanding his 17-month-old Cabinet, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday effected a minor reshuffle and also allocated portfolios to seven new Ministers.

 

Yediyurappa divested JC Madhuswamy of Law, Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and Minor Irrigation and allocated him Medical Education, Kannada, and Culture Departments.

 

Health Minister K Sudhakar was relieved of Medical Education in just three months, who was given Health portfolio by taking it away from incumbent Social Welfare Minister B Sreeramulu. Madhuswamy is a key member of the Yediyurappa camp, who put up strong defence of the state government in the state legislature. READ ON...

4:00 PM

Sensex falls 167.36 points to end at 49,624.76; Nifty slips 54.35 points to 14,590.35

3:43 PM

LIVE: 13 killed in Baghdad twin suicide bombing

At least 13 people were killed and 30 others injured on Thursday in twin suicide bombings at a crowded market area in Baghdad, according to Iraqi officials. A BBC report citing a military official said that the bombers blew themselves up at a clothing market in Tayaran Square, in Bab al-Sharqi, as they were pursued by security forces.

 

Meanwhile, an Iraqi Interior Ministry source told Xinhua news agency that ambulances and civilian cars have evacuated the wounded to nearby hospitals and medical centres.

 

It was the first such attack in the Iraqi capital city in nearly two year, as the security situation has improved since the Iraqi security forces fully defeated the Islamic State terror group across the country late in 2017. However, sporadic deadly incidents still occur in the war-ravaged country. No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday's bombings yet.

3:32 PM

Fire continues to rage at Terminal 1 gate of Serum Institute of India in Pune

3:18 PM

Fire breaks out at Terminal 1 gate of Serum Institute of India in Pune

3:16 PM

Casualties from Indonesia earthquake increase to 91: State agency

The number of casualties due to the 6.2-magnitude earthquake which struck Indonesia's West Sulawesi province has increased to to 91, the national disaster management agency said on Thursday.

 

At least 1,172 people suffered wounds caused by the natural disaster on January 14, the agency's spokesman, Raditya Jati said, adding that 9,910 people were forced to flee their homes due to the earthquake.

A disaster emergency response status for 14 days has been declared in West Sulawesi since January 15, reports Xinhua news agency. President Joko Widodo recently visited the affected region to observe the conditions of evacuees and the evacuation process. READ ON...

2:46 PM

Suicide bombs rock central Baghdad, six dead

Twin suicide bombings hit Iraq's capital Thursday killing at least six people and wounding over 25 others, three police officials and State TV said.

 

The officials said two explosions hit a commercial center in central Baghdad. Iraqi state television reported it was a suicide bombing. Many among the wounded were in serious condition and there was property damage. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

2:22 PM

Kerala Assembly rejects resolution moved against Speaker by opposition UDF

2:12 PM

CPI set to field new faces in Kerala Assembly polls

The CPI, an important constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, plans to field quite a few new faces in the coming Assembly elections, IANS reported on Thursday. The party has decided that state Communist Party of India leaders who have completed two terms as MLAs will not be fielded and instead asked to concentrate on party affairs.

 

The CPI has 19 MLAs in present Assembly, with a majority of its legislators poised to complete two terms each this year. Of the three women CPI MLAs, ES Bijimol and Geetha Gopi are two-term MLAs while CK Asha is a first-term legislator.

 

This situation casts a shadow over the nomination of four Ministers and CPI MLAs P Thilothaman, E Chandrashekharan, VS Sunil Kumar and K Raju as well as Assembly Deputy Speaker V Sasi, who all are two-term legislators.

12:45 PM

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa allocates portfolios to 7 new ministers, effects changes for some

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa allocates portfolios to 7 new ministers, effects changes for some

12:21 PM

BJP is provoking hatred in West Bengal by communal speeches: TMC leader Firhad Hakim

BJP is provoking hatred in West Bengal by communal speeches, we requested EC to take note of it. We all want peaceful & fair elections. This 'goli maro' etc is provocation to divide the society. They are terrorising people to vote for them: TMC leader Firhad Hakim

12:19 PM

Prime Minister has decided to expand National Cadet Corps (NCC), says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Prime Minister has decided to expand National Cadet Corps (NCC). There should be training of Cadets at the border & coastal areas. We have identified more than 1,100 schools to begin NCC training.

Earlier, there were 28% girl cadets in NCC. Now, it has increased to approximately 43%. This is India's women empowerment. Government has also decided to give preference to the NCC cadets in employment: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

11:48 AM

Sandalwood drug case: SC grants bail to Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi

SC grants bail to Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi, arrested for alleged involvement in drugs case.

11:08 AM

Opposition UDF moves a resolution against Kerala Assembly speaker P Sreeramakrishnan

Opposition UDF moves a resolution against Kerala Assembly speaker P Sreeramakrishnan 

10:36 AM

Uttarakhand govt asks Centre for 20,000 additional vaccines for Haridwar Kumbh Mela 2021

Uttarakhand Government has asked the Central Government for 20,000 additional vaccines for Haridwar Kumbh Mela 2021.

8:55 AM

Thick fog engulfs Punjab's Amritsar; Minimum temperature 4.4 degrees celsius, as per IMD