LIVE updates: India drops further in Global Hunger Index rankings

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9:30 PM

IOC President Thomas Bach lauds Reliance Foundation

9:27 PM

INDIA parties write letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

9:26 PM

PM Modi will inaugurate the 141st IOC Session on 14th October at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai

PM Modi will inaugurate the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session on 14th October at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai.

 

The session will be attended by President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach and other members of IOC, along with prominent Indian sports personalities and representatives from various sports federations, including the Indian Olympic Association.

9:25 PM

Nepal airlifts its 253 students from Tel Aviv

9:24 PM

Locals in Tel Aviv hold demonstration urging govt of Israel for exchange of hostages between Israel, Palestine

9:02 PM

India drops further in Global Hunger Index rankings

With a score of 28.7 in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, India has a level of hunger that is serious," the report said. India's child wasting rate stands at 18.7 per cent – the highest recorded in the 2023 report – and its child stunting rate is 35.5 per cent. Wasting is measured based on children's weight relative to their height.

 

8:55 PM

India can become first country to industrialise without carbonising, says Amitabh Kant

With ideal weather conditions, India can redefine its growth model to become the first country in the world to industrialise without carbonising, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Thursday.

 

Speaking at an event in the national capital, Kant also expressed confidence that the country, which has a young population, will grow at higher rates.

 

According to him, the world is open to India and there is no reason why the country should not grow at higher rates.

 

Highlighting the importance of going green, Kant said that otherwise countries will "neither be able to export to the markets and this is all going to happen before our eyes in the next 5 years."

 

8:20 PM

India has always advocated negotiations for an independent Palestine living at peace with Israel: MEA

India on Thursday said it sees the attack by Hamas on Israel as “a terrorist attack” and that it has always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine that lives side by side at peace with Israel.

7:29 PM

EAM Jaishankar's security upgraded from Y to Z category

The Central government has upgraded the security cover of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar from the ‘Y’ category to ‘Z’, official sources said on Thursday. The decision was taken by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs based on a threat analysis report from the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

7:28 PM

International Olympic Committee suspends Russian Olympic Committee with immediate effect

7:12 PM

Congress CEC meeting to finalise Rajasthan assembly polls candidates on October 17

The Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) is scheduled to convene on October 17 to deliberate on the selection of candidates for the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly elections, slated to take place on November 25.

 

The Rajasthan Assembly consists of 200 constituencies that will be contested. Since its formation, the state has been dominated by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Congress secured a victory in the last elections in 2018 with 101 seats.

 

The party is yet to release its list of candidates while the opposition in the state- Bharatiya Janata Party has released its first list fielding as many as 7 MPs in the assembly polls.

 

The seven MPs include Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who will contest from Jhotwara, Diya Kumari from Vidhyadhar Nagar, Baba Balaknath from Tijara, Hansraj Meena from Sapotra and Kirodi Lal Meena to contest from Sawai Madhopur.

7:02 PM

US inflation rose 3.7% in September, more than expected

According to the latest government data released on Thursday, consumer inflation in the United States remained stable, offering some respite to policymakers aiming to curb rising prices. The closely monitored consumer price index (CPI) showed a year-on-year increase of 3.7 per cent, the same rate as in August, as reported by the Labor Department.

 

On a month-to-month basis, inflation slowed from 0.6 per cent to 0.4 per cent, with the volatile food and energy components excluded. This figure was the lowest in two years, at 4.1 per cent.

5:36 PM

Inflation for the month of September stood at 5.02 per cent.

India's retail inflation eased to 5.02 per cent in September on an annual basis as against 6.83 per cent in August, showed data released by the ministry of statistics on Thursday. The food price inflation for September stood at 6.56 per cent as 9.94 per cent in August.

5:00 PM

America will always be with Israel, says Bliken

Israel Gaza War News: Addressing a joint press confrence with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secreatry of State Antony Blinken said that the US will always be with Israel. He said that there is no justification in these attacks. All peace loving people should codemn these attacks, he added. Hamas has only one agenda to destroy Israel, said Blinken. He supported Israel saying it has the right to defend itself and ensure that such an incident should never happen.

 

4:59 PM

Within five years 13.5 crore people have been uplifted out of poverty: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "We have worked for those living in far-flung areas & therefore within five years 13.5 crore people have been uplifted out of poverty...These 13.5 crore people are an example that India can eradicate poverty. Earlier 'Garibi Hatao' slogan was raised but Modi is saying that we will together work to eradicate poverty. We take ownership & responsibility and work relentlessly..."

 

4:59 PM

PM Modi inaugurates and lays foundation of projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore in Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday unveiled projects of over Rs 4000 crore in Uttarakhand and said India is achieving new heights of success.

 

Addressing a gathering here, the Prime Minister said the Tricolour is flying high in every area and recalled the success of Chandrayaan Mission and India winning its highest number of medals in the Asian Games.

 

"I have a belief that this will be Uttarakhand's decade...Uttarakhand will reach new prospects of development and our government is working with that one motive. Foundation stones of several development projects worth more than Rs 4,000 crore were laid today," he said.

4:58 PM

Hamas is ISIS and just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed:

"Hamas is ISIS and just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed. Hamas should be treated exactly the way ISIS was treated. They should be spit out from the community of nations. No leader should meet them, no country should harbour them and those that do should be sanctioned," said Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

4:55 PM

A charter flight will reach Tel Aviv today later in the evening: MEA

4:54 PM

Fault in tracks likely cause of Delhi-Kamakhya NE Express derailment

Fault in tracks likely cause of derailment of Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express, says Preliminary investigation report. The number of casualties is four while the number of injured passengers has increased to 70, the railways authorities said on the accident. "Deepest condolences for the irreparable loss. Will find the root cause of derailment," said Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw. ECR general manager Tarun Prakash said that the cause of the accident will be known only after the investigation is complete.

3:01 PM

'Power of youth essential to utilise our capabilities': PM Modi addresses Kaushal Dikshant Samaroh 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the power of the youth is essential to make use of all available resources in the country.

PM Modi was addressing the Kaushal Dikshant Samaroh 2023.

2:46 PM

PM Modi to inaugurate 9th Parliamentary Speakers' Summit in Delhi on Oct 13

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) in New Delhi on October 13 (Friday), the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, the summit is being hosted at Yashobhoomi by the Parliament of India under the broader framework of India's G20 Presidency.

2:39 PM

PM Modi, Russian President Putin may hold summit this year: Indian envoy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are likely to hold a summit before the end of this year, India's ambassador to Moscow was quoted as saying by Russian news agency RIA.

"This is being discussed. Discussions are ongoing at a high level," India's ambassador to Moscow Pawan Kapoor said.

2:19 PM

Clicking towards record: Festival season spurs online shopping spree

Run off their virtual feet at the start of India's festival season, e-commerce companies like Amazon and Walmart owned Flipkart are looking forward to a potentially record breaking few weeks.

Any lingering fears that inflation and higher interest rates would dampen consumers' spirit in Asia's third largest economy, are being rapidly dispelled.

2:05 PM

Manipur govt restrains circulation of videos depicting violence, damage to properties in state

In a bid to restrain the circulation of videos and images depicting violence and damage to properties in the state, the Manipur government in an order said such dissemination will be dealt with severely and booked as per law.

The order, which was issued on Wednesday night, came even as videos and images of widespread violence went viral on social media platforms. One such video shows two Meitei youths being shot at point blank and then being buried in a pit by a group of people speaking Kuki language. The location of the incident site and the place of the burial is, however, not known.

1:44 PM

Preparing ground assault, but no decision made yet: Israel military

The Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza but that the nation's political leaders have not yet decided on one.

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters Thursday that forces are preparing for a ground maneuver if decided.

1:24 PM

CIA publicly acknowledges 1953 coup it backed in Iran was undemocratic

The caper, retold in the 2012 Academy Award-winning film Argo directed by and starring Ben Affleck, offered a dramatized version of the operation, with Affleck playing the late CIA officer Antonio Tony Mendez. The podcast for the first time identified the second CIA officer who accompanied Mendez, naming him as agency linguist and exfiltration specialist Ed Johnson. He previously only had been known publicly by the pseudonym Julio.

Working with the six these are rookies," Johnson recounts in an interview aired by the podcast. "They were people who were not trained to lie to authorities. They weren't trained to be clandestine, elusive.

12:53 PM

US stands with Israel, no justification for terrorism: Kamala Harris

Voicing distress over the alleged beheadings of children by Hamas terrorists, which President Joe Biden condemned at a White House press briefing on Wednesday (local time), US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said the US was looking at "extreme acts of terrorism" that must be condemned in no uncertain terms, stressing that there was no justification for such acts of terror.

"I'm completely outraged by what has taken place. We are looking at extreme acts of terrorism that must be condemned in no uncertain terms. There is absolutely no justification for terrorism," Harris said.

12:38 PM

Sri Lanka confirms major debt deal with China for its economic recovery

The Sri Lankan government has confirmed that it has concluded a preliminary deal with China on the restructuring of its debts to Beijing, seen as a "big step" in the cash-strapped country's economic recovery.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance said The Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is pleased to announce that it has rea

12:29 PM

"Our nation stands with Israel, no justification for terrorism: US Vice President Kamala Harris

Voicing distress over the alleged beheadings of children by Hamas terrorists, which President Joe Biden condemned at a White House press briefing on Wednesday (local time), US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said the US was looking at "extreme acts of terrorism" that must be condemned in no uncertain terms, stressing that there was no justification for such acts of terror.

"I'm completely outraged by what has taken place. We are looking at extreme acts of terrorism that must be condemned in no uncertain terms. There is absolutely no justification for terrorism," Harris said.

12:12 PM

Accountability of Railway Ministry, Central Govt should be fixed: Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday expressed condolences to the families of the deceased following the derailment of the Assam bound North-East Express train a day ago

Recalling the accident earlier this year in June in Odisha's Balasore, Kharge pointed out that the accountability of the Railway Ministry and the Central Government should be fixed in such types of incidents.