LIVE: Qatar airways CEO Akbar al Baker is stepping down from his position

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9:40 PM

Israel army says two drones 'thwarted' after crossing Gaza border

Israel's military said that its ground forces had conducted limited operations into the Gaza Strip during the night. Israeli air force also carried out largescale air strikes in northern and central Gaza pounding over 300 Hamas locations in which at least 70 people have reportedly been killed.

6:37 PM

Envoys of five nations present credentials to President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday accepted credentials from envoys of five nations at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
 

Those who presented their credentials were Evagoras Vryonides, High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikolay Hristov Yankov, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria, Herve Delphin, Ambassador of European Union, Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France, and Ana Taban, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova, a statement issued by the President's office said.

6:14 PM

Qatar airways CEO Akbar al Baker is stepping down from his position

Qatar airways CEO Akbar al Baker is stepping down from his position, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.

al Baker has been leading the Qatari national carrier since 1997.

5:59 PM

15 killed, 100 others injured after 2 trains collide in Bangladesh

 At least 15 people have been killed and 100 others injured in Bangladesh after two trains collided on Monday, with officials saying they fear the death count will rise.
 

The crash in the eastern city of Bhairab saw a freight train smash into a passenger train travelling in the opposite direction, derailing two passenger carriages, officials said.

 

"We have recovered 15 bodies, many are injured," Sadiqur Rahman, a government administrator in Bhairab told AFP, which lies around 60 kilometres (38 miles) northeast of the capital Dhaka.

 

4:53 PM

Israel ups ante ahead of expected ground offensive, Gaza death toll above 5,000

Israel's military said that its ground forces had conducted limited operations into the Gaza Strip during the night. Israeli air force also carried out largescale air strikes in northern and central Gaza pounding over 300 Hamas locations in which at least 70 people have reportedly been killed.

4:52 PM

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel promises loan waiver for farmers if voted to power in the State again

4:14 PM

High possibility that Air Quality Index of Delhi will remain poor for the next couple of days: IMD scientist

"The Air Quality Index of Delhi has dropped to 313, and there is a high possibility that it will remain at this level for the next couple of days. The primary cause of this poor AQI is the changing weather," said Dr. VK Soni, IMD Scientist.

4:14 PM

Ukraine to receive €18 billion in financial aid from EU in 2024

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has announced that the country expects to receive €18 billion in financial aid from the European Union in 2024 under the Ukraine Facility Plan.

4:13 PM

We are better prepared now than we were in 2018: Digvijaya Singh on upcoming MP Assembly election

"The candidate selection process in Madhya Pradesh has never been this transparent in the past. We are better prepared now than we were in 2018, and there is a higher level of anti-incumbency against Shivraj Singh Chouhan compared to back then," said Digvijaya Singh on the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly election.

4:13 PM

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Bishan Singh Bedi's news

4:12 PM

Former Indian cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi dies at 77

On Monday, the renowned Indian cricketer and former captain, Bishan Singh Bedi, passed away at the age of 77. The legendary spin bowler represented India in 67 Test matches from 1967 to 1979, amassing a total of 266 wickets.

3:55 PM

Over 15,000 police personnel have been deployed in Mumbai, in view of Dussehra rallies

Over 15,000 police personnel have been deployed in Mumbai, in view of Dussehra rallies of both factions of Shiv Sena, immersion of goddesses Durga idols and  ICC World Cup match in Wankhede stadium, said Mumbai Police.

2:41 PM

Congress attacks govt on issue of income inequality

The Congress on Monday charged that the gap between the ultra-rich and the middle class in the country is widening under the Modi government.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said an analysis of the publicly available data on income tax returns for the period 2013-14 to 2021-22 confirms one of the essential themes of the Bharat Jodo Yatra that of increasing income inequality.

"The widening gap between the ultra-rich and the middle class under the Modi government is more and more apparent," he said in a post on X.

2:32 PM

Mumbai: Fire erupts in flat in 8-storey residential building; none hurt

A blaze broke out in a flat located on the first floor of an eight-storey residential building in suburban Kandivli here on Monday afternoon, officials said.

Nobody was injured in the incident as per the preliminary information.

The fire erupted in a first-floor flat of Pavan Dham Veena Santur building in Mahaveer Nagar locality at around 12.30 pm and spread to the electric wiring and installations on that floor, according to officials.

2:18 PM

Ex-minister Rustam Singh resigns from BJP ahead of MP assembly polls

Senior BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh minister Rustam Singh resigned from the party on Monday, ahead of the state assembly polls scheduled next month.

In a letter addressed to state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma, Singh (78) said he is resigning from the BJP's primary membership and all party positions.

He was not "not treated fairly" by the party, a source close to Singh claimed.

1:03 PM

Delhi University teachers question administration for collecting personal data of professors

Delhi University Teachers have raised objections over the university collecting data of assistant professors for 2024 election duty, saying any attempt to involve teachers in polls will not be in the interest of students.

11 members of Delhi University's Executive Council, Academic Council, and DUTA Executive wrote to DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh and highlighted that the way data has been asked - has led to a wider apprehension about being used for election duty.

There was no immediate response from the Delhi University administration.

12:47 PM

Israel strikes across Gaza after allowing another small aid convoy into the besieged enclave

Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza early Monday, including in areas where Palestinian civilians have been told to seek refuge, after another small aid shipment was allowed into the besieged Hamas-ruled territory.

Israel is widely expected to launch a ground offensive in Gaza following Hamas' brutal October 7 rampage into southern Israeli communities.

Tanks and troops have been massed at the Gaza border, and Israel says it has stepped up airstrikes in order to reduce the risk to troops in the next stages.

12:32 PM

UP: Posters portraying Akhilesh Yadav as "future PM" put up in Lucknow

Several posters portraying Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav as the "future Prime Minister" were put up outside the party headquarters in Lucknow by the party workers.

"Akhilesh Yadav's birthday is on July 1, but to express their love and respect towards their leader Samajwadi Party workers celebrate his birthday multiple times. Today, some party leaders and workers are celebrating his birthday", said SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chaand while speaking to ANI in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.

"Party workers are praying that Akhilesh Yadav becomes the PM of the country and serves the people..." he added.

12:31 PM

UP: CM Yogi performs 'Kanya Poojan' at Gorakhnath Temple

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday performed 'Kanya Poojan' at the Gorakhnath Temple.

The ninth day of Navratri is also celebrated as Maha Navami. Devotees of Maa Durga worship Maa Siddhidatri on this day.

As per Hindu mythology, Maa Durga killed the buffalo demon Mahishasura on this day.

12:17 PM

171-feet-tall Ravana effigy to be burnt in Haryana's Panchkula on Dussehra

The tallest Ravana of the year has been unveiled at Shalimar Ground in Haryana's Panchkula ahead of the Vijaya Dashmi or Dussehra celebrations.

The 171-feet-tall effigy of Ravana has been built at a cost of Rs 18 lakh.

It took about three months and around 25-30 labourers to build the effigy.

12:17 PM

Delhi L-G VK Saxena participates in G20 tree plantation ceremony at Nehru Park

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena participated in the G20 tree plantation ceremony at Nehru Park in the national capital on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said, "Being in Chanakyapuri, while your excellencies will witness these trees gain ground in your vicinity, your successors will see these trees grow up to their full glory."

EAM Jaishankar, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and the envoys of the US, Egypt, Nigeria, Germany, UK, and South Korea were present at Nehru Park for the tree plantation ceremony.

12:06 PM

No point in discussion on this: Bihar Dy CM Tejashwi Yadav on CM's 'friendship' remark

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Monday played down Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's 'friendship' remark made towards a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.

Yadav said that there is no point in discussion on this.

"There is no point in discussion on this. It has no meaning. We all know that the Bihar government is running successfully, and there is great cooperation within the government. There have been a lot of development works done in the state. People have a problem with that", Tejashwi Yadav said while speaking to reporters in Bihar's Patna.

12:05 PM

Part of foot over-bridge collapses in Delhi, no injuries reported

A foot over-bridge partially collapsed in East Delhi's Laxmi Nagar area after being hit by a crane being transported on a carriage truck, police said on Monday. No one was injured in the incident.

The mishap occurred late Sunday night when the truck was transporting the crane from the Akshardham Temple area to Burari, they said.

A police officer said when the truck reached Pusta Road near Lalita Park, a part of the crane hit the foot over-bridge, causing it to collapse partially.

11:53 AM

Govt rolls out mandatory quality norms for copper products, drums, tin containers

The government has issued mandatory quality norms for copper products, drums and tin containers to curb the import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing of these goods, an official statement said on Monday.

Two separate notifications - Drums and Tins (Quality Control) Order, 2023; and Copper Products (Quality Control) Order, 2023 - in this regard were issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on October 20.

Items under these two orders cannot be produced, sold, traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark.

10:26 AM

MP assembly polls: Congress' Digvijaya Singh requests ECI to handover VVPAT slips to voters

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh has once again hit the headlines ahead of state assembly polls after he requested Election Commission of India (ECI) to handover VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips to voters.

Singh wrote to ECI on X (formerly twitter) for the same on Monday citing a report of tampering with EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) during trial of the machines in the state.

10:19 AM

Rajnath Singh embarks on two-day visit to Assam, Arunachal today

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to embark on a two-day visit to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh today.
During his two-day visit, he will interact with the security personnel deployed in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh.
Taking to 'X', (formerly Twitter), Singh wrote, "Today, 23rd October, I shall be reaching Tezpur on a 2 day visit to Assam & Arunachal Pradesh. During my visit, I will interact with Armed Forces personnel deployed in the region and also visit forward areas"

9:52 AM

Saamana's latest editorial targets Centre over Agniveer scheme

Saamana, the editorial of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) on Monday took a dig at the Central government's 'Agniveer' scheme while mentioning the example of Israel.

In its latest editorial, Saamana said that just like Israeli citizens have to serve for some time in the military, on the same lines, PM Modi started the 'Agniveer' scheme for soldiers on contract.

"Military education and military service are necessary for Israeli citizens. The women there have to serve in the army for 22 months and the men generally have to serve in the army for five years. This army is like a gust of wind. After two to five years, these soldiers again have to find another job. On the same lines, PM Modi started the 'Agniveer' scheme of providing soldiers on contract. Wear a military uniform on your body for two to five years and then become unemployed and keep frying 'pakodas' on the road," the Saamana said.

9:51 AM

Actor-politician Gautami Tadimalla quits BJP

Well-known actor Gautami Tadimalla on Monday said she was ending her 25-year association with the BJP, alleging among others, support from a section of the party to a man who had allegedly duped her.

Despite the party "rescinding" in the last minute, its assurance to give her a ticket in the 2021 Assembly polls in the state, she remained committed to the BJP, Tadimalla said in a statement uploaded on her X account.

She said she has decided to resign from the party with a "heavy heart and disillusionment" and tagged BJP national president J P Nadda and the saffron party's TN chief K Annamalai among others in her social media post.

9:51 AM

Owaisi attacks BJP over revocation of Telangana MLA Raja Singh's suspension

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed the BJP for revoking the suspension of its Telangana MLA T Raja Singh, against whom the party had initiated action last year for his alleged derogatory comments on prophet Mohammed.

He also alleged that hate speech was the fastest way to promotion in BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"@narendramodi has rewarded his dear fringe element. Quite sure that Nupur Sharma will also get her blessings from the PM. Hate speech is the fastest way to a promotion in Modi's BJP," Owaisi said on X, responding to the lifting of Singh's suspension.

9:34 AM

Anyone who misbehaves with sisters and daughters will be hanged: MP CM

Making a statement of intent on the occasion of Durgashtami, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said those misbehaving with women will be hanged till death if the BJP is voted back.

Putting forth a tough stand on crime against women, CM Chouhan asserted that "those misbehaving with daughters and sisters "won't be spared".

"If required, even bulldozers may roll out to raze their properties," the chief minister, who will seek a fresh mandate in the upcoming state elections said.