LIVE: Shah approves release of Rs 44.8 cr to Sikkim to provide relief

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2:52 PM

Vijayawada ACB court reserves judgement to Monday on Naidu's bail plea

The Vijayawada Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) court has reserved its judgement to Monday on the bail petition of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

The arguments of Naidu's bail and custody petitions concluded in the ACB court on Friday and the judge adjourned the verdict to Monday, Advocate Krishna Murthy said.

 

2:29 PM

Entire liquor scam false, not even a penny changed hands: Kejriwal tears into Centre

Asserting that the entire liquor scam is based on unfounded and trumped-up charges, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the agencies carried out multiple raids on party leaders but couldn't find a shred of evidence linking them to the case.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, CM Kejriwal said, "They probed us over so many months, did anything come out of it? You heard what the Supreme Court observed yesterday, the entire liquor scam is false, not even a penny changed hands. They do not have any evidence. The charges against us are all trumped-up and baseless," the Delhi CM said.

2:14 PM

Turkish warplanes hit US-backed Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria

Turkish warplanes have carried out airstrikes on sites believed to be used by US-backed Kurdish militant groups in northern Syria after the US military shot down an armed Turkish drone that came within 500 metres of American troops.

A Turkish defence ministry statement said the Turkish jets targeted some 30 sites in the Tal Rifat, Jazeera and Derik regions, destroying caves, bunkers, shelters and warehouses used by Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, or its affiliated Kurdish militia group in Syria, which is known as People's Defence Units, or YPG.

1:53 PM

MP CM transfers Rs 219 crores of Gas Refill Scheme to beneficiaries accounts

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday transferred Rs 219 crore of Gas Refill Scheme to the accounts of beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Mukhyamatri Ladli Bahna Yojana through a single click in the program organised in Bhopal.

Under the Gas Refill Scheme, the beneficiaries will be able to get the domestic gas cylinder refill at a rate of Rs 450. 36 lakh women are likely to benifit from this scheme.

1:18 PM

Putin indicates Russia may return to nuclear testing, withdrawing from ban

Russian President Vladimir Putin while speaking at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, suggested that Russia could return to nuclear weapons testing and might withdraw from the nuclear test ban treaty, reported Al Jazeera.

Putin on Thursday spoke about concerns regarding nuclear weapons, energy and the war in Ukraine.

Russian President said that it was "theoretically" possible for Russia to withdraw from the nuclear test ban treaty, pointing out that it generally prohibits the testing of nuclear weapons, but that no decision has been made yet, Al Jazeera reported.

1:01 PM

HM Amit Shah approves release of Rs 44.8 Cr to Sikkim to provide relief to flood-hit people

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved the release of Rs 44.8 crore as an advance amount from the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Sikkim to provide relief to flash floods-affected people.

Following a directive from Shah, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has formed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which will visit the affected areas of Sikkim soon to make an assessment of the damage caused due to a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), cloudburst and flash floods, according to an official statement.

The home minister has approved the release of both the instalments of the SDRF's central share to Sikkim, amounting to Rs 44.8 crore, in advance for 2023-24 to help the northeastern state provide relief to the affected people, the statement said.

12:23 PM

Mumbai building fire: PM Modi announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for kin of deceased

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire that broke out at a building in Goregaon, Mumbai. He has and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next-of-kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Seven people have been killed and over 50 people were injured in the blaze that broke out in Jay Bhavani building around 3 am today.

"Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Mumbai's Goregaon. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover soon. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," PM Modi posted on X (Formerly Twitter).

12:18 PM

SC appoints sign-language interpreter to help hearing-impaired persons

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Friday announced the appointment of a sign-language interpreter by the Supreme Court to help hearing-impaired lawyers and litigants to comprehend judicial proceedings.

"Today, we have an interpreter whom the Supreme Court has appointed," the CJI said at the outset of the proceedings.

"This is a historic moment," a lawyer said.

The CJI said he wanted to have a sign-language interpreter for the Constitution bench hearings.

12:15 PM

Air India commissions mega warehouse facility in Delhi for storage of engineering spares

Air India on Friday said it has commissioned a mega warehouse facility in Delhi for storing over 1,000,000 engineering spares for aircraft maintenance.

Spread across 54,000 sq ft and located near Terminal 3, at Delhi Airport's cargo complex, the centralised warehousing facility will improve the turnaround time of flights operating out of Delhi, the company said.

The facility will offer a one-stop solution for storing aircraft spares, tools and ground support equipment ranging from hardware to sophisticated and complex avionics, hydraulics, structural, pneumatic, and mechanical components, it said.

12:08 PM

MP: Over 100 people of Morena village infected with Dengue, CMHO dispatches medical teams

Over 100 people of a village in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district have been infected with dengue over the last 15 days. The villagers however allege that they have not receieved proper treatment yet.

The residents of Gulla Khera village in the Morena district alleged that they had reported the complaint about the matter to Block Medical Officer (BMO) Pahargarh and others but no team has reached their village yet for examination.

One of the family members of a patient, Hitendra Kushwaha said, "The problem of dengue is widespread here. Over 100 people of the village are suffering from it. No government doctor's team has come here. The villagers are suffering for the last 15 to 20 days. We reported the problem but no action was taken."

11:20 AM

Nalasopara arms haul case: HC grants bail to man held for making bombs for use at Pune Sunburn festival

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a 44-year-old man who was arrested in 2018 on charges of being a member of the right-wing group Sanathan Sanstha and for allegedly making crude bombs that were to be used to target the Sunburn festival in Pune.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Gauri Godse on September 20 granted bail to Vaibhav Raut noting that he had been incarcerated for over five years now and the trial in the case is not likely to conclude soon. The order was made available on Friday.

The bench also opined that the prosecution case against Raut that he had prepared bombs was not corroborated. It also took note of the fact that the godown from where the bombs were recovered was not owned by Raut.

11:19 AM

Delhi liquor policy case: Ed summons 3 associates of AAP leader Sanjay Singh

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned three associates of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and MP Sanjay Singh in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case.

Vivek Tyagi, Sarvesh Mishra and Kanwarbir Singh have been issued summons and Sarvesh Mishra is expected to appear before the ED today.

ED will question all these three persons in front of Sanjay Singh who is in ED custody till October 10. Singh was arrested on Wednesday after a day-long questioning by the ED officials at his Delhi residence.

11:16 AM

Maharashtra CM Shinde to attend review meet on Naxal terror to be chaired by Amit Shah

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be attending the meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah on Left-wing extremism (LWE) in the national capital on Friday.

The meeting is likely to be attended by chief ministers, Home ministers or their representatives from Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Kerala.

Union Home Secretary, top officials of Central Armed Police Forces, and many senior officers of the central and state governments will also attend the meeting.

11:07 AM

Newsclick row: Delhi HC agrees to hear plea against arrest of founder, HRD

The Delhi High Court on Friday agreed to hear during the day a plea against the arrest of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and human resources department head Amit Chakravarty in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA.
The matter was mentioned for urgent hearing by senior advocate Kapil Sibal before a bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.
This is the Newsclick matter. Arrest has been made illegally and in violation of the Supreme Court decisions, the senior lawyer said as he urged the bench to list the matter for hearing today itself.

10:35 AM

Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis condoles deaths in Mumbai building fire

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire at a building in Goregaon, Mumbai.

"Pained to know about the loss of lives in the fire incident at Goregaon, Mumbai. We are in touch with BMC and Mumbai Police officials and all the assistance is being provided. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and wishing speedy recovery to the injured ones," Devendra Fadnavis posted on X (Formerly Twitter).

Seven deaths have so far been reported in the blaze that broke out in Jay Bhavani building in Mumbai's Goregaon building around 3 am in the early hours of Friday.

10:26 AM

4 dead as fire breaks out at pharmaceutical factory in Amritsar

Four people lost their lives after a fire broke out at a pharmaceutical factory in Amritsar's Nag Kalan village on Thursday night, said officials.

Fire tenders reached the spot and were able to reduce the fire to some extent.

Rescue operations in the factory are still underway.

10:23 AM

I-T searches continue for second day at premises of DMK MP S Jagathrakshakan

The income tax department continues its searches at the premises of DMK MP and former Union minister S Jagathrakshakan in Chennai.

The searches are ongoing at the DMK MPs residence even as he is inside his residence. This is the second day of IT searches at the premises of the DMK MP.

10:21 AM

Two killed in Bengal's Jalpaiguri as mortar shell carried by floodwaters explodes

At least two persons were killed and four injured in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district as a mortar shell, reportedly carried by the floodwaters of Teesta river, exploded, police said.

Police believe that the mortar shell belonged to the Army and was carried away by floodwaters flowing down from the hills following the cloudburst and flash floods in Sikkim on Wednesday.

Police said the identities of the two killed in the blast are yet to be ascertained.

10:03 AM

Sikkim flash flood: Toll rises to 21, searches on for 118 missing people

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim mounted to 21 on Friday as Army and NDRF teams worked their way through slushy earth and fast flowing water in the Teesta river basin and downstream north Bengal for the third day in search of those who were swept away and are still missing, officials said.

Of the 23 army personnel who were missing from Burdang area, the bodies of seven have been recovered from different areas downstream while one was rescued and the search is on for 15 missing jawans, Chief Minister P S Tamang said.

A total of 118 people, including the 15 jawans, remained missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood.

So far, 2,411 people have been evacuated and accommodated at relief camps, while the calamity has affected over 22,000 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin.

9:56 AM

Fire in Gurugram's Sadar Bazaar, no casualty: Officials

A fire broke out in a saree shop in the Sadar Bazaar area in this Haryana district in the early hours of Friday, officials said.

Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control within an hour, they said, adding that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

A fire department officer said the fire broke out at around 4:30 am at the Karishma saree store in Sadar Bazaar.

9:55 AM

Election Commission to hear pleas by NCP factions over party name, symbol row

The Election Commission of India will hear the plea of both the factions of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday over claims on the party name and symbol.

One faction of the NCP is led by Sharad Pawar and the other by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Ajit Pawar earlier in July approached the Election Commission staking claim to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the party symbol amid a feud between the faction led by Ajit Pawar and that by party supremo Sharad Pawar.

9:29 AM

Delhi L-G orders CBI inquiry into teachers' appointment using forged docs

After terminating seven teachers of Delhi Government aided school over forged documents, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter.

"LG agreed with the proposal of the Director of Vigilance (DoV), which found a prima facie collusion between the officials of the Directorate of Education and the Delhi Tamil Education Association (DTEA), where 51 candidates were appointed on various posts in the year 2022," LG office said.

After complaints that were looked into, irregularities were found and accordingly, the DoV placed the matter before the Chief Secretary, Delhi, who directed to carry out the physical verification of the experience certificates issued by the respective schools.

9:27 AM

Unjust, unfair: Taliban on Pakistan's decision to expel Afghan refugees

Afghanistan's Taliban-appointed acting Minister of Defense Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has condemned Pakistan's caretaker government's latest decision to expel Afghan refugees by October 31, calling it an "unjust" decision, TOLO News reported.

TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.

Mujahid while speaking at the 14th graduation ceremony of the police academy in Kabul, said that the decision will harm bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

The Taliban's acting minister urged the Pakistani people and clerics to stop such "violent" actions against Afghan refugees in the country.

8:55 AM

Pakistan bans export of 212 items to Afghanistan after imposing import fees

Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce has banned the export of 212 items to Afghanistan, ARY News reported on Thursday.

ARY News is a Pakistani news channel.

The country has put a ban on the export of 17 types of clothes, all types of vehicle tires, tea leaves, cosmetics and dozens of toiletries.

Similarly, nuts, dry and fresh fruits, home appliances including fridges, refrigerators, air conditioners, juicers, and mixer blenders have also been banned from being taken to Afghanistan.

8:34 AM

'Farmers' interests to be protected: Karnataka CM 's advice to central team

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held talks with the members of the inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) and asked them to take suitable measures in the interest of farmers amid the drought-like situation in the state.

Explaining the drought situation in the state, the Chief Minister said that 195 taluks have been declared drought-prone as per the central guidelines. Another 32 taluks fulfill the prescribed criteria.

Farmers are suffering due to delays in southwest monsoon and lack of rain in the state. 90 percent of the crop has been sown, of which over 42 lakh hectares have suffered crop damage. Farmers' fields are green but there is no yield.

8:34 AM

Efforts made to take country towards dictatorship: Bhupesh Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government accusing it of transforming the country to a dictatorial form of government.

"They are suppressing the opposition so that no opposition is left. They want to eliminate all the opposition and send them to jail. Efforts are being made to take the country towards dictatorship," Baghel said speaking to reporters in Raipur while reacting to Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh's arrest on Wednesday.

8:33 AM

Will continue to foster stronger defence partnership with India: Pentagon

The United States will continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India, the Pentagon said on Friday.

We very much appreciate our relationship with India on a defence level. We continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India and that is something that I think you'll continue to see us do going forward, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here.

In 1997, defence trade between India and the US was almost negligible, today it stands above USD 20 billion.

8:33 AM

Cauvery water dispute: Tamil Nadu govt offers compensation to farmers

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday ordered compensation of Rs 13,500 per hectare to delta farmers who were suffering from Kuruvai (rice) cultivation due to insufficient Cauvery water from Karnataka, a statement from CMO said.

Kuruvai cultivation refers to the seasonal cultivation of paddy (rice) during the Kuruvai season in Tamil Nadu.

The official press further informed that CM opened the shutter from the Metro dam for Kuruvai cultivation in the delta zone on June 12 this year.

8:29 AM

Citi India sees $22 billion in equity capital deals in 2023, says CEO

Citi India expects to see equity capital market deals worth $20-22.5 billion in 2023, amid strong local markets and a stable economy, the Wall Street bank's India chief executive said in an interview with Reuters.

Last year, $19.4 billion was raised on India's equity capital markets, according to data from LSEG.

"Initial public offerings have come back and you have seen a flurry of block deal activity given where markets are. Now we are starting to see institutional share sales as well," said Ashu Khullar.

8:29 AM

US court allows Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana more time to file motion against extradition

A federal court has allowed Tahawwur Rana more time to file his motion against extradition to India where he is facing a trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

In August, Rana had appealed before the Ninth Circuit Court against the order by a US District Court in the Central District of California that denied the writ of habeas corpus.

On Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit Court agreed to his request for more time to file his motion, which was initially set for October 10.