New updates: Oil prices jump 5% on concerns over West Asia, say reports

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10:02 PM

Himanta thanks Modi for classical language status of Assamese

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Centre's recognition of the Assamese language as a classical one, and said the step will help preserve his mother tongue in a better way.

 

"On behalf of the people of Assam, I extend my gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji and the entire Union Cabinet for the historic decision to accord Assamese the status of Classical Language," Sarma said in a post on X.

 

Assamese joins a select group of languages to enjoy the status and this exemplifies the unique civilisational roots of Assam that has withstood the test of time, he added.

 

"With today's decision we shall be able to better preserve our beloved mother tongue, that not only unites our society but also forms an unbroken link to the ancient wisdom of Assam's saints, thinkers, writers and philosophers," the CM said.

 

He termed the occasion as one of the happiest days in his life, considering the sacrifices that his generation has made to protect the Assamese language and culture.

9:44 PM

Customs seizes 12 iPhone 16 Pro Max at Delhi's IGI Airport

Customs officials at IGI Airport in Delhi seized 12 iPhone 16 Pro Max devices from a group of four passengers attempting to smuggle them in from Dubai on October 1, according to a Customs statement.

9:41 PM

Mamata welcomes Centre's move to confer classical language status to Bengali

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed her delight over Bengali being conferred the status of classical language and said the state government had been actively working to secure this recognition from the Centre and had submitted extensive research to support their case.

 

The Union Cabinet approved conferring the status of classical language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages.

 

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

"Most happy to share that Bengali/Bangla has been finally accorded the status of a classical language by Government of India. We had been trying to snatch this recognition from Ministry of Culture, GOI and we had submitted three volumes of research findings in favour of our contention. Union government has accepted our well-researched claim today evening and we finally reach the cultural apex in the body of languages in India," Banerjee said in a post on X.

9:40 PM

Marathi India's pride, says Modi; Fadnavis thanks PM for classical language tag

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Marathi language is India's pride, while Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis thanked him for the Central government's decision to accord the classical language tag to Marathi. The Union Cabinet earlier in the day approved conferring classical language status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages. The move comes ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections, likely to be held next month. Marathi is India's pride. Congratulations on this phenomenal language being accorded the status of a Classical Language. This honour acknowledges the rich cultural contribution of Marathi in our nation's history, Modi posted on X. Marathi has always been a cornerstone of Indian heritage. I am sure with the status of a Classical Language, many more people will be motivated to learn it, Modi said. This is a golden letter day. On behalf of the 12 crore people of Maharashtra, I thank PM Modi for this decision, Fadnavis said. Fadnavis said that when he was Maharashtra CM, the state government had taken up the issue of according the classical language status to Marathi with the Centre. 

9:34 PM

Oil prices jump 5 per cent on concerns over West Asia, reports AFP

8:44 PM

Kolkata Doctor Case: CBI arrests TMC youth leader Ashish Pandey in graft case

The CBI has arrested Ashish Pandey, believed to be a youth leader of the TMC, in connection with a corruption case involving former R G Kar College principal Sandip Ghosh, according to official sources.

8:41 PM

Cabinet approves PM Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Krishonnati Yojana with an expenditure of over Rs 1 trn

Union Cabinet on Thursday approved two major schemes -- PM Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and Krishonnati Yojana -- with an expenditure of over Rs 1 lakh crore to promote sustainable agriculture and ensure food security.
 

The Cabinet approved the PM Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) to promote sustainable agriculture and Krishonnati Yojana (KY) to achieve food security for self-sufficiency.
 

The combined total expenditure will be Rs 1,01,321.61 crore, the government said in a post on social media platform X.

8:40 PM

Productivity Linked Bonus scheme approved by Centre at Rs 2029 cr for Railway employees

It will cover 78 bonus days as a result of the employee's 'good performance.'

4:49 PM

Pilgrims get first-ever view of Kailash peak from inside Indian territory

Pilgrims on Thursday had the first-ever view of the sacred Kailash peak believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva from the Old Lipulekh pass inside the Indian territory.

4:38 PM

Lebanese Red Cross says Israeli strike killed 4 of its medics and 1 Lebanese soldier

The Lebanese Red Cross says an Israeli strike killed four of its paramedics and a Lebanese army soldier as they were evacuating wounded people from the south.

4:35 PM

Govt rolls out internship scheme on pilot basis; aims to provide 1 cr internship over 5 years

The government on Thursday rolled out the internship programme that will provide financial assistance of Rs 60,000 per annum to 1 crore youth over a period of five years.

4:07 PM

Cutting smoking to 5% by 2050 could add 1 year to men's life, 0.2 to women's: Lancet study

4:03 PM

Oil prices rise as West Asia tension overshadows strong supply outlook

3:58 PM

Russian glide bomb strikes Ukrainian apartment building, 12 injured

3:43 PM

India becomes affiliate member of International Medical Device Regulators Forum

3:28 PM

Order prohibiting assembly of five or more persons withdrawn: Delhi Police to SC

The Delhi Police on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that an order prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons in the national capital from September 30 to October 5 has been "withdrawn".

3:25 PM

Delhi air pollution: Supreme Court pulls up Centre, Haryana and Punjab

Delhi air pollution: Supreme Court slammed Commission for Air Quality Management saying it made no effort to implement its direction to stop stubble burning.

3:21 PM

Chhattisgarh playing its part in fight against climate change: CM Vishnu Deo

Chhattisgarh is expanding its solar and hydropower capacity and will play a pivotal role in helping India achieve its target of 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030, Chief Minister Vishu Deo Sai said on Thursday.

3:09 PM

Security forces, terrorists exchange fire in J-K's Kishtwar

A brief exchange of fire took place between security forces and terrorists during a search operation in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said. Based on specific inputs about the presence of terrorists, the security forces launched a joint search operation in Chatroo, a police spokesperson said.

"Contact was established (with terrorists) and a few rounds have been fired from both sides," she said.

2:39 PM

Alcohol poisoning kills dozens of people in Iran

At least 26 people died in Iran after drinking alcoholic beverages that contained toxic methanol in recent days, state media said. The official IRNA news agency reported late Wednesday that toxic methanol had killed men and women in various cities and towns in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan and the western province of Hamadan.

2:35 PM

Age of `juvenile' under law should be lowered to 14: deputy CM Ajit Pawar

The legal age for defining `juvenile' in criminal cases should be lowered to 14 from the current 18 years, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday. He would discuss this issue with Union home minister Amit Shah, he said, speaking to reporters at Baramati in Pune district, his assembly constituency.

2:17 PM

Working out issues with CBFC over certificate for 'Emergency' film: Zee Entertainment tells HC

Zee Entertainment Enterprises, a co-producer of Kangana Ranaut's "Emergency" film, on Thursday told the Bombay High Court it was working out with the Censor Board issues over issuance of certificate for the movie.

2:05 PM

Google, Adani to collaborate on clean energy; Adani to supply clean energy from mega Khavda project in Gujarat

2:03 PM

Georgian parliament speaker signs anti-LGBTQ law after president refuses to sign it

The speaker of the Georgian parliament signed into a law Thursday a bill that severely curtails LGBTQ+ rights in the country and mirrors legislation adopted in neighbouring Russia.

1:55 PM

Gen Z's contribution crucial to achieve developed nation goal by 2047: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the contribution of the present generation is crucial for achieving the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047.

1:44 PM

Adani Green Energy signs pact to supply green power to commercial & industrial customer

1:41 PM

Badlapur case: Bombay HC directs magistrate to submit by Nov 18 inquiry report into custodial death of accused

1:31 PM

Kazakhstan confirms it has halted grain shipments to Russia

Kazakh grain exports to Russia have been halted on the orders of the Kazakh agriculture ministry, the state railway company said on Thursday. Russia said this week it has effectively banned the import and transit of Kazakh grain on phytosanitary grounds, which some exporters viewed as retaliation for Kazakhstan's earlier ban on Russian grain imports.

1:24 PM

FIT India Swachhta Freedom Run to culminate with Unity Run on Oct 31

1:20 PM

Coal production from captive, commercial blocks rises 32%

The coal production from both captive and commercial coal blocks rose by 32 per cent to 79.72 Million Tonne (MT) in the April-September period of the ongoing fiscal.