Bihar elections: Suspense on deputy CM, other ministers in Bihar

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10:24 PM

West Bengal CM, governor pay homage to Soumitra Chatterjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday paid homage to legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee who died at a city hospital after a prolonged battle with multiple ailments.

 

Banerjee said the actor was a "fighter" who will be celebrated for his works and his death has delivered an irreparable blow to the film fraternity of the country.

 

Dhankhar said Chatterjee's death has left a deep void and is a colossal loss to the world of cinema.

 

Chatterjee died after a 40-day battle with multiple ailments, a statement issued by the hospital, where he was undergoing treatment, said. He was 85.

10:10 PM

500 reported arrested in Belarus protests

A human rights group in Belarus said more than 500 people were arrested in protests around the country calling for authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to step down.

 

The Sunday demonstrations continued the wave of near-daily protests that have gripped Belarus since early August. In the capital Minsk, police wielded clubs and used tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of demonstrators.

 

The Viasna human rights organization reported detentions at demonstrations in other cities, including Vitebsk and Gomel. It said the nationwide arrest numbers exceeded 500.

9:09 PM

Brexit: Trade deal 'may not succeed' before year end

The UK's chief Brexit negotiator said Sunday before renewed talks that a trade deal with the European Union may not succeed, but he was still hopeful of a resolution.

 

Arriving in Brussels, David Frost tweeted that there has been some progress in a positive direction in recent days. We also now largely have common draft treaty texts, though significant elements are of course not yet agreed, he said.

 

We will work to build on these and get an overall agreement if we can. But we may not succeed. Britain left the EU on Jan. 31, but continues to follow the bloc's economic rules until a transition period ends on Dec. 31. The two sides are trying to strike a new trade deal before then, but key sticking points such as fishing rights and competition rules haven't been resolved.

8:57 PM

India dismisses Pak charge on terrorism as figment of imagination: MEA

India on Sunday mounted a hard-hitting attack on Pakistan for accusing it of involvement in some of the terror strikes in that country and said the so-called claims of proof' are figments of imagination.

 

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Pakistan's "desperate attempt" will find few takers as the international community is aware of its tactics, and proof of Islamabad's terror sponsorship has been admitted by none other than its "own leadership".

 

The angry reaction by India came a day after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressed a press conference alongside Army spokesman Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar to claim that India was behind some of the terror attacks in that country.

8:26 PM

Spike in COVID cases: More ICU beds, testing in Delhi, says HM Amit Shah

To deal with the recent spike in coronavirus cases in Delhi,the Centre on Sunday said it will soon make available 300 additional ICU beds and double the number of daily RTPCR tests in the national capital.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said some of the hospitals under the municipal corporations of Delhi will be converted into dedicated COVID hospitals and doctors and paramedics of paramilitary forces will be deployed in the national capital to deal with the shortage of manpower.

Shah said to save more lives, the Centre will also provide oxygen, high flow nasal cannula and other health equipments to Delhi.

The decisions were taken at a high level meeting chaired by Shah and attended byDelhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan among others.

7:48 PM

BJP surprise selection in Bihar: Tarikishore, Renu Devi could be DY CMs

The fourth term Katihar MLA Tarkishore Prasad was on Sunday named as the BJP legislature party leader, indicating he could be deputy chief minister in the new NDA government headed by Nitish Kumar.

Bettiah MLA Renu Devi has been made party's deputy legislature party leader and she could be another deputy cm from the saffron party in the NDA ministry which will be sworn in Monday evening.

Prasad and Renu Devi's names were announced at the BJP legislature party meeting here during the day.

The meeting was attended by senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the party's state in-charge Bhupendra Yadav, election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, Union minister Nityanand Rai and state party chief Sanjay Jaiswal, among others.

Sushil Kumar Modi proposed name of Prasad as the party's legislature party leader which was seconded by all the newly-elected MLAs.

7:33 PM

Noise pollution lowest in 15 years during Diwali in Mumbai:NGO

Mumbai recorded the lowest level of noise pollution in the last 15 years on the first day of Diwali festival on Saturday during the permissible hours when the use of firecrackers was allowed, according to an NGO.

 

Sumaira Abdulali, founder of Awaaz Foundation, told PTI on Sunday that the credit for the lowest levels of decibels (dB- the unit in which sound is measured) goes to the strict guidelines of the state government on bursting of firecrackers and growing awareness among citizens.

 

"The noise pollution level recorded during Diwali this year is the lowest in the last 15 years," Abdulali said.

 

In a statement, the NGO said the noise level was measured from 8 pm to 10 pm (on Saturday) and then until the next morning (Sunday).

7:32 PM

Delhi, its suburbs witness light rains

The national capital and its suburbs recorded light rainfall on Sunday under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance, according to India Meteorological Department.

 

Higher wind speed aided dispersion of pollutants. The maximum wind speed was around 25 km per hour, IMD officials said.

 

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded 0.4 mm rainfall.

 

The weather stations at Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge, Jafarpur, Najafgarh and Pusa recorded 1.8 mm, 0.3 mm, 1.2 mm, 1mm, 1mm and 2.5 mm rainfall respectively.

6:56 PM

Air quality "severe" in Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon

The air quality deteriorated to 'severe' level in Ghaziabad, Noida,Greater Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Sunday, according to a government agency.

Concentration of major air pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 remained high in the five immediate neighbours of Delhi, according to the air quality index (AQI) maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to the index, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

The average 24-hour AQI at 4 pm on Sunday was 448inGhaziabad, 441 in Noida, 417 in Greater Noida, 425 in Gurgaon and 414in Faridabad,according to the CPCB's Sameer app.

On Saturday, the average AQI was 456inGhaziabad, 425 in Noida, 394 in Greater Noida,378 in Faridabad and358 in Gurgaon.

6:55 PM

BJP's Tarkishore Prasad tipped to be Bihar Deputy CM now

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has emerged as the largest party in the NDA in Bihar, is yet to decide its nominee for the Deputy Chief Minister's post, long held by its veteran leader Sushil Kumar Modi.

However, as per sources, Tarkishore Prasad, who was elected as the BJP's legislature party leader on Sunday, is likely to get the post.

As the NDA secured the majority in the recently held election, winning 125 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the BJP was the clear leader in the combine with 74 seats, against the Janata Dal-United's 43 and eight in the kitty of smaller allies, VIP and HAM.

Following this, the party's central leadership wants to change its face in the state, while also claiming a bigger stake in the new cabinet.