News highlights: India successfully test-fires surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-5

Over 11 crore people who have taken the first shot of Covid-19 vaccine have not got themselves jabbed with the second dose even after the expiry of the prescribed interval between two doses, according to government data.

. Visitors look at a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painted around 1600 presented at auction house Artcurial in Brusselsbefore it goes under the hammer onNovember 9.

. India on Wednesday asserted that the new “Land Boundary Law” unilaterally adopted by China would not have any bearing on bilateral arrangements put in place to resolve the territorial row between the two neighboursas well as to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

. Singapore's health ministry reported 5,324 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, while it recorded 10 new deaths from the disease.

A recent spike in infections after the relaxation of some restrictions has prompted Singapore to pause further reopening. The city-state extended its social curbs last week to contain the spread of Covid-19 for around a month in order to ease the pressure on the healthcare system.

More than 80% of Singapore's population has been vaccinated against the virus. ( Reuters )

. An elderly woman arranges colourful earthen lamps for sale ahead of the Diwali festival, in Amritsar. ( PTI Photo)

. Finance Ministry directs all ministries anddepartments of Central Governmentto clear dues of Air India andpurchase tickets from the airline in cash,says Air India, in which Governmentrecently disinvested its stake, has stopped extending credit facility on account of air ticket purchase. ( ANI )

.Three policemen were shot dead when supporters of a banned Islamist party opened fire at a rally in Pakistan on Wednesday, the interior minister said."They opened fire on police with Kalashnikovs... three policemen were martyred," Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said at a press conference. (AFP). Days after NCB witness Prabhakar Sail claimed that he was made to sign blank papers by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the cruise drugs case, another witness in a separate drugs case on Wednesday levelled a similar allegation against the agency officials, including its Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede.

The witness, Shekhar Kamble, a resident of Navi Mumbai, said he was made to sign on 10-12 blank papers by Wankhede and others, which were later used as panchnama in connection with a Nigerian national’s arrest from Mumbai's Kharghar in August this year.

He also claimed that although no drugs were recovered from the Nigerian national, the NCB falsely showed that some amount of MD drug was found on him. ( PTI )

. Indian army soldiers perform during a re-enactment of the 1947 landings of Indian troops at Srinagar, during a function at the Indian Air-Force base in Srinagar. ( AFP Photo)

. Former IPL boss Lalit Modi has questioned the entry of private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to its investments in companies linked to betting activities.

CVC, which calls itself a "world leader in private equity and credit with $125 billion of assets under management", shelled out Rs 5625 crore for buying the Ahmedabad franchise in the world's biggest T20 league, last week.

The Lucknow franchise went to RPSG Ventures for Rs 7090 crores. ( PTI )

. "Raj Kundra andShilpa Shetty threatened me with the underworld and now they have sent me defamation notice but I'll not get scared. I request the police to record my statement so that cognizance can be taken of my complaint. I've sent a reply notice asking for Rs 75 cr for mental harassment," saidSherlyn Chopra. ( ANI )

. Sixteen houses were gutted and around 150 people were rendered shelterless after a massive fire broke out at a village in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Wednesday, a disaster management official said.

One person has been injured in the fire incident which took place in Malana village at 1:28 am, State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said. ( PTI )

. Olympic championNeerajChopraand silver medal-winning wrestler Ravi Dahiya among 11 athletes picked for Khel Ratna award for year 2021. ( PTI )

. British finance minister Rishi Sunak announced stronger economic growth and lower public borrowing forecasts as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, and he vowed to protect households from rising inflation.

Announcing forecasts drawn up by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR), Sunak said in his budget statement that the economy was likely to grow by 6.5 per centin 2021, faster than a forecast of 4.0 per centmade in March when Britain was still in a coronavirus lockdown.

Since then, the country has moved ahead with its Covid-19 vaccination programme and lifted restrictions on the economy. ( Reuters )

. Delhi Police arrested two peoplefrom the Sadar Bazaar area for bringing 591.95 kgs of firecrackers from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh to the national capital. ( ANI )

. People look at wall posters on display to mark 'Black Day' commemorating the arrival of the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, during an exhibition in Peshawar. ( AFP )

. India captain Virat Kohli dropped one place to fifth despite his half century against Pakistan for a lost cause in the ongoing T20 World Cup while team-mate KL Rahul slipped two slots to eighth in the ICC men’s T20I Player Rankings issued on Wednesday.

. Fast food giantMcDonald's Corp reported quarterly global sales on Wednesday that beat Wall Street expectations, helped by higher prices, larger order sizes, and newer menu items.

Same-store sales jumped 12.7 per centin the third quarter ended September30, well above pre-pandemic levels and better than estimates of a 10.31 per centrise, according to Refinitiv IBES data. ( Reuters )

. "The government is committed to doubling farmers' income. Doubling farmers income doesn't mean only increasing the value in the market for the produce but it also means creating a paradigm shift for the farmers," saidUnion Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya MScindia on Krishi Udaan 2.0 scheme. ( ANI )

.Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide $3 billion to cash-strapped Pakistan in safe deposits and $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion worth of oil supplies on deferred payments, media reports said on Wednesday.A formal announcement about the agreement, reached during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the kingdom this week, would be made by Prime Minister’s adviser on finance and revenue Shaukat Tarin and Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, Dawn newspaper reported..Cooking gas LPG prices may be hiked next week after under-recovery on the fuel widened to over Rs 100 per cylinder, sources said insisting that the rate hike, including the quantum of increase, is dependent on government permission. (PTI). Bombay High Court resumes hearing on bail applications of Aryan Khan andother accused; senior counsel Amit Desai starts arguments for the bail of Arbaz Merchant. (ANI)

. Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak carries the Budget Box as he leaves 11 Downing Street in central London on October 27, 2021, to present the government's annual budget to Parliament. Britain will unveil its latest budget, looking to fix the public finances after emergency pandemic support sent debt rocketing. ( Reuters Photo)

. Bottled-water tycoon Zhong Shanshan has become China's wealthiest person, according to an annual ranking released Wednesday, as a government campaign to rein in the super-rich took a big bite out of the fortunes of perennial front-runners like Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma.

. The number of Delta AY.4.2 variant of coronavirus, which is spreading rapidly in some foreign countries, has increased to seven in Karnataka with three more people found to be infected with it in the Bengaluru.

. Digital payments and financial services firm Paytm on Wednesday said Switzerland-based reinsurance major Swiss Re will buy a 23 per cent stake in Paytm Insuretech for about Rs 920 crore.

. Four players of Mumbai's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad have tested positive for Covid-9 and their replacements have been picked.

. Travellers from Europe and the UK, Zimbabwe, China, Brazil and five other countries will be subject to additional Covid-19 measures.

. India on Wednesday logged 13,451 new Covid-19 cases and 585 deaths in last 24 hours, Union Health Ministry data showed.

. In no respite to consumers, fuel prices were hiked on Wednesday by approximately 35 paise, touching new highs.

. Facebook has been struggling to attract younger users for more than a decade, and some senior employees are alarmed over the company’s inability to keep teens engaged. When asked by analysts about growth prospects, Facebook executives frequently paint a rosier picture than the one depicted by internal research, a whistle-blower alleges.

. A mosque was vandalised and two shops were set ablaze at Chamtilla area in North Tripura district on Tuesday evening during a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) rally taken out to protest against recent violence against Hindus in neighbouring Bangladesh, district Superintendent of police Bhanupada Chakraborty said.

. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said unvaccinated tennis players would be allowed to enter the country to play at the Australian Open in February if they underwent a mandatory two-week Covid-19 quarantine.

. (DHNS)

News highlights: India successfully test-fires surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-5

Second dose of Covid vaccine overdue for over 11 crore people, shows Govt data

India concerned over China's new land border law

Singapore reports highest single-day rise in Covid-19 cases

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