News Highlights: Nirav Modi UK extradition appeal to be heard on December 14

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An Indian Army soldier sits inside an upgraded L70 anti aircraft gun in Tawang, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh.

Coal shortage continues at thermal plants, 61 units with less than 4-day stock

Coal shortage at thermal power projects is still continuing as number of non-pit head projects having less than four days of coal (supercritical stock) rose to 61 on Tuesday from 58 on Monday, official data showed.

According to the latest coal-stock data of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the number of non-pit head projects having less than four days of coal was 61 on October 19 and 58 on October 18.

Nirav Modi UK extradition appeal to be heard on December 14

A British court will hear on December 14 an appeal filed by fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi against his extradition from the UK to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering in the estimated $2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case.

The 50-year-old jeweller, who remains behind bars at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest in March 2019, was granted permission to appeal against the Westminster Magistrates’ Court extradition order on mental health and human rights grounds.

Leicester City's Northern Irish manager Brendan Rodgers celebrates with Leicester City's Zambian striker Patson Daka after the UEFA Europa League football match between Spartak Moscow and Leicester City at Moscow's Spartak Stadium on October 20, 2021.

PM Modi invited CEOs to partner in development of oil & gas sector

PM Modi invitedCEOs to partner with India in the development of the oil andgas sector in India. "Goal is to make India Aatmanirbhar in the sector. Focus has shifted from revenue to production maximization," PM said during an interaction with CEOs andexperts of global oil andgas sector. (ANI)

Gates Foundation to spend $120M on access for Covid-19 pill

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says it will spend $120 million to boost access to generic versions of drugmaker Merck's antiviral Covid-19 pill for lower-income countries if the drug gets approved by regulators.

The private foundation said in a statement released Wednesday it hasn't determined how it will allocate the money but will use the funds to “support the range of activities required to develop and manufacture generic versions” of the drug, molnupiravir.

Bitcoin hits new record above $65,000 after Wall Street foray

Bitcoinstruck a record high Wednesday, a day after its foray onto Wall Street, as stocks largely held steady as investors tracked earnings and economic data. The dollar was mixed against its main rivals, while oil prices retreated.

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Security agencies probing larger conspiracy in Kashmir killings including Pakistan's role

The security agencies probing the recent civilian killings in Kashmir have also been looking at the possible involvement of Pakistan's nefarious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the sources in the intelligence grid said here on Wednesday.

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CBI files chargesheet in Jharkhand in Dhanbad case

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet in Jharkhand, in connection with Dhanbad judge murder case. The chargesheet has been filed under sections 302, 201 and 34 IPC, ANI reported.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at 11 locations in four districts of Jammu and Kashmir today and arrested four accused persons in the Jammu and Kashmir terrorism conspiracy case. (ANI)

Jaishankar calls on top Israeli leadership; discusses full potential of bilateral relations

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday had a "warm and rich" discussion with the top Israeli leadership on realising the full potential of the bilateral strategic partnership and exchanged views on the changes in the geopolitical landscape and global affairs.

Organisation of Kashmiri Hindus distribute food, water among migrant labourers stranded in Jammu

As thousands of migrant labourers continue to arrive in Jammu from Kashmir in the wake of recent incidents of civilian killings in the valley, Panun Kashmir, an organisation of displaced Kashmiri Hindus, and the Warehouse Traders' Association (WTA) have reached out to them with food and water. (PTI)

Sri Lanka Navy says missing Indian fisherman's body recovered

TheSriLankan Navy said on Wednesday that they have recovered the body of an Indian fisherman who went missing after the boat he was in along with two others was hit by a naval vessel of the island nation off the northern coast, the second such incident this year. (PTI)

Govt revises guidelines for international passengers

Travellers fully vaccinated and coming from a country with which India has reciprocal arrangements for mutual acceptance of WHO approved Covid-19 vaccines shall be allowed to leave the airport and need not undergo home quarantine and testing from October 25, according to the revised guidelines for international arrivals released on Wednesday.

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Agreements signed with 11 countries for mutual recognition of Covid vaccines: Govt

The health ministry on Wednesday said India has signed agreements for mutual recognition of nationally or WHO recognised Covid-19 vaccines with 11 countries including the UK, France, and Germany and fully vaccinated travellers coming from these countries shall be allowed to leave the airport and need not undergo home quarantine and testing. (PTI)

Jaishankar unveils plaque in memory of Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in WWI

42 people killed in rain-related incidents in Kerala in last 9 days

42 people have died due to rains and landslides between October 12 to October 20. Six people are missing, 304 relief centres opened in the State. Financial assistance to affected people will be given shortly, said Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. (ANI)

Retired pope hopes to soon join friends in 'the afterlife'

Retired Pope Benedict XVI has said he hopes to soon join a beloved professor friend in “the afterlife,” in a sign that the 94-year-old pontiff is not only accepting his eventual death but welcoming it. (AP)

Pak PM accused of selling gifts received from other countries' heads

Pakistan's Opposition parties on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of selling gifts he received from other countries' heads, including an expensive watch worth $1 million.

Gifts are routinely exchanged between heads of states or officers holding constitutional positions during a state visit. According to the gift depository (Toshakhana) rules, these gifts remain the property of the state unless sold at an open auction. Rules allow officials to retain gifts with a market value of less than Rs 10,000 without paying anything, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Tennis stars urged to get jabs or miss Australian Open

Elite tennis players should get vaccinated against Covid-19 or risk missing the Australian Open in January, Australian officials said Wednesday.Some players, including men's No. 1 Novak Djokovic, have advocated that the decision to get the vaccine should be a personal choice.But Australia's health minister Greg Hunt said the rules were straightforward: everyone arriving in the country needed to be double-vaccinated.

Delhi reports 25 new cases, 37 recoveries, and zero deaths in the last 24 hours withactive cases 310. (ANI)

UK fines Facebook £50.5 mn over takeover

Britain's competition watchdog said Wednesday it had fined Facebook more than £50 million for failing to supply information linked to its takeover of Giphy. (AFP)

Aryan Khan moves Bombay HC against bail rejection

Aryan Khan moves an application in the Bombay High Court against the Special NDPS Court order on his bail rejection, ANI reported.

Alibaba shares soar after Jack Ma reported on Europe trip

Alibaba shares surged more than six percent on Wednesday after billionaire founder Jack Ma was reported to be in Europe, fuelling investor hopes that the worst of China's regulatory crackdown for the internet giant might be over.

Priyanka Gandhi detained on her way to Agra to meet family of sanitation worker who died in custody

Prime Minister NarendraModiplants a sapling on the occasion of Abhidhamma Day, at Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar.

Putin will not attend COP 26 climate summit: Kremlin

Russian President VladimirPutinwill not attend next month's landmark UN climate summit, the Kremlin said on Wednesday but stressed that addressing climate change was one of Russia's top priorities. (AFP)

BSNL gets licence to operate Inmarsat's Global Xpress satellite comms services in India

Inmarsat on Wednesday said its strategic partner BSNL has secured necessary licences to deliver its Global Xpress (GX) mobile broadband services in India, that would enable Indian domestic airlines and international airlines flying over the country to provide high-speed inflight connectivity. (PTI)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a Web-Based Project Monitoring Portal (WBPMP) for Military Engineer Services (MES) at South Block today, ANI reported. The portal will enable real-time monitoring of projects from their inception to completion.

Samaritan worshippers hold a Torah scroll during a traditional pilgrimage marking the holiday of Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles, on top of Mount Gerizim, near the northern city of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

Drugs case: Aryan Khan's bail plea rejected

Aryan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau on October 3 after a dramatic cruise raid wherein at least eight people were detained and drugs seized.

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Russia regrets US absence from Moscow talks on Afghanistan, Lavrov says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow regretted the absence of US officials from international talks on Afghanistan with the Taliban on Wednesday.

The United States said it would not join this round of talks in the Russian capital due to technical reasons but planned to do so the future.

Police urge Hindu activists to vacate the place after an activist sits down on the road outside Sealdah railway station, during their march towards the Bangladesh High Commission to protest against the alleged attack on the ISKCON temple in Bangladesh, in Kolkata.

Decision on Air India will give new energy to aviation sector: Modi

With Air India set to be acquired by Tata group, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the decision on the national carrier will give new energy to the country's aviation sector.

His comments come weeks after Tata group emerged as the winning bidder for Air India paving the way for disinvestment of the loss-making carrier.

In an address after inaugurating the Kushinagar International airport, Modi said the decision on Air India will give new energy to the aviation sector of India.

Tata group has emerged as the winning bidder for Air India, and on October 11, a letter of intent (LoI) was issued to the group.

Voting underway for Alwar, Dholpur panchayat samiti, zila parishad elections

Polling for the first phase of panchayat samiti and zila parishad elections in Alwar and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan began at 8 am on Wednesday.

A State Election Commission spokesperson said 10.87 per cent voting was recorded till 10 am.
In the first phase, 9,41,490 voters will be able to exercise their franchise in both the districts, the official said, adding that 1,263 polling stations have been set up.

In this phase, 683 candidates are in the fray for 153 wards of seven panchayat samitis.
Voting for the second phase will be held on October 23 and the third on October 26. Counting will take place on October 29.

We think you are dragging your feet: SC directs UP government to record witness statements

“We think you are dragging your feet. You please dispel this,” the Supreme Court on Wednesday told the Uttar Pradesh government while hearing the Lakhimpur Kheri matter, and asked it to record statements of remaining witnesses in the case before a judicial magistrate.

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Two unidentified terrorists killed in Dragad area of Shopian during an encounter. Search operation is underway, says J&K Police, according to ANI.

Trinamool says it is first party to give 40% seats to women in polls, hope Cong's attempt not 'tokenism'

Grenade targets Taliban vehicle in Afghan capital: Officials

A grenade was thrown at a Taliban vehicle in the Afghan capital on Wednesday morning, wounding two fighters and four nearby school children, government officials said.

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PM Modi Inaugurates Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh

Govt trusts citizens, doesn't look at them with doubt, says PM Modi

Today, the Government in the country trusts the citizens of the country and does not look at them with doubt. This trust has also blocked many avenues of corruption. Therefore, removing layers of verification of documents has created a way to avoid corruption and unnecessary trouble, says PM Modi.

IPL gambling racket: 27 arrested, Rs 78 lakh siezed in Bengaluru

Bengaluru Central Crime Branch said on Wednesday that 27 persons were arrested in connection with anIPL gambling racket. Police have seized Rs 78 lakh and registered as many as 20 cases, CCB said, according to ANI

PM Modi addresses joint conferance of CVC, CBI

India logs 14,623 new Covid-19 cases, 197 deaths

DH Web Desk,

• OCT 20 2021, 09:21 IST
• UPDATED: OCT 20 2021, 09:22 IST

The active cases have declined to 1,78,098, according to the data updated at 8 am. Credit: AFP Photo

India on Wednesdayreported14,623 new Covid-19 cases and197 deaths, Union Health Ministry data showed.

Meanwhile, Kerala continues to account for more than half of the nation'sdaily Covid-19 cases with 7,643 new cases and 77 deaths.

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AP's TDP declares bandh today over vandalism at party office

Beijing rolls out Covid-19 booster shots ahead of Olympics

Beijing is starting to offer residents booster jabs for Covid-19, local media said Wednesday, as the Chinese capital gears up to host a tightly controlled Winter Olympics in February.

China has fully vaccinated more than one billion people -- more than 78 per cent of the population -- as of mid-September, according to the National Health Commission.

But there are concerns over the efficacy of Chinese vaccines against the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Covid was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has since swept the globe, but strict border controls have mostly reduced the number of daily cases in China to a trickle.

Fuel on fire! Petrol, diesel rates soar to record high

In no respite to the common man, prices of petrol and diesel rose by around 35 paise on Wesnesday.

Petrol is now Rs 106.19 a litre and diesel Rs 94.92 a litre in the national capital.

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Netflix workers plan walkout as fallout over Dave Chappelle continues

Two weeks after the debut of Dave Chappelle’s standup specialThe Closeron Netflix, the streaming giant is still grappling with internal backlash as a group of staffers prepare to stage a virtual walkout Wednesday.

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IMF says chief economist Gopinath to leave post in January

IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath will leave her post and return to Harvard University's economics department in January, the fund announced Tuesday.

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Olympic flame arrives in China ahead of 2022 Beijing Games

The Olympic flame arrived in China early Wednesday for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, state media reported, following a ceremony in Athens overshadowed by protests over China's human rights record.

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Google unveils Pixel 6, 6 Pro with Tensor silicon

As promised, Google on Tuesday (October 19) pulled the wraps off the new Pixel 6, 6 Pro during the virtual event streamed from its flagship Google hardware store in New York City.

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