Highlights: India re-elected to UN Human Rights Council for 6th term

At least one person died, and 14 others have been injured in a collision between a bus and a truck inside the Aut tunnel in Mandi district today, said Mandi superintendent of police Shalini Agnihotri. The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The police registered a case and started investigation in this regard, the SP added.

Earthquake of magnitude 3.2 on the Richter scale occurred at Vijayapura in Karnataka, bordering Maharashtra at 6:21pm today, according to the National Center for Seismology.

“Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has achieved the milestone of 100% coverage of the first dose Covid-19 vaccine for the age group of above 18 years old across all 20 districts,” the Jammu and Kashmir administration said on Thursday.

In an ongoing counter terrorist operation in general area Nar Khas Forest, Mendhar Sub Division, District Poonch there has been exchange of fire between army troops and terrorists during evening hours on 14 Oct 2021. During the ensuing exchange of fire one JCO and one soldier have been critically injured. The operations are under progress, the Indian Army said, issuing clarification. Read more here

India gets re-elected to UN Human Rights Council for 6th term with overwhelming majority. 

Other states elected by a majority of the 193 members of the UN General Assembly are: United States, Argentina, Benin, Cameroon, Finland, Gambia, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Somalia and the United Arab Emirates.

Two army personnel – a JCO and a soldier – were killed in Bhata Dhurian area of Mendhar sub divison in Poonch district during an encounter between the forces and militants.

Traffic has been suspended on Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch national highway due to the ongoing operation.

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The Delhi Disaster Management Authority said that all district magistrates and DPCs should enforce Covid appropriate behaviour at vulnerable places during festivals, reports ANI. 

Maharashtra reported 2,384 new Covid-19 cases as the total confirmed infections reached 6,586,280 and 35 more deaths pushed the toll to 139,705. Mumbai added 558 infections and five deaths to the state's tally. The city has so far reported 750,494 cases and 16,172 deaths.

Congress leader Harish Rawat said that Navjot Singh Sidhu would agree to the Congress president's decision and he would continue the state unit's president.

Sidhu said he has expressed his concerns to the party high command and will follow their directions, reports ANI. 

Punjab Congress leaders Navjot Singh Sidhu and Harish Rawat arrived at the All India Congress Committee office in Delhi to discuss organisational matters regarding party's state unit, reports ANI. 

The ministry of external affairs said that India has been invited to the Moscow Format Meeting on Afghanistan on October 20. “We will be participating in it. It is likely that we will have it at the joint secretary-level,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, reports ANI. 

A special NDPS Court rejected the bail plea of actor Armaan Kohli in a drugs case. The NCB arrested Kohli earlier in August for alleged possession of narcotic substances.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address an event tomorrow, organised by the ministry of defence to dedicate the seven new Defence Companies to the nation, reports ANI quoting the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is currently admitted in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, reports ANI. 

The Norway bow-and-arrow attack, in which five people were killed, appeared to be an "act of terror," reports AFP citing the country's security services.

Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the economy is reopening in “calibrated way,” reports ANI. 

“Our petrol consumption is 10-15% more than pre-Covid times. Diesel consumption is 10% higher than pre-Covid times. The economic activity is reviving,” Puri said.

No bail for Aryan Khan yet as the Mumbai court hearing the arguments from both sides in the bail plea of Aryan Khan, Actor Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmun Dhamecha, adjourned the matter to October 20 for bail order.

Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, Nepal, Myanmar, Iran and Bangladesh have received 10 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses each, reports ANI citing government sources.

Tamil Nadu government has announced more Covid-19 relaxations in the state. Places have worship have been opened to public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Shops allowed till 11pm and beaches have also been opened for public on Sundays. 

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) writes to Delhi Government about a complaint against it for using minor school children of Delhi for a promotion advertisement shoot, violating Covid-19 protocol guidelines and endangering the lives of minor school children, reports ANI

An overnight fire that broke out in a building in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan, left 46 people dead and dozens more injured, reports AFP.

Russia reported grim number of 31,299 daily Covid-19 infections and 986 deaths in the last 24 hours, a new high in the country. The death toll reached 220,315, the highest in Europe, reports AFP. 

Union coal minister Pralhad Joshi said that there was a shortage of coal due to rains and as coal import was ceased and also said that efforts to fulfill demands of thermal power is underway, reports ANI.

A fire engulfed a 13-story building overnight in southern Taiwan, killing nine people and injuring 44, the island’s semi-official Central News Agency reported Thursday.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has claimed that his party can win 400 seats in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled next year. He also said that SP's aim is to remove the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Read More