Highlights: Babul Supriyo to meet Lok Sabha speaker on October 19

TMC leader Babul Supriyo is expected to meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Tuesday (October 19) to submit his resignation as BJP MP, reported news agency ANI. He joined TMC last month.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Sunday said the technical advisory group will meet on October 26 to consider EUL (Emergency use listing) for Covaxin. WHO has been working closely with Covaxin-maker Bharat Biotech to complete the dossier, she added. 

Former US president Bill Clinton was on Sunday released from a California hospital after spending five nights in treatment for an infection, reports news agency AFP.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar today announced ₹2 Lakh each as ex-gratia for kins of Raja Reshi Dev and Joginder Reshi Dev, who were killed by terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir this evening. The chief minister also spoke to J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and expressed his concern over the killings.

An advisory was issued in Jammu and Kashmir to bring all non-locals to nearby army and police camps. The advisory was issued on Sunday hours after terrorists fired indiscriminately on non-local labourers in Kulgam, killing two and injuring one. 

All schools in Uttarakhand will remain closed on October 18, 2021, in view of heavy rain alert issued for the state, Banshidhar Tiwari, director-general, education, said. 

At least 2 civilans (non-locals) were on Sunday killed and one injured in a fresh attack by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam. This was the third attack on non-local in Kashmir since last night, and second in south Kashmir.  Read more

Farmers' leader Rakesh Tikait asserted that the Singhu border killing was a religious matter and the government should not link it to farmers' protest. “We're talking to them that they're not needed here as of now...Govt can deteriorate the situation. The conspiracy was executed by govts..,” he added.

The body of the second pilot of the helicopter which crashed in Ranjit Sagar Dam has been recovered, informed J&K police. The body was retireved 76 days after an Indian Army helicopter crashed into Ranjit Sagar Dam on August 3.

The Chamoli Police on Sunday informed that one person died while three were injured after they met with an accident near Badrinath National Highway-07. Two people are still missing. “They were returning from Badrinath Dham. Search operation is underway to find the missing persons,”- the Police added.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah called the spate of killings of civilians in the Valley over the past few days a “conspiracy to defame Kashmiris”.

"The killing of innocent people is unfortunate. It is a conspiracy to defame Kashmiris," news agency ANI quoted Farooq Abdullah as saying. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the current situation in the state after torrential rain besieged many districts. "Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @vijayanpinarayi and discussed the situation in the wake of heavy rains and landslides in Kerala. Authorities are working on the ground to assist the injured and affected. I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being, he said on Twitter. Read more

Covid taskforce chief VK Paul on Sunday said that the second wave of Coronavirus is subsiding but, added, it was not fair to say that the worst is over. 

VK Paul further stated that Zydus Cadila's Covid-19 vaccine will be rolled out soon. Cadila's Covid-19 vaccine is world’s first DNA-based needle-free Covid-19 vaccine.

All schools and anganwadis in Dehradun district will remain closed on October 18, 2021, in wake of heavy rain alert in the state, District Magistrate R Rajesh Kumar announced on Sunday.

Chamoli DM Himanshu Khurana on Sunday urged all visitors to Badrinath temple to stay at safe locations in wake of heavy rain warnings. “They're advised to stay back at Joshimath & Pandukeshwar until weather condition improves. All schools in Chamoli to be closed on Monday,” he added. 

Meanwhile, all trekking/camping, mountaineering groups have been barred from entering into all the forest areas of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Gopeshwar from October 17 to 19, in wake of the heavy rain alert in the state.

All three accused in the Singhu border killing- Narayan Singh, Bhagwant Singh & Govind Preet Singh- have been sent to a 6-day Police custody. They were produced before Sonipat Court today.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday assured that all arrangements have been made in wake of the heavy rain alert in the state on October 18-19.  He also requested all devotees undertaking Char Dham yatra to postone it by a day or two.

“I've spoken with Chief Secy and all DMs-SSPs. We -ministers & officers- will meet again at 5:30 pm today. We requested all devotees undertaking Char Dham Yatra to postpone yatra by 1-2 days in wake of heavy rain alert for 18-19 Oct,” he said. 

Three accused in the Singhu border killing were brought to the Sonipat court on Sunday. On October 15, the body of a man was found tied to a barricade at the Singhu border with a hand chopped off and multiple wounds caused by sharp-edged weapons.

All schools will remain closed in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on October 18, in view of heavy rainfall warning, District Magistrate Mayur Dikshit announced on Sunday.

Ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday the election math is simple and that his party will cross 300 seats.

“It has been heard that BJP is going to cut tickets of its 150 MLAs. 100 MLAs sat on protest in the State Assembly against CM Yogi Adityanath. We already have 50 MLAs. So the calculation is simple, we've crossed 300 seats,” news agency ANI quoted Yadav as saying on Sunday.

The Indian Meterological Department (IMD) on Sunday said that intense spell of rains over Kerala & Mahe, South Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal is likely to reduce from today.

“Intense spell of rainfall activity over northwest region of the country likely to continue till Oct 19, over eastern region till 20th October and over northeast region during 18th-21st October,” the weather department added. 

The Uttar Pradesh government announced on Sunday that it will provide a financial help of ₹50,000 to families of those who succumbed to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand on Monday along with an orange in the state till Tuesday. The state government has been asked to remain alert and make all necessary arrangements. 

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit emphasised that G-23 is not a separate group and the party high command should either consider the demands of the group or reject them. 

Dikshit, who himself is a member of G-23, told news agency ANI, ""G-23 is not a separate group. Rather, the members of G23 have some demands to bring reforms in the party. The demands still persist. As far as the full-time president is concerned, Sonia Gandhi said that she is the full-time president so we now come to know that the party has a full-time president."

Two days after a deadly blast at a Shi'ite mosque in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on October 15 (Friday) killed over 60 worshipers and injured more than 80, the Islamic State threatened in a statement that Shi’ite Muslims are "perilous" and they will be targeted everywhere. Read more