11:50 PMFire breaks out in dumping yard in Bhayander; no report of injuries
A major fire broke out in Uttan dumping yard in Bhayander in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday, a civic official said.
The blaze started at 8pm and three fire engines of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation were engaged in dousing operations, Thane regional disaster management cell chief Avinash Sawant informed.
There is no report of anyone getting injured in the blaze, he added.
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11:37 PMBadminton Championships 2023: India lose 2-3 to China in semi-final to settle for bronze
Badminton Championships 2023: India lose 2-3 to China in semi-final to settle for bronze
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11:36 PMPiyush Goyal bats for promoting local products to make India self-reliant
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday emphasised on the importance of promoting local products to make India self-reliant.
Addressing a session in which of founders different start-ups from the Northeast participated, he said the quality of manufacturing must be maintained as it impacts the business.
"The quality will play a key role and help companies deliver products and services that exceed expectations, helping them expand their markets," Goyal said.
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10:39 PMCentre making roads worth Rs 3 trillion in NE to help eradicate poverty: Gadkari
The Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making roads valued at Rs 3 lakh crore in the North East to help eradicate poverty and reduce the suffering of the people, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday. The Union minister for roads, transport and highways said road projects worth over Rs 25,000 crore are being implemented in Meghalaya.
Addressing election rallies in South Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills districts, Gadkari said, To eradicate poverty and reduce the suffering of people, we have to make good roads and in NE, the Modi government is making roads worth 3 lakh crore which will be completed by 2024.
The minister said that the network of road connectivity in NE has increased by 25 per cent since 2014.
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10:33 PMGST Council okays setting up tribunals, specific levy for pan masala firms
The all-powerful 49th GST Council meeting on Saturday approved the two key proposals of the ministerial state panels, including setting up dedicated appellate tribunal to resolve GST-related disputes and tightening norms for evasion-prone commodities such as pan masala and gutka.
The government expects the appellate tribunal to be operational by the end of this year. The final draft of the framework is likely to be a part of the Finance Bill 2023. On the other hand, to curb tax evasion by gutka companies, a specific levy will be worked out soon.
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9:54 PMICC Women T20 World Cup: India lose to England by 11 runs in Group-2 match
ICC Women T20 World Cup: India lose to England by 11 runs in Group-2 match
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9:21 PMMCD to use drone, hi-tech gadgets to combat dengue this year, focus on G20 sites
Drones and Artificial Intelligence-based platforms will be used by civic authorities as part of their comprehensive plan to combat dengue this year, with focussed fumigation at monument sites, hotels and markets in Delhi, which will host the G20 summit in September.
According to a senior official of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), "Our plan is to make the city cleaner, safer and more vibrant" so that the visiting delegates of the influential bloc go back with a wonderful experience.
India assumed the year-long presidency of G20 on December 1. More than 200 meetings of the G20 will be held at 55 locations across the country and the summit will take place here in September.
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9:00 PMAmit Shah to visit Karnataka on Feb 23
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit poll-bound Karnataka on February 23 to take part in two major public events in Bengaluru and Ballari, sources in the BJP said on Saturday.
Shah will attend a public meeting in Bengaluru. He will also hold a brief meeting with the party leaders here to discuss the election strategy, sources said.
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8:23 PMKandla-bound SpiceJet flight returns to Mumbai airport due to cabin 'pressurisation alert'
A Kandla-bound SpiceJet flight from Mumbai returned to the city airport on Saturday due to a cabin "pressurisation alert," the airline has said. The aircraft has landed safely and neither passengers nor crew members have reported any discomfort, SpiceJet said in a statement. The airline, however, did not share the number of persons onboard the Bombardier Q400 aircraft.
On February 18, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was scheduled to operate the airline's flight SG-2903 (Mumbai - Kandla), the airline said in the statement.
"After take-off, cabin pressurisation alert came. The pilot-in-command decided to return to Mumbai," it said.
According to SpiceJet, the Mumbai Air Traffic Control was apprised of the situation and the aircraft was landed "safely" at Mumbai. The operation of the airline's flight to Tirupati from Mumbai was also affected. It has not been cancelled, the statement said, adding that only its scheduled time of departure has been revised.
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7:46 PMUS balloon claim 'hysterical and absurd': China's top diplomat Wang Yi
China on Saturday lambasted the US for claiming its balloons as surveillance objects and termed it as "hysterical and absurd".
Addressing a gathering of world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, China's top diplomat Wang Yi alleged the US of trying to "smear" the Asian giant while it itself was implementing policies that ran counter to its paradigms such as free trade.
Washington, he said, had the wrong view of China as a serious geopolitical challenge and a threat to the United States. "This is a misguided perception of China and with this perception, the United States is using all of its means to smear and clamp down China, and is co-opting other countries to do the same," he said.
He said that US President Joe Biden's administration has a "misguided" perception of Beijing.
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7:33 PMRussia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, says USA
US Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday Washington has determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, and insisted that justice must be served to the perpetrators.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Harris said that the international community has both a moral and a strategic interest in pursuing those crimes, pointing to a danger of other authoritarian governments taking advantage if international rules are undermined.
Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population - gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation, Harris said. She also cited execution-style killings, beatings, and electrocution.
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7:25 PMUddhav Thackeray supporters protest against Election Commission of India
Supporters of the Shiv Sena (UBT) protested here on Saturday against the Election Commission of India which has allotted the name 'Shiv Sena' and its poll symbol 'bow and arrow' to the group led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The protesters accused the EC of acting at the behest of the Narendra Modi government. Shinde and Modi's party BJP are the ruling partners in Maharashtra.
Bhaskar Ambekar, affiliated with the Uddhav Thackeray group, said all government and constitutional bodies are working under the pressure of the BJP-ruled Centre and decisions are being made by "trampling" the law and Constitution.
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7:17 PMAware of its limitations, US now ready to work with like-minded allies: S Jaishankar
Highlighting the changes in the world order from uni-polar to multi-polarity, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the US is aware of its limitations and has changed its mindset as it is now ready to work with like-minded allies.
"The US is actually getting into a mindset where it is aware of that limitation and is open to working with like-minded partners and addressing it," Jaishankar said while addressing the Raisina@Sydney event.
The External Affairs Minister was referring to the changing geopolitical equations across the world. Owing to the emergence of a multipolar world, the economic cycles and financial market trends are becoming less US-centric and more multipolar in nature.
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