A site of the accident after three bogies of North East Express derailed near Raghunathpur railway station in Bihar’s Buxar district, Wednesday evening, Oct. 11, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

‘Operation Ajay’ set to evacuate Indian nationals from Israel

India is putting in place a major operation to evacuate its citizens who wish to return from conflict-hit Israel. Announcing the initiative late on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said special chartered flights are being arranged. 

Bihar train accident | 4 dead, more than 60 injured as North East Superfast Express derails in Buxar

Four persons were killed and over 60 injured when six coaches of the Assam-bound North East Superfast Express derailed in Buxar district of Bihar late on Wednesday, an official said.

Israel forms emergency govt for duration of war against Hamas

As Israel kept bombing Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a political rival announced an emergency government for the duration of the conflict.

Supreme Court Collegium stands firm on transfer of Justice Muralidharan out of Manipur

The Supreme Court Collegium on Wednesday stood firm by its resolve to recommend the transfer of Manipur High Court judge, Justice M.V. Muralidharan, to the Calcutta High Court for “better administration of justice”.

At Indian Ocean conference in Colombo, Jaishankar raises dangers of unviable debt, projects

India wants to be a “friend to the world”, the voice of the global south, and will work to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indian Ocean region, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at the annual meeting of the 23-member Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) being held in Colombo, where he also raised the “dangers” of unsustainable debt. 

PM Modi to visit Uttarakhand’s Kumaon on October 12

Cultural troupes from Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region will welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi at several points of a renovated 6-km road decorated with murals and paintings as he travels from the Naini Saini airport to a public meeting venue here on Thursday.

Cauvery Committee retains water release recommendation of 3,000 cusecs to T.N.

The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has directed Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at 3,000 cusecs daily from October 15 to 31, retaining the flow rate mandated from October 1 to 15.

Manipur bans sharing of videos or photos of violence on social media

Amid the ethnic conflict, the Manipur government on Wednesday banned the spread of videos and pictures depicting violence on social media. 

Assembly polls | Indecision continues on date of INDIA bloc inaugural rally

The indecision continues over the date for the very first rally of the INDIA bloc, which for now is scheduled to be held in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The festival season and hectic poll preparations for Assembly elections in five States have thrown the plans for the bloc’s first rally into disarray.

Ind vs Afg | Rohit’s swashbuckling century makes easy work of Afghanistan

Rohit Sharma’s incandescent shots lit up the Delhi skies as India cantered to an eight-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the World Cup match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Wednesday.

An emergency personnel works to extinguish fire after rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel October 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Israel-Palestine conflict live updates

Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday on October 7, killing more than 200 and stunning the country.

GST Council affirms 28% tax on online betting from October 1

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Saturday lowered the tax rates on certain millet-based products, tweaked the age-related norms for members of the much-awaited GST Appellate Tribunals, and ceded the taxation rights on extra neutral alcohol to the States, while lifting the haze on several long-hanging issues.

Two 6.3-magnitude earthquakes kill dozens and injure many more in western Afghanistan

 Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country’s national disaster authority said.

Sikkim flash floods | Eight soldiers killed, search on for 14 missing

Eight Army personnel have lost their lives in the flash floods that followed a glacial lake burst in Sikkim this week, while search efforts to locate 14 missing soldiers are continuing, the Indian Army said on Saturday, adding that the operational situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is stable.

UGC to train over 1,000 teachers to teach Indian knowledge systems from degree level

More than 1,000 university teachers across the country are being equipped with a working understanding of Indian traditions, culture and way of life, to enable them to teach relevant courses on Indian knowledge systems at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels from the next academic session.

Air India cancels Tel Aviv flight after Hamas attack on Israel

Flag carrier Air India cancelled its Delhi-Tel Aviv flight on Saturday after Palestine’s Hamas launched an attack against Israel.

ITBP on alert, conducting patrols along China border: Home Ministry

The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) conducted 2,899 patrols along the China border between April and December 2022, according to the 2022-23 annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs that was published on Friday.

Delhi Police’s claims bogus, untenable: NewsClick

The Delhi police’s allegations against Newsclick in its August 17 first information report (FIR) are ex facie untenable and bogus, the news portal said on Saturday. It added that these allegations have already been made, time and again, in investigations by three government agencies: the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police, and the income tax department.

SA vs SL | Markram records fastest World Cup ton as South Africa wallops Sri Lanka

South Africa wins by 102 runs against Sri Lanka and records the highest aggregate ever in a World Cup match during their clash in Delhi on Saturday.

Hangzhou Asian Games kabaddi | Indian men and women regain gold

An hour for two points and a minute — that sums up the men’s kabaddi final between India and Iran at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on October 7 that started on a tense note, built up to a nail-biting climax and then, out of nowhere, descended into a chaotic, confusing farce that left both teams and their managements furious and amazed and critical of the refereeing before it was finally settled 33-29 in India’s favour.

The Biden administration will likely try to stay out of the diplomatic dispute between Canada and India as much it can, aiming not to disrupt the progress it’s made in its relationship with PM Narendra Modi’s government, the founder of political strategy firm Signum Global Advisors says. “We’re doing everything we can to engage with India to try to help outcompete China, and I don’t think the United States is going to get too involved” in the dispute, Signum Chairman Charles Myers said on BNN Bloomberg Television. Myers, former vice chairman at Evercore, is a longtime Democratic Party donor who has raised money for Biden.

Canada and India relations have been strained over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot on June 18 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week there’s “credible” evidence that links the Indian government to the murder of Nijjar. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday urged India to work with Canada in its investigation in the case. “We want to see accountability, and it’s important that the investigation run its course and lead to that result,” he said.

But US and other allies have stopped short of taking any specific retaliatory measures, such as expelling Indian diplomats.

The Indian government, which denied involvement in the killing, has designated Nijjar as a Khalistani terrorist and criticized Trudeau’s government for not doing more to combat “anti-India activities” within the Indian diaspora in Canada.

Canada kicked out a senior Indian diplomat from the country, and India retaliated in a tit-for-tat move. India has suspended visa applications for Canadians, a measure that will choke off business and leisure travel from Canada if it’s kept in place for long.

“For Prime Minister Trudeau to even make these allegations public, he has to have very good intel and evidence, given how serious the allegation is,” said Myers. “If true, it is an example of state-sponsored terrorism on Canadian soil.”

Even so, the US is “going to try to stay out of this,” he said.

The Biden administration will likely try to stay out of the diplomatic dispute between Canada and India as much it can, aiming not to disrupt the progress it’s made in its relationship with PM Narendra Modi’s government, the founder of political strategy firm Signum Global Advisors says. “We’re doing everything we can to engage with India to try to help outcompete China, and I don’t think the United States is going to get too involved” in the dispute, Signum Chairman Charles Myers said on BNN Bloomberg Television. Myers, former vice chairman at Evercore, is a longtime Democratic Party donor who has raised money for Biden.

Canada and India relations have been strained over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot on June 18 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week there’s “credible” evidence that links the Indian government to the murder of Nijjar. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday urged India to work with Canada in its investigation in the case. “We want to see accountability, and it’s important that the investigation run its course and lead to that result,” he said.

But US and other allies have stopped short of taking any specific retaliatory measures, such as expelling Indian diplomats.

The Indian government, which denied involvement in the killing, has designated Nijjar as a Khalistani terrorist and criticized Trudeau’s government for not doing more to combat “anti-India activities” within the Indian diaspora in Canada.

Canada kicked out a senior Indian diplomat from the country, and India retaliated in a tit-for-tat move. India has suspended visa applications for Canadians, a measure that will choke off business and leisure travel from Canada if it’s kept in place for long.

“For Prime Minister Trudeau to even make these allegations public, he has to have very good intel and evidence, given how serious the allegation is,” said Myers. “If true, it is an example of state-sponsored terrorism on Canadian soil.”

Even so, the US is “going to try to stay out of this,” he said.

Area under sugarcane has increased 4% this year. This is expected to result in sugar production going up to 399.97 lakh tonnes (before diversion for ethanol) next season as against 394 lakh tonnes this sugar season, says ISMA.
| Photo Credit: iprachenko

Sugar production during the next season (October 2022 to September 2023) is expected to be about five lakh tonnes higher than the current season, according to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) estimates.

Area under sugarcane has increased 4% this year. This is expected to result in sugar production going up to 399.97 lakh tonnes (before diversion for ethanol) next season as against 394 lakh tonnes this sugar season, the Association said in a press statement.

In the current season, almost 34 lakh tonnes of sugar was diverted for ethanol till July 10. Ethanol blending in 2022-2023 is expected to be 12% and hence, about 545 crore litres of ethanol would be required. It is estimated that about 45 lakh tonnes would be diverted for ethanol next sugar season.

With domestic consumption of sugar estimated to be approximately 275 lakh tonnes, 2022-2023 sugar season would have almost 80 lakh tonnes of surplus sugar which can be exported, the ISMA said.