THE HEADLINES:
- Forty Two Indian Umra Pilgrims killed after bus carrying them collides with a diesel tanker on its way to Madinah in Saudi Arabia this morning; Indian Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah providing all possible assistance.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sadness at the accident.
- Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi warns Pakistan against any future misdeeds; Says 88-hour Operation Sindoor was ‘Just a Trailer’.
- A Delhi court grants NIA, 10 day custody of Red Fort blast accused Amir Rashid Ali.
- Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recommends to state Governor to dissolve state cabinet.
- International Criminal Tribunal of Bangladesh to announce its verdict in 'Crimes Against Humanity' case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today.
- And, Indian public sector oil companies sign a one-year deal to import Liquefied Petroleum Gas, from the United States.
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In Saudi Arabia, 42 Indian Umrah pilgrims have been killed after a passenger bus carrying them from Mecca to Madinah collided with a diesel tanker early this morning. According to preliminary reports, the incident occurred around 1.30 am Indian time at a location identified as Mufrihat. The group was returning from Mecca after completing their rituals and was en route to Madinah at the time of the accident. More from our West Asia correspondent, Vinod Kumar:
The Consulate General of India in Jeddah has issued helpline numbers in view of the tragic bus accident near Madina in Saudi Arabia today. In a social media post, the consulate informed that a 24*7 control room has been set up in the premises. The helpline numbers are: 800-244-0003, 012-261-4093, 012-661-4276, 055-612-2301. I repeat the helpline numbers: 800-244-0003; 012-261-4093; 012-661-4276; 055-612-2301.
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed sadness at the loss of lives including Indian nationals in Medinah accident. In a social media post, Mr Radhakrishnan said, his thoughts are with the affected families during this difficult time and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Prime Minister Modi said, his thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones and also prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has also expressed grief over the accident.
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Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has expressed deep shock over the accident. In a release, the chief minister said initial reports indicate that many of the passengers in the bus hailed from Hyderabad. He instructed the State Chief Secretary and DGP to find out the details of the victims in the bus accident. A control room has been set up in the State Secretariat in Hyderabad with the numbers 91 79979 59754 and 99129 19545. In addition, a control room has also been set up at Telangana Bhavan in Delhi. The Contact Numbers are, 98719 99044, 99583 22143 and 96437 23157.
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Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has said, Operation Sindoor was just a trailer which ended in 88 hours. He said, India is prepared for any circumstances in future. General Dwivedi said, if Pakistan ever did a misdeed, the Indian Armed Forces will teach the neighbouring nation how to behave responsibly with India. The Army Chief said that state-sponsored terrorism is a concern for India because it always talks about progress and development. Addressing a curtain raiser of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, 2025 in New Delhi, General Dwivedi said, there has been a significant decline in terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir.
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A Delhi court today sent Amir Rashid Ali, an accused in the Red Fort blast case, to 10 days’ custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A resident of Kashmir, Ali is accused of conspiring with Umar Muhammad Nabi. He was produced before the Principal District and Sessions Judge. The court granted the NIA’s request for his custodial interrogation. The NIA arrested Ali yesterday, in whose name the car used in the attack was registered. He was apprehended in Delhi during an extensive search operation. The investigation is ongoing. The NIA is coordinating with Delhi Police, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, and several central agencies as it continues its probe across multiple states.
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In Bihar, the state cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today recommended dissolving the cabinet of the outgoing NDA government. The recommendation was made to dissolve the current government’s cabinet from the 19th November. After the last cabinet meeting of the present government, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited Raj Bhavan and handed over a letter to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan conveying the cabinet’s decision to dissolve it. After this, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will attend the Janata Dal (United) Legislature Party meeting. Nitish Kumar is likely to be unanimously elected as the legislature party leader. More from our correspondent:
In Bihar the swearing-in ceremony of the new government will take place on 20th November at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Preparations for the swearing-in ceremony have started. Security around Gandhi Maidan has been tightened in view of the ceremony. Tomorrow, the NDA Legislative Party will meet, in which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to be elected as its leader. Only after this will the newly elected legislative leader of the NDA will stake claim to form the government and submit the list of supporting MLAs to the Governor. Dharmendra Kumar Rai Akashvani News Patna.
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The meeting of Northern Zonal Council is underway at Faridabad in Haryana. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is chairing the meeting. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Bhajan Lal Sharma, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Senior officials are participating in the meeting. A moment of silence was observed in the meeting to pay tribute to the victims of the Delhi Red Fort blast. Coordination among the state governments, water sharing issues and development work is expected to be discussed in the meeting.
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In Bangladesh, the International Crimes Tribunal is now pronouncing the verdict in the high-profile crimes against humanity case involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her close aides.
Additional forces from the Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion and the army have been deployed around the tribunal premises.
The charges against Hasina originate from the student-led uprising of July-August last year, during which, prosecutors allege, the then Awami League government carried out a violent suppression of protesters. Along with Hasina, the tribunal is trying former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who has since turned state witness.
Hasina and Kamal are being tried in absentia after fleeing the country in the wake of the unrest. Al-Mamun, who remains in custody, has reportedly given detailed testimony describing how alleged directives from top officials were executed.
Security agencies have intensified patrols not only in Dhaka but also in Gopalganj, Madaripur, and Faridpur, anticipating political gatherings or unrest following the verdict.
Analysts say the upcoming verdict could have significant political repercussions, arriving just months ahead of the scheduled national elections.
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Indian public sector oil companies have signed a one-year deal to import Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG from the United States. In a social media post, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, the companies will import around 2.2 million tonnes per annum of LPG, which will be sourced from the US Gulf Coast. He said, the government has been diversifying its LPG sourcing to provide secure, affordable supplies of LPG to the citizens. Mr Puri informed that a team of officials from Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited had visited the US and engaged in discussions with major US producers over the last few months. The Minister underscored that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian PSU oil companies have been providing LPG at the lowest global prices to people in the country.
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Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology today announced the 2nd tranche of Electronic Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) in New Delhi today. Under the 2nd Tranche, 17 applications have been approved with an outlay of over seven thousand crore rupees. On the occasion, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw handed over the approval letter to the representatives of the companies. Briefing the media, Mr. Vaishnaw said that these projects will generate production worth 60 thousand crore rupees and over 11 thousand jobs.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions to prevail over Chhattisgarh, Madhya Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Vidarbha today. Heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal is also predicted for today. Similar conditions are expected over Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mahe during the next two to three days. Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi-NCR continues to be in the very poor category. With Air Quality Index (AQI) of 349 recorded at 1 PM today. In view of the poor air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management has imposed Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan in the national capital and adjoining areas.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, were trading over 0.3 per cent up in afternoon trade today. The Sensex rose 308 points to 84 thousand and 871, while the Nifty added 85 points to 25 thousand 995, when reports last came in. Most sectoral indices were trading with gains, with Banking, Auto, and Media leading the charge.
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The Indian Navy has unveiled the crest of Mahe, the first ship of the indigenously designed and built Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft. The Ministry of Defence informed that the crest is inspired from the cultural and martial legacy of Kerala, depicting a flexible sword named Urumi which is associated with Kalarippayattu and is a symbol of Kerala’s martial heritage.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Forty Two Indian Umra Pilgrims killed after bus carrying them collides with a diesel tanker on its way to Madinah in Saudi Arabia this morning; Indian Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah providing all possible assistance.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sadness at the accident.
- Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi warns Pakistan against any future misdeeds; Says 88-hour Operation Sindoor was ‘Just a Trailer’.
- A Delhi court grants NIA, 10 day custody of Red Fort blast accused Amir Rashid Ali.
- Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recommends to state Governor to dissolve state cabinet.
- International Criminal Tribunal of Bangladesh holds Ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina guilty of 'Crimes Against Humanity'.
- And, Indian public sector oil companies sign a one-year deal to import Liquefied Petroleum Gas, from the United States.
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