Midday News -

THE HEADLINES:

Election Commission announces dates for assembly elections in five states; Mizoram to go to polls on 7th November; Madhya Pradesh on 17th; Voting in Rajasthan to take place on 23rd and in Telangana on 30th November.
Chhattisgarh elections in two phases on 7th and 17th November; Counting of votes for all five states to be held on 3rd of December.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan hold bilateral and delegation level talks in New Delhi today; Both countries agree on a five year defence roadmap.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh to be on a four day visit to Italy and France from today.
Casualties in Israel-Hamas conflict rise over 1100 as war intencifies.
In ICC ODI Men’s World Cup Cricket, match between New Zealand and Netherlands begins at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

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The assembly elections in Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana will be held between 7th to 30th of next month, while the counting for all five states will take place on 3rd December. The Election Commission today announced the poll schedule for these five states. In Mizoram, the polling will be held on 7th November and the notification will be issued on 13th of this month. Chhattisgarh will go to poll in two phases on 7th and 17th of November and notification will be issued on 13th of this month for the first phase and on 21st of this month for the second phase. In Madhya Pradesh, the voting will take place on 17th November and notification will be issued on 21st October while Rajasthan will go to polls on 23rd November for which notification will be issued on 30th October. The voting for the Telangana assembly will be held on 30th November while notification will be issued on 3rd November.

Briefing media in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said polls in these five states hold a unique significance as they serve as the final assembly elections before the grand stage of General Elections in 2024.

CEC assured that the Commission will ensure free, fair, and inducement-free elections in these five states. He also said that ECI has laid special emphasis on ensuring a healthy, pure and inclusive electoral roll. Mr. Kumar added that there are 679 assembly seats in these five states and 16 crore electors. Around 60 lakh first-time voters will participate in these polls.

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BJP has welcomed the announcement of the assembly poll schedule for five states. In a social media post, party president J P Nadda said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP will form government in all the states with an overwhelming majority and will work to fulfill the aspirations of the people for the next 5 years.

Congress also expressed confidence that it will win with a huge majority in all these states, with public trust and support. Party said in a social media post that its win in these states will be a victory for the rights of farmers, labourers, youth and women.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi today. The two leaders reviewed various facets of bilateral ties and discussed ways to further deepen the close and historic ties between the two countries. Both sides also held delegation level talks. A wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation was in the agenda, including trade and investment, defence and maritime security, development partnership, higher education and people to people ties.

Addressing the joint press meet with the President of Tanzania after the talks, Mr Modi said today is a historic day for India-Tanzania ties as the age old friendship has been elevated to a Strategic Partnership. He said Tanzania is India's closest development partner in Africa.

Mr Modi said India and Tanzania are important partners for mutual trade and investment and both sides are working on an agreement to increase trade in local currencies.

Mr Modi said India and Tanzania have agreed on a five year roadmap in the field of defence. Through this, new dimensions will be added in areas like military training, maritime cooperation, capacity building, and defense industry.

He also said that Tanzania's decision to join the International Big Cat Alliance will enable in strengthening global efforts for the conservation of big cats.

The Prime Minister highlighted that India has made significant contributions to Tanzania's skill development and capacity building through ICT centres, vocational training, defense training, ITEC and ICCR scholarships.

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Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will be on a four day visit to Italy and France from today. During the first leg of his two-nation visit, the Raksha Mantri is scheduled to meet Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto in Rome. The relationship between India and Italy were elevated to Strategic Partnership in March 2023 during the visit of the Italian Prime Minister to India.

During the second and final leg, Mr. Rajnath Singh will conduct the 5th Annual Defence Dialogue with his counterpart, French Minister of Armed Forces Mr Sebastien Lecornu in Paris. India and France recently celebrated 25 years of Strategic Partnership.

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Death toll in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict with Hamas has crossed over 1100 with nearly 700 killed in Israel and 400 killed in Gaza. Thousands of people are feared injured. The death toll is expected to rise as some areas are yet to be cleared of Hamas attackers and battles are still ongoing. The fighting still continues between the Hamas and Israeli security personnel at multiple locations.

Israel military claimed to have hit more than 800 targets in Gaza so far, including airstrikes that levelled much of the town of Beit Hanoun in the enclave's northeast corner.

The United Nations said at least 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza are seeking shelter in schools it runs. It appealed for the creation of humanitarian corridors to bring food into Gaza.

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In Afghanistan, death toll from strong earthquakes has risen to over 2,400 as search and rescue efforts continue amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. The 6.3 magnitude quake struck about 40km from the western city of Herat on Saturday. Many buildings were damaged, trapping people under rubble.

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In Sikkim, death toll from flash floods has gone up to 34 including 10 Army personnel. According to Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) 105 people are still missing. Troops of TriShakti Corps of Indian Army continue to search for the missing soldiers. The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) under the Ministry of Home, Government of India, is in the state to evaluate damages caused by natural calamities.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang convened a high-level meeting today to discuss measures and restoration works.

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Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has said that the Inter-ministerial team that concluded its four days survey of drought hit regions of the state will submit its report in a week's time. Briefing media persons in Bengaluru today after holding a meeting with the Central team members, Byre Gowda said that the claim of 4860 crore rupees submitted by the State Government as compensation will be looked into by the Central team based on their observations. He said that the farmers are in distress and there is a drinking water shortage in the state.

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In Tamilnadu, 10 persons died and many were injured in an explosion at a private firecracker manufacturing unit in Vetriyur Viragalur in Ariyalur district today. The blast occurred at around 9.30 this morning when workers were working inside the unit. Police said that the bodies of two persons have been recovered so far. Fire fighting teams from Ariyalur and neighbouring Perambalur districts rushed to the spot to douse the flames. A case has been registered and further inquiries are on. The accident comes just two days after a major explosion occurred during the unloading of firecrackers at a godown in Tamilnadu – Karnataka border, where 14 people were killed and several others were injured.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact and address the contingent of Indian athletes who participated in the Asian Games 2022 tomorrow in New Delhi. In the event, the Prime Minister will appreciate to the athletes for their outstanding achievement at the Asian Games and to motivate them for future competitions. India won a total of 107 medals, including 28 gold medals in Asian Games 2022. This is India's best performance in the Asian Games in terms of total number of medals won.

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In our bilingual live phone-in programme “Public Speak” tonight at 9.30pm, we will bring an insightful discussion on the topic of “Dengue Fever: Causes, Symptoms and Preventive Measures” with Dr. Piyush Ranjan from Department of Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi.

During the program, listeners can ask questions to our expert on Dengue Infection, including preventive measures, treatment methods , and any other related queries.

To participate, simply dial the telephone numbers 011 -23717106 and 011-23314444 from 9:30 pm onwards tonight. Alternatively, you can also send your queries via WhatsApp to the number 9289094044.

Stay tuned to Akashvani Gold Channel and additional frequencies for this captivating live broadcast. Additionally, you can access the program on our website, NEWS ON AIR DOT GOV DOT IN, and on our YouTube Channel, NEWS ON AIR OFFICIAL.

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The Key domestic share indices today plunged around half percent in the afternoon trade. The BSE Sensex fell below the 66,000 mark, while the NSE Nifty slipped below 19,600 level.

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In ICC Men's ODI world cup Cricket, the match between New Zealand and Netherlands is on at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad when reports last came in.

Earlier, Netherlands won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Last night, India beat Australia by 6 wickets in their first game of World Cup 2023.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN

Election Commission announces dates for assembly elections in five states; Mizoram to go to polls on 7th November; Madhya Pradesh on 17th; Voting in Rajasthan to take place on 23rd and in Telangana on 30th November.
Chhattisgarh elections in two phases on 7th and 17th November; Counting of votes for all five states to be held on 3rd of December.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan hold bilateral and delegation level talks in New Delhi today; Both countries agree on a five year defence roadmap.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh to be on a four day visit to Italy and France from today.
Casualties in Israel-Hamas conflict to rise over 1100 as war intencifies.
In ICC ODI Men’s World Cup Cricket, match between New Zealand and Netherlands underway at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.