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Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that President Droupadi Murmu asked the Opposition delegation to submit evidence to substantiate its allegations of vote chori (vote theft), as INDIA bloc leaders met her and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and a return to paper ballots. A 10-member delegation o

Digital Desk | Gandhinagar, Oct 9 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has called on students and citizens across the state to participate in the Gujarat Gyan Guru Quiz (G3Q 2026), a statewide online competition being held to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modis 25 years in public life. In his appeal, Patel said the quiz would provide an opportunity to learn about Gujarat, its heritage and development, while familiarising participants with government welfare schemes. He also highlighted t

Digital Desk | Vadodara, Oct 9 (IANS) Participation in Gujarats Khel Mahakumbh has crossed 76 lakh in its 2026 edition, up from around 16.5 lakh in the inaugural event in 2010, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said on Friday while inaugurating the statewide sporting initiative along with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi in Vadodara. Patel said the event, launched under Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of promoting sports with the mantra Khele Te Khile, had provided a platform for athletes

Digital Desk | Ahmedabad, Oct 9 (IANS) A 43-year-old man from Bharuch district was arrested by Customs officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad after he was allegedly found carrying gold bars worth nearly Rs 89 lakh concealed in his trouser pocket upon arrival from Dubai, officials said on Friday. The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Ahmedabad Customs intercepted the passenger on October 9 after he arrived on FlyDubai flight FZ-437 from Dubai, based on intel

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said President Droupadi Murmu had asked the opposition delegation to provide evidence to substantiate its allegations of vote chori (vote theft) following a meeting over the controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. A delegation of INDIA bloc MPs, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, met the President at Rashtrapati Bh

Digital Desk | Bengaluru, Oct 9 (IANS) Karnataka has been recognised for its leadership in the wind energy sector, winning the award for Highest under-construction wind power capacity of 9 GW at Windergy India 2026, being held in Chennai, the official statement said on Friday. In recognition of Karnataka's significant progress in strengthening its wind energy ecosystem and advancing renewable energy capacity, the award was received by Divya Prabhu GRJ, Managing Director of Karnataka Renewable En

Digital Desk | Palghar, Oct 9 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday clarified on the demand by MPSC aspirants for the resignation of Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar over irregularities, saying that the current Chairman had not even assumed office when the alleged paper leaks took place. Students were informed that the Chairman whose resignation they are seeking was not in office at the time the paper leak occurred, CM Fadnavis stated. He joined after the leak took place. How can

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has bounced back as Indias key LPG supplier after having lost the top slot to the USA due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the continuing Middle East conflict. Data compiled by maritime intelligence firm Kpler shows that the UAE accounted for 39 per cent of Indias LPG imports in September, up from 13 per cent in the previous month, overtaking the US, which had been the biggest supplier of the cooking gas over the pr

Digital Desk | Kochi, Oct 9 (IANS) Kerala will strengthen its Cyberdome to tackle growing cyber threats. The state police will also use indigenously developed robots for traffic control, disaster management and rescue operations. State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala announced this on Friday while inaugurating the 19th COCON Security and Hacking Conference organised by the Kerala Police. He said that cyberattacks and new security threats were increasing with the rapid growth of technology. The

Digital Desk | Karwar, Oct 9 (IANS) General N.S. Raja Subramani, Chief of Defence Staff and Department of Military Affairs Secretary, inaugurated the residential accommodation for senior sailors and Defence civilians of Indian Navy, an official said on Friday. The accommodation, critical trunk utility and amenity infrastructure are a part of Project Seabird Phase IIA at Naval Base in Karnataka's Karwar, the official said in a statement. The inauguration was held in the presence of Vice Admiral V

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Doubles partners throughout the week, top seed Manish Sureshkumar and third seed Nitin Kumar Sinha faced off in the semifinals of the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship, the latter pulling off an upset win in a marathon clash at the DLTA in New Delhi on Friday. After Sureshkumar, last years champion, claimed the opening set in a tiebreak, Sinha fought back to win the next two sets and seal a 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-1 victory. It was a very long match,

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to consider identifying and designating suitable alternative sites equipped with basic amenities and infrastructure for holding peaceful and lawful protests in the national capital, after it was submitted that it was high time such facilities were provided to demonstrators. A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana said suitable alternative locations capable

Digital Desk | Agartala, Oct 9 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) and Tripura Police will further tighten security along the India-Bangladesh border ahead of the five-day Durga Puja festival, beginning on October 16, while the state police will launch a special drive against drug-related activities during the festivities, top officials said. Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Rao said the BSF would further strengthen its vigil along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura during the Durga

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) India and Qatar on Friday reviewed the multifaceted Strategic Partnership and explored ways to further strengthen bilateral ties during the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in New Delhi. Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan co-chaired the 6th Foreign Office Consultations between India and Qatar in New Delhi with Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar, H.E. Dr. Ahmad Hassen Al Hammadi, the MEA stated on X. Both sides reviewed the multifaceted

Digital Desk | Dublin, Oct 9 (IANS) The Ireland mens cricket team will play five ODIs against Namibia in Windhoek from October 22 to November 1, said Cricket Ireland while announcing its extensive winter schedule on Friday. Following the senior team's assignment in Namibia, the Ireland 'A' side, called as Ireland Wolves, will head to Zimbabwe for a tour featuring two four-day matches and five one-day fixtures against Zimbabwe A from November 6 to 28. Paul Stirling will lead a 16-member ODI squad

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Industry stakeholders on Friday welcomed the latest GST reforms, saying they would strengthen trust in the tax regime and improve the ease of doing business, particularly for small and medium enterprises. Abhishek Kumar, President of the Entrepreneurs Association of India (EAI), said the decision to reduce penalties addresses a long-standing industry demand and will help make the GST framework more business-friendly. Lowering penalties has been a long-pendi

Digital Desk | Patna, Oct 9 (IANS) A team from the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB), Bihar, on Friday arrested Dr Kamini Prasad, Medical Officer-in-Charge of Patedhi Belsar Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Vaishali district, while she was allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange for releasing pending incentive payments. The officer is accused of demanding a 10% commission to clear the outstanding payments. The vigilance team also took the PHCs Head Assistant, Dhirendra Kumar and Data Operator,

Digital Desk | United Nations, Oct 9 (IANS) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed on Friday the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem Navi Pillay as a tribute to all those working to uphold and defend international law, the rule of law and human rights, and secure peace, justice and human dignity. Congratulating the former UN Human Rights High Commissioner of Indian origin, he said, She has shown that the force of law must prevail over the law of force and that defending human rights

Digital Desk | Singapore, Oct 9 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday discussed ways to further strengthen economic, financial, investment, and business ties between the two countries, according to an official statement. Finance Minister Sitharaman, who is on a visit to the Southeast Asian city-state, shared select projects from the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) official pipeline and highlighted Indias strong economic

Digital Desk | Durban, Oct 9 (IANS) A fast bowling attack minus spearhead Kagiso Rabada helped South Africa restrict Australia to 187/6 before bad light and rain brought an early end to the first day of the first Test at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday. Despite missing Rabada, the likes of Anrich Nortje, Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen utilised early movement and bounce effectively after Australia elected to bat on a pitch carrying a tinge of grass. Mulder drew first blood by removing Travis Head (9

Digital Desk | Quetta, Oct 9 (IANS) Another Baloch civilian was extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, a leading human rights organisation said on Friday. This latest incident comes against the backdrop of a growing wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the province. Human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) mentioned that 28-year-old farmer Yasin Baloch was killed by the Pakistani Army on October 5 near the Kor Nali Patek area of Balochist

Digital Desk | New Delhi/Bhopal, Oct 9 (IANS) Citing concerns over the initial investigation, the handling of bail proceedings and the possibility of a fair trial in Madhya Pradesh, the father of former actress Twisha Sharma has approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the trial against her husband and mother-in-law from Bhopal to Delhi. Navnidhi Sharma (61) has sought transfer of the case from a Bhopal sessions court to a competent court in Delhi. Advocate Ankur Pandey, who represents T

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Tesla on Friday announced that it has expanded its footprint in the Delhi-NCR region with the launch of a new Experience Centre at Skymark One in Sector 98, Noida, strengthening its retail presence in one of India's largest automobile markets. The new facility becomes Tesla's third customer-facing touchpoint in the National Capital Region after its existing locations in Delhi and Gurugram. The company said the centre will provide prospective buyers in Noida

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) South Africa's High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, on Friday hailed Indian-origin South African jurist Navanethem Navi Pillay, a former International Criminal Court judge, for winning the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Pillay has become the fifth South African and the first South African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. High Commissioner Sooklal highlighted that judge Navi Pillay joins Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former African National Congr

Digital Desk | Jammu, Oct 9 (IANS) Two persons were killed and five others injured in a road accident in J&K's Rajouri district on Friday. Officials said two persons were killed and five others injured on Friday evening in a road accident in the Moghla-Teryath area of Rajouri district. According to officials, the accident occurred around 6 p.m. when a passenger vehicle went out of the driver's control and skidded off the road. Two persons died on the spot, while five others sustained injuries. P

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) A delegation from the National Library and Archives of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) visited the Dr. Zakir Husain Library at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in New Delhi, as part of an academic exchange programme, an official said on Friday. The visit provided an important opportunity for academic interaction, exchange of knowledge and discussion on the preservation, digitisation and scholarly use of manuscripts and archival resources, said Saima Saeed, JMI

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Passengers, who were scheduled to travel to New Delhi but were stranded due to the cancellation and rescheduling of several trains in view of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest on Saturday, complained about the inconvenience caused due to the agitation and its resulting decision by the Indian Railways. A commuter, who was waiting at the Jammu railway station, said: Look at how much chaos has been created here. People are facing difficulties, and everyo

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on Friday issued an advisory for passengers travelling via Namo Bharat trains, in light of the protest proposed by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Delhis Jantar Mantar. It has been decided to keep the Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar Namo Bharat stations in Delhi closed for a specified period of hours. Passenger boarding and alighting facilities will not be available at these two stations, the

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashok Kumar said that till Friday 17,03, 515 cases of o-mapping and logical discrepancy have been verified on the basis of documents collected from the voters who received SIR notices. He assured that all Notices/Claims and Objections will be disposed of by November 30 as per the schedule of SIR. In a statement issued on Friday, the CEO, Delhi, assured that all eligible electors who submit Form-6 along with requisite doc

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS) The Maharashtra government on Friday approved ground truthing (field verification) to assess drought severity in an additional 18 talukas to achieve a more accurate and objective assessment of the drought situation in the state. Under this initiative, a 20 per cent survey of the five major crops in these talukas will be conducted to cross-check satellite imagery and computational data with ground realities, helping to provide a clearer picture of the drought's

Digital Desk | Jammu, Oct 9 (IANS) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said J&K can emerge as a competitive destination for Global Capability Centre (GCC) companies. Addressing the inaugural session of the J&K GCC Summit 2026 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu virtually from New Delhi, Omar Abdullah called upon industry leaders to explore J&K as an emerging destination for GCCs. He emphasised that the government is committed to creating a competitive, business-friendly ecosyste

Digital Desk | Jaipur, Oct 9 (IANS) Rajasthan has recorded a decline in the total number of registered criminal cases during the first nine months of 2026, with reductions reported in murder, attempted murder, property-related offences and several crimes against women and children, according to state police data. The figures for January to September 2026 indicate a reduction in overall cases compared with the corresponding period in 2025. Meanwhile, registrations under the Narcotic Drugs and Psy

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS) Maharashtra Cultural Affairs, Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Development Minister Ashish Shelar on Friday said that favouring an American industrialist amounted to dishonesty on the part of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. He also remarked that the ongoing protests by the Opposition against the SIR process amounted to the grammar of anarchy. Speaking to reporters about LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi crit

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) A total of 86 elite grapplers, including World leaders and Asian Games medallists, will feature in Season 6 of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) to be held at the KD Jadhav Arena from January 9 to 26, 2027. The launch of the much-anticipated next season will herald the return of the league to New Delhi with high-octane bouts to be held at the iconic KD Jadhav Wrestling Arena at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. Asian Games winners feted The launch event was headlined

Digital Desk | Guwahati, Oct 9 (IANS) The Gauhati High Court on Friday granted bail to Amritprava Mahanta, a co-singer of late Assam music icon Zubeen Garg, in the case related to his death in Singapore in September last year, making her the first accused in the case to secure bail, officials said. However, it remains unclear whether she will be released from jail, as there may be other cases pending against her. Mahanta was granted bail on a bond of Rs 50,000. She was arrested by the Assam Poli

Digital Desk | Jaipur, Oct 9 (IANS) Acting on the directions of Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumar Sharma, the Rajasthan Police Cyber Crime Branch (R4C) has issued a detailed advisory to protect the public from cyber fraud during major festive e-commerce sales, including Flipkart's 'Big Billion Days' and Amazon's 'Great Indian Festival'. Additional Director General of Police (Cyber Crime) V.K. Singh said cybercriminals frequently target shoppers during major online sales by l

Digital Desk | Kolkata, Oct 9 (IANS) The ECI on Friday rebutted claims made by Trinamool Congress general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, that in a particular booth for the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll, the winning BJP candidate, Sakharav Sarkar, received more votes than the total number of registered voters at that booth. Earlier in the day, Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claimed that at Booth No. 109 in Rejinagar, the BJP candidate secured 909 votes.

Digital Desk | Srinagar, Oct 9 (IANS) Thousands of devotees from across the Kashmir Valley on Friday gathered at the Chrar-e-Sharief shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Nooruddin Wali in J&K's Budgam district to observe the annual Urs of the saint. Revered as the patron saint of Kashmir, the Sufi saint is also known as 'Alamdar-e-Kashmir' and 'Sheikh-ul-Alam'. The J&K government declared a public holiday on Friday to mark the main day of the annual Urs celebrations. Devotees started arriving in Chrar-e-

Digital Desk | Jabalpur, Oct 9 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday directed the state government to produce a person before it on October 13 in a habeas corpus petition filed by Shardul Jitendra Buwa and observed that the state may also make arrangements for the person's safe return to the family. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Alpesh Y. Kogje and Justice Vivek Jain issued the direction while hearing Writ Petition No. 42805 of 2026, filed against the state government and ot

Digital Desk | Patna, Oct 9 (IANS) The Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) on Friday conducted searches at four locations across Patna, Rohtas and Gopalganj linked to Rajeshwari Pandey, Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Gopalganj, in connection with an alleged disproportionate assets case. During the searches, investigators recovered documents relating to the purchase of around a dozen plots of land and flats in Patna, Varanasi, Sasaram and other parts of Rohtas district. The properties, registered

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS) A high-level delegation from the Government of Maharashtra concluded a strategic two-day quantum, artificial intelligence (AI), and investment mission to London on October 7 and 8. The initiative aims to position Maharashtra as India's premier quantum and AI capital by laying the groundwork for a Quantum City and a UK-Maharashtra Quantum Corridor. Organised and facilitated by the Global India Business Corridor (GIBC UK), the mission provided Maharashtra a prom

Digital Desk | Bhubaneswar, Oct 9 (IANS) Odisha Vigilance on Friday unearthed movable and immovable assets worth crores during simultaneous searches at premises linked to a senior official of the state's Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment Department over allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. On Friday, on the allegation of possession of disproportionate assets (DA) by Prasanna Kumar Patra, Deputy Director, Soil Conservation-cum-Project Director, Waters

Digital Desk | Jaipur, Oct 9 (IANS) Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Anand Kumar chaired a review meeting in Sawai Madhopur on Friday to discuss measures for protecting Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, curbing illegal mining in the reserve and Chambal River areas, and strengthening wildlife monitoring and tourism facilities. The meeting focused on implementing the recommendations and directions of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the S

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) As part of the beefed-up security ahead of the CJP protest, the Delhi Police announced the temporary suspension of internet and mobile internet services in a 4 km radius from the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing from Friday evening. The 24-hour suspension of mobile internet services would continue till 10 p.m. on Saturday, said a police official. The Delhi Police have maintained that permission for the proposed CJP demonstration has been denied due to the org

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday intensified his criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Joining the allegations raised by Opposition parties during protests in New Delhi, Aaditya Thackeray addressed a press conference and pointed to what he described as statistical discrepancie

Digital Desk | Diu, Oct 9 (IANS) Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Sudhansh Pant inaugurated a Five-Day Geriatric Care Training Programme to train grassroots-level functionaries in view of the evolving needs of an ageing population, including senior citizens living alone, an official said on Friday. Addressing the event organised at the Education Hub at Kevdi, Diu, in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu (DNH&DD), Pant said the training will provide participants w

Digital Desk | Gandhinagar, Oct 9 (IANS) The Gujarat government has introduced a five-year incentive scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), offering assistance for capital investment, interest payments, electricity costs, employee provident fund contributions and technology adoption, including artificial intelligence (AI), under its 'Viksit Gujarat Industrial Policy-2026'. Announced by the Industries and Mines Department under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and

Digital Desk | Patna, Oct 9 (IANS) A high-level NDA meeting chaired by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary at his official residence in Patna concluded without any resolution to the dispute involving Mokama MLA Anant Singh and JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar over the upcoming Legislative Council elections. NDA MLAs and MPs attended the meeting, which was expected to address differences within the alliance ahead of the polls. However, after the meeting, Anant Singh reiterated his support for Jan Sura

Digital Desk | Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 9 (IANS) A nearly two-decade-old statement by former CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has resurfaced as a political talking point for the party following the Kerala High Court's direction to register an FIR in the CMRL-Exalogic case involving former Chief Minister and current Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan. In February 2009, when Vijayan was named in the SNC-Lavalin case, Karat had a ready response when asked whether he should resign. Vijay

Digital Desk | Shimla, Oct 9 (IANS) Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday reviewed major infrastructure and development projects in Himachal Pradesh, including national highway projects involving investments of Rs 55,103 crore and the Rs 15,624 crore Kishau Multipurpose Project, which has gained fresh momentum following its declaration as a national project. The comprehensive review covered national highways, rural roads, railway connectivity, healthcare infrastr