Breaking News: November 19, 2020 | Highlights

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway will remain closed for vehicular traffic for undertaking repair works on Friday, a traffic department advisory said.

"On Friday, there shall be no traffic movement on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway from either side in view of maintenance and repairing of the highway," it said.

The advisory further said that trucks and load carriers may adopt Mughal Road for their journey from Srinagar towards Jammu. "Commuters are advised to plan their journey accordingly," the advisory said.

For the movement of convoys of security forces, it said that security forces are advised and requested not to ply against advisory and traffic plan in view of traffic congestion on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

"They may ply from Jammu towards Srinagar," it added.

The advisory said that subject to fair weather and good road conditions only downward traffic shall be allowed from Herpora (Shopian) on Kashmir side from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm towards Poonch (Jammu side).

"No vehicle shall be allowed after the cut-off timing. Moreover, no passenger vehicle or pedestrian shall be allowed on Mughal Road," it added.
 
The advisory with regard to traffic movement on the Srinagar-Leh highway, said only one-way traffic shall be allowed on the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumari road from Srinagar towards Kargil.

"Security Forces shall follow the same schedule," it added.

People are advised to undertake journey on highway only after confirming the status of the road from traffic control units, the advisory said.

The Maharashtra government on Thursday decided to increase the toll tax for heavy vehicles on 15 roads under the Public Works Department's jurisdiction. The increase is proposed to be around 10 per cent which is less than the toll tax on national highways, an official statement said in Mumbai.

Cars, jeeps, State Transport (ST) and school buses and light vehicles will continue to be exempted. At present, these vehicles are exempted from paying on 15 PWD roads where private contractors collect toll tax.

Because of the exemption, the government has to pay Rs 350-400 crore as compensation to these contractors every year, the statement said.

"Instead of giving this compensation in cash, the government decided to increase the toll tax (for heavy vehicles)," it said.

Delhi's air quality was recorded in the "poor" category on Thursday as the share of stubble burning in the city's pollution increased to 20 per cent. Government agencies said the air quality may dip to the "very poor" category on Friday and improve slightly on Saturday due to favourable surface wind speed.

Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index was recorded at 283. It was 211 on Wednesday and 171 on Tuesday.

Amid sudden surge in coronavirus cases in the national capital, the Delhi government has ordered 42 private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of their total ICU bed capacity for treatment of coronavirus patients. This will increase 260 ICU beds in private hospitals for covid treatment, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain shared the information on Twitter. READ MORE

Japan reported a record number of daily coronavirus infections Thursday, amid a worrying spike in a country that has been spared the worst of the pandemic and hopes to host the Olympics next year.

Compared to many other countries, Japan has done well combatting the virus, reporting just under 2,000 deaths in a nation of 126 million since the pandemic began. But Tokyo saw a record number of single-day cases twice this week, and the Health Ministry said Thursday that the national number hit a record with 2,179 new cases.

That’s the first time Japan has had more than 2,000 daily cases since the pandemic began. The previous high was set Saturday.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday became the first top American diplomat to visit an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank as the State Department announced that products from the settlements can be labeled “Made in Israel” in a major policy shift.

The two moves reflected the Trump administration’s acceptance of Israeli settlements, which the Palestinians and most of the international community view as a violation of international law and a major obstacle to peace.

Pompeo also announced that the U.S. would brand the international Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel as “anti-Semitic” and bar any groups that participate in it from receiving government funding. It was not immediately clear which groups would be affected by the move.

In a Twitter post, Pompeo confirmed his visit to the Psagot winery, located in a settlement near Jerusalem. Reporters were not allowed to accompany him.

Former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi was on Thursday given a new responsibility in the Bihar Legislative Council (BLC). READ MORE

The Odisha government on Thursday directed the officials concerned to move the National Medical Commission (NMC) for necessary permission to commence admissions in three new medical colleges from next academic session. The Mahanadi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Talcher, Medical College and Hospital at Sundargarh, and Jagannath Medical College and Hospital at Puri will take in 100 students each per year.

The NMC is a regulatory body of 33 members to regulate medical education and medical professionals in India. It replaced the Medical Council of India on September 25, 2020.

While reviewing the progress of the medical colleges, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy also directed officials to ensure complete furnishing of the buildings by December.

These institutions would also provide tertiary healthcare facilities, said a health official.

The Talcher college supported by Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd would be run through a trust on 'no profit no loss basis'. The medical college at Sundargarh is supported by NTPC.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, president of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), was on Thursday appointed pro-tem speaker of Bihar legislative assembly.

The chardham yatra came to an end on Thursday with the closure of the portals of Badrinath temple in the Garhwal Himalayas for the winter season. The temple gates were closed at 3.35 pm after an elaborate ritual performed by chief priest of the temple Ishwari Prasad Namboodri.

The closure of the Badrinath temple marks the conclusion of this year's chardham yatra, which had started late due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The remaining three Himalayan temples of Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri have already been closed.

Garhwal Commissioner and Chardham Devasthanam Board CEO Ravinath Raman said over 1,45,000 yatris offered prayers at Badrinath during the yatra season.

The number of pilgrims to come to Uttarakhand on chardham yatra was 3,10,000, he said.

Restrictions imposed on the yatris due to COVID-19 such as daily limit on the number of pilgrims visiting the temples, wearing of masks and social distancing remained in place throughout the yatra season, Raman added.

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda said that he has tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday.

Healthcare major Apollo Hospitals Group and Tata Medical and Diagnostics Ltd (TataMD) on Thursday announced a collaboration to introduce TataMD CHECK diagnostic test for COVID-19 in the country.

Apollo Hospitals along with its subsidiary Apollo Diagnostics will offer the Tata MD CHECK testing in the national capital region from the first week of December and thereafter it will be rolled out across all major metros in the country, the companies said.

These metros will be Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune, they added.

Equity benchmark Sensex plunged 580 points on Thursday, tracking heavy profit-booking in financial stocks amid a weak trend in global markets. After briefly touching its record intra-day high of 44,230 in a volatile session, the 30-share BSE index ended 580.09 points or 1.31 per cent lower at 43,599.96.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty hit a fresh intra-day peak of 12,963, before ending 166.55 points or 1.29 per cent lower at 12,771.70.

Bihar Education Minister Mewalal Choudhary has resigned three days after taking oath amid corruption allegations.

Former CM and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president Jitan Ram Manjhi sworn in as Pro-Tem speaker of Bihar Assembly

Five people died in an explosion at a plastic factory in West Bengal's Sujapur in Malda. 

"Ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakhs for those injured. Urban Development Minister on his way to the spot," says West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay

Amid a huge surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi government on Thursday directed all district magistrates (DMs) to take steps to double the number of testing centres in their respective districts immediately.

The order issued by the Delhi health department also said that manpower required for the new testing centres "may be hired from open market, if required".

Gold futures on Thursday fell 0.62 per cent to Rs 50,011 per 10 gram as participants offloaded their holdings on low spot demand. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold prices for December delivery declined Rs 314, or 0.62 per cent, to Rs 50,011 per 10 gram in a business turnover of 7,335 lots.

Silver futures on Thursday dropped Rs 993 to Rs 61550 per kg as participants reduced their bets on low demand. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, silver contracts for December delivery tumbled Rs 993, or 1.59 per cent, to Rs 61,550 per kg in a business turnover of 12,757 lots.

An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Parigam village of Pulwama following information about presence of militants there, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on the security forces who retaliated.

The union territory of Puducherry reported 69 new coronavirus cases while one related fatality pushed the toll to 609, a top Health department the official said on Thursday.

The 69 fresh cases were identified at the end of the examination of 3,620 samples during the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Thursday, Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said. The overall tally of COVID-19 cases in the union territory stood at 36,533 after transfer of one case to Tamil Nadu.

Telangana's coronavirus cases' tally crossed 2.60 lakh on Thursday as the state logged 1,058 new cases, health officials said. After recording a daily surge of less than 1,000 cases for the last few days, the numbers surged beyond 1,000 during the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative numbers to 2,60,834.

According to the government's daily media bulletin, active cases in Telangana now total 12,682, of which 10,352 are in home or institutional isolation.

As many as 1,440 more patients recovered during the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 2,46,733. The recovery rate improved further to 94.54 per cent as against the national average of 93.6 per cent. Four more people succumbed to the virus, taking the state's death toll to 1,419.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tribute to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 103rd birth anniversary.

"Salutations to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary," the Prime Minister tweeted.

India's first and only woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad, presently known asa Prayagraj. She was the daughter of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, country's first Prime Minister.

Three people were killed when their motorcycle was hit by an unidentified vehicle in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The accident took place near Lohia bridge in the Jais police station area here late on Wednesday evening.

Three people riding the motorcycle -- Baidyanath Saroj (60), Rajesh Saroj (19) and Neeraj Shukla (20) -- were critically injured in the accident and rushed to the Community Health Centre in Fursatganj. They were declared dead on arrival at the health centre. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Rani Lakshmibai, the queen of Jhansi who was a leading figure in the fight against the British rule in 1857, on her birth anniversary.

"Rich tributes to the brave Rani Lakshmibai who showed exemplary courage in the first war of independence. Tales of her bravery will inspire the countrymen forever," Modi tweeted in Hindi. An iconic symbol of resistance to the British rule, Lakshmibai died at the young age of 30 in 1958 while fighting the British forces.

Sensex fell below 44000-mark as it lost 277 points in the pre-opening session. Sensex currently trading at 44,024 points, down by nearly 156 points. Nifty currently at 12,900 points, down by 38 points.

Telangana reported 1,058 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally to over 2.6 lakh while four fatalities pushed the toll to 1,419, the state government said on Thursday.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 168, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (93) and Rangareddy (91), it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 PM on November 18.

As many as 12,682 patients are under treatment and 38,757 samples were tested on November 16. Cumulatively, over 50 lakh samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population was 1,34,636, the bulletin said.

Twenty staff members of a jewellery shop in Indore have tested positive for COVID-19. They've records of people who bought products from their shop but it's a challenge to trace those who did not buy anything, said Dr Praveen Jadia, Chief Medical Officer.

Twenty staff members of a jewellery shop in Indore have tested positive for COVID-19. They've records of people who bought products from their shop but it's a challenge to trace those who did not buy anything: Dr Praveen Jadia, Chief Medical Officer

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Bengaluru Tech Summit, 2020 today through video conferencing.

The Tech Summit is scheduled from 19th to 21st November