Nepal quake: At least 140 people are dead after the strong 6.4 earthquake struck Nepal last night. Several houses have collapsed in the remote villages of Jajarkot district. Tremors were felt as far away as Delhi.
Delhi Air Pollution: Senior lung specialist at the Medanta Hospital, Dr. Arvind Kumar, said breathing air categorized ‘severe’ is akin to inhaling smoke from 30 cigarettes. He also added that it can affect pregnant mothers and their fetuses adversely and cause premature deliveries and other issues.
Navy crash: A Chetak helicopter, part of the Indian Navy, involved in routine training at the INS Garuda in Kochi crashed on the runway. Reports suggest the mishap killed one ground Navy official.
Raigad blaze: The fire that broke out at Blue Jet Healthcare, a Pharma company operating out of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) building in Raigad, has killed four people and injured seven. Seven more people are still missing.
ISRO: ISRO Chairman S Somnath has alleged that his predecessor K Sivan hurdled his ascension to the space agency’s top post in his autobiography ‘Nilavu Kudicha Simhangal’, while narrating the events before he became the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
Jammu Kashmir targeted killing: J&K DGP RR Swain, with ADGP Vijay Kumar, paid a visit to Policeman Ghulam Muhammad Dar’s home at Vailoo village of Tangmarg to offer condolences to his family. The DGP told reporters that Police have got ‘vital leads’ on Dar’s murder.
Judiciary: In Kerala, Ernakulam POCSO Court completed the trial of the rape and murder of a 5-year-old migrant girl in Aluva in 26 days. It has convicted Asfaq Alam, also a migrant laborer from Bihar, who committed the heinous crime on July 28.
Poll promise: Speaking at an election rally in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, PM Modi announced that the free ration scheme introduced during Covid times will continue for another five years. He said the scheme would benefit 80 crore people.
Indian economy: India’s forex reserves have risen by $2.579 billion to reach $586.111 billion. Earlier, in October 2021, the country’s foreign exchange reserves touched their all-time high of $645 billion. However, they plunged as RBI had to deploy them to defend the rupee during global turmoil last year.
Pakistan: Pakistan said it thwarted a terrorist attack at its Air Force Base in Mianwali in Punjab. Pakistan DG-ISPR has confirmed that army personnel killed all nine terrorists of the Tehreek-e-Jihad (TJP) involved in the attack. However, some reports say the terrorists managed to inflict damage on several fighter planes.