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This image provided by Maxar Technologies shows overview of Rafah border crossing, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on November 1, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
Israel-Hamas war | Gaza crossing opens for foreigners and wounded
After more than three weeks of siege, the first Palestinians — dozens of dual passport holders and seriously injured — were allowed to leave Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes pounded a refugee camp for the second day on Wednesday.
Even as bombings have driven tens of thousands from their homes and food, water and fuel run low, no one has been allowed to leave the embattled enclave, except for four hostages released by Hamas. Another captive was rescued by Israeli forces earlier this week. But a limited agreement appeared to have been reached on Wednesday.
GST collections rise to ₹1.72 lakh crore in October
Growth in India’s gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues bounced back in October with tax collections rising at a 10-month high pace of 13.4% to hit the second highest monthly tally of ₹1.72 lakh crore.
October’s GST receipts were 5.7% over the kitty in September, when growth in the indirect tax had slowed to a 27-month low of 10.2%. The 13.4% revenue growth marks the sharpest year-on-year uptick since December 2022 and breaks a three-month streak of deceleration.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the electoral bonds scheme only offered a “selective confidentiality”, which does not prevent the ruling party from unearthing the identities of donors to Opposition parties and then hounding them through its investigative agencies.
Ban on construction if ‘severe’ air quality lasts in Delhi
Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said construction activities will be halted within a 1-km radius of the city’s pollution hotspots if the air quality in these areas remains “severe” for one week.
Wednesday marked the fifth consecutive day when Delhi’s overall air quality remained in the “very poor” category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The air quality in some parts of the Capital was “severe”, and the city is likely to have “very poor” air for the rest of the week, it showed.
Risk of type 2 diabetes linked to air pollution in Chennai, Delhi
Two studies published in international journals have reported a worrying link between air pollution levels and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Chennai and Delhi. The study is notable not because the findings are new – they aren’t unprecedented – but because they have found that the link, which has been indicated in Western countries and more recently in China as well, also holds in urban India.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on November 1 confirmed the State government’s support for Maratha reservation and urged the pro-quota campaigner Manoj Jarange Patil to terminate his indefinite fast.
Emphasising the necessity for Mr Patil cooperation in securing reservation for the community, Mr. Shinde also underscored the call for restraint among the Maratha populace
Kerala blasts: Accused unrepentant during interrogation, says he has proved a point
Martin V.D., the sole accused in the multiple explosions at a Jehovah’s Witnesses religious gathering at Kalamassery in Kochi, Kerala, on October 29, 2023 showed no remorse whatsoever at the time of questioning as he stood firm on his act that resulted in the death of two women and a 12-year-old child.
Saima Wazed, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s daughter, nominated Regional Director of WHO
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed, was on Wednesday nominated as the next Regional Director for the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia region.
She defeated Shambu Acharya, a public health veteran from Nepal, in a vote held here during the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia Region.
Only police officers with at least six months of service left before retirement will be considered for appointment as the Director General of Police of a State, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) said in amended guidelines issued last month.
In another change, the Empanelment Committee constituted by the UPSC will not assess Indian Police Service (IPS) officers on central deputation for a State DGP’s post if the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informs the State government that “it will not be possible to relieve the officers.”
Biden Nominates Indo-Pacific Lead Campbell as Blinken’s Deputy
U.S. President Joe Biden, on Wednesday, announced that he had nominated his Indo-Pacific policy chief Kurt Campbell for the Deputy Secretary of State position. The announcement, which was expected, will give Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s team a renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific region in the face of competing strategic imperatives, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine and the conflict in West Asia.
Magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes Timor, Indonesia
An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck the Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province on Thursday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
The Indonesian geological agency (BMKG) pegged the magnitude at 6.3 with no tsunami potential. The epicentre of the quake was onshore and at a depth of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), located 15 kilometres from the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, Kupang.
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