Breaking News: November 18, 2020 | Highlights

IndiGo on Wednesday said it has resumed more than 650 weekly flights to and from Uttar Pradesh. The low-cost carrier has resumed operations from four cities in Uttar Pradesh -- Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur, it said in a release.

"The airline witnessed highest air travel demand from Lucknow which is directly connected to 13 domestic destinations, including new direct flights to Indore and Raipur.

"In addition, IndiGo also operated approximately 300 Vande Bharat and Air Bubble flights connecting UP with Dubai, Doha, Sharjah, Jeddah, Kuwait, Dammam, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi," it said.

According to the release, the airline is currently operating over 650 weekly flights, including the regional connectivity scheme routes, to and from the cities of Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur.

There is a slowdown in the number of trade restrictive as well as facilitative measures on goods implemented by G-20 member countries between mid-May and mid-October, due to the sharp decline in overall global trade since the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a WTO report.

The WTO's latest Trade Monitoring Report on G20 trade measures also said that although world trade had already been slowing before the pandemic, merchandise exports in nominal US dollar terms fell 21 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the previous year.

S N Rajeswari, Chairman and Managing Director of Oriental Insurance Company Limited, has been appointed a whole-time member (distribution) of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, according to a Personnel Ministry order.

Her appointment to the post is for a period of three years or till attaining the age of 62 years, it said.

Aviation watchdog DGCA will study FAA's decision and take "some time" before taking a final call on allowing Boeing 737 MAX planes to fly again in the Indian skies.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US on Wednesday paved the way for the MAX aircraft to return to commercial service after a comprehensive and methodical safety review process that stretched for 20 months.

 The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Chennai-based Nissan Renault Financial Services India Private Limited for non-compliance with the central bank's directions.

In a statement on Wednesday, RBI said the penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with its directions contained in Non-Banking Financial Company - Systemically Important Non-Deposit taking Company and Deposit taking Company (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2016 on Fair Practices Code for applicable NBFCs.

At least 72 students of 12 government schools in Haryana's Rewari district tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday. The educational institutes were reopened after eight months on November 2.

As per reports, 34 students were tested positive in the state's Jhajjar district.

Also, 11 students and eight teachers of a school in Jind have tested positive for coronavirus.

State Education Minister Kanwar Pal said the coronavirus-hit schools have been closed for two weeks.

Chinese officials have claimed that traces of COVID-19 were found on more cold-chain imports from different countries, including India, amid increasing criticism from several nations that the testing and restrictions are not based on science and would disrupt trade.

Cold-chain imports from India, Russia and Argentina test positive for COVID-19 in one day in China, state-run Global Times reported on Wednesday.

Two Indian frozen butterfish packages, one Russian frozen salmon packaging sample and two Argentina frozen beef samples tested positive for COVID-19, the report said.

People or agencies working on projects involving the lives of freedom fighters, promoting national languages, folk arts and traditions will be exempt from paying fees for shooting photographs or videos at the monuments maintained by the ASI between December 25 and August 15 next year to mark the 75th anniversary of the country's independence, Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel said on Wednesday.

This waiver will, however, not be applicable at the 27 world heritage sites in the country, he added.

After nearly two years and a pair of deadly crashes, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has cleared Boeing’s 737 Max for flight. The nation’s air safety agency announced the move early Wednesday, saying it was done after a “comprehensive and methodical” 20-month review process.

Regulators around the world grounded the Max in March 2019, after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet. That happened less than five months after another Max flown by Indonesia’s Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea. A total of 346 passengers and crew members on both planes were killed.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will launch special mobile clinics for women in three municipal corporations to mark the birth anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi on Thursday. Women will be able to avail free medical treatment at doorstep through these "Dai-Didi" (mother-sister) clinics under the Chief Minister's Urban Slum Health Scheme, a release said.

A Dai-Didi mobile clinic each will operate in Raipur, Bhilai and Bilaspur cities, it said, adding that the facility would be the first of its kind in the country.

The clinics will have all-women staff including doctors, lab technicians and auxiliary nurse mid-wife. Apart from first aid, facilities of breast cancer screening and check-up of pregnant women will be provided. The clinic will be stationed in slum areas on certain days.

Pfizer Inc on Wednesday said a final analysis of clinical-trial data showed its Covid-19 vaccine was 95% effective, paving the way for the company to apply for the first US regulatory authorization for a coronavirus shot within days. READ MORE

Over 400 students of government schools in Tamil Nadu are to get medical college seats under the 7.5 per cent reservation, Minister of School Education K A Sengottiyan said on Wednesday.

The Income Tax department has issued refunds worth over Rs 1.36 lakh crore to over 40 lakh taxpayers so far this fiscal. This includes Personal income tax (PIT) refunds amounting to Rs 35,750 crore and corporate tax refunds of over Rs 1 lakh crore during this period.

“CBDT issues refunds of over Rs 1,36,066 crore to more than 40.19 lakh taxpayers between 1st April, 2020 to 17th November, 2020. Income tax refunds of Rs 35,750 crore have been issued in 38,23,304 cases and corporate tax refunds of Rs 1,00,316 crore have been issued in 1,95,518 cases,” the I-T department tweeted.

Hearing in the bail application of Faisal Khan adjourned till 20th November. He was one of the four persons who had offered Namaz inside Nanda Bhavan Temple complex in Mathura and was sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah's meeting on Delhi COVID-19 situation on Nov 15, a slew of measures underway. DRDO to add 250 ICU beds to its already existing 250 ICU beds & also to create 35 BIPAP beds in next 3 to 4 days at its COVID hospital near Delhi airport, says MHA

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij offers to be the first volunteer for the third phase trial of Covaxin, which will start in the state on 20th November.

An Army officer was injured in an accidental grenade blast along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch on Wednesday, defence sources said.
The captain suffered minor injuries and was shifted to the Army hospital in Rajouri for treatment, they said. The blast took place at a forward post along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector, they added

At least 10 people were killed and 16 others injured when a mini-truck in which they were travelling rammed into another truck on the outskirts of
Gujarat's Vadodara city early Wednesday morning, police said.

The accident took place at Waghodia circle when the mini-truck hit the other vehicle from behind, Vadodara Police Commissioner R B Brahmbhatt said.

The 10 people who died were from Varachha area of Surat city and they were heading towards Pavagadh in Panchmahal district, he said.

BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda to hold a meeting with all the newly appointed state in-charges of the party on 19th November via video-conferencing. 

Single-screen theatres continue to remain shut in Pune despite the state govt's permission. "Owners of single-screen theatres feel that there is not much scope to reopen theatres as of now," says Dilip Borawake, owner of Laxminarayan Theatre. 

"It is natural for people to not visit theatres these days due to COVID-19 fears. Even multiplexes are not getting satisfactory response. Hence, it is not economically viable for single-screen theatres to restart operations," he added.

The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal mounted to 7,766 on Tuesday after 52 more people succumbed to the disease, the health department said in a bulletin. The tally also went up to 4,38,217 after 3,654 fresh cases of infection were reported from different parts of the state, it said.

Since Monday, 4,388 people recovered from the disease and the discharge rate now is 92.04 per cent. The number of active cases in the state at present is 27,111, the bulletin added.

Of the fresh fatalities, 16 were reported from North 24 Parganas district and 13 from Kolkata. The remaining casualties were registered in several other districts of the state.

Mizoram reports 37 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases here to 3,481, including 2,972 discharges and 5 deaths. Active cases stand at 504.

During the conversation, PM Modi and US President-elect Biden exchanged views on global strategic partnership & Indo-Pacific region & discussed COVID-19. They also discussed role of healthcare & pharmaceuticals particularly vaccines. During the conversation, PM Modi also extended warm congratulations for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. This is a proud moment for Indian-Americans in US. She is a source of inspiration & India is also very proud of her achievement. In 2014, when PM Modi was on his first official visit to US, it was then VC Biden who hosted official lunch for him. In 2016 during PM's address to US Congress, it was VC Biden who presided over the joint session. So they very warmly recall those interactions: Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Ambassador of India to US