Over 70 flights receive bomb threats on Thursday | Top News of Oct 24, 2024

[00:00:08] Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. I am your host, Swati Ajit and these are the major news stories of Thursday, Oct 24, 2024.

[00:00:20] Severe cyclonic storm Dana lay within 200 kilometres of the Odisha coast on Thursday afternoon as several parts of the state experienced heavy rain and squally winds, with the sea conditions remaining rough, the Indian Meteorological Department said.

[00:00:34] Lebanon's caretaker prime minister pleaded in Paris for support for his nation's army, which he said would help secure any ceasefire.

[00:00:41] However, a low-level US presence at the conference in France along with the looming US election dimmed prospects for a swift haul to the fighting.

[00:00:50] More than 70 flights of various Indian airlines received bomb threats on Thursday, according to sources.

[00:00:57] Asserting that addressing conflicts and tensions effectively was the particular need of the day,

[00:01:01] external affairs minister S. Jayashankar said disputes and differences must be settled by dialogue and diplomacy.

[00:01:08] In a major operation targeting gold jewellery manufacturing unit in Trishu, known for its gold trade,

[00:01:14] officials from Kerala Goods and Services Tax Department seized 104 kg of unaccounted gold valued at Rs 75 crore.

[00:01:21] Let's get into the details.

[00:01:24] Severe cyclonic storm Dana lay within 200 kilometres of the Odisha coast on Thursday afternoon as several parts of the state experienced

[00:01:31] heavy rain and squally winds, with the sea conditions remaining rough, the IMD said.

[00:01:36] The state government also expirited evacuation efforts in the coastal districts as Chief Minister Mohen Charanmachi held a review meeting and directed officials to ensure zero casualty due to the natural calamity.

[00:01:47] The cyclone is likely to make landfall between Bithar Kanika National Park and Thamra Port in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 km per hour, the MED Department said.

[00:01:58] Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister pleaded in Paris on Thursday for support for his nation's army, which he said would help secure any ceasefire.

[00:02:06] However, a low-level US presence at the conference in France, along with the looming US election dimmed prospects for a swift halt to the fighting.

[00:02:15] Some 70 government delegations and 15 international organisations met in Paris aiming to raise at least 500 million euros in humanitarian aid and push a ceasefire.

[00:02:24] But with the US focused on its own efforts, diplomats said they expect little concrete progress.

[00:02:30] More than 70 flights of various Indian airlines received bomb threats on Thursday, according to sources.

[00:02:36] The sources said around 20 flights, each of Air India, Vistara and Indigo have got the threats, while Akasha Air has also got the threats for about 14 flights.

[00:02:45] In 11 days, nearly 250 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received the bomb threats.

[00:02:50] An Akasha Air spokesperson said some of its flights operating on October 24 have received security alerts.

[00:02:55] Earlier this week, Civil Aviation Minister Kera Mohan Naidu said the government plans to take legislative actions to deal with incidents of bomb threats to airlines including placing perpetrators of such threats in the no-fly list.

[00:03:09] Asserting that addressing conflicts and tensions effectively is the particular need of the day,

[00:03:14] External Affairs Minister S. Jayashankar on Thursday said disputes and differences must be settled by dialogue and diplomacy.

[00:03:19] Giving a five-point mantra for creating a more equitable global order, Jayashankar also called for correcting distortions in global infrastructure that are the legacy of the colonial era,

[00:03:29] which he said must be done with respect of territorial integrity.

[00:03:33] He made these remarks while representing Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BRICS outreach session hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kaisan in Russia on the final day of the BRICS summit.

[00:03:44] In a major operation targeting gold jewellery manufacturing units in Trishur, known for its gold trade,

[00:03:49] officials from Kerala Goods and Services Tax Department have seized 104 kg of unaccounted gold valued at Rs 75 crore.

[00:03:56] The operation commenced on Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday involving over 700 officials who were in sped around 78 locations,

[00:04:04] including both manufacturing facilities and the homes of dwellers throughout the central Kerala district.

[00:04:10] Officers said the Intelligence Wing of the state GST department has been conducting a probe into the alleged GST fraud by jewellery manufacturers over the past six months.

[00:04:19] According to official sources, officials found significant irregularities in billing and taxation processes, in addition to the seizure of 104 kg of gold.

[00:04:28] That brings us to the end of this episode.

[00:04:30] Thanks for listening to Daily News Doze, hosted by me Swati Ajit and produced by Vishnu Murlatharan.

[00:04:36] Follow www.onmurlatharana for detailed updates on the latest news and be sure to come back tomorrow.