12 injured, 3 detained in mall shooting in US's South Carolina

The local disaster reduction office reported that a woman from Tagum City in Davao del Norte province was killed when a wall of her house collapsed, reports Xinhua news agency.

Her husband and child were injured.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council was still assessing the quake's impact and has yet to confirm any quake-related deaths or injuries.

In an updated report on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology upgraded the magnitude of the earthquake from 6.9 to 7.4.

The institute said the quake, which occurred at 10.37 p.m. on Saturday night, hit at a depth of 25 km, about 30 km northeast of Hinatuan town.

The institute said the tectonic quake, which was felt in parts of Mindanao island and central Philippines, will cause damage.

The institute has recorded over 500 aftershocks till Sunday morning, some with magnitude of over 5 and 6.

The institute also issued a tsunami warning on Saturday night, prompting residents living in the coastal areas close to the epicenter to evacuate to higher grounds or move farther inland.

The residents returned home after the institute lifted the tsunami alert.

Philippine Coast Guard said on Sunday morning that all vessels and aircraft were placed on alert to be ready for dispatch.

Last month, a 6.8-magnitude offshore earthquake, hitting about 34 km northwest of Sarangani town with a depth of 72 km, led to at least nine deaths, according to authorities.

The archipelagic Philippines has frequent seismic activities due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire".

(IANS)

Union Minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia arrives at the residence of incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in Bhopal.

As per the latest official EC trends, BJP is leading on 73 seats and Congress on 28 in the state.

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said that he is "confident" about his party forming the government.

Speaking to the reporters here, the Congress leader said that he has 'trust' in the voters of the state.

"I have not seen any trends; I don't need to look at any trends till 11 am. I am very confident; I trust the voters of Madhya Pradesh..." he said.

However, it is to be noted that all leads now are based on the counting of postal ballots.

The BJP fought the poll under a largely collective leadership while Congress projected former Chief Minister Kamal Nath as its chief ministerial face.

Nath has been the MP Congress Committee (MPCC) president for several years. He has represented the

Chhindwara parliamentary seat for nine terms since 1980, becoming one of the longest-serving MPs in the country.

In a run to the assembly polls, Nath targeted Chouhan for his alleged misgovernance, corruption, and failure to control crimes against women, tribals, and Dalits, focusing his campaign on hyperlocal issues, even as the

Congress made several pro-poor and pro-farmer welfare promises.

The counting of votes of assembly elections held in Madhya Pradesh on November 17 began at 8 am on Sunday.

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections were held on November 17, 2023, to elect all 230 members of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Voting was carried out in a single phase.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) stand as the primary political forces. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati and the Samajwadi Party (SP) also hold significance in the state's political landscape.

Most exit-poll projections released on Thursday put the BJP in the lead, with the Congress seen to be coming up short and not cashing in on the 'anti-incumbency' as they had hoped to. Some exit polls, however, gave an advantage to the Congress party.

Also read Assembly Results: BJP Leading On 23 seats In Chhattisgarh

Early counting trends in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday showed the BJP had taken a commanding lead in 37 seats according to results put out by the Election Commision of India.

Meanwhile, Congress was leading in 7 seats according to the trends put out by the EC at 9:30 am.

Read more National News 

Madhya Pradesh has been a BJP stronghold for the last twenty years, barring the 15-month tenure of the Kamal Nath-led government when Congress came to power in 2018.

(ANI)

As per the ECI trends, Congress is leading in Mohal-Manpur, Bijapur, Bindranavagarh, Bemetara, Kasdol, Sarangarh, Rampur, Manendragarh, Baloda Bazar, Masturi and Kharsia assembly constituencies.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel is leading from Patan.

While BJP is leading in Konta, Narayanpur, Bilha, Lormi, Marwahi, Kota, Takhatpur, Jashpur, Rajim, Raipur City South and Kanker assembly constituencies.

The halfway mark for the 90-member assembly of Chhattisgarh is 46.

The results of assembly polls in four states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana- are being considered as the semifinal before the Lok Sabha polls which are scheduled for 2024.

A total of 1,181 candidates contested seeking a mandate to the 90-member assembly.

Also read Counting Begins For MP Assembly Elections

As per the Election Commission of India, 90 returning officers, 416 assistant returning officers, 4596 enumerators, and 1699 micro-observers have been appointed for the counting process.

The ECI has also appointed 90 counting observers for the 90 assembly constituencies.
The polling in the state was held in two phases.

Read more National News 

The first phase was held in 20 constituencies on November 7 with 223 candidates in the contest while the polling in the remaining constituencies with 958 candidates were held in the second phase on November 17.

The voter turnout for both phases combined was 76.31 per cent, slightly lower than the 2018 polls. In the first phase, 78 per cent of voter turnout was recorded and in the second phase, it was 75.88 per cent.

The four main contenders in the Chhattisgarh Elections 2023 are the BJP, Congress, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Other regional outfits like the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), Hamar Raj Party (HRP) and the Left parties are also in the contest.

(ANI)