Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit India next year
Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit India next year, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. The two sides are looking at the possibility of the visit but nothing has been finalised, they said.
Delhi air pollution: AQI at 471; Environment Minister says call on odd-even measures to be taken soon
A decision on implementing work-from-home measures and the odd-even scheme will be taken soon to tackle the city’s worsening air quality, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. Mr. Rai said, “People, including children and senior citizens, are struggling to breathe and we deeply regret this situation.” The air quality in the national capital has remained in the “severe plus” category since Sunday, with AQI readings consistently above 450. On the possibility of implementing work-from-home measures, Mr. Rai stated, “We will take a decision on this soon.”
Punjab sees season’s maximum single day spike in farm fires at 1,251
As Punjab’s average air quality index (AQI) continued to hover in ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ category, the State saw a maximum single day spike in farm fires on Monday during the ongoing ‘kharif’ harvesting season.
Delhi air pollution: CJI Sanjeev Khanna gives lawyers the option to appear online
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday left it to lawyers to either opt for online mode of appearance or appear in person for their cases, following the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)‘ s Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) restrictions in the national capital due to air pollution.
PM’s refusal to visit Manipur beyond anybody’s understanding: Kharge in letter to President Murmu
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, asking her to intervene in the deteriorating situation in Manipur in light of the inaction by the Union Government. In his letter, he shared how the situation in Manipur has been worsening day-by-day and also highlighted the ‘silence’ and inaction of the state and Union governments marked by the loss of more than 300 lives, people being displaced, the impact on the economy and more.
11 Manipur MLAs get notice for not attending CM Biren Singh’s meeting
The Manipur Chief Minister’s Secretariat has served notices to 11 MLAs, including ministers, for not attending a meeting convened by Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh on Monday to discuss the law-and-order situation in the State. The MLAs asked to explain their absence included Kshetrigao’s Sheikh Noorul Hassan of the National People’s Party (NPP), which withdrew support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government on Sunday.
Writing is on wall but is HM Shah reading it: Congress’s dig over MLAs ‘skipping’ NDA meet in Manipur
The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at the BJP over some MLAs of the ruling NDA reportedly skipping a meeting called by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, saying the writing on the wall is clear and asked whether Home Minister Amit Shah is reading it. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also asked how long will the “excruciating agony” of the people of Manipur continue like this.
Ahead of winter session of Parliament, government to convene all-party meet on Sunday
The government has convened a customary all-party meeting on November 24 ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a post on X on Tuesday that the meet has been convened on November 24 morning “in view of the coming Winter session of Parliament.” The session begins on November 25 and concludes on December 20.
G20: PM Modi meets Italian PM Meloni, European counterparts; discusses ways to strengthen ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met leaders of several countries, including those from Italy, Indonesia, Norway, Portugal, Egypt and South Korea on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and discussed ways to improve and strengthen bilateral ties. Mr. Modi also met International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath and European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen.
G-20 summit: EAM Jaishankar, Chinese FM Wang discuss resumption of direct flights, journalist permits, tourists and pilgrims
A month after the LAC disengagement agreement was announced India and China agreed to discuss the “next steps” in the relationship, including the resumption of direct flights, visas, journalist permissions, river-data sharing and the return of Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar. The announcement was made after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the side-lines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday (November 18, 2024), their first interaction since India and China agreed to disengage at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on October 21 and a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia.
Vedic-era Bharadwaj, not Wright Brothers, conceptualised first aircraft: U.P. governor
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has claimed that Vedic-era sage Bharadwaj, not the Wright Brothers, conceptualised the idea of an aircraft. Addressing a convocation function at a university, Ms. Patel said students should study ancient Indian texts to appreciate the unparalleled research and discoveries made by their ancestors. “The sages and scholars of ancient India made remarkable discoveries and innovations that are benefiting the world even today,” she was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Raj Bhawan.
T.M. Krishna can receive Music Academy’s Sangita Kalanidhi & cash prize too but not in M.S. Subbulakshmi’s name: Madras High Court
The Madras High Court on Tuesday cleared the decks for conferment of the prestigious ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award by the Music Academy on Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna and also the giving away of another mirror award, instituted by The Hindu in 2005 with a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, to him on January 1, 2025. Justice G. Jayachandran, however, ordered that the mirror award, carrying the cash prize, should not be named after acclaimed classical musician M.S. Subbulakshmi since she had executed a will in 1997 expressing her desire that no trust, foundation, memorial, statue or bust should be instituted in her name or memory.
Anil Deshmukh attacked: Case against 4 unidentified persons for murder bid
“Police have registered a case against four unidentified persons on charges of attempt to murder after NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh was seriously injured in stone pelting at his car in Nagpur,” officials said on Tuesday. The incident took place at around 8 p.m. on Monday and Mr. Deshmukh was later admitted to a private hospital in Nagpur.
About 182 million children in poor nations lack nurture; pollution, climate change risk factors: Study
In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), three-fourths of those aged three or four years — nearly 182 million children — lack access to adequate nurture, thereby risking healthy development, according to a new series paper, published in The Lancet journal. Child development is also affected by air pollution, climate change, and exposure to chemicals, which are emerging environmental risk factors, said an international team, including researchers from the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), New Delhi.
G20 Summit: Biden, Trudeau miss traditional photo with world leaders
President Joe Biden inadvertently was a missing man in the traditional photo of world leaders at the final Group of 20 summit of his presidency on Monday, a photo-shoot fail that U.S. officials attributed to timing. Instead, Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strolled up after photographers had already taken the official picture, as other world leaders milled about chatting after having smiled and raised linked hands for the photo.
Putin signs new Russian nuclear doctrine after Biden’s arms decision for Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a revised nuclear doctrine declaring that a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country. Mr. Putin’s endorsement of the new nuclear deterrent policy comes on the 1,000th day after he sent troops into Ukraine, on Feb. 24, 2022. It follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles.
Pakistan bans large gatherings in the capital ahead of a rally by Imran Khan’s party
Pakistani authorities banned gatherings of five or more people in the capital ahead of a planned march by the supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The two-month ban announced Tuesday comes before a rally Sunday planned by Khan’s party to pressure the government to release the imprisoned former leader. Officials said the ban is aimed at ensuring peace by stopping any unlawful gathering in the current security environment. The government notice made no mention of any specific security threat, but militant violence has been surging in Pakistan.
Meta to appeal against CCI’s ₹213 crore penalty
After the Competition Commission imposed a ₹213-crore penalty on Meta in relation to WhatsApp privacy policy, the company said it disagreed with the watchdog’s decision and plans to appeal. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Monday (November 18, 2024) imposed a penalty of ₹213.14 crore on social media major Meta for unfair business ways with respect to WhatsApp privacy policy update done in 2021.
Roger Federer hails ‘historic’ Rafael Nadal ahead of imminent retirement
Tennis great Roger Federer hailed his former rival Rafael Nadal on Tuesday ahead of the Spaniard’s imminent retirement from tennis at the Davis Cup. “Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens — historic!” Federer wrote on social media platform X. “You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud.”
Published - November 19, 2024 07:02 pm IST
