China names Tibet-Xinjiang highway bridges after slain Galwan soldiers
Beijing on November 4, 2022 said it had named 11 bridges along its key Tibet-Xinjiang highway, parts of which run through Aksai Chin, after four Chinese soldiers killed in the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash. The June 2020 Galwan Valley clash followed the PLA’s aggressive moves along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) starting in April that year. The clash led to the loss of lives of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers, marking the worst violence on the border since 1967.
Close fight between BJP, Congress in Himacal polls
A close fight is on the cards in the upcoming Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, with the ruling BJP hindered by anti-incumbency sentiments, while the challenging Congress has been affected by factionalism and fragmented leadership within its State units.
Congress releases first list of 43 candidates for Gujarat Assembly polls
Congress released the first list of 43 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly polls to be held in December this year on Friday late night. There are 10 Scheduled Tribes (ST) and five Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates in the list. The party has also fielded as many as 10 Patidar candidates in the first list. Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, while the votes will be counted on December 8.
Centre, employees for detailed study of EPFO case verdict
The Union Labour Ministry, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and organisations of employees and employers are studying the Supreme Court order on Friday upholding the validity of the Employees Pension (Amendment) Scheme of 2014. Sources in the Labour Ministry said it would come up with detailed guidelines for the employees and employers on implementing the verdict.
‘I was hit by four bullets,’ says Imran Khan in first address to nation after assassination bid
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 4, 2022 said he was hit by four bullets on his right leg during the assassination attempt by two shooters a day earlier, when he was leading a political march in Punjab province. In his first address since the assassination attempt, Mr. Khan said that he was aware of the plot to kill him. He described the attack on his life and said he was on the container when a “burst of bullets” was directed at him, causing him to get shot in the leg and fall down.
Agnipath will be scrapped if Congress forms government in the Centre, says Priyanka
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on November 4, 2022 said if Congress forms a government in the Centre, the party would scrap the Agnipath policy of recruitment in defence forces. In her address, Ms. Vadra hit out at the BJP, blaming both the State and Central governments for inflation, unemployment, economic crisis, and agriculture-horticulture crisis among other issues.
Musk takeover | Twitter India sees significant layoffs
Twitter India team has been “significantly” impacted by the global layoffs at the social networking platform with the majority of the about 250-member team being fired, a week after Elon Musk acquired the company for USD 44 billion, according to sources. The layoffs have impacted all business verticals in India, including marketing, communication and partnerships. While the exact number is not known, at least 50-60% of the staff have been let go. as per the source
Gyanvapi dispute: Allahabad HC notice to ASI on plea for scientific probe of ‘shivling’
In the ongoing Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute, the Allahabad High Court on Friday issued notice to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), directing it to file an affidavit on whether it is possible to conduct a scientific investigation of the purported “shivling” found inside the mosque premises. While the Hindu plaintiffs claimed, based on the video survey that the structure was a “shivling”, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee of the Gyanvapi mosque had disputed this, insisting that it was part of the fountain in the mosque’s wuzu khana (ablution pond).
New Parliament getting ready at ‘very fast pace’, says Union Minister
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday remained non-committal about the precise date of the completion of the new Parliament complex in the Capital but sought to emphasise that work related to it was proceeding at a “very fast pace”. Over 4,000 individuals were working round the clock to complete the project, the targetted date of completion of which, the government had in August told the Lok Sabha, was November, he said.
Accused of taking money from Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Delhi DG Prison transferred
Days after Director General of Prison, Delhi, Sandeep Goel was accused of receiving ₹12.5 crore from alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday transferred him asking him to report to the Police Headquarters for “further orders”, Raj Niwas officials said. Mr. Chandrashekhar had, in a letter to the L-G in October which came out in public on Tuesday, accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister Satyender Jain, who earlier held the Jail portfolio, and Mr. Goel of demanding “protection money” from him for his safety and facilities in jail back in 2019.
No amount of exposure to air pollution is safe: doctors
Warning that no amount of exposure to air pollution is safe and that a child born in the Indo-Gangetic Plain today is “taking in smoke equivalent to 20-25 cigarettes a day”, doctors have advised that it is best to stay indoors for the next few days “during peak pollution levels”. Hospitals in the region have confirmed that out-patient departments are seeing a three-fold rise in patients with pollution-related complaints.
Delhi pollution | Work from home for 50% govt. employees, private offices asked to follow suit
Alarmed by hazardous pollution levels in Delhi, Environment Minister Gopal Rai on November 4 ordered 50% staff of the Delhi government to work from home and said an advisory will be issued to private offices to follow suit. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said primary schools will be closed from November 5 in a bid to protect children from the effects of worsening air quality. He said the Delhi government has decided to implement the anti-pollution curbs recommended by the Commission for Air Quality Management, including a ban on non-BS VI diesel-run light motor vehicles.
Money laundering case | ED raids multiple locations in Jharkhand, West Bengal
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided a dozen locations in West Bengal and Jharkhand as part of a money laundering probe into alleged use of forged papers for sale of defence land in these states, officials said. The federal agency is searching about eight locations in Ranchi and adjoining areas, and multiple places in Kolkata including the premises linked to arrested businessman Amit Agarwal.
Indian aerospace ecosystem seeing unprecedented growth towards becoming self-reliant, says IAF Chief
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari on Friday called upon the Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE) to increase its outreach to capitalise on the unprecedented growth in the Indian aerospace ecosystem. The Indian Air Force Chief also advocated the need to use new technologies.
U.S. President Joe Biden says ‘we’re gonna free Iran’ as protests go on
President Joe Biden on November 3 told supporters “we're gonna free Iran” after audience members appeared to call on him to address the ongoing protests that have spread through Iran in the aftermath of the death of a young woman in the custody of its security forces. The administration announced sanctions last month against Iranian officials for the brutal treatment of demonstrators following the September death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by Iran's morality police.
FIFA pleads with World Cup nations to ‘focus on football’ in Qatar
FIFA have written to World Cup teams urging them to focus on the football in Qatar and not let the sport be dragged into ideological or political “battles”. The letter from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the governing body’s secretary general Fatma Samoura follows a number of protests made by World Cup teams, on issues ranging from LGBTIQ rights to concerns over the treatment of migrant workers.
