Delhi Lt. Governor asks AAP Govt to reconsider ‘Red light on, Gaadi off’ campaign, sends back file
The AAP government in Delhi had earlier attacked the Lt. Governor, alleging that delay in approving the proposal had forced it to postpone the October 28 launch of the campaign but sources in the L-G office claimed that city Environment Minister Gopal Rai had lied as the file sent by the CM mentioned the date of launch as October 31. The month-long ‘Red light on, Gaadi off’ campaign aims at encouraging drivers to turn off the ignition of their vehicles while waiting at traffic signals. “The L-G has sent the file to Chief Minister Kejriwal with the advice to reconsider the proposal,” a source said. The L-G objected to the “inhuman” and “exploitative use” of Civil Defence Volunteers (CDVs) at extremely polluted traffic intersections and sites, a source said.
The petition is likely to come up for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice U U Lalit and Justices S R Bhat and Bela M Trivedi, according to the cause list of October 31 uploaded on the apex court website. The plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has also sought directions to declare that the use of party symbol on EVM is illegal, unconstitutional, and violative of the Constitution. It further said the best solution to weed out corruption and criminalisation in politics is to replace political party symbols on ballot and EVM with name, age, educational qualification and photograph of the candidates.
State Home Ministers’ meet | Amit Shah flags rise in number of mazaars in Gujarat’s Bet Dwarka
Union Home Minister Amit Shah red flagged the disproportionate rise in number of mazaars (shrines) in Bet Dwarka, an island off the coast of Dwarka in Gujarat to highlight the challenges in coastal security at the State Home Ministers’ conference that concluded October 28. Mr. Shah is learnt to have raised the issue at the concluding session of the two-day conference when he reportedly informed the delegates that the tiny island had more shrines and tombs than its population.
Internet and social media platforms now toolkits of terror groups: Jaishankar
Terrorism is still one of the “gravest threats” to humanity said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, highlighting terror threats from the use of emerging technologies on the second day of the UN Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) held in Delhi on Saturday. The meet began, like the first day in Mumbai with a moment of silence for victims of terrorism, and officials and Ministers from various countries, made interventions on the use of the internet, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) including drones, crypto currency and other online means of financing terrorism.
Gujarat government to form committee for Uniform Civil Code implementation
Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi said the State cabinet cleared a proposal to constitute the committee during its meeting held on Saturday. This is considered the last meeting of the Bhupendra Patel-led cabinet as the schedule for the State elections is expected to be announced next week.
AAP to declare CM face for Gujarat Assembly polls on Nov 4, seeks public opinion
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will announce on November 4 the name of its chief ministerial face for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections on the basis of opinion given by the people of the State. Addressing a press conference, the AAP’s national convener urged people to contact the party through SMS, WhatsApp, voice mail and e-mail to give their views about who should be the CM candidate from the party.
Security cover of 25 MVA leaders withdrawn by Shinde-Fadnavis government
The Maharashtra government has removed “categorised” security cover of 25 leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, an official said. It means these leaders would not have permanent police security outside their houses or escort. The decision was taken after a fresh assessment of their security perception, the official said. Those who lost security cover includes several former Cabinet ministers. The security cover of Uddhav Thackeray, the previous chief minister, and his family has been retained.
Heat waves cost poor countries the most, exacerbating inequality
Heat waves, intensified by climate change, have cost the global economy trillions of dollars in the last 30 years, a study published Friday found, with poor countries paying the steepest price. And those lopsided economic effects contribute to widening inequalities around the world, according to the research. The reason for that disparity is simple: poor countries are often situated closer to the tropics, where temperatures are warmer anyway. During heat waves, they become even hotter. The study comes just days ahead of the start of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, where the question of compensation for countries which are disproportionately vulnerable to but least responsible for climate change is expected to be one of the key topics.
Bangladesh committed to safety and security of Hindu minorities: Information Minister Hasan Mahmud
Bangladesh Information Minister Hasan Mahmud on October 29 said the Sheikh Hasina Government is committed to the safety of its Hindu minorities and the peaceful Durga Puja celebrations in the country this year is a testimony to it. Mr. Mahamud, who is in Kolkata to inaugurate Bangladesh Film Festival, said the Indo-Bangla relation is not dependent only on the Teesta water sharing agreement between the two nations.
Islamabad police bars hotels from accommodating participants of Imran Khan’s long march
In an unusual move, Islamabad police on October 29 barred hotels and guest houses in the federal capital from providing accommodation to the participants of the long march led by former Pakistan Premier Imran Khan to force the government to announce a date for early general elections. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has also directed television channels not to live telecast PTI leaders’ speeches and the long march, according to its notification. The PEMRA said it was observed during a speech that “statements against state institutions were aired live” in violation of the code of conduct and court orders. It warned that legal action, leading to suspensions and revocation of licences, would be initiated in case of non-compliance.
Gunman who attacked Shia shrine in Iran dies; guard warns protesters
Iranian authorities have not disclosed details about the assailant, who died in a hospital in the southern city of Shiraz from injuries sustained during his arrest, according to Iran’s semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies. At the funeral for victims of the shooting in Shiraz, the chief of the Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, called on Iranians to stop protesting. His threat came as the Guard and other security forces have violently cracked down on demonstrations with live ammunition, anti-riot pellets and tear gas. “Today is the end of the riots. Do not go to the streets anymore!” Salami said on Saturday. “We are telling our youth, the minority of you who have been deceived, stop the evil acts.”
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Saturday reported a net loss of ₹272.35 crore for July-September - the second straight quarter of loss arising from selling petrol, diesel and cooking gas LPG at rates below cost. The net loss of ₹272.35 crore compared to a profit of ₹6,360.05 crore in July-September 2021, according to a company’s filing with the stock exchanges. IOC as well as other state-owned fuel retailers had booked heavy losses in the first quarter of the current fiscal as they did not revise petrol, diesel and cooking gas LPG prices in line with the cost to help the government contain runaway inflation.
French Open Super 750 badminton | Satwik-Chirag duo enters final
Commonwealth Games champion Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty registered a commanding straight-game win over the Korean pair of Choi Sol Gyu and Kim Won Ho to progress to the men’s doubles final of the French Open Super 750 badminton tournament, in Paris on October 29, 2022. The world number 8 Indian pair dished out an attacking game to outwit the Korean combination 21-18 21-14 in the semifinals that lasted 45 minutes.
