Morning Digest: Maharashtra, Jharkhand election results today; Adanis knew of U.S. probe when they sold ‘bribe-linked assets’ to TotalEnergies, say U.S. prosecutors, and more

Here is a select list of stories to start the day.

Maharashtra and Jharkhand results set to declare; parties seek to tackle poaching

With results in the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections set to be declared on Saturday, all major political parties are making arrangements to swiftly transport their winning MLAs to the State capitals of Mumbai and Ranchi, to prevent any horse-trading or poaching of rival legislators in the run-up to government formation. Major political parties in Maharashtra and Jharkhand prepare to transport winning MLAs to prevent defections and ensure government formation.

Adanis knew of U.S. probe when they sold ‘bribe-linked assets’ to TotalEnergies, say prosecutors

“Gautam and Sagar Adani knew their renewable energy company was under U.S. investigation for suspected bribery when they sold part of India’s largest solar park to France’s TotalEnergies,” prosecutors alleged in legal documents reviewed by Reuters. TotalEnergies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday on whether it knew the Adanis were being probed by U.S. authorities over an alleged bribery and fraud scheme when it bought the Khavda solar stake.

Last rites of Jiribam violence victims performed; 5-point charter submitted to CM

The last rites for nine victims of ethnic clashes in Manipur’s Jiribam, including six women and children abducted and killed by extremists on November 11, were performed on Friday. All belonged to the Meitei community. Officials in southern Assam’s Cachar district said the bodies were handed over to the members of the victims’ families from the morgue at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital in the morning. Manipur police personnel escorted the bodies to Jiribam, about 45 km from Silchar, on the Assam-Manipur border.

Jagan’s role in Adani bribery scandal: AP CM Naidu says he would study and act on it

Former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s alleged complicity in the bribery scandal involving the renewable energy projects secured by Adani Group figured in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on the last day of its budget session on Friday. Reacting to the charges faced by his predecessor, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the State’s reputation had been damaged and it was painful to have brand AP suffer a dent on the global stage. He said the government was looking into the issue and would do the needful after duly studying it while insisting that governments should be accountable to the people and such incidents (of bribery) would not repeat only when necessary action was taken against. 

More than 140 monkeys found dead and buried inside FCI godown in U.P.’s Hathras

Uttar Pradesh Police registered a case against unidentified persons after 145 monkeys were allegedly found dead and buried at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown in Hathras district over a week ago. On Friday, police exhumed the carcasses of the monkeys buried in a pit inside the premises on Kalwari Road in Hathras district. The carcasses were sent for a post-mortem by a team of veterinarians. The complainant, Harshit Gaur, alleged that on November 19, he had received information from somebody working at FCI that several monkeys had been buried at FCI’s godown. He informed SDM Hathras and Circle Officer Sadar about the incident, Mr. Gaur said.

Day after U.S. court rap, Adani energy firms’ stocks sink further

A day after the Adani Group faced its worst market hammering since Hindenburg Research’s allegations in early 2023, six group stocks, including those of flagship Adani Enterprises Ltd. (AEL), recorded a mild recovery on Friday but its energy businesses sank further into the red. Adani Green Energy, which is at the centre of a fresh storm of bribery charges and securities fraud after an U.S. court’s indictment of group promoter Gautam Adani and several associates, fell 8.2% on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on top of a 19% drop the previous day. The group’s other energy-related firms, Adani Energy Solutions and Adani Power, also fell 6.9% and 3.23%, respectively.

Delhi air pollution: Supreme Court to take call on easing GRAP-4 measures on November 25

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider easing Graded Response Action Plan-4 (GRAP-4) restrictions in the national capital on November 25 after the Centre for Air Quality Management (CAQM) claimed the air quality in Delhi has entered a relatively easy-to-breathe GRAP-2 stage in the past two days. A Bench headed by Justice A.S. Oka, however, issued a rider that its call on Monday (November 25, 2024) would depend on what its 13 Court Commissioners would report from their field visits to border entry points to the national capital.

Baku climate talks run into overtime amid row over climate finance

Climate talks at Azerbaijan’s Baku, scheduled to end on Friday, were extended by another day after the latest version of the draft agreement was deemed unacceptable by several developing countries. The developed countries offered no more than $250 billion by 2035 as the New Collective Quantified Goal for Climate Finance (NCQG) despite acknowledging that at least $700 billion would be needed until 2030 to help developing countries. Moreover, with no commitment that this would be disbursed to developing countries in affordable terms, several countries and civil society society groups say this is extremely inadequate to counter the challenges wreaked by climate change.

Judge in Trump criminal hush money case delays sentencing indefinitely

The judge in President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case on Friday delayed his sentencing indefinitely, in what the President-elect’s team called a “decisive win” as he prepares to return to the White House. Mr. Trump, who was to have been sentenced on November 26, fought to block that proceeding before he succeeds President Joe Biden in January. “The joint application for a stay of sentencing is granted to the extent that the November 26, 2024 date is adjourned,” Judge Juan Merchan said in an order in New York.

Putin vows more test of Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would keep testing its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat and had a stock ready for use. Mr. Putin was speaking a day after Russia fired the new intermediate-range weapon into Ukraine for the first time, a step he said was prompted by Ukraine’s use of U.S. ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles to hit Russia. The Kremlin leader described the missile’s first use as a successful test, and said more would follow.

Hungary's Orban vows to disregard international arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday denounced the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he would defy it by inviting him to Hungary. In comments to state radio, Mr. Orban accused the International Criminal Court (ICC), the world’s top war crimes court based in The Hague, of “interfering in an ongoing conflict for political purposes,” saying the decision to issue the warrant for Mr. Netanyahu over his conduct of the war in Gaza undermined international law and escalated tensions.

FTA talks with India to relaunch early in 2025: U.K. PM tells Parliament

The Free Trade Agreement negotiations with India — expected to significantly boost the estimated GBP 42 billion a year bilateral trade partnership — will be relaunched early in the new year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has informed the U.K. Parliament in London. It came during his statement to update the House of Commons on Thursday about his G-20 Summit visit to Brazil, where he said he had a “good discussion” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other world leaders. The meeting earlier this week had led to both countries agreeing to resume the election-stalled FTA talks.

Published - November 23, 2024 06:38 am IST