Morning Digest: Polling will be held for 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra and for 38 seats in 2nd phase in Jharkhand today; PM Modi concludes Brazil visit, leaves for Guyana, and more

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

Maharashtra set to vote in a single phase

The Assembly elections in 288 constituencies across Maharashtra and for 38 seats in the final phase in Jharkhand will be held on Wednesday.

PM Modi concludes G-20 Brazil visit, leaves for Guyana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) left for Guyana on the last leg of his three-nation tour after attending the G20 Summit in Brazil, where he met global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Prime Minister’s visit to Guyana till November 21 comes at the invitation of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali

SpaceX launches giant Starship rocket but passes up catching booster with mechanical arms

SpaceX launched another Starship rocket but passed up catching the booster with giant mechanical arms. Unlike last month’s success, the booster was directed to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The catch was called off just four minutes into the test flight from Texas for unspecified reasons, and the booster hit the water three minutes later. Not all of the criteria for a booster catch was met and so the flight director did not command the booster to return to the launch site, said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot. He did not specify what went wrong.

Manipur ethnic violence probe panel collects evidence

The three-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) notified last year by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to probe ethnic violence in Manipur is in the middle of collecting evidence, and “relevant people” would be called to appear before the panel soon, a senior government official said on Tuesday (November 19, 2024). The Commission was expected to conduct public hearings to comprehensively investigate the ethnic violence, but a decision is yet to be taken on the subject. “The safety and security of individuals who attend the hearing is to be considered. What if someone is harmed after the hearing? We are weighing in the options,” the official said.

Council of churches expresses concern over escalation in Manipur violence, calls for more Central forces

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), the official representative body for around 14 million members of the country’s Protestant and Orthodox churches, issued a statement on Tuesday (November 19, 2024) expressing anguish and concern over the recent escalation of violence in Manipur’s ongoing ethnic conflict. It said the failure to restore peace in Manipur was a “national tragedy” that reflected a “systematic breakdown of governance and the rule of law in the State”.

Little improvement in air quality: Gopal Rai urges PM Modi to clear way for artificial rain

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and provide relief from the “medical emergency” by clearing hurdles in inducing artificial rain in the city, even as he slammed the BJP-led Centre for its “carelessness” in responding to the toxic air crisis in north India. However, the BJP’s Delhi unit said the air quality could have improved significantly had Mr. Rai, instead of writing letters about artificial rain, asked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Punjab to check stubble burning.

A.R. Rahman, wife Saira Banu separating after 29 years of marriage: lawyer

“Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman and wife Saira Banu are separating after 29 years of marriage,” their lawyer said on Tuesday (November 19, 2024). In a statement on behalf of the couple, prominent divorce lawyer Vandana Shah said they took the decision to separate after “significant emotional strain in their relationship”. “After many years of marriage, Saira and her husband, A.R. Rahman, have made the difficult decision to separate from each other. This decision comes after significant emotional strain in their relationship,” their lawyer added.

BJP levels allegations of bitcoin trade against Supriya Sule, Nana Patole

Ahead of the Assembly election in Maharashtra, the BJP on Tuesday (November 19, 2024) accused State Congress president Nana Patole and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule of possible links to illegal trade in bitcoins. At a press conference held at the BJP’s national headquarters in the evening, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi referred to media reports, certain audio files, and a WhatsApp chat on the issue. “These videos and chats show that a dealer gets in touch with a former police person, who had left service under a cloud, to help him in encashing and moving the proceeds of a bitcoin transaction,” said Mr. Trivedi. 

I&B Ministry officials’ salaries to stay on hold until completion of iGOT online training programme

Clearance of salary has been linked to the mandatory completion of Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) courses, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issuing an office memorandum on Monday (November 18, 2024) stating that “salary of their officials will be cleared only upon completion of mandatory iGOT courses”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched the 2024 National Learning Week (NLW), also known as Karmayogi Saptah, aimed at developing skills of civil servants in India.

Hyderabad records ‘moderate air quality’ using missing data

Between November 12 and 19, there has not been a single day when all the 14 pollution sensors in Hyderabad functioned continuously for 24 hours. The result: the online monitoring map of air quality looks green and healthy in Hyderabad, while the social media is abuzz about the unhealthy air quality of Delhi and other cities. “Sometimes the monitors may malfunction. They are rectified within a day or two. We have an annual maintenance contract for the equipment,” said a Telangana State Pollution Control Board official when asked about the missing data.

U.S. recognises Venezuela’s Opposition candidate as President-elect months after the disputed election

The U.S. government recognised Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González as the “President-elect” of the South American country on Tuesday (November 19, 2024), months after President Nicolas Maduro claimed to have won the July contest. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized Mr. González in a post on X in which he also demanded “respect for the will” of Venezuelan voters. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden had previously said Mr. González had earned the most votes in the disputed July 28 election but had fallen short of acknowledging him as President-elect.

India, Italy to negotiate defence industrial roadmap

India and Italy agreed to negotiate a defence industrial roadmap and agreement for the mutual protection and exchange of classified information, as well as an agreement on cooperation in the maritime and port sectors. This was stated in the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–29, which outlines their vision for the next five years. “Negotiate a defence industrial roadmap between the two Ministries of Defence and promote a Memorandum of Understanding between the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers and the Italian Industries Federation for Aerospace, Defence and Security,” the joint action plan said.

Blind T20 World Cup: Indian cricket team not to travel to Pakistan, government denies permission

The Indian blind cricket team will not compete in the T20 World Cup as the government has denied it permission to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns, the national federation said on Tuesday (November 19, 2024). The Indian team was supposed to cross the Wagah border on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) for the event, scheduled to be held from November 23 to December 3. The Indian blind cricket team had got a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the sports ministry for participation but apparently couldn’t get clearance from the MEA.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal loses in Davis Cup quarter-finals singles opener

Retiring tennis superstar Rafael Nadal lost 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp in a Davis Cup quarterfinal singles rubber on Tuesday (November 19, 2024) as the Netherlands took a 1-0 lead against Spain. The 22-time Grand Slam winner will call time on his career in professional tennis at the end of Spain’s participation in the tournament in Malaga after two injury-ravaged years.

India’s confidence ‘damaged’ but Australia won’t underestimate visitors: Marnus Labuschagne

A shattering defeat to New Zealand on home soil would have caused a “little bit of damage” to India’s confidence, but Australia will not make the mistake of underestimating the visitors, said charismatic batter Marnus Labuschagne in Perth on Tuesday (November 19, 2024). “It’s really hard to judge. They played in completely different conditions—spindling conditions—but having India come here off the back of a loss at home is something that’s never happened before (in my career),” Labuschagne told the media.

Published - November 20, 2024 07:09 am IST