THE HEADLINES:
- India calls upon Bangladesh to ensure safety and security of all minorities and their places of worship.
- Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren takes oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
- Anti-pollution measures GRAP-IV to continue in Delhi-NCR till 2nd December, orders Supreme Court.
- 55th International Film Festival of India concludes with vibrant ceremony in Goa.
- PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Shriyanshi Valishetty enter Women’s Singles quarter-finals of Syed Modi Badminton tournament in Lucknow.
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India has called upon Bangladesh to ensure safety and security of Hindus and all minorities and their places of worship. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha that the primary responsibility of the protection of life and liberty of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, rests with the Bangladesh government. Several incidents of desecration and damages to Hindu temples and deities in the neighbouring nation have been reported in the past few months. Mr Singh said India has expressed its concerns about such incidents, including the attack on a Puja mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka and the theft at Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira during Durga Puja this year.
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In another reply in the House Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh informed that India and Canada are in touch regarding the state of their bilateral ties, asserting that respect for each other’s concerns, territorial integrity and sovereignty are the prerequisites for any stable bilateral relationship. This was stated by Mr. Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
He said India has repeatedly urged the Canadian Government to take prompt and effective action against anti-India elements operating from its soil.
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Both the Houses of Parliament have been adjourned till tomorrow following the uproar by the Opposition parties over various issues including the alleged bribery charges against a prominent business group.
When the Rajya Sabha reassembled at Noon after the first adjournment, the opposition members from Congress, Left, DMK, TMC, Samajwadi Party, AAP and others continued to raise the issues forcing adjournment of the House for the day. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, Parliament is a platform for productive discussions and urged the members to cooperate with the chair to run the House smoothly.
Ruckus continued in the Lok Sabha as well. When the House met at Noon after the first adjournment, the Opposition members trooped into the well raising slogans over various issues, forcing the adjournment of the House for the day.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned the opposition’s behaviour in the House. Mr Rijiju said, the Congress and Other opposition members are trying to create unnecessary pandemonium and are not allowing the new members to put across their views.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Jagdambika Pal moved a motion to extend the time for presentation of the Committee’s report to the last day of the Budget Session next year. The House adopted the motion.
Earlier, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, who won the recently held bypolls, took oath as Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.
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India is working alongside other reform-oriented countries to build support among the UN Member States for expansion of the UN Security Council as New Delhi has all the credentials to be a permanent member of the expanded UNSC that reflects contemporary global realities. This was stated by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. He stated that the government accords the highest priority to getting permanent membership in an expanded United Nations Security Council.
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The government has said that distribution of LED bulbs under UJALA Scheme is saving more than 19 thousand crore rupees per year. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik stated that, 4800 crore units of energy are being saved per year across the country and it has helped to reduce around 4 crore tonnes of CO2 emission annually.
He added that due to switching to LED bulbs, the annual savings per household are averaged between 1 thousand 300 to 1 thousand 800 rupees per year.
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Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Senior leader Hemant Soren took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand for the fourth time today. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Soren at a function in Morhabadi Maidan in Ranchi this afternoon.
“During the oath ceremony of Hemant Soren several India bloc leaders were present. Congress President Malikarjun Khadge, Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were the centre of attraction at the function.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren will constitute his cabinet after winning a vote of trust on the floor of the assembly. A special session of Jharkhand Assembly will be convened from 9th to 12th December. This decision was taken at the first cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Oath ceremony of ministers will be after the trust vote. With K K Lal this is Shilpi for Akashvani News Ranchi.
In the 81-member assembly, INDIA bloc had secured 56 seats. On the other hand, the BJP led NDA won 24 seats. One seat went to Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha.
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Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda today hit out at the AAP led Delhi government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). In a social media post, Mr Nadda expressed pain saying that the AAP government has deprived the people of the city by willfully not adopting the scheme. He added that the AAP government has denied this crucial health cover to more than 6.5 lakh eligible families and all citizens of the age 70 years and above in Delhi.
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The Supreme Court today ordered that Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), currently in force to tackle the severe air quality in Delhi, will continue till the 2nd of December. A Bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih made it clear that all GRAP IV measures except for schools shall be continued till Monday.
The bench said that in the meantime, the Commission for Air Quality Management, CAQM will hold a meeting to decide on easing the GRAP restrictions. It said, the second report submitted by the court commissioners showed an abject failure of authorities in implementing the GRAP IV curbs in letter and spirit. The bench also made it clear that it would continue to hear the matter related to air pollution in detail to find a long-term solution to the crisis.
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In Manipur, all the schools and colleges will reopen from tomorrow. In an order issued by the state government, it was said that normal classes will resume from tomorrow including universities.
All educational institutions had been closed since 16th of this month after widespread protests took place in the valley districts, condemning the killing of six persons by armed men in Jiribam district.
However, internet ban is still in force in the selected districts of the State, while relaxation of curfew for some hours in some districts has been going on.
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Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General, Upendra Dwivedi launched Eklavya, an online digital platform for officers training. This initiative launched in New Delhi aligns with the Indian Army propelling itself into the “Decade of Transformation and also with Indian Army’s theme for 2024 as the Year of Technology Absorption. Ministry of Defence in a statement said that this platform has been hosted on the Army Data Network and features a scalable architecture. A total of 96 courses by 17 Category ‘A’ Training Establishments of the Indian Army have already been hosted on the platform.
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The 55th International Film Festival of India concluded this evening with a spectacular closing ceremony, marking yet another memorable edition of this prestigious event.
Saule Bliuvaite directorial Toxic bagged the prestigious Golden Peacock Award at the 55th International Film Festival of India 2024 today. In the closing ceremony at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium at Panaji Goa, the team was awarded a 40 lakh cash prize, a golden peacock trophy, and a certificate. Clement Faveau bagged the Best Actor Male award for his stellar performance and Vesta Matulyte and Leva Repuikaite jointly won the Best Actor Female honor for their roles in film Toxic.
In the Indian section, Navjot Bandiwadekar was recognized as the Best Debut Director of an Indian Feature Film for Gharat Ganpati while, the Best Web Series OTT award went to Lampan. The festival honored Vikrant Massey as the Indian Film Personality of the Year, celebrating his acting talent and diverse characters portrayed on screen:
”IFFI 2024 showcased an incredible range of talent experience, by offering a platform for budding artists to demonstrate their skills on one side, while also engaging with cinema and music giants who shared valuable life lessons. At its core, the festival focused on film screenings, but one of the most thrilling highlights was The Creative Minds of Tomorrow challenge. This event featured 100 emerging filmmakers tasked with creating a film within just 48 hours, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju made special mention of the Film Bazaar, which saw an overwhelming turnout of film personalities and industry leaders eager to connect and collaborate.The centenary celebrations of Indian cinema legends Raj Kapoor, Mohammed Rafi, Tapan Sinha, and Akkineni Nageswara Rao were a key part of the festival, honoring their remarkable contributions to the industry. Masterclasses by renowned personalities such as A.R. Rahman, Mani Ratnam, and Sonu Nigam provided deep insights into filmmaking and various aspects of cinema, leaving cinephiles inspired and enlightened.This year, the festival will also be remembered for promoting an inclusive cinematic experience for all. WITH OMVESH UPADHYAY/DURGESH/AKASHVANI NEWS/GOA.
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More than one million people in Ukraine have been reportedly left without power after Russia launched a massive strike on the country’s energy grid overnight. At least 12 areas across Ukraine, including three western regions, have been hit and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said emergency power outages had been introduced. Explosions have been reported in several cities, including Odesa, Kharkiv, and Lutsk.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that launching a barrage of missile attacks against Ukraine was Moscow’s way of responding to Kyiv’s use of Western weapons.
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The deep depression in South Bay of Bengal is expected to move Northwards from tomorrow and will cross between Mahabalipuram and Puducherry on 30th morning. The warning of heavy rainfall in coastal districts of the State continues for two more days. The Regional head of the Met department has said that sea will continue to remain boisterous and strong winds are likely in some of the areas. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the seas till the 2nd of December.
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In Badminton, PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Shriyanshi Valishetty have entered the Women’s Singles quarter-final of Syed Modi India International 2024 Super 300 tournament in Lucknow. In Men’s singles, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Meiraba Luwang Maisnam and Ayush Shetty have also entered the last eight. The top-seeded Indian women’s doubles pairing of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponappa progressed to the quarterfinal with a tight three-game win against the Chinese Taipei pair of Chen Su Yu and Yi En Hseih.
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In Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2024, Indian team is currently facing Japan in their second match at Muscat in Oman. The score was 1-1 at the end of first quarter. The 2nd quarter game was in progress when reports last came in. On Saturday, India will face Chinese Taipei and in the final group-stage encounter, the team will take on Korea on Sunday.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- India calls upon Bangladesh to ensure safety and security of all minorities and their places of worship.
- Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren takes oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
- Anti-pollution measures GRAP-IV to continue in Delhi-NCR till 2nd December, orders Supreme Court.
- 55th International Film Festival of India concludes with vibrant ceremony in Goa.
- PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Shriyanshi Valishetty enter Women’s Singles quarter-finals of Syed Modi Badminton tournament in Lucknow.
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