NATIONAL NEWS
Rain batters Chennai, several areas flooded
Heavy overnight rain led to flooding in several areas of Chennai on November 7. Nungambakkam recorded 21.5 cm of rainfall, the highest recorded in a 24-hour period since 2015. Tamil Nadu has received a 43% surplus rainfall and Chennai registered a 26% excess since October 1. Following rain in the catchment areas leading to heavy inflows, the State Government gradually began releasing surplus water from reservoirs around Chennai including Poondi and Chembarambakkam. From an initial 500 cusecs, the discharge from Chembarambakkam was increased to 2,000 cusecs in the evening. With more heavy rain forecast for the city over the next 48 hours, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a two-day holiday for schools in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpet and Kancheepuram districts. He visited flooded areas in the city and directed officials to ensure food supply for residents displaced and affected by the floods. Commuters wade through a waterlogged area following heavy rain in Chennai.
SC to hear Lakhimpur Kheri violence matter today The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on November 8 the matter related to the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence during a farmers’ protest. A bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli would hear the matter in which the apex court had on October 26 directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide protection to witnesses under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018. The top court had also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to record the statements of other witnesses before the judicial magistrate under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and expedite the examination of digital evidence by experts.
PM Modi to lay foundation stone for expansion of 2 Pandharpur highways
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for four-laning of five sections of Shri Sant Dnyaneshawar Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965) and three sections of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965G) via video conferencing on November 8. The development is designed to facilitate pilgrims’ journey to Pandharpur, a town associated with Sant Tukaram and Sant Dnyaneshawar. Dedicated walkways for ‘Palkhi’ (palanquin) will be constructed on either side of these national highways, providing hassle-free and safe passage to devotees, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
CBI arrests former Assam CM Hiteswar Saikia’s son The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested the eldest son of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia in a bank loan default case. The CBI team arrested Ashok Saikia, also the brother of Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia, from his Guwahati residence in a case related to a ₹9.37 lakh loan taken from the Assam State Cooperative and Agriculture Development (ASCARD) Bank in 1998. The case was initially registered at Guwahati’s Paltan Bazar police station and transferred to the CBI in 2001 after two complaints were filed with the probe agency’s Kolkata branch. Mr. Ashok Saikia was convicted in one of the cases in 2013.
Petrol to be cheaper by ₹10 in Punjab from Monday, diesel by ₹5
The Congress-led government in Punjab on October 7 announced a reduction in value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, making them cheaper by ₹10 and ₹5 per litre respectively in the State. The new rates will be effective from midnight. Currently, petrol and diesel rates in Punjab are ₹106.20 and ₹89.83 per litre respectively. The move, which will cost the state nearly ₹6,000 crores, comes days after the BJP-led central government reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel, and several other States, including Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, slashed VAT rates on the fuels to give relief to consumers. TheThe move by Punjab cabinet comes days after the BJP-led central government reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel.
Climate talks resume in Glasgow on November 8 India is among 27 countries to sign up for a sustainable agriculture action agenda at the conclusion of the first week of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, laying out new commitments to make farming more sustainable and less polluting. Among other developments from week one of the COP26 climate summit, the World Bank will commit to spending $25 billion in climate finance annually to 2025 through its Climate Action Plan, including a focus on agriculture and food systems. After a brief break on November 7, the climate talks will resume on November 8 and conclude at the end of the summit on November 12.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Pakistan Hindu Council to celebrate Diwali at temple that was attacked in 2020
The Pakistan Hindu Council will organise a grand function on November 8 to celebrate Diwali at a century-old temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which was vandalised and set on fire by a mob led by a radical Islamist party last year, a media report said on November 7. Pakistan’s Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad has been invited by the Council to celebrate the festival of lights at the Teri Temple in Karak, the Dawn newspaper reported. The grand function to celebrate Diwali is being organised by the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), which will also host a large number of pilgrims from the Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
Nicaragua’s Ortega seeks re-election in questioned vote
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega sought a fourth consecutive term in elections on November 8 against a field of little-known candidates while those who could have given him a real challenge sat in jail. Voting was orderly and speedy as voters noted the absence of long lines at more than 13,000 polling places around the country. Voting closed on the evening of November 8 without reported incidents. But US President Joe Biden strongly criticised the vote as a “pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic”.
SPORTS NEWS
T20 WC | Shastri-Kohli partnership eyes winning end to significant chapter in Indian cricket Outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli, who will lead the country for one last time in the shortest format, would aim to finish India’s underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign on a positive note with a victory over Namibia in the team’s final Super 12 match on November 8. Around 6:30 pm, New Zealand hit the winning runs against Afghanistan much to the disappointment of the Indian fans, who were hoping against hope that a miracle will happen under the blazing afternoon sun at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
