TODAY ON November 18, 2022
GK News Headlines

COP27 | India opposes draft text on agriculture

India has opposed the developed world’s efforts to extend the scope of mitigation to agriculture at the ongoing U.N. climate summit in Egypt, saying rich nations do not want to change their lifestyles to reduce emissions and are “searching for cheaper solutions abroad”, sources said on Thursday.

Electoral bonds worth ₹10,246 crore sold in 21 tranches so far

Electoral bonds worth ₹10,246 crore have been sold by the State Bank of India (SBI) since the instrument was launched in March 2018. Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency to political funding.

Centre seeks review of Supreme Court order releasing Rajiv Gandhi case convicts

The Centre on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its order prematurely releasing six convicts serving life imprisonment for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The Union government contended that the court did not afford it adequate opportunity of hearing before ordering the immediate release of the convicts.

Nancy Pelosi to step down as top U.S. Democrat after Republicans take House

Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the trailblazing first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said on November 17 that she will step down as party leader when Republicans take control of the chamber in January. “I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” Ms. Pelosi said in an emotional speech on the House floor. “The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus.”

Gujarat Assembly polls | Migrant workers hold key votes in Surat’s Ashapuri area

The dingy lanes of Ashapuri in Surat, a home for migrants from at least half a dozen States, is alive with hectic political activity these days in view of next month’s Assembly elections. Plagued by the lack of basic amenities, these migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana have made this locality, one of the biggest residential areas in the city, their home for the past several decades.

TMC hopes Bengal Govt, Raj Bhawan to share cordial relations after appointment of new Governor

The Trinamool Congress on November 17 hoped that the West Bengal Government and the Raj Bhawan would share cordial relations after C.V. Ananda Bose was appointed as the Governor of the State. Mr. Bose (71) is a 1977 batch (retired) Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Kerala cadre. He last served as an administrator in the National Museum in Kolkata before superannuating in 2011.

Sri Lanka’s Tamil parties sceptical of Ranil’s outreach

Reaching out to Sri Lanka’s Tamil parties in Parliament on November 10, President Ranil Wickremesinghe invited them for a discussion this week, and pledged to resolve their pending issues before the island nation’s 75th Independence Day falling on February 4, 2023. However, Tamil politicians, who are yet to receive a date for the said meeting, are highly sceptical. 

Telangana, Gujarat HC advocates oppose proposed transfer of judges

Telangana and Gujarat High Courts’ advocates have decided to abstain from work following social media posts about the proposed transfers of Justices A. Abhishek Reddy and Nikhil S. Kariel, respectively, to the Patna High Court by the Supreme Court Collegium. It is suggested that the Collegium led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has also proposed the transfer of Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice T. Raja to Rajasthan.

ED director Sanjay Kumar Mishra gets one-year extension

The Union Government on Thursday gave a fresh one-year extension in service to the director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Sanjay Kumar Mishra, according to an official order. This is the third extension given to the officer.

Ajay Maken named as one of Congress star campaigners for Rajasthan bypoll

In an indication that the Congress’ top leadership is unwilling to accept Ajay Maken’s request to be relieved of his responsibilities as the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) in-charge for Rajasthan, the party on Thursday named Mr. Maken as one of the star campaigners for the Sardarshahar Assembly constituency where byelection is to be held on December 5.

MCD polls ticket bribery case | AAP MLA questioned by ACB for 11 hours, denies allegations

AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi was on Thursday questioned for nearly 11 hours by the Delhi Government’s Anti-Corruption Branch in connection with the MCD polls ticket bribery case, officials said. During the questioning, a senior official said, Mr. Tripathi refuted the allegations against him and his associates, including his relative, who were arrested by the ACB on Wednesday.

In newly liberated Kherson, Ukrainians celebrate but worry about what’s next

Under rainy skies, Ukrainian-controlled Kherson’s central square was a frenetic melee on Thursday afternoon of humanitarian aid queues and displays of patriotic celebration tinged with uncertainty about the future. Russia last week pulled its troops out of a pocket on the west bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, which included Kherson, the only regional capital it had captured since the February invasion.

RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh asks Centre to rethink PSU privatisation decision

Thousands of workers affiliated to the RSS-backed trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) on Thursday protested in New Delhi against the Centre’s policies of privatisation and corporatisation of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). The leaders of the BMS met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and urged him to review the decision to corporatise ordnance factories. In a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BMS said the Centre must rethink its decision on privatisation of the PSUs on a rational basis and to get an insight and ground reality, it must hold discussions with the representatives of trade unions.

Six-month-old baby dies of measles in Mumbai

A six-month-old child, admitted to a civic hospital in Mumbai on November 13, died of measles on Thursday. Sakina Usman Ansari from Thane’s Bhiwandi district was admitted to the Kasturba Hospital on November 13 and died on Thursday due to septic shoch with measles with bronchopneumonia, officials said.