Beatroot News: Text-only

Business

Tesla shares soar 12% after Trump declares victory

Tesla shares jumped 12% in premarket trading on Wednesday following Donald Trump's declaration of victory in the US presidential race over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a vocal supporter of Trump throughout the campaign, has used his social media platform X to endorse the former president. Trump, in turn, has proposed appointing Musk to lead a government efficiency commission if he assumes office.

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City

Delhi plans more premium liquor vends ahead of New Year

The Delhi government is planning to open more premium vends in the city to serve high-end customers ahead of Christmas and other festivals, an officer said Tuesday.

These stores would be bigger in size, ideally over 500 square metres, with customers given the option to select their preferred brands off the shelf. After the excise policy 2021-22 was spiked in August 2020 and private operators shut down liquor vends in Delhi, four corporations handle all liquor trade in the city.

These are Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi Consumer's Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS), and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (DSCSC). At present, more than 45 premium vends are in operation at major shopping hubs and malls in the city. However now, the four corporations have been directed to find suitable locations to rent out for opening more premium vends, officials said.

The new premium stores in the capital will likely be opened in the malls and shopping complexes depending upon rented space availability, the person said.

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WR suspends TTE after he makes passenger write apology letter for asking him to speak in Marathi

The Western Railway has suspended a train ticket examiner (TTE) for allegedly making a passenger write an apology after the latter asked him to speak in Marathi, an official said on Tuesday.

The action came after a photograph of the apology letter surfaced on social media, and passengers staged a protest, he said. Talking to PTI, Vineet Abhishek, chief public relations officer of Western Railway, said an inquiry is ordered into the incident that took place at Nallasopara station on November 3, and TTE Rakesh Mourya has been suspended.

"All passengers, regardless of their religion, language, or region, are equal to us. Providing excellent service to them is our goal. The matter will be investigated thoroughly, and necessary action will be taken," he said.

Around 70 to 80 passengers staged a protest at Nallasopara station after the purported apology letter surfaced on social media on Monday, officials said. According to officials, the TTE asked the passenger, Amit Patil, and his wife to furnish their local train tickets. The couple asked him to speak to them in Marathi as they did not understand Hindi, and an argument ensued.

The TTE took the couple to the office of the Railway Protection Force, where Patil claimed that the official had threatened them and made him write an apology, they said.

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Crime

Another person arrested in NCP leader Baba Siddique murder case

A 23-year-old man was on Wednesday arrested from Pune in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddique, police said.

Gaurav Vilas Apune, a resident of Karvenagar locality of Pune city, is the 16th person to be arrested in the case.

A court in Mumbai sent him in police remand till November 9. A team of the Mumbai crime branch took him in custody as the questioning of some of the arrested accused showed that he was involved in the conspiracy to attack Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister, a police official said.

Apune had been trained in the use of firearms by some of the absconding accused. He had been promised a substantial amount of money for his role in the conspiracy, the official said.

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Election

Over 4,000 candidates in fray for 288 seats in Maharashtra

Long Read

A total of 4,140 candidates were left in the fray for 288 Maharashtra Assembly seats after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Monday, a poll official said.

"We received 7,078 valid nomination forms for 288 seats. Of these, 2,938 candidates have withdrawn nominations, leaving 4,140 in the fray," the state chief electoral office official said.

The figure of 4,140 for the upcoming poll is a 28% increase from the 3,239 candidates who fought the 2019 Assembly polls, he added. While Shahada seat in Nandurbar has just three candidates, the list is topped by Majalgaon in Beed with 34 candidates.

Officials said 420 candidates will fight Mumbai's 36 seats, while the figure is 303 for the 21 seats in Pune district.

The end of the process to withdraw nominations for Maharashtra Assembly polls on Monday left the Congress in despair in the Kolhapur North seat after its candidate Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati withdrew, while the BJP managed to convince Gopal Shetty to opt-out from Mumbai's Borivali. However, the headache for the Mahayuti continued as Sada Sarvankar, the Shiv Sena candidate from the Mahim Assembly constituency in Mumbai, braving the pressure from the party leadership, refused to pull out.

He is pitted against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray, who has the backing of the BJP, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti along with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP.

In Kolhapur, Satej Patil expressed dismay at Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati pulling out of the race, which left the Congress without representation in one of its western Maharashtra strongholds. "If there was no courage, (she) should not have contested the polls. I would have shown my power," said an agitated Patil.

The setback comes after the Congress changed its earlier candidate for the seat, ex-corporator Rajesh Latkar, and nominated her after a party office was vandalised by those opposed to the former. 

Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati is the daughter-in-law of Kolhapur Lok Sabha MP and royal family member Shahu Chhatrapati. The Congress is likely to support Latkar, who is contesting as an independent.

"I was not consulted before my candidature was changed by the party, due to which I had contested as an independent," Latkar said.

In Shrigonda assembly seati in Ahilyanagar, the BJP's official candidate, Pratibha Pachpute, wife of sitting MLA Babanrao Pachpute, withdrew her nomination and submitted the AB form on behalf of her son Vikramsinh Pachpute. Vikramsinh is vice president of the state BJP Yuva Morcha. "We gave AB form to Vikramsinh Pachpute at the request of his mother. He will contest using the party symbol," a BJP leader said.

The BJP got a breather after former MP Shetty, who had won the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat with margins of more than 4 lakh in 2014 and 2019 before being denied a seat in the 2024 edition, withdrew his nomination as an independent candidate from Borivali and announced he would support the party's official nominee Sanjay Upadhyay. Shetty had rebelled, claiming the seat, among the safest for the BJP, was given to outside candidates for several years while local party workers were being ignored. He had also flagged the need for more communication from the leadership with grassroots functionaries.

The BJP also managed to get rebel Nana Kate to withdraw from the Chinchwad seat in the Pune district, leaving the seat clear of intra-party hurdles for official candidate Shankar Jagtap, who is pitted against Rahul Kalate of NCP (SP). In the Shirdi seat in Ahilyanagar district, BJP candidate and state revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil could not convince party colleague Rajendra Pipada to opt out. Pipada, who is openly critical of Vikhe Patil, did not relent even after a talk with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

There were good tidings in Pune for Congress after Mukhtar Shaikh withdrew from the Kasba Peth Assembly constituency and announced his support to the party's official candidate and sitting MLA, Ravindra Dhangekar. As many as seven Congress rebels withdrew on Monday, party functionaries said. These include Hemalata Patil from Nashik Central, Madhu Chavan from Byculla and Vishwanath Walvi from Nandurbar.

Shiv Sena candidates Rajashri Aherrao from Deolali and Dhanraj Mahale from Dindori (District Nashik), who hit the headlines after their AB forms (essential poll documents from the party) were ferried on special aircraft, also withdrew their nominations.

The Shinde-led Sena fielded the two despite the seats being officially allotted to ally Ajit Pawar-led NCP as part of the Mahayuti's seat-sharing agreement. Only two NCP(SP) rebels are in the fray after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended, functionaries of the Sharad Pawar-led party said.

The BJP is contesting on 148 seats, while it has given four seats to allies. Its Mahayuti ally NCP is contesting 52 seats. While Shinde-led Sena had released names of candidates for 80 seats, there was confusion about the number after withdrawal of nominations. The Congress is contesting on 102 seats. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) is contesting on 87, while it has given two seats to the CPI.

The exact number of candidates for Shiv Sena (UBT) is not available.

Voting will take place in 288 seats of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in a single phase on November 20. The votes will be counted on November 23.

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Entertainment

FIR lodged against Mithun Chakraborty for 'provocative' speech

Bidhannagar Police on Wednesday lodged an FIR against actor-turned-BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty for allegedly delivering a provocative speech during a party programme in North 24 Parganas district last month.

According to police sources, the complaint against Chakraborty pertains to a speech he made during a BJP programme in Salt Lake area on October 27, based on which police registered an FIR at Bidhannagar South police station. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also present at the programme, which was organised to kick off the West Bengal leg of the BJP's membership drive.

"We have started an investigation into the case," said a senior officer of Bidhannagar police.

Although Chakraborty was unavailable for comment, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar described the FIR a result of "vendetta politics." "There is nothing provocative in his speech. These are nothing but attempts to intimidate him by using police as a political tool," he said.

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Renowned folk singer Sharda Sinha dies at 72

Long Read

Renowned folk singer Sharda Sinha, known as 'Bihar Kokila' for her melodious rendition of Chhath and folk songs such as "Kartik Maas Ijoriya", "Suraj Bhaile Bihaan" and Bollywood hits "Taar Bijli" and "Babul", lost her battle with cancer on Tuesday. She was 72.

Sinha, who pioneered and popularised the rich folk traditions of Bihar beyond its borders, was undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Delhi for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. That Sinha, whose songs were an integral part of Chhath, dedicated to the sun god, died on the first day of the four-day festival was a coincidence scripted by destiny perhaps.

Sinha, a trained classical singer who blended the folk in her many songs and was often called the ‘Begum Akhtar of Mithila’, was a Chhath devotee who released a song to celebrate the festival every year. She did so this year too, notwithstanding her ill health. "Dukhwa Mitayin Chhathi Maiya", a prayer song perhaps reflecting her state of mind as she battled ill health, was released on her official YouTube channel just a day ago.

"Sharda Sinha expired at 9.20 pm due to refractory shock as a result of septicemia," an AIIMS official said.

The singer, who had been battling multiple myeloma since 2017, lost her husband a few weeks ago. She is survived by a son and a daughter - Anshuman and Vandana. Sinha, a Padma Bhushan recipient synonymous with folk songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Maghahi languages, had been on ventilator support following a health complication. She was admitted to the intensive care unit of Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH), the cancer institute of AIIMS, last month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was monitoring her condition with the doctors and her family constantly, led the tributes to the artiste in a post on X.

Playback singer Sonu Nigam said it was extremely saddening to lose "respected Sharda Sinha ji during the great festival of Chhath Puja". Bhojpuri actor and politician Ravi Kishan said without Sinha's voice, every festival seemed empty, especially the festival of Chhath, which is why "chhati maiya" called her back during this time.

Her son Anshuman Sinha also updated fans about her death.

"Mother is no longer with us. She has passed away at 9.20. The news is correct. Your beloved Sharda Sinha is gone. Your love and prayers helped her leave peacefully. This Chhath will be empty without her," an emotional Anshuman posted on the singer's official YouTube channel. He later told reporters that his mother's mortal remains would be taken to Patna for the last rites as his father was also cremated there.

Supaul-born Sinha was famous in her native state and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh courtesy her folk songs sung on occasions like Chhath Puja and weddings. Some of her popular tracks are "Chhathi Maiya Aayi Na Duaariya", "Dwar Chekai", "Patna Se", and "Koyal Bin".

Sinha studied literature at Patna University in the 1970s when she was egged on by friends and well wishers to hone her passion for singing. She went on to obtain a doctorate in music from the Lalit Narayan Mithila University at Darbhanga while making her mark as a folk singer, getting noticed by big names in the film industry.

In the 1990s blockbuster "Maine Pyar Kiya" that introduced Salman Khan and owed to its soundtrack its record breaking performance at the box office, Sinha's rendition of "Kahe tose sajna" was hailed as the perfect backdrop to the pain of the lovelorn lead pair.

Accolades followed and Sinha continued to carry forward the rich memory of folk music through her voice, careful to never associate with poor and double entendre songs that became popular in Bhojpuri later.

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International

'Unstoppable' Donald Trump: oldest person to be elected US President

Long Read

Donald Trump went from being a businessman, real estate tycoon and a reality TV star to becoming the country's first former US President to be declared a convicted felon.

And after surviving two assassination bids during his 2024 campaign, the 78-year old remains unstoppable with American voters giving him a second term.  In the process, he shattered the dream of the Democratic Party, as well as that of millions of Kamala Harris supporters, to finally have the first woman President in the White House.

He is now the oldest person in US history to be elected president.

From the time he left office after his loss in the 2020 presidential election to his nomination as the Republican candidate in the 2024 race, Trump continued to dominate the American news cycle and the country's psyche. He refused to accept the November 2020 result that brought Joe Biden to the White House, and a stunned nation watched his supporters storm the US Capitol on January 6. 

The riots disrupted a joint session of the US Congress which was in the process of affirming the presidential election results.

His third run for the job in 2024 was characterised by a slew of indictments and criminal cases, and a conviction in a New York court - making him the first former US president to be held guilty of a crime. A grand jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The Biden-Harris campaign said at the time that no one is above the law while Trump called the verdict the result of a “rigged” political system.

Yet, none of this could deter his ardent supporters, who rallied behind him and his policies.

The vehement support was on full display in Milwaukee in July when Trump, with a bandaged ear after having survived an assassination attempt, arrived for the Republican National Convention to formally accept the party’s nomination for President for the third consecutive election. Trump was hit by a bullet in the upper part of his right ear when a shooter fired multiple shots at his election rally in Pennsylvania.

He was born in Queens, New York, on June 14, 1946 to Mary and Fred Trump, a successful real estate developer, as the fourth of their five children. He earned a degree in finance from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. After taking over his father’s company in 1971, he renamed it Trump Organisation and soon diversified into projects like hotels, resorts, residential and commercial buildings, casinos and golf courses. Trump also dabbled in Reality TV with ‘The Apprentice’ in 2004 that made him a household name in America.

Trump married Ivana Zelnickova, a Czech athlete and model, but divorced her in 1990. The couple has three children - Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric.

He then married actor Marla Maples in 1993 but divorced in 1999. They have an only child, Tiffany. Trump's current wife Melania, whom he married in 2005, is a former Slovenian model. They have a son, Barron William Trump. In the 2016 presidential race, fighting as a Republican nominee in the presidential race, Trump won against the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

The 2024 election took place against the backdrop of concerns over the economy, illegal immigration and the wars in west Asia and Europe. Trump’s support base saw him as the only one who could offer solutions to these.

“I will end the illegal immigration crisis by closing our border and finishing the wall, most of which I've already built,” Trump told cheering supporters at his party’s national convention, referring to the country’s southern border. He vowed that if he returned to the White House, “inflation will vanish completely".

Trump pledged to end the Russia-Ukraine war after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reached out to congratulate him on his Republican presidential nomination.

The four years of his second presidency will define not just how the US deals with its pressing domestic issues, it could also dictate its place in the world. The world is watching.

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Suhas Subramanyam wins Congressional race from Virginia

Suhas Subramanyam created history by becoming the first Indian American to be elected from Virginia and the entire East Coast.

Running for the US House of Representatives from the 10th Congressional District of Virginia, a Democratic stronghold, Subramanyam defeated Mike Clancy of the Republican Party.

He is currently a Virginia State Senator. "I am honoured and humbled that the people of Virginia’s 10th District put their trust in me to take on the toughest fights and deliver results in Congress. This district is my home. I got married here, my wife Miranda and I are raising our daughters here, and the issues our community faces are personal to our family. It is an honour to continue serving this district in Washington," Subramanyam said.

He joins the Samosa Caucus in the Congress that currently comprises five Indian Americans – Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar.

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Donald Trump wins North Carolina and Georgia

With the US election numbers coming in slowly but steadily, the needle seems to be tipping towards the Republican party candidate Donald Trump with democrat Kamala Harris falling short by a small margin.

The current predictions by CNN at 12 pm IST show Harris at 187 and Trump at 246, with a majority required of 270. The famous election predictor, the New York Times “Needle” also currently indicates an 84% Trump victory with over 295 seats. Among the seven swing states, Trump has won 2 till now— Georgia and North Carolina.

Once a reliably Republican state, Georgia emerged as a key battleground in the 2020 presidential election, helping to secure President Joe Biden's victory with a narrow margin of just 11,779 votes—the first time the state had gone blue in nearly three decades. However, signs indicate Georgia has returned to its Republican leanings in the current election.

With Trump winning these two states, Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to victory is narrowed, making wins in the “Blue Wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — particularly the latter — more important.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, the Republicans hold 49 seats, and the Democrats hold 40 seats as of now. Both sides need 51 total seats to have the majority.

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Protests erupt in Israel after Netanyahu fires defence minister

Protests erupted in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired the country's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday,  saying he had no trust in him over the management of Israel's ongoing military operations as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon grind on.

Netanyahu said a "crisis of trust" between the two leaders led to his decision, and Foreign Minister Israel Katz would step in to replace him. Gideon Saar has become the new foreign minister,  Gallant and Netanyahu, who are both in the right-wing Likud party, have clashed for months over the objectives of Israel's 13-month-old war in Gaza against Hamas, and many had expected the prime minister to sack him sooner or later.

Gallant said his removal was due to disagreement on three issues, including his belief that it is possible to get the remaining hostages back from Gaza if Israel makes "painful concessions" which it "can bear". The protesters on the streets were calling for Netanyahu’s resignation as well in addition to demanding the new defence minister prioritise a hostage deal.

Around 100 hostages out of 251 taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 remain unaccounted for more than a year into the war.

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Novak Djokovic withdraws from the ATP Finals

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has announced he won’t defend his ATP Finals title after ruling himself out Tuesday citing an injury, leaving the season-ending event that begins on Sunday, without a member of the Big Three of men’s tennis for the first time in 23 years.

“I was really looking forward to being there, but due to ongoing injury I won’t be playing next week…Apologies to those who were planning to see me,” Djokovic wrote on social media.  Djokovic has won the ATP Finals a record seven times. He beat current No. 1 Jannik Sinner for the title last year.

Roger Federer, who announced his retirement in 2022, won the event six times after making his debut in 2002; Rafael Nadal, who is retiring after playing in the Davis Cup this month, was the runner-up twice at the ATP Finals but never won it.

Since 2001 the tournament has been held without at least one of Djokovic, Federer or Nadal, until now. 

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US election: Results roll in as polls close in Trump-Harris race

The first results are coming in for the US presidential election with Republican leader Donald Trump projected to notch up wins in Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Arkansas and Vice President Kamala Harris set to emerge victorious in Vermont, Delaware and New Jersey.

As per latest trends on ‘CNN’ at 7:50 am IST, Harris is winning 53 electoral college votes and Trump 154. 270 electoral college votes are required to win the race. A bomb threat prompted the evacuation of a government building in Pennsylvania's West Chester where voting services are located.

This was just one of a string of reported bomb threats in multiple swing states on Election Day. Georgia and Arizona have also reported non-credible bomb threats, with officials there saying they suspect the threats originated from Russia. Most polling places have closed in the battlegrounds of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona. Nevada’s polls close at 10 pm Eastern time.

'CNN' notes that it’s too early to call the battleground states which are seen as pivotal to the candidates’ path to victory. According to ‘New York Times’ Trump is a narrow but clear favourite to win Georgia and North Carolina. If he does carry those states, Harris would probably need to sweep Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to win.

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Markets

Sensex rallies 901 points, Nifty settles near 24,500 as Trump win stokes up IT, pharma shares

Stock markets rallied more than 1% on Wednesday with benchmark Sensex soaring 901 points on heavy buying in IT and pharma shares amid Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential polls.

Extending its gains to the second day, the BSE Sensex jumped 901.50 points or 1.13% to settle at 80,378.13. During the day, it soared 1,093.1 points or 1.37% to 80,569.73. The NSE Nifty soared 270.75 points or 1.12% to close at 24,484.05.

From the 30-share Sensex pack, Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys jumped over 4% each. HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Adani Ports, Larsen & Toubro, Maruti and Reliance Industries were also among big gainers.

Titan, IndusInd Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank were the laggards. "Global markets experienced a relief rally following the US election results, reducing political uncertainty with Trump securing a strong mandate. This has led to strong risk-on sentiments, driven by expectations of tax cuts and increased government spending," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services said.

The domestic buying was broad-based, with IT leading the charge in anticipation of a rebound in IT spending in the US.

The BSE midcap gauge jumped 2.28% and smallcap index zoomed 1.96%.

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Sensex, Nifty climb in early trade on buying in IT stocks

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ticked higher in initial trade today led by buying in IT stocks and a rally in the US markets.

The BSE Sensex climbed 338.1 points to 79,814.73 in early trade. The NSE Nifty jumped 101.5 points to 24,314.80. From the 30-share Sensex pack, HCL Technologies, Sun Pharma, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Maruti, NTPC, Tech Mahindra and Tata Consultancy Services were the biggest gainers.

Titan, Tata Steel, Hindustan Unilever and JSW Steel were among the laggards. In Asian markets, Tokyo and Shanghai traded higher while Seoul and Hong Kong quoted lower. Wall Street ended sharply higher on Tuesday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.94% to USD 74.82 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 2,569.41 crore on Tuesday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought Rs 3,030.96 crore worth of shares, according to exchange data.

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National

PM Modi congratulates 'friend' Trump on historic election victory

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated "friend" Donald Trump on his "historic" presidential polls victory, and said he looks forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership.

Former US President Trump was cruising towards winning the White House race in one of the greatest political comebacks in American history. "Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership," Modi said in a post on X.

"Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity," he said. The Prime Minister also posted pictures of his previous meetings with Trump, who was the US president from 2016-2020.

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Cabinet approves PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme to provide financial support to deserving students

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme to provide monetary support to meritorious students so that financial constraints do not prevent them from pursuing quality higher education, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

As per the scheme, anybody who gets admission in Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs) will be eligible to get collateral-free, guarantor-free loan from banks and financial institutions to cover the full amount of tuition fees and other expenses related to the course. An outlay of Rs 3,600 crore has been approved for the scheme under which education loans will be facilitated to students securing admissions in top 860 QHEIs of the country based on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). This will cover more than 22 lakh students every year.

The scheme will be applicable to the top QHEIs as determined by the NIRF rankings - including all HEIs, government and private, that are ranked within the top 100 in NIRF in overall, category-specific and domain-specific rankings, state government HEIs ranked in 101-200 in the NIRF and all central government-run institutions.

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A third of Ranthambore's 75 tigers missing, say officials

As many as 25 of the 75 tigers in Ranthambore National Park (RNP) have gone missing over the last year, Rajasthan's Chief Wildlife Warden Pavan Kumar Upadhyay told park officials.

This is the first time such a high number of tigers has been officially reported missing in a year. 

Previously, 13 tigers were reported missing from Ranthambore between January 2019 and January 2022. On Monday, the wildlife department formed a three-member committee to investigate the disappearances. The team will review monitoring records and recommend action if any lapses by park officials are found.

The focus is on finding 14 tigers that have not been seen since between May 17 and September 30 of this year.

An official order issued on November 4 stated that reports of missing tigers have surfaced repeatedly from Ranthambore's monitoring assessments. Chief Wildlife Warden Pavan Kumar Upadhyay said, "The committee will submit its report within two months. We have identified some monitoring gaps that we want to address. Recently, I started collecting weekly monitoring reports, which showed that these tigers were not recorded on trap camera. This matter is being taken very seriously."

Efforts to ease pressure on the park include relocating villages from the buffer zone, but progress has been slow, with the last relocation taking place in 2016. Park officials have said that Ranthambore faces challenges due to tigers' overcrowding, which leads to fights over territory. With 75 tigers - that includes young tigers and cubs - the park's 900 square kilometres is struggling to support them.

According to a study by the Wildlife Institute of India (2006-2014), the park can safely house around 40 adult tigers.

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Encounter breaks out between security forces, militants in J-K's Kupwara

This is a developing story

An encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, officials said today. 

Based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants, a cordon and search operation was launched by security forces during the night in Margi area of Lolab in the north Kashmir district, they said. Officials said contact was established with the militants and a firefight began. Exchange of fire was going on and the operation was in progress, the officials added.

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Government asks Wikipedia why it should not be treated as publisher instead of intermediary

The Centre has written to Wikipedia noting numerous complaints of bias and inaccuracies in information provided by it, and asked why it should not be treated as a publisher instead of an intermediary, sources said on Tuesday.

The communication from the Information and Broadcasting ministry said there is a view that a small group exercises editorial control on its pages. Wikipedia advertises itself as a free online encyclopedia where volunteers can create or edit pages on personalities, issues or various subjects.

The popular online source of information is embroiled in legal cases in India over alleged inaccurate and defamatory content provided by it.

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Parliament

Parliament's Winter Session to start on November 25

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju announced that Parliament's Winter Session will start from November 25. The session will continue upto December 20.

On November 26, Constitution Day, the 75th anniversary of its adoption will be marked with an event in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sada, Rijiju shared on social media. Reports indicate that during the Winter session, the government is set to prioritise contentious legislation, including the One Nation, One Election proposal and the Waqf Bill.

Opposition parties have voiced strong resistance to the proposal for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.

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Sports

Rishabh Pant climbs to 6th spot in ICC Test batters' rankings

Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant on Wednesday rose five places to sixth spot in the latest ICC Men's Test Batter Rankings following his strong performance during the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai last week.

Pant made the jump on the back of a pair of half-centuries during the Mumbai Test, in a sure sign that he is back to his best following a serious car accident. The attacking left-hander is now just one spot behind the career-best fifth position he first occupied in July 2022.

The other Indian batter in the top Test batter's chart is young left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who dropped a rung to fourth.

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Shami’s new injury setback ends hopes for Border-Gavaskar comeback

A recent injury setback has prevented Bengal selectors from naming Mohammed Shami in the upcoming Ranji Trophy matches, ending his chances of an international comeback in the Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia.

Shami, who was left out of India’s squad for the five-Test series starting November 22 in Perth, had been expected to demonstrate his match fitness in Bengal’s fourth and fifth Ranji rounds against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. The ‘Times of India’ reported that while Shami was recovering from a lingering ankle injury sustained during the ICC tournament last year, he recently developed a side strain.

This latest injury has delayed his return to competitive cricket, creating a challenge for the Indian team management, who were hoping to bolster their squad following a recent Test series loss at home to New Zealand.

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IPL mega auction to be held in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on November 24, 25

A whopping 1574 cricketers, including 1165 Indians, have signed up for the mega auction ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 which will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25, the BCCI announced on Tuesday.

The list includes 320 capped players, 1,224 uncapped players and 30 players from the Associate Nations. Among the capped players, 48 are from India. Moreover, 965 uncapped players of the country will also be part of the auction. The player registration officially closed on Monday and a total of 409 overseas players will also go under the hammer.

This is the second successive year the auction is being held overseas as Dubai hosted the previous one ahead of the IPL 2024.

However, the auction will clash with the scheduled third and fourth day’s play of the first Test between India and Australia in Perth, which begins on November 22. Each franchise will be able to form a maximum squad of 25 players (including respective retained players), and a total of 204 slots will be up for grabs from the auction.

This year’s auction will feature some high-profile India stars such as Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh. The 10 franchises will collectively have around Rs 641.5 crore to spend for the available 204 slots. Out of those 204 slots, 70 are earmarked for overseas players.

As of now, 46 players have been retained by the 10 franchises with cumulative expenditure of Rs 558.5 crore.

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State

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah appears before Lokayukta police for questioning in MUDA case

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared before the Lokayukta police in Mysuru today in response to the summons issued to him for questioning in the MUDA site allotment case.

The CM, who has been named as accused number 1 in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police, is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). They had on October 25 questioned his wife, who has been named as accused number 2.

Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju — from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi — and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru-located Lokayukta police establishment on September 27. Swamy and Devaraju have already deposed before the Lokayukta police.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court had on Tuesday issued notice to Siddaramaiah and others on a writ petition filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna, seeking a direction to transfer the case to CBI.

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Three workers killed in collapse at Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project site

Three workers lost their lives, and one was rescued after concrete blocks collapsed at the construction site of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) in Rajupura village near Vasad, Anand district, on Tuesday.

The collapse occurred around 5 pm when a temporary steel and concrete structure, used for well foundation work, gave way, trapping four workers beneath. Local fire and police teams responded immediately, rescuing two workers and retrieving one body.

Anand District Superintendent of Police GG Jasani noted that the incident took place on the Mahi riverbed.

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J&K Assembly passes resolution seeking restoration of special status of erstwhile state

Amidst uproar, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution today asking the Centre to hold talks with elected representatives for restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state.

As soon as the assembly proceedings began, J-K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary moved the resolution for restoring the special status of J-K, which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019. "That this legislative assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses concern over their unilateral removal,” the resolution moved by Choudhary said.

“This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the resolution added. BJP members, including the Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, opposed the resolution, saying it was not part of the listed business.

“We reject the resolution. The Business given to us was that the discussion is on the Lieutenant governor’s address,” he said.

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Elephants in Bandhavgarh not poisoned, Kodo millet possible source of toxicity: MP official

Neurotoxin cyclopiazonic acid was found in the visceras of ten elephants that died in Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh reserve but it was not a case of `poisoning', a senior forest department official said on Tuesday.

Viscera reports suggested that toxicity came from the consumption of large quantities of Kodo millet plants, said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) L Krishnamoorthy who headed a probe panel set up by the government. On October 29, four elephants were found dead in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Umaria district. Later, the death toll increased to ten.

Krishnamoorthy told PTI that the toxicity report of the viscera samples was received from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, on Tuesday. It did not find traces of nitrate-nitrite, heavy metals as well as organophosphate, organochlorine, pyrethroid and carbamate group of pesticides, he said.

Cyclopiazonic acid, however, was found in the elephants though the exact level of toxicity was being ascertained, Krishnamoorthy said.

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❖ - Syndicated news, primarily from PTI

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