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November 27, 2024 2:45 PM

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Midday News

THE HEADLINES::

  • Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day following ruckus by opposition over various issues.
  • President Droupadi Murmu arrives in Coimbatore on the first leg of her visit to Tamil Nadu.
  • Government launches National Campaign, Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat, in New Delhi.
  • Deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal progresses to develop into a cyclonic storm Fengal by this evening; IMD issues red alert for rain in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon comes into effect.
  • And, Pakistan’s main opposition party PTI of Imran Khan ends protests after government arrests hundreds of its supporters.

 

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Both Houses of Parliament have been adjourned for the day following a ruckus by the opposition over various issues, including alleged bribery charges against a prominent business group. When the Rajya Sabha began its proceedings this morning, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected the adjournment notices under rule 267 given by the Opposition MPs on alleged bribery charges against a prominent business group, Manipur violence and violence in UP’s Sambhal. He emphasised that Rajya Sabha needs to follow the established tradition of obeying the direction of the Chair.

 

Opposition members created noisy scenes in the House leading to the adjournment till 11.30., When the House reassembled Opposition members and others continued to raise the issues forcing adjournment of the House for the day.

 

In the Lok Sabha, when the Lower House met after the first adjournment at 12 noon, Opposition Members from Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC and others trooped into the well raising slogans over same issues. The presiding officer repeatedly urged for order in the House but they continued with their protest. This forced the adjournment of the house for the day.

 

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The government today informed the Lok Sabha that over 80 crore people in the country have been covered under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana , as against the intended coverage of 81.67 crore. In a written reply in the Lower House, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben  Bambhaniya clarified that no survey has been conducted to continue the Yojana for the next five years. She said, however, in order to remove the financial burden of the poor beneficiaries , the period for distribution of free of cost food grains has been extended for further five years from January this year.                                          

 

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the existing laws need to be strengthened further to check vulgar contents on the social media. Replying to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha today, Mr Vaishnaw said, today social media is a very big medium of freedom of the press on one hand but due to the absence of editorial check in social media, many types of vulgar content are also displayed. On content in OTT platforms, Mr Vaishnaw said, there is a lot of difference between the culture of our country and the countries from where these social media platforms have come. He said, the concerned Standing Committee of the Parliament should take up this issue and strict laws are made regarding the same.

 

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President Droupadi Murmu has arrived in Coimbatore on the first leg of her four-day visit to Tamilnadu. The President will attend an event at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington Ooty tomorrow. She will interact with the tribals at Nilgiris on Friday. Security has been tightened in and around Coimbatore and Ooty in view of the President’s visit. Due to inclement weather conditions prevailing in the hills, the President is travelied to Ooty by road.

 

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The National Cyber Range (NCR) 1.0 was launched in New Delhi today. The platform will provide cybersecurity research, training and simulation to test and train against real-world cyber threats. Launching the NCR 1.0, Director at Rashtriya Raksha University, Colonel Nidhish Bhatnagar said this platform will be a significant step towards the country’s self-reliance in critical cybersecurity infrastructure.

 

The National Cyber Range (NCR) 1.0 was launched during the Bharat CISO’s Conclave and Cybersecurity Startup Exhibition. The conclave also witnessed the launch of the National Cyber Security Reference Framework .

 

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Government today launched a national campaign, Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat in New Delhi. The primary agenda of the campaign is to make India a child marriage-free nation. Launching the campaign, Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi said, the government has identified 130 districts, where this campaign will be run in a focused manner. She highlighted that child marriage is not just a criminal offence but also a human rights violation. The Minister said that the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign is not just a 10 or 15 day event but a non-stop effort that will continue till India is free from the evil of child marriage.

 

During the event, Women and Child Development Minister also unveiled the Child Marriage-Free Bharat portal.

 

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In Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu Police carried out a massive crackdown on terrorist networks linked to the proscribed organizations Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) yesterday. The Police conducted 56 raids and searches at various locations across Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, and Udhampur districts of the Jammu region.

Our Correspondent reports that the large-scale operation resulted in the arrest of several Over Ground Workers  and terror suspects, along with the recovery of incriminating materials including unaccounted cash.

 

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A historic ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect at 7:30 AM IST today, following months of intense conflict that claimed thousands of lives. The agreement, brokered with significant U.S. involvement, marks a potential turning point in the 14-month-old war. The truce’s implementation comes after the heaviest Israeli airstrikes on Beirut since the conflict escalated in late September, including unprecedented strikes in the city’s center. By 10:30 AM IST, no violations of the ceasefire had been reported, with only celebratory gunfire echoing through Beirut’s southern suburbs. Despite warnings from the Israeli military against civilian movement, Lebanese roads leading south witnessed heavy traffic as displaced residents attempted to return home. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) maintained their positions in southern Lebanon, with spokesperson Avichay Adraee explicitly warning civilians against approaching evacuated villages or military positions.

 

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In Pakistan, the main opposition party Pakistan-Tahrik-e-Insaaf of Imran Khan today ended its protest in the capital city Islamabad after the government arrested hundreds of its supporters in an overnight crackdown following two days of deadly demonstrations.

 

According to a statement by the Interior Ministry this morning, the top leaders of party, including party head Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur, escaped from the area.

 

Yesterday, thousands of protesters, led by Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, gathered in the city center. They broke through multiple security lines and reached the Red Zone, the country’s most sensitive area, which houses key government buildings.

 

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The deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is progressing to develop into a cyclonic storm Fengal by this evening. It was lying about 590 km south south east of Chennai. The system is likely to continue to move north-north westwards and intensify during the next 12 hours. It will continue to move towards the Tamilnadu Coast and Srilankan Coast during the next 48 hours.

 

Talking to Akashvani News, Senior scientist in IMD, R K Jenamani said, heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh.                 

                     

Our Chennai correspondent reports that fishermen have been advised not to venture into sea.

 

“Following the prediction, port caution signal no three has been hoisted at Chennai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ennore, Kattupalli, Pamban, Karaikal and Puducherry harbours. The Met department has said that heavy rains have been witnessed in many places in the coastal regions recording a maximum of 18 cms at Nagapattinam district in the last 24 hours. In most of the coastal areas, more than ten cms of rain has been recorded.  Chennai and neighbouring areas recorded nine cms of rainfall.  The sea remains boisterous with waves rising up to more than 3 metres in many of the coastal districts. Cyclone is yet to be formed and heavy rain prediction is bound to continue widespread across the delta and the coasts. Educational institutions in 16 districts have been closed as a precautionary measure.  According to the cyclone bulletin by the Met Department today, the system is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm for a short period and lead to slight weakening before landfall. Joy, Akashvani news for Chennai.”             


In neighbouring Sri Lanka, National Building Research Organization has issued Red Notices for several divisional secretariat areas in few districts. Disaster Management Centre has said that over 2 lakh people have been affected across 17 districts of the island nation.

 

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The air quality in the national capital, Delhi, remains in the “very poor” category, with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 301 as of 7 AM this morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI in several areas of the city continues to fall in the “very poor” category.

 

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Now news from the ongoing 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

 

Today, at the Film Festival, a centenary celebration titled -The Spectrum and the Soul- honoured the iconic Tapan Sinha, highlighting his diverse filmography, distinctive storytelling, and invaluable contributions to Indian cinema. A distinguished panel comprising Arjun Chakraborty, N. Manu Chakravarthy, and veteran actor Sharmila Tagore highlighted the unparalleled brilliance of his work. Speaking to Akashvani, Arjun Chakraborty said that Tapan Sinha directed 48 films in his career, never repeating a subject or style.

 

Earlier, the International Competition Jury, chaired by acclaimed filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker  along with other members Anthony Chen, Elizabeth Karlsen, Fran Borgia, and Jill Bilcock, held a press conference to share an insight on this year’s exceptional competition entries.

Talking to Our Correspondent, Ashutosh Gowariker said it was an an honour to head the jury. He praised the outstanding quality of the 15 films in the category, emphasizing their unique and incomparable storytelling.

 

Another key highlight of the day is the Lata Mangeshkar Memorial Talk: Musical Theatre in India, featuring legendary composer A.R. Rahman in conversation with Naman Ramchandran.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN::

  • Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day following ruckus by opposition over various issues.
  • President Droupadi Murmu arrives in Coimbatore on the first leg of her visit to Tamil Nadu.
  • Government launches National Campaign, Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat, in New Delhi.
  • Deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal progresses to develop into a cyclonic storm Fengal by this evening; IMD issues red alert for rain in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon comes into effect.
  • And, Pakistan’s main opposition party PTI of Imran Khan ends protests after government arrests hundreds of its supporters.

 

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