Midday News

THE HEADLINES :-

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constitutes a three member Committee to probe corruption allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma.
Both houses of Parliament face adjournments amid Opposition’s uproar over draft Bihar Electoral Roll issue.
Election Commission of India says it received nearly 14,000 claims and objections from public over SIR in Bihar but none from any political party.
Continuous rainfall disrupts normal life in various parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
US and China agree to extend their trade truce for nearly 90 days, hours before new tariffs were set to take effect.
In World Games, Namrata Batra to play for Gold in the Women’s Wushu final against local Mengyue Chen this evening.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has constituted a three member Committee to probe the allegations levelled against High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma, after a sum of burned cash was found at his residence in New Delhi in March this year. When the Lok Sabha Assembled at 12 Noon after the first adjournment, the Speaker announced the formation of the committee and said the Committee will submit its report as early as possible.

The Speaker admitted the notices for removal of Justice Varma and informed the House, that he has accepted the notices signed by 146 MPs from ruling and opposition benches for the removal of Justice Yashwant Verma.

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The Speaker said, the Parliament must speak in one voice on this matter and send a clear message to every citizen of the country about their zero-tolerance policy towards corruption in public life. Mr Birla informed that the then Chief Justice of India, after considering the seriousness of this matter, had constituted a 3-member committee. He said, the committee has sent its report to the President and the Prime Minister. He said, the Chief Justice of India was of the opinion that the allegations found in the committee’s report against Justice Varma were of such nature that initiation of removal proceedings against him was warranted.

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The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 3:00 PM, while the Rajya Sabha till 2:00 PM following opposition parties’ uproar over various issues. When the Lok Sabha met after the first adjournment at 12:00 noon, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced the constitution of a Committee to probe the allegations levelled against High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma. After that, the presiding officer Sandhya Ray tried to run the Zero Hour but the opposition members started sloganeering demanding discussion on Special Intensive Revision of electoral roll in Bihar.

Earlier, when the Lok Sabha assembled at 11:00 AM, the opposition parties raised the issue of SIR in Bihar and demanded discussion on it. The Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tried to run the Question Hour but the opposition members started sloganeering and continued with their protest following which, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12:00 noon. Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha also. Deputy Chairman Harivansh tried to the run Zero Hour, but in vain:

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The Center has allocated 4.12 crore houses to states and Union territories under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin so far. Replying to a supplementary during Question Hour, Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said that two crore 90 lakh houses have already been constructed.

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Amid the row over Special Intensive Revision, the Election Commission of India said that after 12 days into the Claims & Objections period, not a single claim or objection has been submitted by any political party regarding the exercise in Bihar so far. However, the Commission has said that 13970 Claims & Objections have been received directly from Electors with regard to Draft Roll.

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Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has said that India’s fight against sickle cell anaemia is not just about addressing a genetic disorder, it is a commitment to equity, dignity and the health of the nation’s most marginalised communities. Sharing his article in social media, Mr. Nadda said that the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), launched in July 2023, aims to not only stop the transmission of sickle cell disease but also restore dignity and health to millions living with this condition.

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Continuous rainfall over the past two days has significantly disrupted normal life across various parts of Uttarakhand. Heavy downpours have led to a sharp rise in the water levels of major rivers, while mountain streams and rivulets in the hilly regions are overflowing. The Met Department has issued a Red Alert warning for Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar.

Meteorological Department has also issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh till Thursday. Talking exclusively to Akashvani News, senior IMD scientist, Dr R K Jenamani said, heavy rainfall is also predicted over Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh from tomorrow.

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In Jammu and Kashmir, Rajouri and Poonch districts authorities have ordered the closure of all government and private schools today due to heavy rains and adverse weather conditions. The Jammu-Rajouri National Highway has also been blocked today due to a massive landslide, bringing traffic to a standstill. Restoration work is underway to remove the debris and clear the road for vehicle movement.

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In Punjab, due to heavy rain in Pathankot for the last couple of days, a part Pathankot-Dalhousie-Chamba national highway has been washed away. Many parts of the city have also been flooded with rain water causing problem to commuters.

In Kapurthala, rising water in Beas River due to continuous rain in the mountains, has breached a temporary bundh leading to inundation of farmland and over a dozen villages in Sultanpur Lodhi area. Same situation is prevailing in parts of the border district Gurdaspur. Rain is still continuing since morning in some parts of the state.

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In a news just in :

The Lok Sabha has extended the deadline for the presentation of the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report on the ‘One Nation, One Election Bill. The committee will now submit its report by the first day of the last week of the Winter Session in 2025.

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The Ministry of Culture today organized a Tiranga Bike Rally under the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign in New Delhi. Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat led the rally along with Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Sanjay Seth and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

Speaking at the event, Mr Shekhawat highlighted how the Tiranga binds the nation together and reminds us of those who sacrificed their lives for the country. He called it a symbol of unity as the country moves towards a Viksit Bharat.

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In Ladakh, a special Har Ghar Tiranga celebration was organised near the historic Wakha Monastery.

As part of the programme, the National Flag was hoisted at multiple locations to promote patriotic spirit. Participants also took selfies with the Tricolour and uploaded them to the Har Ghar Tiranga portal to receive certificates. The organisers distributed National Flags to labourers, petrol pump staff, and bikers, spreading the campaign’s message to diverse sections of society.

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US and China have agreed to extend their trade truce until November 10, just hours before new tariffs were set to take effect today. In a joint statement, both countries said, they will pause the planned tariff increases for another 90 days. The US will delay raising tariffs to 145 percent on Chinese goods, while China will hold off on 125 percent tariffs on US goods.

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A leading human rights activist Mir Yar Baloch has strongly criticised the US move to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its affiliate The Majeed Brigade (TMB) as foreign terrorist organisations. Mir has asserted that Baloch are victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. He condemned Pakistan’s decades-long repression in Balochistan.

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The United Nation’s human rights office has condemned the Israeli attack that killed six journalists in Gaza, calling it a grave breach of international law. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, the Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an independent and impartial investigation into these latest killings. The reporters, five of whom worked for the Al Jazeera media network, were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Sunday.

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In Wushu, Namrata Batra, will take on local favourite Mengyue Chen in the gold medal match in the World Games in Chengdu, China this evening. Namrata created history by storming into the Wushu final, the first time for India at the World Games. In Boxing, India’s campaign at the Asian Under 19 & Under 22 Boxing Championships 2025 ended on a high note with Ritika winning gold in the women’s 80plus kg category yesterday. The Indian teams racked up a total of 27 medals across two age groups.

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Benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading marginally low in a choppy afternoon trade today. On the sectoral front, realty, financial services, and capital goods stocks were facing selling pressure. In contrast, buying interest was seen in IT, auto and media counters. Sensex dipped 89 points, to 80 thousand 515 and Nifty dropped 17 points, to 24 thousand 568, when reports last came in.

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World Elephant Day is celebrated today. India is home to nearly sixty percent of the world’s wild elephant population, with 33 Elephant Reserves and 150 identified Elephant Corridors. As part of the celebrations, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadava will participate in the celebrations at Coimbatore today. India has elephant corridors in the North East hills, in Eastern States, in the Ghat areas of Southern States and Chhattisgarh. A centrally sponsored scheme, Project Elephant is implemented in 22 States to protect elephants, their habitats and corridors. It also addresses issues of man animal conflict.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constitutes a three member Committee to probe corruption allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma.
Both houses of Parliament face adjournments amid Opposition’s uproar over draft Bihar Electoral Roll issue.
Election Commission of India says it received nearly 14,000 claims and objections from public over SIR in Bihar but none from any political party.
Continuous rainfall disrupts normal life in various parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
US and China agree to extend their trade truce for nearly 90 days, hours before new tariffs were set to take effect.
In World Games, Namrata Batra to play for Gold in the Women’s Wushu final against local Mengyue Chen this evening.