IN MORBI MODI CALLS FOR DETAILED, EXTENSIVE PROBE INTO BRIDGE CRASH

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said a "detailed and extensive" inquiry to identify all aspects relating to the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy is the need of the hour, as he chaired a high-level meeting in Morbi to review the situation.

He asserted that key learnings from the inquiry must be implemented at the earliest, officials said.

Authorities must stay in touch with the affected families and ensure that they receive all possible help in this tragic hour, he said after he was briefed on the rescue operation and the assistance provided to the affected families.

Earlier, Modi visited the site of the bridge collapse and also went to the local hospital where the injured are recovering. He also interacted with those involved in rescue and relief work and lauded their efforts.

Officials briefed the prime minister about the rescue operations at the site where 135 people were killed on Sunday when the British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river collapsed.

‘READY WITH BACK-UP PLAN READY IF WEST FORCES RUSSIAN OIL OFF MARKET’

Expressing scepticism over G7’s plan to strangle the sale of Russian oil, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri wanted to know what would happen if Moscow decided to take its oil off the market or if no one bought the oil.

The minister also repeated his colleague Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s observation that India’s purchase of Russian oil was only 0.2 per cent, not 2 per cent, and what it bought in a quarter, Europe bought in one afternoon.

The minister also reiterated that India was under no moral conflict to stop buying oil from Russia. Puri said the government had a “moral duty to consumers” to ensure that they were supplied with the cheapest energy.

On India’s cooperation with the G7’s stance on capping the price of Russian sea-borne oil exports, Puri said the proposal was yet to be formalised. “I am surprised that you are fixated on the proposal, which has not been spelt out fully. India will examine it and respond according to its national interest. We will take a view and discuss it with everyone,” he said.

About India’s back-up plan if the West forces Russian oil off the market, Puri said, “We have several back-up plans. I don’t look at the way you are looking at it. Healthy discussions are on with the US and Europe.”

FAIR MARKET ACCESS ONLY WAY FORWARD: JAISHANKAR AT SCO MEET

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday underlined the need for better connectivity in the SCO region, built on the centrality of interests of Central Asian states.

In an address at a virtual meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG), Jaishankar also spoke on the need to pay attention to Iran’s Chabahar port in order to step up connectivity to the landlocked Central Asian countries. “Our total trade with SCO members is only $141 billion, which has the potential to increase manifold. Fair market access is to our mutual benefit and the only way to move forward,’’ tweeted the minister after attending the 21st meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) chaired by Chinese Premier Li Kiquang.

The minister said “connectivity projects should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states and respect international law”. His remarks were seen as a reference to China’s Belt and Road initiative.

MALLIKARJUN KHARGE JOINS BHARAT JODO YATRA WITH CALL TO OUST MODI

Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday declared that only the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi could oust the Narendra Modi government and the efforts of leaders such as Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao to sew up a non-BJP coalition were futile.

Kharge, who joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Hyderabad on Tuesday, not only brought out the political content of the struggle by categorically asking the people to throw out the Narendra Modi government in 2024 but also unambiguously accepted the supremacy of Rahul in the Congress. This was his first public rally after taking over the party’s reins.

“If anyone will bring a non-BJP government, then under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, under Congress’s leadership, we will do it. We have that strength in us,” Kharge asserted.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Nov 1

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Monday 1,043

Active Cases 17.618 (-294)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,29,077 (50)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

TRUSS TEXTED US SECRETARY OF STATE AFTER NORD STREAM ATTACK SAYING ‘IT’S DONE’: CLAIMS RUSSIA

Russia has accused Britain of coordinating attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipes.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said on Monday that Kremlin intelligence agents “have data indicating British military specialists were directing and coordinating the attack” which destroyed two gas lines running from Russia to Germany in September,.

It comes after Kim Dotcom, who ran site Megaupload before he was convicted of fraud, began circulating a conspiracy theory that Liz Truss had texted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately after the attack saying “it’s done.”

Kim claimed to have learned of the message from Truss’s iCloud, after it was revealed that Russia hacked her phone while she was foreign secretary. Neither Kim nor Peskov have released the evidence they claim to have seen.

Nonetheless, the accusation does represent a new line of attack from Russia at the US and Britain which have led support for Ukraine in resisting Putin’s invasion.

Western leaders have stopped short of publicly blaming Russia for the attack – which blew two holes in each pipeline and may have permanently disabled them – but have been privately briefing their suspicions that Putin was behind it.

3 GRAIN SHIPS LEAVE UKRAINE, A SIGN THAT A SAFE PASSAGE DEAL ON

Three grain ships set sail from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Tuesday in a sign that a safe passage deal brokered by the UN and Turkey was moving forward even after Russian President Putin said Moscow’s participation had been suspended.

It was unclear how long Ukraine’s shipments could proceed without Moscow’s cooperation, which made the announcement after blaming Ukraine for an attack on its Black Sea naval fleet. But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is expected to speak to Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky about the deal, the Turkish foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Under the terms of the deal, empty ships are inspected in Istanbul before they depart for Ukraine to check they are not carrying weapons. Once they leave, they go through Istanbul with grain, and are inspected again.

SUELLA CALLS COMING OF MIGRANTS ‘INVASION’, FACES HEAT

Britain’s interior minister was facing criticism on Tuesday for describing migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats as an “invasion. ” Home secretary Suella Braverman used the term while defending conditions at a processing centre for new arrivals where some 4,000 people have been held in a facility intended for 1,600.

Braverman referred to small-boat crossings on Monday as “the invasion of our southern coast” and said “illegal immigration is out of control”. Her deputy, immigration minister Robert Jenrick, distanced himself from her words. “In a job like mine you have to choose your words carefully,” he told Sky News. “I would never demonise people coming to this country in pursuit of a better life. ”

THE REST

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MORBI BRIDGE COLLAPSE: BRIDGE CABLE WAS RUSTED, NOT REPAIRED, POLICE TELL COURT

Morbi Deputy Superintendent of Police P A Zala, the officer investigating Sunday’s bridge collapse case in which 135 people died, told a local court Tuesday that the cable of the suspension bridge (Jhoolta Pul) was “rusted” and “had the cable been repaired, this incident would not have happened”.

Deepak Parekh, one of the managers of the Oreva company responsible for maintenance of the bridge and among nine arrested in the wake of the incident, told the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate and Additional Senior Civil Judge M J Khan that “it was the will of God (Bhagwan ni ichcha) that such an unfortunate event happened”.

Seeking 10-day remand of four of the nine arrested, DSP Zala, in oral submissions in the courtroom, said, “Without determining permissible capacity, and without government approval, the bridge was opened on October 26. No lifesaving equipment or lifeguards were deployed… As part of maintenance and repair, only the platform (deck) was changed. No other work was undertaken as per FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report by a team that came from Gandhinagar.”

“The bridge was on a cable, and no oiling or greasing of the cable was done. From where the cable broke, the cable was rusted. Had the cable been repaired, this incident would not have happened. No documentation of what work and how it was done has been maintained. The material procured/used, if its quality was checked, remains to be probed,” Zala said.

SOCIAL MEDIA GRIEVANCE PANELS TO BE IN PLACE BY NOV 30: IT MINISTER

The government will come out with proposed modalities and terms of references for setting up grievance appellate committees to address social media users' complaints in the next 10-12 days, and expects the panel to be in place by November 30, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Tuesday.

The minister also made it clear that compliance of IT rules and laws is not "pick and choose" or "cherry picking" option for social media platforms.

He said once the government comes out with the proposed framework for GAC (grievance appellate committees), it will be followed by meetings and discussions with stakeholders.

The hardening of stance against the big tech companies comes at a time when discontent has been brewing over alleged arbitrary acts of platforms on flagged content, or intermediaries not responding fast enough to grievances, and even de-platforming users without following proper procedures.

The tighter IT rules, notified last week, now pave the way for the setting up of government-appointed GACs which will settle issues that users may have against the way social media platforms initially addressed their complaints regarding content and other matters.

The government sees social media platforms as a "partner" and "it is not an adversarial relationship", the minister said pointing out that the IT ministry has held a wide consultation with the platforms, and been open about its expectations of platforms all through.

"In our opinion the objectives of an open, safe and trusted internet is a 'win-win' for government, citizens and for platforms who use internet and deliver services and products," he said.

THREE-JUDGE BENCH TO HEAR PLEAS AGAINST PRE-POLL FREEBIES 'IN ENTIRETY': SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the pleas against the practice of political parties promising pre-election freebies will be heard "in entirety" by a three-judge bench.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi said it was sitting in a combination of two and according to a reference order on the matter, it should go before a bench of three judges for disposal.

Considering the nature of the controversy and submissions made by the parties in the earlier hearings, the matter would be listed as early as possible, the bench said.

Ashwini Upadhayay, one of the PIL petitioners, said the matter has to be heard by a larger bench with an aim to examine the earlier judgement in the Subramaniam Balaji case.

The lawyer also suggested that a committee of experts be set up to control irrational freebies in larger public interest and to ensure free and fair election and suggested that the Chief Election Commissioner be made head of the panel.

AT RS 1.52L CRORE, OCTOBER GST KITTY 2ND-HIGHEST EVER

The GST revenue registered its second-highest collection ever, touching Rs 1.52 lakh crore in October, which reflected a pickup in economic activity during the festive season.

The collections in October this year recorded a 16.6 per cent rise over Rs 1.30 lakh crore collected in the same month last year.

The GST collection had touched a record high of nearly Rs 1.68 lakh crore in April. In September, it was Rs 1.48 lakh crore.

The intake from Himachal was Rs 784 crore as against Rs 712 crore in September, Rs 709 crore in August and Rs 746 crore in July. The collections were 14 per cent higher than the Rs. 689 crore collected in October last year

The GST mop-up has been over Rs 1.40 lakh crore for eight months in a row, while for two months, it has crossed the Rs 1.50 lakh crore-mark.

CUET EFFECT IN DU ADMISSIONS

Ahead of Delhi University’s new semester which begins Wednesday, the admission lists of some colleges show a distinct change this year – an effect of the changeover to admissions based on the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores, instead of the Class XII board exam scores.

Last year, of the 146 students admitted in the B.A. (Hons) Political Science programme in Hindu College after the first two cutoff lists, 124 were from state school boards – 120 from the Kerala board, 3 from Rajasthan, and 1 from Haryana.

This year, while the second round of seat allocation is still underway, only one of the 59 students admitted so far is from a state board – Kerala board. The course has a sanctioned strength of 49 seats.

The B.A. (Hons) Political Science programme in Hindu College was one of the 10 programmes in DU last year where the first list cutoff for unreserved seats was 100% (best of four subjects).

With the adoption of CUET this year, admissions are now based on candidates’ CUET scores and the college-course preferences listed by them. The B.A. (Hons) Political Science programme in Hindu College is a top draw of top scorers in CUET.

According to a professor in the Political Science department of Hindu College, most of the students admitted so far are from CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools, while a smaller number are from CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) schools – both national boards. Most of those admitted in the unreserved seats have CUET scores in the range of 795/800 to 800/800.

TWITTER CEO ELON MUSK SAYS TWITTER WILL CHARGE $8 A MONTH FOR BLUE TICK

Twitter Inc will charge $8 a month for its Blue service, which includes its sought-after “verified” badge, new boss Elon Musk said on Tuesday, in his push to monetize the service and make the social media network less reliant on ads.

“Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Musk said in a tweet, adding that the price will be adjusted by “country proportionate to purchasing power parity”.

Musk said blue-tick subscribers would get priority in replies, mentions and search, and be able to post longer videos and audios, while dealing with half as many ads.

He also offered subscribers a paywall bypass from “publishers willing to work with us”.

Twitter used to hand out blue ticks to note-worthy profiles based on its own criteria.

Twitter already has a subscription service called Twitter Blue, which was launched in June last year and offers access to features such as an option to edit tweets.

WHATSAPP BANS 26L BAD ACCOUNTS IN INDIA

Meta-owned WhatsApp on Tuesday said it banned more than 26 lakh accounts in India in September in compliance with the new IT Rules, 2021, which are now being amended to put more responsibilities on social media platforms.

“In accordance with the IT Rules 2021, we’ve published our report for September 2022. This user-safety report contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp’s own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

Under the upgraded IT Rules 2021, major digital and social media platforms, with more than five million users, have to publish monthly compliance reports.

Meanwhile, in a major push towards an open, safe, trusted and accountable Internet, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has notified some amendments aimed at protecting the rights of “Digital Nagriks”.

Currently, social media intermediaries are only required to inform users about not uploading certain categories of harmful/unlawful content.

T20 WC: ENGLAND BEAT NZ; SRI LANKA BEAT AFGHANSITAN

England kept alive their semifinals hopes with a 20-run win over New Zealand in their T20 World Cup match in Brisbane on Tuesday.

England rode on a solid start by Alex Hales (52; 40 balls) and Buttler (73; 47 balls) to post 179 for six. The openers added 81 runs in 62 balls after England opted to bat. In reply, New Zealand ended at 159 for six.

In the other match yesterday, Wanindu Hasaranga led an inspired bowling effort before Dhananjaya de Silva hit a fine fifty as Sri Lanka kept their semifinals hopes alive with a six-wicket win over Afghanistan. Mystery spinner Hasaranga (3/13) and pacer Lahiru Kumara (2/30) shared five wickets among themselves to restrict Afghanistan to 144 for 8.

Dhananjaya then took control of the Sri Lankan innings with a strokeful unbeaten 66 off 42 balls as the reigning Asia Cup champions crossed the line with nine balls to spare.

In Group 1, after each team has played 4 matches (with one to go for each), NZ, England and Australia are on 5 points each. Sri Lanka have 4 points, Ireland 3, and Afghanistan 2.

Matches Remaining: Ireland vs New Zealand; Australia vs Afghanistan; England vs Sri Lanka

INDICATORS

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GBP 0.86 /US$, Euro 1.00 /US$, Jap.Yen 147.99 /US$, Aus$ 1.55 /US$, Sing 1.41 /US$, Bang Taka 99.56 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.73 /US$,

Pak Re 220.20 /US$, Phil Peso 58.08 /US$, Russian Rouble 61.74 /US$, NZ$ 1.70 /US$, Thai Baht 37.77 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.69 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 20,515

Dollar Index 111.23 Brent Crude 95.39 BDI 1,463

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,650 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,078 / 4,655, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 63,700

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Don't wait until conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes conditions perfect. - Alan Cohen

OFF TRACK

Sam called his wife and said to her in a weak voice, "Hey baby, I was driving to a coffee shop to meet Mary when all of a sudden, a stray dog came in the way. I tried to steer left to avoid running it down, but the car skidded due to high speed, rolled over and almost ran off the cliff. The car was hanging nose down over the cliff, as I looked down fearing impending death.

"I just managed to climb out of the car and save my life, just before the car fell over the cliff crashing thousands of feet below and was blown into smithereens."

Sam continued, "I was taken to a hospital. I have a broken leg, broken jaw, dislocated shoulder and several injuries on my head."

There was silence on the phone, then the wife asked, "Who is Mary?"