INDIA CAN BRING WORLD TOGETHER FOR BETTER FUTURE, SAYS PM NARENDRA MODI

India is working with a vision to bring the entire world together to achieve the common objective of a better future during its G20 presidency, even though the world is going through a deep crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Unveiling the logo, theme, and website of India’s upcoming G20 presidency, the prime minister said India’s national flower lotus was the inspiration for the logo with the theme of ‘One World, One Family, One Future’. Earth is placed above the lotus in the logo with the seven petals of the flower representing the seven continents.

“With its ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ slogan, India has called for a revolution in renewable energy. With its ‘One Earth, One Health’ vision, India has also started a campaign to strengthen global health. And now in G20 as well, our mantra is ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. It is these thoughts, this culture, these values of India that will pave the way for the welfare of the world,” Modi said.

The prime minister will be travelling to Indonesia next week to attend the G20 summit, where the presidency of the next G20 will be formally handed over to India. The country will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022. Modi said India’s G20 presidency is coming at a time of crisis and chaos in the world. “The world is going through the aftereffects of disruptive, once in a century pandemic, conflicts, and a lot of economic uncertainty. The symbol of lotus in the G20 logo is a representation of hope in these times. No matter how adverse the circumstances, the lotus still blooms,” he said.

IT'S ADVANTAGE INDIA IN OIL TRADE, WILL KEEP TIES STEADY: JAISHANKAR IN RUSSIA

India and Russia have an exceptionally steady and time-tested relationship and the objective now is to fashion a balanced, mutually beneficial and long-term engagement in the backdrop of the increasing economic cooperation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

“Russia has been India’s steady and time-tested partner and the longstanding partnership has served both countries very well over many decades,” Jaishankar observed after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. “If it (the relationship, including in oil trade) has served my country for many decades, I think you can see the obvious interests and commitment. I would like to keep that relationship strong and steady,” he added at a joint conference with Lavrov.

counterparts.

On the Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar referred to PM Narendra Modi’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin in September that “today’s era is not of war” and that the Ukraine conflict was a dominant feature in the talks.

Lavrov said both sides discussed joint production of weapons and wanted deeper talks on trade and investment.

KARNATAKA HC SETS ASIDE LOWER COURT BAR ON CONGRESS'S TWITTER HANDLES

A division bench of the high court of Karnataka has set aside an order of a designated economic court that ordered blocking of @INCIndia and @BharatJodo Twitter handles calling it "punitive action."

The order is subject to the Congress party removing the offending content before noon on Wednesday.

The Congress agreed to remove the 45-second clip that used the copyrighted song before noon on Wednesday from all its social media accounts.

The HC ordered, "We are of the opinion that prayer deserves to be allowed to set aside impugned order, subject to appellant taking down offending material."

The lower court had given the order on Monday in a suit filed by MRT Studios which claimed 45 seconds of its copyrighted music from KGF Chapter 2 movie was used in a 'Bharat Jodo' song by the Congress party.

INDIA INDEBTED TO FORMER PM MANMOHAN SINGH: NITIN GADKARI

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the country is indebted to former prime minister Manmohan Singh for the economic reforms.

India needs a liberal economic policy with the intention to provide its benefits to poor people, Gadkari said while speaking at TIOL Awards 2022 event. The economic reforms started by Singh as the finance minister in 1991 gave a new direction to India as it ushered in a liberal economy, he added. "The country is indebted to Manmohan Singh for the liberalisation that gave a new direction)," Gadkari said.

He recalled that he could raise money to build roads in Maharashtra when he was a minister in Maharashtra in the mid-1990s due to economic reforms initiated by the former prime minister.

He also said China is a good example of how liberal economic policy can help in the development of any country.

The road transport and highways minister said the NHAI is also raising money from the common man for the construction of highways. Gadkari said that his ministry is constructing 26 green expressways and he is not facing a shortage of money.

According to him, the toll revenue of NHAI will soar to Rs 1.40 lakh crore by the end of 2024 from Rs 40,000 crore per annum currently.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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ZELENSKY: WILL TALK WITH RUSSIA ON OUR TERMS

Ukraine denied on Tuesday that it was under Western pressure to negotiate with Russia, doubling down on its insistence that talks could take place only if Russia relinquishes all occupied territory.

The remarks came days after a high profile Washington Post report that the US had encouraged Kyiv to signal willingness for talks. In an overnight address, President Volodymyr Zelensky recited what he called Ukraine’s “completely understandable conditions” for peace talks. “Once again — restoration of territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, compensation for all damage caused by the war, punishment of every war criminal and guarantees that this will not happen again. ” Ukraine had repeatedly proposed such talks, but “we always received insane Russian responses with new terrorist attacks, shelling or blackmail”, he said.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow’s position that it is open to talks but that Kyiv was refusing them. Moscow has repeatedly said it will not negotiate over territory it claims to have annexed from Ukraine.

Zelensky’s senior adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said it was absurd to suggest that Western nations would push Kyiv to negotiate on Moscow’s terms, as they were the ones supplying Ukraine with the arms to drive Russian forces off its land.

CHINA IS ACCUSED OF ‘AGGRESSIVE ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ IN CANADA

China is playing “aggressive games” with democracies and Canadian institutions, PM Justin Trudeauwarned on Monday following a report of foreign interference in its elections.

His comments came after local broadcaster Global News reported that Beijing had funded a “clandestine network” of candidates in a recent ballot, and days after authorities began investigating illegal Chinese police stations in the Toronto area. “We have taken measures to strengthen the integrity of our elections processes and our systems, and will continue to invest in the fight against election interference, against foreign interference of our democracies and institutions,” Trudeau said.

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing countries, state actors from around the world, whether it’s China or others, are continuing to play aggressive games with our institutions, with our democracies,” he said. Citing unnamed sources, Global News said intelligence officials told the Trudeau government that China was seeking to influence or subvert its democratic process.

The report alleges Beijing directed transfers of funds through an Ontario lawmaker and others to at least 11 federal election candidates and Chinese operatives who worked as their campaign staffers.

It also says Beijing sought to place agents in the offices of members of parliament to influence policy.

6 KILLED AS 6.6 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE HITS NEPAL

An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck Nepal on Wednesday morning, the country's seismological centre said, with media reporting six people had been killed.

India's National Center for Seismology marked the quake at a magnitude of 6.3.

The tremors were also felt in India's capital, New Delhi, and surrounding areas.

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TAKE CRITICISM OF COLLEGIUM IN POSITIVE LIGHT, MUST IMPROVE: JUSTICE CHANDRACHUD

Days after Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju targeted the Supreme Court’s Collegium system of appointing judges as “opaque, not accountable” involving a “lot of politics”, Justice D Y Chandrachud, who will take over as the 50th Chief Justice of India today, said criticism of the Collegium system must be looked at in a “positive light” and attempts made to improve it.

“While we work within the fold of that system… yet at the same time, there are several improvements which we can bring about because no institution in any constitutional democracy can lay claim to being perfect. So I think it’s a constantly evolving process,” he said.

On the charge of the Collegium working being opaque, Justice Chandrachud said there is a “legitimate… public interest in knowing how judges are appointed” but “we also need to preserve the privacy of the people”, members of the Bar or judges of the High Court “who are under consideration”.

“Otherwise, if we start exposing every little detail of our discussions, of our deliberations, in the public scrutiny, the net result would be that many good people will just not be interested in seeking judgeship or accepting it when the offer of judgeship is made. Because the feeling would be that well, by even accepting the offer of judgeship, you are exposing your own intimate personal lives to a level of scrutiny which is not really relatable to the needs or interests of the institution,” he said.

BJP TOP BRASS MAKE ADVANI FEEL SPECIAL ON HIS 95TH BIRTHDAY

As former Deputy Prime Minister of India L K Advani turned 95 on Tuesday, BJP leaders across the country sent their greetings to the veteran, many of them posting photos of themselves with him, and wishing him a good health and long life. PM Narendra Modi and Defence Minister visited Advani to wish him.

The founding member of the BJP, who is considered the architect of the saffron party’s rise as a major national force, Advani has been sidelined since the rise of Modi in the party.

Tweeting a photo of himself with Advani at the latter’s residence, the PM said: “His contribution to India’s growth is monumental. He is respected all across India for his vision and intellect. His role in building and strengthening the BJP is unparalleled. I pray for his long and healthy life.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted that while on the one hand Advani had “strengthened the organisation”, on the other, he had “made valuable contributions to the country’s development while being part of the government”.

Rajnath Singh, who also visited Advani, said he was among the country’s tallest personalities. “He (Advani) has made very important contributions to the development journey of the country, society and the party,” Singh tweeted, sharing pictures with Advani on Tuesday.

EDUCATION NOT BUSINESS TO EARN PROFIT, TUITION FEE MUST BE AFFORDABLE, RULES SC

Maintaining that education is not a business to earn profit, the Supreme Court has ruled that tuition fee has to be always affordable. A Bench led by Justice MR Shah upheld the Andhra Pradesh High Court order quashing the state government’s decision to enhance the tuition fee in medical colleges to Rs 24 lakh per annum.

“To enhance the fee to Rs 24 lakh per annum i.e. seven times more than the fee fixed earlier is not justifiable at all. Education is not the business to earn profit. The tuition fee should always be affordable,” it said, dismissing Narayana Medical College’s petition challenging the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order setting aside the government’s decision to enhance the tuition fee of MBBS students.

The top court on Monday upheld the High Court’s direction for refunding the balance of the tuition fee amount collected under government order dated September 6, 2017, after adjusting the fee paid pursuant to the earlier determination as per an order dated June 18, 2011.

It said determination of fee or review of fee shall be within the parameters of the fixation rules.

1ST PRIVATE ROCKET SET FOR MID-NOVEMBER LAUNCH

India’s first privately developed rocket — Vikram-S — is set for a launch in a sub-orbital mission with three payloads between November 12 and 16, Hyderabad-based space startup Skyroot Aerospace announced on Tuesday.

The maiden mission of Skyroot Aerospace, named ‘Prarambh’, will carry two Indian and one foreign customer payloads and is set for launch from Ilaunchpad at Sriharikota.

With this mission, Skyroot is set to become the first private space company in India to launch a rocket into space, heralding a new era for the space sector which was opened up in 2020 to facilitate private sector participation. “The Vikram-S rocket is a single-stage sub-orbital launch vehicle which would carry three customer payloads and help test and validate the majority of the technologies in the Vikram series of space launch vehicles,” Naga Bharath Daka, Chief Operating Officer of Skyroot Aerospace.

LAW DOES NOT PERMIT COURTS TO PUNISH ON BASIS OF MORAL CONVICTION: SC

The law does not permit courts to punish an accused on the basis of moral conviction or on suspicion alone, the Supreme Court said while acquitting three men sentenced to death for the gangrape and murder of a woman in Delhi’s Chhawla area in 2012.

The three men were accused of abducting, gangraping and brutally killing a 19-year-old woman in February 2012. Her mutilated body was found three days after she was abducted.

A bench of Chief Justice U U Lalit and Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi acquitted the convicts in a 40-page order.

The bench said the prosecution failed to provide leading, cogent, clinching and clear evidence, including those related to DNA profiling and call detail records (CDRs), against the accused, and said the trial court also acted as a “passive umpire”.

The bench said since the prosecution failed to bring home the charges levelled against the accused beyond reasonable doubt, the court was left with no alternative but to acquit the accused, though involved in a very heinous crime.

“It may be true that if the accused involved in the heinous crime go unpunished or are acquitted, a kind of agony and frustration may be caused to the society in general and to the family of the victim in particular, however, the law does not permit the courts to punish the accused on the basis of moral conviction or on suspicion alone,” the bench said.

ROW OVER SUDHA MURTHY TOUCHING FEET OF SAMBHAJI BHIDE DURING MEETING

A video showing author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy bowing before the leader of a right wing outfit in Maharashtra has gone viral, evoking sharp reactions.

Sambhaji Bhide, whose feet the wife of Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy is seen touching in the video, was recently served a notice by the State Women's Commission for refusing to talk to a woman journalist because she had no bindi on her forehead.

The latest viral video is from Sangli in western Maharashtra, where Sudha Murthy was on Monday to interact with her readers at a promotional event of her books, many of which have been translated into Marathi.

A functionary of Bhide's Shiv Pratishthan outfit said his leader met Sudha Murthy for help in installation of a golden throne at Raigad fort, the erstwhile capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

However, an aide to Sudha Murthy, said the author wasn't aware who Bhide was and had bowed to him out of respect for a senior citizen.

Yojana Yadav, editorial head at Mehta Publishing House -- which organised the Sangli event -- claimed the local police insisted that Bhide should be allowed to meet Sudha, despite not being invited for the event. "The pressure was so much that a visibly annoyed Sudha Murthy had to discontinue her interaction with her readers and went out to meet Bhide. She was not aware who Bhide was, so she asked me his age. She bowed before him out of respect accorded to elders," she said.

"She later told me that Bhide wanted to speak to her for one-and-a-half hours but she told him that she did not have more than one-and-a-half minute for him," Yadav said.

Aam Aadmi Party national executive member Preeti Sharma Menon tweeted, "Trust she wore a bindi. When people like Sudha Murthy meet bigots like Bhide, they reveal their true colours."

Social activist Vishwambhar Choudhari tweeted," There is something messed up with us, or else Sudha Murthy would not have buckled under pressure to meet Bhide, leave aside touching his feet."

DRAVID, ROHIT, KOHLI MAKE NEWS FOR GIVING UP BUSINESS CLASS SEATS TO TEAM’S PACERS

Cramped legs and stiff backs are an athlete’s biggest pre-competition enemy, but the Indian cricket team has gone the extra (air) mile to ensure its pace bowlers stay comfortable.

At a T20 World Cup that has demanded breakneck air travel crisscrossing Australia, head coach Rahul Dravid and batting superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have given up their designated business-class seats for the quicks — Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya — so that they get adequate legroom. This has helped them to rest and recover between games.

“Before the tournament, we decided that since the pace bowlers clock the maximum mileage on field day in, day out, they need to stretch their legs,” a support staff member said.

As per International Cricket Council (ICC) norms, every team gets four business-class seats. Most teams give these flying privileges to their coach, captain, vice-captain and manager. But once the Indian thinktank became aware that they needed to travel every third or fourth day, it was decided that the hard-working pacers would get the best seats during the trip.

By the time India finishes their campaign, the team would have travelled around 34,000 km on this World T20 journey.

INDICATORS

(Indian Stock markets were closed yesterday on account of Guru Nanak Jayanti)

Nasdaq 10,616 (+52) Dow 33,161 (+334), S&P 3,828 (+21)

(US$-Rs. 81.61 GBP-Rs. 93.91, Euro-Rs. 81.84, UAE Dhm-Rs.22.21, Can$-Rs. 60.56, Aus$- Rs. 52.92

GBP 0.86 /US$, Euro 0.99 /US$, Jap.Yen 146.15 /US$, Aus$ 1.54 /US$, Sing 1.40 /US$, Bang Taka 99.55 /US$, Can$ 1.34 /US$, Mal Ring 4.73 /US$,

Pak Re 220.64 /US$, Phil Peso 58.13 /US$, Russian Rouble 61.23 /US$, NZ$ 1.68 /US$, Thai Baht 37.14 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.53 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 18,321

Dollar Index 109.62 Brent Crude 95.35 BDI 1,356

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,707 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,105 / 4,680, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 66,700

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No man is wise enough, nor good enough, to be trusted with unlimited power. - Charles Colton

OFF TRACK

Phone rings at night.

Husband: "If its for me, then say I am not at home"

Wife: "He is home"

Husband whispers in anger: "What the HELL?"

Wife: " SHUT UP. IT WAS FOR ME"