| 1. First hostages freed as Israel, Hamas pause war |  | Truce holds- Twenty-five hostages held in the Gaza Strip were released on Friday — 12 Thai nationals and 13 other women and children.
- They were handed over to the International Red Cross and taken to Israel through the Gaza-Egypt border.
- The Thai government confirmed the release of its citizens — agricultural workers living in southern Israel — while the Egyptian government confirmed the release of others as well.
- They are the first people to be freed under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal that took effect on Friday evening (India time).
In exchange for...- The hostages were freed as part of a prisoner exchange deal, with Israel freeing 39 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as the seven-week war saw its first pause.
- Palestinian prisoners leaving the custody of Israel included 24 women and 15 teenage boys.
Relief for aid workers- The ceasefire also meant the delivery of aid supplies to Gaza, where roughly two-thirds of its 2.2 million people have been displaced by the war.
- By Friday afternoon, several trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered Gaza from Egypt.
- Israel said that eight aid trucks contained fuel and cooking gas, a small but significant amount for a territory that has all but run out of fuel.
The deal- Brokered by Qatar following weeks of talks, the deal calls for Hamas to free 50 of the women and children taken hostage during its October 7 attacks in Israel that set off the fighting.
- Israel has to release 150 imprisoned Palestinian women and teenagers.
- The exchange of people is likely to happen in phases across the four days of the ceasefire.
But war is not over- Despite the truce, both sides have insisted that the war was not over. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ongoing war would not be over until Hamas is finished.
- Hamas, on the other hand, said, "Our hands will remain on the trigger."
- Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on Gaza hours just before the ceasefire was to begin.
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| 2. Another anxious night at Uttarkashi tunnel |  | The delay- Drilling at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel to evacuate 41 workers trapped inside for 13 days was halted again on Friday following a snag during the rescue operation.
- Officials said that the auger machine that is being used to drill through the rubble found a metallic obstruction during the digging process.
- They said the fresh estimate suggested that the authorities needed to drill another 12-13 metres and insert the pipe to reach the trapped workers.
How much longer- As the rescue workers prepared to resume the drilling, the steel pipe had been pushed through up to 46.8 metres, officials said.
- Only two more six-metre sections of steel pipe needed to be inserted to reach the trapped workers.
The obstacle- A ground penetrating radar had indicated that there were no metal hurdles up to five metres ahead of the passage drilled so far. But the auger machine had fresh obstacles after it drilled for about two metres through the debris.
Mock drills- During the day, the rescue workers conducted mock drills in the inserted pipe. They went inside with equipment to be used when workers started coming out of the tunnel after the drilling work was completed.
- Workers went over 45 metres inside the passage to cut off the damaged 1.2-metre front end of the pipe — an operation that took several hours. The portion of the pipe had bent after hitting a hurdle.
- A damaged portion of the auger's blade was also repaired.
Post-rescue plans- Forty-one ambulances are stationed outside the tunnel to rush workers after their evacuation to Chinyalisaur community health centre where a separate ward has been set up with 41 oxygen-supported beds for them.
- Similar arrangements have also been made at the Uttarkashi district hospital. Trauma and ICU beds have also been readied for them at AIIMS, Rishikesh where they could also be airlifted if required.
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| 3. 'Can't ask SEBI to take media reports as gospel truth' |  | What- The Supreme Court on Friday expressed its disinclination to doubt the investigations carried out by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) into allegations levelled by the global short-seller Hindenburg against the Adani Group, while emphasising the need to insulate investors from the volatility triggered by those who "short" stocks for gains.
- The top court said it has no reason to "discredit" SEBI, as there was no material before it to doubt what the market regulator has done, and the court does not have to treat what was set out in the Hindenburg report as a "true state of affairs".
Order reserved- A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which reserved its order on a batch of pleas concerning the Adani-Hindenburg row on allegations of stock price manipulation, said it cannot ask a statutory regulator to take as a "gospel truth" something which was published in the media.
Why Congress leader was rebuked- The Supreme Court on Friday rebuked a Congress leader for demanding "without a shred of evidence" an independent probe against State Bank of India and Life Insurance Corporation for investing huge amounts in Adani group stocks and suffering substantial losses in the meltdown of group shares following the Hindenburg report.
- In a spontaneous response to advocate Varun Thakur's plea on behalf of petitioner Jaya Thakur, the court said irresponsible demands were being made without evidence and without realising its impact on the country's economy.
Prashant Bhushan in a tight spot- Advocate Prashant Bhushan, the vanguard of PILs demanding an independent probe into short seller Hindenburg's report, found himself in a tight spot on Friday as the Supreme Court caught him citing old reports of inquiries initiated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence against the conglomerate while suppressing the outcome.
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| 4. Appeal admitted, what next in Qatar for ex-navy personnel? |  | First step- A Qatari court has admitted the Indian government's appeal against the death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel in that country, according to media reports.
- However, there was no official word from the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday.
- Reports said the Qatari court admitted the appeal on Thursday and that the next hearing is to be held soon.
India's position- Last week, India said the appeal process against the death sentence was under process. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said India was engaged with the Qatari authorities on the matter and the government would continue to extend all legal and consular assistance to the Indian nationals.
The case- The eight Indians were on October 26 given the death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance.
- India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking, saying it would explore all legal options in the case.
- Days later, an appeal was filed against the death sentence.
- The Indian nationals worked with private company Al Dahra before they were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage.
- Neither the Qatari authorities nor India made the charges against the Indian nationals public.
What Qatari law says- Death sentences cannot be carried out in Qatar without its Emir's authorisation. Emir has the power to commute the sentence or pardon the convict.
- The Court of Appeal, too, has the power to commute a death sentence to life imprisonment or to a term of not less than five years.
- But there is a rider. In cases of murder, the death penalty can be commuted to imprisonment if the victim's next of kin pardons the offender or accepts 'blood money'.
- Blood money is a tool whereby the convict pays financial compensation to the next of kin of the victim as an alternative to the execution of the death penalty.
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| 6. A compromise formula for appointment of Delhi's top babu |  | What- The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to suggest names of five senior bureaucrats to be considered for the post of new Delhi chief secretary by 10.30 am on November 28 and said the Delhi government will have to respond the same day to facilitate adjudication on the vexed issue.
Why- The appointment of the chief secretary is the latest bone of contention between CM Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena who have been involved in a series of run-ins over various issues.
- The Delhi government says it has the sole right to select the chief secretary - a claim which the Centre strongly refutes.
- A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, which was hearing the AAP government's plea, asked why the LG and the CM cannot meet to amicably decide on names.
How- The top court resorted to the formula on Friday after the Solicitor General alleged that the moment a panel of names is given to Delhi government, it would engage in mudslinging.
- The Centre further cited the case of the current chief secretary who recently moved court to get an injunction against "mudslinging" against him.
- The Delhi High Court on November 22 directed a news portal to take down an article casting aspersions on conduct of chief secretary Naresh Kumar in relation to a land acquisition matter.
- The AAP has accused Kumar of corruption, and has been demanding his removal. Kumar's tenure anyway ends on November 30.
A matter of reputation- On Friday, when the bench asked the Union home ministry to suggest names of five bureaucrats at 10.30 am on November 28 for Delhi chief secretary's post, senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the Delhi government, said the dispensation will revert back within a few minutes.
- The bench then said it would try to give the orders on the name for appointment of the chief secretary the same day, saying any delay may affect the reputation of senior officers.
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| 7. Will Taliban 'take over' Afghan embassy in Delhi? |  | The shutdown- Afghanistan's embassy in India on Friday announced its permanent closure of its 22-year old diplomatic mission, citing "persistent challenges from the Indian government", even as heads of its Mumbai and Hyderabad missions claimed to have assumed the leadership of the embassy in New Delhi.
- Earlier on September 30, the Afghanistan embassy announced that it was ceasing its operations from October 1.
Why- A lack of support from the host government, the failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan's interests, and reduction in personnel and resources were cited as reasons by the embassy for shutting down its operations.
- Despite an eight-week wait, objectives like visa extension and a shift in the Indian government's conduct were not realised, the Afghan embassy said.
- The embassy faced constant pressure from both the Taliban and the Indian government to relinquish control, leading to a difficult choice.
So, who's manning it- Currently, there are no diplomats from the Afghan Republic in India, the mission stressed. They have safely left for other countries.
- Only Taliban-affiliated diplomats are present, attending online meetings.
- The Afghan Republic diplomats have formally handed over the mission to the Indian government.
- A detailed lists of assets, including approximately $500,000 in bank accounts, have been shared with the Ministry of External Affairs.
- The embassy also urged the Indian government to hoist Afghanistan's tricolor flag over the mission's properties.
A power struggle- Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, appointed by the previous Ashraf Ghani government, retained leadership of the Afghan embassy in India even after Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
- In April-May this year, a power struggle reportedly ensued when Taliban allegedly appointed a charge d'affaires, but the embassy clarified no leadership change.
- Mamundzay continued as the Afghan envoy until the recent announcement of the embassy's permanent closure in New Delhi.
What India says- India is yet to recognise the Taliban regime, advocating for an inclusive government and non-use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities.
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| 8. A warning to social media companies? |  | Deepfake concern- The government will assist people in filing FIRs against social media platforms in case they are aggrieved by objectionable content like deepfakes that are in violation of IT rules.
- It is also learnt to have warned social media and internet companies that their platforms may be temporarily suspended and blocked if they are unable to tackle deepfakes.
A platform- Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) will develop a platform on which people can notify the ministry about IT rule violations by social media platforms.
Who will be held accountable?- Chandrasekhar said the FIR will be registered against the intermediary and if they disclose the details from where the content has originated, then the FIR will be filed against the entity that has posted the content.
A deadline- In a press briefing in Delhi after a meeting with representatives of social media companies, the minister also said that social media platforms have been given seven days time to align their terms of use as per the IT rules.
- The meeting was called after PM Narendra Modi expressed concerns over the issue of deepfakes last week.
A caveat- Chandrasekhar also said it will be acceptable for the government if social media platforms label content as deepfake instead of taking down the content.
Why Rule 7 matters- The ministry will appoint an officer who will deal with implementation of Rule 7 of IT Rules that were notified in October 2022, the minister said.
- Section 7 of the IT rules deals with revoking the intermediary status of social media platforms and taking action against them as per Indian Penal Code if they fail to adhere with the rules.
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| 9. A Congress vs BJP mega battle in Rajasthan today |  | Battle royale- Following weeks of intense campaigning, Rajasthan is now poised for single-phase assembly election today.
- Over 5.25 crore eligible voters, with almost 33% below the age of 30, will determine the fate of 1,862 candidates.
- Polling will be held in 199 out of the 200 constituencies. Due to the death of Congress candidate and sitting MLA in Karanpur, voting in the constituency has been deferred.
Congress vs BJP- A direct contest between the Congress and the BJP is expected in Rajasthan election.
- The BJP is contesting all seats, while the Congress leaving one seat for its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).
- Presently, Congress holds 107 MLAs, BJP 70, with a mix of other party representatives.
A crucial election- A win for either party in the state will play a pivotal role in shaping the narrative for the upcoming crucial Lok Sabha elections next year.
- Rajasthan sends 25 MPs to the lower house. In 2019, the BJP-led NDA secured victories in all 25 seats.
A test- The election will test the popularity of the Ashok Gehlot government, which faced internal rifts after a brief rebellion by Sachin Pilot.
- Currently, the leaders appear to have reconciled in a truce mediated by the Congress leadership.
- The BJP, too, faced similar internal squabbles, with the party opting to not declare its CM candidate ahead of polling despite clamour for former CM Vasundhara Raje.
A high-pitched campaign- The Congress's campaign was led by Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and Gehlot.
- PM Modi led the BJP's election campaign, holding multiple rallies.
- While the Congress built its campaign on its promise of seven guarantees, the BJP attacked the Congress on issues such as crime against women, appeasement politics, corruption and paper leak.
Past performance- Rajasthan has voted out the ruling party in every election in the last 30 years. In 2018, the Congress defeated the BJP, winning 100 of the 200 seats to form the government. The BJP could win just 73 seats in the assembly.
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| Answer To NEWS IN CLUES |  | United Arab Emirates. PM Narendra Modi will attend the UN climate talks in Dubai on December 1 and deliver a national statement highlighting India’s climate action, reported news agency PTI. The prime minister will reach the UAE on November 30 and return after his talk the next day. The World Climate Action Summit on December 1-2 will see heads of states and governments, leaders from civil society, business, youth, indigenous peoples’ organisations, frontline communities, science and other sectors discussing actions and plans aimed at scaling climate action.
COURTESY : TIMES TOP 10 |
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