- Bihar elections: 52.24% turnout in first phase of Assembly polls: A voter turnout of 52.24% was recorded till 5pm in the first phase of Bihar Assembly polls on Wednesday, the Election Commission said in its provisional data. Polling was held in 71 assembly constituencies amid tight security and COVID-19 guidelines in place.
- President nod for setting up commission to tackle Delhi air pollution: President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the formation of a commission for air quality management in Delhi which will replace the Environment Pollution and Prevention Control Authority. The 17-member-commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the Centre,has been given executive powers to act upon those found violating directions set by it to curb the pollution crisis.
- Uttarakhand CM moves SC after high court orders CBI probe: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat moved Supreme Court on Wednesday against the Nainital High Court order for CBI probe into allegations of corruption levelled against him by a journalist
- Panel seeks revenue model info from Twitter, Amazon: The joint parliamentary committee on Personal Data Protection Bill on Wednesday asked Twitter and Amazon to furnish their balance sheets so that it can understand their revenue and business model and their earnings and tax payments in India. The panel also pulled up Twitter for showing Jammu and Kashmir as part of China.
- India, UK agree to further bilateral economic relations: India and the UK have entered into agreements on financial services, infrastructure, and sustainable finance to boost investments in India and called for stable and transparent regulatory and tax regimes. At the 10th Economic and Financial Dialogue meet finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her UK counterpart Rishi Sunak agreed to further economic ties between the two countries.
- India in talks with China to end border tensions: Rajnath Singh: Rajnath Singh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India was in dialogue with China to end a six-month old military standoff and commended the Indian Army for standing firm against any possible attempts at intrusion by the Chinese forces in the mean time. The minister also asked army leadership to be wary of Chinese actions at disputed borders and their intent during military talks.
- India slams Turkey, Pak for attacks on Macron: In a rare move, India on Wednesday came out in support of France’s President Emmanuel Macron, whom Pakistan and Turkey have targeted for strongly defending the French people’s right to freedom of expression. New Delhi joined major European countries in condemning the personal attacks against the French President
- Gold Smuggling Case: ED arrests Kerala CM’s former principal secretary: M Sivashankar, the former principal secretary of Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the gold smuggling case, sources said. On Wednesday, Shivashankar was summoned for questioning after Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail application.
- Delaying gram panchayat elections appropriate: K’taka minister: KS Eshwarappa, minister for rural development and panchayat raj, said Karnataka government is willing to hold gram panchayat elections but believes the best course of action is to postpone them “for the wellbeing of villagers”. Pointing to the Covid-19 pandemic, Eshwarappa insisted the current situation “is not good for elections”.
- K’taka government warns schools against flouting online classes rules: The Karnataka department of public instruction has issued a circular which formally fixes the duration for live sessions of online classes. The timetable is based on the report of an expert committee. The circular also warns of disciplinary action against schools that flout the norms.