WEDNESDAY IN A FIRST, KYIV FIRES LONG-RANGE U.S. MISSILES INTO RUSSIAN REGION 20 Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine fired six US-made missiles into Bryansk, five of which were shot down and one damaged NOVEMBER, 2024 300 km epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard RANGE OF THE ATACMS (ARMY TACTICAL MISSILE SYSTEM) USED AGAINST RUSSIA HONG KONG 45 ACTIVISTS GET 4-10 YRS IN PRISON A court on Tuesday jailed all 45 convicted of subversion in the largest national security trial, with “mastermind” receiving the longest term of 10 years. PAGE 9 India: Set new finance goal on climate justice S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA EXPRESS IN BAKU W ITH COP29 negotiations reaching a critical stage, India on Tuesday demanded clear answers from developed countries on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance. Delivering the national statement, Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, said all NCQG decisions for climate finance must reflect the principles of climate justice and equity . He called for ambitious and unambiguous outcomes that address the evolving needs of developing countries, including adaptation, mitigation, and loss-and-damage funding. Singh reminded developed nations of their responsibility under the Paris Agreement to provide suf ficient financial resources to enable the Global South to meet its development goals while addressing climate challenges. The next round of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) is due in 2025. CONTINUED ON P9 UKRAINE YET TO CONFIRM THE ESCALATION A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Visa relaxation, resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on the cards India, China look to resume direct flights, dialogue Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi BUILDING on the recent progress made on de-escalating border tension, India and China on Tuesday sought to stabilise the relationship and take it to the next level. T h re e m a j o r d e c i s i o n s emerged during the meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio, Brazil: to resume special representativelevel talks on boundary issues, direct flights between India and China, and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The other steps discussed include data sharing on trans-border rivers and media exchanges. The meeting was the first high-level engagement between India and China after the completion of the disengagement process in Depsang and Demchok along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh last month. According to the MEA, Jaishankar and Wang agreed that the disengagement in border areas contributed to peace and tranquility. “The discussions focused on the next steps in India-China relations,” it said. In the meeting, Jaishankar told Wang that India is against unilateral approaches to establish dominance and it does not view its relationships through the prism of other nations. “On the global situation, the external affairs minister noted that India and China have both differences and convergences,” MEA said. For his part, Wang proposed visa relaxation to encourage people-to-people interaction. Noting that the next year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two Asian giants, the Chinese minister said both countries should plan commemorative activities and encourage visits in various fields and at different levels. Direct India-China flights and the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic. The 22nd round of special representative-level talks were held in New Delhi on December 21, 2019. India’s representative for the dialogue is NSA Ajit Doval while the Chinese side is headed by Wang.  PAGES 12 Fragments from a missile fell on an unspecified military facility, the Russian ministry said, adding that the falling debris sparked a fire but didn’t inflict any damage or casualties. The announcement comes shortly after Washington lifted curbs on Ukraine using US-made longer-range missiles to strike Russia. Ukraine didn’t immediately confirm the news | P9 Govt mulls odd-even as city continues to gasp for breath I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi | PTI INDIA, UK TO RESUME FTA TALKS IN 2025 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said trade talks with India will relaunch, following his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit. The UK will seek a new strategic partnership with India, including a trade agreement and cooperation in various areas RENEWABLE ENERGY PACT WITH AUSTRALIA India and Australia on Tuesday officially launched the Renewable Energy Partnership aimed at boosting two-way investment in the renewable energy sectors as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in on the sidelines of the G20 meet A string of anti-pollution measures in Delhi appear to be faltering, somewhere, somehow. The evidence presented itself on Tuesday as the city’s overall 24hour average air quality index (AQI) was 471 at 1 pm on Tuesday, a ‘severe plus’ category, for the second consecutive day The . city government is likely to fall back on odd-even rules and work-from-home measures. Gopal Rai, Environment Minister, said as much, emphasizing the government will take a final call based on experts’ advice. “We deeply regret this situation,” said the minister, adding “This is the time of medical emergency .” Under the ‘odd-even” scheme, vehicles with registration numbers ending in even digits are allowed on even dates, while those with registration numbers ending in odd digits are permitted on odd dates. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed the 24-hour level of PM2.5 (a key pollutant) registering a decline on Tuesday in most places in Delhi, compared to Monday . According to the met department, several monitoring stations in the national capital regions recorded an AQI of over 490 at 11 am. Alipur registered the highest AQI reading at 494, followed by Narela and Sonia Vihar at 492, and Anand Vihar A Metro train runs on its tracks amid smoggy conditions on Tuesday | PARVEEN NEGI ‘Whenever you want to appear virtually, you can’ Raj orders closure of 3K mines, industrial units CJI Sanjiv Khanna said all judges have been asked to allow virtual hearings wherever possible. As CJI-led bench assembled, SC Bar Association president Kapil Sibal referred to the pollution. Referring to lawyers, CJI Khanna said: “Whenever you want to appear virtually, you can.” The Rajasthan government ordered shutting down of 3,000 mines and industries in Alwar and Bharatpur to combat severe air pollution. Also, construction activities have been halted. The decision comes in the wake of a sharp decline in air quality across Delhi-NCR. and Vivek Vihar, both at 491. Rai has written to the Centre seeking clearance for artificial rain and call an urgent meeting with experts in IIT-Kanpur. He hit out at the Centre accusing its environment minister of “sleeping over repeated requests by the Delhi government to call an emergency meeting” over the alarming pollution. Taking a jibe at the pollution crisis, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took to social media and questioned, “Is Delhi still fit to be India’s national capital?” The post by the Thiruvananthapuram MP sparked a debate with manyusers suggesting a shift to one of the cities like Chennai or Hyderabad, P4 where the AQI is better. Day before poll, Tawde in cash row AR Rahman and Saira PC post gives Biren ammo S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai A day before polling in Maharashtra, a purported video of BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde at a five-star hotel went viral on Tuesday amid allegations by the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) that he was distributing `5 crore in cash among his party leaders and workers at Nalasopara (Virar) to buy votes. The police registered two FIRs against Tawde and others in connection with the incident. The first FIR named them for assembling at a hotel in violation of the poll code, while the second one accuses them of luring voters by offering inducements. Tawde refuted the allegation saying he was in the hotel to guide party workers about election procedures. He said he was on his way from Wada in Palghar to Mumbai when a BJP leader called him for tea at the hotel at Nalasopara where this incident took place. “I am ready for any POLLS 2024 probe. The Election Commission of India can conduct the probe and find out the truth. The Opposition must understand facts before making allegations,” Tawde said. For its part, the poll body said it recovered `9 lakh from the hotel, not `5 crore. The matter came in light after BVA workers barged in the hotel, claiming they got a tipoff that Tawde was with BJP leaders to distribute `5 crore to buy the votes in the area. “Our workers not only caught Tawde with a bundle of cash but also seized two diaries with entries on whom the money was given to buy votes. We hope that the poll body and police would conduct a fair probe,” BVA head Hitendra Thakur said. His party is contesting three seats in Palghar and P8 Vasai-Virar. announce separation to rap Cong in Manipur ACADEMY Award winning music composer AR Rahman and his wife Saira announced their separation to the media on Tuesday . They have been married for 29 years and have three children — Khatija, Raheema and Ameen. In a statement issued through Vandana Shah, divorce lawyer, the couple said that they have made the difficult decision to separate from each other. “The decision comes after significant emotional strain in their relationship. Despite their deep love for each other, the couple has found that the tensions and difficulties have created an insurmountable gap between them, one that neither party feels able to bridge at this time,” the statement said. It added that Saira and Rahman emphasised that they have taken this decision out of pain and agony On behalf of the couple, . the statement appealed for privacy and understanding from the public during this challenging time. HC bars conferment of Himachal Bhawan attached, sparks fly ‘MS award’ on Krishna H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh R S I V A K U M A R @ Chennai HOLDING that the institution of the Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award is against the singer’s wish and mandate as reflected by her will, the Madras High Court has restrained conferment of the award on popular Carnatic musician T M Krishna. The Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award, which is a mirror award conferred to the recipient of the Sangita Kalanidhi Award of the Chennai Music Academy every year, has been instituted by the English daily The Hindu. The HC, however, held that there is no bar on presenting the cash prize of `1 lakh to Krishna without using the name of Subbulakshmi in any form. The HC also allowed the conferment of Sangita Kalanidhi Award, instituted by the Music Academy on Krishna. , Justice G Jayachandran passed the interim order on Tuesday while dismissing an application filed by Music Academy praying for rejecting the plaint moved by Subbulakshmi’s grandson V Shrinivasan challenging the conferment of the award on Krishna. The petitioner had alleged that Krishna had made disparaging comments against Subbulakshmi. “The best way to honour a departed soul is to respect her wish,” the judge said, adding if any person has reverence for Subbulakshmi, after knowing her mandate, (they) should not continue to give the award in her name. “Similarly if anybody truly respects the sentiments and wishes of the departed soul, he/she should not receive awards instituted against her wish and mandate,” he said. The judge restrained the English daily from conferring the Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award till the disposal of the case. THE Himachal Pradesh High Court’s decision to attach the Himachal Bhawan in Delhi to recover `150 crore owed by the state to a private power firm has snowballed into a major political controversy . Leader of Opposition and former CM Jairam Thakur on Tuesday held the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government responsible for pushing the state to the brink of bankruptcy, claiming that the dispensation is synonymous with misman- agement, fiscal irresponsibility and administrative failure. In response, Sukhu dismissed the allegations and stated that his government would examine the HC order before deciding on the next move. The HC ordered attachment of Himachal Bhawan, located on the prime Sikandra road in the national capital, due to the government’s failure to repay `64 crore, along with interest. Amount was paid as upfront premium for allotment of a 320 MW hydel project in LahaulSpiti. The court order pertains the Union home minister during the then Congress governA social media post by Conment and O Ibobi was the chief gress leader P Chidambaram minister here, they brought a on Tuesday gave embattled MaMyanmarese foreigner nipur Chief Minister N Biren Thanglianpau Guite, who himSingh some ammunition to self admitted in one of the inblame the grand old party for terviews that he contested an the ongoing crisis in the state. MP election in Myanmar. That The Congress distanced itperson is the chairman of Zomi self from ChidambarRevolutionary Army, am’s post on X, now which is banned in Mydeleted, calling it his anmar,” Singh said. personal remarks. Wo r r i e d over Whatever we are Chidambaram said, seeing in Manipur Chidambaram’s state“Rushing 5,000 MORE ment on regional autoday is the central armed police tonomy, Ibobi said he creation of the Congress. They jawans is not the anspoke to party chief swer to Manipur crisis. cannot wash their Mallikarjun Kharge. “I ...It is more under- hands of the crisis told Kharge Ji it could standing: that the Biren Singh, Manipur be his (Chidambaram’s) Meitei, the Kuki-Zo personal views but this chief minister and the Naga can live will create a lot of mistogether in one State only if understanding in Manipur. Afthey have genuine regional t e r K h a r g e J i s p o ke t o autonomy .” Chidambaram Ji, he deleted the Singh wasted no time in hitpost,” the ex-CM said. ting back. “He (Chidambaram) Meanwhile, hundreds of Kuis the root cause of Manipur ki-Zos took out a rally in Chucrisis and the Congress is the rachandpur carrying empty cofcreator of what we are seeing fins in solidarity with 10 tribals in the state today When he was . killed on November 11. P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ CHENNAI to the previous non-payment of dues which have since escalated to approximately `150 crore due to delays in repayment. It also directed Secretary (Power) to probe the matter within 15 days to identify the officials who have erred in returning the money to the company . Thakur criticised the administration, saying, “The dispensation has completely destroyed the state and jeopardised the investments that were expected in the hydro sector. The people involved in the project are unhappy with the government.’’ Security personnel deployed to maintain law and order amid curfew, in Imphal | PTI 3 days & counting: AI flight leaves flyers stranded in Phuket S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi OVER 100 Delhi-bound Air India passengers faced a harrowing three-day ordeal in Phuket after the flight, originally scheduled to depart on November 16, was cancelled due to operational and technical setbacks. The disruption left travellers stranded, sparking outrage and criticism. The trouble began when the crew exceeded their flight duty time limitations on November 16, leading to the flight’s cancellation. Efforts to resume operations the next day with another crew failed when the Airbus A320 experienced technical issues mid-flight, forcing it to return to Phuket after twoand-a-half hours in the air. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has since demanded a detailed report from Air India. Meanwhile, 80% of the strand- ed passengers have reportedly been flown back to India on alternative flights on November 17 and 18, airline sources said. The remaining 31 passengers are also scheduled to depart. Many passengers shared their frustration. “Pathetic services. Flight AI-377 returned to Phuket after flying 3 hours above Phuket. More than 150 passengers stranded... Shub- ham Maurya posted on X. Initially passengers were in, formed of a six-hour delay on November 16. They boarded the flight after prolonged waiting, only to be deboarded later. The same aircraft was prepared for departure the next day but , glitches persisted. “Air India regrets the inconvenience to passengers of Flight AI377...” said an AI official.