WEDNESDAY 35 KILLED, 43 INJURED AFTER MAN RAMS HIS CAR INTO CROWD IN CHINA 13 NOVEMBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard BANGLADESH SEEKS INTERPOL HELP TO GET HASINA BACK Police said the 62-year-old driver, surnamed Fan, had been “triggered by (his) dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce” PEOPLE AT ZHUHAI SPORTS CENTRE TARGETED A day after he accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being selective in its searches, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he was subjected to checks for the second straight day on Tuesday, when he arrived in Latur district to campaign for the November 20 assembly polls. He said official searched his luggage, like they did on Monday after his helicopter landed at Wani in Yavatmal district. Tuesday’s inspection was carried out by the election officials after the former Maharashtra CM’s chopper arrived at a helipad in Ausa of Latur ahead of his rally scheduled to be held in Kasar Shirshi village. According to a video posted on X, Thackeray is heard asking the election staffers why he was being singled out for such searches. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged cash is being exchanged for votes at the behest of BJP-Sena-NCP leaders but the EC is not acting. “Our luggage, helicopter, private jet, cars... everything is checked. They search our homes also... We don’t have a problem if it is done impartially. But, where Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, and Devendra Fadnavis are contesting, `25 crore has already reached...” he alleged. EC officials later confirmed that nothing objectionable was found in Thackeray’s bags. P8 THREE Meitei women and as many children from the same community have been missing from restive Manipur’s Jiribam since Monday’s gunfight in which 10 Kuki ‘militants’ were shot dead by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the police. In Imphal, 13 organisations jointly announced a 24-hour total shutdown in the Imphal valley from 6 pm of Tuesday seeking government intervention to secure the release of the six individuals. Talking about the Jiribam gunfight, Inspector General of Police I K Muivah said armed miscreants had attacked the Borobekra police station and also at a nearby CRPF camp at Jakuradhor on Monday afternoon. “The militants were using RPGs and other sophisticated weapons such as AK, INSAS, SLRs. A CRPF jawan was injured in the attack and evacuated to Assam for treatment,” Muivah said. The CRPF retaliated and the firing stopped after about 45 minutes. “About 10 militants were found dead. Two elderly persons were found burned to death while three women and three minor children were found missing,” the IGP said, adding the police are trying to trace the six missing persons. The two elderly persons were from the Meitei community . Protesting the “inhumane actions” of CRPF in Jiribam, the Kuki Students’ Organisation issued a “notice” stating that “no CRPF personnel shall be allowed to leave their camp premises.” It demanded a thorough and courtmonitored probe into the “fake encounter”. The Brampton Triveni temple in Canada cancelled a consular event after the police warned them of an “extremely high” threat level of violent protests | P8 Given the kinds of weapons recovered and the clothes they wore, we can say that they were either armed militants or armed miscreants I K Muivah, IGP KUKI FIAT No CRPF personnel shall be allowed to leave their camp premises till they apologise, a Kuki student outfit said 42.18 10.99 9.69 9.51 8.43 THE Delhi High Court ordered the release of a life-term convict on Tuesday, 26 years after his incarceration, criticising the Sentence Review Board (SRB) for rejecting his premature release plea on grounds deemed “arbitrary, irrational, and illogical.” Justice Anish Dayal, who presided over the case, said the SRB’s evaluation procedures need “better compliance and deeper consideration” to align with principles of reformation and rehabilitation. The convict, initially sentenced to life imprisonment on September 22, 2009, following his conviction under multiple charges, including murder and offences under the Arms and Excise Acts, had applied for premature release after serving a significant portion of his sentence. Despite a spotless conduct record, multiple parole grants, and no instances of misuse of liberty his plea was rejected by , the SRB. Justice Dayal pointed MEAT AND FISH SNACKS, SWEETS CEREALS AND PRODUCTS PULSES AND PRODUCTS 7.43 6.94 4.87 3.65 3.17 Figures are inflation rates (%) of the items for October 2024 Inflation heat breaches RBI’s top tolerance level Retail inflation shoots up to 6.21% in October, dashes rate cut hopes M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi THE spectre of inflation has come back to haunt the economy as retail inflation shot up to 6.21% in October, marking the highest level in 14 months, driven by a sharp spike in food prices. This surge was noted in the prices of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and cooking oils. Food inflation rose considerably to 10.87% in October, the highest in 15 months, up from 9.24% in September and 6.61% in the same month last year. In October, the rate of price increases exceeded the Reserve Bank of India’s upper limit for acceptable inflation (6%). Rural areas experienced a significant rise in inflation at 6.7%, while urban consumers faced a lower rate of 5.6%. The latest inflation numbers dash any IIP TURNS POSITIVE India’s industrial production grew 3.1% with all three key sectors— mining, manufacturing, and power generation—demonstrating positive trends in September. This is a notable improvement as factory output had dipped to (-) 0.1% in August hope of an interest rate cut by the RBI during its monetary policy review in December. Food prices in rural areas increased 10.7% in the month under review, while urban food inflation was even steeper at 11.1%. Meanwhile, inflation for vegetables surged from 36% in September to a five-year high of 42.2% in October. Additionally edible oil prices rose 9.5%, , the biggest jump in two years. Fruit prices rose 8.4%, while inflation for pulses decreased to 7.4%, ending a 17-month streak of double-digit price increases. On the other hand, spice prices fell 7%. Additionally in October, households , experienced an 11% increase in the costs of personal care products and services, up from 9% in September. For experts, core inflation remaining below 4% for 11th consecutive month is a big positive. “The surge in vegetable prices was due to uneven rains. Data for November suggests some moderation in vegetable prices. This, in addition to a favourable base, can lend some downside to vegetable inflation,” said Dharmakirti Joshi, chief economist, CRISIL. THREAT TO SRK C’garh lawyer held by Mumbai Police Mumbai Police has arrested a Chhattisgarh lawyer from his Raipur residence on Tuesday in connection with the death threat to Shah Rukh Khan. Last week, the Bandra police station had received a call with a threat message to kill the superstar along with a demand of `50 lakh from a phone number registered in the name of Faizan Khan (44), based in Raipur. The caller identified himself as ‘Hindustani’ and told the police he would kill the actor if his demand was not met. DRDO TEST-FIRES Long-range Cruise missile India on Tuesday successfully carried out the maiden flighttest of a Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile from an integrated test range off the coast of Odisha. The defence ministry said all sub-systems of the missile system performed as per expectation and met the primary mission objectives. The DRDO conducted the maiden flighttest of Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile from the integrated test range Chandipur off Odisha coast. Carbon market deal done? Experts wary Punjab gives in, agrees S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA EXPRESS IN BAKU T HE United National Climate Conference (COP29) presidency has claimed early success with the adoption of standards for carbon credits, referred to as Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, a longdebated framework designed to help nations collaborate on reducing carbon emissions. But, critics say it was pushed without adequate scrutiny and would lead to greenwashing as there are not enough safeguards. Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 lead Yalchin Rafiyev GAME-CHANGING TOOL: COP29 “This will be a game-changing tool to direct resources to the developing world and help us save up to $250 billion a year when implementing our climate plans,” said Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan’s Dy foreign minister and COP29 lead negotiator negotiator, told the media, “This will be a game-changing tool to direct resources to the developing world.” However, Harjeet Singh, Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel NonProliferation Treaty Initiative, disagreed. “Fast-tracking carbon market rules at the start of COP29 sets a troubling precedent. Rushed rules open the door to weak, false ‘solutions’ that will only delay real climate action.” Article 6, offers two options for trading: countries can enter into bilateral agreements and set their own rules, or participate in a United Nations-supervised market open to all. This UN supervised carbon market, in which the credit price will be fixed by the market players but embedded with third party accreditation, has several loopholes. Critics argue that the benefits of Article 6 are far from guaranteed, as they could result in human rights abuses and ‘greenwashing’, in which polluters can claim environmental progress without reducing emissions. However, Martin Hession, Vice-Chair of the Article 6.4 of the Supervisory Body told this , newspaper, “there are enough safeguards to thwart greenwashing. Third party verification is integral. But, individual countries must also ensure the quality of credits.” On Article 6, India expects to conclude the deal. It hopes COP29 would be able to agree to a mechanism which uses market-based instruments (such as carbon credits) to incentivise low-carbon development. HC orders release of life convict after 26 yrs, says, ‘... every sinner has a future’ S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi EXPRESS READ EGG WHAT’S DRIVING THE PRICE RISE PAGES 12  FRUITS TWO MEITEIS CHARRED TO DEATH, 6 MISSING P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati CANCELLED J8.00 DAY AFTER S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai CANADA CONSULAR EVENT  According to police, the disgruntled man drove his small SUV into a crowd of people exercising at a sports centre in the Chinese city of Zhuhai, which is hosting a major international military airshow this week. Terming it a “major vicious incident”, local police said the horrific incident occurred at 7:48 pm on Monday. The attacker tried to flee but the police nabbed him. P9 OILS AND FATS NEW DELHI FOOD AND BEVERAGES High drama as Uddhav’s bags checked again by EC officials  PERSONAL CARE A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Vegetables Chief Prosecutor of Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal has sought action to issue a red notice through Interpol for Sheikh Hasina and her aides. LONG-PENDING PLEA The convict, sentenced to life imprisonment on September 22, 2009, following his conviction under multiple charges had applied for premature release after serving a significant portion of his sentence. Despite a spotless conduct record, his plea was rejected by the SRB. out that the SRB’s decision appeared based solely on the severity of the original crime, the police opposition, and an ambiguous “etcetera,” which he described as “an unfortunate short-cut” indicative of “non-application of mind.” In his assessment, Justice Dayal cited renowned jurist Justice V R Krishna Iyer, quoting, “Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future,” to underscore the potential for reformation in criminal jurisprudence. The judge noted that a convict’s potential to re-enter society as a constructive individual must be pivotal in the SRB’s review. to remove Mann photo for `650 cr Central fund H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh FINALLY, the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat has prevailed over clinics being run by the ruling AAP in Punjab. Of the 881 AAP Clinics (AACs) being run across the state, 650 will be cobranded, and the photo of CM Bhagwant Mann will be removed from their façade, government sources said. That’s the result of almost 18-month tussle between the state government and the BJPled Centre. In all these months, the Mann-led government did not receive funds under the National Health Mission (NHM). Ergo, the names of the AAC, for which the funds arrive from the NHM, will be changed. Confirming the development, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh told this newspaper that the government was in discussion with the Centre and has “almost reached a consensus.” The Centre had reservations about the name of the clinics and the CM’s photo, Singh said. Following the state govern- ment’s “acceptance” of the Centre’s proposal, `650 crore will be released in installments under the NHM, sources said. In February 2023, the Centre had stopped NHM funds to the state government maintaining that the AAP-led government branded Centrally-sponsored health and wellness schemes as AAC. Talks between the two sides led the state government to offer to tweak the branding and add the Centre’s flagship scheme, Ayushman Bharat, on the AAC facade. The AACs are built in the existing infrastructure of the state health department in community health centres or in Suvidha centres or other government buildings. NO CENTRAL FUNDS TO STATE FOR 18 MONTHS EXAM BLUES Civil services aspirants hold a massive protest against Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission’s decision to conduct the Review Officer and Assistant Review Officer and Provincial Civil Service exams on different dates, in Prayagraj, on Tuesday | PTI The problem started when the Punjab government branded the Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness centres as Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs), violating the provisions of the pact signed between the Health Ministry and the state government. The Punjab govt has not received funds under Centre’s NHM for about 18 months. ODISHA FOLK ARTISTE ‘Rangabati’ fame singer struggles to make ends meet D I A N A S A H U @ Bhubaneswar CHIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s recent announcement of `30,000 monthly honorarium for Padma awardees of the state has come as a ray of hope for Jitendra Haripal, the voice behind Odisha’s cult folk song ‘Rangabati’. The money would help him buy medicines for his para- lysed wife and repair his small ramshackle hut at a slum in Stationpada of Sambalpur’s Khetrajpur. The hut shelters his 13-member family . Haripal’s rendition of ‘Rangabati’ put Odisha on the global map and also fetched him Padma Shri in 2017. Yet, the recognition hasn’t yet helped him secure a decent life. Haripal earns his livelihood by singing at events and attending as guest but the work flow is limited to just four or five months in a year. He is often accompanied by his younger son Pravat, who is also a musician, and his daughter-in-law, a singer. Singing fetches the Padma awardee `6,000-`15,000 a show and the government provides him `1,200 as artiste pension. Haripal, being very selective of events, said he does not perform at music shows which are dance-oriented and vulgar in tone. “Which is why I can mus, ter only five to six performances in a year,” he said. While he lost his second son Pratap to an accident some years back, Haripal’s elder son Paras, an auto-driver, contributes to the family income. “However, our combined earn- ing is not sufficient to meet the basic needs of the large family . Forget education of my grandchildren or medicines for myself and my wife,” he said. His wife Mallika suffered a fall a month-and-half back and has been paralysed since. Haripal himself had two surgeries recently, the funds for which were donated by some Good Samaritans.