Anti-incumbency played spoilsport in the recent assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, but Delhi remains untouched by the wave as both Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his government's popularity show a marginal rise in the last two months, India Today's Political Stock Exchange has revealed.
The poll shows that Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government scaled two per cent each on the performance meter since October when the last PSE was conducted.
As many as 49 per cent of respondents backed the AAP supremo in the latest round as opposed to 47 per cent in October. In a big boost for the AAP government, 43 per cent respondents expressed satisfaction with the work, which is an increase of two per cent in two months.
Soundarya Rajinikanth attended the first day first show of her father superstar Rajinikanth's film in Chennai. Speaking about the film, she expressed admiration for the emotional portrayal of Muthuvel Pandian and termed the interval point amazing. A live report highlighted the high energy and love for cinema among Chennai viewers watching the superstar on release day.
The Supreme Court of India has indicated that it will constitute a committee to investigate allegations of assault on female journalists by police officers during protests. The Chief Justice directed senior advocate Indira Jaising to submit documents in two sealed envelopes containing the names of allegedly assaulted female journalists along with proposed retired female judges and police officers for the panel. The top court also directed the Delhi Police not to arrest a woman journalist against whom an FIR was filed under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act by an Assistant Commissioner of Police. The court is considering framing guidelines to govern such incidents and distinguish journalists at protest sites.
The Supreme Court has sought an explanation from opposition INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, and Mahua Moitra, over their march and the subsequent commotion inside the court premises on October 12. The top court questioned the conduct and intention of the leaders and co-petitioners who entered the premises with a crowd after the registry had closed, leading to disruption at the filing centre. The hearing involved multiple petitions concerning the protest, alleged illegal detentions, metro closures, railway disruptions, and attacks on journalists. While issuing notices in the matters to allow parties to respond, the bench underscored that it was not condoning the actions that transpired during the march.
In a major change to caller identification, the government has directed telecom service providers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL, to display a caller's registered name alongside their mobile number. Set to launch next month, the Calling Name Presentation service will be introduced on 4G and 5G wireless networks, pulling user identities directly from subscriber databases. The initiative aims to help mobile phone users identify incoming unfamiliar numbers and reduce promotional and spam calls from sectors like banking, insurance, and automobiles. Implementation on 2G, 3G, and landline networks will be considered separately, while guidelines regarding privacy options for callers remain under development.
