"We Submit To The Will Of People": AAP Congratulates BJP On Big Win

As the BJP won in all three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the Aam Aadmi Party, in a statement on Sunday, said, "We submit to the will of the people and congratulate the BJP for the win."

"We sincerely hope that the BJP will come through on its promise and provide homes under the 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Awas Yojana'. We also hope that the BJP will provide LPG at Rs 450 as promised. We demand that cheaper LPG should be provided for the entire nation and not be limited to the 3 states," they further said in the statement.

We also extend our congratulations to Congress on a spectacular win in Telangana. This is, however, not reflective of the mood of the nation for Lok Sabha, as Congress won MP, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan in 2018, but the BJP won the 2019 Lok Sabha, they added.

"India alliance talks will now be held on December 6 in Delhi, in which we will decide the future course of action," as per the statement.

The Aam Aadmi Party is in the formative stage in these states, and we were contesting to ensure that our message reaches everyone, they added in the statement.

"The BJP lost its deposits on 31 seats in the recently concluded Karnataka elections. PM Modi himself campaigned in Andhra Pradesh but the BJP lost on all 173/173 seats and scored less than NOTA. Did this affect the BJP's vote share in Gujarat?" AAP said in the statement.

In the Assembly elections in four states- Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh- the counting of which is in the final stages, as per the Election Commission data, the BJP won majorities of the seats in three North Indian states.

While in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the BJP has defeated the incumbent Congress governments, in Madhya Pradesh, it has defeated the anti-incumbency in retaining power.

However, in the South Indian state of Telangana, the Congress dethroned the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"The Movie Isn't Flawless But...": Anand Mahindra On 'Sam Bahadur'

Meghana Gulzar's 'Sam Bahadur', which is based on the life of India's first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, was released in theatres on Friday. The film features Vicky Kaushal in the lead role and it also stars Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra. The movie has created a buzz on social media and garnered praise from critics and audiences alike. Among these reactions, industrialist Anand Mahindra also shared his thoughts on the film. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Mahindra Group Chairman said the movie isn't flawless, but he applauded Vicky Kaushal for his performance in the titular role. 

"There is a powerful virtuous cycle created when a country produces movies which tell the stories of their heroes. Especially about soldiers & narratives of leadership & courage. The pride & self belief of people multiplies. More heroes emerge when people know their courage will be feted," Mr Mahindra wrote. 

There is a powerful virtuous cycle created when a country produces movies which tell the stories of their heroes. Especially about soldiers & narratives of leadership & courage. The pride & self belief of people multiplies. More heroes emerge when people know their courage will… pic.twitter.com/3196l2dPQM

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 1, 2023

Further, he drew parallels with Hollywood which is renowned for the creation of this virtuous cycle for over a century. He praised the movie and noted that 'Gazab ka banda, sab ka banda' song rightly suggests the same. Mr Mahindra went on to thank producer Ronnie Screvala for making such movies. He also praised Vicky Kaushal for transforming himself into Sam Bahadur. 

"Hollywood has created this virtuous cycle for a century. So thank you @RonnieScrewvala for making such movies for us. Especially about this 'gazab ka banda, sab ka banda' as the song says. The movie isn't flawless but @vickykaushal09 transforms himself into Sam Bahadur in a goosebump-raising and award-winning characterisation. Go see it and cheer an authentic Indian Hero," Mr Mahindra wrote in the caption of the post. 

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'Sam Bahadur' is the biopic on the life and times of Sam Manekshaw, who was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the India-Pakistan war in 1971. He also holds the distinction of being the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of field marshal. The movie has been directed by Meghna Gulzar. 

The film opened to stellar reviews on Friday. Film critic Saibal Chatterjee, in his review for NDTV, gave Sam Bahadur a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and he wrote, "It would be easy to describe Sam Bahadur as a Vicky Kaushal show because it is who dominates every major scene in the film. But without the fine balance that Meghna Gulzar strikes between ambition and restraint, neither the spirited central performance nor its emotional (and cinematic) payoff would have been quite as remarkable". 

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COP28: India, China Refrain From Signing Plan To Triple Renewable Energy

India and China both on Saturday refrained from signing the pledge at the COP28 climate summit to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by 2030 even though New Delhi already committed to it as part of its G20 presidency. During the UN's climate talks here, 118 countries committed to tripling the global renewable energy capacity by 2030 in a highly endorsed initiative.

This ambitious goal aims to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels in the world's overall energy production.

The countries which backed the pledge included Japan, Australia, Canada, Chile, Brazil, Nigeria, and Barbados.

Although China and India have expressed endorsement for the threefold increase in renewable energy by 2030, neither of them formally supported the comprehensive pledge on Saturday.

This commitment involves scaling up clean power alongside a decrease in the utilisation of fossil fuels.

The pledge called for phase down of unabated coal power and putting an end to the financing of new coal-fired power plants.

"Unabated" fossil fuels generally refer to the continued use of coal, oil and gas without efforts to curtail emissions. Nonetheless, a universally accepted and precise definition of this term is currently lacking.

The International Energy Agency says the world must triple its renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency by 2030 to drive down demand for fossil fuels and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

India's decision has gauged mixed reactions from Indian experts.

Madhura Joshi, Senior Associate and India Energy Transition Lead at E3G, expressed disappointment over India's decision not to sign the global pledge aiming to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency by 2030.

"These pivotal decisions were initially championed by the Indian G20 presidency and endorsed by G20 leaders in September 2023," Joshi said.

Joshi highlights the significance of transitioning away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, to achieve net-zero commitments. Despite India's ambitious targets for renewable energy, with plans to reach 450GW by 2030, the hope is that New Delhi will endorse these global goals at COP28, leveraging its leadership position in the renewables sector.

Vibhuti Garg, Director of South Asia at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, notes India's commitment to tripling the renewable energy target as part of the G20, reiterated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP28 in Dubai.

While India exhibits serious ambitions for renewable energy, Garg emphasised the country's silence on coal phase-down.

"Achieving India's renewable energy goals will necessitate a tripling of investments, prompting the country to advocate for additional funding support from the Global North through blended finance mechanisms, including multilateral development bank (MDB), green bonds, equity investors, and insurance and pension funds," he added.

Ulka Kelkar, the Executive Director of Climate at World Resources Institute (WRI) India, underscored the global target of tripling renewable energy capacity adopted during India's G20 presidency.

She highlighted the magnitude of India's National Determined Contributions (NDC) target, requiring the country to build as much renewable capacity as currently exists on the entire continent of South America.

Kelkar emphasises the transformative impact on various sectors, enabling vehicles, buildings, cookstoves, and industries to run on cleaner electricity.

Additionally, she recognises energy efficiency as a crucial component of the clean energy transition, capable of delivering tangible benefits, especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of the International Solar Alliance, expresses delight at the global commitment to tripling renewable capacity by 2030.

He emphasised the dual benefits of fostering development and mitigating climate change, emphasising the urgency of accelerating the growth of renewables for a successful transition towards clean energy. PTI UZM GVS PY (This story was produced as part of the 2023 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organised by Internews' Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Centre for Peace and Security.)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Munich Airport Shut, Flights, Trains Hit As Heavy Snow Paralyses Germany

Heavy snowfall brought chaos to parts of southern Germany on Saturday, with air and rail traffic blocked in the Bavarian state capital of Munich.

After first suspending flights until noon Saturday (1100 GMT), Munich airport later said it would remain closed until 6:00 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday. 

In total, 760 flights were affected, a spokesperson told AFP. More than 40 centimetres (16 inches) of snow fell overnight Friday to Saturday, according to weather services.

Authorities asked residents to stay home for their safety. 

The winter weather also disrupted train traffic, with rail operator Deutsche Bahn saying "The main Munich station cannot be served".

Deutsche Bahn said travellers should expect delays and cancellations throughout the region, and most buses, trams and suburban trains were not running in Munich. 

Saturday's planned football championship match between Bayern Munich and Union Berlin has been called off.

Police in Lower Bavaria said they made 350 interventions linked to the weather Friday night, with five people slightly injured in car accidents.   

Much of Germany has been subject to snow and freezing temperatures for several days.

According to weather forecasts, the largest quantities of snow are expected Saturday in Allgau in the south of Bavaria, with another 30 to 40 centimetres.

The snowfall is expected to progressively ease in the afternoon. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Matthew Perry's Stepfather Opens Up 1 Month After Actor's Death. See Post

Matthew Perry's stepfather, Canadian broadcaster Keith Morrison, has broken his social media silence and spoken out nearly a month after the 'Friends' actor's death. Matthew Perry, who shot to fame for playing Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom 'Friends', was found dead at his Los Angeles home last month. He was 54 years old. His cause of death remains "deferred" after an initial postmortem showed no signs of meth or fentanyl in his system.

Now, a month after his stepson's tragic death, Mr Morrison on Monday took to social media to honour the late actor. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Dateline correspondent encouraged people to donate to the Matthew Perry Foundation in celebration of Giving Tuesday. "This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different," Mr Morrison wrote. "And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful," he continued before including a link to the website for the Matthew Perry Foundation - a charity for those "struggling with the disease of addiction". 

This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different. And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful. https://t.co/OmaqSgt1rq

— Keith Morrison (@dateline_keith) November 27, 2023

According to The Independent, the Matthew Perry Foundation was established by The National Philanthropic Trust after the actor's death. Its aim is to help others struggling with the disease of addiction", the website states. "It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible," it reads. 

Matthew Perry had been vocal about his battle with addiction. He wrote in his 2022 memoir, 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing', that he had spent about $9 million trying to get sober and once nearly died from consuming 55 Vicodin tablets and a quart of vodka. 

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The actor died on October 28 after the Los Angeles Police Department found him unresponsive in the hot tub at his LA home. His cause of death remains "deferred" after an initial postmortem showed no signs of meth or fentanyl in his system.

The actor's 'Friends' co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc shared a touching tribute for Perry three weeks after his demise. 

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"With Advent Of Troll Armies...": Chief Justice On Free Speech On Internet

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday raised concerns over overwhelming barrage of speech that distorts the truth with the advent of troll armies and organised disinformation campaigns across social media platforms.

"Traditionally, freedom of speech and expression was deemed to be an essential part of civil rights activism because of the fear that the government would prevent certain kinds of speech from entering the marketplace," Chief Justice Chandrachud said at the 14th Justice VM Tarkunde memorial lecture.

"With the advent of troll armies and organised disinformation campaigns across different social media platforms, the fear is that there is an overwhelming barrage of speech that distorts the truth," the Chief Justice said.

"This epistemological battle of sorts was explained eloquently in the New York Times in 2020, where it said 'the spewing of falsehoods isn't meant to win any battle of ideas. Its goal is to prevent the actual battle from being fought'. Therefore, we cannot fall back on traditional notions of free speech and must find new theoretical frameworks to locate free speech on the internet," he said.

Chief Justice Chandrachud said the intricate interplay between surveillance by the state and an individual's right to privacy has been a subject of compelling debate within Indian jurisprudence. The first case that dealt with privacy was R Rajagopal vs State of Tamil Nadu, he said, adding the court determined that a magazine has the right to publish an autobiography penned by a prisoner, even in the absence of the prisoner's consent or authorisation.

"Despite efforts by prison officials to hinder the publication by compelling the prisoner to request its non-publication, the court underscored the need to maintain a delicate equilibrium between press freedom and the right to privacy," Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

On Justice Tarkunde, the Chief Justice said the core emphasis of the civil liberties movement that Justice Tarkunde championed is mirrored by digital rights activism today.

Chief Justice Chandrachud, looking back on Justice Tarkunde's dedication to civil liberties, said he inspired him as a young lawyer.

"...It continues to inspire me as I serve as a judge of a constitutional court. That Justice Tarkunde is regarded as the 'Father of the Civil Rights Movement' is no surprise. In every role he donned - as a senior advocate, High Court judge, and activist - he was steadfast in his commitment to democracy, radical humanism, and civil liberty," Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

"... No book, academic article or chronicle of the internal emergency imposed in the 1970s is complete without a reference to Justice Tarkunde's spirited defence of personal liberty and democracy, both inside and outside the courtroom," the Chief Justice said.

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Italy PM Giorgia Meloni's Selfie With PM Modi At COP28

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted a selfie with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

"Good friends at COP28. #Melodi," Ms Meloni, who came to Delhi in September to attend the G20 summit, wrote in the post.

PM Modi also met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Turkey President RT Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, among other leaders.

PM Modi had a packed day-long schedule as he addressed the four sessions at the UN climate change conference.

The Prime Minister had the opportunity to discuss ways to promote clean and green growth, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. Issues of bilateral and regional interests were also discussed in his meeting with many leaders on the sidelines of the summit, Mr Kwatra said.

Global climate negotiations largely avoided mentioning fossil fuels for decades, until Glasgow's COP26 agreed to "phasedown" unfiltered coal power and the "phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies".

Momentum has built since then on a more ambitious pledge to move away from all fossil fuels, and the UN's former climate chief Christiana Figueres said an unprecedented surge in renewables and electric vehicles gave her optimism that the world can still achieve its climate goals.

Those centre on the 2015 Paris deal, which saw nearly 200 nations agree to limit global warming to "well below" two degree Celsius since the pre-industrial era, and preferably a safer threshold of 1.5 Celsius.

In his COP28 speech on Friday, PM Modi called on all nations to work together to cut global emissions drastically, and announced a "green credit" initiative that focuses on creating carbon skins with people's participation.

He said India's emissions are very low compared to other nations whose population is much less. "India's population is 17 per cent of the global population, but in global carbon emissions India is only at 4 per cent. We are moving fast in achieving the NDC targets. In fact, we reached our non-fossil fuel targets nine years before the deadline," PM Modi said, referring to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

"We do not have much time to correct the mistakes of the last century," PM Modi said, and asked every nation to work sincerely to meet their NDC targets.

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