From the HT newspaper: Top 10 stories you shouldn't miss today

Here are today’s top news, analysis, and opinion from Hindustan Times newspaper.

Nitish, Stalin, Pawar among Opposition leaders to attend Karnataka swearing-in

In a show of opposition unity, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and a host of leaders will reach Karnataka for the swearing-in ceremony of Congress leader Siddaramaiah as the state’s CM, a coming together of a non-BJP bloc ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Read more

Ordinance by Centre to regain government control adds twist to day of drama in Delhi

An ordinance brought by the Centre to regain control over Delhi’s officers is a violation of a recent Supreme Court order that gave the elected government the power to power to appoint bureaucrats in all but a select few departments, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Friday even as the BJP welcomed the move. Read more

Ahead of Karnataka oath-taking ceremony, Siddaramaiah, DK back in Delhi to discuss cabinet slots

Karnataka CM-designate Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar held meetings with leaders of the Congress high command to finalise names of ministers to be inducted into the cabinet, people familiar with the developments said on Friday. Read more

Supreme Court halts scientific survey of structure inside Gyanvapi

The Supreme Court on Friday put on hold the Allahabad high court order for a scientific survey to determine the age of a structure inside Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque complex that Hindus insist is a Shivling, and Muslims say is part of a fountain. Read more

In Wankhede affidavit, SRK ‘texts’ reveal his angst on son’s arrest

An affidavit filed by former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede in the Bombay high court on Friday appended a string of purported chat transcripts between the officer and actor Shah Rukh Khan. Read more

Navy accords hero’s welcome to its champion sailor Abhilash Tomy

The Indian Navy on Friday rolled out the red carpet for champion sailor Commander Abhilash Tomy (retd), who finished second in the enormously challenging solo and non-stop circumnavigation race, 2022 Golden Globe Race (GGR); with top admirals attending a reception hosted in his honour at Kota House, and applauding him for accomplishing the rare feat that pushed the limits of his endurance. Read more

CJI reflects on friendship, golf and word wizardry as SC bids farewell to 3 judges

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Friday revealed stories about a childhood friend, his personal icon, and the person who introduced him to Kerala cuisine, besides disclosing who among the judges is an ace golfer and who ran a word search puzzle in a newspaper for 50 weeks, as he accorded a farewell to three judges demitting office during the court’s summer vacation. Read more

Delhi Metro launches drive to unclog area around stations

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Friday said it was conducting a special encroachment removal drive at 11 Metro stations with multi-modal integration (MMI) facilities. Read more

New index to help prioritise pollution action in Delhi soon

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is planning to use a Priority Index, devised by IIT Kanpur, to tackle sources of pollution that contribute the most to Delhi’s pollution, officials said Friday. Read more

Coimbatore blast: 190kg of explosive material bought for IED, says NIA

The suicide bomber in October 2022 Coimbatore blast, Jameesha Mubeen, and two of his relatives had purchased 190 kg of explosive material — both through e-commerce websites and offline — to make a potent Improvised Explosive Device (IED) for the attack, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said in its charge sheet. Read more