The U.S. House of Representatives voted 211–204 on Tuesday to send an impeachment resolution against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, blocking a planned vote on formal charges. The measure concerned the Iran war. The result was described as a victory for President Donald Trump, days after his party’s midterm election defeat.
India: memoir, air pollution and diplomatic cases
In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi writes that Pranab Mukherjee shocked her in a 2010 conversation by referring to a long-held desire to become Prime Minister and suggesting there could be a change at the top.
The Supreme Court also drew attention to vehicle emissions as a continuing source of Delhi’s air pollution, beyond the immediate concerns about firecrackers around Deepavali. The report says the court noted a sharp increase in issues attributable to vehicular emissions on November 6.
In a separate case in the United States, a court allowed Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to serve a civil lawsuit on National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and former R&AW chief Samant Goel through Indian judicial channels. The State Department told the court it had served notice on the two officials at the Indian Embassy in Washington.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said a travel document was needed for international travel after Bangladesh ruled out issuing a passport to deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Dhaka has sought her extradition from India, according to the report.
The ministry also condemned what it described as an alleged coordinated campaign by Chinese vloggers and livestreamers. The group was accused of filming in impoverished areas of Dhaka and presenting them as parts of New Delhi.
Other developments
The Independent Young Citizens Collective alleged that 74.07 lakh voters had been removed from Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls and called for an inquiry. It announced a rally on Anna Salai for November 26 as part of a nationwide day of action concerning the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
In the United Kingdom, authorities arrested a 41-year-old U.S. Army member in Gloucestershire on suspicion of spying for Russia. The man was not named. A senior officer with U.K. Counterterrorism Policing said the allegations were serious and the investigation was ongoing; authorities said it was not linked to other counterterrorism investigations.
Israel’s new parliament convened with rival Gadi Eisenkot seeking to form a government. His broad bloc, which includes Israeli-Arab parties, was set to control the initial agenda, but neither Eisenkot nor caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a majority on their own.
The Delhi High Court disposed of a contempt petition brought by tennis players Somdev Devvarman and Purav Raja against interim office-bearers of the All India Tennis Association. The association undertook to provide information sought by administrator Justice (retired) Gita Mittal through the end of her tenure on November 27.
