Cloudbursts. Flash floods. Landslides. Could the Char Dham highway project be making the Uttarakhand Himalayas more vulnerable? Help us investigate the true cost of this infrastructure push. Click here.

The Union government has amended the 2021 Information Technology Rules to specify which authorities can seek the removal of content posted online. Now, take-down or blocking directions can be issued only by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a government official not below the rank of joint secretary or director.

For police requests, the officer must be at least a deputy inspector general. Further all such orders must be written and reasoned.

Earlier, any “appropriate government or its agency” could issue such orders.

This comes in the backdrop of an ongoing legal dispute involving social media platform X, which had challenged the Centre and state governments in the Karnataka High Court over content takedown orders issued under the IT Act.

X has argued that many of these notices lacked proper reasoning and did not follow due procedure. The High Court dismissed the plea in September, saying social media platforms cannot have unchecked freedom. X is now preparing to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court. Read on.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav has been named the Bihar opposition alliance’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Assembly elections. Mukesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insaan Party will be the coalition’s deputy chief minister face.

Yadav told his alliance partners that he will do everything possible to live up to their expectations. “Together, we will throw the 20-year-old government that is currently in power,” he said.

The opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance comprises the RJD, the Congress, three Left parties, the Vikassheel Insaan Party and the Indian Inclusive Party.

Assembly polls will take place in two phases on November 6 and November 11. The votes will be counted on November 14. Read on.

The Congress alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was skipping attending the upcoming ASEAN Summit in person to avoid “being cornered” by United States President Donald Trump. Party leader Jairam Ramesh said Modi’s decision to attend the event virtually was similar to his absence from the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt earlier this month, where Trump was also present.

Modi informed Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he would not travel to Kuala Lumpur in person due to Diwali celebrations. The event is scheduled from October 26 to October 28, alongside the East Asia summit. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India.

Trump’s expected participation had fuelled speculation about a possible bilateral meeting – their first since tensions rose over US tariffs on Indian goods and India’s purchase of Russian oil. The two countries are currently negotiating a trade deal. Read on.

Delhi’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category for the third straight day, with the city’s average Air Quality Index recorded at 305 at 4.06 pm. Anand Vihar reported the worst AQI at 410, falling in the “severe” range.

The pollution spike follows Diwali celebrations on Monday, during which many residents lit firecrackers. On Tuesday, Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration was over 23 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit.

On October 15, the Supreme Court permitted the sale and use of “green firecrackers” in the Delhi-National Capital Region during Diwali, subject to conditions.

Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, some of the reasons being crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana, the lighting of firecrackers, vehicular pollution, falling temperatures and decreased wind speeds. Read on.

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