Daily Bulletin: Narendra Modi to attend RCEP Leaders' Summit in Thailand; Odd-Even scheme commences in Delhi; day's top stories

Odd-even scheme commences in Delhi Even as the air quality in Delhi remains hazardous, the National Capital will begin to observe the odd-even vehicle rationing rule from Monday. The scheme will continue till 15 November and will be observed on all days except Sunday between 8 am and 8 pm. Two-wheelers, emergency vehicles, electric vehicles, vehicles carrying school children in uniform and vehicles being driven by women in some circumstances will be exempt from the rule. The violation of the rules in the restricted hours will attract a fine of Rs 4,000. [caption id=“attachment_7595401” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Commuters ride on Rajpath amid heavy smog in New Delhi. PTI[/caption] Narendra Modi to attend RCEP summit in Bangkok While in Bangkok, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Vietnamese prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison. He will attend the 14th East Asia Summit and then the RCEP Summit before beginning his journey back to Delhi. Hardball negotiations to seal a mega deal to create the world’s largest free trade area went down to the wire on Sunday with India holding on to its demand for an amicable resolution of market access and tariff-related issues. If finalised, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal will facilitate the creation of the biggest free-trade region in the world as the 16-nation grouping is home to 3.6 billion people or nearly half the world’s population. Delhi HC Bar Association to observe strike Following clashes at the Tis Hazari court complex on Saturday between police and lawyers that left several injured, Delhi High Court Bar Association has decided to continue the call for abstention from work on Monday. “The Delhi High Court Bar Association welcomes the directions passed by High Court. However, as a token protest and to show solidarity with our injured and brutalised brothers and sisters, Executive Committee (EC) has decided to continue the call for abstention from work tomorrow,” read the statement from Delhi High Court Bar Association. On the other hand, the Central Bar Association, Lucknow, has also decided to boycott work on Monday in solidarity with the lawyers. The Delhi High Court on Sunday ordered a judicial probe into the clashes. Shiv Sena to meet Maharashtra Governor at 5 pm Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut along with other senior party leaders is scheduled to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on at 5 pm. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has also said that he will meet the Governor and request him to invite the single largest party to form the government in Maharashtra. The development comes at a time when the BJP and the Shiv Sena are engaged in a bitter tug-of-war over the equal distribution of Cabinet portfolios and the term of chief minister’s post for 2.5 years each. While the BJP is firm on their stand that Devendra Fadnavis will become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena is seeking an equal term for chief minister’s post. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar said that Raut dropped a text message to him. Cyclone Maha to bring heavy rains in Maharashtra Cyclonic storm Maha is likely to bring very heavy rains to parts of Maharashtra during 6-8 November, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Areas in north Konkan, north-central Maharashtra will experience heavy rains along with thunder and lightning and fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea. Cyclone Maha intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and will make landfall along the Gujarat coast between Dwarka and Diu on 6 November. McDonald’s CEO pushed out after relationship with employee McDonald’s chief executive officer has been pushed out of the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said. The fast-food giant on Sunday said the former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment, and that McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect subordinates. In an email to employees, Easterbrook acknowledged he had a relationship with an employee and said it was a mistake. “Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on,” Easterbrook said in the email. Whistleblower agrees to answer written questions in impeachment inquiry against Trump A lawyer for the whistleblower who raised alarms about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine said his client is willing to answer written questions submitted by House Republicans. The surprise offer, made to Rep Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, would allow Republicans to ask questions of the whistleblower, who spurred the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry, without having to go through the committee’s chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. The offer comes as Trump has repeatedly demanded the release of the whistleblower’s identity, tweeting Sunday that the person “must come forward”. Two-phased strategic disinvestment for BPCL likely The government may consider two-phased disinvestment for public sector oil refiner and retailer Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) if the initial strategic sale of the entire 53.29 percent government stake in the company fails to get a requisite response. According to official sources, there is fear that no company, including global majors, may commit to invest close to Rs 1 lakh crore required to complete the transaction at one go. Thus, the government may sell half or around 26-27 percent of its share first and consider a complete exit from BPCL at a later stage when the valuation improves after the fund infusion by the strategic investor. Apple may soon start selling iPhones on a subscription basis Apple is reportedly planning to switch from the traditional model for the sale of its hardware to a subscription model. As reported by CNBC, Apple CEO Tim Cook is apparently exploring an Amazon Prime-like subscription model for selling future iPhones. The strategy would reportedly be to bundle all of its services like Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple Pay, along with the iPhone for a monthly fee.