1) The Delhi High Court is to hear today pleas against demonetisation which questioned the government allowing certain public utilities including hospitals and petrol pumps to use the old notes. Petitioner Pooja Mahajan, running a designer showroom, through her counsel A Maitri urged the high court that the issue should be heard prior to December 8 on the ground that not only she but others are also being deprived of earning livelihood and their fundamental rights are being infringed. Mahajan in her plea also accused the government of taking a dual stand saying on one hand it was encouraging people to deposit old notes in bank accounts and on the other hand, it was threatening them of prosecution for depositing over Rs 2.5 lakh.

2) The fourth Test match of the ongoing series between India and England will begin at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today. India is 2-0 up in the series and one more victory would give it the series. Having lost the second and third Tests at Visakhapatnam and Mohali respectively, England need to win the fourth match to keep their chances alive in the series.

3) Water conservation and cleanliness are on top of the agenda as the Haritha Keralam Mission to be flagged off today. Water conservation programmes will be organised on the same day in 1,499 grama panchayat wards in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the inauguration. The programmes include the renovation and regeneration of springs and water bodies, and the construction of temporary bunds. They will be coordinated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

4) Alcatel is to launch its Idol 4 flagship smartphone in India today. The mobile was first unveiled at MWC 2016 in Barcelona. The Idol 4 along with the VR headset will be unveiled at the launch event in the Capital. The Idol 4, the successor to last year’s Idol 3, features a glass body and metal frame. It is likely to be available in gold, rose gold, metal silver and dark gray color variants. One of the talking points on design front is what the company calls ‘Boom Key’. The feature enables users to get a quick shortcuts to several tasks. So, for instance, when in standby mode, pressing the button “Boom my camera” lets you shoot photos. When listening to music, “Boom my music” promises audio and so on and so forth.

5) The Congress is likely to declare its candidates for most of the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab today. The screening committee of the Punjab Congress, led by former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, has reached a consensus on about 60 candidates, which includes Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh and nine others, who were line applicants from their respective constituencies.

comment COMMENT NOW