Pioneer in short
GRAP-III revoked in Capital
The Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday revoked Stage III restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR following an improvement in air quality, though Stages I and II remain in force. The overall 24-hour AQI stood at 313, placing Delhi in the ‘very poor’ category. Jahangirpuri recorded the worst AQI at 385, while 29 stations were ‘very poor’ and nine ‘poor.’ CAQM and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) noted that vehicular emissions, industrial activity, stubble burning, construction, and local sources continue to contribute to pollution, with Delhi’s transport sector alone accounting for 16.2 per cent of the total load. Among NCR districts, Jhajjar led with 17.3 per cent, followed by Sonipat and Rohtak. Weather forecasts from the India Meteorological Department indicate that an ongoing western disturbance will bring thunderstorms, gusty winds, and light rain on Friday, which may help improve air quality temporarily. Temperatures remain above seasonal averages, with Safdarjung hitting a maximum of 27.1°C. AQWS predicts moderate air quality on January 23-24, slipping back to ‘poor’ on January 25.
ECI defends SIR in SC
The Election Commission of India on Thursday defended its decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling the exercise “fair, just and reasonable,” and urged the Supreme Court to dismiss petitions challenging it, particularly in Bihar. Representing the poll panel, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi argued that courts should not permit a “roving and fishing inquiry” at the instance of NGOs, politicians or parliamentarians, noting that none of the 66 lakh voters whose names were deleted had approached the courts or the ECI. Dwivedi told a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant that the SIR was a lawful exercise.
Sinners Sets Oscar Record
Ryan Coogler’s blues-infused vampire epic Sinners led all films with a record-breaking 16 nominations for the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, surpassing the 14-nomination mark previously held by Titanic, La La Land, and All About Eve. Coogler received nods for Best Director and Best Screenplay, while Michael B Jordan earned his first Best Actor nomination. Paul Thomas Anderson’s father-daughter saga One Battle After Another followed with 13 nominations, including four acting nods for Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn. Both films, Warner Bros titles, dominated a year marked by the studio’s pending $72 billion acquisition by Netflix.Other major nominees included Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, and Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet.
