New Delhi, Oct 30 (PTI) Following are the top stories at 1 PM NATION CAL28 BH-POLLS-MODI (12.33 PM)

Congress-RJD leaders insulting 'Chhathi Maiyya', Bihar will not forgive them: Modi Muzaffarpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday alleged that Congress and RJD leaders were insulting 'Chhathi Maiyya' to get votes in the Bihar elections.

CAL21 BH-SHAH-2NDLD VALLABHBHAI (12.11 PM)

Bharat Parv to be celebrated from Nov 1-15 to mark Sardar Patel's 150th birth anniv: Shah Patna: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said 'Bharat Parv 2025' will be celebrated from November 1-15 to mark Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 150th birth anniversary.

BOM5 MH-SEC-VVPAT (11.33 AM)

No provision for use of VVPATs in local body polls: Maharashtra SEC Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has said there is no provision in the laws or rules governing local body elections for the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines.

MDS4 KA-RSS-ROUTE MARCH (11.46 AM)

RSS route march allowed in Cong chief Kharge's home turf in Karnataka's Gurmitkal Yadgir (Karnataka): The Yadgir district administration has granted conditional permission for a RSS route march on Friday, in Gurmitkal town, the home turf of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

MDS3 AP-CYCLONE-POWER RESTORATION (11.04 AM)

Over 11,000 power staff deployed in Andhra during Cyclone Montha: Chief Secretary Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K Vijayanand has said over 11,000 energy department employees of different positions were deployed during the severe cyclonic storm Montha to prevent interruptions to power supply and and work on power infrastructure impacted.

MDS2 KA-WAYANAD-KSTDC-BJP (11.02 AM)

BJP targets CM Siddaramaiah over KSTDC promoting Wayanad Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation's (KSTDC) social media post promoting Wayanad in neighbouring Kerala as a tourist destination has drawn criticism from opposition BJP, which has hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, calling it "high command appeasement" to save chair.

DES14 JK-2NDLD LG-EMPLOYEES-DISMISSED (12:25 AM)

J-K: Two govt employees dismissed over suspected terror links Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday dismissed two government employees for their alleged links with terrorists, officials said.

DES5 DL-AIR QUALITY (9.39 AM)

Delhi's air turns 'very poor' as haze, fog envelop city, visibility drops New Delhi: A blanket of haze and fog enveloped Delhi on Thursday morning, trapping pollutants and pushing the city's air quality into the "very poor" category after remaining "poor" for the past few days.

BUSINESS DEL6 BIZ-STOCKS-OPEN (9.59 AM) Stock markets fall in early trade as fresh foreign fund outflows hurt sentiment Mumbai: Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday as fresh foreign fund outflows and no clarity on the future course of rate action by the US Federal Reserve dampened investors' sentiment.

LEGAL LGD3 SC-JUDICIAL OFFICER-ACCIDENT (12:36)

SC transfers hit-and-run accident case trial involving judicial officer from Punjab to Delhi court New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed transfer of an alleged hit-and-run case involving a probationer judicial officer from a court in Punjab to the Rohini trial court here.

FOREIGN

FGN21 TRUMP-6THLD XI (11.39 AM) Trump cuts tariffs on China after meeting Xi in South Korea Aboard Air Force One: President Donald Trump described his face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday as a roaring success, saying he would cut tariffs on China, while Beijing had agreed to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans.(AP)

FGN23 US-WORK PERMIT (12.47 PM)

US ends automatic extension of work permits for foreigners  Washington: Weeks after raising H1B visa fees to USD 100,000, the US authorities announced the end of automatic extension of Employment Authorisation Documents (EAD) for foreigners, in a move likely to impact a large number of Indian immigrants and workers.

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VVPATs are not authorised for local body polls; deployment would need regulatory or legislative change. The Maharashtra State Election Commission has stated there is no legal provision authorising the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in local body elections, indicating that deployment of VVPATs in municipal polls would require rulemaking or legislative change. The document also notes a trial transfer for a judicial officer, dismissal of two government employees over alleged terror links, and the end of automatic extension of Employment Authorization Documents for foreigners.