5 THINGS FIRST Supreme Court to hear two PILs on Rafale deal - one seeking details of the agreement and the other for probing the deal; Second phase of J&K municipal polls today; Rahul Gandhi to address a rally in Bikaner, Rajasthan; Amit Shah to address a public rally in Telangana; World Mental Health Day 1. #MeToo fire reaches powerful, 'sanskari' men A minister: As the #MeToo campaign gathers steam in India's media and entertainment industry, the allegations have reached the doorstep of the Narendra Modi government. Many women who have worked with junior external affairs minister MJ Akbar in his past life as a high-profile newspaper editor have come out to detail accusations of sexual harassment during his tenure in different editorial capacities. The government and Akbar, however, have chosen to stay silent for the time being on allegations. Two actors: Another addition to the list of alleged harassers is character actor Alok Nath. The accuser did not name Nath but referred to her attacker as "the most Sanskaari (cultured) person", a sobriquet attached with the actor courtesy his on-screen image of playing the goody-goody father, uncle and grandfather. #MeToo also moved beyond the Hindi film industry, with Malayalam actor-turned MLA Mukesh being accused by a woman casting director of harassing her in 1999 during the shooting of a television show. What's harassment? Any unwelcome sexually determined behaviour, whether directly or by implication: physical contact and advances, asking for sexual favours, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography or any other unwelcome conduct of sexual nature. The onus is on employers to create a safe workplace. The laws: Vishakha guidelines promulgated by the Supreme Court were in place since 1997. This was superseded in December 2013, when the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, or POSH Act, was passed. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, was also passed and Section 354 was added to the Indian Penal Code that defines sexual harassment and the penalties for the offence. The punishment: 1-5 years of jail term and fine for inappropriately touching a woman; 1-7 years jail and fine under Information Technology Act, 2000, for observing, capturing, distributing images of a woman without her knowledge; 3 years jail and fine for using words, gestures to outrage a woman's modesty; 5-10 years jail and fine for consensual sex with a subordinate. AND IN MIGRANT COUNTRY... 2. Why a journalist's arrest is dragging BJP into TN politics On Tuesday, a magistrate court rejected Tamil Nadu government's appeal to remand journalist R R Gopal, the editor of Tamil magazine Nakkeeran, just hours after police in Chennai arrested and charged him under the Section 124 — a law that seeks to protect state governors and the President of India. The arrest was made after a complaint was registered against him by the TN Governor, Banwarilal Purohit. But what seems like an isolated incident affects the state's politics, BJP's relationship with the ruling government, and the upcoming General Elections. But first some background The Gopal case has roots in a sex scandal that rocked an arts college in TN, wherein an assisted professor is accused of soliciting students — there is an audio recording — to give sexual favours to some officials in return of good marks. In the recording, the professor, Nirmala Devi, is heard name-dropping the Governor; Gopal's magazine carried out a story which said Devi had, in fact, told the CB CID that was investigating the case that she had met the Governor four times. Why it is more than TN DMK leader Stalin cited the case as an example of how the BJP government in the Centre is using Tamil Nadu's AIADMK government as a "puppet". (A state Governor is appointed by the Centre). Since the death of Jayalalitha, her party AIADMK has been weakened by infighting and a lack of a charismatic leader — PM Modi is thought to have played the role of peacemakerbetween two warring factions in the party to ensure the government stood. Critics say BJP is taking advantage of a weakened AIADMK to gain a foothold in the state. This matters as AIADMK — and also DMK — has often made an outsized influence in national politics; it is at present the third largest party in the Lok Sabha and in the past, the two TN parties have played the role of kingmaker in Delhi's alliance politics. AIADMK is likely to go with the NDA in 2019. It is also about press freedom, argued N Ram of The Hindu Group, who represented media at the magistrate court. Slapping Section 124, which is ostensibly to prevent anyone from attacking a Governor or a President, with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power, would set a precedent that would curtail press freedom, he argued — the court concurred and said Section 124 was not applicable in the case. Meanwhile, in the opposition camp, BSP supremo Mayawati asserted that her party will rather fight elections on its own than "beg" for seats in any alliance. 3. Modi freed Indira's prisoner only to put it in jail again The prisoner: The prisoner is diesel prices. Government control on diesel prices was introduced by Indira Gandhi-led Congress govt in July 1975 through Administered Price Mechanism (APM). APM meant oil companies didn't have the freedom to decide the price of diesel and petrol. The reason was the oil shock of the 1970s. Freedom: The United Front govt decided in November 1997 to deregulate the oil sector by March 2002. Effective April 2002, APM was dismantled but crude prices started climbing in 2003 with the war in Iraq and the UPA government decided to bring back APM. In 2010 in-principle decision was taken to decontrol diesel and in June petrol prices were freed. From January 2013 diesel prices were raised 40-50 paise every month to wipe out under recovery. Finally, on October 18 government deregulated diesel prices. Jail again: Last week government cut petrol and diesel prices asking state oil companies to take a hit but not cut its annual dividend payments to it. Oil stocks tanked as the move was seen as going back to price regulation era that was blamed for deterring oil companies from expanding and for choking off investment in domestic oil fields. Both the oil and finance ministers have gone on record saying there's 'no going back on fuel price deregulation'. Open jail: While this is the first time Centre has actively intervened to bring down prices after deregulation, it is not the first time it has influenced pricing decisions. In the past increase in oil prices have mysteriously stalled just before elections, though, the official explanation has been 'it is the oil companies that decide'. 4. India's 'rich' irony of poverty and inequality Commitment phobia: India's lack of commitment to reduce inequality has led to the country being ranked 147th among 157 nations on social spending, tax and labour rights, according to a report by Oxfam. Willpower: The report says reducing inequality isn't about being the richest country, but about having the political will to reduce the gap between the ultra-rich and the poor — it cited the example of China, ranked 81, which "spends more than twice as much of its budget on health than India, and almost four times as much on welfare spending, showing a much greater commitment to tackle the gap between rich and poor." Rich haul: Ironically, India's number of rich continue to grow. As per the latest Hurun India Rich List, 214 rich — those with at least Rs 1,000 crore in net worth — were added in a year, to take the 2018 tally to 831. Mumbai, yet again, topped the list, with 233 super rich hailing from the city, followed by Delhi with 163, of which the top 10 are dominated by two families, the Nadars of HCL and the Mittals of Bharti Airtel, who, between them, occupy 6 of the top 10 spots for the richest Delhiites. NEWS IN CLUES 5. Aged 28, she boasts 10 Grammys & 5 Guinness World records. Clue 1: When she was around 12 years old, she learnt how to play the guitar from a computer repairman. Clue 2: One of her hits Change was one of the official theme songs used during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Clue 3: Churning out one platinum album after another, she's earned at least $40 million pretax in each of the past six years. Scroll below for answer 6. Teens power India to a golden brace at Youth Olympics Opening the account: 15-year-old Mizo weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga made history at the ongoing Youth Olympics at Buenos Aires by winning India's first gold medal at the event, by hauling up a total of 274 kg (124 kg in snatch and 150 kg in clean & jerk) in the men's 62 kg category. Sharp shooter: In the 10m air pistol event, 16 year old Manu Bhaker became the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in shooting at the Youth Olympics — adding to the two silver medals won earlier by compatriots Shahu Mane and Mehuli Ghosh in the men's and women's 10m air rifle shooting event respectively. Past time: India won just two medals — a silver and a bronze — at the last Youth Olympics, in 2014 in Nanjing, China, and in the inaugural event, in 2010, in Singapore, the country had a haul of 6 silver and 2 bronze medals. Even as Lalrinnunga won laurels for the country, about 16,000 km away, in Haryana's Bhiwani district, Rajesh Kumar Kasana, a tea seller is punching his way into professional boxing — selling tea at Rs 10 a glass by day, and training as a boxer by night. Ranked the number 1 Lightweight professional boxer in India and 221st in the world, according to the WBC, in his category, Kasana has so far fought 10 bouts — winning 9, with one ending in a draw. Read more here 7. What if you want the subsidy you gave up back? Give it up: There are 24.5 crore cooking gas customers, of which about two crore do not get subsidy. Over 1 crore customers gave up subsidy, responding to a call by the government to surrender subsidy so that scarce state resources can be allocated to the needy. The good news: By reallocating subsidy from better-off to poor customers, the government has been able to expand the use of cleaner cooking gas at a faster pace. The bad news: Rocketing oil prices have pushed up the domestic rate of non-subsidised cooking gas by Rs 389 a cylinder, or 79%, in the last two years, the steepest among all dominant kitchen fuels, setting a chatter among consumers if they can reclaim subsidy they gave up a few years ago. By comparison, the price of cooking gas sold below market rates has risen just 17.6% in two years. This has meant a sixfold rise in subsidy to Rs 376.6 on a 14-kg cylinder from Rs 62.9 two years ago. Claim it back? Anyone planning to receive cooking gas subsidy must submit a request to her gas agency with a declaration that her annual income is Rs 10 lakh or less. Aadhaar and bank account details would also be necessary for receiving the benefit. Read the full story here Meanwhile, rupee continues to be in free fall (it hit another 'record low' of 74.39 against the US dollar) and crude continues to rise, which means cooking gas will keep getting expensive and subsidy rising, bringing the question of giving up or claiming what you gave up back again. YOU SHARE YOUR B'DAY WITH... Source: IMDB 8. Missing critic: Saudi consulate in Turkey to be searched Turkey on Tuesday said it will search the Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul over the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known critic of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Turkish authorities said Khashoggi was lured into the consulate in the pretext of providing a marriage document and then killed; Saudi says he had left the building, and is “open to cooperation” in the probe. Strong arm: The finger-pointing at Saudi is not without merit. Since his ascent to power, MBS has cracked down on dissent, the most high-profile being the detaining of Saudi royal family members and businessmen thought to be antagonistic to him at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh. Saudi also had arrested women’s rights activists who campaigned for the right to drive in... UAE, before it lifted the ban; another activist is facing death sentence; then there is the Raif Badawi case. Extended arm: But the luring and killing a dissident in a foreign country is the kind of stuff North Korea does. The incident has strained the complicated diplomatic relations between Turkey and Saudi — the two nations are partners in trade but Turkey is an ally of Qatar, the Gulf nation put on blockade by Saudi and its allies. Extended soil: But why the consulate? Because a consulate is essentially foreign soil. According to the 1961 Vienna Convention, the premises of an embassy "shall be inviolable" and the premises, and its properties, like furnishing and transport, shall be immune from search, requisition, attachment or execution. (Thus the reason Wikileaks founder Julian Assange took refuge in Ecuador embassy in London). Evidence: But Turkey says its CCTV video footage of highways noted a black vehicle with blacked out leaving the embassy — the country says the van was transporting Khashoggi's body, and is searching for it. Flight records show two Saudi planes arrived at Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Tuesday and departed separately that same day, hours after Khashoggi was last seen. The country's President has said Saudi cannot simply say he "left the building". 9. And the world's biggest plastic waste producers are... ...Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle. That's according to environmental group Greenpeace. Working with the Break Free From Plastic movement, Greenpeace's report outlined 239 plastic cleanups in 42 countries (2 cleanups in India) around the world, which resulted in the audit of 187,000 pieces of plastic trash—over 65% of which was marked with a clear consumer brand. Coca-Cola, the world's largest soft drink maker, was the top waste producer with Coke-branded plastic trash found in 40 of the 42 countries. More than 75% of the 239 cleanups reported finding Coca-Cola products along their coasts, shorelines, parks and streets. And the most common type of plastic found overall? Polystyrene (think packaging and foam coffee cups), followed closely by PET (bottles and containers). The equivalent of one truckload of plastic enters the ocean every minute, and now you know where it’s all coming from. 10. Why China's pigs, hens are cursing Trump, thanking Modi Chinese pigs: China, with over 400 million pigs, is the world's biggest pork producer and consumer. It imports soybeans - a principal source of animal protein - to process into meal for hogs but domestic soybean meal prices have surged 26% this year and are likely to rise further. Trump & pigs: China imports most of the soybean from the US but the trade war was has ensured a 25% duty on soybean imports from the US, which has sent prices soaring. Pigs and hens: The country's pigs may have to get used to a new diet in the name of national interest. China is considering cutting the amount of protein required in food for pigs, to reduce soybean purchases from abroad. It is considering a reduction in the minimum requirement for crude protein levels in pig feed as well as setting a maximum level. Requirements for laying hens and broiler chickens may also be cut. China hopes to reduce soybean imports by more than 10 million metric tons this year. Indian diet: Chinese buyers are discussing potential trade expansions with India, Argentina and Brazil. Follow news that matters to you in real-time. Join 3 crore news enthusiasts. GET APP Answer To NEWS IN CLUES Taylor Swift. Her endorsement of a pair of Tennessee Democrats via Instagram on Sunday, has led to a massive spike in voter registrations across the US for the midterm polls. With 65,000 registrations on Vote.org in a single 24-hour period since Swift’s post, we’re talking an almost-50% rise from the entire month of September (190,178 voters registered) and more than all of August (56,669).