HT Evening News Brief Nov 2: GRAP-II curbs imposed in Delhi; Cyclone Murasu landfall and US midterm elections

Good evening! Here's your 5-minute wrap of the day's top headlines from across the country, the world and the field of sports and entertainment.

GRAP-II curbs imposed for Delhi-NCR

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region (NCR) with immediate effect as Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the 'very poor' category for the first time this season.

The decision came as Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 324 at 4pm on November 2. The CAQM said unfavourable weather conditions were likely to keep air quality in the 'very poor' category over the coming days, prompting it to step up pollution-control measures across the region. Read the full story here.

‘Severe’ cyclonic storm to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh tonight

Severe cyclonic storm Murasu moved northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph over the past six hours and was centred over the westcentral Bay of Bengal at 2.30 pm on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The storm was located around 100 km east of Nellore, 120 km southeast of Kavali and 160 km southeast of Ongole in Andhra Pradesh. It is expected to move northwestwards and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, south of Ongole, around 11.30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday, November 3. Track the latest updates here.

Senate, House races heat up ahead of US midterm elections

The US is all set for its midterm elections on November 3. The outcome of the midterms will decide which political party - Trump's Republicans or opposition Democrats - controls Congress and how easy it is for the president to carry out his plans.

In the US House of Representatives, all 435 seats will be up for grab and 35 seats out of 100 are being contested in the Senate.

Voting across all 50 states will be held on November 3 across various time zones for the contest which is believed to be a tight one for Republicans and Democrats. Track LIVE updates here

Actor Imran Khan gets interim relief from Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court on Monday allowed actor Imran Khan, a US citizen and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, to continue staying in India after he agreed to tender an “unconditional apology” for his alleged participation in a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Bombay High Court will hear the actor's plea next on December 7 and has kept the notice in abeyance until then. Full story here.

Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi headline India A squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup, Tilak Varma to lead

There's no break for Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma despite being on the road for months. The trio were named to the India A squad on Monday for the upcoming Rising Stars Asia Cup. Tilak will be leading the side, with Rajat Patidar serving as his deputy.

The tournament will also mark a return to competitive cricket for Harshit Rana, who last featured for the Men in Blue in the T20I series against England. He got ruled out midway due to an injury and has not featured in any match for the national team since. Read the full story here.