| Welcome to The Morning Filter, your guide to the busy news day ahead. We hope you are staying safe. Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today:
1. Delhi's air quality improves marginally as wind speed picks up, likely to turn 'very poor' by Wednesday
Pollution levels dipped slightly in the national capital on Tuesday morning due to favourable wind speed, though the air quality was still in the "poor" category. The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, said the air quality index (AQI) was likely to slip to the "very poor" category by Wednesday due to a change in the wind direction and a reduction in the wind speed.
2. Railway minister allows women to travel in Mumbai local trains
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced that all women passengers will be allowed to travel in local trains in Mumbai and suburbs from Wednesday. Currently, only those engaged in frontline duties and essential staff as categorised by the Maharashtra government are allowed to travel in the local trains run by the Central Railway and the Western Railway, through a QR code mechanism.
3. U.S. files landmark antitrust case against Google
The Justice Department on Tuesday sued Google for abusing its dominance in online search and advertising — the government’s most significant attempt to protect competition since its groundbreaking case against Microsoft more than 20 years ago.
4. HC order on puja pandals: Organisers file petition for minor modifications
An association of Durga Puja organisers in the metropolis on Tuesday filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court seeking “minor modifications” to its order that marquees be made ‘no-entry zones’ to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The court said the petition will come up for hearing on Wednesday.
5. Chinese drugmaker setting up vaccine production lines - followup
A state-owned Chinese drugmaker is setting up production lines to supply 1 billion doses of two possible coronavirus vaccines that are being tested on 50,000 people in 10 countries, the company chairman said Tuesday. Testing by SinoPharm Group is in the last kilometer of a long march, chairman Liu Jingzhen said at a news conference. He gave no indication when results are expected.
6. Nadda to address rallies, NDA meeting in Bihar on Oct 20, 21 
Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda will address four public rallies in poll-bound Bihar on Tuesday and Wednesday and also speak at a meeting of leaders of the ruling National Democratic Alliance during a two-day visit to the state. Nadda will address election rallies in Buxar and Arrah on Tuesday afternoon, party spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh said.
7. Punjab passes its own three agriculture Bills - followup
Punjab on Tuesday became the first State in the country to formally reject the Central government’s three agriculture sector legislations, with its Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passing three Bills to negate the Union laws.
8. HC allows BMC to hold physical meeting of standing committee
The Bombay High Court permitted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to hold a physical meeting of its standing committee on Wednesday. A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni asked the BMC to make arrangements to hold the meeting with 26 members and a dozen officials who will remain present in the general body hall of the civic body, while adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols.
9. French mosque shut over message linked to teacher beheading
A mosque in a Paris suburb is being closed for six months starting Wednesday night on orders from France's interior minister in a crackdown following the beheading last week of a teacher. A sign posted by the regional prefecture at the entrance of the Pantin mosque, northeast of Paris, said the house of worship would be closed for six months with a six-month prison sentence for violators.
10. Indian Premier League 2020 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi 
Kolkata Knight Riders have finally found their mojo with the late inclusion of tearaway pacer Lockie Ferguson and they would look to avenge their first leg rout by the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore when the two sides clash in the IPL on Wednesday. It needed KKR nine games, and a change of captaincy, to realise the true potential of the World Cup star pacer for runners-up New Zealand, and when the Eoin Morgan-led side finally brought him in, he blew away Sunrisers Hyderabad with his relentless pace and variations.
11. Assam govt committed to restore normalcy in border with Mizoram: official
The Assam government is committed to restore normalcy in the Assam-Mizoram interstate border and to ensure peace, commissioner and secretary of border protection department, G D Tripathi said on Tuesday. Talks on the level of the home secretaries of both the state will be held at Lailapur beat office in Assam on Wednesday morning to resolve the matter amicably, Tripathi told newsmen.
12. Heavy to very heavy rainfall in many parts of Odisha in next 3-days: MeT
A fresh low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, is likely to trigger heavy to very heavy rainfall in many parts of Odisha over the next three days, the Meteorological Centre said. In view of the weather forecast, the Odisha government on Tuesday asked senior officials to remain prepared to meet any eventuality, particularly waterlogging and landslides in hilly areas.
13. Obama to hold 'drive-in' rally for Biden in Philadelphia
 Former US president Barack Obama's first appearance on the campaign trail for Democratic nominee Joe Biden will be a “drive-in car rally” in Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Biden campaign said. Philadelphia, with a population of 1.6 million, is the largest city in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the November 3 election between Biden and President Donald Trump.
14. Coronavirus | Latest numbers and updates The number of positive coronavirus cases reported from India now stands at 76,45,667 at the time of publishing this newsletter. The death toll from the disease stands at 1,15,927.
Morning Filter will return tomorrow. Follow up on the day’s biggest stories and get concise analysis by The Hindu with the Evening Wrap newsletter. Click here to get it in your inbox.
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