Category: Current Affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
09 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) ‘Ghar wapsi’ only after ‘law wapsi’, say farmers as 8th round of talks proves inconclusive.

The eighth round of talks between the government and representatives of protesting unions ended without any outcome on Friday. The next meeting is likely to take place on January 15, sources told. Sticking to their key demand of the repeal of three farm laws to end their protest, farmer leaders told the government their ghar wapsi from protest sites at the Delhi border can happen only after law wapsi. But the Centre insisted talks must be limited to contentious clauses and ruled out a complete withdrawal of the three laws. Sources said the talks did not make much progress and the next date has been decided keeping in mind a scheduled hearing of the Supreme Court on January 11. Government sources said the apex court may look into the legality of the three laws, besides other issues related to the farmers’ protests.

B) The senior lawyer said forced confessions violated the right to privacy.

When asked by the court why it should intervene in an obviously ecclesiastical issue like this, Rohatgi reminded the court about its interventions in questions concerning the personal laws and customs of communities such as the Bohra Muslims and Parsis. He said the court could examine the issues in the petition as they came within the ambit of the questions of faith, rights of women, and equality referred to in a nine-judge Constitution Bench in the Sabarimala case. He sought more time to amend the petition and add more facts. Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, when asked for an opinion by the court, said the whole issue stemmed from the Jacobite-Orthodox dispute. The Supreme Court had upheld the validity of the 1934 Constitution of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church to govern the parishes under the church. He suggested that the Kerala High Court should hear it. The Kerala High Court knows the entire case history, he said.

C) SC to hear plea against ‘compulsory nature’ of confessions to priests. 

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider a petition filed by a group of women against the compulsory nature of sacred confessions to priests in Christianity. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, for the petitioners, said confessions are being abused. But Chief Justice Bobde said the veracity of such allegations would depend on the individual facts in every case. There cannot be a rule to impose confessions on a worshipper. Ladies are forced to confess before the priest. The court has to see whether confessions are an integral part of the religion, Rohatgi went on to submit.

D) Supreme Court tells govt. to arm forest officers to fight poachers. 

The Supreme Court on Friday urged the government to arm forest officers and provide them with bullet-proof vests and vehicles when told that India recorded the greatest number of mortal fatalities among forest officials in the world. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, senior advocate Shyam Divan said India accounted for 30% of fatalities among forest rangers in the world. Chief Justice Bobde said forest officials were up against a very powerful force. Proceeds of crime are in millions of dollars. This is an international crime. Recently, he was told that the pangolin skin trade extended to China, he noted. The court said the Centre should consider involving premier organisations such as the CBI to help the forest staff. There should even be a separate wing or wildlife division in the Enforcement Directorate with dean officials to track and investigate crimes of the poachers and the proceeds of their crime. The amounts involved are huge and justify the formation of a separate wing by the ED, Chief Justice Bobde addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre. CJI Bobde pointed out how forest rangers in Assam were armed and no one dares come near them. But in States like Madhya Pradesh, they roam around with lathis. In Karnataka, forest guards are in chappals and just lathis. In these States, forest guards are slapped around by poachers, the CJI said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Trump changes tone, says he is ‘outraged by the mayhem’

A day after U.S. President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Trump condemned the violence and acknowledged that a new administration would be sworn in on January 20. The remarks were made in a video released on his Twitter account, which was earlier suspended to prevent the President from inciting further violence. Like all Americans he is outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem, Trump said as calls for removing him via impeachment or the U.S. Constitution’s 25th Amendment grew louder. Several prominent GOP lawmakers had criticised Wednesday’s violence and in the aftermath, more administration officials handed in their resignation.

B) U.S. President Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Trump addressed the rioters in his video message, saying they did not represent the country. To those who broke the law, you will pay, he said. This was in sharp contrast to Wednesday, when Trump had called the rioters very special in another video message in which he also asked them to retreat. In a tweet he had called the rioters great patriots even as some of them were inside the Capitol. Trump said that emotions were high following an intense election and tempers must be cooled now. Now Congress has certified the results. A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation, Trump said without mentioning Biden by name or offering congratulations, as is the norm.

C) The man who waved the tricolour during the storming of U.S. Capitol. 

A video of someone waving the Indian tricolour amid the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol had caused much speculation. Now it has emerged that one of the persons waving the tricolour was Vincent Xavier Palathingal, a Kerala-native hailing from Kochi. In a detailed Facebook post, Palathingal claimed that he was protesting a stolen election. The post, in which he claimed that he was not part of the violence, has now been taken down after people inside and outside Kerala criticised him, saying he had insulted India by carrying the tricolour to a violent protest in which five people died. Vincent Xavier Palathingal taking part in the US Capitol protest. Vincent Xavier Palathingal taking part in the US Capitol protest. Trump rallies are always a lot of fun. And today was not an exception. About 50 or so lawless people who breached the U.S. Capitol perimeter by climbing the walls, breaking the windows, and attacking police inside this sacred temple to American Democracy is not a reason to throw the million-plus peaceful protestors under the bus, he had written in the deleted post. Palathingal also posted images of himself with the Indian national flag near the Capitol, along with other Trump supporters who laid siege to the Capitol. Palathingal is an active commentator in social media on Kerala politics as well, with several posts criticising the LDF Government.

D) Hong Kong grants bail to arrested pro-democracy activists. 

Authorities in Hong Kong said on Friday that they have granted bail to most of the 55 pro-democracy activists who were arrested this week in a sweeping crackdown on dissent. One of the activists said they could still be charged under a tough national security law. The activists were accused of taking part in an unofficial primary election last year that authorities said was part of a plan to paralyse the Legislative Council and subvert state power. The primary was held to choose the best candidates to field as the pro-democracy camp sought to win a majority of seats. The mass arrests on Wednesday were the biggest move against Hong Kong’s democracy movement since Beijing imposed the national security law in the semi-autonomous territory last June to quell dissent following months of anti-government protests in 2019. Former Democratic Party legislators Andrew Wan, left, Lam Cheuk-ting, second from left, and Helena Wong, right, attending a press conference after being released on bail in Hong Kong on January 8. Former Democratic Party legislators Andrew Wan, left, Lam Cheuk-ting, second from left, and Helena Wong, right, attending a press conference after being released on bail in Hong Kong on January 8. Three of the 55 arrested people were not released, activists Joshua Wong and Tam Tak-chi, who were already in jail on separate charges, and former Hong Kong Democratic Party Chairman Wu Chi-wai, who remained in custody for failing to meet bail conditions in a separate protest-related case.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
08 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) India’s GDP estimated to contract by 7.7% in 2020-21. 

India’s real GDP is estimated to contract by 7.7% in 2020-21, as compared to a growth rate of 4.2% in 2019-20. Real GVA (Gross Valued added) at basic prices is estimated at ₹123.39 lakh crore in 2020-21, as against ₹133.01 lakh crore in 2019-20, showing a 7.2% contraction, as per advance estimates by the National Statistical Office. Only two sectors are estimated to record positive growth in GVA this year: Agriculture (3.4%) and Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & Other Utility services (2.7%) The sharpest decline in 2020-21 is expected in Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services related to broadcasting (-21.4%), followed by Construction (-12.6%), Mining and quarrying (-12.4%), Manufacturing (-9.4%), Public administration, defence and other services (-3.7%) and Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services (-0.8%).

B) Farmers take out tractor march against agri laws. 

Amid tight security, thousands of farmers on Thursday started their tractor march from protest sites Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders against the three agriculture laws. Bharati Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) chief Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that farmers participated in the march with over 3,500 tractors and trolleys. There were about 300 tractors when we flagged off the march from the Sampla toll gate. But as we joined the KMP [the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal] expressway, there were thousands more. It is no exaggeration to say there were thousands of tractors and farm vehicles joining us on the road, said AIKS joint secretary Vijoo Krishnan, who took part in the first stage of the march. This is a clear warning to the Modi-led BJP government that unless the three Acts and the draft Electricity Bill are withdrawn, the struggle will continue. This is only a rehearsal, nothing in comparison to what will happen on Republic Day. Not only in Delhi, but in every state, in every district of the country, we are preparing for similar tractor parades, he added.

C) Will farmers’ protest be a ‘problem’ like Tablighi Jamaat, SC asks Centre. 

Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday voiced the Supreme Court’s apprehension that mass gatherings of protesting farmers could lead to a problem similar to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in March last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Same problem will arise from the farmers’ protest. Don’t know if they are protected from Covid-19. They must tell us what is happening, Chief Justice Bobde, heading a three-judge Bench, addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre. The court was hearing a petition seeking a CBI probe into the circumstances leading to the mass gathering of migrant workers, anxious to leave the National Capital for their villages and hometowns, at the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal, as well as the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. Both incidents happened in March last year. The court issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi government. It also asked Mehta to file a detailed report on its guidelines to prevent Covid-19, including restrictions on mass gatherings.

D) Sonia asks govt. to cut excise duty on petroleum products. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday demanded that the Narendra Modi government charge the same rate of excise duty on petroleum products as the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) did and give relief to common people. Excessive taxation by the Modi government has led to the highest ever price of petroleum products in the past 73 years and the government has so far collected ₹19 lakh crore in excise duty in the past six years, she said in a statement. In the midst of a collapsing economy because of corona, the Modi government is trying to convert the disaster into an opportunity to fill its treasury. Today the price of crude oil is $50.96 per barrel or just ₹23.43 per litre. Despite this, diesel is being sold for ₹74.38 and petrol at ₹84.20 per litre. This is the highest in the last 73 years, she added. The Congress president said the government was resorting to profiteering through excise duty instead of providing relief to common people. She said the repeated rise of LPG cylinder price had disturbed the household budgets. In a tweet, former party chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that since the government was looting people through heavy taxes, it was refusing to bring petroleum products under the ambit of the Goods and Services tax (GST). Earlier in the day, party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to share details about the UPA’s excise duty. When the Modi government came to power in May 2014, excise duty on petrol was ₹9.20 per litre and ₹3.46 per litre on diesel. The government has increased excise duty by ₹23.78 on every litre of petrol and ₹28.37 on every litre of diesel, Surjewala said.

E) Sourav Ganguly discharged from hospital. 

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was on Thursday discharged from Kolkata’s Woodlands Hospital. The former Indian cricket captain, who was admitted to the hospital on January 2 after a mild heart attack, said that he was absolutely fine. He is absolutely fine. Hopefully, he will be able to fly soon, Ganguly told reporters while coming out of the hospital. After his admission to the hospital on January 2, a coronary angiography was performed on him the same day. A team of doctors, including experts like Devi Shetty, visited and took stock of the 48-year-old former cricketer’s health. Ganguly has been diagnosed with triple vessel disease and the medical board decided that treatment of two other arteries will be done after two to three weeks.

F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,04,03,173 with the death toll at 1,50,536. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday wrote to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, urging them to take steps to curb the spike in Covid-19 cases. These States were reporting an upsurge in the number of daily new cases in the recent days, a release issued by the Health Ministry said. The States have been advised to maintain a ‘strict vigil’ and take steps to keep a check on the rising cases, especially in view of the new strain of the virus being observed in certain countries and which has also been reported in a few States in India. In his letter, Bhushan has drawn the attention of the States to the low and declining testing rates. Any laxity at this crucial junction may squander the results of the collective actions in containing the transmission, he noted.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Trump promises ‘orderly transition’ after his supporters storm U.S. Capitol; Congress certifies Biden victory.

A Joint Session of the U.S. Congress on Thursday formally certified the electoral victory of Joe Biden as the next U.S. President and Kamala Harris as the Vice President in the November 3 election. The certification of the election result by Congress, usually a formality since the losing candidate would have long since conceded, was hugely acrimonious and controversial this time around as the sitting President Donald Trump continued to insist that the election was ‘stolen’ from him. Acting on the President’s words, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol for nearly four hours in a day that saw the death of four people. As a result, the Congress, which had convened to certify Joe Biden’s election victory, was evacuated midway. Both the House and Senate reconvened after a brief period to resume duties. Videos showed people breaking windows and pressing past barricades to get inside. Lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives were evacuated. After he repeatedly posted false accusations about the election, Twitter and Facebook suspended Trump’s account for violating user policy. After his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Trump said in a statement tweeted by his social media director Dan Scavino, Even though he totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.

B) China compares U.S. violence to 2019 Hong Kong protests.

Commenting on the violence in Washington and storming of the U.S. Capitol, China on Thursday said it hopes the people in the U.S. can enjoy peace as it compared Wednesday’s events with the protests in Hong Kong. They believe that the people of the United States want stability and peace, and hope they can soon enjoy security and stability, especially amid the grim situation brought about by the pandemic, said China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. The Foreign Ministry as well as state media in China compared the developments in Washington to protests in Hong Kong, where in 2019 protesters had stormed the legislative headquarters. Ms. Hua also tweeted a video of that incident on Thursday. While U.S. mainstream media denounced the protesters at the U.S. Capitol as ‘mobs’, they had called the violent protesters in Hong Kong ‘democratic heroes’, saying that the U.S. people were standing with them, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Ms. Hua as saying. Similarity with the protests in Hong Kong was a common theme in China’s state media’s coverage, even if the difference in contexts between protesters who were looking to overturn a fairly contested election and those who were calling for direct elections and universal suffrage to be introduced in China’s Special Administrative Region was left unsaid.

C) Indian-American named U.S. Army’s first CIO. 

Indian-American Raj lyer has taken over as the first Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the U.S. Army after the Pentagon created the position in July 2020. One of the highest ranking Indian-American civilians in the U.S. Department of Defense, Dr. lyer, who holds a PhD. in Electrical Engineering, serves as the Principal Adviser to the Secretary of the Army and directs representation of the Secretary in matters relating to information management/ information technology (IT), the Pentagon said in a statement. Equivalent in rank to a three-star General, Dr. lyer will supervise an annual budget of $16 billion for the U.S. Army’s IT operations. Over 15,000 civilians and military personnel posted across 100 countries work under him.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
07 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Supreme Court to examine validity of laws against marriage-linked religious conversion. 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine the constitutional validity of a spate of laws enacted by States such as Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand that criminalize religious conversion via marriage and mandate prior official clearance before marrying into another faith. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, however, did not stay the implementation of the Prohibition Of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 and the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, despite fervent pleas by petitioners that rampaging mobs are lifting off people in the middle of wedding ceremonies, buoyed by the enactment of the laws. What we have here is multiple States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh enacting these laws which are absolutely horrifying. They require the prior permission to marry, senior advocate C.U. Singh submitted. Singh argued that the burden of proof was on the people who marry to show they were not doing so to get converted. Those who are found guilty under these laws stare at a 10-year prison sentence. The offences are non-bailable. However, the Bench, which had initially asked the petitioners to go to the respective State High Courts with their challenge, did not stay the implementation of the laws. 

B) Three men, including a priest, allegedly rape and murder 50-year-old in U.P’s Budaun. 

A 50-year-old woman died after she was gang-raped, allegedly by a priest and his two aides, in a village in Ughaiti area of Budaun, Uttar Pradesh, on January 3 night. However, an FIR was registered only on January 5 after a post-mortem confirmed severe injuries to the private parts of the deceased. The deceased’s son told reporters that she used to go to the village temple every evening. On Sunday, she didn’t return. Around 11.30 p.m., the priest and his two aides brought her home in a car. They said she fell into the dry well on the temple premises. She was bleeding profusely and soon died. Before we could ask anything, the three left, he said. He alleged that priest Satya Narayan and his aides, Jaspal and Vedram, were lying as they didn’t take her to hospital. They approached the police as they felt somebody had raped her. Locals said a video of the priest saying that the she fell into the well was circulating in the local media but the police could not nab him. They said the dry well was in an isolated area and not on the way to the temple that somebody could fall in it. The SHO also believed the theory of the accused till the post-mortem report revealed that she had been brutalised, said social activist Shafi Ahmed. Sankalp Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police, Budaun, said on Wednesday an FIR had been registered under sections 376D and 302 of the IPC after the medical report confirmed rape. One of the accused has been arrested and the SHO had been suspended for the delay, he said.

C) Pranab was ready to invite Congress-led coalition had 2014 thrown up a hung Parliament. 

Former President Pranab Mukherjee was ready to break convention and invite a Congress-led coalition to form a government if the 2014 Lok Sabha polls had thrown up a hung Parliament. The final volume of his autobiography, The Presidential Years, formally released on Tuesday, revealed that he couldn’t be neutral between stability and instability. He had expected a hung Parliament with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with about 195-200 seats. In such a situation, it would have been my constitutional responsibility to ensure stability. Had the Congress emerged with fewer seats but promised a stable government, he would have invited the leader of the party to form the government, keeping in mind their previous track record in managing coalition governments successfully, his autobiography read. In a no-holds-barred description of his years in the Manmohan Singh government, Mukherjee criticised several decisions, including the creation of Telangana, and targeted the party’s leadership for allowing leaders like Mamata Banerjee to walk out of the coalition. He also blamed the Narendra Modi government for the repeated parliamentary disruptions in its first term. He talked about expecting the unexpected from Modi in terms of foreign policy, and pointed out how the Prime Minister had come to him to seek support for the November 2016 demonetisation.

D) Farmers’ protests: Situation has not improved at all, says SC. 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pointed out to the government that there had been no breakthrough in the impasse between the Centre and thousands of farmers standing firm on their demands to repeal three controversial agricultural laws and to provide legal backing for minimum support price (MSP). The situation has no improvement at all, Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde addressed Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the two top law officers of the country, during a virtual court hearing. Venugopal, however, on a positive note, said that there are chances that the parties may come to some understanding. Both he and Mehta said that for this reason the government did not want, for now, to file a counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court to the petitions regarding the farm laws and the farmers’ protest. Our counter is ready. But there are healthy discussions going on. So we have not filed it in the Supreme Court, Mehta submitted. Several rounds of talks between the government and farmer leaders have been inconclusive so far. The CJI posted all the petitions concerning the farmers’ issue for Monday, but said that it could be adjourned if the Attorney General found it necessary for the sake of the ongoing talks.

E) Congress distances itself from Tharoor’s tweet on cancelling Republic Day festivities. 

The Congress on Wednesday distanced itself from party Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor’s tweet that the government should cancel the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 in view of the pandemic. On Tuesday, after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his inability to come as the Chief Guest for the R-Day parade, Tharoor had called for cancellation of the festivities. Now that @BorisJohnson’s visit to India this month has been cancelled due to the #COVIDSecondWave, & we don’t have a Chief Guest on #RepublicDay, why not go one step farther & cancel the festivities altogether? Getting crowds to cheer the parade as usual would be irresponsible, Tharoor tweeted. Without directly commenting on the tweet, the Congress at its party’s official meeting said it fully backed the idea of celebrating the democratic and constitutional festivals. At a time when you are witnessing the Constitution and constitutional institutions being constantly attacked and weakened, the Congress feels that such festivities should be celebrated with enthusiasm, spokesperson Alka Lamba said. They have to take an oath that they will not allow their Constitution and institutions to be weakened at all. And he think, they can strengthen their commitment, faith and belief through our democratic festivals, she said.

F) Addressing Tamil concerns, implementing 13th Amendment in Sri Lanka’s interest: Jaishankar. 

It is in Sri Lanka’s own interest that the Tamil people’s expectations for equality, justice, peace and dignity within a united Sri Lanka are fulfilled, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in Colombo on Wednesday. That applies equally to commitments made by the Sri Lankan government on meaningful devolution, including the 13th Amendment, he said, addressing a joint press conference with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Jaishankar made the remarks hours after he called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and also held bilateral discussions with his counterpart, as part of his three-day visit that began on Tuesday. Consistent with New Delhi’s messaging on the Tamil question since the Rajapaksas came to power, the remarks coincide with a campaign among sections in Sri Lanka to abolish the provincial council system and the 13th Amendment, which followed the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987. Gunawardena, in his statement, said the President had firmly stated his commitment to the well-being, progress and opportunity to all our citizens Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and all, he said.

G) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,03,91,584 with the death toll at 1,50,355. The Union Home Ministry has objected to the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to allow 100% seating in movie theatres. In a letter to Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam written on January 5, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the State government should revise its January 4 order allowing 100% seating in cinema theatres and multiplexes and bring it in line with the Centre’s guidelines, which allow only 50%. State/UT governments shall not dilute these guidelines in any manner and shall strictly enforce the same, the letter stated.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denied bail in U.K.

A British judge on January 6 denied bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been jailed in Britain since 2019 as he fights extradition to the United States. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ordered Assange to remain in prison while the courts consider an appeal by U.S. authorities against a decision not to extradite him. On January 4, the judge rejected an American request to send Assange to the U.S. to face espionage charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret military documents a decade ago. She had denied extradition on health grounds, saying the 49-year-old Australian was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. The judge said on January 6 that Assange has an incentive to abscond and there is a good chance he would fail to return to court if freed.

B) Democrats heading to win Senate as Georgia results come in. 

Democrats inched closer to taking control of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday as African American pastor Raphael Warnock defeated incumbent Republican candidate Kelly Loeffler, a former businesswoman in one of two run-off elections in Georgia. Warnock became the first black Senator elected from the southern state. The other run-off race was too close to call with incumbent David Perdue, a Republican, trailing his challenger, 33 year-old Jon Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker, by over 16,000 votes with 98% reporting on Wednesday morning (U.S. time). Both of the run-offs were necessary because no candidate had won more then 50% of the vote in the November elections. If Ossoff wins his race, Democrats would take control of the Senate (they already control the House of Representatives). The high stakes races in Georgia consequently broke fundraising records and compelled Trump and Biden to campaign for the candidates earlier this week.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
06 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) SII and Bharat Biotech issue joint statement after vaccine row. 

Stating the important task in front of them is saving the lives and livelihoods of populations in India and the world, SII CEO Adar Poonawala and Bharat Biotech chairman Krishna Ella, jointly on behalf of the two firms, on Tuesday issued a statement communicating their combined intent to develop, manufacture and supply the COVID-19 vaccines for India and globally. The statement that came after a series of cross-statements made by the two companies in the past two days said that Vaccines are a global public health good and they have the power to save lives and accelerate the return to economic normalcy at the earliest. Both our Companies are fully engaged in this activity and consider it our duty to the nation and the world at large to ensure a smooth rollout of vaccines. Each of our Companies continue their COVID-19 vaccines development activities as planned, the statement said. Earlier in the day, Mr. Poonawala tweeted that he would like to clarify two matters; as there is confusion in the public domain, exports of vaccines are permitted to all countries and a joint public statement clearing up any recent miscommunication with regards to Bharat Biotech will be made. The tweet comes following a video press conference by Bharat Biotech chairman Krishna Ella on Monday evening lashing out at his detractors criticising the fast-track granting of emergency use authorisation to the firm’s vaccine Covaxin. In particular he seemed to be referring to Mr Poonawalla’s comment that only the vaccines of Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca were effective, while others were safe just like water. In response, Mr. Ella called the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial process lousy.

B) Vaccine rollout within 10 days of authorisation: Health Ministry

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stands at 1,03,68,774 with the death toll at 1,50,051. The total number of cases infected with the new strain of the SARS-CoV-2 first reported in the U.K. now stands at 58 in India with 20 new cases have been identified at NIV Pune, said the Health Ministry on January 5. All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective State governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, said the release issued by the Ministry. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry today said it is prepared to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine within 10 days from the date of authorisation, which was issued on January 3, but noted that the final decision lies with the government. Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said healthcare workers and frontline workers need not register themselves as their database has been populated on to the Co-WIN vaccine delivery management system in a bulk manner. Based on the feedback of the dry-run, the Health Ministry is ready to introduce COVID-19 vaccine within 10 days from date of emergency use authorisation, he said.

C) Supreme Court approves Central Vista project. 

The Supreme Court, in a majority judgment, gave the green signal for the multi-crore Central Vista redevelopment project which envisages refurbishing the nation’s power corridor, including plans for a new Parliament building, a common Central Secretariat and a renovated Rajpath stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. The majority opinion by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, who headed the three-judge Bench, and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari said the change in land use under the Delhi Development Authority Act in the restricted zone, the subject of the challenge pending before the court, was just and proper. Both judges upheld the exercise of power by the Centre to change the land use of the Master Plan 2021. The court did not find any infirmity in the grant of approval by the Central Vista Committee or the Heritage Conservation Committee. However, Justice Sanjeev Khanna, the third judge on the Bench, said land use change for the project was vitiated and bad in law. He noted there was no intelligible disclosure about the project for public participation. Justice Khanna concluded that there was no prior approval from the Heritage Conservation Committee. He found that the environment clearance was a non-speaking order and added he did not want to go into the merits of the project but directed the project to be remitted back to the Heritage Conservation Committee. Being numerically superior, the opinion of Justices Khanwilkar and Maheshwari stands. The court, while reserving the case for judgment in early November 2020, had said it would examine whether the project complied with land use and environmental regulations peculiar to the area that houses the Parliament and Central Secretariat buildings. On December 7, the court also allowed the foundation stone ceremony for the new Parliament building to go ahead as scheduled after the government gave an undertaking to keep in abeyance the construction or demolition of buildings and shifting of trees in the Central Vista area and wait for the court’s verdict.

D) India riding against Covid-19 wave with recovery, according to Finance Ministry. 

While the global economic recovery had been hit by second waves of infections and more stringent lockdowns in several countries, India’s economy was riding against the COVID-19 wave with persistent improvements in economic indicators showing a V-shaped recovery, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. The new year has dawned with the approval of long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine and initiation of vaccination drives in various countries. This gives strength to the optimism on both health and economic fronts despite continuing surge in global cases and the potential challenge of a mutant strain, the Department of Economic Affairs said in its monthly economy review for December. The effective management of Covid-19 spread despite the festive season and onset of winter season, combined with sustained improvement in high frequency indicators and V-shaped recovery along with easing of lockdown restrictions distinguish Indian economy as one riding against the Covid-wave, it said. Stressing that the agriculture sector, which clocked 3.4% growth in the first two quarters of 2020-21, remained the bright spot of the Indian economy, the review said a 2.9% rise in rabi sowing this year, along with accelerating tractor sales, suggested rural distress had been successfully addressed by the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY). This rise in rural incomes is mirrored in the healthy, though moderated, sales in passenger vehicles, two and three wheelers and tractor, and a rebound in vehicle registrations for the first time after March 2020, the review said.

E) CCP recommends winter session of parliament from January 29. 

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) has recommended that the Budget session of Parliament commence from January 29 and conclude on April 8. According to the Committee’s recommendation, while Part 1 of the Budget session would be held from January 29 to February 15, Part 2 would be from March 8 to April 8. President Ram Nath Kovind would address the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament on January 29, a Friday, and the Union Budget would be presented on February 1, sources said citing the CCPA recommendations. All COVID-related protocols would be followed during the session, the sources said. The final decision on the commencement of the session will be taken by the Union Cabinet of Ministers.

F) Laxmi Ratan Shukla quits, in another blow for TMC in Bengal. 

In another major blow to the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Minister of State for Sports and former cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla on Tuesday resigned from the State’s Council of Ministers. The move comes as the party is trying to grapple with several high profile defections and the resignation of Suvendu Adhikari. Mr. Shukla, an MLA from Howrah North Assembly seat, wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informing her about his decision to resign from the party as well as the Cabinet. He had sent the resignation letter to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Trinamool Congress called the development unfortunate and said that it is like leaving a battlefield before the polls. Mr. Shukla neither specified the reasons for his decision nor what his future plans are. The State BJP leadership said the party is willing to provide him a platform if he wants to continue with politics.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Boris Johnson cancels visit amidst UK coronavirus crisis. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on January 5 cancelled a planned trip to India later this month, citing the need to oversee the pandemic response at home. The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Modi this morning, to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned, a Downing Street spokeswoman said. In light of the national lockdown announced last night, and the speed at which the new coronavirus variant is spreading, the Prime Minister said that it was important for him to remain in the U.K. so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus. Mr. Johnson was supposed to be the Chief Guest of India’s Republic Day celebrations. India had extended the invite on November 27 during a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Johnson. The United Kingdom on January 4 announced full coronavirus lockdown, possibly until mid-February, to try to cut spiraling infection rates. The measures, which include the closure of primary and secondary schools, will come into effect January 6.

B) U.S., India cooperated on LAC action, says Juster. 

The U.S. has cooperated with India to counter aggressive Chinese actions at the Line of Actual Control, its Ambassador, Kenneth Juster, confirmed on Tuesday, saying it was for the Indian government to give details of the nature of military cooperation during the ongoing eight-month stand-off between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation. Our close coordination has been important as India confronts, perhaps on a sustained basis, aggressive Chinese activity on its border, said Mr. Juster in a farewell address at the end of his tenure in Delhi to an audience including diplomats and journalists, at an event organised by think tank ORE.  Mr. Juster said the Government of India would decide whether to release the details of the cooperation. While this is the first time an official is confirming the cooperation over the stand-off, the U.S. has assisted India with geospatial data, satellite maps and emergency procurement of extreme weather clothing. Officially, India has maintained that it is resolving the situation with China bilaterally and diplomatically. The U.S. Ambassador refused to comment on a specific question on whether the U.S. had alerted India to China amassing troops along the border earlier this year, when the PLA is believed to have transgressed over the LAC and claimed Indian territory. In an hour-long talk titled Ambition and achievement in the U.S.-India partnership detailing developments in the bilateral relationship from 2017, Mr. Juster said no bilateral relationship in the world is as broad and complex and rich in substance as that of the United States and India. He said bilateral defence and strategic cooperation had been particularly focused on the Indo-Pacific region during the Trump administration, where the U.S. military renamed its Pacific command Indo-pacific Command (INDOPACOM) and the Ministry of External Affairs established a new Indo-Pacific Division.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
05 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Government-farmers talks inconclusive; next meeting on Jan 8.

The seventh round of talks between protesting farmer unions and three central ministers ended inconclusively on Monday as the farmer leaders insisted on the repeal of the three contentious farm laws right from the beginning, even as the government listed various benefits from the Acts. The next meeting will take place on January 8. Farmer leaders said the government told them that it needed to consult internally before coming back to the unions. The union leaders will also have their own meeting on Tuesday to decide their next course of action. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab, held the talks with the representatives of 40 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan. The meeting began with a two-minute silent tribute to the farmers who lost their lives during the ongoing protest, according to a farm union representative. Since the agitation began, more than 50 protestors have died from various causes, including traffic accidents, heart attacks, and at least three protestors who allegedly died by suicide. Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month against the three laws. They have stayed put despite heavy rains and water-logging at protest sites over the last couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditions prevailing in and around the national capital. The government has ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

B) SC asks govt. to repeal law which confiscates cattle before owner is found guilty of cruelty. 

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to delete its three-year-old law, which allowed the seizure of cattle from people who depended on these animals for a livelihood, even before they were found guilty of cruelty towards them. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde warned the government that it would stay the implementation of a 2017 law which allowed authorities to seize cattle on a mere suspicion that they suffered cruel treatment at the hands of their owners or were being primed for slaughter. These animals, the law prescribes, would then be lodged in gaushalas as case property to await the court’s verdict. In short, a farmer, a livestock owner or a cattle trader loses his animals before being found guilty of the charge of cruelty.  Sud submitted that the Rules had already been notified. There is evidence on record to show that actual cruelty is being done against animals, the law officer said. He then sought time to file a response. The court scheduled the next hearing for Monday. The law under question is the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017 notified on May 23, 2017. The Buffalo Traders Welfare Association, represented by advocate Sanobar Ali Qureshi, said the Rules were being used as a tool to seize and forfeit their cattle. The association said the law’s existence had emboldened anti-social elements to take matters into their own hands and loot cattle traders. It is pertinent to mention that these frequent lootings are also threatening the rule of law and generally emboldening groups of persons to take the law into their own hands. Moreover, these incidents are acting as triggers for communal polarisation of society, and if not halted effectively and immediately will have disastrous consequences on the social fabric of the country, the association said.

C) Reliance moves Punjab and Haryana HC against vandalism of mobile towers.  

Amid several cases of vandalism of mobile towers and disruption of telecom services in Punjab during the ongoing farmers’ agitation against farm laws, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking the intervention of government authorities to bring a complete stop to such acts. In an official statement on Monday, RIL said it had moved the High Court through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL). In its petition, the company submitted, The miscreants indulging in vandalism have been instigated and aided by vested interests and our business rivals. Taking advantage of the ongoing farmers’ agitation near the national capital, these vested interests have launched an incessant, malicious and motivated vilification campaign against Reliance, which has absolutely no basis in truth. The statement included facts to establish that Reliance had nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently being debated in the country, and in no way benefited from them. It said Reliance Retail Limited (RRL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), or any other affiliate of our parent company, that is, Reliance Industries Limited, had not done any corporate or contract farming in the past, and had absolutely no plans to enter this business.

D) Work on Ayodhya Ram temple foundation to begin by January-end, says trust. 

Work on the foundation for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya would start by the end of January, said the trust entrusted with its construction, even as it acknowledged that the study of the soil was still not complete even after seven months. From the day the construction starts, the temple would be completed in 36-39 months, said Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. They had hoped construction would have started in June but the study has not been completed [even] after seven months. The results are not matching. There is sand, crumbly sand, under the ground or some old debris lying deep, said Rai at a press conference in Kanpur. Rai also said that the Indian Space Research Organisation had sent them pictures of a channel (stream) of River Sarayu under the site of construction. The first soil testing took place in February 2020. Rai stressed that the foundation work would take place only after clear results. If there is any confusion in the results, the tests are done again. This reflects the seriousness about the foundation of the temple, he said. Engineers and experts from around 10 institutes, including the National Geophysical Research Institute (Hyderabad), Central Building Research Institute (Roorkee), IIT-Bombay, IIT-Guwahati and IIT-Madras, were engaged in the study, he added. Work on the temple was being done keeping in mind its load-bearing capacity and longevity, Rai said. The temple will be 360 feet in length, 235 feet wide and 161 feet in height, while the plinth will be 16.5 feet above the ground level, he added.

E) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 1,03,47,939 with the death toll at 1,49,805. The Tamil Nadu government today said that movie halls in the State will be permitted to screen movies at full seating capacity. Though the State government allowed cinema halls to reopen with 50% seating capacity in November last year, movie fans did not return to theatres in large numbers for several reasons. While the risk of contracting Covid-19 was one of the reasons, the theatres weren’t able to screen new releases as producers were reluctant to release their movies with just 50% capacity. With the number of Covid-19 cases steadily falling in the State, a Government Order said that the Tamil Theatres and Multiplex Owners Association had placed a request with the State Government to allow them to increase the capacity from 50% to a full house. The theatres will be permitted to screen movies with full capacity by following all the Standard Operating Procedure.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Google employees form union. 

More than 200 Google employees in the U.S. have formed a workers’ union, the elected leaders of the union wrote in a New York Times opinion piece on Monday. The ‘Alphabet Workers Union’ aims to ensure that employees work at a fair wage, without fear of abuse, retaliation or discrimination, the union heads wrote. Google has been under fire from the U.S. labour regulator, which has accused the company of unlawfully questioning several workers who were then terminated for protesting against company policies and trying to organise a union. Google has said it was confident it acted legally. They are  building on years of organising efforts at Google to create a formal structure for workers, the union leaders wrote, adding that so far 226 employees had signed union cards with the Communications Workers of America. The employees have protected labour rights that they support. But as they have always done, they will continue engaging directly with all our employees, Kara Silverstein, director of people operations at Google, said on Monday.

B) U.K. judge refuses extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. 

A British judge has rejected the United States’ request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying it would be oppressive because of his mental health, AP reported. In a mixed ruling for Assange and his supporters, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected defense arguments that the 49-year-old Australian faces a politically motivated American prosecution that rides roughshod over free-speech protections. But she said Assange’s precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of near total isolation he would face in a U.S. prison. She ruled that Assange was likely to commit suicide if sent to the U.S. The U.S. government said it would appeal the decision. U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
04 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Two vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, get approval for emergency use. 

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) on Sunday approved two vaccines, developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech respectively, for public use. The formal approval came after a subject expert committee (SEC) of the CDSCO recommended that permission be granted for restricted use in emergency situation in public interest. This allows the vaccines to be rolled out in the coming weeks. Neither company has completed phase-3 trials in India but the SEC relied on data from phase-1 and phase-2 trials, which test if the vaccine is safe and generates adequate antibodies. The committee opined that the data suggested that the vaccine was safe and well-tolerated in limited groups of volunteers. In the case of SII, the committee relied on data from the phase-3 trial on 23,000 or so participants in overseas trials. Interim data from a trial on 1,600 volunteers in India showed that the efficacy was comparable, the statement noted. In the case of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, only data from studies on animals and phase-2 data on 800 volunteers were studied. Both firms are expected to continue their clinical trials and keep submitting data. Somani did not discuss or furnish details on conditions that the companies would have to adhere to in respect of being accorded approval. The World Health Organisation welcomed India’s decision giving emergency use authorisation to two Covid-19 vaccines, saying it will help intensify and strengthen its fight against the ongoing pandemic.

B) Vaccine sceptics playing into hands of vested interests: Nadda. 

The BJP on Sunday said that statements of the COVID-19 vaccine sceptics among opposition leaders were playing into the hands of vested interests and demonstrated that the opposition refused to be proud of anything Indian. Party chief J.P. Nadda said on Twitter, Congress and the Opposition is not proud of anything Indian. They should introspect about how their lies on the COVID-19 vaccine will be used by vested interest groups for their own agendas. People of India have been rejecting such politics and will keep doing so in the future. While Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had said he would not take the vaccine, terming it a BJP vaccine,  Congress spokesperson Salman Niazi said it was a fraud. Another Congress leader Rashid Alvi gave a statement in support of Yadav. The way BJP and Prime Minister Modi have used agencies including CBI, Income Tax Dept and Enforcement Directorate against opposition leaders, he think there’s nothing wrong with it if Akhilesh Yadav fears that the vaccine can be misused. The way government is working against opposition leaders, fear is justified, he said. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted, The Covaxin has not yet had Phase 3 trials. Approval was premature and could be dangerous. @drharshvardhan should please clarify. Its use should be avoided till full trials are over. India can start with the AstraZeneca vaccine in the meantime. However, it is not just Opposition politicians who have expressed reservations about the process followed in giving clearance to these two vaccines. Leading clinical scientist Gagandeep Kang told a news channel in response to a question on vaccine approvals that she was completely unaware of any data on efficacy of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine and that there was no reason to believe that it would work against the U.K. variant of the coronavirus.

C) PM Modi cannot see the pain and struggle of farmers: Sonia Gandhi. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday said a government that ignores public sentiments in a democracy does not remain in power for long and described the Narendra Modi government as the first arrogant regime in independent India that cannot see the pain and struggle of farmers. Ensuring profits for a select few capitalists has become the main agenda of the government, she alleged, and reminded the Centre that democracy means protecting the interest of farmers-workers. On the 39th day of protests at Delhi’s Singhu border, Gandhi said in a statement that the government should shun arrogance and unconditionally repeal the three farm laws to end the agitation. Just like fellow citizens, he is distressed to see the plight of our farmers who are protesting at Delhi’s borders for 39 days in this bone-chilling cold and rains to get their demands accepted, she said. The Congress leader alleged that more than 50 protesting farmers have died because of government apathy while a few ended their lives in protest. And yet it has neither melted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s heart nor did any Minister have a comforting word to say to the families of those who died.

D) Sourav Ganguly’s health improves; tests negative for Covid-19.

A day after he was admitted to a Kolkata hospital after suffering a mild heart attack, BCCI president and former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday showed apparent improvements in his health parameters, with the ECG report in the morning showing no further complications. Ganguly was admitted to Woodlands Hospital on Saturday with chest discomfort, heaviness of head, vomiting, and a spell of dizziness while performing physical exercise in the home gymnasium. The 48-year-old cricket icon suffered a mild heart attack on Saturday and an angioplasty was performed on him later in the evening. A statement by the Woodlands Hospital said Ganguly had tested negative for Covid-19 on Saturday. The hospital statement also added that Ganguly’s family had a history of ischemic heart disease.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) China amends defence law to boost war preparedness. 

China’s President Xi Jinping has signed an order that has amended China’s National Defence Law, giving the Central Military Commission (CMC), which he heads, greater power in mobilising resources to protect a new and broader definition of what constitutes the national interest. The revised regulations on military equipment, which are effective as of January 1, focus on war preparedness and combat capabilities, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, adding that they define the basic tasks, contents and management mechanisms for military equipment work under the new situation and system. The document, which State media said comprised 100 stipulations in 14 chapters, follows the general principle of the CMC exercising overall leadership, theater commands responsible for military operations and the services focusing on developing capabilities. Draft amendments released last year noted that when China’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and security and development interests are under threat. the country can conduct nationwide or local defense mobilisation. The phrase development interests was a new addition to the law, with experts noting this also included the protection of China’s economic activities and assets over. seas, such as those under the Belt and Road Initiative, as a reason for defence mobilisation. The amendment also said China will participate in global security governance, join multilateral security talks and push for and set up a set of international rules that is widely accepted, fair and reasonable, State media reported.

B) ‘Scotland must wait a generation for new vote’. 

Another Scottish independence referendum should not take place for a generation, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, as Scotland’s leader renewed calls for a fresh vote in the wake of Brexit. Referendums in his experience, direct experience, in this country are not particularly jolly events, the Prime Minister told BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. They don’t have a notably unifying force in the national mood, they should be only once in a generation. Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom in 2014. Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon at the time called it a once in a generation vote, but now argues that Britain’s departure from the European Union, which a majority of Scots opposed, has changed the game. Recent polls have shown consistent support for independence.

C) Israel dismisses Iran charge it seeks to trick U.S. into war. 

An Israeli official on Sunday dismissed as nonsense an allegation by the Iranian Foreign Minister that Israel was trying to trick the United States into waging war on Iran. It was Israel that needed to be on alert for possible Iranian strikes on the one year anniversary on Sunday of the assassination of Tehran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Kan public radio. Washington blames Iran backed militia for regular rocket attacks on U.S. facilities in Iraq, including near the U.S. Embassy. No known Iran-backed groups have claimed responsibility. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter: New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans putting an outgoing (President Donald) Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli. Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump. Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs, Mr. Zarifwrote, in what appeared to be a veiled threat against Israel. Mr. Steinitz said the remarks showed that Iran, after mounting U.S. sanctions billed as curbing its nuclear programme and involvement in regional conflict zones, was under pressure -economic pressure, and pressure in terms of national security.

SPORTS NEWS 

A) Possible bubble-breach by Indian cricketers under investigation.

Cricket Australia (CA), in a media release, has said it was probing, jointly with the BCCI, a possible breach of bio-security protocols by members of the Indian Test team currently on tour in Australia. The decision to launch a probe was taken after a video of the players at an indoor restaurant was posted by a fan, who identified himself as Navaldeep Singh on Twitter. Five players : vice-captain Rohit Sharma, opener Shubman Gill, wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, pacer Navdeep Saini, and batsman Prithvi Shaw are under the scanner for the potential bubble breach. But they have not been barred from travelling with the team despite the ongoing investigation. The entire Indian cricket contingent, including these five, will travel together to Sydney for the third Test against Australia in the same chartered flight on Monday. If you carefully read the CA statement, they never said that it’s a breach. They said that they are seeking to determine if it’s a breach. So there is no restriction on these five players travelling with the team to Sydney. The entire team is flying tomorrow afternoon, a senior BCCI official told PTI. It is understood that the controversy has not gone down well with the travelling team and it is not amused with how Cricket Australia has so far handled the issue. Had the gentleman (the fan) in question not lied about hugging a player (Rishabh Pant) on social media, this mess wouldn’t have happened. The players had gone inside because it was drizzling. This guy, without permission, shot a video and then paid the bill which no one asked him to, and after that for publicity put a screen grab of bill, the official said. You want to tell me that Cricket Australia will be taking a decision based on a purported video of a person who first lied and then retracted his statement, he added. For BCCI, the man under scanner is administrative manager Girish Dongre. Dongre is an employee of the BCCI and is supposed to handle and also keep the team abreast of the Covid-19 protocols.