NATIONAL NEWS
Winners of Sahitya Akademi Awards 2021
Punjabi writer Khalid Hussain, Eminent author Namita Gokhale, and TMC MLA Bratya Basu are among the winners of the Sahitya Akademi Award 2021. Sahitya Akademi Award by Sahitya Akademi is a literary honour in India that is conferred on the writers of the most outstanding books.
Income Tax department detects irregularities in two Chinese mobile manufacturing firms
The Income Tax Department on Friday claimed to have detected multiple irregularities on the part of two companies into manufacturing Chinese mobile phones, during the pan-India searches initiated on December 21. In the case of certain foreign-controlled mobile communication and mobile phone manufacturing companies and their associated entities, the searches were carried out in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan, Delhi and its neighbouring cities. “The search has revealed that two major companies have made remittance in the nature of royalty, to and on behalf of its group companies located abroad, which aggregates to more than ₹5,500 crore. The claim of such expenses does not seem to be appropriate in the light of the facts and evidence gathered…,” said the agency. According to the agency, both the companies had not complied with the regulatory mandate under the Income Tax Act, for disclosure of transactions with associated enterprises. “Such a lapse makes them liable for penal action under the Income Tax Act, the quantum of which could be in the range of more than ₹1,000 crore,” it said.
Chinese embassy writes to MPs against supporting Tibetan cause
The Embassy of China has written to a group of parliamentarians asking them to “refrain” from supporting the cause of Tibetan independence. The move, which is being interpreted as a rare and undiplomatic interference, came after six MPs from the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet attended a meeting at a Delhi hotel. “As is known to all, the so-called ‘Tibetan Government-in-Exile’ is an out-and-out separatist political group and an illegal organisation completely in violation of China’s Constitution and laws. It is not recognised by any country in the world,” wrote Zhou Yongsheng, Political Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India. The meeting was attended by Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh and Manish Tewari, BJD’s Sujeet kumar, BJP’s Maneka Gandhi and K.C. Ramamurthy and Union Minister of State for Skill Development, Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar.
Delhi resident doctors strike called off, resume services
Resident doctors in Delhi, who have been protesting over the delay in NEET-PG counselling for two weeks, on Friday called off their strike and resumed services after receiving assurances from the government that their demands would be looked into, their federation said. The stir by the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) was called off at 12 noon, it said in a statement. Doctors Association Members address the media to announce the withdrawl of their protest demonstration demanding to Expedite NEET 2021 – Counselling Process at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on December 31, 2021. FORDA president Dr. Manish Nigam said the agitation was carried out by “overworked and exhausted” doctors, and after getting some assurances from the central government, the strike was called off and doctors resumed work at their respective hospitals.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
South Africa’s Quinton de Kock announces retirement
Quinton de Kock, the former South African captain has announced sudden retirement from Test cricket. The wicket-keeper batsman announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, citing his intentions to spend more time with his growing family.
Omicron crashes global New Year party but South Africa offers hope
The year 2021 was slinking off with farewell celebrations mostly muffled by the pandemic. But good news from South Africa — the first country to pronounce itself past its Omicron wave — brought new hope for a joyous New Year. As the New Year moved from East to West, with New Zealand already into 2022 without the official fireworks in Auckland, thousands of fireworks lit up the sky over Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and Opera House at midnight in a spectacular display. Fireworks were called off over Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, London’s Big Ben and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge as New Year’s Eve celebrations begin in Sydney. The golden ball was due to drop at New York’s Times Square, but the crowd shouting out the countdown of the year’s exit would be a quarter the usual size, masked up, socially distanced and with vaccine papers in hand. South Africa, which first raised the alarm about the new fast-spreading coronavirus variant, gave the world one of the last big good surprises of the year, announcing that the Omicron wave had crested without a huge surge in deaths. It lifted a night time curfew, unexpectedly allowing celebrations to ring in 2022.
