CURRENT AFFAIRS
25 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Farmers’ tractor rally allowed, but with multiple conditions.

At a press conference organised by Delhi Police on Sunday, Special Commissioner of Police Intelligence, Deependra Pathak stated that after several meetings with farmer unions, Delhi Police has come to an in-principle understanding with them regarding the tractor rally on Republic day. It will begin after the Republic Day parade ends on Rajpath. Mr. Pathak said that farmers will not be allowed to enter central Delhi and their presence will be restricted to areas near the city border. Thus, three circular routes from Ghazipur, Singhu, and Tikri borders have been proposed by the Delhi Police. Farmers will be able to take a circular route from the three entry points into the city, which will be approximately 60 kilometres each. There will be high level of security for the rally to ensure that no anti-social elements breach upon the peaceful nature of the protests, he assured. They will work together with the farmers to create a secure environment for the rally. They have faith and trust that the farmers will exit the route from where they entered and will not try to create any confusion within the Capital, said Mr. Pathak. There is a threat perception that some Pakistan-based extremist terror groups are trying to create problems during the farmer rally. They have identified and blocked 308 Pakistan-based Twitter handles after doing a professional analysis on social media over the past few days. Over 100km of the route permitted is within the limits of the National Capital, he added. Authorities estimate that around 12,000-13,000 tractors are present right now at Delhi’s borders and they anticipate the numbers to go up in a short span of time.

B) HAL claims that many countries interested in procuring Tejas aircraft. 

The delivery of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to the Indian Air Force under a ₹48,000-crore deal will begin from March 2024 and around 16 aircraft will be rolled out annually till the completion of the total supply of 83 jets, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited R. Madhavan said on Sunday. In an interview to PTI, Mr. Madhavan also said that a number of countries have shown keen interest in procurement of the Tejas aircraft and that the first export order is likely to come by in the next couple of years. Mr. Madhavan said that Tejas Mark 1A jet has superior performance levels compared to China’s JF-17 combat aircraft as it has a better engine, radar system and electronic warfare suit, besides an edge in the overall technology. The biggest difference, of course, is the air-to-air refueling which is non-existent in the competitor’s plane, he said. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13 approved the ₹48,000-crore deal to procure 73 Tejas Mk-1A variants and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft from the HAL to boost the Indian Air Force’s combat prowess. Giving a break-up of the cost components, Mr. Madhavan said the basic price of the aircraft will be around ₹25,000 crore while Rs.11,000 crore will be used for ground support equipment and other required infrastructure at the bases and around ₹7,000 for basic customs duty and output GST. The HAL chairman said the cost for each fighter version of the aircraft will be ₹309 crore and ₹280 crore for the trainer.

C) Telangana healthcare worker dies four days after getting vaccinated.

A 45-year-old female healthcare worker in Telangana died in the early hours of Sunday, four-days after undergoing vaccination at Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in New Shayampeta, Warangal Urban. This is the second death of a healthcare worker in Telangana who has received the vaccination.The woman received the vaccine on January 19 afternoon. It has come to the notice of the undersigned that she expired in the early hours of January 23, said Telangana’s Director of Public Health Dr. G. Srinivasa Rao. The District Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) committee is examining the matter. Four days ago, a 42-year-old male healthcare worker who received the COVID-19 vaccine in Kuntala Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), Nirmal district, on January 19, was brought dead to a government hospital on Wednesday early morning. Citing preliminary report of Post-mortem Examination on him, senior officials from the State Health department stated that he suffered from Myocardial Infarction. Senior officials from the State Health department said that viscera, body fluids, a part of various organs, collected from him were sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), and National Institute of Virology (NIV)-Pune, to know the cause of his death. The procedure is followed for any AEFI death.

D) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stands at 1,06,61,838 with the death toll at 1,53,497. India took only six days to administer one million COVID-19 vaccine doses, a count which is higher than that of countries like the U.S. and the U.K., the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday as the number of beneficiaries who have received the anti-coronavirus shots inched close to 16 lakh. The U.K. took 18 days whereas the U.S. took 10 days to reach the one million mark, the ministry said. As on January 24, till 8 a.m., nearly 16 lakh (15,82,201) beneficiaries have received COVID-19 vaccination. In a span of 24 hours, close to 2 lakh (1,91,609) people were vaccinated across 3,512 sessions. A total of 27,920 sessions have been conducted so far, the ministry said. India took only 6 days to roll out one million vaccine doses. This count is higher than countries like the U.S. and the U.K.. The U.K. took 18 days whereas U.S.A. took 10 days to reach the one million mark, the ministry highlighted. In a testament to the successful test-track-treat-technology strategy, India continues on its steady trajectory of reporting a sustained downfall in the daily new cases and consequential decline in the active cases, the ministry underlined.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) India, China hold ninth round of Corps Commander-level talks.

The ninth round of Corps Commander talks between India and China are underway on Sunday at Moldo border personnel meeting point on the Chinese side opposite Chushul in Eastern Ladakh as both sides attempt to work out a phased disengagement and de-escalation plan to end the nine-month-long standoff. A defence official said that the talks began at Moldo at 10 a.m. Officials said a broad disengagement plan had been worked out but had been held up over some specific issues. Both sides would attempt to work that out at the talks, a second official said. This was the reason for the delay in scheduling the ninth round of talks. The eighth round of talks were held on November 6 last year. It has to be a comprehensive disengagement plan beginning with all friction point in Eastern Ladakh and then de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control, the second official said referring to China’s insistence for discussions centred around South Bank of Pangong Tso first and take up other friction areas later. Officials have stated on several occasions that any withdrawal will be phased and will take time, given the large number of troops and equipment deployed by both sides and also verify compliance on the ground by the Chinese side at each step. The talks are guided by the five-point-plan for disengagement and de-escalation agreed between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10 last year.

B) Vaccinated people may still translate COVID-19, U.K. health official warns.

One of England’s leading medical officers on Sunday urged the public to continue to follow the strict lockdown rules because any vaccine-related immunity from COVID-19 takes at least three weeks to kick in. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, also warned that there is no clear evidence yet to show that vaccinated people cannot transmit the deadly virus on to others. Regardless of whether someone has had their vaccination or not, it is vital that everyone follows the national restrictions and public health advice, as protection takes up to three weeks to kick in and we don’t yet know the impact of vaccines on transmission, said Prof. Van-Tam. His warning comes as the UK registered another high daily death toll from the virus of 1,348 this weekend, taking the country’s total to 97,329.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
24 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Farmers claim Delhi police nod for tractor parades.

The Delhi Police on Saturday gave permission to protesting farmer unions to hold their tractor parades on January 26 in the national capital, farmer leaders claimed. The tractor parades will start from the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri border points of Delhi, but details will be finalised tonight, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said after attending a meeting between the unions and the police. Mr. Kohar claimed that the Delhi Police has given its nod for the same. Talking to reporters, another farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni said that as thousands of farmers will participate in the parade, there will be no single route. Farmer leader Darshan Pal said that barricades set up at Delhi border points, will be removed on January 26 and farmers will take out tractor rallies after entering the national capital. While some former government officials had expressed concern that the protests could turn violent, the leaders said they would remain peaceful. The 11th round of talks between government officials led by Agricultural minister Narendra Singh Tomar and forty farm leaders earlier on Friday was inconclusive. Farmers stuck to their demands while the government urged them to consider its offer to hold discussions to address their concerns after deferring the laws.

B) India to continue ban on Chinese apps including Tik Tok. 

The government has sent notices to Chinese apps, including Tiktok, that the order to block them will be continued. The notice has been issued by the Ministry of Electronics and IT after reviewing replies of blocked apps, according to a source who did not wish to be identified. When contacted, Tiktok confirmed to have received a reply from the government. They are evaluating the notice and will respond to it as appropriate. TikTok was among the first companies to comply with the Government of India directive issued on June 29, 2020. They continually strive to comply with local laws and regulations and do their best to address any concerns the government may have. Ensuring the privacy and security of all their users remains to be their topmost priority, a TikTok spokesperson said. The government has sent notices to Chinese apps, including Tiktok, that the order to block them will be continued.The government has sent notices to Chinese apps, including Tiktok, that the order to block them will be continued. The government had blocked 59 Chinese apps in June and 118 more apps, including PUBG mobile game, in September, 2020. The Ministry of Information Technology had blocked the apps under section 69A of the Information Technology Act after learning that the apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.

C) Why not four rotating capitals for India?, asks Mamata. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday questioned why India should have only one capital at Delhi and suggested that there should be four rotating capitals in different parts of the country. The Chief Minister made the proposal while addressing a gathering after participating in a road show to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Why shouldn’t Kolkata be the capital of the country he was saying this because of their contribution to the freedom struggle. He will again urge the Centre that India should have four capitals one in south, one in north, one in east and in northeastern and Sudip-da (Leader of the Trinamool Congress in Lok Sabha Sudip Banerjee) you should demand that Parliament sessions be held in a rotating manner in each of the four places, Ms. Banerjee said. The Chief Minister said that they are not parochial, they are saying it for everyone, asking why a capital should not come up in the south at Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Karnataka, in the north at Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan and similarly in the east in Kolkata. Later in the day while participating at another event to honour Netaji at the Victoria Memorial along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister expressed her annoyance to slogans being raised at the venue. Among the slogans were cries of Jai Shri Ram! He think that government programmes should have a dignity. It is not a programme organised by a political party. He is thankful to the Prime Minister and Ministry of Culture for holding the event here in Kolkata, the Chief Minister said.

D) Vijay Mallya applies for ‘another route’ to stay in the U.K.

Vijay Mallya has applied to Home Secretary Priti Patel for another route to be able to stay in the U.K., the liquor tycoon’s barrister representing him in bankruptcy proceedings in the High Court in London confirmed during a remote hearing on January 22. The 65-year-old businessman, whose legal challenge to the Indian government’s extradition request was turned down at the Supreme Court level in the U.K. last year, remains in Britain on bail until Ms. Patel signs off on the order for him to be extradited to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering related to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The U.K. Home Office has so far only confirmed that a legal process remains ongoing before the extradition order can be executed. This had raised widespread speculation that Mallya had sought asylum in the U.K., details of which are neither confirmed nor denied by the Home Office in Britain while an application is pending.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Iconic television and radio host Larry King passes away.

Veteran television and radio host Larry King died on Saturday at the age of 87. An official statement on his Twitter said he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The statement did not mention how he died, but reports earlier this month said that King had tested positive for the coronavirus. For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster, the statement read. Additionally, while it was his name appearing in the show’s titles, Larry always viewed his interview subjects as the true stars of his programs, and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience. U.S. television host Larry King had been battling COVID-19 for weeks and had suffered several health problems in recent years. A longtime nationally syndicated radio host, from 1985 through 2010 he was a nightly fixture on CNN, where he won many honors, including two Peabody awards. His CNN show Larry King Live, which ran from 1985 to 2010 made him a household name. In 2011, he received an Emmy award for lifetime achievement, a year after he announced his retirement. As per the Associated Press, King conducted an estimated 50,000 on-air interviews. In 1995 he presided over a Middle East peace summit with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. He welcomed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Elizabeth Taylor, from Mikhail Gorbachev to Barack Obama, Bill Gates to Lady Gaga.

B) Taiwan reports Chinese air incursions.

Eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets entered the southwestern corner of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone on Saturday, and Taiwan’s Air Force deployed missiles to monitor the incursion, the island’s Defence Ministry said. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has conducted almost daily flights over the waters between the southern part of Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea in recent months. However, they have generally consisted of just one or two reconnaissance aircraft. The presence of so many Chinese combat aircraft on this mission Taiwan said it was made up of eight nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and four J-16 fighter jets is unusual. A map provided by Taiwan’s Defence Ministry showed that the Chinese aircraft, which also included a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew over the same waters where the most recent Chinese missions have been taking place near the Pratas Islands, though still well away from mainland Taiwan. Taiwan’s Air Force warned away the Chinese aircraft and deployed missiles to monitor them, the Ministry added, using standard wording for how it responds to such activities. Airborne alert sorties had been tasked, radio warnings issued and air defence missile systems deployed to monitor the activity, it said in a brief statement. There was no immediate comment from China. In the past China has said it has been carrying out exercises to defend the country’s sovereignty and security. Beijing has watched with growing concern increasing U.S. support for democratic Taiwan. The flight by the Chinese bombers and fighters on Saturday came just days after Joe Biden assumed the U.S. presidency.

C) Indonesia makes room for an Indian hero.

Tucked away inside the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi is a special room one that has been built in recognition of the nation’s freedom struggle from Dutch colonialism 74 years ago, and named, unusually, for an Indian leader, Biju Patnaik. The former Chief Minister of Odisha, who was a skilled pilot, flew several missions in 1947 to transport Indonesian leaders, including the nation’s tallest leader, President Sukarno, Vice-President Hatta and Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir out of Indonesia, at grave risk to himself. They wanted to build a living memorial that would not just be a museum, so they decided that their meeting and videoconference room would be named the Bjiu Patnaik Room, says Hanafi, the Cultural and Social Counsellor at the Embassy, who helped execute the project that was completed by Indonesian Ambassador Sidhartho Suryodipuro this month, before he ended his tenure in Delhi. On the walls of the Biju Patnaik room are photographs, newspaper clippings and letters that document Mr. Patnaik’s secret assignments to fly out the Indonesian leaders, as well as his relations with the Indonesian leadership. Eventually, Indonesia won back its freedom. In 1950, President Sukarno was the chief guest at India’s first Republic Day, and India Indonesia ties remained strong for the next decade. A letter in the Patnaik room also tells the tale of how relations between the two countries soured after Indonesia didn’t support India in the 1962 war with China.  Relations were revived only decades later, when in 2005, India and Indonesia signed a Strategic Partnership agreement; military exchanges and trade ties have grown since. The newly-inaugurated Patnaik room, is a reminder not only of the historical bonds between the two countries, but the imperative of keeping ties strong in the present as well, diplomats at the Embassy say.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
23 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Farmers’ protests: No date set for next meeting as talks end yet again in deadlock.

The government’s negotiations with protesting farm unions hit a roadblock today as the farmer leaders stuck to their demands for a complete repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP, while the Centre insisted that they consider its proposal for putting the Acts on hold for 12-18 months. Unlike the previous 10 rounds of talks, the 11th round could not even reach a decision on the next date for the meeting as the government also hardened its position, saying it is ready to meet again once the unions agree to discuss the suspension proposal. This followed a climb down made by the Centre during the last round, when they offered to suspend the laws and form a joint committee to find solutions. According to one of the union leaders, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar ended the meeting by saying that there was no deficiency in the law, but the Centre had still made a proposal respecting the farmers. Yet the farmers had been unable to take a decision. At the end of the meeting, the Agriculture Minister told us that this is the government’s best proposal, and they had nothing further to offer, said Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch leader Kavitha Kuruganti after a meeting that lasted more than four hours, but only had Ministers and union leaders in the same room for about 20 minutes. Tomar said the farmer unions have been asked to revert by Saturday if they agree to the government’s proposal for putting the laws on hold and forming a joint committee to reach a solution, after which the talks can continue. All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leader P. Krishnaprasad said that one of the reasons that they decided to reject the government’s proposal was that they received legal advice that the Centre had no power to stay or suspend a law passed by Parliament. Lawyers told the AIKS that the government could ask the Supreme Court to stay the implementation of laws, or take them back to Parliament and get a repeal law enacted. Only Parliament could either amend or repeal a law. The legal advice received was that the government proposal to suspend the law for 18 months had no legal validity, he said.

B) Bihar Police make ‘offensive’ social media posts against govt a cyber crime. 

Bihar is set to witness action under cyber crime law against individuals and organisations for offensive comments against the government, its officials, ministers, MPs, MLAs and officials. Nayyar Hasnain Khan, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Economic Offences Wing, which also handles cyber crimes, said in a letter written on January 21 to all Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of departments, It has regularly been coming to light that certain persons and organisations have been making offensive comments through social media and Internet against government, honourable ministers, MPs, MLAs and government officials as well, which is against prescribed law and comes under cyber crime laws. For this act, it seems appropriate to take action against such organisations and individuals. He further stated that you all are requested to inform the Economic Offences Wing with details about any such act so that suitable legal action could be taken against those organisations/individuals after investigation. Reacting to the move, Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav dared Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to send him to jail under the new cyber law for exposing the wrongdoings of the government on social media. On social media, Yadav said, as many as 60 scams happened during Nitish Kumar’s regime. Nitish Kumar is Bhishm Pitamah of corruption, patron of hardened criminals, and weak head of an illegal and immoral government. He also tweeted to say that the police in Bihar sell liquor and save criminals while implicating innocent people. RJD leader and party spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said that this government has become intolerant towards criticism by the media and other people. It’s an arbitrary move and a sign of nervousness, and we’ll oppose such a move by the government. Subsequently, the State police said that constructive criticism is welcome and only those posts on social media which spread rumours and use offensive and defamatory languages would be targeted under relevant cyber laws.

C) Congress to get new party president in June; CWC demands JPC into Arnab WhatsApp chats.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday deferred a decision to elect a new party president until June, even as it adopted three resolutions, including one demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into Republic TV promoter Arnab Goswami’s WhatsApp chats. Explaining the reason for the delay, party general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala said though the central election authority had suggested May, it was deferred in the wake of Assembly elections to Assam, Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Another issue that needed clarity was whether the election of CWC members (12 out of 25 are meant to be elected) should be held along with the party president or later, once the new President took charge, Venugopal said. The other two resolutions were about backing farmers’ organisations in the ‘decisive’ fight against the farm laws, and expressing gratitude to scientists for developing Covid-19 vaccine in record time. In her opening remarks to the CWC, party president Sonia Gandhi touched upon all the issues that were adopted as resolutions and accused the government of a deafening silence over the WhatsApp chats. Referring to the ongoing talks between the Centre and farmers, she said that the agitation of farmers continues and the government has shown shocking insensitivity and arrogance going through the charade of consultations.

D) Bengal Forest Minister Rajib Banerjee resigns.

West Bengal Forest Minister Rajib Banerjee on Friday resigned from the Cabinet. He regret to inform us that he hereby tender his resignation from his office as Cabinet Minister being in charge of Forest Department on today, i.e on 22 January 2021, read his resignation letter sent to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee is the third to resign from the Council of Ministers in the past two months. Former Trinamool heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, who held several portfolios, including Transport, resigned from the Cabinet in December 2020 and joined the BJP. Former Indian cricketer and Sports Minister Laxmi Ratan Shukla resigned a few weeks ago but has not cleared speculations about his political future. Banerjee has been going public with his differences with the party over the past few months. Not only was he absent from several Cabinet meetings but also spoke out against favouritism in the party. On January 16, he took to social media, saying he was going through a test of patience. He had told sources close to him that he would remain active in politics. Speculations are rife that he will join the BJP. BJP State president Dilip Ghosh said Banerjee was still a Trinamool MLA and he should quit the party before joining the BJP. Over the past few months, about 10 MLAs have left the Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Trump impeachment article to be sent to Senate on Monday.

Donald Trump will go on trial in the U.S. Senate soon after a fresh impeachment case against the former President is transmitted on Monday by the House of Representatives, top lawmakers announced. The House impeached the Republican leader for a historic second time on January 13, just one week before he left office. After days of declining to say when she would send the article of impeachment to the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, made her announcement on Friday.  The article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection by Donald Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday, January 25, she said in a statement. Ms. Pelosi has appointed nine House members as impeachment managers, who she said are ready to begin to make their case to 100 Senate jurors through the trial process. The managers are to formally transmit the article, a step which according to Senate rules swiftly transforms the chamber into a court of impeachment. Chuck Schumer, the new Democratic Senate Majority Leader, said on Friday in a floor speech that he had spoken with Ms. Pelosi who informed him of Monday’s proceedings. A trial will be held in the United States Senate and there will be a vote whether to convict the President, Mr. Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor. Mr. Trump was impeached on a single charge of incitement of insurrection for his role in whipping up his supporters during a speech in Washington on January 6, the day a proTrump mob stormed Congress and threatened the lives of lawmakers and then Vice-President Mike Pence. Five people died in the violence, including a police officer. Most modern-day Senate trials have begun within a day or two of receipt of the articles of impeachment. Transmitting the articles to the Senate the start of the trial, unless a consent agreement on timing between Mr. Schumer and the Senates top Republican, Mitch McConnell is reached. 

B) Russia begins crackdown on Navalny allies ahead of protests. 

The Russian authorities on Friday cracked down on allies of jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and jailed his spokeswoman for nine days as the police vowed to suppress protests this weekend. Allies of President Vladimir Putin’s top critics are planning to hold demonstrations on Saturday in dozens of cities in support of the opposition politician, who was arrested and held behind bars on his return to Russia following a near-fatal poisoning with a nerve agent. The last time major protests took place in Moscow was in the summer of 2019, and the Saturday rallies are expected to be a major test of the opposition’s ability to mobilise support despite the increasing Kremlin pressure and the coronavirus pandemic. Police said unsanctioned public events will be immediately suppressed, as key opposition activists were detained on the eve of the rallies. Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, 31, who spent the night in detention, was sentenced to nine days in jail for violating legislation on public gatherings after a hearing that lasted less than five minutes, her lawyer Veronika Polyakova said. Another activist, Georgy Alburov, said he expected to be jailed for 10 days. Key Navalny ally Lyubov Sobol is accused of repeatedly violating legislation on public gatherings, which carries a maximum fine of up to rubles ($4,000), her lawyer Vladimir Voronin said. A number of Mr. Navalny’s associates were detained in the province.

C) Islamic State claims twin blasts in Baghdad. 

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rare suicide attack that rocked central Baghdad, killing 32 people and wounding dozens. The bombing targeted apostate Shias, the group said in a statement on an ISaffiliated website late on Thursday. U.S. troops withdrawal At least 32 people were killed and over 100 people wounded in the blasts on Thursday. Some were in a serious condition. According to officials, the first suicide bomber cried out loudly that he was ill in the middle of the bustling market, prompting a crowd to gather around him and that’s when he detonated his explosive belt. The second detonated shortly after. The U.S.-led coalition recently ceased combat activities and is gradually drawing down its troop presence in Iraq, sparking fears of an IS resurgence. The group has rarely been able to penetrate the capital since being dislodged by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition in 2017. The attack was the first in nearly three years to hit the capital. Elsewhere, in northern Iraq and the western desert, attacks continue and almost exclusively target Iraqi security forces. An increase in attacks was seen last summer as militants took advantage of the government’s focus on tackling the pandemic.

D) China hits out at EU over ‘gross interference’

China on Friday hit back at an EU resolution condemning its crackdown on Hong Kong democracy activists, accusing European lawmakers of gross interference in its governance of the city. Members of the European Parliament on Thursday passed the resolution calling for targeted sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials held responsible for recent arrests of activists. The lawmakers also said they regret the handling of a landmark investment deal with China pending ratification by MEPs, saying that talks over the deal should have been seized as a leverage tool aimed at preserving Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, as well as its basic rights and freedoms. But Beijing struck back on Friday and urged EU lawmakers to face up to the reality that Hong Kong has returned to China. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the resolution showed that some MEPs had confused right and wrong and engaged in gross interference in the affairs of China’s Hong Kong. The European Parliament should stop any form of meddling, Ms. Hua said at a regular press briefing. Following pro-democracy protests in 2019, Beijing imposed a draconian national security law that effectively criminalized much dissent in a city.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
22 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Farmer unions likely to reject government proposal of suspending agri laws for 18 months.

Rakesh Tikait, who heads one faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), said that the farm unions have decided to reject the government’s proposal. They don’t want a suspension of the three laws just for 1.5 years. They want a full repeal, Tikait told. However, a spokesperson for the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) emphasised that the joint leadership meeting is still ongoing, and no final decision has been taken yet. At the tenth round of talks on Wednesday, the Centre had offered to suspend three contentious farm reform laws for one and a half years, and asked the unions to return with a response on Friday. Asked if the unions would be more willing to accept the proposal if the government offered a longer suspension, of three years or more, Tikait said it would not make any difference. Suspension is not the same as repeal. Our demand has always been that the laws should be repealed, he said. He also added that the farmers’ demands went beyond the fate of the three laws and also included a legal guarantee for minimum support prices, which the government has not been willing to discuss. All the unions are agreed on this. You will see when we tell the government in the meeting tomorrow, said Tikait, who is leading a group of farmers, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, protesting on the Ghazipur border. Leaders from BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) added that they were also not in favour of accepting the government’s proposal. Suspending the laws for a year or for a year and a half would cost the farmers dearly and the sword will keep hanging on them in the same way, said BKU-EU secretary Shingara Singh Mann, in a statement issued from the Tikri border. The government resorted to the Supreme Court to delay things under the absurd pretext of suspending the laws for a year and a half, but all the farmers of the country, under the leadership of the farmer’s organisations, are determined to fight till the laws are repealed. Additionally, the farmers demand to make MSP a legal right, said the BKU-EU statement. Mann added that preparations for a proposed tractor parade on January 26 in Delhi were going on in full swing in Punjab and Haryana. The parade will be a peaceful exhibition of unity on Republic Day, he said.

B) Rajiv Gandhi assassination case | Tamil Nadu Governor will decide on release of convicts in 3, 4 days. 

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit would take a decision in the next three or four days on the State government’s recommendation to release seven convicts, including A.G. Perarivalan, who is undergoing life imprisonment for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court on Thursday. The State Cabinet made its recommendation regarding all the seven convicts on September 9, 2018, Additional Advocate General of Tamil Nadu Balaji Srinivasan confirmed. The recommendation to remit their life sentences was advised by the Tamil Nadu Cabinet under Article 161 of the Constitution. The Governor will decide on the Cabinet’s recommendation as per the provisions of the Constitution in three or four days, Mehta, appearing for the Governor, informed a three-judge Bench led by Justice L. Nageswara Rao. Mehta’s submission came at the beginning of the court’s second day of hearing of a petition filed by Perarivalan, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and advocate Prabu Ramasubramanian, highlighting the long delay on the part of the Governor in deciding on the Cabinet recommendation. Other than Perarivalan, the other convicts are Nalini, Murugan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Ravichandran and Robert Pyas. On Wednesday, Justice Rao termed the Governor’s delay as extraordinary. The Bench, too, noted how a decision was not forthcoming despite the State government’s recommendation. The turn of events came as a surprise, as Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, for the Centre, had argued on Wednesday that the pleas for pardon and release should go to the President instead of the Governor. The Centre had, for the first time, raised the point about the Governor’s power to grant remission to Perarivalan under Article 161 in November last. But Sankaranarayanan had consistently argued that a convict was free to choose between the President and the Governor for pardon.

C) Five dead after major fire hits Serum Institute of India plant in Pune. 

Five people have lost their lives to a major fire which erupted in an under-construction building of vaccine manufacturing major Serum Institute of India (SII)’s Gopal Patti plant in Pune on Thursday afternoon. Five charred bodies have been recovered from the building where fire broke out in afternoon. The fire is completely under control, said Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope. The fire broke out at around 2 pm in a newly constructed building. Work pertaining to rotavirus plant installation was underway. The fire was caused due to a welding spark, while inflammable material aggravated the fire. At least five fire tenders and three water tankers were rushed to the spot. It took about two-three hours to douse the fire. When authorities walked inside, five bodies were found, said Tope, adding that authorities would give updates on more casualties as and when information was received. It is believed that the five deceased were labourers, said Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol. Tope further said that the Covishield vaccine storage was far from the blaze and not been harmed by the fire. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has directed the authorities to ascertain the cause of the blaze.

D) Study predicts sharp spike in child mortality and stunting post-Covid-19. 

An additional 93 lakh children under five are likely to suffer from wasting, and 26 lakh more from stunting, while an estimated 1.68 lakh kids (under five years old) could die in the first three years of the post Covid-19 world, says a new study. The paper is an assessment of the combined effects of economic, food and health systems disruptions on multiple forms of maternal and child under-nutrition between 2020 and 2022. The study is authored by Saskia Osendarp from Micronutrient Forum, Jonathan Akuoku from World Bank, Robert Black, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Lawrence Haddad from Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, among others. It provides projections for three scenarios: optimistic, moderate and pessimistic. The study suggests that under a moderate scenario, a large chunk of the 1.68 lakh additional deaths are likely to be in South Asia (38,900) and Sub-Saharan Africa (57,200). The moderate scenario further estimates that an additional 2.1 million pregnant women will develop anemia in 118 countries in 2020-2022, compared to 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic has created a nutritional crisis in LMICs [Lower Middle Income Countries]. Without swift and strategic responses by sub-national, national, regional, and international actors, Covid-19 will reverse years of progress and exacerbate disparities in disease, malnutrition, and mortality, and jeopardise human capital development and economic growth for the next generation, observed the study, urging countries to remain committed to investing in nutrition.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) China defends new village in Arunachal Pradesh amid border construction push. 

China on Thursday said its construction of a village across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh was beyond reproach because it had never recognised Arunachal. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said earlier this week it was aware of the construction along the LAC. This followed a report showing satellite images of the village, built between November 2019 and November 2020 and located a couple of kilometres across the LAC, beyond what India sees as the border separating Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet, on the banks of Tsari Chu river in Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal. Indian officials said this area has been under Chinese control since 1959. There are close to two dozen spots along the entire length of the LAC in all sectors where India and China do not agree on its alignment. Indian officials said China had earlier built a permanent construction of military barracks in this area. The construction of the village has been seen by analysts as a move to bolster China’s claim to the area, and part of a broader recent push by China to build civilian settlements in disputed frontier areas, which it has also done with Bhutan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday said at a press briefing, to a question about the construction, that China’s position on Zangnan [or South Tibet, as China refers to Arunachal] region is consistent and clear. They never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh, spokesperson Hua Chunying said. China’s development and construction activities within our own territory is normal. This is beyond reproach as it is in our territory. The site of the village is close to where China had attacked an Assam Rifles post in 1959, in what is known as the Longju incident, said south India-based Tibet scholar Claude Arpi. He said it is at least 2 km south of the McMahon Line, which China doesn’t recognise. After the 1962 war, India stopped patrolling the area. Arpi said the construction appeared to be part of a programme by China to build what it calls poverty alleviation villages. He estimates that under the initiative, launched after a Tibet economic work conference in 2015, some 600 villages have been built, of which around 100 are in border areas.

B) China calls for ‘better angels’ to prevail in reset with Biden’s U.S.

China on Thursday congratulated U.S. President Joe Biden on his inauguration and called for a reset in relations between Beijing and Washington after a corrosive period of diplomacy under Donald Trump. Beijing also welcomed news that the U.S. would rejoin the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accord. The ever-antagonistic Mr. Trump harangued China over trade, rights, the origins of the COVID-19 virus, tech and defence supremacy, prompting angry near-daily jousts between both countries’ diplomats. The new U.S. President is expected to remain tough on the superpower rival but soften the tone and commit to international cooperation after Mr. Trump’s divisive America First approach. With cooperation from both sides, the better angels in China-U.S. relations will beat the evil forces, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. She said Mr. Biden had used the word unity several times in his inauguration speech, and that it was precisely what is needed currently in U.S.-China relations. The recent period has indeed been especially difficult, she added. Beijing also sanctioned former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, more than two dozen advisers and ex-officials in the former President’s administration. The officials and their family members will be prohibited from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the Foreign Ministry said. Over the past few years the Trump administration, especially Pompeo, has buried too many mines in U.S. China relations that need to be eliminated, burned too many bridges that need to be built, and destroyed too many roads that need to be repaired, said Ms. Hua.

C) Google, French press ink copyright payments deal.

Google and French newspapers said on Thursday they had signed an agreement aimed at opening the path to digital copyright payments from the online giant after months of heated negotiations. The accord signed with the APIG alliance of French dailies involves neighbouring rights, which call for payment for showing news content with Internet searches, a joint statement said. It said the agreement sets a framework for Google to negotiate individual licence agreements with newspapers on the payments and will give papers access to its new News Showcase programme, which sees it pay publishers for a selection of enriched content. Payments are to be calculated individually and will be based on criteria including internet viewing figures and the amount of information published. APIG head Pierre Louette said the deal amounts to the effective recognition of neighbouring rights for the press and the start of their remuneration by digital platforms for the use of their publications online. News outlets struggling with dwindling print subscriptions have long seethed at Google’s failure to give them a cut of the millions it makes from ads displayed alongside news search results.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
21 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Won’t disallow farmers’ tractor rally, says SC.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde on Wednesday told the government that it was both improper and irregular for the Supreme Court to disallow any rally by protesting farmers on Republic Day. It is irregular and improper for this court to disable any rally. It is for the police to decide. They will allow them to withdraw. They are the executive of the country. They decide, said Chief Justice Bobde, heading a three-judge Bench. He was addressing Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who were appearing for the government. The CJI’s remarks were in response to a submission by Mehta to adjourn the hearing on a government plea to bar farmers from holding rallies to disrupt Republic Day celebration. Mehta submitted consider hearing it on January 25. Let us see how the situation develops.  Farm unions welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision. This is a win for the farmers said Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh spokesperson Abhimanyu Kohar. In this decision, by asking the Delhi Police to withdraw their application for an injunction against the parade, he think that in one way, the Supreme Court is saying that this is the fundamental and constitutional right of the farmers to stage a peaceful protest, and it is now up to the government to decide. He was speaking just before entering Vigyan Bhavan for the 10th round of talks. Meanwhile, at the end of the 10 round of talks, early reports indicate that the Centre has offered to submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court that it will suspend the laws for a mutually-agreed period of up to 1.5 years, and in the interim, have a committee look into the farmers’ demands. The unions have said they want a full repeal, but will discuss the government’s proposal among themselves tomorrow before responding.

B) CJI lashes out at media coverage of SC-appointed committee.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad (CJI) A. Bobde said it had become almost a cultural thing to brand people as he lashed out at articles suggesting bias on the part of members of an expert committee constituted by the Supreme Court to intercede between the protesting farmers and the government. The committee members are brilliant minds in the field of agriculture. Branding of people whom you do not want, this has become almost like a cultural thing. You malign people’s reputation and then you say the court is interested in these people . He is sorry that these kinds of opinions are appearing in the press, he said. There was criticism in social media and articles in newspapers over the court’s choice of members for the committee constituted on January 12. The court said the reputation of the members have been torn to shreds. The committee had been given no power to decide on the farm laws. They have been constituted only to hear out the farmers. They  formed the committee only to hear the farmers’ grievances and submit a report to the court. They were given no adjudicatory powers. So, where is the question of bias here? If they don’t want to appear before the committee, don’t. But why cast aspersions on the court and brand people? They did not want to intervene, but they did so only for the sake of the common people and the farmers, Chief Justice of India Bobde said. Newspaper reports do not decide disputes in court, he pointed out. They are adjudicating the dispute. Are they going to read newspapers and decide disputes? Public opinions cannot be used to determine court proceedings, he said.

C) Supreme Court dismisses Aadhaar review petitions. 

The Supreme Court, in a majority view, dismissed a series of petitions seeking a review of its 2018 judgment upholding the Lok Sabha Speaker’s certification of Aadhaar law as a Money Bill and its subsequent passage in Parliament. However, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud dissented with the majority, saying the Aadhaar review petitions should be kept pending. The Bench sat in review on January 11 in their chambers. The decision, however, was published on Wednesday. Two questions had come up for review regarding the five-judge Aadhaar Bench’s judgment in 2018. One, whether the Speaker’s decision to declare a proposed law as Money Bill was final and cannot be challenged in court. The second, whether the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, was correctly certified as a ‘Money Bill’ under Article 110(1) of the Constitution. On the first question, the majority judgment in 2018 said the Speaker’s decision could be challenged in court only under certain circumstances. On the second, it concluded that the Aadhaar Act was rightly called a Money Bill. Justice Chandrachud, who was on the Bench, had dissented on the second conclusion in 2018. Two years later, marking his dissent again on January 11, Justice Chandrachud differed with the four other judges on the Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar. This time, he said that another five-judge Bench in a separate case, Rojer Mathew vs South Indian Bank Ltd., in November 2019, had questioned the conclusions arrived at by the Aadhaar Bench and referred the issues to a seven-judge Bench for an authoritative take. He said the Review Bench should hence wait for the seven-judge Bench, which has not yet been constituted, to take a call. The review petitions should be kept pending for the time being. Dismissing the Aadhaar review even before the seven-judge Bench got a chance to apply its mind and arrive at a verdict would amount to judicial indiscipline and have adverse consequences, Justice Chandrachud noted in his dissent. However, the majority on the Review Bench refused to budge and dismissed the review pleas, arguing that a change in the law or subsequent decision/judgment of a coordinate or larger Bench by itself cannot be regarded as a ground for review.

D) PM to chair all-party meeting of floor leaders ahead of Budget session. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair an all-party meeting of floor leaders in Parliament on January 30, a day after the Budget session of Parliament commences. While it is customary for such a meeting to be held before the session begins, with the government putting forward its legislative agenda for the session and holding a discussion with the Opposition on the issues to be taken up, this time around it will be held a day after the session commences. The meeting will be held on January 30 where the government will present its legislative agenda for the session and also listen to what the Opposition leaders would like to discuss, said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. He said invitations were being sent out for the virtual meet. The first part of the session will commence on January 29 and end on February 15, with the second part commencing on March 8 to continue till April 8. The Budget will be presented on February 1.

E) HC grants transit anticipatory bail to ‘Tandav’ director, Amazon content head and others. 

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted a transit pre-arrest bail to Ali Abbas Zafar, director of the web series Tandav, Amazon Prime India content head Aparna Purohit, producer Himanshu Mehra, and the show’s writer Gaurav Solanki, PTI reported. All four of them have a case registered against them in Lucknow for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through the web series. Justice P D Naik granted the relief to the four for a period of three weeks to enable them to approach the concerned court at Lucknow where the FIR against them is registered. Earlier in the day, a four-member team of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrived in Mumbai to conduct a probe into the case registered in Lucknow, an official said. The UP Police team is likely to record statements of the makers and cast and crew of the show.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Biden plans to issue 15 executive orders on Day 1.

As Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America, and Kamala Harris as the country’s first woman Vice-President, he plans to immediately begin undoing President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration, climate change, and other issues on Wednesday with at least 15 executive actions, including moves to reverse U.S. withdrawals from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organisation, and stop the construction of a border wall. Biden will also sign orders revoking a permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, imposing a mask mandate on federal property to combat the coronavirus pandemic, and ending Trump’s travel ban against some predominantly Muslim and African countries. Biden’s aides said he’ll sign more Day One executive actions than any of his predecessors, to be followed by additional regulatory and policy changes over the coming weeks.

B) Israel rights group breaks taboo with ‘apartheid’ tag.

An Israeli non-governmental organisation has accused the Jewish state of apartheid in its treatment of Palestinians a taboo breaking move that has seen its representatives banned from speaking in schools. B’Tselem said it carefully weighed its decision to use the hugely emotive phrase but concluded that it was an accurate description of Israel’s attitude both to residents of the occupied Palestinian territories and to its own Arab citizens. They cannot avoid the conclusion that it is a regime that is working to advance and cement the supremacy of one group of people Jews over Palestinians, B’Tselem chief Hagai el-Ad said. That is the textbook definition of an apartheid regime, he added. He agree that it is a strong word but they are not using it lightly. Israel occupied the West Bank, including Arab east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the Six-Day War of 1967. Now, it is home to at least five million Palestinians defined by the United Nations as living under Israeli occupation. Arab Israelis Palestinians who stayed on their land following the Jewish state’s creation in 1948 and their descendants make up about 20% of Israel’s roughly nine million people. By law they have rights equal to those of Jewish citizens, but they say that in practice they suffer discrimination in employment, housing, policing and other essentials.