CURRENT AFFAIRS
01 September 2020
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) Former President Pranab Mukherjee passes away.
On 31 August, former President Pranab Mukherjee had passed away. He was 84 years old. The news was announced by his son Abhijit via Twitter. He tweeted that with a heavy heart, he is informing that his father Shri Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away despite the best efforts of the doctors & prayers, duas & Prarthana from people throughout India. He also thanked the people for praying for their father. On 19 August, Pranab Mukherjee had developed a lung infection. He also underwent life-saving emergency surgery for a brain clot on 19 August and was on ventilator support till then. He had also tested positive for Covid-19. The current President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind said that it was the passing of an era. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development of the nation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed condolences on the passing of Pranab Mukherjee. He said that with great sadness, the nation receives the news of the unfortunate demise of our former president Shri Pranab Mukherjee, I join the country in paying homage to him.
B) India’s GDP contracted by 23.9% in the April-June quarter.
The GDP of India has shanked by 23.9% in the April-June quarter because of the novel coronavirus lockdowns which slowed the economy. This is the worst ever performance of the economy since 1996 when India began releasing quarterly figures. This was also worse than any of the biggest economies of the world. Data also showed that manufacturing was in full recession, as output fell by a whopping 39.3% in the June quarter, close on the heels of a 1.4% drop in the previous quarter. It is believed by the analysts that India is on course for its first full-year contraction in 4 decades. On the day the GDP numbers came in, the BSE index fell 839 points (2.13%)to close at 38,628, while the NSE Nifty settled 260 points (2.23%) lower at 11,388.
C) Prashant Bhushan fined ₹1 by Supreme Court for contempt of court.
On 31 August, a 3 Judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Arun Mishra has punished noted civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan with a ₹1 fine for committing criminal contempt with his 2 tweets. The court said that Prashant Bhushan, who was present at the sentencing hearing held via video conference, had to pay the fine by 15 September else he has to face 3 months of simple imprisonment and a 3-year ban on legal practice. He duly paid the fine. He also indicated that he will seek a review of the original judgment that held him guilty of contempt of court. Justice Mishra, who read out the sentencing judgment, said the court had on not 1, but several occasions asked the lawyer to seek apology for his tweets. It had, nonetheless, considered Attorney General K.K. Venugopal’s suggestion to take into account the professional good done by Bhushan. Reacting to the sentencing, Bhushan, said that he will propose to submit himself to this order and will respectfully pay the fine, just as he would have submitted to any other lawful punishment.
D) COVID Watch: Numbers and Developments.
The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 36,79,751 with the death toll at 65,436.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the suspension of scheduled international flights till September 30. However, the international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes. In India, International flights have been barred since March 23. On 31 August, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was discharged from All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, Delhi after treatment. He had been admitted on August 18. West Bengal will observe a complete lockdown on September 7, 11, and 12. A notification in this regard was released today. As per Unlock 4 guidelines issued by the Centre, the Union government has to be consulted before such lockdown decisions. However, the state’s Chief Secretary said that the West Bengal government will go ahead with this lockdown schedule.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) A first commercial flight between Israel and the UAE.
The first historic commercial flight between Israel and the UAE left for Abu Dhabi on 31 August from the Ben-Gurion airport, after few days of normalization of relations between the two countries under U.S. mediation. The flight was carrying a high-level Israeli delegation led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat and a U.S. delegation headed by President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien. On 13 August, Israel and the United Arab Emirates had announced that they were establishing full diplomatic relations by following a U.S.-brokered deal which required Israel to suspend its plan to annex parts of the West Bank. UAE is only the third Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. Egypt and Jordan, are the other two Arab nations that recognize this Jewish state.
B) Another escalation in Ladakh as PLA intrudes again
On 31 August, Chinese troops have carried out aggressive moves to change the status quo on the South Bank of Pangong Tso in an escalation of the ongoing standoff on the border in Ladakh. The army said that the attempts had been thwarted. A Brigade Commander-level flag meeting was in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues. Around 25 PLA soldiers intruding across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were blocked by Indian troops, a defense source said. Around 100 PLA soldiers were also seen below Black Top hill just across the LAC. There was no physical clash. In the wake of this latest confrontation in Ladakh, the Kashmir-Ladakh road has been closed for civilian traffic to ensure that the movement of military vehicles is not disturbed.
C) Norway fund sells Page Industries stake, Cites risk of human rights violation.
The $1 trillion wealth fund of Norway said that it had excluded the Formosa Chemicals and Fiber of Taiwan. Formosa Taffeta and the Page Industries of India said that they had posed an unacceptable risk for the violation of human rights. However, Formosa Chemicals and Fibre have declined the comment. In recent years the fund, that operates under the guidelines established by the Norwegian parliament, has focused on the working conditions in textile factories in Asia. It excludes those companies that can be proved to be an ethical risk to their investments. The fund was set up in 1996 in order to preserve the oil revenues of Norway for future generations. It holds around 1.5% of globally listed shares, its decisions are often followed by other investors. By the end of 2019, NBIM was holding a 0.84% stake in Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, whose value is $144 million. The stake in Page Industries at that time stood at 0.42%, with a market value of $15.4 million.
SPORTS NEWS
A) Anand thrilled with the addition to the medal collection.
One medal was missing from Viswanathan Anand’s collection, the one from the biennial Chess Olympiad. On 30 August, the gold-sharing performance of India in the inaugural FIDE online Olympiad gold has ensured a new addition to the five-time World champion’s trophy cabinet. Mr. Anand thinks that Olympiad is a very special title. He really liked the sensation and the ambiance of winning as part of this team. After a drama which lasts for 2 hours on 30 August, the protest of India over two lost games following internet outage across several nations was upheld and it was declared the joint winner with Russia. Many Indian players, including Anand, congratulated Russia. On his part, skipper Vidit Gujrathi said that it was a great experience to lead a team, featuring Anand and Humpy. He still has the autographs he took of these 2 legends. In the case of juniors, they had to consider their styles before finalizing their line-up.
