NATIONAL NEWS
Bill likely on increasing legal marriage age of women from 18 to 21 years: sources
According to sources, the Central Government has decided to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, bringing on a par with that of men. The Union Cabinet cleared a proposal on Wednesday to bring in uniformity in the marriageable age of men and women, sources said. The Central Government is likely to bring a Bill in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, they said. The proposed Bill may also seek to make consequential changes to various personal laws relating to marriage of various communities to ensure a uniform marriage age, the sources said. As of now, the legal age of women to get married is 18 while that for men is 21. The decision came a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the Government was deliberating on what should be the minimum age for marriage of women. The decision is based on the recommendation of a four-member task force led by former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly.
Akhilesh, uncle Shivpal join forces
After months of uncertainty, the festering rift in the Samajwadi Party between party president Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav has been resolved, forging political unity of the Yadav clan of Saifai ahead of the 2022 elections after three years of acrimony, bitterness and uncertainty. The SP president on Thursday announced that an alliance had been forged between the two after calling on Mr. Shivpal Yadav, who had formed his own party — Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) — after breaking away from Mr. Akhilesh Yadav during 2016-17. Mr. Shivpal Yadav had been opposed to a merger with the SP, party sources said. Had a meeting with the national president of PSP and fixed the matter of alliance, Mr. Akhilesh Yadav said, tweeting a picture with his uncle standing on a staircase while he had his feet on the floor below in what appeared to be a strategic move to showcase his respect for his elder relative. Mr. Akhilesh Yadav said the SP was constantly strengthening the policy of taking along regional parties and marching towards a historic victory. While Mr. Shivpal Yadav is the sole MLA from his party from Jaswant Nagar in the Yadav family bastion of Mainpuri, forging an alliance with him gives a boost to Mr. Akhilesh Yadav’s show of unity ahead of the 2022 elections. It also ensures that there is no division in the political expression of the Yadavs, the core support base of the SP especially in the Etawah-Mainpuri-Kannauj-Firozabad belt where a dissident faction led by Mr. Shivpal Yadav could have hurt the party.
‘Leave it to the BCCI’, says Ganguly, declines to comment on Kohli’s press conference
A day after India Test captain Virat Kohli triggered a storm by publicly contradicting him, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly refused to comment on the matter, saying the Board will deal with it. No statements, no press conference. We will deal with it, leave it to (the) BCCI, Ganguly told the media on Thursday. Kohli, during his pre-departure press conference ahead of the tour of South Africa, said that he was never asked to stay on as T20 skipper when he made his intent clear on relinquishing the post. When I left the T20 captaincy, I had first approached BCCI and intimated them of my decision and laid down my point of view in front of them (office bearers). I gave the reasons why I wanted to quit T20 captaincy and my view point was received very nicely. There was no offence, no hesitation and not for once was I told that ‘you should not leave T20 captaincy’, he had asserted. This was in complete contrast to Ganguly’s assertion a few days back that Kohli had been requested to not quit the position. There was talk of BCCI asking chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma to address the media after Kohli’s explosive press conference but the Board eventually refrained from making any counter statements. Kohli’s comments on Wednesday brought to the fore the underlying tension in his equation with the administrators. Whatever was said about the communication that happened about the decision that was made was inaccurate, Kohli had said with obvious reference to Ganguly’s statement.
Opposition likely to hold mock Parliament
The Opposition parties are likely to hold a mock parliament session under the Mahatma Gandhi statue where 12 suspended MPs have been staging a protest for the last 16 days. Many of the Opposition MPs will play the role of the ruling party, sources say. CPI(M) leader Elamaram Kareem will step into the shoes of Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu while RJD leader Manoj K Jha will be Leader of the House Piyush Goyal. The idea was mooted by Congress Rajya Sabha member Rajamani Patel, who is among the 12 suspended MPs. Our responsibility as a lawmaker does not end just because they have forced us outside the House. Since we are not allowed to do our duty within the House, we will do it outside, he said. At a morning meeting on Thursday, the Opposition leaders decided that instead of raising the issue of suspension in the Upper House, their agitation will be centred around the Government’s reluctance to expel Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra for his alleged involvement in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. At Lakhimpur Kheri, Mr. Ajay Mishra’s son, Ashish Mishra, allegedly drove his SUV into protesting farmers, killing six of them.
No death due to lack of oxygen during COVID-19 second wave: U.P. Government
The Uttar Pradesh Government on Thursday told the legislative council that no death due to lack of oxygen was reported in the State during the second wave of COVID-19, a claim rejected by the Opposition. The Government said the death certificates made no mention of ‘death due to lack of oxygen’ in any of the 22,915 patients that died due to the pandemic. Replying to Congress member Deepak Singh during Question Hour, U.P. Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh said, No death has been reported in the State due to lack of oxygen during the second wave. Raising a supplementary question, Mr. Singh asked whether the Government had details on similar cases that were flagged by its own Ministers. Earlier the Union Health Ministry had also said in the Rajya Sabha that no death in the country had specifically been reported due to medical oxygen shortage in hospitals. No deaths due to the lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by States and Union Territories, the Union Health Ministry had said. During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit India in March this year and reached its peak in May, shortage of medical oxygen was reported from various parts of the country, including Delhi. Several people were also seen crowding outside hospitals to arrange oxygen cylinders for their family members who were suffering from the viral disease.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Foreign Minister of Tajikistan to visit India from December 18 to 20 December 2021
Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan will be on an official visit to India from 18th to 20 December 2021. During his visit, the foreign minister will also meet the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The officials are scheduled to discuss the bilateral, international and regional issues of mutual interest and will also undertake a comprehensive review of the bilateral cooperation. India and Tajikistan have maintained an active exchange of visits. EAM S Jaishankar had visited Tajikistan in 2021 including for a bilateral visit and the participation in the Heart of Asia Conference in March 2021. The upcoming visit will sustain the momentum of high-level exchanges and will further strengthen strategic partnerships between the two nations.
North Korea bans drinking, laughing and grocery shopping for 11 days
In a bizarre move, North Korea has banned its citizens from laughing, drinking, and going grocery shopping for the next 11 days starting from December 17, 2021. Reportedly, the North Korean government authorities have ordered the citizens of the country to not show any signs of happiness. A North Korean from the northeastern border city of Sinuiju stated that in these 11 days in North Korea, the citizens must not drink alcohol, laugh or even engage in leisure activities. As North Korea enters 11 days mourning period from December 17, 2021, to mark the 10th death anniversary of the former North Korean leader, all leisure activities have been banned in the country. North Korean residents are not allowed to go grocery shopping and the offenders will be arrested. Even if a family member passes away during this time period, people will not be allowed to cry out loud and the body must be taken out after it is over. The citizens are also not permitted to celebrate their own birthdays if they fall within these 11 days of mourning. Any violation of ban during the mourning period in North Korea in these 11 days will result in significant consequences. The offenders will be arrested, as happens every year. Reportedly, in the past as well, many people in North Korea who were caught drinking during the mourning period were jailed and were treated as ideological criminals. The people were never seen again. Every year since Kim Jin-Un’s father’s death, he pays his tribute at his father’s memorial. However, this year, the state media did not immediately disclose any form of public activity by the North Korean leader on the morning of December 17, 2021.
