NATIONAL NEWS
Govt likely to table cryptocurrency bill in winter session of Parliament
The central government is likely to introduce a bill on cryptocurrencies during the winter session of Parliament beginning November 29, amid concerns over such currencies being allegedly used for luring investors with misleading claims and for funding terror activities, PTI reported. Currently, there are no particular regulations or any ban on use of crypto currencies in the country. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, held a meeting on crypto currencies with senior officials and indications are that strong regulatory steps could be taken to deal with the issue. According to sources, the proposed bill would focus on investor protection as crypto currencies come under a complex asset class category. Once cleared by the Union Cabinet, the government plans to introduce the bill on crypto currencies in the first week of the winter session. In August, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she was awaiting an approval from the Cabinet on the crypto currency bill. Both the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have raised concerns about crypto currencies in recent months. The three-week long winter session is scheduled to be held from November 29 to December 23. On Monday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance discussed the pros and cons of crypto finance with various stakeholders, and several members were in favour of regulating crypto currency exchanges rather than an outright ban on such currencies, according to sources. Photo used for representation purpose only. File At the meeting convened by the prime minister on Saturday, it was strongly felt that attempts to mislead the youth through over-promising and non-transparent advertising of crypto currencies should be stopped. An inter-ministerial panel on crypto currency under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Economic Affairs) had recommended that all currencies except those issued by the state should be banned.
Supreme Court refuses Trinamool plea to postpone Tripura civic polls
The Supreme Court did not accede on Tuesday to a plea by the Trinamool Congress to postpone the conduct of municipal elections in Tripura, saying such step was a last and extreme recourse. A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Vikram Nath, however, directed the Director General Police of Tripura and Inspector General (Law and Order) to meet with the State Election Commission on November 24 to assess the number of CRPF required to ensure the peaceful conduct of elections. The officers should then requisition the CRPF or the Ministry of Home Affairs for the forces. Voting for civic body elections is scheduled on November 25. The DGP and IGP shall take all steps to ensure that election process is conducted in a peaceful manner, particularly on November 25, leading up to the counting of ballots on November 28, the court directed. The court said that while we are not inclined to accede to the prayer for postponement of elections, it would be the duty of the DGP, IGP and the Home Secretary to assuage any misgivings about fairness in the electoral process in Tripura. Noting that the law enforcement agencies in the State have to act in an even-handed, non-partisan manner, the court cautioned the DGP to scrupulously abide by the court’s directions to obviate the need for it to take coercive action. The court directed the State to provide a tabulated statement of the complaints lodged, FIRs registered, action taken, arrests made, to be filed along with a compliance affidavit on November 25, the next day of hearing of the case. During the hearing, the Trinamool Congress accused the State and the police of being mute spectators while goons roamed the street, indulging in wanton violence against its candidates.
Kirti Azad, Ashok Tanwar, Pavan Varma join Trinamool Congress
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday welcomed former BJP MP Kirti Azad and former Congress leader Ashok Tanwar, along with former JD(U) MP Pavan Varma, into the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Delhi. Since its victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, for the third consecutive time, trumping the BJP, the TMC is keen to occupy the national stage. Tanwar, once considered close to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, was an MP from Sirsa during 2009-2014 and also the president of the party’s Haryana unit. He quit the Congress days before the Haryana Assembly elections in October 2019 after he was replaced by Kumari Selja and denied a ticket for the Assembly elections. In February this year he launched his own party, Apna Bharat Morcha. Banerjee said the TMC would start working soon in Haryana and hinted that the party could even contest the next Assembly elections in the State. The TMC family is complete. Ashok Tanwar is not alone. I have told him to begin work and he will visit both Kolkata and Goa. He will go to Haryana and travel the State. We have to all work together, Banerjee told reporters. Azad, who briefly worked with the Congress, too joined the TMC. A member of the 1983 cricket World Cup-winning squad, Azad was suspended from the BJP for openly targeting the then Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over alleged irregularities and corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in December 2015. He joined the Congress in February 2019 just ahead of the general elections. The Congress fielded him from the Darbhanga Lok Sabha constituency which the party has won thrice, but he lost the election to the BJP candidate.
Jayalalithaa death, treatment must be probed in ‘eminent public interest’
The Tamil Nadu Government in the Supreme Court on Tuesday described former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as undoubtedly one of the tallest leaders of the State whose 75-day treatment, and finally death, at the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai need to be inquired into in eminent public interest. Appearing before a Bench of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and Krishna Murari, senior advocate Dushyant Dave, for the State, said all the Government wants is an inquiry. The State narrated a series of events which showed the seriousness of her death. Her estate was burgled within days. A guard there was murdered. Another person’s wife and daughter were killed. A third person manning the computer died… All this shows the seriousness of her death, Dave submitted. He said the investigation into these cases was on. The State was replying to a petition filed by the Apollo Hospitals alleging bias on the part of the Government-appointed Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry into the former Chief Minister’s death. During the hearing, the court asked whether the Commission can be reconstituted. To this, Dave referred to precedents of the apex court which held that the Executive, once it has constituted a Commission of Inquiry, cannot interfere in its functioning or usurp its powers. He said the Commission was merely a fact-finding body. Its report would be purely recommendatory in nature. No prejudice would be caused to anybody, he noted. The proceedings before the Commission were stayed by the Supreme Court in April 2019 on the basis of a plea by Apollo Hospitals that the inquiry panel’s functioning was replete with bias. Apollo Hospitals submitted that the Commission, instead of conducting an impartial probe, had filed a pleading alleging criminal intent on the part of the hospital and its doctors.
Complaint lodged against director and producers of Suriya-starrer Jai Bhim in Chidambaram court
Vanniyar Sangam president, Pu. Tha. Arulmozhi, on Tuesday lodged a private complaint before the Judicial Magistrate II in Chidambaram against the producers and director of the acclaimed film Jai Bhim and Amazon.in, which released the movie on its OTT platform. The complaint accused 2D Entertainment Private Limited, producers Suriya and Jyothika, director T.J. Gnanavel and Amazon.in of distorting facts and portraying the Vanniyar community in bad light in the movie, with a view to creating communal disharmony. Arulmozhi claimed the filmmakers had wantonly, willfully and intentionally portrayed the character of the Sub-Inspector of Police, who is guilty of committing custodial death in the film, as belonging to the Vanniyar community. The symbolic representations in various sequences in the movie Jai Bhim is per se defamatory and intentional act and targeted to defame and cause greater disrepute to the community, the complaint alleged. A poster of the film Jai Bhim Arulmozhi claimed that writer Kanmani Gunasekaran, who helped in providing local language words for the movie, had said that facts were suppressed and the Vanniyar community was defamed. Gunasekaran had returned his remuneration of ₹50,000 to the producers 2D Entertainment Private Limited. The plea sought a direction for initiating action against Suriya, Jyothika, Gnanavel and Amazon under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and sections 499, 500, 503, 504 and 505.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Bangavax, first native COVID vaccine of Bangladesh receives approval for human trials
Bangladesh’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine Bangavax has received approval from the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) for human trials. Bangavax was previously known as Bancovid. The Senior Manager for Quality and Regulation at Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) stated that Bangavax’s manufacturer Globe Biotech is all set to send the human trial protocol to DGDA. Globe Biotech will begin human trials after it receives approval for clinical trials from DGDA for its single-dose COVID vaccine Bangavax. Globe Biotech on October 5, 2020, had revealed promising results of its first vaccine candidate during pre-clinical trials on mice.
Sweden’s first female Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson resigns on day 1 after coalition collapses
first female Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson resigned on November 24, 2021, after less than 12 hours as the PM. Andersson’s resignation came after the Green Party quit her coalition, sending the nordic country into political uncertainty. However, leader of the Social Democrats Magdalena Andersson said that she had informed the speaker of the Parliament that she hoped to be appointed Prime Minister of Sweden again as the head of a single-party government. Sweden’s Parliament on November 24, 2021, had elected Magdalena Andersson, Social Democratic Party leader and Finance Minister, as the first female Prime Minister of Sweden. The decision came after Andersson clinched a last-minute deal securing the key support. The Green Party of Sweden has decided to quit after the Parliament rejected the coalition’s budget bill. Andersson had previously received the support of the Social Democrats’ coalition partner the Green Party, as well as the Centre Party. Andersson was facing setbacks even before her election on November 24. The announcement was made by the Centre Party that while it will not oppose Andersson in the vote for PM, it will withdraw its support for the government’s budget to be voted later on November 24, because of the concessions made to the Left.
Trilateral exercise ‘Dosti’ between India, Maldives, Sri Lanka being held from November 20 to 24
The 15th edition of India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka biennial Trilateral Exercise ‘Dosti’ is being held in the Maldives from November 20 to 24, 2021. This marks 30 years since the initiation of the exercise. Indian Coast Guard vessels ICGS Vajra, ICGS Apoorva, and Sri Lanka Coast Guard vessels SLCGS Suraksha have arrived in the Maldives for the trilateral exercise Dosti. The aim of India-Maldives-Sri Lanka Trilateral Exercise DOSTI is to strengthen the friendship, enhance the mutual cooperation capability, exercise interoperability, and build cooperation between the Coast Guards of India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. For the past ten years, the exercises conducted were focused on drills on providing assistance in sea accidents, eliminating sea pollution, laying out procedures for the Coast Guards during situations like oil spills. Exercise Dosti started in 1991 between Indian and Maldives Coast Guards. Sri Lanka joined the exercise Dosti in 2012.
Israeli government votes in favour of bill setting term limit of PM upto 8 years
The Israeli government on November 21, 2021, has voted in favour of a bill that sets the term limit of a Prime Minister upto a maximum of 8 years. Lawmakers voted 66-48 in favour of the bill. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s cabinet supported the proposed legislation in a vote by telephone following the approval by a ministerial committee to the bill last week. The bill has been introduced as a reaction to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was ousted by the new government coalition after 12 consecutive years of Netanyahu as PM. In total, Netanyahu served as Israel’s Prime Minister for 15 years. He is termed has the longest-serving leader in Israel.
