Tag: latest Current Affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
25 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Cyclone Nivar: 1,200 rescue troopers deployed, 800 on standby. 

The first cyclonic storm of this year’s northeast monsoon is likely to bring very heavy rain to one or two places in the delta region and the northern coastal districts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday and Wednesday. Named ‘Nivar’, as suggested by Iran according to the list prepared by the World Meteorological Organisation’s panel, the weather system is expected to make a landfall between Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district in the Puducherry region. Nearly 1,200 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue personnel have been deployed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, and 800 others are on standby in view of cyclone Nivar, a very severe cyclonic storm that is expected to make landfall on Wednesday evening. NDRF chief S. N. Pradhan also said they are prepared for a high level of intensity and the worst form of the cyclonic storm as it surges from the Bay of Bengal towards the southern coastline. As of now, 12 teams of national disaster response force have been readied in Tamil Nadu, three in Puducherry, and seven in Andhra Pradesh. Another 30 teams are on alert across country and ready to be moved on requirement.

B) Allahabad HC bats for inter-faith couple, U.P. cabinet clears ordinance against ‘love jihad’.

The right to live with a person of his or her choice irrespective of religion is intrinsic to the right to life and liberty. Interference in a personal relationship would constitute a serious encroachment into the right to freedom of choice of two individuals, the Allahabad High Court noted today, while quashing an FIR against a Muslim man and his family from Kushinagar district by the father of his Hindu wife. A Division Bench of Justices Pankaj Naqvi and Vivek Agarwal also stated that a recent single-judge order of the court, dismissing a writ filed by an inter-faith married couple seeking police protection, on grounds that the conversion just for the purpose of marriage was unacceptable, was not laying good law. In the Kushinagar case, petitioner Salamat Ansari filed a writ seeking the quashing of an FIR against him under Sections 363, 366, 352 and 506 of the IPC and Section 7 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Ansari submitted that the couple were adults and had performed nikah on September 19, 2019, as per Muslim rites and rituals. The girl, Priyanka Kharwar, renounced her Hindu identity and embraced Islam and the couple had been living together peacefully for the past one year. The High Court quashed the FIR against Ansari and stressed that the courts and the constitutional courts in particular were enjoined to uphold the life and liberty of an individual guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government today approved a draft ordinance to deal with religious conversion for the sake of marriage, which could land violators in jail for up to 10 years. An official spokesperson said the State Cabinet gave its nod to the ordinance at its meeting chaired here by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

C) Govt blocks 43 more mobile apps, including AliExpress, Alipay Cashier and CamCard. 

The government on November 24 said it had blocked 43 mobile applications, on the grounds that they were posing a threat to national security, integrity and sovereignty. Most of them were Chinese applications such as AliSuppliers, AliExpress, Alipay Cashier, CamCard and DingTalk. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had issued an order under section 69A of the Information Technology Act blocking access to 43 mobile apps, an official statement said. It said the action was taken based on inputs that these apps were engaging in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, and public order. MeitY has issued the order for blocking the access of these apps by users in India based on the comprehensive reports received from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, Ministry of Home Affairs, it said. The ban on the 43 applications is in addition to a total of 177 Chinese apps banned by the government till now. The MeitY first announced a ban on 59 such applications in June last. The list included popular Chinese applications such as TikTok, Shareit, Mi Video Call, Club Factory and Cam Scanner. Following this, 118 applications including WeChat Work, Baidu, PUBG, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade and Alipay, were banned in September.

D) Special Cabinet meeting decides to withdraw controversial amendment to the Kerala Police Act. The CPI-M-led LDF government in Kerala on Tuesday decided to bring out an ordinance to withdraw the controversial amendment to the Kerala Police Act. A special cabinet, which met in the afternoon, decided to recommend to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan issue of an Ordinance to repeal Section 118-A, which got his assent on Saturday. The Cabinet has decided to bring out an Ordinance to withdraw the amendment, government sources told. Khan had signed the Kerala Police Act Amendment Ordinance brought by the Left front government envisaging addition of Section 118-A to prevent cyber attacks against women and children. However, after a political outcry across the country over the controversial amendment, the Left government had on Monday decided to put it on hold.

E) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 92,12,335 with the death toll at 1,34,577. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the State governments to set up steering committees and block-wise task forces to prepare for the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines as and when they are available for disbursal, but spent much of his meeting with the Chief Ministers emphasising that the focus should still be on containing the spread of the virus. Vaccines will be available when they pass all the tests for validation of data and regulatory frameworks. They must keep their focus on making sure there is no unmanageable surge in cases. They don’t know which vaccine will pass the scientific parameters for disbursal in our country and by what date, but he want all States to set up steering committees and task forces down to the block level for preparing for vaccine disbursal, he said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Sputnik V vaccine reports interim efficacy of 91%. Candidate Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V has shown an interim efficacy of 91% based on analysis of results from around 18,000 volunteers, some of whom got the actual vaccine while others got a placebo, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a press statement on Tuesday. The vaccine candidate is also being tested on human volunteers in India and will cost less than $10 [₹700] for international markets, the RDIF said. Sputnik V has been developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology and is being funded and promoted by the RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. The latest results, which are yet to be announced in a medical journal, were gleaned from ongoing double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trials involving 40,000 volunteers. An ‘efficacy’ rate differs from vaccine ‘effectiveness’. The latter shows how protective a vaccine is when it is actually administered in the general population. But efficacy, the number cited by pharmaceutical companies announcing trial results only shows the relative difference between the fraction of the vaccinated that fell sick versus the fraction of the unvaccinated (those who received placebos) that tested positive. If efficacy is zero, it means there is no difference between the two groups. If none of the sick had been vaccinated, then efficacy is 100%. So, an efficacy rate above 90% is pretty good. The Oxford-AstraZeneca adenovirus-based vaccine candidate was reported on Monday to have an efficacy of 70% and Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna’s m-RNA vaccines reported efficacy rates in the low 90s. Like Sputnik V, these results were based on interim analyses from ongoing phase-3 trials.

B) Sri Lanka, China to focus on poverty alleviation. 

Sri Lanka and China will expedite ongoing development cooperation projects, and increase trade and investment, with “a special focus” on poverty alleviation and livelihoods generation, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said. Issuing a statement following a virtual diplomatic consultation between Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Luo Zhaohui, the Ministry said both sides held extensive discussions on strengthening high level exchanges, the fight against COVID-19, economic recovery efforts, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation on international and regional issues.  Amid a persistent second wave of COVID-19, Sri Lanka faces a major economic crunch, as the country’s export and tourism sectors have been badly hit. Colombo has sought a $700 million loan from Beijing in addition to the $500 million obtained in March and is also negotiating a $1.5-biIIion currency swap facility with the People’s Bank of China. Sri Lanka has sought loans amounting to more than a d billion dollars from China this year, while President Goctabaya Rajapaksa told the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Colombo that Sri Lanka seeks investments, not loans from China. The discussion of possible Chinese assistance for poverty eradication and liveIihood support in Sri Lanka is in line with President Rajapaksa’s earlier pledge to pursue China-style development in the island nation, and to disprove the popular debt trap analysis about Chinese loans. Achieving the kind of rural development that China has reached over the past two or three decades and to improve the living standards of the rural population in Sri Lanka is one of my prime objectives, President Rajapaksa told the Chinese Ambassador, according to a statement issued by his office last week. Colombo has witnessed heightened engagement from Beijing, New Delhi and Washington over the past few months. In September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, months after the RBI sanctioned currency swap facility of $400 million.

C) ISI chief-led panel to oversee 2 dozen spy agencies in Pakistan. 

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved the setting up Of the National Intelligence Coordination Committee (MCC), a mechanism to coordinate over two dozen intelligence organisations in the country, to be headed by the ISI chief, according to a media report on Tuesday. Although there have been discussions about the establishment Of the coordination forum, its terms Of reference and modus operandi would be decided once it formally takes shape, Dawn newspaper quoted a senior security source as saying. The new body would be led by the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence ISD, who would function as its chairman, it said. The intelligence agencies have had at least two rounds Of discussions on the issue after which the proposal was submitted to the Prime Minister for approval. It is expected that the first meeting Of the coordination body could be held as early as next week. The MCC would serve as a mechanism to coordinate over the two dozen intelligence organisations in the country. National Counter Terrorism Authority would also be part Of the new structure. The move is part of the long-awaited reform Of the intelligence apparatus, which aims at clarifying the role of respective agencies, improving their coordination and optimising their capabilities, the report said.

SPORTS NEWS 

A) Ramkumar wins Florida UTR event. 

Ramkumar Ramanathan outplayed 19-year-old Blu Baker of Britain, ranked 79 in juniors last year, 6-0, 6-2 in the final of the UTR Pro tennis tournament at the Sanchez Casal Academy here in Florida. After winding up the professional tour with the Challenger in Orlando last week, Ramkumar has been training in Florida, preparing for the season ahead. Meanwhile in Melbourne, Y. Pranjala lost 6-2, 6-4 by Storm Sanders in the final of the UTR Pro tennis tournament on Tuesday. The 21year-old Pranjala topped her group, winning two matches including against former top-20 player Daria Gavrilova. 

B) Burnley posts first win of the season. 

Burnley won for the first time in the Premier League this season as Chris Wood sealed a 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace, while Southampton missed a chance to go third in its 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton on Monday. Burnley, which had failed to win any of its first seven games in the joint worst start to a season in the club’s history, was the only Premier League team yet to score a home goal this term until striker Wood put it ahead in the eighth minute. That was enough to clinch a much-needed three points for Burnley, which climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Fulham. At Molineux, Southampton took the lead in the 58th minute, with a touch of controversy about the goal. Wolves were frustrated that Stuart Armstrong’s barge into Rayan Ait-Nouri went unpunished in the build-up before Che Adams sent a low cross to the unmarked Walcott, who slotted home from close range. It was the first goal for Southampton since rejoining it on loan from Everton in October. But Pedro Neto came off the bench to equalise as fifthplaced Southampton had to settle for extending its unbeaten run to seven matches. Athletic Bilbao comfortably defeated Real Betis to move further away from the relegation zone in the Spanish league.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
24 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Kerala pulls back from controversial ordinance to curb abusive content. 

Responding to widespread criticism, the Kerala government on Monday shied away from enacting a controversial ordinance that would have empowered the police to prosecute persons who disseminated information that the law enforcement deemed defamatory. The significant U-turn on the policy came about approximately an hour after Vijayan conferred with members of the CPI(M) State secretariat and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The LDF and the government had come under withering criticism from Opposition parties journalist organizations, and civil rights activists for promulgating the law. LDF convener and CPI(M) acting State secretary A. Vijayaraghavan said concerns raised by progressive persons had prompted the rethink.  In a rare instance, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also found themselves on the same page opposing the new law.  The amendment had proposed three years of imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹10,000 for those convicted of producing, publishing or disseminating derogatory content through any means of communication to intimidate, insult or defame any person. The law also did not restrict itself to curbing vile and inhumane social media posts against women and children alone, as claimed by Vijayan repeatedly. Notably, the ordinance did not unambiguously mention social media posts and had left the amendment open to broad and subjective interpretation by the police.

B) Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi dies aged 84. 

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi died on Monday in Guwahati while undergoing treatment for post-COVID-19 complications, State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. He was 84 and survived by wife Dolly, daughter Chandrima and son Gaurav. Gogoi, a three-time Chief Minister, breathed his last at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital at 5.34 pm, Mr Sarma said. He was first admitted to the hospital on August 26 after testing positive for Covid-19 and was released for a brief period before being admitted again on November 2. Gogoi was the MLA from the Titabor assembly constituency since 2001. He was also a six-time parliamentarian and a Union minister twice. Shri Tarun Gogoi Ji was a popular leader and a veteran administrator, who had years of political experience in Assam as well as the Centre. Anguished by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of sadness, tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, Shri Tarun Gogoi was a true Congress leader. He devoted his life to bringing all the people and communities of Assam together.

C) COVID-19 situation worsening, says SC, asks for status reports. 

The Supreme Court on Monday said the daily spike in COVID-19 cases in Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Assam looked grim and they should take time to introspect and prepare for December. Situation of COVID cases is worsening and likely to do so in December, a Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan noted. The court asked the States to file status reports in two days on preparedness and steps taken by them. Things have worsened in the last two weeks, in November. Our question is what is your present situation? What more steps are you taking? That is what we are going to look into, Justice Bhushan addressed Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, for Delhi. The court hauled up the Gujarat government for unbridled celebrations, weddings and public gatherings in the State despite an  exponential rise in cases. Gujarat is worst, after Delhi and Maharashtra. What is your policy? What is happening? Weddings, parties, celebrations by political parties are happening. What is all this, Justice M.R. Shah asked the Gujarat side. The hearing is based on the suo motu cognisance taken by the Supreme Court on the treatment meted out to Covid-19 patients and the bodies of those who lost the battle with the virus. The court had, in June, referred to several media reports on the lack of infrastructure, instances of patients and their families running from pillar to post to get themselves admitted, and videos of Covid-19 dead being thrown into pits.

D) India to host G20 summit in 2023. 

G20 leaders announced on Sunday that India will host the summit of the high-profile grouping in 2023, a year later than what was decided earlier. India was earlier slated to host the summit in 2022, with the Osaka declaration of the G20 stating last year that they look forward to meeting again in Saudi Arabia in 2020, in Italy in 2021, and in India in 2022. They thank Saudi Arabia for hosting a successful Riyadh Summit and its contribution to the G20 process. They look forward to their next meetings in Italy in 2021, Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024, the G20 Riyadh Summit Leaders Declaration said. On India now hosting the summit in 2023, a source said that the order of the rotating presidency is decided among member states on the basis of consultations and mutual convenience.

E) IMD warns of ‘severe cyclonic storm’ approaching Tamil Nadu. 

A developing cyclonic disturbance in the Bay of Bengal is expected to become a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ by November 24 evening, the cyclone warning division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday. Third stage of cyclone warning raised in Pamban in Tamil Nadu on Monday morning. Third stage of cyclone warning raised in Pamban in Tamil Nadu on Monday morning. The developing storm, which is yet to be named officially, is currently about 600 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 630 km south-southeast of Chennai. It is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours. It is very likely to move north-westwards and cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around 25th November 2020 afternoon, noted the IMD’s afternoon update on Monday.

F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 9163355 with the death toll at 1,50,311. The Maharashtra government will now require a COVID negative report from an RT-PCR test for people travelling to the state from Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa. The Maharashtra government issued detailed guidelines this evening to put a check on incoming people from these states, all of which are experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases. The rules will cover both flight and train passengers, who have to show the negative test results before boarding. At least five persons died due to Covid-19 every hour on an average in Delhi in the last 24 hours, accounting for the largest chunk of such fatalities across the country, which recorded an average of 21 deaths in this period.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Oxford vaccine shows 90% efficacy in Phase-3 trial. Interim data analysis of Phase-3 trial of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 candidate vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019) offers higher efficacy in preventing Covid-19 disease, said an Oxford university press release. No serious safety events related to the vaccine were found. The results were based on 131 Covid-19 cases seen in the Phase-3 trial. Two doses of the vaccine given in two different regimens showed different efficacies. In the case of the regimen where a halved dose was used as a prime (first dose) followed by a standard dose of booster, the efficacy was 90%. However, where full doses (standard dose) were used both for the prime and booster doses, the efficacy was only 62%. The combined analysis from both dosing regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70%. Unlike in the case of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, the Oxford vaccine showed “early indication” that the regimen where a half-dose prime and a full-dose booster was used could reduce virus transmission. This was based on observed reduction in asymptomatic infections in participants who received the vaccine in the Phase-3 trial. Like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, the Oxford vaccine, too, showed that it was capable of preventing severe Covid-19 disease. No hospitalised or severe cases were seen in anyone who received the Oxford vaccine, the release said.

B) Bhutan border village on disputed land. 

Chinese media on 23 November has claimed that a new border village built by China near Bhutan was on Chinese territory, but released images of the village show its location on territory disputed by the two countries. The Global Times confirmed that the village of Pangda had been newly built and residents moved there in September. An image released by the newspaper placed the village in disputed territory, a couple of kilometres inside what Bhutan sees as its territory. Bhutan’s denial Last week, however, Bhutan’s officials denied the village was on their territory. Bhutan’s Ambassador in India Vetsop Namgyel told that there is no Chinese village inside Bhutan. The Global Times said that according to open records, authorities in Yadong county of Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region confirmed that 27 households with 124 people voluntarily moved from Shangdui village of Duina prefecture of Yadong county to Pangda village in September 2020, adding the village was 35 km away from the county. Chinese media reported that there were 27 households, and the village was covered by asphalt roads and has a public square, village committee, health room, police room, kindergarten, supermarket and plastic runway. China has in the past sought to bolster its territorial claims in disputed areas by building civilian settlements there, as on disputed South China Sea islands.

C) Taliban rigging drones to drop bombs, says Afghan spy chief. 

The Taliban have deployed small drones to drop bombs on government forces in some recent attacks, Afghanistan’s spy chief said on Monday, illustrating a new fighting method used by the insurgents. Ahmad Zia Shiraj, who heads the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said Taliban fighters were using hobby drones and rigging them with explosives. The drones they are using are sold in the market. They are basically camera drones, Mr. Shiraj said in an address to Parliament, adding the NDS wants to stop the import of the popular devices. In late October, the Taliban reportedly used a drone to bomb the compound of the governor of Kunduz province. Mr. Shiraj did not confirm the report, but he noted that the Taliban have used drones in Kunduz and Paktia provinces. While the technique is new to the Taliban, Islamic State (IS) jihadists operating in Iraq and Syria started using toy planes and hobby drones in 2016 to carry explosives. IS maintain a small but deadly presence in Afghanistan and have resisted years long efforts by the U.S. and Afghan forces to wipe them. IS claimed three deadly attacks in recent weeks in Kabul that killed scores of people, including a rocket attack on Saturday. The Taliban and Washington are holding negotiations in Doha.

D) China prepares probe to bring back lunar rocks. China is preparing to launch an unmanned spacecraft on Tuesday to bring back lunar rocks, the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the moon in four decades. Beijing is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and of eventually sending humans to the moon. The Chang’e-5 probe, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, aims to shovel up lunar rocks and soil to help scientists learn about the moon’s origins, formation and volcanic activity on its surface. The mission is set to take off from the Wenchang Space Center on the south. ern island province of Hainan, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on its WeChat social media account that the launch was planned for between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Tuesday (local time). The original mission, planned for 2017, was delayed due to an engine failure in China’s Long March 5 launch rocket. If successful, China will be only the third country to have retrieved samples from the moon, following the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. The Chinese probe will collect 2 kg of surface material from a previously unexplored area known as Oceanus Procellarum or Ocean of Storms, which consist of a vast lava plain, according to the science journal Nature.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
23 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Tunnel used by Jaish militants found in Jammu.

Security forces unearthed a tunnel beneath the International Border (IB) in Jammu’s Samba Sector on Sunday, which was used by the Pakistan army to push in four Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants who were killed in an encounter in Nagrota on Thursday. They were on a lookout to establish the route used by the four JeM terrorists. Each piece of information, including technical details, was put together. They all pointed towards their favourite Samba Sector (in Jammu). After a lot of hard work, the police and the Border Security Forces (BSF) were able to find the tunnel within 76 hours of the encounter. It was coming from Pakistan’s Chakbura post, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh told. Describing the spotting of the tunnel as a big success, DGP Singh said the tunnel was used by the four infiltrators to cross into India during the night of November 18. Everything they recovered from the slain militants, from phones to shoes to medicine, all bore the imprint of Pakistan. Even the sandbags used to cover the tunnel, in a bid to use it again, is Pakistan made. There is no scope for Pakistan for lying about the incident, the DGP said. Inspector-General, BSF, N.S. Jamwal said the freshly dug tunnel was 30-40 metre long.

B) Congress needs team dedicated to polls: Karti Chidambaram. 

Elections are now a 24×7/365 day phenomena and the Congress party needs to have an election preparedness committee with a general secretary, whose sole task is to be election-ready, Lok Sabha member from Sivaganga Karti Chidambaram said on Sunday. The Lok Sabha MP, who had earlier endorsed senior party leader Kapil Sibal’s critical assessment of Congress’ performance in the recently concluded Assembly election in Bihar, in an exclusive interview has suggested that the party should put in place a plan that can tackle BJP’s well-oiled election machine. There is this new terminology called strike rate that has come into electoral politics. Our strike rate seems to be lower than that of our allies in elections. So these factors are being used now by our potential allies in the upcoming elections to browbeat us into contesting lesser or a limited number of seats. That is not necessarily true because each State election is different, Mr. Chidambaram said. Congress is not just a mere addition but a multiplier. In Tamil Nadu, for example, we bring greater value when we are in an alliance compared to when we contest alone, he added. The MP from Tamil Nadu admitted that Congress’ performance in two consecutive Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2019) has not been stellar cumulatively winning less than 100 seats and needs a strong counter strategy. It is imperative for them to understand that the BJP is a well-oiled election machine in terms of preparedness, resources, planning, social media campaign and data. To counter it, they need to have a well thought-out strategy which can’t be rolled out just before the elections. It has to be something which needs to be done well in advance, Mr. Chidambaram said.

C) BJP president Nadda to undertake tour to strengthen party machinery. 

BJP on Sunday announced that party national president J.P. Nadda will be embarking on a 120-day nationwide tour to tone up the party’s organizational machinery and in areas where the party hasn’t done well in the past, with an eye on the 2024 general elections. The tour is quite like the Vistarak tour undertaken by Mr. Nadda’s predecessor and Union Home Minister Amit Shah when the latter was party president. Mr. Shah had concentrated on 130 seats where the BJP had come second or never won polls, and in 2019 it was found that the party had won 80 of those seats. BJP general secretary Arun Singh told reporters that Mr. Nadda will begin his yatra from Uttarakhand. December 5 is the likely date for the start of his tour. Mr. Singh said Mr. Nadda would visit every State, hold virtual meetings with heads of all booth units, the smallest organisational entity in the party, and meet every MP and MLA of the organisation besides its senior leaders, including district chiefs, in each State. Mr Nadda will visit some booths to interact with ground workers, he added. During the trip, he will also strategise with party leaders for strengthening the organisation in Lok Sabha seats and regions where the BJP did not win in the 2019 polls, he said. With Assembly polls in four States, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam scheduled for the first half of next year, he will also review the party’s preparedness for the elections, Mr. Singh said.

D) Cyclone likely to cross Tamil Nadu, Puducherry on November 25. 

The low pressure area over Bay of Bengal has become well-marked and is likely to concentrate into a depression and intensify into a cyclonic storm and cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts on November 25 bringing heavy rains, the Meteorological Department said on November 22. Under its influence, on November 25, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikkal regions are likely to witness rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy showers at a few places and extremely heavy rains at isolated places. Recent rainfall, triggered by cyclonic circulation, led to an overflowing Nanmangalam lake in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Recent rainfall, triggered by cyclonic circulation, led to an overflowing Nanmangalam lake in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Sea condition would be rough and wind speed is likely to gradually increase from November 22 onwards, gusting 100 kmph over southwest Bay of Bengal and along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts around the region of landfall on November 25. Fishermen have been advised to stay off the sea and local authorities said they have also advised fishermen who have already set out for fishing to return.

E) Shivraj Singh Chouhan holds first ‘gau cabinet’ meeting. 

The first meeting of the newly constituted ‘gau cabinet’ (cow cabinet) in Madhya Pradesh was held on Sunday with an aim to bolster the economy based on cow and its progeny for making the state self-reliant. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired the meeting through virtual mode from his residence here and wished participants on the occasion of ‘Gopashtami’, a festival dedicated to Lord Krishna and cows. The CM on Wednesday announced setting up of a separate cabinet for the protection and promotion of the cow. Ministers of Animal Husbandry, Forest, Panchayat and Rural Development, Revenue, Home and Farmers’ Welfare departments will be part of this cabinet, said to be the first such body in the country, he had informed.

F) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stands at 91,21,837 with the death toll at 1,33,563. High-level central teams have been deputed to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to support them in COVID-19 response and management. These States have been either reporting a rise in the number of active cases – those who are hospitalised or are in home isolation under medical supervision, or demonstrating a rise in the daily new cases of coronavirus infections, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. Earlier, high-level teams were sent to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Manipur and Chhattisgarh.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) India, Thailand, Singapore naval exercise concludes. 

The second edition of the India, Thailand and Singapore trilateral naval exercise, SITMEX-20, concluded in the Andaman Sea on Sunday. The 27th edition of India, Singapore bilateral maritime exercise, SIMBEX-20, is scheduled to be held in the same area from November 23 to 25. The exercise, being conducted as a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ exercise in view of COVID-19 pandemic, highlights growing synergy, coordination and cooperation in the maritime domain between the three friendly naand maritime neighbours, the Navy said in a statement. The Indian Navy deployed indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare corvette INS Kamorta and missile corvette INS Karmuk for the exercise held on November 21 and 22 and hosted by the Singapore Navy. Singapore deployed a Formidable Class frigate lntrepid and ‘Endurance’ Class Landing Ship Tank Endeavor and the Royal Thai Navy deployed a ‘Chao Phraya’ Class frigate Kruburi for the exercise. The first edition of the exercise was hosted by the Indian Navy and was held off Port Blair in the month of September last year.

B) Indian-American appointed as policy director of Jill Biden. 

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has appointed Indian American Mala Adiga as the policy director of his wife Jill, choosing an experienced education policy hand as the incoming First Lady focuses on education and plans to continue teaching community college classes. She belongs to the family of K. Suryanarayana Adiga, founder of the erstwhile undivided Dakshina Kannada districts private sector Karnataka Bank Limited, and Aravind Adiga, who won the Man Booker prize in 2008. Ms. Adiga was a senior adviser to Ms. Biden and senior policy adviser for Mr. Biden’s 2020 campaign. She previously worked for the Biden Foundation as director for higher education and military families. Before that, during former President Barack Obama’s administration, she was deputy assistant secretary of state for academic programmes at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and worked in the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues as chief of staff and senior adviser to the Ambassador-at-large. Future First Lady Jill Biden’s Policy Director will be Mala Adiga, who served as her senior adviser and a senior policy adviser on the Biden-Harris campaign. Adiga will work for a First Lady who has said she intends to prioritize education and military families, CNN reported on Friday. Ms. Adiga served as Director for Human Rights in the National Security Staff’s (NSS) Multilateral and Human Rights Directorate. Prior to joining NSS, she was an attorney at the Department of Justice, where she served as Counsel to the Associate Attorney General. She earned her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and M.P.H from the University of Minnesota. She graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa with a B.A. in Spanish. 

C) Antibody treatment given to Trump gets FDA emergency nod. 

The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency authorization for the experimental antibody treatment given to President Donald Trump shortly after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, giving doctors another option to treat COVID-19 patients as cases across the country continue to rise. The treatment, made by the biotech company Regeneron, is a cocktail of two powerful antibodies that have shown promise in early studies at keeping the infection in check, reducing medical visits in patients who get the drug early in the course of their disease. A similar treatment, made by Eli Lilly, was given emergency approval earlier this month. The emergency authorization for Regeneron’s drug is limited in scope: It is for people 12 and over who have tested positive for the coronavirus and who are at high risk for developing severe COVID-19. Evidence so far suggests that antibody treatments work best early in the course of the disease, before the virus has gained a foothold in the body. Like Eli Lilly’s treatment, Regeneron’s is not authorized for use in people who are hospitalized or who need oxygen. The authorization raises immediate questions about who will get access to the treatments as an average of more than people are diagnosed each day with COVID-19 in the U.S. and hospitals are running out of beds in some regions of the country. Regeneron has said it will have enough of the drug for only about 80,000 people by the end of November.

SPORTS NEWS

A) Angulo saves FC Goa’s blushes. 

Angulo’s brace helped FC Goa salvage a 2-2 draw against Bengaluru FC (BFC) in its opening Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at Fatorda, Goa, Sunday. New signing Angulo, a replacement for prolific striker Ferran Corominas, made a mark on his ISL debut. FC Goa entered the second-half trailing 0-2, before Angulo came alive. The Spaniard scored his first goal in the 66th minute, slipping behind the BFC defence to latch on to a clever pass from Alberto Noguera. A strong left-footed shot was too hot to handle for BFC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh. Just a few minutes Iater, Angulo was in perfect position in front of goal to chest in a cross from Alexander Jesuraj. Earlier, BFC held all the cards, going in front through goals from Cleiton Silva and Juanan. On both occasions, the FC Goa defence stumbled. Brazilian Silva got on the scoresheet in the 27th minute, with a powerful header Announcing his arrival: Angulc FC Goa had gone 2-0 down which flew past FC Goa custodian Mohammad Nawaz. Silva was able to shake off his marker Sanson Pereira much too easily. Juanan doubled BFC’s lead after the restart, when he found him completely unmarked deep inside the FC Goa box. BFC midfielder Erik Paartalu similarly left free had all the time and space in the world to head the ball to Juanan, who his shot in. The FC Goa had fallen asleep and paid the price. FC Goa played With greater in the second, half. chances regularly. BFC, on the other hand. Was content to play it safe, substituting forward Udanta Singh for defender Rahul Bheke.

B) Ready to bat anywhere: Rohit. 

He has enjoyed and revelled in his role as a Test opener, but Rohit Sharma says he will be flexible about his bate ting position in the Test series against Australia. The senior batsman is expected to play a big role alongside Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara when skipper Virat Kohli returns to India after the opening Test for the birth of his first child. He will be happy to bat wherever the team wants him to, but he don’t know if they would change his role as an opener, said Rohit. He is sure that the guys already in Australia must have figured out what the options are when Virat leaves and who will open the innings, Rohit said. Once he reach there, he will have a better idea of what’s going to happen. He will be okay to bat wherever they want. One of the finest players of the hook and the pull, Rohit felt that the bounce on the Australian tracks is not as big a factor as it is made out to be. They talk about bounce, but except for Perth, over the past few years, the other grounds (Adelaide, MCG, SCG) don’t have that much bounce. Nowadays, especially while opening the batting, he will have to think about not playing the cut or pull shots and focus on playing in the ‘V’, he said. Rohit cited the example of how Nathan Lyon was Australia’s best bowler (eight wickets) in the Perth Test that the host won in the 2018 series. They talk about bounce on Australian tracks but tell him how many people got out to bouncers during the last series? When they played in Perth in 2018-19, it was Nathan Lyon who got eight wickets, including a five-for. In Australia, half the job is done if one can start well upfront.

C) Medvedev outduels Nadal. 

Daniil Medvedev sent Rafael Nadal packing after a gruelling slugfest at the ATP Finals here on Saturday to set up a title match against Novak Djokovic’s conqueror Dominic Thiem. World No. 2 Nadal, who has never won the elite event in his illustrious career, served for the match in the second set but was eventualIy beaten 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3. Medvedev arguably the hottest player on the Tour after his Paris Masters win put Nadal’s serve under intense pressure in the early stages of their evening match at the empty 02 Arena. But he was unable to make his chances count and a drop in his level allowed the Spaniard to break to love to lead 5-3 before serving out the set. Medvedev immediately found his focus at the start of the second set, winning his first service game to love before Nadal double-faulted to give the Russian a 2-0 lead. Just when it seemed as though Medvedev was cruising, Nadal broke back twice to take total control and stepped up to serve for the match. But, in another astonishing twist, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was broken to love and Medvedev won the eventual tie-break. The deciding set hinged on the seventh game, which Medvedev won and went on to seal a famous victory.

D) Herrmann quits, AFI for two HPDs. 

The Athletics Federation of India, while acknowledging German Volker Herrmann’s contribution, indicated on Sunday that it was looking at dividing the responsibilities of the erstwhile High Performance Director with separate ones for seniors and juniors going ahead. He dedicatedly contributed a lot in their coach’s education programme. They tried to convince him to stay, however, it’s his personal decision to go back to Germany and we respect his decision. He has expressed his wish to continue as a consultant in future and we will definitely do that as and when required, AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said. They are now looking for ward to appoint two High Performance Directors, one for senior athletes and one for juniors and youth, he added. Herrmann, who worked with the AFI for 16 months since joining in July 2019, had resigned three weeks ago and announced the same through a Facebook post late on Saturday night. Working in high performance sports requires a high level of expectations. Numerous athletes and teams all around the world, supported by their coaches and staff, are competing with the one goal to be the best at a particular date.  After one and a half fruitful and inspiring years in India, the day has come when he could not any longer meet the self-imposed expectations coming along with the role of AFI’S high performance director, which is why he resigned from his position three weeks ago, Herrmann wrote. Herrmann had expressed positivity at his stint in India in July this year and even expressed hope at the road ahead in another post a month back as athletes’ training resumed.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
22 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Private hospitals charged exorbitant fees, says parliamentary panel report on Covid-19. 

Inadequate beds in government hospitals and absence of specific guidelines for Covid-19 treatment resulted in private hospitals charging exorbitant fees, a parliamentary panel on 21 November had said, asserting that a sustainable pricing model could have averted many deaths. Chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on health Ram Gopal Yadav submitted the report on Outbreak of Pandemic Covid-19 and its Management, to Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu. This is the first report by any parliamentary committee on the government’s handling of the pandemic. Underlining that healthcare spending in the country with a population of 1.3 billion is abysmally low, the panel said the fragility of the Indian health ecosystem posed a big hurdle in generating an effective response against the pandemic. The committee, therefore, strongly recommends the government to increase its investments in the public healthcare system and make consistent efforts to achieve the National Health Policy targets of expenditure up to 2.5 % of GDP within two years as the set time frame of year 2025 is far away and public health cannot be jeopardised till that time schedule, the report stated. The National Health Policy 2017 has set a target of increasing government expenditure on healthcare to 2.5 % of GDP by 2025, from just 1.15 % in 2017. Stating that the public had to undergo trauma and distress due to the absence of a dedicated healthcare system, the committee observed that the number of government hospital beds in the country were not adequate to handle the increasing number of COVID and non-COVID patients. The report also said that the need for effective legislation to counter bio-terrorism was one of the important lessons to be learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. The adverse effects of Covid-19 pandemic have taught the lesson on the importance of controlling biological agents and the need of strategic partnerships among different nations. The Committee, therefore, feels that the present time is the most appropriate for the Government to formulate effective laws to counter bio-terrorism. The report, however, does not explicitly state that the Covid-19 virus itself was a bio-weapon. The international scientific community has repeatedly debunked the conspiracy theory that Covid-19 virus was developed as a bio-weapon.

B) Ayurvedic doctors can now perform general surgery. 

Post Graduate (PG) students of Ayurveda can now perform general surgery, including orthopaedic, ophthalmology, ENT and dental. The Union government, in a gazette notification, has allowed those who have cleared post-graduation in Ayurvedic medicine to receive formal training for such procedures. The training modules for surgical procedures will be added to the curriculum of Ayurvedic studies. The development came after the Central Council of Indian Medicine amended the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016, to allow PG students of Ayurveda to practise general surgery. The Central Council of Indian Medicine, with the previous sanction of the Central Government, hereby makes the following regulations further to amend the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016, the gazette notification read. The Act has been renamed Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Amendment Regulations, 2020. During the period of study, the PG scholar of Shalya and Shalakya shall be practically trained to acquaint (themselves) with as well as independently perform the following activities so that after completion of his PG degree, he is able to perform the following procedures (list of the procedures) independently, the gazette notification stated. The notification stated that students will be trained in two streams of surgery and would be awarded titles of MS (Ayurved) Shalya Tantra (General Surgery), and MS (Ayurved) Shalakya Tantra (Disease of Eye, Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Oro-Dentistry). This move by the Union government comes in the wake of other decisions that indicate an increasing emphasis on traditional medicine.

C) NCB arrests comedian Bharti Singh after cannabis seizure from her house. 

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) today arrested comedian Bharti Singh following seizure of ganja (cannabis) from her house in suburban Andheri. The NCB searched Singh’s house and office as part of its probe into alleged drug use in the Hindi film industry. A team led by Sameer Wankhede, the central agency’s zonal director, carried out a search at Singh’s residence at Lokhandwala Complex as well as her production house based on a tip-off, a release said. It recovered 86.5g of ganja during the search, the release added. Both Ms. Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya accepted consumption of ganja. Bharti Singh was placed under arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and examination of Limbachiya is underway, the NCB release added. The quantity allegedly seized from Singh’s possession is considered as small quantity under the act, as against commercial quantity, an NCB official said. Upto 1 kg of ganja is considered small quantity, which attracts a jail term of up to six months and/or fine of ₹10,000. Possession of commercial quantity — 20 kg or more — can attract up to 20 years in jail. For the quantity in between, the punishment can be as much as 10 years in jail.

D) India has set target of cutting carbon footprint by 30-35%: PM Modi. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21 November has said India has set a target of reducing its carbon footprint by 30-35%. He made the statement while addressing the convocation ceremony of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), Gandhinagar, through video conference. Today, our country is moving ahead with the target of reducing the carbon footprint by 30-35%. When he said this to the world, it expressed surprise and wondered if India can achieve it, he said. Efforts are on to increase the use of natural gas capacity four times during this decade, and work is also on to nearly double the oil refining capacity in the next five years, he said. Modi also said that work is constantly going on to strengthen the start-ups in the energy sector, and a special fund has been allocated for the purpose. If you have any idea, product or a concept that you want to incubate, then this fund will be a good opportunity for you, and a gift from the government, he said.

E) Farooq Abdullah flags issue of selective security measures for candidates fighting local polls. 

National Conference (NC) president and Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) chairman Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Saturday wrote to the State Election Commission and raised the issue of selective security measures for candidates fighting the District Development Council (DDC) polls. Security cannot and should not be used as a tool or an excuse to interfere in democratic processes, Dr. Abdullah wrote in a letter to State Election Commissioner K.K. Sharma. He alleged that candidates put up by the PAGD are immediately whisked away to secure locations in the name of security and confined to those secure locations.  They are not allowed to canvass, they are completely out of touch with those from whom they are supposed to seek votes, Dr. Abdullah claimed. He said the government had structures in place which ensured security for all contestants irrespective of the ideology they espoused or the parties they represented. The current state of affairs in the realm of security is blatantly oriented towards providing security to a select few and confining others, he added. The three-time Chief Minister said this comes across more as an attempt to interfere in the democratic process than any real concern for the well-being of the contestants. Earlier in the day, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti had tweeted, GOI sabotaging participation of non-BJP parties in DDC polls. Jammu and Kashmir will have its maiden DDC polls from November 28.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) On inauguration day, Twitter to give Biden control of @POTUS. Twitter will hand control of the presidential @POTUS account to Joe Biden when he is sworn in on inauguration day, even if President Donald Trump has not conceded his election loss, U.S. media reported on Friday. The social media giant is actively preparing to support the transition of White House institutional Twitter accounts on January 20th, 2021, Twitter spokesperson Nick Pacilio told Politico in an email. The process is being done in consultation with the National Archives, as it was in 2017, he said. The handover will see all existing tweets on @POTUS, as well as @FLOTUS, and other official accounts, archived. The accounts will then be reset to zero tweets and transferred to the incoming Mr. Biden White House that day. Mr. Trump, who still has not conceded his November 3 loss, used Twitter to help build his political brand and, later, wield the power of the presidency though he mainly uses his personal account, @realDonaldTrump, whose 88 million followers dwarf @POTUS’s 32 million. The @POTUS account is largely used to retweet Mr. Trump’s personal account as well as the White House and other accounts.

B) U.S., Taiwan step up economic partnership. 

The U.S. and Taiwan are stepping up cooperation in a newly created economic dialogue, in another move from the outgoing Trump administration to increase official exchanges with the self-ruled island. The two sides signed a five-year agreement establishing the U.S.-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, which is meant to be held annually. The deal falls short of a long-desired bilateral trade agreement, but is a significant step that increases ties between Washington and Taipei. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory to be reunited by force if necessary, has criticized such steps as provocation. The U.S.-Taiwan economic dialogue signifies that not only is the United States-Taiwan economic relationship strong, but it continues to deepen and grow, said Brent Christensen, director of the American Institute in Taipei, the de-facto embassy. Taiwan and the U.S. do not have a free trade agreement. However, Taiwan in August announced the easing of restrictions on imports of American beef and pork, lowering a trade barrier for U.S. businesses that is expected to pave the way for further trade negotiations. U.S. trade with Taiwan totaled an estimated $103.9 billion in 2019, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. The dialogue addressed areas of further cooperation, such as the State Department’s new Clean Network project and 5G security, semiconductors, as well as investment screening and science and technology. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu called the dialogue an important milestone and the highest level regular economic dialogue between the U.S. and Taiwan. 

C) Pompeo meets Taliban, Afghan govt. negotiators.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met negotiators from the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha on Saturday, amid signs of progress in their talks as Washington speeds up its withdrawal. Mr. Pompeo’s visit comes in the wake of a rocket attack which struck densely populated areas of Kabul, killing at least eight people in the latest outbreak of violence in the Afghan capital. The Taliban denied responsibility and the Islamic State group claimed the deadly strike. Mr. Pompeo met separately with the Afghan government and Taliban negotiation teams in a luxury hotel in the Qatari capital. Mr. Pompeo said as he met the Afghan government side, noting the shared interest in such a scenario. He also met Qatar’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the foreign minister, on his stop in Doha, which is the Taliban’s base for diplomacy. The outgoing top U.S. diplomat is on a seven-nation tour of Europe and the Middle East, as President Donald Trump shores up late term priorities. Earlier this week, the Pentagon said it would soon pull some 2,000 troops out of Afghanistan, speeding up the timeline established in a February deal between the U.S. and the Taliban.

D) Trump objects to vote counting in Wisconsin.

The recount of the presidential election in Wisconsin’s two most heavily Democratic counties began on Friday with President Donald Trump’s campaign seeking to discard tens of thousands of absentee ballots that it alleged should not have been counted. Mr. Trump’s three objections attempting to discard the ballots were denied by the three-member Dane County Board of Canvassers, twice on bipartisan votes. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said he expected the campaign was building a record before filing a lawsuit. Joe Biden won Wisconsin by 20,600 votes and carried Dane and Milwaukee counties by a 2-to-1 margin. Mr. Trump only paid for recounts in those two counties, not in the 70 others, 58 of which he won. Trump attorney Christ Troupis argued that certification envelopes filled out by people who voted absentee in-person do not count under the law as a written application, even though the envelope is identified as such.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
21 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Nefarious plot defeated in Jammu and Kashmir: PM Modi. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 November has said that the security forces had defeated a nefarious plot to target grassroots-level democratic exercises in Jammu and Kashmir by killing four terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad. The four terrorists, who recently infiltrated from Pakistan, were killed and two policemen injured in a gunfight at the Ban Toll Plaza near Nagrota on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on Thursday. The four had huge amount of ammunition and explosive materials on them, he said. The Prime Minister held a detailed review of the Nagrota encounter on Friday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and top intelligence officials were present in the meeting. A senior government official claimed that the Pakistan-based terrorists were planning something big on the anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks on November 26. In a tweet after the meeting, Modi said that neutralizing of 4 terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed and the presence of large cache of weapons and explosives with them indicate that their efforts to wreak major havoc and destruction have once again been thwarted. 

B) Siddique Kappan wanted to create ‘caste divide’, U.P. govt tells SC. 

The Uttar Pradesh government on 20 November has denied illegally confining Malayalam journalist Siddique Kappan and did not object to a lawyer meeting him in jail, but accused him of using the garb of journalism to create a caste divide in Hathras, where a 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped by four upper-caste men recently. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that Kappan was arrested and remanded by a competent court. His bail plea was heard for nine days. His bail was rejected after nine days of hearing, they should approach the High Court. He is in judicial custody in pursuance of a valid judicial order passed by a court, Mehta submitted. He was responding to a petition filed by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) for the immediate release of Kappan. The union has said Kappan is its secretary. He, according to the KUWJ, was illegally detained while on his way to Hathras in October 5. An 82-page affidavit filed by the senior superintendent of the Mathura District Jail, where Kappan is lodged, said he was the office secretary of the Popular Front of India (PFI). The identity card he had shown was of a Kerala-based newspaper, Tejas, which was closed in 2018. It is revealed during the investigation that he, along with other PFI activists and their student wing leaders were going to Hathras under the garb of journalism with a very determined design to create a caste divide and disturb law and order, the affidavit said. The court gave the KUWJ time to study the affidavit. It scheduled a hearing next week.

C) Sonia Gandhi shifts to Goa on medical advice. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the afternoon of 20 November has moved to Goa following a medical advice to avoid smog and avoid air pollution in Delhi. Accompanied by her son and former Congress chief, Rahul Gandhi, Ms. Gandhi, 73, is likely to be in Goa till the air quality in Delhi improved, a Congress functionary said. The Congress president has been advised by doctors to shift out of Delhi to a place with cleaner air. The polluted air in Delhi has taken a toll on her health and has aggravated her asthma and chest condition, which has not shown much improvement despite medication, said the functionary. Ms. Gandhi’s decision to move out of Delhi comes amid internal rumblings over the party’s performance in Bihar as well as crucial bypolls across several States.

D) Attorney General okays fresh contempt action against Kunal Kamra. 

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal on 20 November has consented to contempt action against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for his grossly vulgar and obnoxious tweet with a photograph of two fingers meant to deliberately insult the Chief Justice of India. Venugopal said the tweet tended to lower the authority of the Supreme Court and undermined public confidence in it. The tweet was uploaded on November 18. The depiction of the two fingers, with the legend that he means the middle one, is to deliberately insult the Chief Justice of India, which would equally be an insult to the Supreme Court of India, which the Chief Justice heads, Venugopal reasoned. The consent letter under the Contempt of Court Act of 19750 was in reply to a complaint made by advocate Anuj Singh, a lawyer from Uttar Pradesh.  This is the second consent given by Venugopal for contempt action against Kamra in November. The earlier consent was regarding Kamra’s tweets on the decision of the Supreme Court to grant interim bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. Kamra has refused to apologise for, or retract, his tweets. Instead, he tweeted that he wished to volunteer the time that may be allotted for hearing his contempt case to others who have not been as lucky and privileged as he is to jump the queue. 

E) Ashok Gehlot slams BJP’s love jihad laws.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on 20 November has slammed the BJP over the love jihad controversy, saying it was a term manufactured by the party to divide the nation and disturb communal harmony. With several BJP-ruled states going ahead with moves to bring in legislation on the issue, Gehlot said marriage was a matter of personal liberty and bringing a law to curb it would be completely unconstitutional. The BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have announced plans to enact a restrictive law. The senior Congress leader said in a series of tweets that such a legislation would not stand in any court of law and jihad had no place in love. He said BJP leaders were creating an environment in the country where consenting adults would be at the mercy of the state. Marriage is a personal decision and they are putting curbs on it, which is like snatching away personal liberty, Gehlot said. He said bringing a law on love jihad seemed to be a ploy to disrupt communal harmony, fuel social conflict, and disregard constitutional provisions that mandate that the state cannot discriminate against citizens on the basis of religion.

F) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 90,37,541 with the death toll at 1,32,597. In the wake of rising Covid-19 cases after the Diwali festivities, the Gujarat government on Friday announced that night curfew, from 9 pm to 7 am, will be imposed in Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat everyday. The decision comes a day after Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) announced a weekend curfew in Ahmedabad city, from Friday night till Monday morning, during which only milk and medical shops would be allowed to remain open. Amid fears of a second wave, the Madhya Pradesh government has also announced that it will impose night curfew, from 10 pm to 6 am, in five cities : Bhopal, Indore, Ratlam, Vidisham and Gwalior.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Tigray fires rocket into neighboring region. 

Rebel forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region fired rockets on 20 November at the distant capital of the neighbouring Amhara region, Amhara authorities said, raising worries the conflict could spill into a wider war. In the north, Ethiopian troops took the towns of Axum and Adwa, a government statement said. Two weeks into the conflict, the United Nations said it was making plans for as many as refugees fleeing into neighbouring Sudan, and made an urgent appeal for $200 million to assist them. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people have been killed and tens of thousands of refugees have fled from fighting in Tigray, raising questions of whether Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed can hold his ethnically diverse nation together. The illegal TPLF group have launched a rocket attack around 1:40 a.m. in Bahir Dar, Amhara government’s communications office said. The rockets caused no damage, it said.

B) Debutant Douglas Stuart wins 2020 Booker Prize. 

Scottish author Douglas Stuart on Thursday was awarded the 2020 Booker Prize for his acclaimed debut novel Shuggie Bain, set in his home city of Glasgow. He always wanted to be a writer so this is fulfilling a dream, said Mr. Stuart, whose novel about a working-class family in the 1980s was inspired by his own childhood. Like the other finalists, the 44-year-old writer, who now lives in New York, was watching the socially distanced ceremony via video link due to the anti-virus lockdown in place in Britain. Mr. Stuart’s book reflects his own experiences growing up with a mother who was an alcoholic and died from her addiction. He described the book as a love story looking at the kind of unconditional, often-tested love that children can have for flawed parents. In an emotional speech, the 44-year-old, who now lives in New York, said: My mother would be thrilled, she would be absolutely thrilled and I think she would be proud. He said that he had carried a lot of love and pain and writing the book was incredibly healing for me. He also paid tribute to his native city, saying that growing up in Glasgow he think is one of the greatest inspirations of his life. Mr. Stuart was one of four debut novelists among the six finalists.

C) Sanders, Warren may be left out of top posts

Biden warned against freezing out progressives as he shapes his government Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, leaders of the Democratic Part’s left wing, are at risk of being excluded from the senior ranks Of president-elect Joe Biden’s ad. ministration as the incoming President balances the de mands Of his parties progressive base against the political realities Of a narrowly divided Senate.

The liberal New England Senators remain interested in sewing in Mr. Biden’s Cabinet, but even sorne of their allies recognise they major political hurdles getting there. Sensing disappointment, progressive leaders have reluctantly begun to express support for less-controversial alternatives.

Ms. Warren, whose political career has been defined by efforts to diminish the power of big banks, is the progressive movement•s top choice for Treasury secretary. Mr. Sanders, a self-described demen•ratic socialist. reiterated his desire to serve as Mr. Biden’s Labor secretary on Thursday, describing himself as particularly suited “to focus on the many crises facing working families in this country.”

Whether he is included in Mr. Biden’s Cabinet or not. Mr. Sanders warned Mr. Bito freeze out gressives as he shapes his vernment. “It seems to me clear that progressive Views need to be within a Biden administration.- Mr. Sanders said. -It would be… enormously insulting if Biden put together a ‘team of rivals- and thereX sonæ discussion that that i what he intends to which might include Republicans and conservative democrats — but which ignored the progressive community. I think that very, very unfortunate.”

In a nod to the left wing, Mr. Biden’s transition team has hired Analilia Mejia, a Sanders adviser Who served as his presidential came paigns political director, to work on progressive reach. It’s unl*ely, however, that mid-level hires will be enough to satisfy progressives

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS
20 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Bihar Education Minister resigns as Opposition raises questions about his tainted past. 

Bihar’s new Education Minister Mewalal Choudhury on 19 November has resigned, hours after assuming charge. The Governor accepted his resignation with immediate effect and Building Construction Department Minister Ashok Choudhary was given additional charge of the Education Department. Opposition parties had raised questions over Choudhury’s tainted past and the case filed against him in a corruption case. Choudhury, a two-time JD(U) MLA from Tarapur in Munger district, had on November 16 taken oath as a Minister in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. He was later made new Education minister of the State. On 19 November, he assumed charge of the department and went to meet Kumar. The closed-door meeting lasted for an hour and soon afterwards he sent his resignation to the Raj Bhawan. Choudhury, former Vice-Chancellor of the Bihar Agriculture University of Sabour in Bhagalpur district from 2010-2015, was an accused in a recruitment scam involving 167 posts of assistant-cum-junior scientists in the University. An FIR was lodged against him and others at Sabour police station. Some accused persons were arrested but Choudhury secured bail. Chargesheet in the case against me has not been filed yet. It was a false and fabricated case against me and filing an FIR doesn’t mean one is guilty, Choudhury had told media persons on 19 November. However, ever since Choudhary was inducted into the new cabinet, RJD and Congress leaders have been questioning Kumar’s zero tolerance of corruption claim.  Meanwhile, former Bihar CM and president of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) Jitan Ram Manjhi was on Thursday sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker of the State Assembly. A five day inaugural session of the newly constituted State Assembly is scheduled to commence from November 23.

B) Parliamentary panel grills Twitter over Kunal Kamra’s tweets targeting SC, CJI.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Data Protection Bill questioned Twitter representatives on why the social media giant did not take down stand-up comic Kunal Kamra’s offensive tweets attacking the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India for granting TV anchor Arnab Goswami reprieve after his arrest in an abetment to suicide case. It is shameful that Twitter is allowing its platform for obscene remarks like the one by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra against the Supreme Court and the CJI, committee chairperson Meenakshi Lekhi said. Twitter representatives who deposed before the committee reportedly said that there were detailed guidelines laid down for taking down tweets or suspending accounts. In Kamra’s case, specifically, the tweets could not be taken down without court orders. The panel, according to sources, said Twitter’s explanation about suspending accounts and taking down the offensive tweets was found to be inadequate. Meanwhile, Standing Committee Chairman for Information and Technology, Shashi Tharoor has questioned the mandate of the Joint Committee to raise this issue, as it was formed exclusively to deal with issues concerning the Data Protection Bill.  Meanwhile, Kamra has stuck to his guns, making it clear that he will not retract any of his tweets and that they speak for themselves.

C) SC restores dismissed PIL challenging validity of Centre’s farm laws. 

The Supreme Court on 19 November has restored a PIL, dismissed earlier, that had challenged the constitutional validity of the Centre’s newly enacted three farm laws. The PIL had challenged the laws on the grounds that the Parliament lacked the power to make legislations on the subject as agriculture is a state subject in the Constitution. A Bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, on October 12, had issued a notice to the Centre on a batch of petitions against the three contentious farm laws and had sought its reply in four weeks. However, it had dismissed the PIL filed by lawyer M.L. Sharma against these statutes by asking him to approach the High Court instead. They will restore and keep the matter for admission after two weeks, the bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, said when Sharma claimed on 19 November that he couldn’t argue his case on the last date of hearing.

D) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 89,82,768 with the death toll at 1,31,958. The Health Ministry has approved a new category for selection and nomination of candidates from Wards of Covid Warriors under Central pool MBBS/BDS seats for the academic year 2020-21. Five Central pool MBBS seats have been reserved for this category for the year 2020-21, said a release issued by the Ministry. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan on 19 November has announced the government’s decision to introduce a new category called Wards of COVID Warriors in the guidelines for selection and nomination of candidates against Central pool MBBS seats for 2020-21. He said that this move aimed to dignify and honour the noble contribution made by COVID warriors in the treatment and management of Covid-19 patients. The Minister added that the State/Union Territory governments will certify the eligibility for this category. The selection of candidates will be made by the Medical Council Committee (MCC) through online application on the basis of the rank obtained in NEET-2020 conducted by National Testing Agency, said the Ministry. Central pool MBBS seats may be allocated for selection and nomination of the candidates from among the wards of COVID warriors who lost their lives due to Covid-19 or died accidentally while on Covid-19 -related duty. COVID warriors are all public healthcare providers, including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact with Covid-19 patients.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Pakistan court sentences Hafiz Saeed to 10 years imprisonment in 2 more cases.

Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was on 19 November has sentenced to 10 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in two more terror cases. Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist on whom the U.S. has placed a $10 million bounty, was arrested on July 17 last year on terror-financing cases. He was sentenced to 11 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in February this year in two terror-financing cases. He is lodged in Lahore’s high-security Kot Lakhpat jail. The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Lahore on Thursday sentenced four leaders of Jamat-ud-Dawa, including its chief Hafiz Saeed, in two more cases, a court official said. Saeed and his two close aides, Zafar Iqbal and Yahya Mujahid have been sentenced to 10 and a half years each, while JuD chief’s brother-in-law Abdul Rehman Makki was sentenced to six months imprisonment. A total of 41 cases have been registered against the JuD leaders, out of which 24 have been decided, while the rest are pending in the ATC courts. Four cases have been decided against Saeed so far. Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

B) Ethiopia accuses WHO chief of backing defiant Tigray region. 

Ethiopia’s government is accusing the head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a fellow Ethiopian, of lobbying neighboring countries to come to the aid of the country’s rebellious Tigray regional government with arms and other support. Ethiopia’s army chief, Gen. Birhanu Jula, asserted to reporters on Wednesday that Ghebreyesus had urged unnamed neighbors to oppose the war and for (the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF) to get arms. The army chief did not provide any evidence to support his claims. The TPLF has been clashing with Ethiopian federal forces for the past two weeks after the country’s prime minister accused the heavily armed regional government of attacking a military base. Each government regards the other as illegal after a months-long falling out amid political reforms. The army chief accused Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopian foreign minister when the TPLF dominated Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, of being a member of the TPLF and asked, What do you expect of a person like him?