Tag: latest Current Affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
19 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) NPR-Census: Registrar General of India says it is being finalized. 

The office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) has said the schedule or the questionnaire of the National Population Register (NPR) is being finalized and the information about the expected date of first phase of Census 2021 is not available. The RGI response came in reply to a question filed by The Hindu under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking information on the expected date of the first phase of Census 2021, and an update of the NPR that was earlier scheduled to begin April 1, 2020. The exercise was postponed indefinitely until further orders on March 25 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The NPR update and the first phase of Census-House listing & Housing Census were to be conducted simultaneously from April-September. Even though the twin exercise was to be rolled out first in Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area on April 1, the RGI said in the RTI reply on November 17 that the schedule of NPR is being finalized.  As many as 13 States and Union Territories have opposed the update of the NPR due to its link with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). According to the Citizenship Rules framed in 2003, the NPR is the first step towards compilation of the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) or NRC. Some States such as West Bengal and Rajasthan have objected to additional questions to be asked in the fresh NPR such as date and place of birth of father and mother, last place of residence and mother tongue.

B) Army completes building extreme weather habitat for troops in eastern Ladakh. 

As India and China continue deliberations on a proposed disengagement and de-escalation plan to end the stand-off in eastern Ladakh, the Army has completed building extreme weather habitat for thousands of additional troops to remain deployed through the harsh winter. In order to ensure the operational efficiency of the troops deployed in winters, the Army has completed the establishment of habitat facilities for all the troops deployed in the sector. Apart from the smart camps with integrated facilities, which have been built over the years, additional state of the art habitat with integrated arrangements for electricity, water, heating facilities, health and hygiene have been recently created, an Army source said on 18 November.

C) Extreme weather habitat set up by Army for troops in Eastern Ladakh.

The troops in the front line were accommodated in heated tents as per tactical considerations of their deployment, the source said. The construction was completed by mid-October. Adequate civil infrastructure had also been identified to cater for any emergent requirements. The altitude in Ladakh where troops are deployed ranges from 14,000-18,000 feet and the area experiences up to 40 feet of snowfall from December onwards. Coupled with the wind chill factor, the temperatures dip down to minus 30-40 degrees, disrupting road access to the areas. The Army has deployed thousands of additional troops and equipment in eastern Ladakh and along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since the stand-off began in early May. The Army recently procured 15,000 extreme weather clothing from the U.S. under the bilateral logistics pact, Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA), for the additional troops deployed in Ladakh. The order was placed in early July and the deliveries have been completed, a second source said. Last week, Army Chief Gen. Manoj Naravane said that there was no shortage whatsoever of any kind with respect to extreme weather clothing and equipment for the troops deployed in Ladakh. The equipment normally catered to a certain number of troops at any point of time. They had to go in for certain emergency procurements for the additional troops due to the ongoing situation.

D) Maharashtra agrees to treat Varavara Rao at Nanavati Hospital for 15 days. 

After a nudge from the Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra government on 18 November agreed to shift 81-year-old activist-poet Varavara Rao from Taloja Central jail hospital to Nanavati Hospital for 15 days for medical examination and treatment. A Division Bench of justices S.S. Shinde and Madhav Jamdar conducted a physical hearing during vacation, terming it an urgent matter. After senior advocate Indira Jaisingh, appearing for Rao, listed out the medical ailments he was suffering from and said that he needed to be treated for the same, the court insisted that Chief Public Prosecutor Deepak Thakare take instructions on the same. Thakare informed the court that State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has agreed to shift Rao to Nanavati Hospital for 15 days as a special case and not as a precedent. While dictating the order, the court also gave permission for family members to visit Rao and directed all medical reports to be submitted in court. The matter will now be heard on December 3. The order came despite strong objections from Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Singh argued that government-run hospitals were well-equipped to treat Rao and if this was allowed, all prisoners would seek special treatment. He said Rao could be shifted to J.J. Hospital. However, Jaisingh interrupted and said the last time he was admitted to J.J. Hospital, he was found in a pool of urine. She added that Nanavati Hospital was the choice of the State government, as he was admitted there initially.

E) ICMR warns against indiscriminate use of plasma therapy. 

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has warned against indiscriminate use of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) for treating Covid-19. On 18 November, it released its report of an open-label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (PLACID trial) conducted across 39 public and private hospitals on the use of CPT in management of cases with moderate infection. The report concluded that the therapy did not lead to a reduction in progression to severe COVID or all-cause mortality in the group that received CPT as compared to the group that did not receive CPT. Benefits of CPT in improving the clinical outcomes, reducing severity of disease, and duration of hospitalisation and mortality in patients were dependent on the concentration of specific antibodies in convalescent plasma that could neutralise the effects of SARS-CoV-2, the ICMR said. It stated that CPT could be used with specific criteria, including that a potential donor, be it men or women who had never been pregnant, could give plasma after 14 days of symptom resolution (testing negative is not necessary). A potential recipient should be in the early stage of Covid-19 (3-7 days from the onset of symptoms, but not later than 10 days) and should show no IgG antibody against Covid-19 by appropriate test. PLACID is the world’s largest pragmatic trial on CPT conducted in 464 moderately ill-confirmed affected adults in a real-world setting, wherein no benefit of use of CPT could be established, the ICMR said. CPT involves the use of plasma from people who have recovered from the infection to aid the immune response of those still fighting it.

F) Shillong Times editor resigns from Editor’s Guild in protest. 

Editor of The Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim on Tuesday resigned from membership of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) in protest against what she described as the organisation’s complete silence on the recent High Court ruling, which refused to quash an FIR against her and held her guilty of creating communal disharmony through a Facebook post. The veteran journalist, who is known for her principled stand on many issues, including the rights of marginalised voices across the North East, said the Guild was silent about her case, while it condemned the arrest of non-member Arnab Goswami, whose arrest was not even on grounds of journalistic pursuits.

On November 10, a single judge Bench of the Meghalaya High Court found Mukhim guilty of creating communal disharmony, a crime under Section 153 of the CrPC, and refused to quash an FIR filed by the Lawsohtun Dorbar Shnong (a traditional institution).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Pfizer ends vaccine trial with 95% efficacy, to seek emergency-use authorization.

Pfizer Inc said on 18 November that final results from the late-stage trial of its Covid-19 vaccine showed it was 95% effective, and since it had the required two-months of safety data, it would apply for emergency U.S. authorization within days. The drugmaker said efficacy of the vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech SE, was consistent across age and ethnicity demographics, and that there were no major side effects, a sign that the immunization could be employed broadly around the world. Efficacy in adults over 65 years, who are at particular risk from the virus, was over 94%. The final analysis comes just one week after initial results from the trial showed the vaccine was more than 90% effective. Moderna Inc on Monday released preliminary data for its vaccine, showing similar effectiveness.

B) Will return to nuclear deal if U.S. sanctions are lifted: Iran. 

Iran will automatically return to its nuclear commitments if U.S. President-elect Joe Biden lifts sanctions imposed over the past two years, its Foreign Minister said on 18 November. Tehran’s return to its commitments can be done automatically and needs no conditions or even negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif said in comments published in the state-run Iran daily.  Decades old U.S.-Iranian tensions escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposed, then reinforced, crippling sanctions. While Mr. Trump has sought to maximize pressure on Iran and isolate it globally, Mr. Biden has proposed to offer the Islamic republic a credible path back to diplomacy. Mr. Zarif argued that America is obligated to implement Resolution 2231 as a member of the United Nations and its Security Council, pointing to the UNSC re solution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal. If it does carry out this resolution and sanctions are lifted, and there are no obstacles to Iran’s economic activities, then Iran will carry out its obligations under the deal, he said. Iran has since May 2019 gradually suspended most of its key obligations under the agreement. Mr. Zarif described Mr. Biden as a foreign affairs veteran whom he has known for 30 years. Once in the White House, Mr. Biden could lift all of these sanctions with three executive orders, he said.

C) U.K’s Labour denies key post to Jeremy Corbyn. 

The leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour party on Wednesday refused to readmit his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn to its parliamentary ranks, intensifying a row over anti-Semitism. Keir Starmer was elected leader in April, taking over from Mr. Corbyn after his thumping election defeat to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives last December. Mr. Starmer has vowed to root out anti-Semitism in the party that opponents alleged went unchecked and flourished under Mr. Corbyn. But six months into the job, the row shows no sign of abating. Last month, a report by the U.K.’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found Labour under Mr. Corbyn had broken the law in its inexcusable handling of anti-Semitism complaints. Mr. Corbyn had refused to accept all its findings. That prompted his immediate suspension pending an internal investigation, and the whip was withdrawn, meaning he could not sit with other Labour MPs in the House of Commons. But his party membership was restored on Tuesday by a party disciplinary panel. Mr. Starmer nevertheless said he was not prepared to allow the socialist campaigner back into Labour’s parliamentary ranks.

SPORTS NEWS

A) Mendonca earns his second GM norm. Young Indian International Master Leon Luke Mendonca won a GM chess tournament in Hungary, with a to spare, to chse in the coveted Grandnuster. The 14 year old from Goa triumphed in First Saturday GM November 2020 event in Budapest on Monday to earn his second norms. He needs one more to earn the GM title. Mendonca finished with 7.5 points and clinched the tide with a round to spare. He remainedd unbeaten and recorded victories over two GMs. He had six wins and three draws in the nine round championship.  In October , Mendonca had won the Rigochess International Chess Festival GM tournament in Hungary to earn his maiden GM norm. the norm with a round to spare, he said from Budapest. In the opening round, Mendonca drew against higher-rated GM Plat Vojtech of the Czech Republic (Elo 2562). In the next, Mendonca beat Hungarian GM Fogarasi Tibor, which the Indian rated as his best victory in the tournament. Mendoca has been away from home for nine months, along with father Lyndon, playing events in Europe. Mendonca doesn’t seem to be in a hurry together back to India as he is eyeing his final GM norm. 

B) Ishaan starts bowling full tilt at NCA.

India’s senior-most fast bowler Ishant Sharma on Wednesday bowled full tilt at the National Cricket Academy with an aim to get fit for lndia’s four match Test series in Australia, starting December 17. Ishant was ruled out of the Indian Premier League after playing just one game for Delhi Capitals against Sunrisers Hyderabad as a left internal oblique muscle tear ended his campaign prematurely. Ishant has been at the NCA doing his extensive rehabilitation work under the watchful eyes of director Rahul Dravid and head physio Ashish Kaushik. On Wednesday, ESPNCricinfo on its twitter handle, posted a minute-long clip of the 32-yeardd bowling from his full run-up. Dravid and chief selector Sunil Joshi watched Ishant bowl. He was mainly bowling single stump With NCA coaching staff like Paras Mhambrey and Mansur Khan also in attendance. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, in a recent interview to PTI, had said that they are expecting Ishant to fit before the first Test in Adelaide.

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS
18 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Madhya Pradesh ‘love jihad’ Bill proposes 5 years imprisonment. 

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on 17 November has said the BJP government was planning a law under which anyone convicted of ‘love jihad’ could be sentenced to five years imprisonment. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Mishra said the government would table the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020 in the next Vidhan Sabha session.  Further, he said the Bill would propose that the offence to be cognizable and non-bailable. Similarly, they are making a provision to declare marriages for religious conversion based on inducements, duress, fraud and seduction as null and void. In the Bill, he added, those abetting the offence would be considered as culprits along with the main accused. For action, it will be necessary for those bound by the religious conversions or their parents or siblings to file a complaint, he said. As for those indulging in religious conversions for marriages, they will have to inform the District Magistrates at least a month in advance, along with religious persons organising the conversions, said Mishra. The announcement comes after similar plans were made public by the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Haryana governments.

B) Amit Shah calls Gupkar Alliance an ‘unholy global gathbandhan’; Mehbooba, Omar hit back. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 17 November has termed the coalition of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, known as the Gupkar Alliance, an unholy global gathbandhan against the national interest. He questioned whether the Congress, reported to be in informal seat-adjustment arrangements with the People’s Alliance of the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) for the District Development Council (DDC) polls, endorsed what the leaders of the alliance had said on the restoration of Article 370. In a series of tweets, Shah said the Indian people will no longer tolerate an unholy global gathbandhan against their national interest. Either the Gupkar Gang swims along with the national mood or else the people will sink it. He accused the parties making up the alliance, such as the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), of trying to collude with foreign powers and showing disrespect to the national flag. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and NC vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday hit back at Shah for his comments. Old habits die hard. Earlier BJP’s narrative was that the ‘tukde tukde’ gang threatened India’s sovereignty and they are now using ‘Gupkar Gang’ euphemism to project us as anti-nationals. Irony died a million deaths since it is BJP itself that violates the constitution day in and day out, said Mufti in a tweet. Meanwhile, responding to Shah’s tweet, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the Congress is neither a part of the Gupkar Alliance nor is it a part of the PAGD. Will Mr. Amit Shah bother to explain why did the BJP form a coalition government with the PDP that he is now attacking? The exchange of tweets comes just as J&K prepares to hold its maiden polls for the District Development Council from November 26.

C) Not happy with Centre’s affidavit on pleas over media reporting of Tablighi congregation: SC

The Supreme Court on 17 November has expressed displeasure over the Centre’s affidavit in the case related to media reporting on a Tablighi Jamaat congregation during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and said it should consider setting up a regulatory mechanism to deal with such content on TV. First you did not file a proper affidavit and then you filed an affidavit which did not deal with the two important questions. It cannot be done this way, a Bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The Centre’s affidavit, filed by Amit Khare, Information and Broadcasting Secretary, had claimed that media coverage over the past few months have predominantly struck a balanced and neutral perspective. The Bench, which was hearing the pleas filed by Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind and others alleging that a section of the media was spreading communal hatred over the Tablighi Jamaat congregation during the onset of pandemic, asked the Centre to file a fresh affidavit dealing with the mechanism to regulate electronic media under the Cable TV Network Act. The top court has posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.

D) Terrorism, biggest problem confronting the world: PM Modi at BRICS. 

Terrorism is the biggest problem before the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on 17 November. Addressing the 12th BRICS summit, he asserted that there was a need to confront the countries that supported and sponsored terror. BRICS is a grouping that comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Modi acknowledged the Russian support to the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which has acquired a definite shape. India would continue supporting this strategy, he said. The BRICS summit is important as it provides the Chinese and the Indian leadership an opportunity to exchange their thoughts on key priorities in the backdrop of the continued tension in eastern Ladakh. Both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS have provided recent opportunities for exchange of ideas between the two sides.

E) Centre places Lakshmi Vilas Bank under moratorium, caps withdrawal limit at ₹25,000. 

The government on November 17 placed Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) under a one-month moratorium, superseded its board, and capped withdrawals at ₹25,000 per depositor. The step was taken by the government on the advice of the RBI in view of the declining financial health of the private sector lender. In a statement, the RBI said in the absence of a credible revival plan, with a view to protect depositors’ interest and in the interest of financial and banking stability, there was no alternative but to apply to the Central government for imposing a moratorium under Section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Accordingly, after considering the Reserve Bank’s request, the Central government has imposed moratorium for thirty days effective from 17 November, it said. As per the moratorium order, Lakshmi Vilas Bank will not, without RBI’s permission, make, in the aggregate, payment to a depositor of a sum exceeding twenty-five thousand rupees lying to his credit, in any savings, current or any other deposit account, by whatever name called. T.N. Manoharan, former non-executive chairman of Canara Bank, has been appointed as the administrator of the bank. Meanwhile, the RBI has also placed in public domain a draft scheme of amalgamation of Lakshmi Vilas Bank with DBS Bank.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Second phase of Malabar exercise begins in northern Arabian Sea. 

The navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan on 17 November has began the second phase of the Malabar naval exercise in the northern Arabian Sea. The exercise involved two aircraft carriers and a number of frontline warships, submarines, and maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The major highlight of the four-day exercise is participation of the Indian Navy’s Vikramaditya carrier battle group and the Nimitz strike group of the US Navy. The USS Nimitz is the world’s largest warship. The first phase of the Malabar exercise took place in the Bay of Bengal from November 3-6 and featured a number of complex drills, including anti-submarine and anti-air warfare operations.

B) Modi speaks with Biden, affirms importance of ties. 

Spoke to U.S. President elect Joe Biden on phone to congratulate him. They reiterated their firm commitment to the Indo-U.S. strategic partnership and discussed their shared priorities and concerns, COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and cooperation in the IndoPacific region, Mr. Modi wrote on Twitter. Mr. Modi had already sent a congratulatory message via Twitter to Mr. Biden last week on his spectacular victory in the U.S. elections which concluded on November 3. Mr. Modi and President Donald Trump shared a publicly close relationship, appearing together at rallies in Houston and Ahmedabad in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Trump campaign used this bonhomie in its campaign messaging to woo Indian American voters. The India-U.S. relationship has had broad support on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. with Democrats and Republicans bringing different challenges and opportunities for the relationship in the spheres of democracy and human rights, regional policy, trade and immigration.

C) Sri Lanka to open up Chinese-backed ‘port city’. 

A mega Chinese real-estate development in Sri Lanka will open early next year offering tax concessions to attract investors and revive the struggling economy, the government said on Tuesday in its first budget. Colombo Port City, a $1.4 billion land reclamation project beside the capital’s port which started in 2014 has doubled the size of Sri Lanka’s current financial district. The largest single foreign investment in Sri Lanka so far is one of several massive Asian infrastructure projects funded by China as Beijing increases its footprint in the region.

“I expect to present to Parliament a new legal fra-mework conducive to promote commercial services and investment in this Special Economic Zone in January,” Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Finance Minister, told Parliament in his budget address. He said the Port City — an area of 269 hectares reclaimed from the Indian Ocean — will offer tax concessions to attract trade, banking and foreign exchange transactions. He did not give further details.

Mr. Rajapaksa also said Sri Lanka will aim to cut its fiscal deficit to 4% over the medium-term, without specifying an exact time period, from the 9% foreseen in 2021. “This is a development budget presented to elevate an economy that has been shattered,” he said.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
17 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM again.

Nitish Kumar was on 16 November sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth consecutive time, in the presence of top leaders of the NDA, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda. Kumar, who heads the JD(U), was administered the oath of office at Raj Bhavan by Governor Phagu Chauhan a day after he staked claim for the formation of a new government. Along with him, 14 Ministers from all the four NDA constituent parties took oath. Two four-time BJP legislators, Tarkishore Prasad from the Katihar constituency and Renu Devi from Bettiah are said to be the Deputy Chief Ministers. Congratulating Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan tweeted that he hoped the government would complete its full term and you (Kumar) would remain NDA’s chief minister. The LJP had put up candidates against the JD(U) in the recent Assembly polls and damaged the latter’s tally of winning seats. Paswan had said that he had fielded candidates against the JD(U) to dethrone Kumar as Chief Minister. The JD(U) could win only 43 seats, while the BJP bagged 74 seats. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress boycotted the swearing-in ceremony, saying, the mandate was against the NDA. 

B) SC declines interim bail for Kerala scribe Siddique Kappan.

Less than a week after it granted interim bail to Republic editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the Supreme Court on 16 November has refused to grant interim relief in a habeas corpus plea filed on behalf of Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde has sought a response from the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government, and its police chief on the plea made by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) for the release of its secretary Siddique Kappan. It also deferred the hearing of the plea by five days, scheduling it for November 20 after the KUWJ’s lawyer, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, pressed for bail. Kappan, a freelance journalist, was detained along with some others on October 5 while on his way to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, where a Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped by four men. An FIR against him was registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Kappan is lodged in Mathura jail. The FIR does not have his name in it. There is no reference of an offence against him. But he is in jail since October 5. The magistrate says go to jail. The jail authorities say go to the magistrate. My Lord, this man is a journalist, Sibal submitted. But the CJI responded by advising him to approach the Allahabad High Court for the journalist’s freedom.

C) I&B Ministry asks digital news media to comply with 26% FDI cap. 

Four days after it brought digital news portals and video streaming platforms like Netflix under its jurisdiction, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a detailed notification asking companies to comply with the 26% limit on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), sanctioned by the government last year. Prakash Javadekar pointed out that there was no regulatory body for the over-the-top (OTT) platforms and that the government was receiving suggestions on how to regulate its content. The notification reiterates the Union cabinet decision from August last year, imposing a 26% cap on FDI under government route for uploading/streaming of news and current affairs through digital media. This is along the same lines as for the print media. The only major departure is that now even companies which have investment below the 26% cap have to intimate the I&B ministry about the shareholding pattern, along with the names and address of its directors/shareholders. These details have to be submitted within a month’s time. Firms that have more than 26% FDI have been instructed to take necessary steps for bringing down the foreign investment to 26% by October 15, 2021. This serves no purpose. The government is just trying to get more and more levers with which to manipulate the digital media. The spate of notifications that you see are not isolated, it clearly indicates that they want to exert control and this will continue, said Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder of news portal News Laundry. 

D) Justice U.U. Lalit recuses from hearing pleas against Andhra CM, govt. 

Justice U.U. Lalit of the Supreme Court on 16 November has recused himself from hearing separate writ petitions that sought action against the Andhra Pradesh government and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for levelling false, vague and political allegations against Supreme Court judge Justice N.V. Ramana and other High Court judges. The judge, who leads a three-member Bench, withdrew from hearing the case, explaining that he had, as a lawyer, represented some of the parties involved in the case. Justice Lalit is one of the few senior advocates to be directly elevated as a Supreme Court judge in the history of the court. The petitions concern a letter by Reddy addressed to the Chief Justice of India and the subsequent revelation of its contents during a press conference on October 10. Recently, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal had refrained from giving his statutory consent to pleas seeking contempt of court action against Reddy and his Principal Advisor Ajeya Kallam. Venugopal had said that it was up to the CJI, who is seized of the letter, to take an appropriate decision. Supreme Court advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, in his contempt plea to Venugopal, had claimed that the decision of a Bench led by Justice Ramana on September 16, directing expeditious completion of pending criminal trials against politicians had spurred Reddy to write the letter. Reddy, the lawyer said, had 31 criminal cases against him.

E) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 88,64,793 with the death toll at 1,30,340. About a fifth (21.84%) of new Covid-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours has been reported from Delhi (95 deaths), overtaking Maharashtra. Delhi has also recorded the second largest surge in new cases and the largest number of recoveries (7,606), said data released by the Union Health Ministry on 16 November. Delhi’s fatalities, along with Maharashtra (60), West Bengal (51), Punjab (30), Kerala and Karnataka (with 21 each), Uttar Pradesh (18) and Odisha (17) accounted up for 79 % of new Covid-19 deaths across the country.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) After Pfizer, Moderna says its vaccine 94.5% effective. 

For the second time this month, there’s promising news from a Covid-19 vaccine candidate: American biotech company Moderna said its vaccine appeared to be 94.5% effective, as per preliminary data from the company’s ongoing study. A week ago, competitor Pfizer Inc. had announced that its own Covid-19 vaccine appeared similarly effective news that puts both companies on track to seek permission within weeks for emergency use in the US. Moderna expects to have about 20 million doses, earmarked for the U.S., by the end of 2020. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech expect to have about 50 million doses globally by year’s end. Moderna’s vaccine, created with the National Institutes of Health, is being studied in 30,000 volunteers who received either the real vaccination or a dummy shot. On Sunday, an independent monitoring board broke the code to examine 95 infections that were recorded starting two weeks after volunteers’ second dose and discovered all but five illnesses occurred in participants who got the placebo. Moderna acknowledged the protection rate might change as more Covid-19 infections are detected and added to the calculations. Also, it’s too soon to know how long protection lasts. Both cautions apply to Pfizer’s vaccine as well.

B) Sri Lanka to unveil crucial budget. 

Sri Lanka’s ruling Rajapaksa administration will present its maiden Budget on 17 November, amid a relentless second wave of COVID19 that hit the island nation last month, prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, also the Minister of Finance will unveil the Budget for the year 2021 in Parliament and the final vote after its third reading is scheduled on December e Budget assumes ssignificace, coming amid a devastating global pandemic. Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves are under enormous strain in the wake of mounting external debt, the government recently repaid $4.2 billion for this year while its export and tourism sectors, and worker remittances from abroad have been severely impacted. The budget comes a year after president Gotabaya Rajapaksa rose to power, promising his voters development and prosperity and at a time when analysts have warned of a GDP contraction of possibly up to 10% a low that the country did not experience even during its civil war years. Meanwhile, the plight of Sri Lanka’s working people has come to the fore.   According to Anton Marcus, joint secretary, Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union representing workers from of Sri Lanka’ garment factories some 20,000 workers Of the 300,000 employed companies affiliated to Sri LLank’s Board of Investment have already lost their jobs. There is a fear of even higher rates of joblessness in the coming months. So about 10 major unions have got together and submitted a proposal for an unemployment benefits insurance scheme.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
16 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Nitish Kumar elected leader of NDA alliance, to take oath on November 16.

Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar was unanimously elected as leader of the National Democratic Alliance legislature party and will take oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth consecutive time, on the afternoon of November 16. The meeting of NDA legislators was held at 1, Aney Marg, the official residence of the Chief Minister of the State. Senior BJP leader and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, party’s poll-in charge Devendra Fadnavis too were present in the meeting along with other senior State party leaders.  After being elected as NDA legislature party leader, he went to meet the Governor to stake claim for the formation of the next government and the Governor accepted our request. The oath taking ceremony will be held between 4 to 4:30 p.m. on 16 November and then after everything will be decided, Mr. Kumar told media persons after coming out of Raj Bhawan. There is some speculation however, about who will be the next Deputy Chief Minister of the State. When asked if senior State BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, who has held the position for a long time, would continue in the post, Mr. Kumar said that it will be known after some time. Names of other party leaders like Kameshwar Chaupal and Prem Kumar are doing the rounds for the post even as there is some speculation that Mr Modi may be offered a role with the central government.

B) Soumitra Chatterjee, Bengali superstar, passes away. 

Bengali superstar and one of India’s tallest actors, Soumitra Chatterjee, widely admired for his roles as Apu and Feluda, has died after fighting for his life since October 6, when the 85-year-old was admitted to Kolkata’s Belle Vue Clinic with symptoms of COVID-19. Though he had subsequently tested negative for the virus, the infection and the prolonged stay in ICU had severely affected the functioning of his vital organs, particularly his central nervous system. His death was formally announced by the hospital at 12.15 p.m. on Sunday the day following Deepavali. That the actor who debuted in Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar in 1959 and acted in over 300 films, working until his recent hospitalization was very close to death had become evident on Deepavali eve when critical care specialist Dr. Arindam Kar, who headed the team of doctors attending on him, said they were hoping for a miracle. While the sad news wasn’t entirely unexpected, given his age and the complications he had developed after contracting COVID-19, the formal announcement of his departure numbed Kolkata, his home, and shocked fans across the globe. Far from being someone who led a retired life at 85, this winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke award was busier in his final years than ever and several of his films are still awaiting release. Tributes poured out on Twitter. While President Ram Nath Kovind said the Indian cinema had lost one of its legends, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his condolence message, said the actor, through his works, had come to embody Bengali sensibilities, emotions and ethos.

C) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stands at 88,43,827 with the death toll at 1,30,114. At a meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today, a 12-point plan to tackle coronavirus was adopted in Delhi where cases have been spiking in recent days. In a series of tweets, Mr. Shah announced the measures one of which is also to double coronavirus testing in the city and monitor people in home isolation. After the meeting, Mr. Kejriwal said the Centre will make arrangements for 750 hospital beds. Since October 20, the coronavirus cases have been on the rise in Delhi but ICU beds were not there, Mr Kejriwal told reporters. The Centre has assured that 750 ICU beds will be made available at the DRDO center. The number of COVID-19 tests conducted daily to be increased to over 1 lakh, he added.

D) Arunachal records best sex ratio, Manipur the worst. 

Arunachal Pradesh recorded the best sex ratio in the country, while Manipur recorded the worst, according to the 2018 report on Vital statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System published by the Registrar-General of India. Arunachal Pradesh recorded 1,084 females born per thousand males, followed by Nagaland (965) Mizoram (964), Kerala (963) and Karnataka (957). The worst was reported in Manipur (757), Lakshadweep (839) and Daman & Diu (877), Punjab (896) and Gujarat (897). Delhi recorded a sex ratio of929, Haryana 914 and Jammu and Kashmir 952. The ratio was determined on the basis of data provided by 30 States and Union Territories as the requisite information from six States namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal is not available, the report said. The number of registered births increased to 2.33 crore in 2018 from 2.21 crore registered births the previous year. The level of registration of births has increased to 89.3% in 2018 from 81.3% in 2009,” the report said.

The prescribed time limit for registration of birth or death is 21 days. Some States, however, register the births and deaths even after a year.

The birth or death certificate is issued free of charge by the Registrar concerned if reported within 21 days. If reported within 21-30 days, it can be registered on payment of the prescribed fee. If the duration is more than 30 days but within a year, it can be registered with the written permission of the prescribed authority and on production of an affidavit made before a notary public or any other officer authorised by the State government and on payment of a fee.

“Births and deaths reported after one year of occurrence shall be registered onIy on an order of the Magistrate of the First Class after verifying the correctness and on payment of the prescribed fee,” the report said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Pakistani troops used heavy artillery along LoC: BSF. 

Pakistani troops used heavy artillery during Friday’s unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in several sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, causing loss of lives and a huge damage to property on the Indian side, a top BSF officer said here on Sunday. Five security forces personnel were among the 11 persons killed in multiple instances of ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the LoC between the Gurez and Uri sectors of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, even as the Indian Army caused extensive damage to Pakistan Army’s infrastructure in retaliation. Those killed in the Pakistani aggression include four armymen, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan and six civilians. Pakistan fired heavy artillery without any provocation, but the Army and the BSF fought with bravery, gave a befitting response to them and many defences (installations) of Pakistan were destroyed, Inspector General of BSF, Kashmir Rajesh Mishra said. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the wreath-laying ceremony of BSF Sub-Inspector Rakesh Doval, who was killed in the Pakistani firing. Mr. Mishra said about 250-300 militants were ready at launchpads across the LoC to sneak into the Indian side. Security forces, including the BSF, have been successful in foiling their designs and will continue to do that, he said.

B) China-led mega trade block takes off, door still open for India. 

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a mega trade bloc comprising 15 countries led by China that came into existence on Sunday, said India would have to write expressing intention to join the organization to restart negotiation for membership. In a statement made public after the initializing ceremony among the member-countries on the sidelines of the 37th ASEAN Summit held virtually, the newly formed organization has laid down the path for restarting discussion that had failed to admit India earlier and said new developments would be taken into consideration when India re-applied. The RCEP signatory states will commence negotiations with India at any time after the signing of the RCEP Agreement once India submits a request in writing of its intention to accede to the RCEP Agreement to the depository of the RCEP Agreement, taking into consideration the latest status of India’s participation in the RCEP negotiations and any new development thereafter, declared the RCEP, which consists of the 10 ASEAN members and Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. The China-backed group is expected to represent at least 30% of the global GDP and will emerge as the largest free trade agreement in the world. The mega trade bloc is a landmark trade initiative which is expected to boost commerce among the member-countries spread across the Asia-Pacific region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the ASEAN Summit on November 12 and highlighted the necessity for peace and stability in the region but maintained silence regarding RCEP, indicating India’s difficulty in welcoming the China-backed grouping.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
14 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Six civilians, four jawans killed in Pakistan shelling along LoC in J&K. 

Ten people, including six civilians, three Army soldiers and a BSF jawan, were killed and over 20 others were injured in ceasefire violations by the Pakistani Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in four districts of J&K on 13 November. The Uri Sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district witnessed intense shelling and firing from Pakistan throughout the day, targeting around eight villages inhabiting close to the LoC. Six civilians died in the shelling and firing. Five injured civilians were shifted to Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) hospital, deputy commissioner, Baramulla, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Itoo. According to the Army, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC in multiple sectors, including Dawar in Bandipora, Keran in Kupwara, Uri and Naugam in Baramulla in the Kashmir valley. Pakistan used mortars and other weapons. Pakistan deliberately targeted civilian areas. Three Indian army soldiers were also killed and three soldiers were injured, Srinagar-based Army spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said. The Army said it retaliated strongly, causing substantial damage to Pakistan army’s infrastructure and inflicting casualties across the LoC. Several ammunition dumps and multiple terrorists launch pads have been damaged, the Army said. The Army also released videos that showed mortars hitting and damaging Pakistani bunkers along the LoC. Meanwhile, a Srinagar-based Army spokesman said suspicious movement of infiltrators was also observed at the forward posts along the LoC in the Keran Sector on Friday.

B) Bihar Assembly Elections: NDA to meet on November 15 to elect leader. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 13 November has submitted his resignation to the Governor, ahead of the formation of a new government. Earlier, at his government’s last Cabinet meeting, Kumar proposed to dissolve it, saying that on November 15 afternoon, NDA legislators would meet to elect the leader of the alliance. A joint meeting of the all four National Democratic Alliance [NDA] partners in Bihar will be held at 12:30 p.m. on November 15 and the legislators would elect leader of the legislature party to finalise details pertaining to the next government formation, Kumar told media persons after a meeting with leaders of the NDA constituents. All decisions regarding government formation will be discussed in that meeting and you all [media persons] will be informed thereafter, Kumar added. Kumar may take oath as chief minister for the fourth consecutive term on November 16. In the recent Assembly election, Kumar’s party, the JD (U), had secured only 43 seats its worst performance since the party came to power in 2005. But its alliance partner BJP got 74 seats. The other two NDA partners, the HAM(S) and the VIP, won four seats each. Among the Opposition alliance partners, the RJD got 75 seats, while the Congress secured 19, and the Left parties bagged 16 seats.

C) Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra refuses to apologise. 

Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra refused to apologise or retract his tweets on the Supreme Court a day after Attorney General K.K. Venugopal consented to multiple requests for criminal contempt action against him. Kamra reacted in a tweet titled ‘no lawyers, no apology, no fine, no waste of space’. In a note attached to the tweet and addressed to Dear Judges, Mr. KK Venugopal, Kamra said his tweets are his view. He believe they speak for themselves, he wrote. Kamra’s tweets concerned the Supreme Court decision to grant interim bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on November 11. His view has not changed because the silence of the Supreme Court of India on matters of other’s personal liberty cannot go uncriticized. He don’t intend to retract his tweets or apologise for them, his note on Twitter read. He said 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 has  to jump the queue. On Friday, law students Shrirang Katneshwarkar and Nikita Duhan, along with advocates Amey Abhay Sirsikar, Abhishek Sharad Raskar and Sattyendra Vinayak Muley, filed a joint criminal contempt petition against Kamra based on the consent received from the Attorney General. The tweets published by the alleged contemnor are in such bad taste that an ordinary prudent man can gather that he has scandalised this Hon’ble Court and further lowered its authority, their petition contended.

D) WHO to set up centre for traditional medicine in India. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on 13 November that it will set up a Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing confidence that just like the country has emerged as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, the WHO institution will become the centre for global wellness. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a video message at an event in which Prime Minister Modi dedicated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Jaipur and Jamnagar to the nation via video conferencing on the occasion of the 5th Ayurveda Day. The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar (Gujarat) and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur (Rajasthan) are both premier institutions of Ayurveda in the country. The Jamnagar institute has been conferred the status of an Institution of National Importance (INI) by an act of Parliament and the one at Jaipur has been designated an Institution Deemed to be University (De novo Category) by the University Grants Commission (UGC), according to the AYUSH ministry. In his video message, Ghebreyesus said that he is pleased to announce that they have agreed to open a WHO Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in India to strengthen the evidence, research, training and awareness of traditional and complementary medicine. This new centre will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023, which aims to support countries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage and a healthier, fairer and safer world, he said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) China acknowledges Joe Biden as U.S. President-elect. 

China congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on 13 November, nearly a week after he was declared winner of the American election, according to the AFP. They respect the choice of the American people. They express their congratulations to Mr Biden and Ms Harris, said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin at a regular press briefing, referring to incoming vice president Kamala Harris. Wang said China understands the result of the US election will be determined in accordance with US laws and procedures. China was previously among a handful of major countries including Russia and Mexico that had not congratulated the president-elect. Beijing, commenting earlier this week, simply said that noticed Mr. Biden declare he is the winner.  Since U.S. media called the presidential race, Trump has not conceded to Biden as has been the traditional practice once a winner is projected.

B) Joe Biden takes Arizona, but Trump still defiant.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has won Arizona, U.S. networks said late on Thursday, further cementing his lead in the Electoral College and flipping the state Democratic for the first time since 1996. NBC, CBS, ABC and CNN declared Mr. Biden the winner with a lead of more than 11,000 ballots, giving him the State’s 11 electoral votes. Fox News and The Associated Press called the race in the southwestern state in Mr. Biden’s favour on Election Night, triggering the wrath of President Donald Trump, but other outlets held off until after nine days of ballot counting.

Arizona gives Mr. Biden a 290-217 lead over Mr. Trump in the Electoral College that ultimately decides the presidency, with 270 needed to win the White House. Despite Mr. Biden being declared winner of the election on Saturday, Mr. Trump has refused to concede and continues to make allegations of election fraud. Races in North Carolina and Georgia have yet to be called.

Mr. Biden holds a lead of more than 14,000 votes in Georgia, a margin that is nearly certain to survive a manual recount.

Although the national popular vote does not determine the outcome, he is winning that by more than 5.3 million votes, or 3.4 percentage points.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
13 November 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Stimulus package 3.0: Focus on job creation, incentives for home buyers. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 12 November has announced a fresh set of relief and stimulus measures for the economy worth ₹1.19 lakh crore, including a scheme to boost re-employment chances of formal sector employees who lost their jobs amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Unveiling a list of 12 measures, she said they may be referred to as Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan 3.0. The measures, announced soon after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the country had entered into a technical recession in the first half of 2020-21, include a ₹65,000 crore additional outlay for providing fertiliser subsidies to farmers.

Highlights of the stimulus package include:

• ₹900 crore for research and development towards a Covid-19 vaccine. 
• An additional ₹10,000 crore for spending through the MGNREGS and PM’s rural roads scheme. Effectively, this takes the total allocations for MGNREGA in the year close to ₹1.1 lakh crore, the FM said.
• To boost formal sector employment, a new Atmanirbhar Rozgar Yojana has been launched, under which the government will bear the entire employees’ provident fund (EPF) contributions for two years of all new employees hired between October 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, in firms with less than 1,000 employees.
• They are providing income tax relief for developers and home buyers. At the moment, on the differential between the circle rate and the agreement value, you get 10% relief. They have decided to increase the differential from 10% to 20% till June 30, 2021 for only primary sales of residential units of value upto ₹2 crore, the minister said.
• Entities in 26 stressed sectors identified by KV Kamath Committee, plus health care sector with credit outstanding of above ₹50 crore and up to ₹500 Crore as on February 29, 2020, would now be able to avail 20% additional credit for a period of five years, with a moratorium of one year on principal repayment.

B) India in ‘technical’ recession: RBI. 

India’s economy rebounded sharply in the wake of the reopening from lockdowns, slowing the pace of its contraction to 8.6% in the second quarter, a ‘nowcast’ in the RBI’s monthly bulletin showed on Wednesday. Still, the estimate implies that India is likely to have entered a technical recession in the first half of 2020-21 for the first time in its history, with two successive quarters of GDP contraction, wrote an RBI official who authored an article in the bulletin. An Economic Activity Index, which tracks real-time data from 27 monthly indicators, showed that the economy had rebounded sharply from May/June, with industry normalizing faster than contact-intensive service sectors, pointing to a short-lived contraction. The index nowcasts GDP growth at (-) 8.6% in Q2, implying that India is likely to have entered a technical recession in the first half, Pankaj Kumar of the RBI’s Monetary Policy Department wrote in the article titled ‘An Economic Activity Index for India’.

C) A-G gives consent for criminal contempt action against Kunal Kamra.

Attorney-General of India K.K. Venugopal on 12 November have gave his consent to initiate criminal contempt action in the Supreme Court against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for a series of tweets which clearly cross the line between humour and contempt of court. They find that today people believe that they can boldly and brazenly condemn the Supreme Court of India and its judges by exercising what they believe is their freedom of speech. But under the Constitution, the freedom of speech is subject to the law of contempt. He believe it is time people understand that attacking the Supreme Court unjustifiedly and brazenly will attract punishment under the Contempt of Court Act, Venugopal observed in his consent letter. A resident of Aurangabad, Shrirang Katneshwarkar, had requested Venugopal’s permission under the Contempt of Court Act to initiate contempt proceedings against Kamra for his tweets. The Attorney-General has issued identical consent letters to other separate requests for contempt action against Kamra. Kamra’s tweets were targeted at the Supreme Court order granting interim bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on Wednesday. One of these tweets shows a picture of the Supreme Court building swathed in saffron colour with the ruling BJP flag flying atop it instead of the tricolour. The Attorney-General said this tweet of the picture of the Supreme Court building was a gross insinuation against the entirety of the Supreme Court of India. It insinuated that the Supreme Court is not an independent and impartial institution and so too its judges, but on the other hand is a court of the ruling party, the BJP, existing for the BJP’s benefit.  He said the other tweets were also highly objectionable and left it to the Supreme Court to decide whether these tweets would also constitute contempt.

D) COVISHIELD completes enrolment of Phase-3 clinical trials. 

The Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on 12 November has announced the completion of enrolment of Phase-3 clinical trials for the COVISHIELD vaccine in India. The ICMR and the SII have further collaborated for clinical development of COVOVAX (Novavax) developed by Novavax, USA, and upscaled by the SII, noted a release issued by the ICMR. It added that the ICMR had funded the clinical trial site fees while SII had funded other expenses for COVISHIELD. At present, the SII and the ICMR are conducting Phase-2 and 3 clinical trials of COVISHIELD at 15 different centres across the country. COVISHIELD has been developed at the SII’s Pune laboratory with a master seed from Oxford University/AstraZeneca. The vaccine made in the U.K. is currently being tested in large efficacy trials in the U.K., Brazil, South Africa and the U.S. The promising results of the trials so far give confidence that COVISHIELD could be a realistic solution to the deadly pandemic. COVISHIELD is by far the most advanced vaccine in human testing in India. Based on Phase 2/3 trial results, the SII, with the help of the ICMR, will pursue the early availability of this product for India. The SII has already manufactured 40 million doses of the vaccine, under the at-risk manufacturing and stockpiling license from the DCGI, said the release.

E) Doorstep service for submitting Digital Life Certificate, boost for pensioners. 

In a move that could bring relief to lakhs of central government pensioners, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions on 12 November has introduced a chargeable doorstep service for submission of Digital Life Certificate (DLC) through postmen. The India Post Payments Bank of the Department of Posts and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have launched the initiative of the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW). The facility to submit life certificate online via Jeevan Pramaan Portal was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November, 2014 to provide a convenient and transparent facility to pensioners for submission of Life Certificate, said a release. In order to make this facility available across the country, DoPPW roped in the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and utilised its huge network of postmen and gramin dak sevaks in providing doorstep facility to pensioners for submission of life certificate digitally, it said. Pensioners can get detailed information about the facility on ippbonline.com. It is a chargeable service and would be available to all the Central government pensioners across the country, irrespective of their pension accounts being in different banks.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) India, China had candid discussions, says MEA. 

India and China held frank discussions and exchanged views on disengagement at all friction points in the Western Sector of India-China border areas during the November 6 senior military commanders talks, said an official of the Ministry of External Affairs. Addressing the weekly interaction with the media on 12 November, official spokesperson of the Ministry, Anurag Srivastava, said both sides pushed for settlement of outstanding issues. The talks were candid, in-depth and constructive and both sides exchanged views on disengagement at all friction points along the Line of Actual Control in the western sector of India-China border areas, said Mr. Srivastava elaborating on the talks held between senior commanders to resolve the months-long tension. Mr. Srivastava said that India and China have agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and, taking forward the discussions at this meeting of the senior commanders, push for the settlement of other outstanding issues. Both sides were working out modalities to finalize a plan for phased disengagement and de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, beginning with the North Bank of Pangong Tso. Multiple sources had confirmed that the proposal from the Chinese side put forward during the talks on November 6 includes pulling back their troops and equipment from Finger 4 to Finger 8 on the North Bank. Chinese official media, however, denied on Thursday that such a disengagement plan is being discussed. 

B) ’26/ 11 masterminds not in Pak. list’

India on 12 November has hit at Pakistan for omitting the names of the masterminds of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks from a consolidated list of most wanted/ high-profile terrorists, and asked Islamabad to -show sincerity in delivering justice to the families of 166 victims of the attacks 12 years ago. While the [Federal investigation Agency ] list includes a select few members of the Labhkar-e-Taiba, a United Nations-designated terror entity based in Pakistan, including crew members Of the boats used to execute the 26/11 attacks. it glaringly omits the mastermind and key conspirators 01 the heinous terror attacks, said Ministry of External Affairs (MFA) spokesperson Anurag. The list made it dear that Pakistan had au the it needed to those who planned Mumbai attacks, he stated. The Government of India has repeatedly called on the Government Of Pakistan to give up its obfuscation and dilatory tactics in discharging its international Obligations in the Mumbai terror attacks trial. he added. The report. compiled by the Federal Investigation Agency (HA). mentions 19 Pakistanis in its most wanted list of terrorists who were involved in planning and providing financial help in the Mumbai attacks, It was released on Wednesday. Trial yet to be concluded Based on the evidence provided by India and amid international pressure, the FIA registered a case on February 12, 2009, under various sections to probe the attacks.  The 19 include Amjad Khan. The FLA dossier describes him as a “crew mernber of ex Lashkar-e-Taiba (boat Al-Hussaini and boat Al-Fauz), Who also purchased boat Al Fauz, which was used during Mumbai terror attacks. It says that he also purchased Yamaha Motor boat engine, life jackets, boats etc. from ARZ water sport Karachi, these things were tested in Mumbai attacks and recovered by Indian authorities. 

SPORTS NEWS

A) Pucovski gets Test call up. 

The prodigiously talented pair of Will Pucovski and Cameroon Green were among five uncapped players picked on 12 November in a 17 member Australian Test squad for the four-match series against India, starting on December 17. The other uncapped Test players in the Tim Paine-led side are fast bowler Sean Abbott, whose bouncer led to the accidental death of Phil Hughes in 2014, leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson and allrounder Michael Neser. Fine performances All the players who are yet to wear the Baggy Green have been called on the back of extraordinary performances on the domestic circuit in recent times, Cricket Australia said. National selector Trevor Hohns said the Sheffield Shield performances augur well for the country’s cricketing future. Up against a strong Indian line-up and seeking to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy they lost for the first time in 2018-19, the fresh faces in the Australian Test squad will join the seasoned stars who dominated their most recent Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand at home. The limited-overs leg, which will comprise three ODIS and as many Y201s, will be held prior to the Test series, starting November 27. Cummins is vice-captain World No. 1 pacer Pat Curnmins was named Paine’s Test team deputy. The selectors also named a 19-member Australia-A squad, which includes nine members from the Test team, for the tour matches.

B) IPL 2020 viewership zooms north. 

The just-concluded 13th Indian Premier League saw a record-breaking 28 per cent increase in viewership compared to the last edition, the tournament in the UAE providing welcome relief to a world scarred by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and the biobubbles that players had to endure for weeks made organizing this edition a challenging feat. LPL chairman Brijesh Patel said. IPL has always endeavored to provide a world-class sports event for its fans. He thanked title sponsor Dream,  which associated itself with the hugely popular league after the BCCI parted ways with its earlier partner, VIVO. -With Dream 11 coming on board as the title sponsor for LPL 2020, we are happy to see a digital sports brand like Dream 11 increasing fan engagement through fantasy sport. It’s equally heartening to see how Dream 11 has integrated its users in all Dream 11 IPL match activations. The match countdown, Dream 11 Champion Fans wall and the virtual guest box have all been brought about to bring the fans to the forefront, he added.