Tag: latest Current Affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
07 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) UP police arrests journalist on way to Hathras. 

On 6 October, a Delhi-based journalist, who was working for a Malayalam news portal was among the 4 people which were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police when they were on their way to Hathras. The arrests came  after some hours of the State police, which are under fire for their handling of the Hathras rape and murder case, claimed that there was an international conspiracy to defame the state government and trigger caste riots over the Hathras incident. The 4 were taken into custody at a toll plaza in Mathura when they were travelling in a car from Delhi to Hathras, the police said. Mathura police said that suspicious literature, one that could have an adverse impact on peace, was recovered from the 4. However, it is yet to reveal the content or state the laws that the literature violated. The 4 persons which were taken into custody were identified as Ateeq-ur-Rehman, Siddiqui Kappan, Masood Ahmed and Alam. Kappan is a journalist working for several Malayalam media houses and had reportedly gone to Hathras to cover the case. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists, in a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has demanded the release of Kappan, saying he was trying to perform his duty as a reporter. Miji Jose, who is the president of the KUWJ has said that the Hathras police station and State police department have not provided any information so far on taking him into custody.   

B) Supreme Court asks UP govt for affidavit on witness protection. 

The Supreme Court on 5 October said that it would ensure that the investigation into the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl by upper caste men in Hathras would is conducted smoothly. Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, who was heading the 3 Judge Bench, has said that they will ensure the investigation part is smooth. The court has ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to file an affidavit to place on record that the witnesses in the case are protected. They want it on affidavit on how Hathras case witnesses are protected. They wanted to ascertain whether the victim’s family has chosen a lawyer. They want to know the scope of the ongoing proceedings in the case before the Allahabad High Court, and how they can widen and make it more relevant. The Chief Justice of India said that there was no doubt that what transpired with the victim was horrible and shocking. There was no doubt that the case was extraordinary.

C) Give me a free press and this government will not last long, says Rahul Gandhi. 

On October 6, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in Patiala, which was in response to a question on whether the Central government was able to take unilateral decisions only because of a weak Opposition has said that give him a free press and other key institutions and this [NDA] government will not last long. He noted that the Opposition in any country functioned within a framework, including the media, the judicial system, and institutions that protected the voice of people. In India, that entire framework has been controlled and captured by the Bharatiya Janata Party government; the entire architecture designed for giving voice to the people has been captured. Gandhi has termed the control of institutions by the government a big problem. No other country in the world today was faced with a situation where even the media did not question the government when its land had been seized by another nation. PM Modi is not interested in the people of India but is only concerned about protecting and promoting his image, which would have got dented had he admitted to China’s incursion. 

D) Bihar Assembly elections: BJP, JD(U) split seats evenly. 

On 6 October, after several rounds of talks, the major NDA partners in Bihar JD(U) and BJP has announced a seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Assembly election. The JD(U) will contest 122 seats while the BJP will fight one seat less, at 121, for the 243-member Assembly. The JD(U) will contest on 122 seats and give 7 seats out of it to alliance partner, Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (secular), and BJP would contest on 121 seats while accommodating the Vikashil Insaan Party from its own quota, JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced this at a crowded joint press meet where BJP leaders were also present. Stating that there was no confusion in the NDA in Bihar, Kumar said that they have been working since long to make Bihar a saksham (capable) State and will keep working for it. Senior State BJP leader and Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi has reiterated that those who will not accept the leadership of Nitish Kumar would not be a part of NDA in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is the face of NDA in Bihar poll and he will be the CM face of NDA as well. PM Modi said that whoever BJP and JD-U gets what number of seats, Nitish Kumar will be the Chief Minister of the State, there is no ifs and buts over it.

E) Cinema halls to open; I&B Ministry issues guidelines.

After a span of more than 6 months, cinemas will open their doors on October 15. But it will not be the same again, with the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry issuing a set of protocols that permit only 50% seating, and no delivery of food inside the halls. As per the guidelines, only packaged food will be allowed, face masks and thermal screening will be mandatory, show timings will be staggered, and your contact number will be taken to facilitate contact tracing later. Other than the usual physical distancing norms of 6 feet distance between 2 persons and providing hand sanitizers in the common area as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Ministry, every alternate seat has to be kept vacant, which means that when a person and his loved ones go to watch a movie together, they will have to sit apart, with a minimum gap of 1 seat between each other. The cinema halls will also have to ensure that there is no overcrowding in the common areas, lobbies, and washrooms during the intermissions. This could even mean no moving out of the hall during the interval. During the exit, too, the halls will have to ensure staggered row-wise movement to avoid crowding. And unlike pre-Covid times, when multiplexes would have many movies running in many screens simultaneously, the I&B Ministry has suggested that the commencement time, intermission period, and finish time of a show at any screen shall not overlap with the commencement time, intermission period, or finish time of a show at any other screen at a multiplex.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) India committed to rules-based world order, says Jaishankar at Tokyo Quad meet. 

On 6 October, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the start of a meeting of the 4 Foreign Ministers of Australia-India-Japan-U.S. in the Quadrilateral dialogue or ‘Quad’ which was held in Tokyo has said that likeminded countries should coordinate to counter the novel coronavirus pandemic which has brought a profound transformation globally.  Jaishankar said that as a member of the U.N. Security Council next year, India would seek collective solutions to global challenges, including the pandemic and U.N. reform. As vibrant and pluralistic democracies with shared values, their nations have collectively affirmed the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. They remain committed to upholding the rules-based international order, underpinned by the rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, and peaceful resolution of disputes, addressing his counterparts Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. While he made no direct reference to the situation at the Line of Actual Control with China, it is understood that the ongoing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops was among subjects to be discussed during the meeting, along with the issues outlined by Jaishankar, connectivity and infrastructure development, security, including counter-terrorism; cyber and maritime security; and the stability and prosperity in the region.

B) 3 share Physics Nobel for their discoveries about black holes. 

On 6 October, the Nobel Prize for physics was awarded to 3 scientists for their research into black holes, one of the most exotic objects in the universe, which have become a staple of science fact and science fiction and where time seems to stand still, as per the Nobel Committee. Briton Roger Penrose, 89, was honoured for showing that the general theory of relativity leads to the formation of black holes. Whereas Reinhard Genzel, 68, of Germany and Andrea Ghez, 55, of the U.S. were jointly awarded for discovering that an invisible and extremely heavy object governs the orbits of stars at the centre of our galaxy. Incidentally, Ghez is just the fourth woman to receive the physics prize since 1901, when the first Nobel prizes were handed out.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
06 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Hathras case: UP police claims “international plot” to defame Adityanath govt. 

Alleging that there was a conspiracy to trigger communal and caste riots in Uttar Pradesh, the state police has lodged several FIRs in Hathras for posting misleading content and illegally gathering in protest. The police action came after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a similar allegation targeted at the Opposition. They said that their opponents are conspiring against them by trying to lay a foundation for caste and communal riots through international funding. For the last 1 week, Opposition parties were keen to see riots. The Uttar Pradesh police, which has been facing criticism for allegedly trying to covering up a crime by upper caste Thakur men, has mentioned sedition, an “international conspiracy”, and incitement of religious hatred among 19 charges related to the Hathras case. The charges listed in the FIRs include sedition, conspiracy, inciting caste divides, religious discrimination, doctoring electronic evidence, a conspiracy against the state, and defamation. With Opposition politicians visiting the woman’s family, the UP police has also filed cases over violation of social distancing and Covid-19 safety rules.

B) Congress demands judicial probe. 

On 5 October, the Congress has demanded a judicial inquiry into the Hathras gangrape incident and the immediate removal of the District Magistrate (DM) Praveen Kumar Laxkar, whom the victim’s family has accused of misbehaviour. All India Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev said that first of all the government of Yogi Adityanath must immediately dismiss the DM, who is on record, on a video, threatening the family. He should not be given any other posting till it is thoroughly investigated at whose behest the DM went to the family and threatened them in the manner that he did. The party also released a 9-minute video Hathras: Fight for Justice on the visit by Congress leaders to the victim’s family. Meanwhile, a 3 Judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde will on 13 October hear a writ petition seeking a CBI or Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the brutal gangrape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The petition which was filed by the Delhi-based activist Satyama Dubey, said the investigation should be monitored by a former Supreme Court or High Court judge.

C) Centre releases guidelines for reopening of schools. 

On 5 October, the Education Ministry has released the guidelines for reopening schools and asked states and union territories to frame their own Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for health and safety precautions based on their local requirements. In a set of guidelines, the Ministry said that the schools must arrange and implement for thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas, furniture, equipment, stationery, storage places, water tanks, kitchens, canteen, washroom, laboratories, libraries, on school campus and ensure air flow in indoor space for gradual reopening of schools from October 15. They further added that the schools may be encouraged to make their own SOPs based on the guidelines issued by states and UTs, keeping in view the norms of safety and physical or social distancing , and ensuring that the notices, posters, messages, communication to parents in this regard are prominently displayed and disseminated. The Ministry also recommended that the schools adopt flexible attendance and sick leave policies. 

D) CBI raids Congressman D.K. Shivakumar’s premises. 

The CBI has conducted simultaneous raids at the house of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chairman D.K. Shivakumar and other premises linked to him on the morning of 5 October. Raids were also on at the residence of Congress Bengaluru Rural MP and Shivakumar’s brother D.K. Suresh. In a statement released later on 5 October, the central agency said that CBI has registered a case against then Minister of Karnataka Government and others on the allegations of acquisition of Disproportionate Assets. The raids come even as Shivakumar is leading the campaign for bypolls for 2 assembly seats  RR Nagar and Sira scheduled for November 3. Leader of opposition Siddaramaiah has tweeted that BJP has always tried to indulge in vindictive politics And mislead public attention. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) 2020 Nobel: 3 scientists share Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 

On 5 October, Americans Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice, and British scientist Michael Houghton were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Announcing the prize in Stockholm on 5 October, the Nobel Committee noted that the trio’s work helped explain a major source of blood-borne hepatitis that couldn’t be explained by the hepatitis A and B viruses. The committee said that their work made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives. The committee further added that thanks to their discovery, highly sensitive blood tests for the virus are now available and these have essentially eliminated post-transfusion hepatitis in many parts of the world, greatly improving global health. Their discovery also allowed the rapid development of antiviral drugs which was directed at hepatitis C. This disease is a chronic disease and is a major cause of liver inflammation and cancer. This medicine prize has carried a particular significance this year because of the pandemic of novel coronavirus, which has highlighted the importance of medical research. 

B) Ready to take on China, says IAF Chief.

On 5 October, the Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) RKS Bhadauria has said that they are ready and very well positioned to take on China and there is no scenario where others can get the better of them. Next 3 months will depend on how talks progress. Current progress is slow, what they see is effort to dig in for the winter. They are taking action accordingly. Their further action will depend on the ground realities. He, however, noted that they were not underestimating the adversary. Their strength lies in the surface-to-air systems they have put up in the area. They have long-range missile systems. They cater to those in our matrix. They can take on that threat. On deployment in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), he said that Ladakh is a small part of the Air Force’s deployment. They have deployed to all relevant areas. They are firmly and strongly deployed to take on any scenarios.

C) Extradition: Come clean about ‘confidential’ proceedings in U.K., SC tells Mallya.

On 5 October, the Supreme Court has ordered the lawyers for businessman Vijay Mallya to come clean about the nature of confidential proceedings going on after the rejection of his appeal against extradition in the U.K. Supreme Court. At the start of the hearing, the government informed a Special Bench of Justices U.U. Lalit and Ashok Bhushan that Mallya’s extradition case in the U.K. is over, but some secret proceedings are on. They have not been made aware of these proceedings. They are not a party. Mallya’s side have not served them with anything, advocate Rajat Nair, appearing for the government submitted. Justice Lalit turned to the counsel of Mallya and asked him to explain the nature of the confidential proceedings. Justice Lalit said to the lawyer that he would have to first take instructions on this issue. They want to know what is going on, what is pending there now.

D) Covid-positive Trump flouts public health protocol again. 

On 4 October, US President Donald Trump has sparked an angry backlash from the medical community with a protocol-breaking visit to his supporters outside the hospital where he is being treated for novel coronavirus. He was masked as he waved from inside his bulletproof vehicle during a short trip outside the military hospital near Washington. Analysts said that the move may have been aimed at taking back the narrative on his improving health after a weekend of muddled messaging from his doctors. Medical experts, however, complained that the outing broke his own government’s public health guidelines, which require patients to isolate while they are in treatment and still shedding virus. By his action, Trump had endangered his Secret Service personnel, they pointed out. Trump, who has been repeatedly rebuked for flouting public health guidelines and spreading misinformation on the pandemic, said in a video that dropped on Twitter just before his public appearance that he had learned a lot about Covid19 by really going to school as he battled the virus. But health experts said that his stunt has demonstrated that he had learned nothing at all.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
05 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Centre estimates using 40-50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine by July 2021. 

The Centre estimates to receive and utilize 40-50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine covering 20-25 crore people by July next year and it is preparing a format for the states to submit by October-end their list of priority population group to receive the vaccine, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said this on 4 October. He said that priority would be given to health workers engaged in Covid-19 management in getting the vaccine. During an interaction with his social media followers on ‘Sunday Samvad’ platform, he said that a high-level expert group is going into all the aspects of vaccines and the health ministry is preparing a format in which states will submit various lists of priority population groups. The Centre is also working on various plans for building capacities in human resources, training, supervision and others on a massive scale by July 2021. All this is under various stages of finalization.

B) LJP decides to go it alone in Bihar.

The Lok Janshakti Party at a meeting of its Parliamentary Board has decided to contest on its own in the upcoming Bihar Assembly poll. The decision, however, does not mar its political ties with the BJP with the party saying it will not contest against any BJP candidate and will support the latter in a post-poll scenario. In an official statement released after the Parliamentary Board meeting which was chaired by party President Chirag Paswan, the party said that at a national level the party has strong ties with the BJP but at the State level, because of ideological differences with the JD(U), it has decided to go it alone. LJP would contest outside the alliance to mop up pro-BJP and anti-Nitish Kumar votes. It planned to take on the JD(U) with the slogan BJP se bair nahi, Nitish teri Khair nahi (No enmity with Modi but won’t spare [Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) President] Nitish Kumar). The LJP in its official statement also said it will work towards a BJP-LJP government in Bihar. LJP believes that on the lines of the BJP government in the Centre, the Bihar government should also be led by BJP. In the seat sharing formula under discussion among the NDA allies, the LJP was being offered only 25 odd seats. The LJP’s decision is a culmination of many months of a belligerent campaign against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by party president Chirag Paswan. Mr. Paswan had accused the Bihar CM of taking forward the saat nischay or 7 promises agenda that was originally part of the RJD-JD(U) government in 2015.

C) Stormy GST council meeting expected tomorrow. 

Looking ahead to the coming week, the GST Council meeting on 5 October may turn into a stormy affair, with non-BJP ruled states still being in disagreement with the Centre on the compensation issue. The Press Trust of India that opposition-ruled states would object to the Centre’s borrowing options and demand alternative mechanisms for funding GST compensation deficit. The Centre in August gave 2 options to the states to borrow either ₹ 97,000 crore from a special window facilitated by the RBI or ₹ 2.35 lakh crore from market and has also proposed extending the compensation cess levied on luxury, demerit and sin goods beyond 2022 to repay the borrowing. However, the Chief Ministers of 6 non-BJP ruled states — West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu — have written to the Centre opposing the options which require states to borrow to meet the shortfall.

D) Evidence of intent enough for conviction: Supreme Court.

In a potentially far reaching judgement, the Supreme Court has held that the presence of the mental element or the intention to commit a crime, if cogently established, is sufficient for conviction. It is not necessary to be actively involved in the physical act of assault. A Bench led by Justice Rohinton F. Nariman said the common intention (Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code) consists of several persons acting in unison to achieve a common purpose, though their roles may be different. The judgment was authored by Justice Sinha, came on an appeal filed by three persons accused of a double murder in Assam in 2005. They argued that the trial court had acquitted 2 of their co-accused on the benefit of doubt. They sought parity, saying if the duo were acquitted on the same evidence, they too should be released on the same benefit of doubt. They argued there was no common intention to commit the crime. They were not armed. So, each of the five accused person should be judged on his own individual acts during the commission of the crime. The court refused to accept the argument. In his judgment, Justice Sinha observed that the foundation for conviction for common intention is vicarious responsibility. The presence of the mental element or the intention to commit , if jointly established, is sufficient for the conviction, even without the actual participation in the assault. Therefore it is not necessary that before a person is convicted on the ground of common intention, he must be actively involved in the act of assault physically. 

E) Many injured in Assam Clash. 

Suspected extremists on 4 October ambushed and killed an Assam Rifles jawan in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Another jawan was injured seriously in the ambush around 9 a.m. near Herlong village under the Jairampur police station. No group has taken responsibility, but district officials and the security forces suspect 30-35 members of the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent headed by Paresh Baruah and the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) carried out the attack. A water tanker of the 19 Assam Rifles that was travelling to Herlong village to fetch water came under attack, Changlang District Magistrate Devansh Yadav said. They received reports that there was an explosion, but this cannot be confirmed until they receive the autopsy report. In all likelihood, the death was caused by bullet.

F) No proceedings against Digvijay Singh : Venugopal. 

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal has declined a plea to give consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings in the Supreme Court against Member of Parliament and senior Congress party leader, Digvijaya Singh, for his tweets. The plea by advocate Sumant Sudan referred to two tweets by Mr. Singh questioned whether the Supreme Court would declare the alleged sweeping powers of raid and arrest without warrant given by the Uttar Pradesh government to the Special Security Force as unconstitutional or favour it under pressure. Mr. Venugopal said he was replying on the assumption that Mr. Singh actually did make the statements. Having said that in his letter, the top law officer opined the statements were wholly uncalled for.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) 7th round of India-China Corps Commander talks scheduled for October 12.

India and China are scheduled to hold the 7th round of Corps Commander talks to work out measures for disengagement and de-escalation along the disputed border in Eastern Ladakh. The talks are scheduled on October 12. Lt. Gen. Harinder Singh, 14 Corps Commander is set to be replaced by Lt. Gen. P.G.K. Menon in mid-October. The talks are likely to be attended by both the Lieutenant Generals from the Indian side, a defence source said. The Indian side will also have a representative from the Ministry of External Affairs. After the 6th round of talks on September 21, both sides for the first time issued a joint statement in which they agreed to stop sending more troops to the frontline. 

B) Xi pitches for closer ties with Bangladesh, seeks BRI push.

The President of China, Xi Jinping said that he stands ready with the leaders of Bangladesh so as to better align the strategies of both the countries and to jointly promote the construction of his multibillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in order to take the strategic partnership of the 2 countries to new heights. Jingping has made the remarks on 4 October in an exchange of congratulatory messages with his counterpart of Bangladesh, Mohammad Abdul Hamid, on 45th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationships. In his message, he hailed the steady and long term friendship by saying that he is ready to work with Mr. Hamid to better align development strategies with Bangladesh, step up cooperation under the framework of the BRI and push forward the China-Bangladesh strategic, partnership to a new level.  With over $26 billion Chinese investments and billion dollars funding commitments, Bangladesh is one of the largest recipients of China’s massive infrastructure project. China has also offered zero tariff treatment to 97% of Bangladesh’s exports by ding 5,161 more items to the existing list of 3,095 duty-free products. The BRI seeks to build rail. maritime and road links from Asia to and Africa in a revival of ancient Silk Road trading routes.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
04 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) The world’s longest highway tunnel opened in Himachal Pradesh 

On 3 October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang at an altitude of above 3,000 meters in Himachal Pradesh. After the inauguration, he said that the tunnel would provide new strength to the country’s border infrastructure. The 9.02 km-long-tunnel, built by the Border Roads Organization (BRO), is the world’s longest highway tunnel and connects Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti Valley. It provides all-weather connectivity to the landlocked valley, which remains cut-off for nearly six months in a year as the Rohtang Pass is snow-bound between November and April. Thanks to the tunnel, the people of the valley will have round-the-year road connectivity. The tunnel reduces the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and the travel time by about 4 to 5 hours. It is expected to boost tourism and winter sports in the region. The tunnel, also significant from the military logistics viewpoint, will provide better connectivity to the armed forces in reaching Ladakh.

B) Rahul, Priyanka meets Hathras gang-rape victim’s family. 

On 3 October, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the family of the Dalit woman who died after alleged gang rape this week, after the Uttar Pradesh government allowed them to visit Hathras. This came after police officials tried to convince them that Section 144 was in place and that their visit would be a violation of the Epidemic Diseases Act. Love Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), Gautam Buddh Nagar, told reporters that a large number of workers turned up on Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway, leading to a traffic jam. When the Congress leaders persisted with their demand, they were allowed to go to Hathras in a group of 5 persons. Senior Congress leaders K.C. Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and P.L. Punia have accompanied Gandhi and Vadra. Congress workers who had come to join their leaders at the DND flyover were lathi-charged by the U.P. police. Former MP Kamal Kishore and Delhi Congress president Anil Choudhary faced blows. Vadra came out of the car and held the lathi of a policeman. She could be heard asking him not to hit the party workers. She also explained the situation to party workers and asked them to return, before moving on. Earlier in the day, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police made arrangements to stop Gandhi and Vadra in Noida. A heavy deployment of police personnel was made to prevent the Congress leaders from crossing the Delhi-U.P. border. Gandhi had tweeted that he would make another attempt to travel to Hathras and speak to the family of the 19-year-old girl who was brutally assaulted and murdered. 

C) AIIMS medical board rules out murder in Sushant Singh Rajput case

While the CBI maintained on 3 October said that they are looking into all the aspects of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and that investigation is still underway, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical board that was set up to look into the case has ruled out murder. The AIIMS medical board has termed it a case of hanging and death by suicide. AIIMS forensic chief Sudhir Gupta said that they submitted their conclusive report to the CBI and there are no injuries indicating struggle or scuffle. The body has marks of hanging. The presence of any sedative material was not detected by the AIIMS toxicology lab. The complete examination of the ligature mark over the neck was consistent with hanging. He further added that a team of forensic doctors looked into the case and they have dismissed the claims of poisoning and strangling. Meanwhile, Kshitij Prasad, former executive producer of the Karan Johar-owned Dharma Productions, who had been arrested in the drugs probe being conducted in connection with the case, told a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) court today that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) harassed and coerced him to falsely implicate actors Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Dino Morea. Prasad had earlier said that he was being forced to falsely implicate Karan Johar. NCB has denied Prasad’s allegations. The court has sent him to judicial custody till October 6. He had been remanded in the NCB’s custody till October 3.

D) Will waive compound interest for loans up to ₹2 crores, the government informs the Supreme Court.

The Centre has informed the Supreme Court of India that it will continue to handhold small and vulnerable borrowers and waive the compound interest (interest on interest) which is accumulated against their loans during the 6 month moratorium period that was announced during the lockdown. The waiver of compound interest is applicable only for the loans up to ₹2 crore, an additional affidavit filed by the Ministry of Finance. The relief of waiver of compound interest during the 6-month moratorium will be for MSME, education, housing, consumer durables, credit card, auto, personal and consumer loans, all up to ₹2 crores.

E) Bhim Army Chief demands ‘gun license for Bahujans’ and a 50% subsidy to buy pistols.

Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad, who has been one of the leaders at the forefront of the campaign to demand justice for the Hathras gang rape victim, today demanded a ‘tatkal’ (fast-track) process for giving gun-owning licenses to Bahujans. He also said that the government should give 50% subsidy on the cost of pistols. He tweeted that the Constitution provides the right to life to every citizen, and this right also includes the right to protect oneself. Their demand is that gun licenses to the nation’s 20 lakh Bahujans should be provided on a tatkal basis. The government should give them a 50% subsidy to enable them to buy rifles and pistols. They will protect themselves. His demand comes in the wake of a rising number of crimes against Dalits. The National Crime Records Bureau data, which was released earlier this week, revealed an overall increase in crimes against the Scheduled Caste population, with Uttar Pradesh recording the highest number.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Trump hospitalized after Covid-19 diagnosis.

The President of the United States Mr. Donald Trump was in a military hospital on 3 October for the treatment after testing positive for Covid-19. Roughly 17 hours after he made the news of his being tested positive for coronavirus public, Donald Trump slowly walked from the White House to a helicopter which was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, which is situated in Bethesda, Maryland. He had worn a mask and a business suit. He did not speak to the reporters. The President will work in a special suite at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure. White House doctor Sean P. Conley informed this late on 2 October that Donald Trump was doing very well, he did not need supplemental oxygen and had received the first dose of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug which was sold by Gilead Sciences Inc. that has been shown to shorten the hospital stays.

B) India, S. Africa move WTO on COVID-19 prevention, care. 

India and South Africa, in a formal submission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on October 2, sought a waiver on certain provisions of the international agreements that regulate intellectual property rights to speed up efforts to prevent, treat and contain the COVID-19 pandemic. In the communication, the countries said there were several reports about intellectual property rights hindering or potentially hindering of affordable medical products to COVID-19 patients and that a particular concern for countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity were the requirements of a cumbersome and lengthy process of the import and export of pharmaceutical products. Many countries, especially the developing ones, may face institutional and legal difficulties when using flexibilities available in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). Beyond patents, other intellectual property rights may also pose a barrier, with limited options to overcome those barriers, noted the submission. Experts said that given this present context of global emergency, it was important for WTO members to work together to ensure that intellectual property rights such as patents, industrial designs, copyright, and protection of undisclosed information did not create barriers to timely access to affordable medical products, including vaccines and medicines, or to scaling up research, development, manufacturing, and supply of medical products essential to combat COVID-19. K.M. Gopakumar, who is the legal advisor of Third World Network has said that the waiver of TRIPS Obligation is a major initiative to ensure the availability and affordability of medical products required for COVID19 fights. The medical products companies especially medicine and vaccine manufacturers want to profit from pandemic by keeping the monopoly rights through intellectual protection. This proposal shows the political will of India and South Africa to exercise a legitimate right under the Agreement Establishing WTO to ensure the supply of medical products to fight COVID-19 at an affordable price. 

C) British PM Johnson upbeat on EU trade pact before key talks. 

On 3 October, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that there is a good deal to be done with the European Union on post-Brexit trade, as he prepared for scheduled talks with European Union chief Ursula von der. He told the reporters that the United Kingdom wants a free trade deal, but they are also prepared for negotiations to fail. They have resolved on either course, they are prepared for either course and they will make it work, but it is very much up to their friends and partners. Both parties are trying to strike a rudimentary trade deal before the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December, in order to avoid a barrage of uncertainty, tariffs, and red tape which would hurt economies on both sides. Deadlock remains But while negotiators have inched close to agreement in many areas during 6 months of talks, they remain deadlocked over European fishing boats access to U.K. waters. The EU is concerned that British plans to subsidize sectors such as technology will amount to unfair competition. Ms. von der Leyen on 2 October said that they should not forget that they have made progress in many, many different fields. They want a deal because we think it is better to have a deal as neighbors also, on top of these COVID times with devastating impact on the economies. But not at any price. Mr. Johnson said that an October 15-16 EU summit is effectively the deadline for a deal if it is to be ratified by the end of the year, though EU officials think talks may drag on beyond then.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
03 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Hundred gather at Jantar Mantar in order to demand justice. 

Security was beefed up in the Jantar Mantar area as hundreds of civil society activists and students, and some politicians gathered to protest against the Hathras gang-rape and murder case. While the police order had permitted a gathering of only 100 people, several hundred turned up, with many standing with candles after sunset. Senior lawyer Prashant Bhusan, actor Swara Bhasker, CPI(M) leaders Brinda Karat and Sitaram Yechury, and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj were among those who gathered at Jantar Mantar, demanding justice for the Hathras victim. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad had called for a protest at India Gate. But after the Delhi Police imposed restrictions on crowds in the area, Azad said the agitation had been shifted to Jantar Mantar, 3 km away. Bhim Army supporters joined the protesters at Jantar Mantar on the evening of 2 October. He will visit Hathras. Their struggle will continue till the time UP CM doesn’t resign, & justice is served. He urged the Supreme Court to take cognizance of the incident.

B) U.P. Police block the Trinamool delegation from meeting Hathras victim’s family. 

One day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were stopped and briefly detained while going to the meet the woman’s family, a 4 member delegation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was also stopped by the police from visiting the village of the 19-year-old gang-rape victim in Hathras of Uttar Pradesh. In a statement, the party said that the delegation of TMC MPs was stopped by police around 1.5 km from the victim’s home. One of the MPs who were stopped said that they are peacefully proceeding to Hathras to meet the family and pay the condolences. They are traveling individually and maintaining all protocols. They are not armed. Why are they stopped? What kind of jungle raj is this that the elected member of Parliament is prevented from meeting a grieving family. They asked. 

C) The family alleges intimidation by district administration.

The family of the Hathras victim on 2 October alleged that the district administration was intimidating them and not letting them leave their area in the village or talk to the media. The brother of the victim said that the Police have blockaded them from all sides, roofs, lanes, and in the village. They are not letting them speak to the media after sneaking past the police cordon and taking a route through fields. He boy also said that the administration had snatched the mobile phones of all the family members and that they were unable to contact others. He also alleged that the District Magistrate had kicked his uncle in the chest, following which he fainted.

D) Another Dalit teen murdered in U.P., 3 arrested. 

After the death of the victim of the Hathras gang-rape on 29 September and the death of the Balrampur gang-rape victim on 30 September, police on 1 October said that a 14-year-old, also a Dalit, was found murdered in the Gopiganj area in eastern Uttar Pradesh. On 2 October, Bhadohi police said that they had arrested 3 people on charges of smashing the head of the Dalit minor with bricks and killing her. Police are waiting for the autopsy report for confirmation of sexual assault. As per the police, the previous animosity between the family of the girl and the accused was behind the murder. On September 28, the accused had threatened to destroy them and abused the victim’s family. When she went to the fields to answer a call of nature on October 1, the accused found her alone and murdered her.

E) COVID Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 64,66,732 with the death toll crossing the one lakh mark. The Kerala government has imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibits the assembly of more than 4 people, to control the rising coronavirus cases. Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta said that the order will come into force on October 3 and will be implemented till October 31. Moreover, Covid-19 patients and those quarantined in Kerala can exercise their franchise through postal votes in the forthcoming elections to local bodies. The voting time has also been increased and the polling stations will remain open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the voters to exercise their franchise. The sweeping changes to allow postal ballots and increase the voting time were made through the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. Meanwhile, global markets fell after news broke of the U.S President and his wife tested positive for Covid-19.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Donald Trump tests positive for Covid-19. 

U.S. President Donald Trump on 2 October has confirmed that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus. He and her wife were tested positive for COVID-19. They will begin their quarantine and recovery process immediately. They will get through this together. Trump had earlier announced that he will begin the quarantine process after his close aide Hope Hicks tested positive for the virus. A White House doctor has told AP that Trump will continue carrying out duties without disruption. For now, however, the development stands as the most serious known health scare encountered by a sitting American President. The COVID diagnosis marks a major blow for Trump, who has been trying desperately to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them even as cases continue to surge in the U.S. The President is also a known skeptic of mask-wearing, one of the most basic steps to help prevent the spread of the disease. He has previously disparaged reporters and his opponent in the upcoming elections, former Vice-President Joe Biden, for always appearing in public with a mask. Trump has also consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting Covid-19, even as White House staff and allies caught the infection and fell sick. 

B) Relief for Indian IT workers as U.S. judge blocks H-1B visa ban.

In a major relief to thousands of Indian IT professionals, a federal judge in the U.S. on 1 October has blocked the enforcement of a temporary visa ban by the Trump administration on a large number of work permits, including the most sought after H-1B visas. The judge ruled that President Donald Trump had exceeded his constitutional authority. The order was issued by a U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White of the Northern District of California. This applies to members of organizations that had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Commerce and Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, National Retail Federation, TechNet, a technology industry group, and Intrax Inc., which sponsors cultural exchanges. This ruling places an immediate hold on a series of damaging visa restrictions that prevent manufacturers from filling crucial, hard-to-fill jobs.  In June, Donald Trump had issued an executive order that had halted the issuing of new H-1B visas, which are widely used by major American and Indian technology companies, and other work visas till the end of the year. He had argued that the U.S. needed to save and protect jobs for its domestic workforce at a time when millions of them had lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
02 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Rahul, Priyanka detained while proceeding to Hathras.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has stopped former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the Yamuna Expressway on the afternoon of 1 October. Both the leaders along with Congress workers were marching towards Hathras to meet the family of the gang-rape victim before they were stopped before Jewar toll plaza. They were detained under Section 188 of the IPC for violating prohibitive orders. The leaders were then taken to the Buddh International Circuit, the racing track in Greater Noida. When Gandhi told that he would leave his convoy behind and go alone on foot, it led to an impasse, and the police began pushing and shoving Congress workers. In the melee that ensued, Gandhi fell down and suffered bruises on the arm. He then sat down on a dharna on the Expressway. Confirming the sequence of events, Shyoraj Jeevan, senior Congress leader from Hathras, said it reflected the autocratic behavior of the UP police. The police indulged in the lathi charge. Had they used such force to nab the culprits, things would have been different. Earlier in the day, vehicles of Gandhi and Vadra, who were on their way to Hathras to meet the family of the Dalit gang-rape victim, were stopped in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida.

B) After Hathras, another Dalit woman dies in the U.P. after alleged gang-rape.

A 22-year-old Dalit woman died of severe injuries in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur village on 30 September after being allegedly gang-raped. Following her death, the victim was cremated on the night of 30 September itself, after post-mortem. The police in Balrampur district have arrested two people for allegedly gang-raping and murdering the 22-year-old, who was employed at a private firm. This has not been ascertained in the post-mortem, said Balrampur SP Dev Ranjan Verma. However, a further probe into the matter was on. In a statement to the police, the woman’s family alleged that on September 29, she did not return from work till late. However, she eventually came home on a rickshaw and was in a bad condition. The family rushed her to a hospital but she died on the way, said the officer. This death comes a day after another Dalit woman in UP, a 19-year-old from Hathras, died from a separate gang-rape incident. She was also cremated past midnight.

C) Pandemic can’t be excused to not pay wages: Supreme Court.

On 1 October, the Supreme Court of India has quashed a Gujarat government notification exempting factories from paying overtime wages to workers during the lockdown, between April 20 and July 19. A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the pandemic could not be an excuse to deny workers the dignity of their labor. Workers have the right to proper wages and ideal working conditions. The pandemic could not be viewed by the government as an internal emergency to sideline statutory laws that protected workers’ rights under the Factories Act. While the court acknowledged the financial hardships faced by factory owners due to the pandemic, it reminded them that the brunt of the economic slowdown should not be entirely put on the workers’ shoulders.

D) Prashant Bhushan files a review petition against the Supreme Court decision convicting him of contempt.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its decision to fine him a nominal ₹1 as punishment for committing criminal contempt. Bhushan urged the court to recall the punishment. Stating that the tweets were criticism, he argued that dissent and criticism of an institution did not amount to criminal contempt. The senior lawyer asked the court to look into whether its power to initiate suo motu contempt was subject to the fundamental rights of a person. Dissent and free, fearless exchange of ideas was the central pillars of democracy, his petition said. It further said that it was a manifest error on the part of the judgment to conclude that criticism of individual judges amounted to a malicious attack on the court itself. Separately, responding to a notice from the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) on why he should not be disbarred, Bhushan urged the lawyers’ body to stand up for truth and freedom of speech. The Supreme Court judgments holding me guilty and sentencing me for criminal contempt are a fundamental assault on the freedom of speech and independence of the Bar. The legal profession’s independence had been protected by the statutory Bar Councils established under the Advocates Act, 1961. The Bar Councils have been made completely independent of the government as well as the judiciary so that they can protect the dignity, freedom, and independence of the Bar.

E) Ordnance Factory Board rejects a report on accidents caused by poor quality ammunition. 

The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has dismissed reports on several accidents between 2014 and 2019 due to poor quality ammunition manufactured by it and said it does not accept the figures. For the accidents from January 2015 to December 2019, in which defect investigation has been completed, only 19% of the cases are attributable to OFB. Further, out of the total number of accidents in which defect investigation had been completed, only 2% of the cases in which casualties had been reported were attributable to the OFB, he stated. According to internal data of the Army, between 2014 and 2019, there were 403 incidents due to poor quality of ammunition manufactured by the OFB, as a result of which the Army suffered 25 deaths and 146 injuries, and also disposed of ₹960 crore worth of ammunition before the shelf life was complete. Between 2011 and 2018, there had been more than 125 accidents involving ammunition procured from sources other than OFB, both domestic and foreign. Moreover, the cases where OFB ammunition was involved were being selectively reported. It must be emphasized here that most of these accidents involve vintage ammunition manufactured prior to 2006 when inspection of all input materials was undertaken by the Director-General Quality Assurance (DGQA) and OFB had no control over the quality of input material.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Three Indian soldiers killed by Pakistan shelling along LoC. 

2 soldiers were killed and 4 others injured in north Kashmir’s Naugam Sector on 1 October, in a major escalation by the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K. A Srinagar-based defense spokesman said Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in Naugam Sector, Kupwara, on the morning of 1 October. Pakistan Army resorted to firing mortars and other weapons. 2 soldiers sustained fatal injuries. He said that the 4 injured soldiers were evacuated to a hospital. The army said that a befitting response is being given the Army. Earlier in the day, 1 soldier was killed and another injured in Jammu’s Poonch district in Pakistan’s ceasefire violation along the LoC.

B) Navalny blames Putin for the poison attack. 

Alexei Navalny, who is a leading Russian opposition activist has said that he believes that President Vladimir Putin was responsible for his poisoning. He asserts that Putin is behind this act, he doesn’t see any other explanation, he gave this statement in a German news magazine Der Spiegel. Germany, where Mr Navalny is recovering, has said that he was poisoned by a Novichok nerve agent. These findings were confirmed by the laboratories in France and Sweden. The Kremlin denies any involvement. Responding to the statement made on 1 October, the spokesman of Mr. Putin has said that there was no evidence that Mr. Navalny had been poisoned with a nerve agent, and CIA agents were working with the opposition leader.

Mr. Navalny collapsed on a flight in Russia’s Siberia region on 20 August. He was transferred to the Charité hospital in the German capital Berlin 2 days later. In an interview published by Der Spiegel on 1 October, the first since he fell ill – Mr. Navalny said that the order to use Novichok could only have come from the heads of 3 of Russia’s intelligence services, all of whom work under Vladimir Putin.