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Archives for January 2020

Rupee slips 20 paise down to 72 as Iran attacks US forces

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Asian markets dived while oil prices firmed up after Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases with US personnel.

Rs 100 notes, Rupees, Cash, money, Economy

MUMBAI: The Indian Rupee tumbled 20 paise to 72.02 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday as Mideast tensions flared up after Iran fired rockets at US military bases in Iraq.

Asian markets dived while oil prices firmed up after Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases with US personnel in retaliation to the killing of its top general Qassem Soleimani. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened weak and slipped to the 72-mark against the greenback in early deals. The local unit had closed at 71.82 per dollar on Tuesday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures shot up 1.32 per cent to USD 69.17 per barrel as investors fretted over supply disruptions following the escalation in US-Iran tensions. Meanwhile, domestic equity markets opened on the back foot amid the rising geopolitical volatility.

The 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 374.21 points to 40,495.26 in the opening session, while the broader NSE Nifty slumped 123.35 points to 11,929.60. Foreign funds sold shares worth a net Rs 682.23 crore on Tuesday, provisional data showed. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.10 per cent lower at 96.91.

On the domestic macroeconomic front, India’s GDP growth has been projected to slump to an 11-year low of 5 per cent in the current fiscal, mainly due to poor showing by manufacturing and construction sectors, according to government data released on Tuesday.

Bharat Bandh: No ‘leave’ for striking workers, says government

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The strike has also been called to press for demands like fixed minimum wages.

NEW DELHI: Trade unions across the country will go ahead with their proposed 24-hour Bharat Bandh beginning 12 am on Wednesday despite warnings from the Centre, which said the unions would have to face consequences if they went ahead with the strike.A total of 25 crore workers are expected to take part in the strike which has been called by the CITU against the policies of the government which it calls anti-labour. The strike has also been called to press for demands like fixed minimum wages.

The CITU on Monday had claimed that the Centre’s policies and labour laws had affected 80 crore people and the country was going through a “major crisis”. Department of Personnel and Training in its letter to all government departments has said that the instructions prohibit government servants from participating in any form of strike including mass casual leave etc.

“Any employee going on strike in any form would face the consequences which, besides deduction of wages, may also include appropriate disciplinary action.” The order also prohibited government servants from participating in the strike. The order urged government officers not to sanction leave asked by employees during the period of the proposed strike and called on the CISF to keep vigil. Union leaders have claimed the government has failed to tackle challenges posed by a crisis-ridden economy.

Smoke from Australia bushfires reaches Brazil

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Chile’s meteorological service said on Monday that smoke from the fires was visible in Chile and Argentina.

Residents defend a property from a bushfire at Hillsville near Taree, 350km north of Sydney. (Photo | AFP)

SAO PAULO: Smoke from bushfires raging across Australia reached Brazil, an arm of the National Institute for Space Research said on Twitter.

Referring to satellite images, the agency’s Department of Remote Sensing said the smoke had arrived in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, on Tuesday.

Private meteorological company MetSul also tweeted about the arrival of a smoke cloud to Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, but emphasised that “the presence of smoke from Australia in the air is almost imperceptible, despite the satellite showing smoke in the atmosphere over the great Porto Alegre”.

Chile’s meteorological service said on Monday that smoke from the fires was visible in Chile and Argentina.

That means the hazy cloud of smoke, sitting at about 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) in the air, travelled more than 12,000 kilometres (7,500 miles) to reach South America.

But the drifting smoke won’t negatively affect the health of the continent’s inhabitants, the Chilean service said.

Fires ravaging Australia since September have left 24 people dead and destroyed some eight million hectares (80,000 square kilometers) of land — an area the size of Ireland or the US state of South Carolina.

After a catastrophic weekend, Australian firefighters — supported by US and Canadian forces — welcomed rain and a drop in temperatures to boost their efforts early in the week before another heatwave is expected in the coming days.

Reserve troops have been deployed to help throughout the country, and the government has earmarked an initial 2 billion Australian dollars (USD 1.4 billion) for a national recovery fund for devastated communities.

Deve Gowda, Mallkarjun Kharge likely to contest RS poll

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Smooth sailing for Congress, but JDS may need surplus votes

Former PM Deve Gowda

BENGALURU: The names of JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda and Congress veteran Mallkarjun Kharge are doing the rounds for the Rajya Sabha elections from the state in June when four sitting members’ tenure will end.
While it will be smooth sailing for Kharge, Gowda will require some support from the Congress to make it to the Upper House.

The RS members whose tenure will end are B K Hariprasad and Rajiv Gowda (both Congress), Prabhakar Kore (BJP) and Kupendra Reddy (JDS).After the bypolls, BJP strength in Legislative Assembly has gone up to 117, while Congress’s numbers have come down to  68 and the JDS to 34. With its current strength, the BJP can get two RS members elected without any difficulty as 45 votes are required for one candidate to win.

While the Congress can comfortably ensure victory of one candidate, it will still be left with surplus votes that the JDS will be looking for in the polls.Congress sources said Kharge is interested in contesting the elections. Kharge, who had won 11 elections consecutively — nine assembly and two Lok Sabha — lost to BJP’s Dr Umesh Jadhav in the 2019 LS polls.

On Tuesday, speaking to reporters, Kharge refused to comment on his candidature stating that the party high command would decide.According to JDS sources, party leaders are keen on 87-year-old Gowda contesting the polls. “Deve Gowda is our voice. We need someone like him to raise issues related to Karnataka in Parliament. We are appealing to him to contest. But he is not keen,’’ JDS MLC T A Saravana said.

Sources said after the party’s poor show in the bypolls as well as the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, JDS has been on a revival mode. JDS has 34 MLAs in the state as against the required 45 seats to elect the RS member. “We will talk to Congress leaders. Since we have time, we will do that in the coming days,’’ said a senior JDS leader on the condition of anonymity.

A six-time MP since his 1991 Lok Sabha election, Gowda has lost the LS elections thrice including the 2019 Lok Sabha election where he contested from Tumkur. He was an RS member from 1996 to 1998.
For BJP, it is early for it to decide on a candidate, say sources.Members of RS are elected by the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies in accordance with the system of proportional representation.

States cannot lower fines under Motor Vehicles Act: Centre

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The Centre has said that no state can lower traffic penalties as prescribed in the new Motor Vehicles Act.

Traffic policemen stop a motorist driving in the wrong lane as the amended Motor Vehicles Act came into force.

NEW DELHI:  The Centre has said that no state can lower traffic penalties as prescribed in the new Motor Vehicles Act.“The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 is a parliamentary legislation and the state governments cannot pass any law or take executive action to lower penalty below the prescribed limit unless President’s assent has been obtained to the related state law,” the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in an advisory issued to the states. 

The transport ministry had held consultations with its law counterpart after a state had notified less fines than that prescribed in the new MV Act.

“The Ministry of Law and Justice has tendered advice after seeking opinion of the Attorney General. The Attorney General has inter alia observed as under: The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (as amended by Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019) is a Parliamentary legislation, the state governments cannot pass any law/take executive action to lower the penalty/fine below that prescribed under the statutory provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, unless the assent of the President is obtained to such state law,” the ministry advisory read.

The advisory to the principal secretaries of states mentioned the legal opinion that in case of the failure of states to implement the Act, reference may be made to Article 256 of the Constitution that authorises the Centre to issue directions to a state as may be necessary for the purpose.

Nirbhaya case: First-ever execution of a quartet in Tihar’s history

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The 23-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death.

Nirbhaya gang rape case convicts (clockwise from top left) Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh.

NEW DELHI: The horrific December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya rape-murder case transformed much in India. From laws on rape to relief and rehabilitation measures for rape survivors and the very mindset of the people, everything went for a sea change.

But as the case reaches its inevitable end with the issuance of warrants for the hanging of the four convicts on January 22, the execution chamber of Tihar Jail will also see a major change.

For this, it is necessary to revisit the previous few decades, back to the 1970s, when towards the end of that tumultuous decade, the kidnapping and brutal murder of the teenage Chopra children (Geeta and her brother Sanjay) in August 1978 had shook the nation, and the then Janata party government of Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

The two convicts of that case, Kuljit Singh alias Ranga and Jasbir Singh alias Billa, were caught soon after their dastardly crime and were hanged to death in Tihar in 1982.

After them, the executions of Kartar Singh and Ujagar Singh, the convicts in India’s purported contract killing — the sensational Vidya Jain murder of 1973 (1983), Kashmiri militant Maqbool Bhat (1984), Indira Gandhi’s assassin Satwant Singh and conspirator Kehar Singh (1989), and finally 2001 Parliament attack case conspirator Afzal Guru (2013) have been the eight people who have undergone capital punishment in Tihar’s gallows court.

While three of the executions were double, the Nirbhaya convicts’ execution will be the first time that Tihar Jail has been directed by a court to execute the death penalty on four people.

On Tuesday, Patiala House courts’ Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora issued the death warrants, directing the convicts to be hanged on January 22 at 7 a.m.

The four convicts are Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur.

The 23-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death. Six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail.

The four were convicted and sentenced on the basis of the testimony of the sole eyewitness, the victim’s friend, who was badly injured in the incident, and the painstaking police probe that followed.

Deepika Padukone’s surprise appearance at JNU protest

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#deepikapadukone trended on Twitter with 34.8K tweets as it was reported that she had also met JNUSU leader Aishe Ghosh who received injuries in the Sunday violence.

Deepika Padukone visited JNU to stand in solidarity with students attacked on Sunday.

NEW DELHI: Bollywood star Deepika Padukone’s visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, here on Tuesday, to meet protesting students didn’t go down well with a section of Twitterati who called for a boycott of her upcoming film ‘Chhapaak’.

#deepikapadukone trended on Twitter with 34.8K tweets as it was reported that she had also met JNUSU leader Aishe Ghosh who received injuries in the Sunday violence.

One user posted: “Bollywood star @deepikapadukone is in JNU to support students. She’s at ground zero despite knowing the backlash it will receive from RW goons who will attempt to boycott her film which releases in two days. Coming from Deepika who has largely been silent on political issues, this is BIG.”

“Don’t boycott Chhapaak… boycott Deepika Padukone. Exactly! Instead, we should promote #TanhajiTheUnsungWarrior without saying a single word about Deepika and ‘Chhapaak’,” said one user.

A Twitter user pointed out, “Deepika was a fabulous actress for bhakts till yesterday. Today, she joined the JNU protest & suddenly became a failed actress. Anurag Kashyap was the most versatile director for bhakts till 2016. When he started talking against the establishment, he became a flop director.”

FIRs naming JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh add to criticism

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 Delhi Police came under criticism on Tuesday after reports said JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, who was injured in the Sunday attack, was named in two separate FIRs.  Delhi Police came under criticism

JNU Students' Union President Aishe Ghosh

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police came under criticism on Tuesday after reports said JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, who was injured in the Sunday attack, was named in two separate FIRs. The FIRs, based on complaints by the university authorities, name students union office bearers including Gosh for vandalising the server room of the varsity on January 1 and 4. They have also been charged with attacking security guards and disrupting registration of students for the winter semester.

The incident is said to have occurred where the security guards were trying to clear the Communication and Information Services Centre that had been occupied by the students to hamper registration for the winter examinations. Meanwhile, Delhi Police Crime Branch, which is probing the Sunday violence, urged people to share photos, videos, or other information that could be help the probe. 

In a statement, JNU vice chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar termed the incident ‘unfortunate’ and vowed to restore normalcy.On Tuesday, hordes of activists, politicians and alumni descended on the JNU campus to express solidarity with the students. In an atmosphere grim with heavy security blanket, the presence of Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone became a talking point. 

Other visitors included JNU alumni Bezwada Wilson, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Kavita Krishnan, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Yogendra Yadav. On Tuesday, a team of forensic specialists visited JNU to collect evidence.

Australia bushfire crisis: PM Scott Morrison announces AUD 2 billion for relief support

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The National Bushfire Recovery Agency, headed by former federal police chief Andrew Colvin, will help bushfire affected communities recover.

MELOURNE: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced an additional 2 billion dollars over two years to a new agency to coordinate a national response to rebuild communities and livelihoods following the deadly bushfire crisis.

The National Bushfire Recovery Agency, headed by former federal police chief Andrew Colvin, will help bushfire affected communities recover. The agency would be funded with an initial 2 billion Australian dollars (USD 1.38 billion) to ensure the families, farmers and business owners hit by the unprecedented bushfires would get the support they needed as they recover, the Prime Minister said.

“It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild,” Morrison, who is facing widespread criticism in Australia for his handling of the crisis, said. The bushfire crisis has taken a very heavy toll with more than 1,500 homes already lost throughout the course of this fire season, which has been running since September, according to the government.

Over 20 people have lost their lives so far. “While the immediate focus for our emergency services and the Australian Defence Force is keeping people safe and defending against the fires hitting so many areas, we also need to be ready to hit the ground in communities where the fire-front has passed to help them rebuild. The agency will ensure the work of state and territory governments is being supported and act as a ‘one stop shop’ central team to coordinate the response. We will do whatever it takes,” he said.

Meanwhile fire continued to burn across several regions of the country including New South Wales and Victoria which on Monday received some relief following rain. Commissioner of New South Wales Rural Fire Service Shane Fitzsimmons confirmed that nearly 150 fires were still burning across the state.

“We are certainly seeing an easing of conditions right across the state. And as a matter of fact, there’s even a bit of drizzle happening down here on the south coast. And it’s certainly a welcome reprieve,” he said, adding that “‘unfortunately it is not putting out the fires. It’s not helping us with the furthering of the work of back burning and consolidation work”.

“All our fires are now off the emergency warning alert level. We’ve got nine at the watch and act alert level, which is indicative of ongoing fire behaviour and potential and fire still burning in and around lots of communities. There’s lots of damage and destruction,” he said.

In Victoria, all emergency warnings statewide were downgraded following rain however a total of 15 ‘watch and act’ warnings remained in place for the state. No Victorians were now unaccounted for because of bushfires, according to latest confirmation by state Premier Daniel Andrews who also announced a new bushfire relief agency for the state.

In South Australia, the bushfire on Kangaroo Island was still uncontrolled, burning at ‘watch and act’ level. Earlier, the fire had killed two people, burnt about a third of the Island and is believed to have killed approximately half of the Island’s Koala population.

The Mayor of Kangaroo Island said he knows at least 50 homes that have been destroyed. Water and power infrastructure has been significantly damaged in the island’s west. Repair estimates are not yet known.

Almost six million hectares have burned in Australia in the ongoing bushfire crisis, with over 20 deaths reported so far. On Saturday, Prime Minister Morrison called up 3,000 military reserve troops to combat the bushfires, the first time that reservists were called up in such a large number “in the living memory”.

Morrison was criticised for taking a family vacation in Hawaii at the start of the wildfire crisis, with many people complaining about the lack of readiness in utilisation of resources.

Last week, he was heckled when he visited a township in New South Wales where houses have been destroyed and one of them belonged to one of the three volunteer firefighters who have died in the crisis.

Over 3,000 firefighters are on the frontline, with 31 specialist strike teams in place across NSW. Australia’s military has been assisting with aerial reconnaissance, mapping, search and rescue, logistics and aerial support for months.

Congress creating confusion among Muslim over Citizenship Act: Karnataka CM Yediyurappa

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Yediyurappa was on a door-to-door campaign to make people aware of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and to allay their fears.

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa

BENGALURU: BJP leader and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa once again blamed the Congress of creating ‘confusion’ among the Muslim community over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act-2019 while launching a door to door campaign to dispel such rumours.

Yediyurappa was on a door-to-door campaign to make people aware of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and to allay their fears.

“Unnecessarily, the members of Congress are creating confusion among the Muslim community. I assure you that not a single Muslim will be affected because of CAA,” said B. S. Yediyurappa.

“Almost all previous Prime Ministers have supported it, now Congress is creating a problem so as to create confusion among Muslims. That’s why we are out on the door-to-door campaign,” he said.

The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. 

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