India News - Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1 Issue 14

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8th round of govt-farmer talks Trump offers ‘orderly transition’ after Congress begins, seeking to resolve impasse confirms election of Biden, Harris

By Arul Louis

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS): Amid the ongoing farmers protest, the eighth round of dialogue between the government and 41 farm union representatives began here on Friday, with both sides hoping for a successful conversation to yield results and end the over one-and-a-half-month deadlock.

The government began the talks signalling an outcome of

positive results from the meeting while the farmers threatened to intensify the stir if their demand to repeal three contentious farm laws is not fulfilled.

So far there is no official assurance from both sides if they will choose another way to end the impasse and they are still stiking to their points.

New York, Jan 7 (IANS): Fighting off the mob onslaught on democracy, the US Congress on Thursday confirmed the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President officially, bringing to a close the tumultuous challenges to their election from President Donald Trump and his supporters.

Isolated even in his party except for diehard supporters, Trump now offered a peaceful transition. “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,� he said in a statement.

Combo photo shows U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump put its seal on the 306 electoral college votes for Biden and Harris after going through the constitutional formality of tallying the votes.

Continued on Page 3

Australia changes national anthem to reflect indigenous past Sydney, Jan 1 (IANS): Australians will sing a different version of their national anthem from January 1 after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a change to the words.

Morrison said he hopes the change will create a “spirit of unity�.

reported.

Australia Fair, is “For we are young and free�. Instead people will sing “For we are one and free.�

Continued on Page 3

The joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives

The process was horrifyingly interrupted by an invasion of the Capitol -- the domed building housing Congress -- by a violent

The world watched aghast as scenes of mobs rushing in to the Capitol, scaling the walls, and taking over the Senate chamber played on TV. Continued on Page 3

India approves 2 Covid vaccines for emergency use

which has the second highest Delhi, Jan (IANS): ElevenVisas Student Visas I SkilledNew Visas I 3Tourist People inhabited Australia for number of infections in the months after the first case of tens of thousands of years before world, after the US. The Central deadlyIcoronavirus was detected Temporary Graduate Visas Business Migration it was colonised by mostly white government plans to vaccinate in India, Drug Controller General English settlers in the 18th The anthem will no longer refer nearly 30 crore people in the first of India (DCGI) V.G. Somani on Family stream Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I Sponsored Visas to Australia as “young and free� in Century. phase of drive in the next six to Sunday approved Serum Institute an attempt to reflect the country’s The line to be removed in the eight months. of India’s I‘Covishield’ vaccine I Skill Assessments AAT representation long indigenous history,Job the BBCReady anthem, which is called Advance and Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’ The announcement was made on Thursday and was a surprise but welcomed across the government.

mob of Trump’s supporters, leaving a woman killed by gunfire inside.

for emergency use, paving the way for their roll-out and administration to millions.

The vaccine will be first offered to one crore healthcare workers, along with two crore frontline and essential workers and 27 crore elderly, mostly above the age of 50

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The Subject Expert Committee, tasked with vetting the vaccine proposals, had recommended Oxford-Astra Zeneca’s ‘Covishield’ and Bharat Biotech’s indigenous ‘Covaxin’ for emergency use approval on January 1 and 2, respectively.

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INDIA NEWS

Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

COVER STORIES

8th round of govt-farmer talks Trump offers ‘orderly transition’ after begins, seeking to resolve impasse Congress confirms election of Biden, Harris The meeting began at Vigyan Bhawan in the presence of Agriculture Minister Narendra Sigh Tomar, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Som Parkash from the government’s side.

Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and other Ministry officials also attended the meeting.

Krantikari Kisan Union President (Punjab) Darshan Pal, Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Jagjeet Singh Dalewal and Balbir Singh Rajewal, JamhuriKishan Sabha Punjab General Secretary Kulwant Singh, and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Uttar Pradesh) President Rakesh Tikait were among the 41 farm union leaders who partipated in the meeting.

Farmer leader Gurbaksa Singh Barnala said that the farmers will intensify the stir and enter Delhi on Republic Day if their demands are not met. “There is no way forward but to repeal the three laws.”

After seven rounds of inconclusive talks, the

government hopes this meeting will be “decisive” to end the agitation against three contentious new agricultural legislations enacted in September during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The repeal of these laws is the principal demand of the farmers on which they are adamant.

Union Ministers Tomar and Goyal met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah before the fresh round of talks began, expressing the hope that a “resolution will come out in the meeting”.

In a tweet, MoS Som Parkash earlier said, “Hopeful that the Jan 8 talks will yield results, end stir.”

The meeting agenda, according to the government, includes “modalities for the repeal of the three Central farm acts and mechanisms to be adopted to make remunerative MSP (Minimum Support Price) recommended by the National Farmers’ Commission into a legally guaranteed entitlement for all farmers and all agricultural commodities”.

Australia changes national anthem to reflect indigenous past Earlier this year, the leader of New South Wales state, Premier Gladys Berejiklian, suggested the change, saying the current wording ignored Australia’s “proud First Nations culture”.

He also said the change celebrated the unity Australia formed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese commented that the country “should be proud of the fact that we have the oldest continuous civilisation on the planet right here with First Nations people”.

In recent years Australia has

Republican Party’s leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell warned that “our democracy would enter a death spiral” if elections were to be upended by rumours.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, currently the highest-ranking Democrat, warned: “To those who engaged in the gleeful desecration of this, our temple of democracy -- American democracy -- justice will be done.”

Before Congress met for its joint session, Trump spoke to a rally of his supporters declaring he would never concede defeat to Biden after a “stolen election”.

And then he exhorted them: “After this, we’re going to walk down there (to the Capitol)... and we are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women (who object to Biden’s election)”.

Thousands shouting “Trump” and “USA, USA” marched to the Capitol, launching their assault after joint session adjourned following objections against Arizona’s electoral college votes and the Senate and the House began to meet separately to consider the issue.

They overwhelmed the police that was prepared for terrorist attacks but not a mob invasion and stormed the Capitol, crashing into the Senate, sending Vice President Mike Pence and others scrambling to a secure area.

“Changing ‘young and free’ to ‘one and free’ takes nothing away, but I believe it adds much,” the Prime Minister, who is a conservative, said.

“It recognises the distance we have travelled as a nation. It recognises that our national story is drawn from more than 300 national ancestries and language groups and we are the most successful multicultural nation on earth.”

Trump refused to accept the verdict of the electoral college, which gave him only 232 votes, and claimed that widespread fraud robbed him of victory, even after more than 50 cases by him and his supporters were thrown out by courts.

The Democratic Party’s leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, held Trump personally responsible for the for the violence.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison made greater efforts to recognise indigenous history in cultural and political events.

In December, rugby players for the national team sang the national anthem in an indigenous language for the first time. The team sang in the language of the Eora nation - a group of peoples from the Sydney area before performing the anthem in English.

He said the “mob was, in good part, President Trump’s doing, incited by his words, his lies”.

A move to impeach him, 13 days before his term ends, has come up. Representative Pramila Jayapal called for his impeachment and Representative

Shortly afterwards, Trump put out a video tweet asking his supporters to go home and saying that they would play in to the hands of his opponents.

Should the move get the approval of the Democratic Party leadership, it will go through Congress as the Democrats now control both the House and Senate.

He tweeted: “I am asking for everyone at the US Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence!

Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order - respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”

Meanwhile, talk surfaced of invoking Article 25 of the Constitution to remove him from office. Under the article, a majority of the cabinet and the Vice President can remove the president if they consider him incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities -- in this case, mental instability.

Representative Charlie Crist tweeted: “The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a President. It’s time to remove the President.”

Describing his experience during the siege, Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi tweeted: “I’m sheltering safely on the Capitol grounds as we’re witnessing the current acts of mob destruction and violence which followed the President’s urging and his refusal to accept the result of our fair democratic election even as the courts and senior Republican leaders have.”

Jayapal was trapped in the House gallery and she recounted on CBS TV how she and a few colleagues could not leave the area while they heard shouts and gunshots outside. On the House floor, she said that she saw Pelosi being taken out and the security barricading the doors from outside.

Officials said that a 35-woman protester was killed when Capitol police opened fire and three protesters died of medical causes during the attack on the Capitol.

Biden demanded that Trump go on national television to ask his supporters to end the siege and withdraw from the Capitol.

“President Trump, step up,” he said.

Twitter suspended his account for 12 hours because of incendiary content mixed in with the tweet.

Pence called in the National Guard to clear out the Capitol.

Joined by a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) SWAT team, they used flash grenades, smoke bombs and tear gas to clear out the Capitol.

McConnell said defiantly: “We have never been deterred before, we’ll be not deterred today. They tried to disrupt our democracy.

They failed.”

“We will not be not kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats,” he said.

After the chambers were quickly cleaned and swept for explosives, the House and the Senate resumed their discussion of the objection to Arizona’s electoral votes and threw them out.

The joint session resumed and objections to the electoral votes from three states failed because no one from the Senate would back them.

But an objection to Pennsylvania’s electoral votes was backed by one Senator, Josh Hawley, and the House and Senate met separately to consider them. The Senate quickly disposed of it, while the discussion lingered on for about two hours in the House before being voted.

When the joint session resumed, Congress quickly approved the tallies -- the objections having failed -- giving the seal of approval to Biden and Harris taking over in 13 days.

And the joint session ended with a prayer by a Christian priest.

India approves 2 Covid vaccines for emergency use The final call was to be taken by the DCGI. The expert panel recommended granting permission for restricted emergency use of ‘Covaxin’ in “public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, specially in the context of infection by mutant strains.

Pune-based Serum Institute of India has partnered with OxfordAstraZeneca for conducting clinical trials and manufacturing ‘Covishield’, while Bharat Biotech has collaborated with the Indian Council of Medical Research

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Ilhan Omar prepared the documents for it, tweeting: “We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our republic.”

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(ICMR) for ‘Covaxin’.

Serum and Bharat Biotech Pfizer had applied for the accelerated approval on December 6 and 7, respectively.

The UK and Argentina have already approved the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine. More than five crore doses of the vaccine have already been stockpiled by its manufacturer, Serum Institute of India.

Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will play a major role in India’s plan to vaccinate its population against Covid-19 due to several factors

-- low-cost, ease of storage and transport.

Serum Institute of India this week said it has a stockpiled 40-50 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. India is likely to receive a majority of these 50 million doses.

As far as Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is concerned, it is India’s first indigenous vaccine for coronavirus. The inactivated virus vaccine is being developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

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INDIA NEWS

Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

NEWS FROM INDIA

Israel appoints honorary Indian Army rescues pregnant woman consul in North-East India stuck in snowbound Kashmir to hospital Kupwara, Jan 7 (IANS): Soldiers of the Indian Army rescued a pregnant woman stuck in snowbound Kupwara in Kashmir and safely took her for about two kilometres in knee-deep snow till the hospital, the Indian Army said on Thursday.

Late on Tuesday, the Company Operating Base at Karalpura in Kupwara received a distress call from Manzoor Ahmed Sheikh saying that informed that his wife Shabnam Begum is undergoing labour pain and needs to be evacuated to the hospital immediately.

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS): To further increase its presence and collaborations in India’s NorthEast, the Embassy of Israel in India has appointed Joyshree Das Verma as honorary consul in the region.

An official statement said she will be based in Assam with jurisdiction over the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim.

Announcing the appointment, Ambassador of Israel in India, Ron Malka said, “The relations between our two countries are growing and expanding rapidly. We are now going to take it forward and increase our presence in North-East India. I am proud to present the credentials of Israeli honorary consul to Mrs. Joyshree Das Verma, who will work with us to further strengthen our growing partnership in this region.”

Joyshree Das Vermas said she was immensely honoured and humbled to represent Israel as honorary consul for the North-Eastern states. “This all-encompassing role excites me greatly as there are vast possibilities & opportunities

to leverage Israel’s technology and expertise in various areas. I am pledged to work in the best interests of Assam and all the North Eastern States,” she said.

The Embassy aims to identify all possible areas of cooperation in the North-East, where Israel can bring in expertise and advanced Israeli technologies to benefit people in the region.

In November 2020, Ambassador Malka visited Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. He held official meetings with the Chief Ministers of the states, in which the sides discussed collaboration on a range of subjects including agriculture, water management, tourism, horticulture, fisheries and dairy. During the visit, the Ambassador laid the foundation stone of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Vegetables in Khetri, Assam.

The region’s first Indo-Israeli CoE was inaugurated in Mizoram in 2018. It has become a strong, sustainable platform for addressing challenges via applicable research and introduction of relevant, innovative Israeli agrotechnologies, tailored to the needs of local farmers.

Recoveries continue to outnumber new corona cases in J&K Jammu, Jan 7 (IANS): More recoveries of coronavirus patients than new cases continued to be recorded in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday as well, with 187 more persons cured and discharged and 127 new cases detected in the last 24 hours.

An official bulletin said that the new patients included 106 from Jammu division and 21 from Kashmir division.

So far, 1,22,176 persons have tested corona positive in J&K, of which 1,17,877 have recovered while 1,903 have died. Three patients succumbed to COVID-19 on Thursday.

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Active cases now total 2,396 in J&K, of which 1,119 are in Jammu division and 1,277 in Kashmir division.

nursing assistant and medical comforts, reached the spot on time.

The troops escorted the woman and the family for about 2 km in knee deep snow till the road head, from where she was taken to Karalpura hospital. On reaching the hospital the woman was immediately attended to by the medical staff which was coordinated beforehand by the Army with the civil administration.

Also, due to heavy snowfall and inclement weather, neither community health service vehicle nor civil transport was available and the same was possible only after snow was cleared from the road.

“The family and the civil administration thanked the unit for its humanitarian efforts and recognised the Army as the true friend of Awam at the time of distress. The father came to the Company Operating Base to distribute sweets to all troops after being blessed with a boy,” the force said.

Understanding the gravity of the situation and the plight of the family, the army troops at Karalpura along with battlefield

The force so far has evacuated more than two dozen pregnant women from the snow-bound areas in Kashmir.

Soldiers of the Indian Army rescued a pregnant woman stuck in snowbound Kupwara in Kashmir and safely took her for about two kilometres in kneedeep snow till the hospital

Kejriwal seeks extension of ban on UK flights till Jan 31 New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday requested the central government to extend the ban on UK flights till January 31 in the backdrop of new coronavirus strain.

Kejriwal’s appeal comes as the Centre earlier announced that the international flights from the UK will resume operations from January 8.

“The Centre has decided to lift the ban and restart UK flights.

In view of the extremely serious COVID-19 situation in the UK, I would urge the Cenre to extend the ban till January 31,” Kejriwal tweeted.

In another tweet, the Chief Minister said: “With great difficulty, people have brought the COVID-19 situation under control. The UK’s COVID-19

situation is very serious. Now, why lift the ban and expose our people to risk?”

The flights between India and the UK were suspended from December 23 to January 7 in the wake of detection of a more infectious coronavirus strain in UK population.

A total of 73 persons have been detected with the new corona strain in India so far.

As per the fresh safety guideline issued on January 4, the Centre had said that those travelling between January 8 and 31 would be mandatorily subjected to selfpaid RT-PCR tests on arrival at the Indian airports.

Taking to Twitter, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on January 2 had said that flights from India to the UK will resume from January 6, while

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal services from that country to India would resume from January 8.

Puri had announced that only 30 flights per week will operate between India and the UK when services resume from January 8 and that this arrangement will continue till January 23.

Proud moment: Inspector dad salutes DSP daughter in Tirupati Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Jan 4 (IANS): It was a moment of pride for an Andhra Pradesh Police inspector when he could salute his daughter, who is the Deputy Superintendent of Police.

During a police meeting in Tirupati, Shyam Sunder, the police circle inspector currently working in Tirupati Kalyani Dam police training centre saw his DSP daughter, Jessie Prasanthi, at the police meet dubbed ‘Ignite’.

Sunder’s instant reaction was to raise his hand in salute to his officer.

What transpired between the

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two was witnessed by many and warmed everyone’s heart.

On seeing his daughter at the prestigious police conference, Sunder approached Prasanthi and saluted her, as she holds a higher rank to him.

Prasanthi is slated to become a member of the elite Indian Police Service (IPS) in some years.

Prasanthi is from the 2018 batch, who took charge as the DSP of Guntur of urban south and is currently attending the police meet under the women’s safety initiative ‘Disha’.

Sunder was elated to see his

daughter interacting with senior IPS officers right in front of him, prompting him to surprise Prasanthi with the salute and addressing her as ‘madam’.

On receiving the salute, Prasanthi reciprocated in similar manner and burst into laughter saying “enti nanna” (what is this dad) in Telugu and in a jovial mood amid a sea of police officials who witnessed this rare professional moment.

“There is no bigger happiness than children becoming successful in life. I have the belief that my child will serve the people with integrity,” said Sunder.

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INDIA NEWS

Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

NEWS FROM INDIA

130 al-Qaeda militants from India, B’desh SGPC not to extend invite to Modi for ‘anti-farmer’ stand trained in Pak, bound for Afghanistan

By Sumit Kumar Singh

Taliban with links to al-Qaeda.

New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS): Around 130 al-Qaeda members hailing from India and Bangladesh have received training at Miranshah in North Waziristan in Pakistan and have shifted to Afghanistan for carrying out coordinated attacks there, Indian intelligence agencies have warned the government and security establishment.

In a report, the intelligence agencies said: “Approximately 130 al-Qaeda fighters belonging to India and Bangladesh have graduated after training from al-Qaeda’s military centre located at Miranshah in North Waziristan in Pakistan on October 30. The graduates are likely to be shifted to Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Kunar, Logar, Nuristan and Kabul provinces to carry out coordinated attacks along with Haqqani Network fighters”.

The security establishment is now trying to identify people from India who have joined the alQaeda terror network in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The intelligence agencies also said that these 130 al-Qaedatrained members could carry out coordinated attacks along with the Haqqani Network in the AfPak region. The Haqqani Network is an Afghan terror group and considered an offshoot of the

Last year, a United Nation report had stated that there are 150200 members of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The 26th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said in the

report that there are an estimated 400-600 al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan.

The report also identified areas like Nirmuz, Helmand and Kandahar in Afghanistan where the AQIS was working under the Taliban.

“The current leader of AQIS is Osama Mahmood, who succeeded the late Asim Umar. AQIS is planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its late leader,” the report stated.

The report also stated that alQaeda remains active on social media, using platforms and messaging applications to share information and communicate with followers for the purposes of recruitment, planning and fundraising.

‘Love Jihad’: SC declines to stay UP, U’khand laws against inter-faith marriages, issues notice New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to stay the provisions of an Uttar Pradesh Ordinance and an Uttarakhand law, brought to checking unlawful religious conversions for inter-faith marriages.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S. A. Bobde agreed to examine the validity of legislations, ‘The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Of Religion Ordinance, 2020’ and the ‘Uttarakhand Freedom Of Religion Act, 2018’, and issued notice to the two state governments. The top court has sought response within four weeks.

The counsel petitioners - Vishal Thakre and others, and NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace during the hearing stressed for a stay on these ‘love jihad’ laws and termed the provisions as “oppressive” and “obnoxious”.

The bench also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian replied that it would have been ideal if the petitioners had moved the respective High Courts instead of coming to the apex court. The Chief Justice said the challenge to the law is already pending in High Courts and asked the petitioners to go there. “We are not saying you have a bad case, but approach the High Court in first instance, instead of coming here”, observed the bench.

Senior advocate C.U. Singh, representing one of the petitioners, submitted that it is obnoxious to put burden of proof on the married couple to establish that the motivation for the marriage is not conversion. Singh cited that several incidents have come on record where mobs have disrupted inter-faith marriages and also cited the severe punishment under these laws.

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Chandigarh, Jan 6 (IANS): Owing to his ‘anti-farmer’ stand by bringing three farm laws that the farmers have been demanding to revoke, the highest religious body of the Sikh community, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), has decided that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t be extended the special invite for the Sikh centenary events.

Normally, the SGPC extends special invites to the Prime Minister and the President on historical occasions.

“We have decided not to extend any special invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming centenary events, including the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur,” SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur said.

Supreme Court Another counsel for a petitioner cited that similar legislation is on the way in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

Singh alleged that several innocent persons had been arrested based on UP Ordinance against ‘love jihad’. He cited that the offence under this law has a sentence of up to 10 years and it is also non-bailable offence.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the Allahabad High Court is already seized of the matter.

The bench observed that the petitioners were asking for a relief which we cannot be entertained under Article 32.

“Whether a provision is arbitrary or oppressive needs to be seen.

This is the problem when you come directly to the Supreme Court”, said the Chief Justice.

The bench said it would hear arguments of the petitioners against the law and then decided to issue notice rather than staying the laws on Wednesday. The top court will hear the matter after four weeks.

One of the pleas moved by two advocates - Vishal Thakre and Abhay Singh Yadav - and a law researcher Pranvesh, states that the ordinance disturbs the basic

structure of the Constitution.

“The most important issue was whether the Parliament has the power to amend the fundamental rights enshrined under Part III of the Constitution”, said the plea.

The petitioners contended that Parliament has no power to amend the fundamental rights, and if this ordinance is implemented it will harm the public at large and will create a chaotic situation in the society.

The petitioners contended they are aggrieved by the ordinance passed by the state government and prayed before the top court that the law passed by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand should be declared ultra-vires and null and void, as it disturbs the basic structure of the Constitution and also its against public policy and society at large.

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The reason, she cited, was the Prime Minister’s reluctance to revoke the three laws that the farmers fear will affect their livelihoods.

At the same time, the SGPC chief said, “Anyone can come to attend any religious function of the Sikhs.”

Earlier, Modi was the chief guest at the event to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism

founder Guru Nanak in November 2019.

Now, the SGPC is going to start year-long celebrations for the 400th birth anniversary of the ninth Sikh master, Guru Teg Bahadur, from April.

Bibi Jagir Kaur also demanded the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor that links Dera Baba Nanak town in Gurdaspur district with Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Shakargarh tehsil in Narowal district of Pakistan.

“Keeping in mind the sentiments of the sangat (community), the government of India should reopen the corridor that was temporarily shut due to the coronavirus pandemic,” she added.

In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, travel for Kartarpur Sahib was suspended on March 16, 2020, by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Modi on November 9, 2019, had opened the Kartarpur corridor by flagging off the first lot of pilgrims to visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, believed to have been built on the site where Guru Nanak died in the 16th century, located some 4 km inside Pakistan.

MiG-21 crashes in Rajasthan, pilot ejects safely

New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS): A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the IAF crashed at Suratgarh Air Base in Rajasthan on Tuesday soon after taking off, officials said.

after which the pilot ejected. The pilot landed safely and thereafter, emergency measures were taken.

The Indian Air Force said that the pilot is safe and an enquiry has been initiated. The incident took place at 8.15 p.m.

India bought Russian MikoyanGurevich Design Bureau-made MiG-21 in 1961. The IAF is still flying the aircraft even after many fatal incidents in recent times.

As soon as the aircraft took off, it developed a technical glitch

This is the first incident of the year.

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NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

Australia’s next federal polls likely to cost additional A$30mn

Australian bushfires to become ‘more frequent, prolonged, severe’ Canberra, Jan 8 (IANS): Experts have warned that Australia’s devastating 2019-20 “Black Summer” bushfires were a “wake up call” to the extreme effects of climate change in the country.

In a study published on late Thursday, a team from the Australian National University (ANU) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes warned that bushfires will become increasingly more severe in the country as a result of global warming, reports Xinhua news agency.

Voters register before casting their votes in the Old Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, May 18, 2019 Canberra, Jan 5 (IANS): Australia’s next federal election is likely to cost the country about an additional A$30 million ($22 million) due to measures in place against the coronavirus pandemic, it was revealed on Tuesday.

2022.”

In a submission to a Senate budget hearing, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) revealed that the next election would cost taxpayers at least A$400 million, up from A$372 million in 2019, as a result of an expected increase in postal ballots and the hiring of Covid-19 wardens, Xinhua news agency reported.

The AEC said that the status of the vaccine rollout would have a significant effect on the cost of the election.

“Many of the direct cost drivers for a Covid-safe election relate to personal protective equipment, additional security staff for social distancing and hygiene materials,” it said.

“Due to the long lead times and storage of many of the sanitizer products, it is unlikely there would be significant reductions in cost as most will be required for readiness for a 2021 event, even if the election does not occur until

The current three-year term of Parliament is set to end in 2022 but local media reports have said that MPs were preparing for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to call for an early election between August and November this year.

“A post-vaccine electoral event may see a reduction in staff costs (compared to a pre-vaccine event) due to the resourcing requirements to manage hygiene and physical distancing,” it said.

However, the government is not expecting the vaccine program to be completed until October under a best-case scenario.

On Tuesday, Morrison told local radio station 3AW that there was a lot of work to do over the course of next 12 months and “an election isn’t a due till 2022”.

“The election is not due until 2022, so I’ve got enough to do in 2021 and so does the rest of the country,” he added.

Aus PM calls special meeting to discuss new Covid-19 strain Canberra, Jan 7 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for a special leaders’ meeting on Friday to discuss the mutant coronavirus strain which was first discovered in Britain and has now spread to several other countries.

On Wednesday evening, Morrison announced that the meeting of the National Cabinet, which consists of the Prime Minister and state and territory leaders, will focus on a proposal from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) to strengthen the Covid-19 safety of international travel in response to the strain, which experts have estimated is more infectious than other previous ones, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The proposal is to further

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strengthen the Covid safety of end to end international travel processes,” Morrison said in a statement on social media.

“The meeting will also provide an opportunity to further update National Cabinet on the federal government’s vaccination program, where considerable progress is being made over the break.”

The National Cabinet, which was established in response to the pandemic, was not due to meet again until February.

However, state premiers and authorities called for an earlier meeting amid growing concerns over the strain of the virus.

As of Thursday, Australia has reported a total of 28,536 confirmed cases, while the death toll stood at 909.

The 2019-20 bushfire season was one of the worst in Australian history.

More than 30 people died in the fires with another estimated 445 deaths linked to smoke inhalation, and more than 18 million hectares of land were burned.

“In the lead up to the summer of 2019/2020 many parts of southeast Australia were three years into a severe drought,” Nerilie Abram, the lead author of the study from ANU, said in a statement.

Abram added that “2019 was our hottest and driest year on record.

This climate set-up created exceptionally dry fuel loads that primed the landscape to burn, and dangerous fire weather that allowed fires to quickly escalate”.

“Our new work highlights the

People look at a bushfire at the Namadgi National Park in Canberra, Australia on Jan. 28, 2020 strong evidence that southeast Australia’s climate has shifted, and that this type of fire weather is becoming more frequent, prolonged and severe.”

The study found that predictions made more than 10 years ago that the climate-driven fire risk would increase significantly by 2020 had come true.

Abram said that the ‘Black Summer’ was an example of what was to come for Australian summers.

“When we look to the future we see southeast Australia continuing to become even hotter because of human-caused climate change.

On top of that climate change is altering our patterns of year-toyear climate variability so that

we expect extremely hot and dry years to occur more often,” she said.

“There are also indications that southeast Australia could continue to become drier in winter and experience more frequent weather fronts in summer that cause dangerous fire weather, but more research is needed to fully understand how these fire-relevant impacts of climate change might develop.”

“All of those expected and possible climate change indicators point towards a rapidly increasing risk of catastrophic bushfires that are beyond anything we have experienced in the past.”

Aus govt urged to support Covid-affected businesses Canberra, Jan 4 (IANS): Australia’s Opposition Labor Party on Monday urged the federal government to support businesses that continue to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic with emergency economic backing.

Katy Gallagher, Labor’s finance spokesperson, said that the government was withdrawing economic support measures at a time when domestic border restrictions have been reimposed as a result of recent coronavirus outbreaks, reports Xinhua news agency.

As of Monday, the Jobkeeper economic stimulus payment was cut from A$1,200 ($924) per fortnight to A$1,000 for workers who normally worked more than 20 hours per week but have been unable to because of the pandemic.

The payment for recipients who normally worked fewer than 20 hours per week was cut from A$750 to A$650.

Gallagher further said that the changes would hurt regional communities that are reliant on tourism, calling for the government to “urgently consider

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Security staff work before fireworks display in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 31, 2020 options to provide targeted support to hard-hit parts of the economy and ensure those who need financial support continue to receive it”.

“Many business owners are seeing holiday bookings cancelled or empty tables in their cafes and restaurants at what is usually their busiest time of the year,” she said.

“This is the second time in three months that the Morrison government has cut jobkeeper

without a proper plan for jobs, despite the fact that 2.2 million Australians are looking for work or more work and the government expects another 90,000 will join the jobless queues by March.”

More than 1.6 million Australians were receiving the Jobkeeper payment in the December quarter, down from a peak of 3.6 million at the height of the pandemic when all recipients were paid A$1,500 per fortnight.

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Bushfires threaten lives, homes in Western Australia

National Cabinet discusses Australia’s COVID-19 response

Perth, Jan 4 (IANS): Several large bushfires threatened lives and homes in Western Australia (WA) on Monday, with warnings issued for state capital Perth.

The state’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) issued warnings for the areas of Spectacles, Orelia, Medina, Naval Base, Postans, Kwinana Beach and Hope Valley in the city of Kwinana, reports Xinhua news agency.

An industrial rubbish dump was impacted by one of the fires, resulting in hazardous fumes which officials feared could pose a threat to public health.

Residents who remained in the immediate path of the blaze to the south of Perth were asked to remain indoors and take shelter, while those who could were instructed to evacuate.

“It’s too late to leave, leaving now would be deadly. Hazardous fumes are in the air from a rubbish tip fire,” the DFES said in a statement.

“People in the area should remain inside, out of the smoke or fumes, with doors and windows closed.

Air-conditioners should also be switched off.”

Residents in nearby areas were told to watch and act for

developments as the fires burned to the south and southeast of Perth’s greater metropolitan area.

Making firefighters job more difficult was a severe weather warning issued for parts of the Perth Metropolitan and Great Southern.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecasted damaging winds averaging 50 to 60 km/h with peak gusts of up to 90 km/h.

“A strong high pressure system to the south of the state will result in a surge of strong easterly winds across the Darling Escarpment and foothills,” the BoM said in a statement.

Earlier last month, bushfires scorched more than half of the World Heritage listed Fraser Island, locate off Queensland state’s east coast, after spreading from an illegal campfire.

The Fraser Island bushfire was one of the most significant blazes Australia witnessed since the 2019-20 “Black Summer” fire season which destroyed thousands of homes and claimed 33 lives, including nine firefighters.

Nearly 3 billion animals were also killed or displaced, and the fires harmed many threatened species and ecological communities.

Management of COVID-19 variants and Brisbane case discussed Brisbane, Jan 8: Professor Kelly briefed National Cabinet on the emergence of new variants of COVID-19. New variants have a clear higher transmissibility, are rapidly becoming the dominant virus in the UK and are now being seen in more than 30 countries across the world, including Australia where there have been 12 occurrences of the variant.

National Cabinet welcomed the decision taken by the Queensland Government following the confirmation of a positive case of the new variant. In recognition of the increased risk of transmission, National Cabinet agreed to include the Local Government Areas of Brisbane, Logan, Moreton, Redlands and Ipswich as hot spots.

Additional measures to further mitigate risks of the spread of COVID-19, including new variants, arising from international and domestic air travel were agreed and outlined.

National Cabinet agreed that the national standard for any worker involved in quarantine arrangements (transport, cleaners etc) will be to have daily COVID-19 tests, with jurisdictions to work towards meeting this standard as soon as possible.

National Cabinet was briefed on the current situation in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

COVID-19 vaccine update Canberra, Jan 4: National Cabinet reaffirmed their commitment to the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccine national roll-out strategy and agreed that heads of Departments of Health in all jurisdictions and the AHPPC will develop a nationally consistent approach on the use of public health orders for the vaccine roll-out.

Additionally, to protect the most vulnerable, and based on normal vaccination practices, for public health reasons this work will include an assessment of any requirement for vaccinations for priority cohorts in critical and high risk sectors, such as aged

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Canberra, Jan 8: The National Cabinet met today to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 response, the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy and management of Australia’s borders in the context of the emergence of new variants.

National Cabinet continues to work together to address issues and find solutions to the health and economic consequences of COVID-19.

The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, provided an update on the latest epidemiological data and medical advice in relation to COVID-19.

National Cabinet will consider this approach at their meeting in February 2021.

Australia has done well on both the health and economic fronts compared to most countries around the world.

National Cabinet noted the significant increase in COVID-19 cases in many countries and the comparative strength of Australia’s effort in addressing COVID compared to most other developed economies. Globally there have been over 87 million cases and sadly over 1.8 million

deaths, with 925,628 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.

National Cabinet discussed the management of emerging COVID-19 variants and agreed to a range of measures to further mitigate the risk to Australians.

National Cabinet reaffirmed commitment to the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, which sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Commonwealth, states and territories in rolling out COVID-19 vaccination.

National Cabinet will meet fortnightly, or more frequently if required.

Domestic and International aviation measures planned Canberra, Jan 6: National Cabinet agreed to additional measures to strengthen end-to-end protection of Australians from COVID-19, including new variants.

February.

flight.

• All passengers and air crew must wear masks on flights and in airports.

International passenger caps in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia will be temporarily halved from no later than 15 January 2021 to manage the flow of returning Australians and other travellers who have been potentially exposed to the new variants. Current international passenger caps in Victoria and South Australia and arrangements in the Northern Territory are considered manageable and will remain in place.

National Cabinet also adopted a number of recommendations from the AHPPC in relation to inflight and in-airport measures.

For international travel:

Arrangements on international passenger caps will be reviewed

by National Cabinet in early

• Returning Australians and other travellers to Australia must return a negative COVID-19 test prior to departure. Exemptions will only be applied in extenuating circumstances, such as seasonal workers where there is limited access to testing.

• Air crew must take a COVID-19 test every 7 days or on arrival in Australia, continue to quarantine in dedicated quarantine facilities between international flights or for 14 days, and not reposition for an outgoing international flight unless they do so on a crew-only

• Airlines will continue to have appropriate infection prevention and control measures on board aircraft, including crew wearing personal protective equipment where appropriate.

For domestic travel: • All passengers, excluding children 12 and under or those with particular exemptions, and air crew must wear masks on flights and in airports.

These measures will also be applied to government facilitated commercial flights which already have in place strong mitigating measures for passengers and facilities.

McGrath Foundation launches virtual ‘Pink Seats’ to raise $1mn Sydney, Jan 5 (IANS): In the lead up to the third Test between Australia and India, the McGrath Foundation launched a virtual ‘Pink Seats’ campaign to help raise $1 million to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses.

Unveiled on Tuesday, the campaign has been developed in response to a reduced crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) which will initially be limited to 25 per cent of the ground’s 38,000 cricket capacity -- approximately 9,500 people on the match days.

care workers for example.

There have been 28,571 confirmed cases in Australia and, sadly, 909 people have died. There are now 41 people in hospital. More than 11.8 million tests have been undertaken in Australia.

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

By purchasing virtual Pink Seats, people right across the country got involved in the Pink Test no matter where they were, either at the ground or watching from home, a Cricket Australia media release said.

“The Pink Test has become a national phenomenon and we

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always look forward to seeing people pinking up with our bandanas to help bathe the SCG in pink as a symbolic show of support for those experiencing breast cancer and raising much needed funds for the McGrath Foundation. But the reality is the Pink Test will look a little bit different this year. There will be less people in the crowd and sadly, we won’t have our muchloved volunteers on the ground collecting donations,” Glenn McGrath said.

Masters reiterated the important work of McGrath Breast Care Nurses and why the Pink Test remains a critical fundraising opportunity for the McGrath Foundation.

“We’re hoping people will buy their virtual Pink Seats to show their support because pink is more than just a colour - it’s the energy, the hope and the support that comes from going pink that makes a difference to people with breast cancer,” he added.

Our McGrath Breast Care Nurses have continued to play a vital role in supporting families experiencing breast cancer in this last year, particularly as they help patients navigate the additional challenges of Covid-19,” she added.

McGrath Foundation CEO Holly

“Many people don’t realise it costs us over $14 million per year to fund our network of 154 McGrath Breast Care Nurses, so the money raised from the Pink Test is integral to help us keep providing support to those 55 Australians diagnosed with breast cancer every day,” she said.

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NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND

Brisbane enters 3-day lockdown Disaster assistance available in response

to western Queensland thunderstorms

Brisbane, Jan 8 (IANS): Brisbane entered a three-day lockdown on Friday after a local resident was found to be infected with the mutant strain of the novel coronavirus.

According to the Health Department of Queensland, the Greater Brisbane area entered lockdown from 6 p.m. until 6 p.m. on January 11.

Local residents can only leave home for essential purposes including buying essentials like groceries or medication, working or studying if not able to do so from home, exercising and healthcare or providing care.

“We are doing this to keep Queenslanders safe. We know this strain is highly infectious, 70 per cent more infectious. We are going to go hard and early, do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus,” state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told a press conference.

“If we do not do this now, it could end up being a 30-day lockdown...

I know this is going to be tough on businesses over the next few days but I am thinking about your long-term future as well. So it is incredibly important that we take these strong measures.”

The tough restrictions came after a young cleaner working in Brisbane’s quarantine hotel was found to be infected with the Covid-19 mutant strain that used to be detected in Britain.

She is also the first locally

acquired case of the highly infectious Covid-19 strain.

As supermarkets and essential businesses will remain open during the Greater Brisbane area lockdown, Queensland Health urged local residents to avoid panic buying.

At the same time, all the other states will declare the Greater Brisbane area as a hotspot according to reports by the Australian citing South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, who just attended the special meeting of National Cabinet on Friday.

He said isolation requirements will be enforced nationwide, and the suggestion for pre-flight testing out of the UK “has now been adopted by the National Cabinet”.

South Australia also enforced stricter border rules with the Greater Brisbane area.

From midnight Friday, anyone coming into South Australia from the Greater Brisbane area will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

New South Wales recorded four new locally acquired cases and seven in returned travellers in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. Thursday night.

Three of the local cases were related to two clusters in Sydney, and one was under investigation for an infection source.

The state of Victoria recorded no local cases on Friday, but one in hotel quarantine.

Brisbane, Jan 8: Disaster assistance has been made available to speed up the recovery of communities in Western Queensland impacted by extreme rainfall leading up to, and continuing throughout, the Christmas period.

from 21 - 30 December 2020,” Minister Littleproud said.

Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

“The DRFA assistance announced today will ensure these councils can cover the costs associated with the clean-up and restoration,” he said.

Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said activation of the DRFA will provide financial support for Barcaldine Regional Council, Blackall-Tambo Regional Council, Longreach Regional Council and Winton Shire Council to carry out counter disaster operations as well as restoring essential public assets damaged by the event.

“A series of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and heavy rainfall delivered destructive flash flooding throughout the region

“This resulted in closed roads and damage to essential public assets, triggering a multi-agency response from local governments, the State Emergency Service and Queensland Police Service.

Queensland Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan said the assistance was there to help those communities impacted get back on the road to recovery sooner.

“Even though the rain is welcome in this drought-impacted region, floods can cause an enormous amount of havoc and destruction,” Minister Ryan said.

“The impacted councils are being supported through the DRFA with operations aimed at protecting

the general public as well as restoring assets such as roads and bridges impacted by the event.

“Even as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Imogen continues to dump rain across much of Far North Queensland, the Queensland and Australian governments are working closely to ensure no disaster impacted community, including those in the Central West, is left to manage disaster clean up on their own.

“We are constantly monitoring the situation across Queensland as the 2020-21 disaster season continues and will work closely with the Commonwealth to support other communities as required,” he said.

Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www. disasterassist.gov.au and the Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s website at www.qra. qld.gov.au.

Urgent steps taken to keep Queensland safe Brisbane, Jan 8: Brisbane entered a three-day lockdown to stop the spread of the highly contagious UK strain of COVID-19.

From 6pm on January 8 until 6pmJanuary 11, Monday, people in the local government areas of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands and Logan required to stay at home except: • to attend work if you can’t work from home; • to buy essentials like groceries and medicine; • look after the vulnerable; and • exercise within their neighbourhood Masks to be worn everywhere in those local government areas except if people are at home.

Cafes, pubs and restaurants will be open only for take-away service.

Funerals restricted to 20 guests

and weddings restricted to 10 guests.

Guidance for movement out of Greater Brisbane:

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the measures follow confirmation late yesterday that a cleaner from a quarantine hotel had tested positive.“There are no second chances with this pandemic,” the Premier said.“That’s why I’m asking people to have a long weekend at home.

• Stay at home and in your neighbourhood

“We have learned from Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales that a short, sharp lockdown is better than a long one and this a more contagious strain.“Three days is better than 30.”

The Premier said she once again called on Queenslanders to protect each other.“All we can do is stay home and stay safe and please get tested,” the Premier said.

• People can choose to enter Brisbane during this period but are bound by the same restrictions for this period. Where possible people are encouraged to delay travel • People can enter greater Brisbane to attain health care • People should not leave Greater Brisbane during this period • Non-residents currently in Greater Brisbane are strongly encouraged to remain until the end of the restriction period.

Reasons for leaving home: • Essential education and work, although work from home where possible • Health care or support of a vulnerable person

Energy rebates could put cash back in vulnerable Queenslanders’ pockets Brisbane, Jan 7: Vulnerable Queenslanders are being urged to check their eligibility to receive the Palaszczuk Government’s electricity and gas rebates worth up to $416 per year.

“The government estimates that there are thousands of eligible households who are not taking advantage of the assistance and we don’t want these Queenslanders to miss out.

Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni said the Palaszczuk Government was investing $212.8 million in 2020-21 as part of Queensland’s economic recovery plan to help vulnerable Queenslanders with the cost of living.

“Just call your electricity retailer and have your concession card details on hand, and if you’re eligible, you’ll be able to start accessing the rebate as a credit on your account.”

“This past year has been tough for everyone, so I’m urging all concession card holders including pensioners, seniors and veterans to contact their electricity retailer and see if they are eligible for our Electricity Rebate worth up to $341 per year,” he said.

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Minister de Brenni said the rebate was currently helping approximately 625,000 Queenslanders but there were more people who could be benefiting.

“Community organisations and retailers have been getting the message out there, but there are still more Queenslanders

who could be getting ongoing assistance with their electricity accounts,” he said.

“Peoples’ concession card status is private information that electricity providers aren’t automatically aware of, so people need to reach out and put their hand up to receive this rebate.”

The electricity rebate was first introduced to support pensioners, seniors, and veterans, and was extended to Health Care Card holders and asylum seekers in January 2017.

for a gas rebate and should check with their gas retailer.

“There are also savings of $74.92 per year available for eligible Queenslanders through the Government’s Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate - all account holders need to do is contact their gas retailer to see if they’re eligible,” he said.

Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) CEO Aimee McVeigh said the rebates could help people experiencing financial pressure.

Now, the rebate is provided to a range of people who need it most, including Low Income Health Care Card holders.

“QCOSS urges people who are experiencing hardship to contact their energy retailer as soon as possible,” she said.

Minister de Brenni said Queensland pensioners, seniors and veterans could also be eligible

“If you need help to do this, reach out to your local neighbourhood centre.”

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Minister de Brenni said the Palaszczuk Government had also helped more than two million Queensland households with their utility costs through its $400 million COVID-19 household relief package.

“Last year, Queensland households received a $200 utility rebate and a $50 asset ownership dividend,” he said.

“We were able to deliver these savings straight into the pockets of Queenslanders by arranging with electricity providers to automatically apply the credit.

“The Palaszczuk Government is committed to supporting Queenslanders and this new year, we’d love to see all those who are eligible gain access to the electricity rebate on offer.”

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NEWS FROM VICTORIA

Seventh time’s the charm AHPPC issues statement on safe air for top baby name Oliver travel for international travellers Melbourne, Jan 8: Oliver has taken out top spot as the most popular boys’ baby name in Victoria for the seventh year running, while the always strong-performer Charlotte has reclaimed prime position for the girls.Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes today revealed the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages list of most popular baby names in 2020 – a year which saw 75,000 babies born in Victoria.

In a year that we will never forget, 546 Victorian babies were named Oliver – with Noah, William, Jack, and Charlie rounding out the top five.Victoria also welcomed 413 Charlottes in 2020 – just 11 more than Amelia, which placed second, followed closely by Olivia,

Mia, and Isla.

Recent years have seen little movement in the most popular names for both boys and girls, with Oliver, Jack, William, Olivia, and Charlotte claiming a top five spot each year for the past decade. However, 2020 did see some new entrants with Archie and Theodore appearing in the top 20 boys’ names for the first time ever. Archie and Levi broke into the top 10 names for boys this year, while Ella, Grace and Matilda surged into the top 10 for the girls.

In the top 100, the fastest mover for boys went to River – jumping 49 spots up the rankings to 57th place. Rosie climbed 54 spots up the girls’ list to place 62nd.

COVID Safe Multicultural Festivals and Events program opens

Melbourne, Jan 8: Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has issued its statement on safe international air travel, enhancing end-to-end mitigations.

Passenger pre-departure testing Passengers travelling to Australia must be tested for COVID-19 72 hours or less prior to departure, and display evidence of a negative test result. PCR testing is required. Exemptions from this requirement may be available in extenuating circumstances including use of rapid antigen testing in rare cases. Members of a travelling party who have been close contacts (e.g., household contacts) of a traveller who has a positive test result will also not be allowed to travel to Australia until all members of the party are no longer infectious.

In-flight infection control Passengers and crew on

international flights must wear a face mask while in the airport environment and during the flight. Masks should be changed regularly. Masks are not required for children under 12 years of age and those with other recognised exemptions. Crew must wear other personal protective equipment where appropriate and dispose of these correctly.

Airlines must ensure appropriate infection prevention and control measures on aircraft according to COVID Safe plans and national and industry guidelines.

Airport environment

Travellers to Australia within the international airport environment, including passengers, crew, border workers and other staff, should follow Australian guidance for travellers including wearing a facemask for the duration of the time in the airport*. *masks are not required

for children aged 12 and under and those with other accepted exemptions.

International air crew management

AHPPC recommends that all states and territories require international aircrew arriving in Australia, who are not residents, to quarantine in a dedicated quarantine facility between international flights or for 14 days, whichever is the least.

Crew who are residents and who enter Australia in their state of residence may be allowed to quarantine at home for 14 days or until their next international flight. AHPPC recognises the importance of testing air crew.

Crew flying on international flights should either undergo a COVID-19 test every 7 days in Australia or be tested on arrival in Australia as directed by jurisdictions.

Melbourne, Jan 6: The Andrews Labor Government is helping diverse communities come together in a COVIDSafe way to celebrate their culture and traditions. Acting Minister for Multicultural Affairs Shaun Leane today opened the Multicultural Festivals and Events Program, inviting organisations to apply for funding for events to be held between March and June this year. The funding recognises the important role of community connection and celebration and will support events held either in person or in a digital format.

Any in-person event must adhere to the COVIDSafe Public Events Framework.

With the entertainment and events industry one of the hardest

hit because of the pandemic, this funding will help bring more life and colour to the state, celebrating our vibrant cultural diversity, whilst ensuring the health and safety of all Victorians.

In March, Victoria’s Greek community will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Greek independence – a significant occasion on the cultural calendar. Delivering on an election commitment, the Labor Government is investing $200,000 to support celebrations.

Victoria is home to the largest Greek population in the world outside of Greece.

This year’s funding also includes $50,000 to support organisations holding Hindu celebrations, events, and festivals.

Melbourne, Dec 31: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has issued his statement towards the NSW border closure, and the same is given below.

“Victorians know all too well: this virus moves fast. That is why, as a state, we need to move faster. On the advice of our public health team, and from 11.59pm 1 January 2021, Victoria will close its borders to New South Wales.

This is not an easy choice – and certainly not one we wanted to make on a day that is supposed to be about celebrating. But we know this is the right decision if we are to protect everything Victorians have worked so hard to achieve.

“Under the changes, any Victorian currently in the Green Zone will have until 11.59pm tomorrow night to come home. This does not include Victorians in the Blue Mountains City Council and Wollongong City Council local government areas, who must apply for a new permit and arrive before 11.59pm tonight.

Any Victorian, regardless of where they are arriving from in New South Wales, will need to

Courtesy: Forbes

Victorian Premier issues statement on NSW border closure

get tested and then quarantined for 14 days upon arriving in our state. Unfortunately, that means no going to work, no trips to the supermarket or visits to the local park. That is a big sacrifice. But as we have seen in recent days, it is integral to keeping our state safe.

“For those in our border communities, we understand that you need to be able to travel in between New South Wales and Victoria, and we will have a

process in place to allow that to happen. Details will be confirmed shortly. We also understand this will have implications for those who are travelling through New South Wales from other part of our nation. For those this applies to, we will also have more to say about our arrangements soon.

Existing provisions for freight, domestic air crews, those exiting mandatory quarantine, medical care and emergency services will remain the same.

Australia’s epidemiology and COVID-19 vaccine roadmap Melbourne, Jan 7:

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NEWS FROM NEW SOUTH WALES

Dinosaur trees declared Asset of Public transport capacity to increase Intergenerational Significance Sydney, Jan 11: As community transmissions remain low in NSW, the increased capacity will help improve services across the state’s public transport network. Passenger capacity on public transport is expected to increase over the summer months. Passengers are reminded to follow 3 simple steps to stay COVID Safe on public transport: 1. plan ahead, 2. check physical distancing capacity, and 3.wear a face mask and find a green dot.

Additional transport services and enhanced cleaning will continue to help transport passengers safely. Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the capacity increase is in line with the latest COVID-19 health advice. “We are at a stage where we can safely let more people onto the public transport network to help people get back to jobs, recreational activities and public spaces in a COVID Safe way,” Mr Constance said.

Curriculum overhaul powers into 2021 Sydney, Jan 14: NSW Curriculum Reform is powering on with the first stage of decluttering that will see a reduction of more than 80 courses developed by schools classified as unnecessary.

As part of the NSW Curriculum Reform, new criteria have been developed to ensure elective courses developed by schools provide students with strong foundations for future learning and life beyond school.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW Government has exceeded its target to reduce the number of elective courses developed by high schools by at least 20 per cent. “We need our schools to be focussed on the core learning areas,” Ms Berejiklian said, “Removing unnecessary courses allows schools and teachers the time and resources to deliver the essentials for students.”

Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said that she wanted to ensure schools are delivering high quality syllabuses to set students for success after school. “New

Sydney, Jan 15: The NSW Government has announced the Wollemi Pines, in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, will be the first site in the state to be declared an Asset of Intergenerational Significance.

The declaration is a legally recognised mechanism to bolster existing measures that protect the species for future generations.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the historic declaration recognises the extraordinary global significance of the Wollemi Pines, with some of the adult trees estimated to be up to a thousand years old.“This declaration enables us to take existing protections up another notch, and set specific legislative requirements including a dedicated fire management strategy to secure the survival of the species for generations to come,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Prior to their discovery in 1994, Wollemi Pines were only known to us in fossil records with fossil evidence pointing to the species’ existence up to 90 million years ago”.Just over 12 months ago, teams from the RFS and National Parks undertook an extensive operation to protect the Wollemis from extinction when the secret site came under threat from the devastating summer bushfires.The declaration follows a $6 million investment by the NSW Government to embed ecological risk in the fire management framework and bolster bushfire protections for important ecological sites as part of the government’s response to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry. Environment Minister Matt Kean said the site is the first to be declared under new provisions in the National Parks and Wildlife Act that will enhance

conservation for the most precious and rare jewels in our national parks crown.

“The Wollemi Pines are often described as a living fossil, having been around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth,” Mr Kean said.

“Despite the incredible efforts by the NPWS and RFS teams last summer, several hundred juvenile trees in the protected site were impacted We need to act now to put long-term protections in place that reduce the risk of fire exposure and allow the slowgrowing juvenile trees to thrive.”

The declaration paves the way for special regulations to enhance the Wollemi Pines’ legal protection including requiring a dedicated fire management strategy, ecological monitoring, and ongoing conservation management.

criteria will ensure that courses are only approved where the course provides a high quality elective option for students, and does not duplicate or overlap with existing opportunities within the syllabus,” Ms Mitchell said. “While courses will be cut, students will still have opportunities to explore their interests. For example, courses like print-making would no longer be standalone courses, but they could still be options as part of a core course like Art.

First tracks laid on City and Southwest Metro

“Removing these courses is the first step in our curriculum reform with the development of the new, streamlined K-2 English and Maths syllabuses also on track to be released for consultation in March this year.”

With the exception of languages, Auslan and Braille, all Year 9 and 10 elective courses developed by schools will be phased out by 2022. Year 9 and 10 students will have the opportunity to select elective subjects that will be developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority and will be available state-wide.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said extending Sydney Metro from the north west into the city and Bankstown will forever change how we get around Sydney and will create vital jobs.“Metro has already transformed the lives of people living in Sydney’s north west and now we are getting on with delivering it for the south west and the CBD,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Sydney, Jan 11: The first tracks have been laid on the City & Southwest Metro, marking an important milestone in the delivery of Australia’s biggest public transport infrastructure project.

“The construction of this mega project couldn’t come at a more important time for our state.

Metro forms a key part of the government’s record $107 billion infrastructure pipeline, which will be a major jobs creator during our COVID-19 recovery.

“More than 5000 people are currently working across the City & Southwest Metro project and, by the time the project opens, around 50,000 people will have worked on it.”

Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said Sydney will have 31 Metro railway stations and a 66-kilometre standalone Metro railway system in 2024.

“More than 4000 tonnes of Australian rail steel has been used to create 31 kilometres of railway tracks for the twin 15.5 kilometre tunnels, which extend from Chatswood to Sydenham,” Mr Constance said. “ North West Metro has been a great success with more than 25 million customers already using the service, and this extension into the city and southwest will see a Metro train every two minutes in both directions under the CBD. “The new Metro will be able to move more people across

the Harbour in the busiest hour of the peak than the Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel combined.”

Systems Connect, a joint venture between CPB Contractors and UGL, is designing and converting the excavated tunnels into a working railway, including distributing and laying the rail tracks along the tunnels. The company is also expanding the Sydney Metro Trains Facility at Rouse Hill, building a new facility at Marrickville and installing the power systems for the Sydney Metro extension.

Metro trains will start running through the tunnels in 2024, extending from the North West Metro, into the city and beyond to Bankstown. New stations will be delivered at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street and Waterloo, along with new underground platforms at Central Station.

$100 million to build and upgrade sports facilities in NSW cities and regions Domestic and International aviation measures Sydney, Dec 22: Sports facilities will be created and upgraded across the State under the NSW Government’s Greater Cities and Regional Sport Facility Fund.

The two-year program was a highlight of the recent budget and will see $50 million available to organisations and councils in 2020/21 with a further $50 million available next financial year.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the Fund will stimulate local economies, boost employment and promote healthy lifestyles across the State.“Investing in new and existing sports infrastructure is vital to improving the health and wellbeing of people right across NSW,” Mr Barilaro said.

“These projects will create a construction boom throughout the State and importantly in our regions, boosting employment as

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part of the NSW Government’s multi-billion-dollar infrastructure pipeline.”

Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said inclusive projects that encouraged the participation of females and people with a disability will be prioritised. “The Greater Cities and Regional Sport Facility Fund will inject $100 million across metro and regional NSW as the State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Lee said. “We want to build and upgrade sports facilities and recreation spaces to enable more people to participate in sport to be active, healthy and have fun.

“There will be new or upgraded change rooms and disability access and that will encourage more people to feel comfortable getting changed before or after their activity.”

Canberra, Jan 8: National Cabinet agreed to additional measures to strengthen end-to-end protection of Australians from COVID-19, including new variants.

International passenger caps in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia will be temporarily halved from no later than 15 January 2021 to manage the flow of returning Australians and other travellers who have been potentially exposed to the new variants.

Current international passenger caps in Victoria and South Australia and arrangements in the Northern Territory are considered manageable and will remain in place. Arrangements on international passenger caps will

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be reviewed by National Cabinet in early February. National Cabinet also adopted a number of recommendations from the AHPPC in relation to in-flight and in-airport measures.

For international travel Returning Australians and other travellers to Australia must return a negative COVID-19 test prior to departure. Exemptions will only be applied in extenuating circumstances, such as seasonal workers where there is limited access to testing. Air crew must take a COVID-19 test every 7 days or on arrival in Australia, continue to quarantine in dedicated quarantine facilities between international flights or for 14 days, and not reposition for

an outgoing international flight unless they do so on a crew-only flight. All passengers and air crew must wear masks on flights and in airports. Airlines will continue to have appropriate infection prevention and control measures on board aircraft, including crew wearing personal protective equipment where appropriate.

For domestic travel All passengers, excluding children 12 and under or those with particular exemptions, and air crew must wear masks on flights and in airports. These measures will also be applied to government facilitated commercial flights which already have in place strong mitigating measures for passengers and facilities.

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WORLD NEWS

As Jack Ma goes missing, India takes its place on UN Security China sends a stern message Council pledging ‘human-centric’ agenda

By Arul Louis United Nations, Jan 5 (IANS): With a pledge to “bring human-centric and inclusive solutions” to world problems, India has taken its place on the UN Security Council, the organisation’s highest decision-making body.

India’s membership was celebrated on Monday at a flag ceremony when its banner went up outside the Council chamber after the first session of the year.

Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma

By Mahua Venkatesh New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS): As the news of Jack Ma, one of the most prominent billionaire business tycoons in China and co-founder of Alibaba Group going missing shocked the world, this action serves as a message to all its citizens and people around the world that it will have no tolerance for its critics.

This incident took place within months of property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang being sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment.

Experts said that this would lead to an environment of extreme uncertainty for the business community as well as citizens at large.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who took charge in 2013, brought in new laws facilitating arbitrary and secret detentions on grounds of national security.

Ma, once the country’s poster boy and a vociferous critic of the Chinese government, had come under the glare of the authorities.

Subsequently, Ant Group, an affiliate company of the Alibaba Group was barred from launching its initial public offering (IPO) -- barely two days before it was slated to hit the market.

“Ma had become too big and was getting more and more independent. Though China has created a conducive business environment, it essentially needs managers and not entrepreneurs.

If this can happen to Ma, who is no ordinary person, then this can happen to anybody. The larger message for businesses is that they need to exercise extreme caution,” Shakti Sinha, director, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Policy Research and International Studies, MS University told IndiaNarrative.com. The former bureaucrat added that this will lead to uncertainty among the people.

Earlier, Chinese actor Fan Bingbing was detained by authorities over alleged tax evasion.

The list of China’s missing people is long.

Even as “high-profile disappearances” have become common in China “countries

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are reluctant to call Beijing out because of potential consequences,” the Australian news platform the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as ABC wrote.

Michael Caster, human rights advocate and a China researcher also told the news platform that the actual numbers of missing people were difficult to ascertain due to the secrecy process but they could be several hundreds.

According to Caster, as published in ABP, detention could be “for a few weeks, months or much longer. Occasionally they don’t come back at all.”

“At home, the Chinese Communist Party, worried that permitting political freedom would jeopardize its grasp on power, has constructed an Orwellian high-tech surveillance state and a sophisticated internet censorship system to monitor and suppress public criticism. Abroad, it uses its growing economic clout to silence critics and to carry out the most intense attack on the global system for enforcing human rights since that system began to emerge in the mid20th century,” the Human Rights Watch noted.

As a person, Ma - a former English language teacher - is the only true visionary China has produced in the technology sector, wrote the Nikkei Asia.

“Driven, intense and aggressive, he is far more charismatic than the founders of other technology companies, with an ability to charm almost everyone he meets - including top bankers at Goldman Sachs, who were early backers of the young Alibaba,” the article noted.

But it also spotlighted some of Ma’s enfeeblements. “...

Ma is also more flawed than his counterparts, in ways that have sometimes created risks to Alibaba’s progress. For Ma, competition is intensely personal.

People who have dealt with him say he has often behaved in undiplomatic and provocative ways, and his relationship with the communist government is uneasy,” Nikkei said.

Speaking at the ceremony, India’s Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti pledged that India would “not shy away from raising our voice against the common enemies of humanity like terrorism.”

“We will use our tenure to bring human-centric and inclusive solutions to matters of international peace and security.

India will be a voice for the developing world,” he said.

At the Council, where China has repeatedly tried in recent years to bring up the Kashmir issue and questioning India’s integrity along with Pakistan, Tirumurti pointedly made a reference to the union territory and its unity with India.

“From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, we stand united as one, bound by our ethos of democracy, pluralism and commitment to fundamental rights,” he said, while pointing out that the nation with one-sixth the world’s population is the largest democracy.

Elected last June to its eighth twoyear tenure on the Council with 184 of the 192 votes polled, India

officially started on the Council on January 1, but today was the first session because of the holidays. The other newly-elected countries are, along with Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway.

Kazhakstan’s Permanent Representative Magzhan Ilyassov, who presided over the flag ceremony, called the new members “sterling contributors” to the UN and said they are entering the Council at a crucial time for the world body.

The 15-member Council has ten non-permanent elected members and five permanent members, who have veto powers.

The year’s first session of the Council was held virtually before the flag ceremony and was on planning the agenda for the month during which Tunisia will hold the rotating presidency.

“Peace-keeping, peace-building, maritime security, women and

youth, especially in conflict situations, and technology with a human face, will receive our attention while on the Council,” Tirumurti said.

“We look forward to our collective pursuit for an ideal where the World is One Family -- ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’,” he said.

In the context of the global disruption by the Covid-19 pandemic, he quoted Swami Vivekananda: “Each nation must give, in order to live. When you give life, you will have life; when you receive, you must pay for it by giving to all others.”

While India serves on the Council as a non-permanent member, it will continue its quest for permanent seat in a reformed UN. Tirumurti reiterated India’s “strong commitment to reformed multilateralism” and to an “equitable international system”.

Distressed to see news on rioting and violence: PM on US Capitol chaos New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned the violent chaos that unfolded a day ago at the US Capitol in Washington D.C., saying “orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue”.

“Distressed to see news about rioting and violence in Washington D.C. Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue.

“The democratic process cannot

be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests,” Modi tweeted.

The Prime Minister’s remarks came after thousands of supporters of sitting US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building, deemed as the citadel of American democracy, on Wednesday afternoon, forcing proceedings to count Electoral College votes cast in the November 3, 2020 presidential

election, to halt.

Lawmakers had to be evacuated from the House and the Senate, and the Capitol was vandalised.

At least four people have been killed, 52 arrested and 14 police officers injured as a result of the violence.

The Capitol building houses the US Congress and is the seat of the legislative branch of the American government.

Indian flag seen at pro-Trump rally which some Indian-Americans joined

By Atul Aneja New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS): Turkey’s diabolic plan to rope in Pakistan in suspected development of atomic weapons shows aggressive intent as Ankara is already protected by a nuclear umbrella on account of its membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Suspicions about Pakistan’s

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covert support for Turkish nukes has been aroused by a recent meeting of the Turkey-Pakistan High-Level Military Dialogue Group (HLMDG). The assemblage took place on December 22-23.

Pakistan’s Defence Secretary Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain led the delegation from Islamabad, while Deputy Chief of Turkish Army General

Selcuk Bayraktaroglu headed the Turkish delegation, says an article published by the website zeenews. india.com.

There were other indications that the delegation held discussions about nuclear delivery systems.

The visitors from Islamabad met top Turkish Army generals and bureaucrats dealing with missile production and aerial know-how.

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‘Chinese Army uses nomads to transgress into Indian territory’ New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS): The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is using nomads in Ladakh to transgress into Indian territory while the Indian Army has restricted its own nomads to pasture lands, severely impacting the lives of locals, the Ladakh Hill Development Council has flagged to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

A three member delegation of Ladakh Hill Development Council met Singh on Tuesday and urged for unrestricted access for the locals for grazing and other border development issues. The lives of locals near the Line of Actual Control have been severely impacted after the standoff between India and China started in May 2020.

A representation given by Konchok Stanzin, Councillor of Chushul, along with two other members of the delegation.

“The Chinese use their nomads community to transgress on our land in a step-by-step approach. The movements of the nomads belonging to this side of the border are restricted by the Indian Army from grazing their livestock on the traditional pasture land,” the delegation told the Defence Minister.

They also submitted that nomads on the Indian side are soldiers without uniform. “The Indian Army must trust us by not restricting our movements relating to grazing. In this regard, we kindly request it to grant us permission to move our

shepherds with their livestock into traditional pasture lands as there is no substitute pasture land available in and around the villages, resulting in a mortality of livestocks and loss of income to the villagers,” they requested.

The sparsely populated areas like Lukung, Yourgo and Phobrang lead to the northern bank of Pangong Lake that includes the Finger Area which has been a major friction point between the armies of India and China.

The delegates stated that they are hopeful of some quick action after the meeting with Singh. “The Defence Minister told us that he will look into the issues and also write to the Union Home Ministry as many things raised by us fell in its domain,” Stanzin said.

Twitter bans Trump, citing risk of incitement of violence

By Nikhila Natarajan New York, Jan 9 (IANS): Social media giant Twitter announced that it is banning US President Donald Trump from its platform, citing “risk of further incitement of violence”. The Twitter ban comes two days after a proTrump mob stormed the US Capitol, hoping to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.

On Twitter, Donald Trump’s handle is now an almost empty white canvas, frozen at 51 followed accounts, 88.7 million followers and two words on the center of screen saying “Account suspended”.

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @ realDonaldTrump account and the context around them a” specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter a” we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said in a statement.

In an “overview”, Twitter called out two of Trump tweets from January 8 and then went on to explain the context of the ban.

The first tweet: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT The host list included Prof. Ismail Demir head of Presidency of Turkish Defence Industries and Dr. Temil Kotil, CEO of Turkish Aerospace Limited (TAI). The Pakistani defence delegation also visited top Turkish defence companies including Bakyar (UAV OEM), TAI, HAVELSAN and ASELSAN. Analysts say that the insider meetings in Turkey took place within a rapidly evolving

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The screengrab from the web stream of FOX 9 shows U.S. President Donald Trump urging his supporters to go home after some of them stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan 6, 2021 AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” The second tweet: “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”

Twitter explains that both these tweets need to be seen in the “context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behaviour from this account in recent weeks Twitter justified the Trump ban saying its language went against “our Glorification of Violence policy”. geopolitical context. Islamabad and Ankara have become staunch strategic allies-a partnership sealed by personal bonds between the Turkish ambitious President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan’s military backed Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Erdogan hopes to emerge as the pre-eminent Islamic leader, marginalising established heavyweights such as Mohamed bin Sultan, the crown prince of

Twitter reportedly picked up chatter on its platform of another possible attack being planned on the Capitol later this month, days before Inauguration day on January 20.

Late January 6, Trump was locked out of his account for 12 hours after a violent mob loyal to him stormed the US Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

On the same afternoon, Trump posted a video on Twitter calling his supporters “very special” people. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, are reported dead after the violence on January 6.

Saudi Arabia, the trojan horse for the wealthy six nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Erdogan made his intent to pursue nukes clear during a September 2019 speech when he falsely argued that Turkey was a victim of nuclear discrimination.

“Several countries have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two. But [they tell us that] we can’t have them. This I cannot accept,”

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WORLD NEWS

Turkey’s plan to rope in Pakistan for nuclear weapons shows aggressive intent

By Atul Aneja New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS): Turkey’s diabolic plan to rope in Pakistan in suspected development of atomic weapons shows aggressive intent as Ankara is already protected by a nuclear umbrella on account of its membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Suspicions about Pakistan’s covert support for Turkish nukes has been aroused by a recent meeting of the Turkey-Pakistan High-Level Military Dialogue Group (HLMDG). The assemblage took place on December 22-23.

Pakistan’s Defence Secretary Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain led the delegation from Islamabad, while Deputy Chief of Turkish Army General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu headed the Turkish delegation, says an article published by the website zeenews. india.com.

There were other indications that the delegation held discussions about nuclear delivery systems.

The visitors from Islamabad met top Turkish Army generals and bureaucrats dealing with missile production and aerial know-how.

The host list included Prof. Ismail Demir head of Presidency of Turkish Defence Industries and Dr. Temil Kotil, CEO of Turkish Aerospace Limited (TAI). The Pakistani defence delegation also visited top Turkish defence companies including Bakyar (UAV OEM), TAI, HAVELSAN and ASELSAN. Analysts say that the insider meetings in Turkey took place within a rapidly evolving geopolitical context. Islamabad and Ankara have become staunch strategic allies-a partnership sealed by personal bonds between the Turkish ambitious President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan’s military backed Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Erdogan hopes to emerge as the pre-eminent Islamic leader, marginalising established heavyweights such as Mohamed bin Sultan, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the trojan horse for the wealthy six nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Erdogan made his intent to Erdogan said on the centennial of the Turkish independence movement. “There is no developed nation in the world that doesn’t have them.”

Erdogan’s argument is blatantly false and self-serving. Several developed countries do not have atomic weapons. Only nine countries - the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel possess nuclear weapons, with Washington and Moscow owning 93 percent of them, says an article published by the prestigious Arms

Imran Khan pursue nukes clear during a September 2019 speech when he falsely argued that Turkey was a victim of nuclear discrimination.

“Several countries have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two. But [they tell us that] we can’t have them. This I cannot accept,” Erdogan said on the centennial of the Turkish independence movement. “There is no developed nation in the world that doesn’t have them.”

Erdogan’s argument is blatantly false and self-serving. Several developed countries do not have atomic weapons. Only nine countries - the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel possess nuclear weapons, with Washington and Moscow owning 93 percent of them, says an article published by the prestigious Arms Control Association.

Unsurprisingly a U.S. State Department official in a comment to The National Interest, reminded Turkey that it is a party to the 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

Turkey signed the NPT as a nonnuclear-weapon state in 1980.

This implied that that Ankara had formally agreed to forgo developing or acquiring nuclear weapons. Turkey has also signed the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear test explosions-the feedstock for developing atomic bombs.

Control Association.

Unsurprisingly a U.S. State Department official in a comment to The National Interest, reminded Turkey that it is a party to the 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

Turkey signed the NPT as a nonnuclear-weapon state in 1980.

This implied that that Ankara had formally agreed to forgo developing or acquiring nuclear weapons. Turkey has also signed the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear test explosions-the feedstock for developing atomic bombs.

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THE WORLD IN 2020

Contributed by the National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

Compiled by Akriti Sharma and Lokendra Sharma

US-China: Continuing confrontation Gunjan Singh, Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School China and the US interact at bilateral and international levels.

Their interaction affects global affairs. There are several existing flashpoints between both. For instance, the trade war between them started in 2018. The US has accused China of unfair trade practices and stealing technology.

A trade deal was signed earlier this year which eases some of the tariffs.

The COVID-19 outbreak, coupled with US elections, also brought about propaganda warfare.

Trump also referred to corona as Chinese virus. While the US accused it of originating from a Chinese lab, China accused it of coming from a US military lab.

They also had issues over the WHO, and media organizations in both countries. Foreign missions were affected, and journalists were expelled. The US also sanctioned Chinese officials over Hong Kong. The US closed Chinese consulate in Houston. Taiwan remains another bone of contention.

Then there is competition in the technology sector. For instance, what happened with Huawei and Tiktok. The US banned many Chinese apps, limited Chinese telecom and cloud service providers.

The US elections Lakshmi Karlekar, Postgraduate Scholar, Christ Deemed to be University

become Vice-President reflects this.

COVID-19: How the world fought Sumedha Chatterjee, MPhil Scholar, Trinity College, University of Dublin In late December 2019, the city of Wuhan witnessed a rise in cases of Pneumonia. It was later identified as a disease caused by a novel coronavirus. On the 5th of January last year, the WHO published the first risk assessment on coronavirus.

As of now, no part of the world has been spared by the virus’s wrath. As of today, 21 million people remain infected. On 21 September, the unfortunate milestone of 1 million deaths was crossed. Given the origin of the virus, it led to the rise of Sinophobia.

Different countries like Russia, China and Europe are developing their own vaccines. There are difficulties in the logistics due to temperature differences, the requirement of facilities.

Overcoming vaccine nationalism is important. Pandemic is not an episodic problem but represents a general structural problem of capitalism.

relatively better. Anti-China sentiments because of the origin of the pandemic did not occur in Japan and South Korea. Fourth, relations between South Korea and Japan have been strained due to many reasons, including wartime labour. Fifth, North Korea’s COVID-19 cases have not been reported and rumours around the disappearance of leader Kim Jong-un made headlines.

South Asia in 2020 Dr Mollica Dastidar, Associate Professor, Centre for Comparative Politics and Politics Theory, SIS, JNU The geophysical realities of South Asia would be undermining the geopolitics. Five major issues could be identified in South Asia. First, the most important development has been the pandemic. Global warmingrelated viruses are here to stay.

Second, neighbourhood first will

Associate, Conflict Resolution and Peace Research Programme, NIAS Five major developments took place in Africa in 2020. First, conflict quagmire. This includes the Ethiopian conflict with the Tigray region and the associated refugee and humanitarian crisis.

The second major conflict in the continent is the Libyan conflict between the UN-recognised Government of National Accord and the parallel authority led

by General Haftar - the Libyan National Army. In 2020, Libya saw a major breakthrough after the two sides signed a permanent ceasefire in October. Third, the rise of anti-government voices.

Anti-government protests broke out in Mali and Nigeria. In Mali, the trigger was economic deterioration, worsening security conditions and the government’s handling of the pandemic.

On the other hand, Nigerians protested against police brutality under the Special Anti Robbery Squads. Across the protests, the common demands were greater accountability from the government. Fourth, no end to extremism. Islamist violence, the rivalry between different terrorist organisations and ethnic rivalry remain critical issues in Africa. While terrorism has been rooted out of the Middle East to an extent, it has shifted base to Africa. Fifth, climate change and the human-wildlife conflict.

This year has been marked by droughts, locusts, and the Nile dam stalemate, and increased poaching amid the lockdowns.

The Middle East in 2020 Dr Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu Five major issues from the

In the US, there was a whopping majority for the blue (Democrats) at the Eastern and the Western front. Red (Republicans) failed to concede to the results. Elections witnessed the highest voter turnout since 1900 and were the most expensive elections in US history. There was also a Republican-Democrat issue overpower transition. American women in all their diversity are heading towards a fair share of executive office 100 years after they won the right to vote.

Women empowerment is the trend. Kamala Harris’s election to

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Third, China’s relationship with Japan and South Korea has been

Fourth, the normalization agreement of Israel with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Each country has got something from the US for this. Fifth, the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Fakhrizadeh. Israel has neither claimed nor denied the killing. Without Fakhrizadeh, it will be difficult for Iran to develop its nuclear programme.

Europe in 2020 Dr Teiborlang T. Kharsyntiew, Assistant Professor, Centre for European Studies, SIS, JNU There were five major developments in Europe in 2020.

First, the Brexit issue. It will define the relationship Britain and the EU will have. There has also been a rise of Euroscepticism in Europe. Second, the migrant issue also remains unresolved in Europe. There is a new proposal that any member state that is willing to host migrants would be given financial assistance.

This has a spillover in the neighbourhood. The 2016 deal between Turkey and the Europe Union on migrants holds but the relationship remains uneasy.

Third, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. The EU could not do much. Also, it was indecisive over Belarus because of Cyprus’s veto. The EU’s capacity for conflict resolution and its foreign policy is being tested.

Fourth, the impact of COVID-19 on the European economy. Fifth, the EU’s relationship with the US and other countries. Lack of supply chains from China has affected the business in Europe, and this has resulted in shifting focus to other countries like India.

Prof A Subramanyam Raju, Centre for Maritime Studies, Pondicherry University

Dr Sandip Mishra, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, SIS, JNU Five major developments in 2020 include the following.

First, the pandemic remains the most important issue in East Asia. COVID-19 originated from China and spread to Japan, South Korea. However, East Asia has also been able to manage pandemic better. When it comes to economic repercussions, it is one of the few regions, which is having GDP growth. Second, the widened distance between the US and its two allies in the region, Japan and South Korea.

South Korea has been hesitant to endorse the Indo-Pacific strategy.

Concerning North Korea, the US and South Korea have diverged.

The stalemate between the US and North Korea continues.

powers. After months of military campaign, General Khalifa Haftar finally agreed to cease hostilities.

A fragile ceasefire is taking shape in Libya.

The Maritime in 2020

East Asia in 2020 Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in December 2013

WORLD IN 2020

be out of compulsion and not out of choice in the post-COVID scenario. Local economies can be relied upon when the FDI and international supply chains come to a halt. Third, India’s cosying up with America militarily. In a reaction to it, Galwan Valley was China’s way of showing up India of its military might.

Fourth, Kashmir. Both Pakistan and India have been using this region for their electoral benefits.

Fifth, the contiguous physical geography of South Asia implies that the political boundaries are a gift of the colonizers. When natural crises - virus, river, glaciers - happen, man-made borders become irrelevant.

Africa in 2020 Apoorva Sudhakar, Research

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Middle East in 2020 include the following. First, the assassination of Soleimani, the chief of Iran’s Quds force. Iran suffers from a conventional military deficit. To overcome it, Iran has cultivated ties with Shia militias for decades. Iran retaliated to the assassination by launching missile attacks on the US bases in Iraq. Second, Israel had its third election in a year. Previous two elections failed to form a stable government. Even the third government is dissolving, and Israel is heading towards the fourth election in two years.

While Israel’s foreign policy is consolidating, internally it remains fractured. Third, the crisis in Libya. There are two governments and two parliaments in Libya supported by different

Five developments were significant in 2020. First, geopolitical dynamics of IndoPacific. Major powers, like the US, Japan, Australia and India, have realized the importance of oceans. They see Indo-Pacific as a counter to China’s aggression.

It has to be seen whether IndoPacific is going to be a zone of peace or a zone of conflict.

Second, the blue economy is seen as important because of the depletion of land. With technology, investment, and blue clusters, the blue economy will be developed further. Third, climate change is threatening the Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar’s small island states due to rising sea levels.

Coastal cities in South Asia are also vulnerable.

The report has been modified

by India News due to space considerations.

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Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

MAKE IN INDIA

Make in India: Investment opportunities As world economies restart their engines in a bid to regain lost ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic, India too shows signs of economic buoyancy and promise. India’s Make in India initiative holds a key to the global economic revival, something that should interest Australian government ministries, corporate sector, entrepreneurs, institutions seeking R&D collaborations and Australia Inc in general, among others. India assumes greater importance as several major world economies including American, Japanese, German, British and South Korean look to move out and diversify their businesses from China. India has jumped to 63rd rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Development 2020 report, and has also been ranked as the 9th largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment destination in 2019 by the World Investment Report 2020 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Opportunities in the North East

Project spread over Assam and Meghalaya, Northeast Network Connectivity Improvement

A hydroelectric dam in Northeast India The North East (NE) of India, comprising of the eight states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is a reservoir of rich natural resources and a beautiful amalgamation of different people and cultures. It surely is a region waiting to happen. Blessed with biodiversity, huge hydroenergy potential, oil and gas, coal, limestone, forest wealth, fruits and vegetables, flowers, herbs and aromatic plants, rare and rich flora and fauna, NE India has all the potential to transform into a commercial hub and tourist paradise. The region shares borders with China in the north, Bangladesh in the South-West, Bhutan in the North-West and Myanmar in the East. This makes it a prospective hub of international trade and commerce. Unlike the rest of India, the region has an added demographic advantage, in the sense that it occupies 7.8 per cent of the country’s total land space but has a population of 3.8 crore, which makes it approximately 3.73 per cent of the country’s population. This is also a huge untapped, emerging market, which should prove to be of interest to large domestic and international investors.

Under the ‘Look East Policy’ of Government of India, the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) has been showcasing the strengths of NE to the neighbouring countries so as to set up new industries, attract foreign investments, boost tourism and enhance business and trade. DoNER has been showcasing its strengths to the neighbouring countries so as to set up new industries, attract foreign investments, boost tourism and enhance business and trade. Presently, the Government of Japan has decided to invest an amount INR 13,000 Cr in several ongoing as well as new projects in different states of India’s North- Eastern Region (NER). Some of the important projects in which Japan will collaborate include Guwahati Water Supply Project and Guwahati Sewage Project in Assam, Northeast Road Network Connectivity Improvement

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Project in Meghalaya, Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project in Sikkim, Sustainable Forest Management Project in Tripura, Technical Cooperation Project for Sustainable Agriculture & Irrigation in Mizoram, Forest Management Project in Nagaland, etc. In the times to come, new areas of collaboration will also be sought to be worked out, which could possibly include bamboo, tourism and pharmaceutical related collaboration.

India is actively pushing for greater investments in its north-eastern states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. The region shares international borders with China, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and is considered to be of vital geopolitical and economic importance. Bolstering the economic development and investment potential of the region is thus a key aspect of India’s Act East policy, which focuses on improved socio-economic, trade, and business engagement with East Asia and the ASEAN states. Since taking office, the Modi government has been keen to link the development of the north-eastern states with a more proactive Act East policy, for instance, building cross-border infrastructure to enable stronger international business and trade ties, eastwards. This includes the construction of roads and international highways and providing seaport and rail access to the benefit of firms doing business and trading across India, Bangladesh, China, and ASEAN. Foreign investors looking to tap into long-term opportunities may find it rewarding to explore the north-eastern states. To attract greater private investment, both federal and state governments offer various sector-linked and location-specific incentives and tax benefits for businesses across the region. Moreover, the northeastern states also boast of highly educated populations with strong English proficiency, creating ideal conditions for talent procurement.

Opportunities in

Andaman & Nicobar Endless variety of exotic flora and fauna With over 86% of the area under tropical rainforests, Andaman and Nicobar Islands offer attractive opportunities for the wood-based industries. 69% of Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ population is in the working age group of 15-59 years.The total population of the Islands is more than 380,000.

Located in the Indian Ocean, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of 572 islands lying in the South-Eastern part of the Bay of Bengal. The Islands are located in close proximity to Indonesia and Thailand. They are well connected with the rest of the world with the presence of 23 ports and an international airport in the capital city of Port Blair. The long coastline of 1,962 km provides huge opportunities for investments in marine-based industries, and cruise tourism which is currently at a nascent stage in India.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a total cropped area of over 16,500 ha, with major crops including coconut, paddy, banana and areca nut. The Islands provide opportunities for handicrafts industries due to high demand from the visiting tourists. The Islands also promote IT/ ITeS-based industries and offer various incentives under its dedicated sector policy. The Islands are home to 2,400 MSME units.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a major tourist attraction with several beaches that offer water sporting and adventure activities such as snorkelling and scuba diving. The coastal belt surrounding these Islands is the abode of one of the richest coral reef ecosystems in the world.

Opportunities in Andhra Pradesh Largest exporter of marine products amongst Indian states

population. The state’s population of 49.4 mn is equivalent to the population of Spain.

The state is a logistics marvel on the eastern coast with a coastline of 974 Km which is second longest in India. It has 6 ports, 6 airports, over 123,000 km of road network and 2,600 km of rail network and round the clock power supply. The state has an installed power capacity of over 24,000 MW. It has been Ranked No. 1 in implementation of Energy efficiency and conservation programmes by World Bank. For 2018-19, Andhra Pradesh’s growth rate is estimated to be 11.02%, much higher than the national average.

Andhra Pradesh has industries around biotechnology, information technology (IT), textile and leather, automotive and auto components and agriculture sectors. Sri City Special Economic Zone that houses 150 companies from 27 countries, is a key example of well-planned infrastructure at a strategic location near Chennai.

Opportunities in Arunachal Pradesh Largest among the seven NorthEastern states of India With an area of about 8.4 mn ha, Arunachal Pradesh shares its international border with Bhutan to the west (217 km), China to the North and North-East (1,080 km) and Myanmar to the East (520 km). About 60% of the population of Arunachal Pradesh is in the working age group of 15-59 years.

The state’s population of 1.3 mn

Andaman and Nicobar Islands offer attractive opportunities for the wood-based industries Andhra Pradesh has established itself as one of the most prominent connection points with major world markets. About 70% of the population of Andhra Pradesh is in the working age group of 15-59 years. Andhra Pradesh, the 10th most populated state in India, is home to about 4.1% of the country’s total

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is equivalent to the population of Estonia.

The geographic location of the state provides immense opportunities for international trade with South Asian countries.

Major industries of the state include agriculture, art and crafts, weaving, cane and bamboo,

horticulture, power and mineralbased industry. The state has one of the highest potentials for generating hydro-power in India.

It is divided into five river valleys having immense hydropower potential, currently estimated at 50,328 MW, or approximately 22%of India’s current power generating capacity.

The state is endowed with an evergreen forest cover of nearly 80%. Rich flora and fauna of the state are characterized by 601 species of orchids and over 500 species of medicinal plants.

Opportunities in Assam Highest recoverable reserves of crude oil and natural gas in India Assam Gas Cracker Project, North-East India’s largest petrochemical project is being implemented by Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL).About 65% of Assam’s population is in the working age group of 15-59 years.

Assam, the 15th most populated state in India, is home to about 2.6% of the country’s total population. The state’s population of 31.2 mn is comparable to the population of California in the US. Assam, with a geographical area of 7.8 mn ha, shares its border with all North-Eastern states in India and internationally with Bangladesh and Bhutan. Six airports, two inland waterways and one inland container depot connect Assam with major cities of the country and with nearby international cities. There is also a proposal to connect Assam with the neighbouring country Bhutan by road.

Assam has more than 600 ha of land dedicated to industrial use.

To capitalize on its pool of natural resources (tea, oil and natural gas to name a few), the state also has a dedicated tea park, food processing park, agri-export zones, and four oil refineries. The Assam-Araku Basin in Northeast India is an important oilproducing region and containes more than 15% of the country’s reserves. The state has India’s longest road bridge, the Bhupen Hazarika Bridge and India’s longest railroad bridge, Bogibeel Bridge, houses 300 medical plants and herbs and is also the third largest producer of petroleum and natural gas with a capacity of 150,000 barrels per day.

Courtesy: Invest India, Government of India

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Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

BUSINESS & TRADE

Integrated commissioner India’s economy shrank 9.6% in 2020-21, can rise with vaccine to 5.4% next fiscal: WB complex to come up in Varanasi

By Arul Louis New York, Jan 5 (IANS): India’s economy battered by the Covid-19 pandemic is forecast to shrink by 9.6 per cent during the current financial year but can recover by 5.4 per cent next financial year if there is wide vaccination against the disease and it is contained, the World Bank reported on Tuesday.

The Bank’s Global Economic Prospects Report said that the optimistic forecast for 2021-22 “assumes that a vaccine will be distributed on a large scale in the region starting the second half of 2021 and that there is no widespread resurgence in infections”.

About the economy’s contraction, the report said, “In India, the pandemic hit the economy at a time when growth was already decelerating” and “the estimated contraction of the economy by 9.6 per cent during 2020-21 reflects “a sharp drop in household spending and private investment”.

Looking ahead, the report said that India’s recovery would be

constrained by the weak financial sector.

The 5.4 per cent growth rate forecast for in 2021-22 -- a “rebound from a low base” -would be “offset by muted private investment growth given financial sector weaknesses”, the report said noting that “in the financial sector, non-performing loans were already high before the pandemic”.

In the South Asia region, the Bank said that the economy overall fell by 6.7 per cent in 2020 “reflecting the effects of the pandemic and nationwide lockdowns, particularly in Bangladesh and India”.

But it added, “Activity rebounded in the second half of last year, led by industrial production, as initial stringent lockdowns were eased.”

The global economy, which contracted by 4.3 per cent in 2020 is forecast to grow by 4 per cent next year if “an initial Covid-19 vaccine rollout becomes widespread throughout the year”, the report said.

The report warned that for

the South Asia region, “Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside.”

Besides severe and longer-lasting coronavirus infection rates, the other risks include “financial and debt distress caused by an abrupt tightening of financing conditions or possible widespread corporate bankruptcies”.

“Additional stress on domestic banks in the region could be triggered by the economic consequences of a more protracted recovery from the pandemic, which in turn could lead to a rise in bankruptcies and weaken the balance sheets of the banking and non-banking sectors,” it added.

China, from where the Covid-19 pandemic spread, is expected to see its economy grow by 7.9 per cent -- the world’s fastest -- this year after contracting 2 per cent last year.

The report’s forecast for the US economy is a 3.5 per cent growth in 2021, after an estimated contraction of 3.6 per cent in 2020.

Goyal launches new Railways freight portal New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS): Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday launched the Indian Railways freight business development portal and said that it is among the best in the world and will be an important element towards ease of doing business.

He said that the national transporter has launched a number of new initiatives during the last nine months, converting the Covid crisis into an opportunity.

“This Railway freight portal is among the best in the world,” he said, adding that the new portal will prove to be a game-changer in the way railways serves freight customers.

Varanasi, Jan 7 (IANS): An integrated commissioner complex (ICC) will come up as twin towers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency soon.

The project will have an investment of Rs 171 crore with the help of private investors.

According to official sources, while one tower will accommodate only government offices, the other will be totally commercial and generate revenue for the maintenance of the former.

The complex will comprise two buildings. While a 17-storey complex will accommodate 44 government offices of commissioner headquarters, the other will solely be a commercial complex of 16-storey.

These twin towers will come up on a three-acre land available on the campus of the commissioner office without disturbing the existing structures.

Goyal launched the new portal virtually.

Speaking on the occasion, Goyal, who is also the Minister for Commerce and Industry and Food and Consumer Affairs said, “Freight Business Development portal will be an important element towards ease of doing business. This portal would help our customers to know the status of their freight requirement, the priority in which wagons and rakes will be available.”

A view of the swollen Ganga river at Varanasi’s Assi Ghat

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal (R) and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar (L) to look at the most suitable wagon Highlighting the freight loading design for their commodities, in this financial year, Goyal payments can be made digitally. said, “Till January 4, the Indian “Everything will be transparent Railways has loaded 98 per cent and system-driven,” he said. of the freight goods loaded up to January 4, 2020. I have no doubt According to railway ministry that in the next 45 days, we shall officials, the new freight portal be at par with last year and close is the first-of-its-kind dedicated the year with a positive growth.” platform to ensure all operations, He further said that railways now have business development units across the country, in every single division, which is pro-actively approaching customers.

He also said that the new portal will help the freight customers to find the most suitable terminal,

reduce the costs for logistics providers, provide online tracking facility for suppliers and also simplify the process of goods transportation. Freight Business Development Portal is a ‘One Stop-Single Window’ solution for all the needs of freight customers.

According to Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal, “Following the state cabinet’s nod to set up ICCs in Gorakhpur and Varanasi as a pilot project, a government order was issued which was received here 10 days ago. After this, the basic exercise of site selection, tentative expenditure on constructing ICC building and arranging budget on revenue model instead of depending on the state government for funds, were conducted.”

“In the coming days tenders will be floated for the appointment of a transactional advisor for this project on public private partnership model and also an

architect,” said Agrawal.

He added, “The three-acre vacant land available on the commissioner office compound has been identified for this project in which two towers of 17 and 16 storeys have been proposed with a huge parking facility. Tentative cost of the project has been estimated as of Rs 171 crore by the divisional level committee.”

Providing details of the basic idea for the proposed buildings, Varanasi Development Authority vice-chairman, Rahul Pandey, said, “One tower will comprise only government offices of ICC while the second tower will be totally commercial, which will generate revenue for the maintenance and recurring expenses on the building housing government offices.”

Agrawal said, “The 17-storey building will house stateof-the-art offices of 44 government departments at the commissionary level. Currently, offices of 12-13 departments are running in their own buildings while others are being operated at rental accommodation where their maintenance is also very poor. Only the regional sports office will continue to remain in the stadium.”

The project will ensure better coordination between different government offices associated with the divisional commissioner and also make it easy for people coming from neighbouring districts.

While the first ICC project is in Varanasi, the second ICC project will come up in Gorakhpur, which is the home district of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

India’s foreign exchange reserves rises by over $4 bn Mumbai, Jan 8 (IANS): India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $4.483 billion during the week ended January 1.

According to the Reserve Bank of India’s weekly statistical supplement, the reserves increased to $585.324 billion from $580.841 billion reported for the week ended December 25.

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India’s forex reserves comprise of foreign currency assets (FCAs), gold reserves, special drawing rights (SDRs), and the country’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

On a weekly basis, FCAs, the largest component of the forex reserves, edged higher by $4.168

billion to $541.642 billion.

Besides, the value of the country’s gold reserves increased by $315 million to $37.026 billion.

However, the SDR value remained flat at $1.510 billion.

Similarly, the country’s reserve position with the IMF remained static at $5.145 billion.

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Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

Consumer empowerment in Power sector afoot New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS): Ministry of Power has introduced new rules laying down the rights of consumers, a first initiative towards consumer empowerment in the power sector.

Under the new rules covered under Electricity (Rights of consumers) Rules, 2020, codes have been specified establishing rights of consumers and Obligations of Distribution licensees. It had also defined ways for Release of new connection and modification in existing connection, Metering arrangement, billing and Payment, Disconnection and Reconnection, Reliability of supply, Consumer as Prosumer, Standards of Performance of licensee, Compensation Mechanism, Call Centre for Consumer Services, Grievance redressal mechanism.

The new rules also established that it is the duty of every

Coal India produced 405 million tonne coal by the third financial quarter ending December 31, 2020, which has a contribution of 101.8 million tonne from Odishabased Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL).

Union MoS Power and Renewable Energy R.K. Singh addresses a press conference in Lucknow consumers to set up Renewable distribution licensee to supply Energy (RE) generation unit electricity on request made including roof top solar by an owner or occupier of photovoltaic (PV) systems -any premises in line with the either by himself or through a provisions of Act and it is the service provider. right of consumer to have minimum standards of service The rules also provide for for supply of electricity from the Compensation amount to be distribution licensee. paid to the consumers by the The rules have also specified Maximum time period of 7 days in metro cities and 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days in rural areas identified to provide new connection and modify an existing connection. It also had provisions for advance payment of bills by consumers.

The distribution licensee shall supply 24x7 power to all consumers. However, the Commission may specify lower hours of supply for some categories of consumers like agriculture, the rules suggests.

It has also given power to

distribution licensees for violation of standards of performance.

A Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) including consumer and prosumer representatives had also been provided. The consumer grievance redressal has been made easy by making it multilayered and the number of consumer’s representatives have been increased from one to four.

The licensee shall specify the time within which various types of grievances by the different levels of the forums are to be resolved.

Maximum timeline of 45 days specified for grievance redressal.

Improving India’s air may prevent 7% of pregnancy losses: Lancet New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS): In a first, a Lancet study has indicated that meeting India’s air quality targets across south Asia may prevent 7 per cent of pregnancy losses.

The modelling study suggested that pregnant women in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, who are exposed to poor air quality, may be at higher risk of stillbirths and miscarriages.

An estimated 349,681 pregnancy losses per year in south Asia were associated with exposure to PM2.5 concentrations that exceeded India’s air quality standard (more than 40 ig/m or micrograms per cubic meter air), accounting for 7 per cent of annual pregnancy loss in the region from 2000-2016.

In the study, the researchers included 34,197 women who had lost a pregnancy, including 27,480 miscarriages and 6,717 stillbirths, which were compared to live birth controls.

Of the pregnancy loss cases, 77 per cent were from India, 12 per cent from Pakistan, and 11 per cent from Bangladesh.

Pregnancy loss associated with air pollution was more common in the northern plains region in

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Coal India to cross 650 mt production target in FY 20-21 Bhubaneswar, Jan 8 (IANS): Coal India Ltd would cross the 650 million tonne production mark during financial year 2020-21, Chairman Pramod Agrawal said on Friday.

Issuing the rules Minister of State for Power R.K. Singh said that these shall empower the consumers of electricity.

These rules emanate from the conviction that the power systems exist to serve the consumers and the consumers have rights to get the services and reliable, quality electricity, he said.

Distribution Companies across the country are monopolies -- whether government or private -- and the consumer has no alternative. The new rules empower consumers through a system of laid down rules and a system for enforcement of these rights.

ENERGY & RESOURCES

India and Pakistan.

Previous studies have suggested a link between air pollution and pregnancy loss in other regions, but this is the first study, published in Lancet Planetary Health, to quantify the burden in south Asia.

South Asia has the highest burden of pregnancy loss globally and is one of the most PM2.5 polluted regions in the world.

To carry out their analysis, the authors combined data from household surveys on health from 1998-2016 (from women who reported at least one pregnancy loss and one or more livebirths) and estimated exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy through combining satellite with atmospheric modelling outputs.

They created a model to examine how exposure to PM2.5 increased women’s risk of pregnancy loss, calculating risk for each 10 ig/m increased in PM2.5 after adjusting for maternal age, temperature and humidity, seasonal variation, and long-term trends in pregnancy loss.

Using this association, they calculated the number of

pregnancy losses that may have been caused by PM2.5 in the whole region for the period 2000-16 and looked at how many pregnancy losses might have been prevented under India’s and WHO’s air quality standard (40 ig/m and 10 ig/m, respectively).

Losing a pregnancy can have knock-on mental, physical and economic effects on women, including increased risk of postnatal depressive disorders, infant mortality during subsequent pregnancy, and increase the costs related to pregnancy, such as loss of labour.

The CIL chief said there is need to produce more coal as demand for dry fuel is expected to rise postCovid-19 pandemic.

Agrawal, who was on a daylong visit to the MCL’s Talcher coalfields, inspected mining and coal evacuation operations there.

He said Coal India is giving much emphasis on increasing production as it committed to fulfil the energy needs of the country.

“Need of the country is to produce more and more coal,” Agrawal said, highlighting rising demand for coal to meet energy requirement for revival of industry post-Covid-19 restrictions.

There was a sudden fall in demand of coal due to pandemic, which had forced subsidiaries to slow down production and focus on other related works like removal of overburden and strengthening of infrastructure for coal transportation.

He appreciated MCL for

Coal India Chairman Pramod Agrawal commendable growth in all the major parameters of production, despatch and overburden removal.

“MCL has done very good till now, but more challenges are ahead,” said Agrawal, who also laid the foundation stone of Bhubaneswari coal handling plant (CHP) Phase II, which is part of First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects in MCL. Bhuabneswari CHP Phase-II, having estimated cost of Rs 247 crore, will have coal handing capacity of 15 million tonne per annum.

MCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director P.K. Sinha, along with Director (Technical/ Operations) O.P. Singh and Director (Personnel) Keshav Rao accompanied the Chairman during his visit.

Earlier at a meeting with the leaders of MCL’s trade unions, Agrawal appreciated their constructive role towards growth of the country.

‘Filament-less’ Kerala way to fight global warming: Vijayan Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 7 (IANS): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that a ‘filament-less’ Kerala is the alternative to reduce global warming, adding that conservation of energy is as important as generation.

with the state electricity board.

He also added that consumers who require LED bulbs can again register with the board.

The Chief minister was delivering his inaugural address during distribution of LED bulbs in the state through video conference.

State Power Minister M.M. Mani said that the government is providing a warranty of 3 years for LED bulbs.

Vijayan said that production and promotion of LED bulbs is the policy of the state government.

He said that 1 crore LED bulbs are being distributed to 17 lakh consumers who have registered

He said that the project ‘Nilavu’ on converting street lamps under local self governments to LED is a major success.

The ‘filament-less’ project is the main project under ‘Energy Kerala Project’ and the idea is to bring down the usage of mercury lamps and instead promote LED bulbs.

Gestational exposure to PM2.5 was associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy loss, and this remained significant after adjusting for other factors.

Each increase in 10 ig/m was estimated to increase a mother’s risk of pregnancy loss by 3 per cent.

The increase in risk was greater for mothers from rural areas or those who became pregnant at an older age, compared to younger mothers from urban areas, the findings showed.

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Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

EDITORIAL

A ‘water-shed’ indeed: Racism won’t vanish – how we respond matters India-Australia water

R

acism is as old as the history of human societies. The modern states have responded appropriately: legislatively and normatively and so to have sporting codes and institutions.

However, we cannot wish it away.

It will remain amongst us in one form or the other.

racism has come to plague the Border-Gavaskar trophy since the 2008 “monkey-gate” saga involving Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds. Later, some Australian fans also allegedly received racist taunts from the Indian spectators during the Australian tour of India.

What happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the third Australia-India test match to Muhammad Siraj and Jaspreet Bumrah is highly deplorable, but not surprising. A group of spectators were rounded up by the police following Siraj’s complaint and were asked to leave the venue, quite rightly.

Fortunately, the 2018-19 tour of India to Australia remained unblemished, racism has again raised its ugly head at the SCG, where some seem to have had one beer too many and crossed the thick red line of human and sporting code of conduct.

Racism in sports has risen by 67% in 2018, in professional sport – soccer, basketball, boxing, cricket, golf, motorsport and tennis.

Remember how Jesse Owens and other athletes, faced similar experiences during the 1936 Olympics in Germany, held under Adolf Hitler’s “Aryan-race only” formula? Interestingly, contrary to popular belief that Hitler refused shaking hands, Jesse said it was actually the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt who refused to meet him. Imagine that?

Recall Zinedine Zidane’s headbutting act after being racially slurred by Macro Materazzi during the France and Italy match in the world cup. An Algerian sculptor has even built a sculpture to immortalise the headbutting. Tiger Woods was also subjected to a racist jibe from a veteran golfer after his 1998 major win, and so did Magic Johnson in basketball.

Coming to cricket, Hashim Amla, Moeen Ali and Jofra Archer in recent years have received racist slurs. In Australia, Anthony Mundine in boxing and Adam Goodes and Lewis Jetta in the Australian Footy League have their own tales to tell.

It is a depressing thought that temperate climate, free from the tropic heat of their field of labour, or the snows of their place of birth. Australians and AngloIndians are therefore bound to be acquaintances. Intimacy between the two countries will doubtless be established in course of time.

They are part of one empire, and thus linked to one destiny.”

Deakin used the expression “the duty of water” signifying the area of land which a given quantity of water will irrigate.

His understanding of the inextricable connection between land and water was striking. Any irrigated land, Deakin observed, was principally determined by the quality of soil, temperature, rainfall, evaporation, etc.

Deakin’s outlook on irrigation and agriculture and his role in the formation of the Victorian water legislation helped to significantly inform the federal water policy debate in Australia.

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The moot point is that racism will feature periodically involving players, officials, referees and spectators. Therefore, what matters is how we respond. It is heartening to see how strongly Cricket Australia, International Cricket Council and Australian cricketing legends responded.

CA Board said, “While we await the outcome of the investigation

by NSW Police, Cricket Australia has launched its own enquiry into the matter,” emphasising its zero-tolerance policy towards abuse of cricketers by the crowd.

It is learnt that the police won’t be pressing any charges, but CA can decide independently under its Anti-Harassment Code whether the behaviour warrants a lengthy ban or some sanction. The ICC too has condemned the incident strongly. Michael Hussey, Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting and other commentators have condemned the incident, saying that the Australians should be thankful that the Indians visited under the shadow of Covid to make this summer enjoyable. Siraj, who lost his father during the tour, has received an all-round support from the larger Australian community. This is how racism must be addressed: unequivocally and strongly. Because what matters is how we respond as a society.

Another important influencer to the river debate in Australia was David J. Gordon who briefly was South Australia’s minister of education and repatriation in the Archibald Peake government in 1917. Gordon had believed in permanent navigation of rivers that would induce settlement and facilitate trade. In an illustration captioned ‘If the Rivers Were Locked’ in his book The Nile of Australia. Natures Gateway to the Interior (1906), Gordon writes: “The Murray-Darling and Murrumbidgee if locked would give 3000 miles of navigable highways to the interior, a distance equal to that from Adelaide to Pt. Darwin and more than half way back.”

Both in terms of irrigation and navigation, the two geographies can come closer. Collaboration, coordination and joint actions are the new mantras in the water

partnership

By Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha In early December 2020 in New Delhi, the water resources ministry ( Jal Shakti) organised the 4th India Water Summit with the theme ‘Valuing Water–Transforming Ganga’.

An important objective of the summit was to bring together global financial investors and institutions to focus on various aspects of water challenges, in particular water efficiency. A number of countries represented by their ambassadors and diplomatic emissaries attended the meet sharing their countries experiences in water management and discussing various avenues of water cooperation and collaboration with India.

With water as a strong driver and seeing India as a potential partner in promoting regional security and stability, the Australian government announced a contribution of $10 million to support cooperation with India on urban water security. The Water Security Initiative promises to expand the two countries ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’, agreed in June 2020, by committing to strengthening water security cooperation.

Picking up pace, in November, Australia-India Water Centre led by University of Western Australia and IIT-Guwahati was inaugurated virtually by Dan Tehan, Minister for Education and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, minister for Jal Shakti.

According to the media statement from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), “Australia’s funding will support the exchange of the latest tools and technologies for safeguarding water supply to India’s fastest growing cities, and will focus on wastewater treatment, recycling and water-sensitive city design.

sector and the two countries can partner projects emphasising on ‘affordable solutions’ for Indianconditions covering both the rural and the urban areas.

Four critical contexts determine water challenges inIndia: water as a dwindling resource or the scarcity and its challenges on theagriculture sector; the quality of water and increasing level of pollution; the impactof climate change in particular floods and droughts; and the issues of watergovernance that requires cooperation and coordination between the centre and thestates. These four broad contexts offer opportunities for cooperation in priorityareas such as clean drinking water, ground water utilisation, water efficiency,sanitation, Ganga rejuvenation, inland waterways and hydro-powers.

In India, over the last half and

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The initiative will pair Australia’s expertise in water and urban design with Indian counterpart agencies and institutes – known as a ‘twinning arrangement’ – to address the increasing challenges associated with providing water and sanitation to cities.”

Countries, leaders and institutions around the world are putting their weight behind to achieve a ‘water secure world’. Water is an existential resource and the need to manage it for development to support agriculture, manufacturing, domestic requirements and the environment has never been so critical. “In a water-secure world” as the World Bank, the largest multilateral source of financing for water in developing countries notes, “Countries are able to reduce and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate on water, while ensuring that each drop is

Alfred Deakin, regarded as the father of federation and father of irrigation, and three-time prime minister of Australiabetween 1903 to 1910,had visited colonial India via Colombo in the early 1890s to study irrigation. consumed more efficiently.”

The India-Australia water connect has a history. Alfred Deakin, regarded as the father of federation and father of irrigation, and three-time prime minister of Australia between 1903 to 1910, had visited colonial India more decade, possibly one of the most modernizingpolicy approaches of the Narendra Modi government has been to raise the profile of rivers.

Wateris indispensable to governance and development plans, livelihood and healthy life, expressed as sujalamsufalam (water for prosperity) and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It is also a key instrument of regional prosperity and integration. It is not surprisingthat many of the Modi’s government big ticket programmes like Swachh Bharat Mission, Swachh Bharat Urban, Swachh Bharat Gramin, Namami Gange Programme, Smart Cities Mission and Inland Navigation are centred on the indispensability of water.

That apart, India like Australia is committed to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 17 SDGs guide countries as they aim to eradicate extremepoverty,

via Colombo in the early 1890s to study irrigation. India had always fascinated Deakin more than any other country. Before his voyage to the sub-continent, Deakin had already travelled to the US, Italy and Egypt to grasp the essence of irrigation system in these countries and came out with notable reports Irrigation in the America (1885) and Irrigation in Italy and Egypt (1887).

An ‘enterprising personality’, Deakin, had involved himself with water supply issues in Victoria and his vision of an irrigated Murray Basin was a product of both liberal reasoning and his own spiritualism that made him view water as a ‘life force’. As he examined irrigation works, dams, canals, weirs and various structures across rivers in his extensive travels, Deakin strongly felt that it was India’s irrigation system that would be relevant to Australia. In his tour of India through the cold months of 189091 he wrote a series of articles for Melbourne Age that was later compiled into a book, Irrigated India. An Australian View of India and Ceylon. Their Irrigation and Agriculture (1893). Deakin writes: “Between India and Australia there must soon be special links and associations. Their irrigation systems will be of perennial interest to all hydraulic engineers, and especially to those on this side of the line. Our southern colonies are certain to be always in favour with their officials on furlough in search of health, or those who have retired, and seek a home in a reduce inequalities and effectively deal with climate change by 2030. Many of the goals (SDG2, SDG3, SDG7, SDG13, SDG15, SDG16 and SDG17) are centred around water, sanitation and hygiene proving again the centrality of water. One of the objective of SDG6, in particular, is to ‘expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water andsanitation related activities and programmes.’

It is often expressed in a lighter vein that India-Australia relations have enjoyed deep bonding over cricket, curry and commonwealth. But beyond the 3Cs there is deepening relationship on wide-ranging issues that express the interconnected world we live in.

Water is unmistakably adding a new flavour to the bilateral relations.

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Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

SPECIAL FEATURE

Frankincense: Smell that invokes the divine

By Malvika Barry During my first visit to Sacré Coeur, a monumental Basilica in the most touristy Parisienne neighborhood of Montmartre, I encountered this mysterious scent that made me nostalgic for the time my mother burnt frankincense to purify the air in the house after her morning

On a starry night when Jupiter and Saturn formed the rare alignment known as the “Star of Bethlehem,” the three wise men bearing precious gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold visited baby Jesus at the stable. Therefore, frankincense was regarded as a priceless commodity, and was only offered to the divine.

A Midnight Stroll prayers. I saw her practicing it less over the years, but this peculiar smell and the dense, curly fumes remain etched in my memory. A few years later, I again encountered this scent at the Dubai Souk at a spice store selling these precious creamy off-white crystals at an exorbitant price. Although, UAE is famous for bakhoor and oud, some households, especially those from Oman and Morocco, burn frankincense in their homes and offices. Some of my friends from Tunisia also chew on frankincense crystals to strengthen their gums and improve digestion.

Frankincense, also known as olibanum or incense, areoleoresin crystals, which are the most

Although the magi story made frankincense famous, the use of frankincense has been dated back to 3200 BCE during the Egyptian civilization. Egyptians used frankincense for rituals to appease the gods, as fumigants to purify the air, as a digestive, and for preparing cosmetics such as kohl for the eyes. Later due to trade in this region, the raw material grew in popularity and became an essential commodity for Babylonians, Romans, Greek, Hebrew, Chinese and Persian civilizations. These civilizations also used it for appeasing the gods, sacrificial rituals, and medicinal purposes. To this day, the practice of burning incense is believed to be an offering to the

Byredo expensive and luxurious trade items since antiquity. Have you ever wondered why they are associated with rituals? Why are they used for evoking the gods?

How have different religions used it for similar purposes?

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gods to appease them.

There are more than 25 species of frankincense found widely in countries such as Oman, Ethiopia, Somalia, India, East Africa, Sudan, and Yemen. Of these, the most

famous variety is the Boswellia sacra, which grows in the inlands of the Arabian Peninsula and thrives in the limestone hills of Khor Rori in Dhofar governorate in Southern Oman. The port of Al-Baleed, Wadi Dawkah, and the ancient caravan oasis in Shisr close to the Great Arabian desert, Rub Al Khali, are lands rich in frankincense trees due to their calcium-rich soils.

The mystical and enigmatic frankincense has always been associated with other-worldly forces and is closely linked to magical energy. Its scent is warm, woody, honey-like balsamic with piney lemon nuances. These resins are categorized based on the color from amber brown, the low grade to creamy white crystals, high grade, or classified based on the citrus notes of lemon, orange, and lime. The frankincense trees appear to be knotted and weather-beaten due to the arid conditions in which it thrives. Luban, the Arabic name for frankincense, which means milk, is harvested by making several incisions on the trunk, and the thick milk is scraped out from the core of the branch and hardened in the sun to form translucent crystals. There is a

over-powering, this fragrance is a breath of fresh air. Just like the lush green oasis of Salalah, the vibrant sparkling nuances of bergamot, lemon along with cool pepper, and juniper are a blessing in the barren, hot desert. Piney notes along with incense and ambry vanilla, add warmth and comfort to those whose thoughts wander to such paradise. One can wear this perfume in the sultry summer heat to feel fresh and

in this fragrance within the complexities of smoky aromatic nagarmotha and tar-like cade

Frankincense Resin elevated.

Encens Mythique by Guerlain It is an enchanting fragrance

by Thierry Wasser, in-house perfumer of Guerlain, that captures the essence of Arabia.

Perfectly well-balanced notes of rose, velvety saffron, and vetiver glorify the star ingredient Frankincense in the most magical and surreal way. It is truly divine and speaks of the civilizations that thrived on these precious raw materials trade.

A Midnight Stroll by Gucci When the clock strikes twelve, and all is still, supernatural powers are set free in the wee hours of the night. Similarly,

emerges the spell-binding frankincense, which is hauntingly visible amidst this perfume’s depths. Talk about a scent that gives you the creeps! This perfume is suitable for a bonechilling winter night worn underneath thick heavy coats.

These are just some fragrances that celebrate frankincense’s surreal scent, and more are in the making. Notwithstanding the mystery why these resins are used to evoke the divine, try these fragrances to invoke the gods or goddesses within you. Happy Sniffing!

The author is a fragrance evaluator at Identiscents FZC, Sharjah, UAE

Burning Incense high demand for Luban in recent years, resulting in an increase in the number of incisions per tree throughout the year. Over tapping and over-exploitation of the trees have made some species, such as Boswellia sacra, a threatened species. Therefore, most of the trees in Oman are located in the UNESCO World Heritage sites and protected by law.

This priceless frankincense resin has several properties and can be used for relieving cold, like chewing gum for oral care, a cure for joint inflammation, etc., and its essential oil can be used in perfumery, aromatherapy, as well as exotic desserts such as artisanal ice-cream in Salalah Oman, made famous

by Trygve Harris, an American entrepreneur. Frankincense is a special note in perfumery, therefore exclusively used by niche brands such as Byredo, Guerlain, Gucci, Kilian, etc.

The three fragrances which have a slightly eerie, unearthly, and bold presence of frankincense include: Gypsy Water by Byredo For those of you who find incense

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Man collecting frankincense

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INDIA NEWS

Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

Qantas resumes bookings for international flights

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Taj Mahotsav cancelled due to Covid-19 scare

Canberra, Jan 8 (IANS): Australian flag carrier Qantas has resumed bookings for international flights which will begin from July 1, in a promising sign that overseas travel might return sooner than expected.

The airline started taking bookings for almost all flights across its international network late Tuesday with a few exceptions including New York, Fiji and Santiago, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Recently we have aligned the selling of our international services to reflect our expectation that international travel will begin to restart from July 2021,” a Qantas spokesperson said on Friday.

“We continue to review and update our international schedule in response to the developing Covid-19 situation,” the spokesperson added.

While tickets were on sale, the airline said the restart of international flying would be subject to vaccine roll-outs and

Dreamliner-Quokka-aircraft-2-916x516 the reopening of international borders.

The airline runs a small number of international flights over the past few months, largely to bring Australians stranded overseas home.

New Zealand is the only overseas destination serviced by Qantas at the moment.

Some international flights for sale from March towards Asian destinations like Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore have been pushed back to July, allowing more time to create safe travel

bubbles.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said despite Qantas’ plan, international borders will not be reopened until it is safe to do so.

“International borders will be opened when international arrivals do not pose a risk to Australians,” McCormack said in a statement.

“The Australian government is working on travel arrangements with countries, such as New Zealand, that have low community infections.”

Agra, Jan 9 (IANS): The 10-day annual cultural extravaganza ‘Taj Mahotsav’, which was to begin here from February 18-28, has been cancelled over fears of further spread of the novel coronavirus, officials said on Saturday.

The Agra tourism circles expressed disappointment over the cancellation of the event which attracts tourists from all walks of life every year and artisans from across the country to display their arts at the Shilpgram complex, situated close to the Taj Mahal.

Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar has confirmed that due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it would not be possible to hold

the 10-day event this year.

Nine fresh Covid-19 cases were reported here in the past 24 hours, pushing the tally to 10,348.

So far there have been 171 fatalities. Besides, the number of active cases in the district have dropped to 136.

However, in absolutely contradictory situation, various health activists have questioned the district administration’s decision to allow ‘Mid Night Bazar’ at the Kothi Meena Bazar ground.

“If Taj Mahotsava cannot be allowed, how can the district officials give nod to the another commercial carnival?” the activists queried.

MP urges Gehlot for action plan to maintain Jaipur’s World Heritage status India Tourism Mart goes virtual Jaipur, Jan 7 (IANS): Concerned over preserving the World Heritage status of Jaipur, MP Diya Kumari wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday asking him to formulate an effective action plan. She said that if the city is in danger of losing its form and character due to administrative negligence, it is his responsibility as the head of the government to take action.

Diya Kumari emphasised that it is the government’s responsibility to protect Jaipur’s walled city, but it seems to be completely unsuccessful in fulfilling its duty.

Stray animals on the streets are inviting accidents. The city does not have proper parking facilities for tourists. There is no control over illegal parking in the markets

and the World Heritage status of Jaipur is in danger due to the illegal construction in the walled city.

Expressing concern over the present condition of Jaipur’s walled city and historical buildings, the MP said in the letter that the state government will have to work with a new vision.

To preserve the World Heritage status of Jaipur, the Chief Minister should constitute a committee of eminent citizens under his chairmanship, chalk out an action plan and get it implemented in a time-bound manner.

In addition to the Consultative Committee of the Central Tourism and Cultural Ministry, Diya Kumari is also a member of the National Tiger Conservation

Authority and the Railway Standing Committee.

Established by the MP’s ancestors, the city of Jaipur was declared a World Heritage site in 2019.

Tiger and boat safari in UP sanctuaries soon Lucknow, Dec 30 (IANS): A night tiger safari in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and boat safari in the Katarniaghat sanctuary are being planned by the Yogi Adityanath government to give a boost to eco-tourism in Uttar Pradesh.

Invest UP has been tasked with drawing up a plan and bringing in investments into the area.

UP MSME minister Siddharth Nath Singh, vice-chairperson of Invest UP, will be leading the project and is likely to hold a meeting in this regard soon.

The minister said, “There is tremendous potential for

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development of eco-tourism in these two adjoining sanctuaries and with the right kind of effort and leadership, provided by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, they can be made as popular for tourists as the Jim Corbett Park in Uttarakhand.”

The chief minister has given a green signal for the project, the minister said.

Also on the anvil is the development of the Palia airstrip located near the Dudhwa National Park at Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Kheri.

As part of the larger project, this

airstrip may be developed into a larger airport facility to make the parks more easily accessible from Lucknow and Delhi among the major cities.

Sources said that a major promotion campaign will also be taken up, with the tiger as the likely mascot.

Singh said that two parks probably have the largest number of endangered species of reptiles, mammals while Katarniaghat has a massive cane forest and any development will be keeping in mind that the ecology is not disturbed.

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New Delhi, Jan 5: India Tourism Mart (ITM), a buyer-seller meet organised by the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), will be held in a virtual format, starting February 18.

The three-day event will see online B2B interactions between Indian tourism exhibitors and a group of global buyers selected from over 90 countries. The international buyers reflect a strategic mix of target countries which are critical, developed and under developing markets for India. The topics of discussion ranges from leisure, adventure, mice, heritage and niche tourism sectors.

Its previous editions has seen active attendance from over 250 buyers from over 65 countries having B2B interactions from hundreds of tourism exhibitors

from India, including most of the State Governments, hotel companies, tour operators and travel agents and tourist transporters.

Domestic tourism buyers will also be invited to discuss on tourism trade, corporate and institutional tourism.

The event will also witness virtual knowledge tourism conclave which will look to bringing the best in tourism and policy makers to discuss how Indian tourism is strategic to India’s socioeconomic goals and critical as the country targets post pandemic revival.

The ITM 2021 virtual will also hope to showcase and be a curtain raiser for the actual physical ITM to be held in September 2021 highlighting a tourism ready India once the vaccine is successfully deployed.

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INDIA NEWS

Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

ARTS & LITERATURE

How 2021 will fare for performing arts in India?

Bhagwat releases book on Gandhi as ‘biggest Hindu patriot’

By Siddhi Jain

New Delhi, Jan 1: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat released a book hailing Mahatma Gandhi as the “biggest Hindu patriot” on the first day of the new year.

The trials and tribulations of 2020 propelled many to seek refuge in the comfort of a favourite song, the upbeat rhythm that came from a dance sequence, or the much-needed break that came to our screens in the form of digital theatre. While the past year saw increased, especially online, activity for these performing arts, what does 2021 have in store?

On January 1, Modi government ministers Prahlad Patel and V. Muraleedharan participated in the release ceremony of this book titled ‘Making of a Hindu Patriot’ by authors J.K. Bajaj and M.D. Srinivas, at Rajghat here.

Dance Priya Venkataraman, Bharatanatyam Dancer and choreographer, says, “2020 saw a surge in online performances and classes. This allowed me as a dancer to connect to students worldwide. I see this trend continuing through to the majority of next year while the established and senior artists will return to the stage with limited audiences. Online platforms & festivals are here to stay as they offer much needed visibility without the need for sponsors.”

Indian-Australian choreographer and dance mentor Ashley Lobo says: “Going forward into 2021, I see a trend of a blend of digital and offline engagement in performing arts. I see collaborations and dance education using the digital medium much more.

Choreographers experimenting with film and multimedia will expand and that should make for some interesting and engaging viewing. Live performance will definitely be back because as human beings the human interaction can never be replaced.

As far as art goes I am hopeful that the digital medium will expand the awareness and the younger generation will find interest in it considering it is coming to them in a medium that they have strong ties to.

Theatre Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer, Special Projects at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd said that when they first started digitising plays, it was not with the possibility of a pandemic in mind but over the last few months, the format has developed a new relevance. “In the coming year, digitising of storytelling will become more expansive, diverse and all-encompassing. With people now searching for a variety of content to watch combined with existing theatre lovers who still wish for access to plays, digital theatre is a medium which will be further explored in 2021.”

“From the perspective of theatre, digitisation will play a large role.

It will help theater broaden and deepen its reach. New products will get developed which will leverage the unique strengths of theater such as the live broadcast of performances. Theater in its traditional form will continue to serve niche audience that relish the old world charm. However, the theater performances will be enhanced with the use of new technology,” Hemant Bharat Ram, Executive Vice President, Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts (SRCPA) said.

Music

“The Internet has been reshaping the music landscape, which has been further accelerated by the recent pandemic. Technology, Innovation, and Collaboration will lead the way in the coming years.

New platforms and mediums will gain prominence, reinventing the ways audiences connect with music creators. The pandemic has forced artists & creators across the globe to postpone their live on-ground concerts indefinitely. As an alternate, many turned to virtual performances.

While virtual shows propose new possibilities for the music industry, technology will play a critical role in making it a success,” asserted Rakesh Nigam, CEO, IPRS. He concluded, “The experience created online will define the popularity and value-for-money, and whether it can attract/hold on to its audience in the long run. The permission and licenses also have to be looked into to create a win-win situation for all the stakeholders. At IPRS, we are mindful of the changing times and have taken measures to ensure that the authors, composers and publishers of music reap all benefits possible of their hard work and creative ability.”

Bhagwat had also released a book in February last year, appealing to build Gandhi’s dream of India. Bhagwat had said, “Gandhiji had many times described himself as a staunch ‘Sanatani Hindu’. He was never ashamed of being a Hindu himself.”

J.K.Bajaj, the founding director of the Centre for Policy Studies and a member of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, who is also a member of the commission constituted by the central government to subclass the OBCs, said, “Gandhiji was a born Hindu, but he became a strong Hindu in the days of his experience in South Africa. What is it like to be a Hindu? He learned this during his struggle in South Africa.

Gandhiji openly used to say - ‘My patriotism is increasing and this patriotism originates from my religion’.”

Bajaj said that Mahatma Gandhi refused when Christian and Muslim friends tried to convert him while living in South Africa. During this time he started an in-depth study about Sanatan Dharma which further strengthened his Hindu identity.

The book gives the background of Gandhi’s ‘Hind Swaraj’. There

are many interesting details ranging from the development of Gandhiji’s personality and the campaigns he undertook during his stay in South Africa. The book also narrates the story of how Gandhi’s developed ‘Satyagraha’ at the historic meeting on September 11, 1906 at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg. The chapter titled ‘The South African Jail Diary’ also tells the story of the torture in prison endured by Gandhi and his supporters.

The book also describes the correspondence between the great Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi. The book states that it was Tolstoy who first gave Mahatma Gandhi the title of ‘Hindu Patriot’.

The book claims Tolstoy was a fan of all aspects of Gandhi except his ‘Hindu patriotism’. It also has information about two meetings held in July 1914 during Gandhiji’s arrival from South Africa in which he received the title of ‘Patriot Mahatma’.

‘Kasheer’ in English voices diabolical betrayal of Kashmiri Hindus New Jan 8 (IANS): Originally written by Sahana Vijayakumar in Kannada in 2018, “Kasheer: A Diabolical Betrayal of Kashmiri Hindus” in its English translation brings forth to a larger audience the story of Kashmiri Hindus and the unfortunate mass exodus of the community from their motherland in 1990, against the backdrop of Kashmir’s Islamisation.

the facts of deception, betrayal, propaganda and political ambitions that have all but erased the memories of oppression of Kashmiri Hindus from the nation’s conscience. It extricates the truth of human tragedy and presents it with brutal honesty.

Translated into English after the abrogation of Section 370 in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmnir, the powerful book comes across as “the plaintive cry of the Kailash Pandit”.

Vijayakumar undertook firsthand research during her visit to Kashmir and interviewed hundreds of locals for the book.

According to her, the Kashmir issue cannot be understood without grasping the layers of traditionalism, reformism, secularism and fundamentalism within Islam.

Contending that the reporting on Kashmir has whitewashed the human tragedy of Kashmiri Hindus, “Kasheer” retells the tale in a fictionalised account which is all too real, and catches

“It is a travesty that some stories go untold, lost in the cacophony of dominant narratives and complex realities. The story of the Kashmiri Hindus is one such tale. As necessary it is to wish

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derives its name from Koshur language, in which Kashmir translates to “Kasheer”.

around Kashmir across Indian regions, and reinforces the idea that Kashmir is a national issue.

Covering the genesis of Kashmir and its progress from social, religious and political dimensions, the novel not only visualises both the contemporary and historical pictures of Kashmir, but also scrutinises the underlying philosophies of Sanatana Dharma and Semitic religions, she said.

Noting that the author has synthesised the historical perspective and the contemporary reality pertaining to Kashmir very well, renowned Kannada scholar S.L. Bhyrappa, who has written the book’s foreword, said that she connected with the very few Kashmiri Hindus who have “returned home” and were living in ghettos, and witnessed all the places that bear testimony to thousands and thousands of religious conversions under intimidation, rape, murder and bloodshed.

The Kannada book was translated into English by Hemanth Shanthigrama, a London-based technology professional. It has been translated and published in Marathi and Hindi as well.

The bold narration uses multiple metaphors, including that of Aarti Kaul’s unconceived womb, to voice out what happened to Kashmiri Hindus. The book

According to Sankrant Sanu, the Founder and CEO of Garuda Prakashan, the book’s story having come from a South Indian writer - unites the discourse

that the coming days are filled with optimism for Kashmir, it is equally essential to know the unfortunate story of the Kashmiri Hindus who were driven out of their motherland. This is their story. This is the story of Kashmir,” she said about the book.

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Jan 16-31, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 14

HEALTH

India successfully cultures UK 73 detected to have new UK Covid mutant strain: India’s Health Ministry coronavirus variant: ICMR New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS): The Central government on Wednesday said that a total of 73 persons have been detected with the new “more transmissible” UK coronavirus mutant strain, and they are being kept in physical isolation in health facilities.

Out of these total cases, eight have been detected by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi, 20 at the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in Delhi, and 11 at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangaluru.

by respective state governments.

Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine.

Three such cases have been detected at the Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, one at the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in West Bengal and 30 in the National Institute of Virology, Pune.

On December 29, a total of six UK returnees were found to be positive with the new variant genome. These were the first cases to be reported by the country that has the second highest number of cases after the US.

According the Health Ministry, all these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities

The tracing and testing was initiated after the UK announced that a newly identified strain of the virus was found in their

population which is up to 70 per cent more transmissible.

The new UK variant has already been reported by Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

From November 25 to December 23 midnight, about 33,000 passengers disembarked at various Indian airports from UK. All these passengers are being tracked and subjected by states and UTs to RT-PCR tests.

India’s pharma exports surge as tide turns against China

New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS): The tide may have begun to turn against China in the pharmaceutical sector as many countries have started reducing dependence on the dragon. This is reflected in a double-digit surge in Indian exports in April-September as anti-China sentiments grew during this period due to the dubious manner in which Beijing concealed facts about the deadly pandemic that was triggered by the Wuhan virus.

the increase in exports. During 2019-20, exports of APIs had risen 11 per cent while that of bulk drugs had contracted by 1 per cent.

According to data compiled by CRISIL, India’s exports of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) shot up 18 per cent while that of bulk drugs rose 9 per cent year-on-year in the first half of the 2020-21 financial year. The demand for medicines to fight the pandemic also shot up during this period which has contributed to

China’s large-scale pharmaceutical factories have been created by western MNCs such as US pharma giant Pfizer who had outsourced production in recent years to cut costs.

However, with the decoupling of the western countries gathering pace these companies could exit China.

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With China-made Covid-19 vaccine candidates coming under a cloud the country’s image has taken a further battering and several countries such as Brazil and ASEAN members have turned towards the western pharma majors and India for sourcing their vaccine requirements.

China’s belligerent military posturing in Ladakh and the South China sea and human rights abuse in Hong Kong has alienated it further as a consequence of which it is fast losing its lucrative markets in the US and Europe.

India has been gaining ground at the world stage as it has been stepping up supplies of crucial medicines and equipment such as PPE kits at affordable prices even to the developing countries to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, although India is the world’s third-largest drug producer by volumes, it imports 70 per cent of its APIs from China.

India’s top drug makers, including Dr Reddy’s, Lupin, Glenmark, Mylan, Zydus and Pfizer India are dependent on China for APIs.

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New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS): India has successfully cultured the new ‘more infectious’ coronavirus strain, which had originated in United Kingdom, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Saturday.

The British Government had recently announced that the newly identified strain of the virus found in their population is up to 70 per cent more transmissible, following which India sprung into action.

The country put in place a proactive and preventive strategy to detect and contain the variant.

So far, the new variant has been detected in 29 UK returnees through genome sequencing.

Notably, no country has yet reported successful isolation and culture of the UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2. In India, Vero cell lines were used by the scientists of ICMR-NIV to culture the UKvariant of the virus.

The new UK Variant has already been reported by Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

ICMR to look at seriousness of disease caused by UK Covid-19 variant New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS): After six returnees from the UK were found to be carrying the new coronavirus variant, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will now look at the seriousness of the disease caused by the mutation, its behaviour and immunology, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

included temporary suspension of all flights coming from UK with effect from the midnight of December 23 till December 31.

A total of six UK returnees were found to be positive with the new variant genome, the Central government announced on Tuesday, adding that all these persons have been kept in a single room isolation in designated health care facilities.

Testing of all UK returnee air passengers through RT-PCR test was made mandatory. The samples of all UK returnees found positive in RT-PCR test had undergone genome sequenced by a consortium of ten government labs.

The British government had recently announced that the newly identified strain of the virus found in their population is up to 70 per cent more transmissible. This had prompted Indian authorities to suspend flights to and from the UK till December 31.

Over the last few weeks, the UK has faced a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases in southeast England, leading to enhanced epidemiological and virological investigations. Analysis of viral genome sequence data identified that a large proportion of cases belonged to a new single phylogenetic cluster.

The presence of the new UK variant has already been reported

by Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon, and Singapore.

Few days back, the Indian government had taken cognizance of the reports of mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus reported from UK and put in place a pro-active and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant. It

The new variant is defined by multiple spike protein mutations as well as mutations in the other genomic regions. Preliminary analysis in the UK suggests that this variant is significantly more transmissible than previously circulating variants, with an estimated potential to increase the reproductive number (R) by 0.4 or greater with an estimated increased transmissibility of up to 70 per cent.

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HEALTH

China blocks 2 WHO Group led by EX-AIIMS director slams team members after people for doubting Covid vaccine failed Covid test New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS): A group of 49 doctors, scientists and medical professionals, led by former AIIMS director Tirath Das Dogra, have come forward in support of the homemade Covid-19 vaccines and slammed those casting aspersions on their efficacy.

“We condemn the irresponsible statements made by people with vested interests in print, electronic and social media defaming the Indian scientific community and casting aspersions upon its integrity by making politicised statements doubting the recent research in the field of Covid-19 vaccines,” said the statement issued by Dogra.

Hong Kong, Jan 14 (IANS): As the World Health Organisation (WHO) team landed in Wuhan on Thursday to study the cause of the Covid-19 outbreak, China blocked two members of the 13-member international team from travelling to the epicentre of the pandemic after they failed the coronavirus antibody test in Singapore.

The WHO first tweeted that the international team of 13 scientists examining the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19 arrived in Wuhan.

The experts were to begin their work immediately during the two-week quarantine protocol for international travellers.

Later, in a separate tweet, WHO said that two members of that team remain in Singapore after they were “tested positive for IgM antibodies”.

IgM antibodies are among the earliest potential signs of a coronavirus infection and false positives are also possible with such tests.

“Two scientists are still in #Singapore completing tests for #COVID19. All team members had multiple negative PCR and antibody tests for COVID-19 in their home countries prior to travelling,” the WHO said in a tweet.

“They are being retested for both IgM and IgG antibodies.”

IgG is the most common type of antibody found in blood circulation.

At a press conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the country “will strictly follow the relevant epidemic prevention regulations and requirements, and provide corresponding support and

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facilities for WHO experts who come to China to carry out international cooperation on tracing the origin of the virus”.

Asked about the two scientists denied entry, Zhao would not comment, instructing reports to ask “the relevant authorities.”

According to the report, this is the second delay for the WHO team, which was due to arrive in China earlier this month.

The team was blocked from flying there by the Chinese authorities, triggering a rare rebuke from the United Nations (UN).

“I am very disappointed with this news,” said WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “I have been in contact with senior Chinese officials and I have once again made clear that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team.”

The US has also demanded transparency in WHO operations in China.

The overall global coronavirus caseload has topped 92 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.97 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 92,291,033 and 1,961,987, respectively.

The US is the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 23,067,796 and 384,604, respectively, according to the CSSE. India comes in second place in terms of cases at 10,495,147, while the country’s death toll soared to 151,529.

“Though the efficacy data is not available, the safety parameters of Covaxin are very good and there is a robust immune response seen with this vaccine. Further, this vaccine is a whole virus inactivated vaccine which may have better protection even against mutant strains of the virus as the immune response will be against multiple antigens and not only against Spike protein,” it added.

Dogra said that such reprehensible utterances are causing huge credibility crisis for the Indian scientific community which has devoted its lifetime to make India a name to reckon with

in the export of vaccines all over the world.

Many political leaders, including those from the Congress, have said that the government should not have allowed the use of Covaxin without conducting Pahse 3 trials.

But the former AIIMS director said that there is a vision to make India a global leader in the field of scientific research.

“Due to our untiring efforts, India has emerged a global leader in supply of vaccines to the world.

Vaccines are exported from India to over 188 countries. Currently, more than two thirds of the total volume of the vaccines manufactured is exported while the rest is utilised domestically.

The Indian vaccine market reached a value of Rs 94 billion

in 2019, and has still got unused potential for the future,” the statement said.

It further said that the DGCI has granted the approval after a subject expert committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) recommended the two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) for emergency use in India.

Covishield was recommended for emergency use on January 1, whereas Covaxin was recommended for restricted use on January 2.

Though Covishield still needs data from India on immunogenicity and efficacy, it has been given emergency use authorisation keeping in mind the difficult times caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Being workaholic may increase depression, anxiety risk Moscow, Jan 14 (IANS): If you are a workaholic, then there are chances you may suffer negative mental and physical health outcomes such as depression, anxiety or sleep disorder, a new study suggests.

The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, indicates that people with higher work addiction risk compared to people with low work addiction risk have twice the risk of developing depression.

Sleep quality was lower to workers with high risk of work addiction compared to workers with low risk of work addiction.

Also women had almost twice the work addiction risk than men, the researchers said.

“We found that job demands could be the most important factor that can develop work addiction risk. So this factor should be controlled or should be investigated by the organization’s manager, for example, HR staff, psychologists,” said researcher Morteza Charkhabi from Higher School of Economics in Russia.

Workaholics are people who usually work seven and more hours more than others per week.

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For the study, the team aimed to demonstrate the extent to which the work addiction risk is associated with the perception of work (job demands and job control) and mental health in four job categories suggested by Karasek’s model or Job DemandControl-Support model ( JDCS).

The JDCS model assumes four various work environments (four quadrants) in which workers may experience a different level of job demands and job control: passive, low-strain, active, and tense/jobstrain. Job control is the extent to which an employee feels control over doing work.

The researchers collected data

from 187 out of 1,580 (11.8 per cent) French workers who agreed to participate in a cross-sectional study.

They team divided all the participants based on their occupational groups and investigated the link between work addiction risk and mental and physical health outcomes.

The results show that high job demands at work are strongly associated with work addiction risk but the job control level does not play the same role.

The prevalence of work addiction risk is higher for active and highstrain workers than for passive and low-strain workers.

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Williamson ends Smith-Kohli rule in ICC rankings, Rahane No. 6

SPORTS

Japan, IOC’s determination to host Tokyo 2020 unchanged: IOC VP

Dubai, Dec 31 (IANS): India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane has moved to No. 6 in ICC world rankings for Test batsmen, jumping five places thanks to his century in the second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson jumped two places to end 2020 as the world’s topranked batsman even as Steve Smith slipped two places to third after failures in the first two Tests against India. Virat Kohli, on paternity leave in India, retained his second spot.

Williamson scored a century against Pakistan in the first Test at Mount Maunganui this week as his team defeated the visitors by 101 runs. The effort earned him man-of-the-match award and valuable points.

This is the first time the Kiwi skipper has moved to the top of the world Test batting rankings since 2015. Smith and Kohli have occupied the top spot over the last five years.

Williamson has 890 rating points while Kohli (879) and Smith (877) are separated by a margin of just two points.

Australia batsman Marnus

Labuschagne (No. 4) and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (No. 5) round up the top five.

Meanwhile, there are two Australia and two New Zealand pacers among the top five Test bowlers. Pat Cummins finished the year at the No. 1 spot, ahead of England’s Stuart Broad who is

at No. 2. New Zealand fast bowlers Neil Wagner and Tim Southee are at No. 3 and 4 while Mitchell Starc has graduated to No. 5 thanks to eight wickets in the first two Tests.

India off-spinner R Ashwin is at No. 7.

Olympics torch exhibition postponed to prevent spread of Covid-19

Beijing, Jan 8 (IANS): The COVID-19 challenges have not compromised Japan and the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) determination to host, as scheduled, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was already postponed for a year due to the pandemic, IOC vice president Yu Zaiqing said.

The remarks were made in an interview with Xinhua on Friday, during which Yu confirmed that the IOC and its Japanese partners’ determination to host the Tokyo Games “remains unchanged” and urged for “spreading accurate information.”

Earlier on Friday, Dick Pound, the longest-serving IOC member, told UK’s state broadcaster BBC that “I can’t be certain because the ongoing elephant in the room

would be the surges in the virus,” raising concerns about whether the postponed Games will be staged.

Tokyo 2020 organisers said in a statement on the same day that they will continue to “proceed carefully with all necessary work” under “required safety and security measures” in preparation for the Games that is due to be held from July 23 to August 8.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga promised that “a safe and secure games” would be held as scheduled despite declaring on Thursday afternoon a state of emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures from January 8 to February 7 as the capital city reported a record 2,447 new COVID-19 cases that day.

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Tokyo, Jan 7 (IANS): The exhibition of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics torches across the greater Tokyo area has been postponed due to the worsening situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced in a statement on Thursday that the decision has been taken to “reduce the flow of people and the further spread of Covid-19”, Xinhua news agency reported.

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The torches have travelled to 14 places since November 2 and were scheduled to be exhibited on Thursday in Akiruno City. The exhibition has been postponed until January 29.

Other exhibitions may also be postponed since Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has declared a state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area including Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, authorising tougher measures

to fight a resurgence in Covid-19 infections.

The state of emergency will be effective from Friday to February 7, with measures including urging people to stay at home and calling for restaurants and bars to stop serving alcohol by 7 p.m. and close by 8 p.m.

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Gyms, department stores and entertainment facilities will also be subject to shorter hours.

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SPORTS

Current and former India cricketers Dad’s memory brought tears to my eyes: Siraj wish Ganguly speedy recovery New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS): Retired and current India cricketers wished Indian cricket board president Sourav Ganguly speedy recovery, after the former India captain was admitted to Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata on Saturday following blackout and chest pain. He was, however, said to be stable.

India skipper Virat Kohli, who has returned to India from Australia, tweeted, “Praying for your speedy recovery. Get well soon (emoticon: folded hands) @SGanguly99.”

Ajinkya Rahane, who is captaining India in Kohli’s absence in Australia, wrote on his twitter handle, “Wishing you a speedy recovery Dada, @SGanguly99.

Praying that you get well soon.”

Current India pace bowler Mohammed Shami tweeted, “Get well soon dada (emoticons: broken heart) @SGanguly99”.

“Praying for your speedy recovery Dada @SGanguly99,” wrote India limited-overs batsman Shreyas Iyer.

India pacer Umesh Yadav tweeted, “Praying for your speedy recovery @SGanguly99.”

“Wishing speedy recovery to @ SGanguly99. My thoughts are with his family and fans at this hour. Hope to see him back soon,” tweeted India team’s head coach Ravi Shastri.

R. Ashwin, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Wasim Jaffer, and Irfan Pathan, who all have played for India under Ganguly’s captaincy, also wished the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in

India quick recovery on social media.

“Wishing you a speedy recovery Dada @SGanguly99,” tweeted former leg-spinner Kumble.

Former off-break bowler Harbhajan wrote on his twitter handle: “Dada @SGanguly99 Get well soon.”

“Dada, jaldi se theek hone ka [get well soon]. Praying for your quick and speedy recovery @ SGanguly99,” tweeted former India opener Sehwag.

“Wishing @SGanguly99 a speedy recovery. Take care & god bless!” wrote ex-India opener Gambhir on his wall.

“Get well soon Dada, gutted to hear about your cardiac arrest, hope you feel better,” Kaif, a former India batsman, tweeted.

Former India batsman Manoj Tiwary, who also played under Ganguly for Bengal, said, “Not the news I would have liked to start the year with.. #GetWellSoonDada You have always been a true fighter! @SGanguly99.”

Amit Bhandari, a former India pacer who also played under Ganguly, wrote: “Wishing @ SGanguly99 a speedy recovery.

Take care get well soon.”

Among the former India cricketers to wish Ganguly were Kiran More and Madan Lal. “Wish @SGanguly99 a speedy recover, praying that he feels better quickly,” wrote More.

“Prayers for your strength and return to good health .Get well soon Saurav. @SGanguly99 @ BCCI,” tweeted former India allrounder Madan Lal.

“Wishing @SGanguly99 a speedy recovery!” wrote ex-India opener Kris Srikkanth.

India women cricketers too wished him well.

“Get well soon Dada, Praying for your speedy recovery Folded hands @SGanguly99,” tweeted Jhulan Goswami.

“Wishing our Bcci president @ SGanguly99 a speedy recovery.

Get well soon,” wrote Mithali Raj. Former India batter Anjum Chopra tweeted, “Wishing Sourav a speedy recovery. Take care, best wishes @SGanguly99.”

Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jay Shah also wished Ganguly well and informed that he is stable.

“I wish and pray for the speedy recovery of @SGanguly99. I’ve spoken to his family. Dada is stable and is responding well to the treatment,” he wrote on his twitter handle.

Sydney, Jan 7 (IANS): India pacer Mohammed Siraj has revealed that his late father’s memory brought tears to his eyes while the national anthem was being played ahead of the third Test against Australia which began Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Video and images of Siraj fighting back tears went viral on social media before the start of the play.

Siraj had lost his father on November 20, about a week after the Indian team landed in Australia and were in quarantine ahead of the limited-overs series.

The pace bowler, who was part of the squad for the Tests that were to begin only on December 17, was given the option of returning home to attend the burial of his father but decided to stay back as the entire process of going back and returning would have involved quarantine periods.

“During the national anthem, I just remembered my father. That

is why I felt a bit emotional. Dad always wanted to see me play Test cricket. If he would have been alive, he would have seen me,” said Siraj after the end of the first day’s play which saw Australia score 166/2.

Former India batsmen Wasim Jaffer and Mohammad Kaif both appreciated Siraj.

“Even if there’s little or no crowd to cheer you on, no better motivation than playing for India.

As a legend once said ‘You don’t play for the crowd, you play for the country’,” tweeted Jaffer.

“I just want certain people to remember this picture. He is #SirajMohammed and this is what the national anthem means to him,” said Kaif.

The 26-year-old Siraj, who is yet to see his family after his father’s death, will return home only after January 19, two months after his father passed away in Hyderabad.

Aus vs Ind: Fan who attended MCG Test diagnosed with Covid-19

Men’s hockey team finish decade with highest-ever ranking New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS): The Indian men’s hockey team’s stellar start to their FIH Pro League campaign this year has gone a long way in helping them finish 2020 at fourth spot in the world rankings -- their highest ranking since the system was introduced in 2003.

India played six games in the Pro League before the hockey calendar ground to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March.

They made an emphatic start, beating Olympic silver medallists the Netherlands 5-2 and 3-3 (3-1) and following that up with a 2-1 win over reigning world champions Belgium before losing 3-4 in the second leg of the tie.

They then fell to a 3-4 loss to Australia, but then went on to beat them 2-2 (3-1) in the second leg.

India’s year-end rankings have been on an upward curve for the better part of the last decade.

They finished 10th in 2011 and

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then fell to 11th in 2012. This is one of just two instances between 2011 and 2020 that India have dropped a ranking spot at the end of a year compared to the previous year.

They went back to 10th in 2013 before rising to ninth in 2014. Year 2015 ended with India finishing in sixth and they rose to fifth at the end of 2016.

Then came the second drop of the decade as they failed to challenge for a medal at the Rio Olympics and dropped to

sixth once again.

India would then finish fifth in 2018 and 2019. They clinched the fourth spot in the first week of March this year and, with 2,063.78 points, have maintained that position ever since.

Melbourne, Jan 6 (IANS): One of the spectators who attended the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has tested positive for Covid-19, the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) informed on Wednesday.

“The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), as ground managers of the MCG, is aware that a person who attended Day 2 (Sunday December 27, 2020) of the Boxing Day Test has since tested positive to Covid-19,” MCC said in a statement.

While the patron was not

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infectious while attending the Boxing Day Test and subsequently tested positive for coronavirus, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is recommending those who were seated in Zone 5, located in The Great Southern Stand, on December 27 between 12.30 p.m and 3.30 p.m to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result, the club further informed.

Crowd capacity at the SCG has been limited to 25 per cent of the ground’s 38,000 cricket capacity -- approximately 9,500 people.

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BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY 2019-20

Racial taunts spoil the India-Australia series

By Vijay Lokapally Growing up one always prayed for a draw for India even before a ball was bowled. A draw was as good as a match won. It was not that India was not well equipped, but then the opponents would often raise their bar and pull off a victory. One had heard of stories of attrition when India played against Pakistan. At one stage the two teams were involved in 13 consecutive Test draws before the stalemate was broken at Lahore in 1978.

Of the many fascinating draws was the contest at Adelaide in 1981 when Karsan Ghavri and Shivlal Yadav defied Australia with an eighth-wicket resistance. Yadav batted 28 balls and it seemed he had hung in there for eternity as Australia tried every trick. The draw was a thrilling end to a match which saw Sandeep Patil produce a masterly 174 in the first innings.

Thanks to T20 changing the face of batting in modern cricket, draws had reduced in number.

There have been more result-

oriented matches in recent times than ever because the focus is on playing positive and entertaining cricket. To play for a draw seems an outdated idea with most captains, But Sydney 2021 was different. It was a throwback to the good old times when batsmen put value to their wicket.

Sydney was different for many reasons. It did not produce a dreary draw. India had its back to the wall and did not surrender.

After the 36 all out at Adelaide and the remarkable victory at Melbourne, spectators had discovered their love for Test cricket. The intensity of five-day cricket held the attention of the fans. Expectation grew for each team and India found itself facing a different challenge – the wrath of the spectators who targeted two of the Indian team members with alleged racial comments.

For Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, it was an unpleasant experience, and they were right in promptly reporting the boorish behaviour from the spectators to skipper Ajinkya Rahane. The

world saw the game halted for ten minutes and subsequent media reports highlighted the incident for two days. The authorities lost no time in evicting the culprit from the venue and the game resumed. A lot was lost from what transpired at Sydney.

Racism is a curse that has impacted many disciplines, especially football. The stadium authorities world over do express “zero tolerance” in these matter but the demon of racial abuse refuses to die. Incidents like the one at Sydney time and again remind us of the responsibilities of the spectators towards the sportsmen, who certainly don’t deserve such abominable response from the audience.

India’s response to the challenge at Sydney was in keeping with the character of this team. “Whatever happened is not acceptable at all and shouldn’t happen anywhere in the world,” said India skipper Ajinkya Rahane as the team pulled off an improbable draw.

Australia skipper Tim Paine joined Rahane in condemning

the incident. “I think it’s bitterly disappointing. Cricket Australia and the Australian cricket team, we don’t condone any sort of abuse, particularly racial abuse. I just wanted to let the Indian team know we were with them on that.

Like I said, it’s not condoned by any of us and really disappointed that that happens when teams come to Australia and we want it to stop.” Paine, however, was guilty of indulging in such trash talk with R. Ashwin and had to apologise a day after the Test was over.

The task of batting an entire final day was accomplished by India.

Resuming at 98 for two, India batted 97 overs of some intense bowling that tested the survival skills of Hanuma Vihari and Ashwin after Rishabh Pant had smashed the Australia batting in a 118-ball 97. “India would have won had Pant batted for some more time,” former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had observed.

A defiant Vihari won the hearts of the fans with his batting. His hamstring injury did not allow

him the freedom of footwork but then it suited him to just concentrate on defending. He did it superbly for 161 balls with support from a determined Ashwin, who batted 128 balls. The two batted 256 balls and ensured the team traveled to Brisbane with a good chance to win the series.

Unfortunately, the Indian cricketers continued to be riled by the Australian spectators at Gabba. The reports of Siraj being targeted again were unfortunate and only highlighted how deep rooted the issue of racial abuse was in a country, known otherwise for its sporting culture.

An India-Australia cricket fixture is much followed, and these incidents in 2021 have come to dent the image of the host country to deal with the issue.

The draw at Sydney would go down as one of the finest cricket contests, and all credit goes to Vihari and Ashwin for keeping the team sprits high and winning the faith of their followers with a display that reflected the attitude of the team playing under the inspiring leadership of Rahane.

4th Test: Siraj again subjected to Siraj has set new unruly crowd behaviour at Gabba standard to call out

racist abuse, feels Lyon

Brisbane, Jan 15 (IANS): Rightarm fast bowler Mohammed Siraj on Friday once again found himself at the receiving end of rude behaviour from spectators as he was repeatedly labelled a “grub” by a group on the opening day of the fourth and final Test between Australia and India at the Gabba.

A report in Sydney Morning Herald quoted a spectator as saying that Siraj was repeatedly called a “grub” by vocal spectators in front of Section 215 and 216 at the stadium.

‘Grub’, an Australian slang, is used for a person who is unclean or who has messy habits.

According to the spectator, debutant off-spinner Washington Sundar was also subjected to the same chat from the unruly section.

“The guys behind me have been calling -- shouting -- both Washington and Siraj grubs,” a spectator named Kate was quoted as saying in the report.

“It started targetted at Siraj and it was a chant similar to the SCG one [in which fans sung to the tune of Que Sera, Sera but substituted the lyrics with Que Shiraz, Shiraz]. But this time it was Siraj. I suspect it’s not a

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Brisbane, Jan 13 (IANS): Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has termed racial abuse as disgusting and called on the authorities to ban it and punish offenders from the crowd, referring to the recent incidents of racist comments targetted at Indian players during the drawn third Test in Sydney.

coincidence that it’s Siraj being targeted post the SCG stuff,” she added.

The report further said that the spectator was seated in a section of the stadium where several men dressed as lifeguards had a beer snake dismantled by security guards and another man was escorted out of the ground for standing on his seat and starting an “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” chant.

This is not the first instance when Indian players have been targeted by spectators. During the drawn third Test in Sydney, Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah had complained about racial abuse they were subjected to by a section of the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Day Three and Four.

These incidents were condemned by all across the cricket spectrum.

Before the start of the final Test, Australia captain Tim Paine had urged the Brisbane crowd to treat the visiting team respectfully.

“In terms of crowd behaviour, we don’t condone the abuse of anyone, let alone from the racial standpoint,” Paine had said on the eve of the fourth Test on Thursday. “So we want people to come along to the Gabba, enjoy the game of cricket, support Australia, support India. Support the umpires, if you like. But my suggestion is you leave the abuse at the gate and just respect the players, respect the game and have a good time.”

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“There is no room for any racial or any abuse in any type.

I know people think they are being funny but it can affect in different ways...cricket is a sport for all. There’s no room at all. It is quite disgusting,” said Lyon while speaking to the media on Wednesday.

India pace bowler Mohammed Siraj had alleged on the fourth day of the third Test that some members of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) crowd were hurling racially-motivated abuses at him.

The bowler immediately brought the matter to the notice of the umpires. The incident followed a complaint lodged by the Indian team on the same issue a day before. Siraj’s act prompted the security to evict six fans from the stands.

The 33-year-old off-spinner believes that Siraj’s decision to

report racial abuse (by the crowd) to umpires may encourage more players to stand up to it and bring it to the notice of the match officials.

“Siraj’s decision to complain may do (encourage others). It is totally going to be upto that player and how they have been affected. I just really hope that in a whole world society, people can come and watch us play cricket and players don’t have to go to work and get racially abused. As I said cricket is a sport for all. So maybe really it comes to player and how they have been affected.”

Lyon said he himself has been at the receiving end of many abuses “I have been at the other end of it, copping abuse in England, New Zealand or South Africa or wherever it may be. So obviously, there is no room for it. I think as a player you are going to try and block it out. But if there is anyone doing it they can be removed, we have security...there is absolutely no place for it,” add the offspinner.

The four-match Test series is currently tied at 1-1, with the series decider to be played from Friday at The Gabba.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Ajay Devgn takes part in plantation Rahul Roy discharged from hospital, yet to recover fully programme in Hyderabad Hyderabad, Jan 7 (IANS): Bollywood star Ajay Devgn on Thursday joined hundreds of green lovers in a major plantation programme at Malkapur Industrial Park near Hyderabad.

As many as 5,000 saplings were planted programme under Green India Challenge of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP J. Santhosh Kumar.

Around 100 industrialists, 110 artistes and 300 local green lovers participated and hailed the importance of improving green cover.

Speaking after launching the programme, Ajay Devgn expressed serious concern over increasing pollution and stressed the importance of protecting the environment. “I am very happy to see Santhosh Kumar who started Green India Challenge programme and taking it very seriously for the well-being of society,” he said.

He was all praise for Santosh for taking up the programme and inspiring others to take part in the drive without linking it to the commercial angle.

Rajya Sabha member Santosh Kumar said he was inspired by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to take up the Green India Challenge. He pointed out that the state government plantation programme ‘Haritha Haram’ is the brainchild of the Chief Minister.

Stressing the need to continue Green India Challenge, Santosh said everyone should take part in the programme. He welcomed NY Foundation’s contribution in this regard and thanked Ajay Devgn for extending support for the noble cause.

Telangana Industrial Federation leaders, industrialists and other green lovers participated in the programme.

Santosh Kumar recently released book “Vruksha Vedam”, containing

articles and programmes carried out since from its inception.

Celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Dutt, Shruthi Haasan, Shraddha Kapoor, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Prabhas, Krishna, Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, Rajamouli, Samanta, Pullela Gopichand, P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Sai Pallavi besides politicians Supriya Sule, Praksh Javadekar, K.T. Rama Rao and K. Kavitha have participated in Green India Challenge so far.

Akshay Kumar reveals his ‘Bachchan Pandey’ look Mumbai, Jan 7 (IANS): Akshay Kumar gets rustic and rugged in his upcoming film Bachchan Pandey, going by his look in the film that the Bollywood superstar unveiled on Thursday.

Akshay posted a still on Twitter and Instagram, sharing his look as the central character of the film.

“New year, old associations... begun shooting for #BachchanPandey, my 10th film with #SajidNadiadwala, and hopefully many more. Need your best wishes and do tell me your thoughts on the look,” he wrote as caption.

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“I am back home after a long treatment in the hospital. I am recovering and it’s still a long journey for full recovery.

Today I would like to thank everyone who stood by me all this while, Rohit my brother, my sister my best friend Priyanka @priyankaroy_pia my brother in law Romeer @romeersen along with my friends Aditi Gowitrikar @aditigovitrikar

Bengaluru, Jan 14 (IANS): Even as the crew members of “K.G.F. Chapter 2”, an upcoming Kannada period action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, are basking in the glory of its teaser receiving over 132 million views on YouTube since its release on January 7, the Karnataka health department has issued a showcause notice to Yash, the lead actor of the film, who plays protagonist Rocky Bhai in the movie.

According to the notice, as per the statutory requirement, it is mandatory to display a warning on the screen with the caption “Smoking is injurious to health”, but neither the teaser nor the publicity posters display any such message.

In the Farhad Samji directorial, Akshay plays a gangster who aspires to be an actor, while Kriti plays a journalist who wishes to

be a director. The film also stars Arshad Warsi, who plays the role of Akshay’s friend.

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, Dr Huz, Zahid, Ashwani Kumar @ashwani2118 , Azhar @ azharhussaindirector, Shruti Dwivedi @shrutidwivediofficial , Suchitra Pillai @suchipillai and all my fans for praying for me. Love you all,” Roy wrote on Instagram.

The actor suffered a brain stroke while shooting for his film “LAC: Live The Battle” in Kargil in the last week of November, and was rushed to Mumbai. He was initially admitted to Nanavati Hospital.

Roy was discharged from Nanavati on December 8 and admitted to a private hospital in Mira Road the same day.

The actor’s sister Priyanka and brother-in-law Romeer have been taking care of him.

Smoking scene in ‘K.G.F Chapter 2’ teaser irks K’taka health dept

The teaser has a scene where Yash blows up a row of automobiles with a machine gun and goes on to light a cigarette with the barrel of the red-hot gun.

In the photograph, Akshay is seen sitting on the hood of a car in a black kurta and jeans, with a red scarf wrapped around his forehead. He wears heavy metal chains, and strikes an intense look.

Akshay along with actresses Kriti Sanon and Jacqueline Fernandez started shooting for the film in Jaisalmer on Wednesday. Shoot will continue till March. The team is expected to shoot at places like the Gadisar Lake and Jaisalkot.

Mumbai, Jan 7 (IANS): Actor Rahul Roy returned home on Thursday after being discharged from a private hospital where he was undergoing treatment for over a month following a brain stroke at the end of November.

The 52-year-old actor is yet to recover fully.

“Both the teaser and the posters encourage cigarette smoking,” the notice stated and appealed Yash to take steps to remove this teaser from social media platforms.

“Yash, you are a heart-throb and you have immense fan following.

Your actions should not mislead the youngsters. We want you to join our campaign against cigarette smoking,” the notice said.

Meanwhile, the scene in question has gone viral on social media and fans of Yash are sharing the screenshots of the scene.

Soon after the teaser was out on various online platforms, the Karnataka State Anti-Tobacco Cell had taken exception to the visuals showing Yash lighting a cigarette.

In its letter to the health department, the cell had contended that the visuals depicting the actor smoking a cigarette violated Section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) 2003, also referred to as COTPA 2003, and sought deletion of the teaser from online platforms.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Nicki Minaj to pay Tracy Chapman Big B celebrates 45 mn $450,000 to settle copyright row Twitter followers with pic from ‘Coolie’ days Los Angeles, Jan 9 (IANS): Rapper Nicki Minaj will pay singer Tracy Chapman $450,000 in order to settle a copyright dispute.

Chapman had sued Minaj in 2018 for allegedly using portions of her hit 1988 track “Baby, can I hold you tonight” in the rapper’s song “Sorry”.

The song was not officially released, but a leaked version made its way to radio DJ Funkmaster Flex and later became viral online. Chapman accused Minaj of sharing the song with Flex, although both have denied it, reports bbc.com.

Minaj wrote “Sorry” with fellow rapper Nas while recording her fourth album “Queen” in 2018. It is based on a sample of the dancehall track “Sorry” by Jamaican artiste Shelly Thunder, which in turn was based on “Baby, can I hold you tonight”.

Minaj and her record label asked for permission to use Chapman’s composition, but the singer repeatedly refused.

The singer’s lawyer said she has a blanket policy against granting such permission. Minaj was also said to have been informed that

Chapman was on an unofficial “do not sample” list.

In an earlier judgement, US District Judge Virginia A Phillips said that Minaj’s experimentation with Chapman’s song in the studio constituted “fair use”.

The rapper’s lawyers had argued that artistes need freedom to sample music while writing and recording, without worrying about being sued once they approach the rights-holder for a licence.

Judge Phillips said there was

“no evidence” that Minaj’s song “usurps any potential market for Chapman” and her original song.

However, the judge set up a trial to find out how “Sorry” got leaked and distributed, and whether that constituted copyright infringement.

That trial will not happen since Chapman has accepted Minaj’s offer. The settlement includes Chapman’s costs and legal fees to date, according to documents released by California Central District Court.

Ananya Panday’s mom on how the actress reacts to cyber-bullying New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS): Bollywood actress Ananya Panday, who has often faced the dark side of cyber bullying, is a positive person and does not go into a low because of something that has been said about her, says Bhavna Pandey, who tags herself as a protective mother.

Talking about being a guarded mother to Ananya or letting the actress handle her own things, Bhavna told IANS: “Yes, I am guarded and protective of her as any mother would be about her child and, of course, with her being in the public domain there are a lot of judgements that are passed.”

Bhavna said that initially she would get upset reading comments about her daughter.

“In the beginning, I would read every comment and read everything that came her way, and

I would get more upset than even her. But now as time has passed, I have got used to all that and I understand.”

Bhavna, who was recently seen in the web show “The Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives”, said as a mother she used to get very “hurt and angry”, adding: “Now I understand that being a public figure it’s okay. Sometimes they write unnecessary things that are not required. If someone is

giving constructive criticism is welcome. You have put yourself out there people are paying for the ticket and they have an opinion. But body-shaming and talking about looks and things which are unnecessary that I feel like it is just a bit much. That is not required.”

Tamannaah Bhatia wraps up ‘November Story’ Mumbai, Jan 8 (IANS): Southern star Tamannaah Bhatia has shared the news with fans that she has wrapped up her shoot for the web show November Story.

“Wrapped up shoot for November Story today! It’s been such an exciting project for me and I can’t wait for you guys to binge watch this nail biting series which releases soon on @DisneyPlusHS. Can’t thank my team enough for this incredibly memorable

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The black and picture Big B shared on Instagram features his father, late poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and son Abhishek Bachchan with him.

The thespian mentioned that the picture was taken right after he came back home from hospital, after surviving the accident.

She said that Ananya has acquired her positive streak from her father, actor Chunky Panday.

“I think with Ananya she has taken that from her father. She is a very happy and positive person and she doesn’t take things to her heart too much. She doesnt go into a low because of something has been said about her. So, the atmosphere is generally very happy and nice,” Bhavna said.

Mumbai, Jan 9 (IANS): Amitabh Bachchan’s Twitter following now stands at 45 million. The actor celebrated the milestone with a throwback picture taken after his accident on the set of his 1983 release, Coolie.

journey,” she tweeted late on Thursday.

“The caption informs of 45 million on Twitter... thank you Jasmine, but the picture says a lot more...

Its the moment I came home surviving death after the ‘Coolie’ accident... Its the first time ever I saw my Father breaking down !

A concerned little Abhishek looks on!” Big B wrote as the caption.

The actress will also be seen in the Telugu remake of the Hindi thriller film “Andhadhun”, besides the Hindi film “Bole Chudiyan” co-starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Bachchan was taken to hospital and surgery took place. The recovery took several months.

Currently, the 78-year-old actor is busy shooting for his next titled MayDay. The film also stars Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh and Angira Dhar, and it marks Ajay’s return to direction after Shivaay and U Me Aur Hum. The thriller is expected to release on April 29, 2022.

Big B also has Chehre, Brahmastra, Jhund, and an untitled film with Prabhas and Deepika Padukone lined up.

During a fight sequence on the

Hailee Steinfeld ‘honoured’ to star in ‘Hawkeye’ series Los Angeles, Jan 9 (IANS): Actress-singer Hailee Steinfeld feels honoured to be part of Marvel’s Hawkeye series.

Steinfeld said that it felt “so good” to finally make the announcement after keeping her participation in the series a secret for long, reports people.com.

“I guess in a way, it was kind of a blessing in disguise that I didn’t and couldn’t be around a lot of people, cause that was a hard one to keep to myself,” she said referring to social distancing rules in place due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

She also shared her look in the film. In the picture, she wears a serious expression and Indian wear.

sets of Manmohan Desai’s Coolie with co-actor Puneet Issar, Big B was supposed to fall on a table first and then on to the ground.

However due to an error in timing Puneet ended up hitting Big B’s abdomen and he landed on the edge of the table leading to internal bleeding.

Hawkeye also stars Jeremy Renner, Vera Farmiga and Florence Pugh.

Steinfeld plays Kate Bishop, who in the comics also fights crime under the Hawkeye name.

“She is an incredible character and it’s been a really fun journey so far,” Steinfeld said.

“I am so honoured to be a part of this family that is the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe),” she added.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Taapsee Pannu wants to be recruited by Avengers!

Priyanka Chopra did not break lockdown rules in London, claims her team

Mumbai, Jan 8 (IANS): Actress Taapsee Pannu is testing if she has superpowers, because she wants to be part of the Avengers team! In a short clip she posted on Friday, the actress has revealed her process to do so.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Taapsee shared that she is gearing up for the final schedule of her film, “Rashmi Rocket”.

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS): Actress Priyanka Chopra did not break lockdown rules in London, her team has claimed, adding that her salon visit was in accordance with the law and that she had necessary paperwork in place.

In the video, she has her face downward looking at the camera, as she flicks her hair both ways.

In “Rashmi Rocket”, she plays a runner from the Rann of Kutch who fights for her identity and becomes an athlete. Priyanshu Painyuli plays Taapsee’s husband in the Akarsh Khurana directorial.

She will also be seen in “Looop Lapeta” and “ Haseen Dillruba”.

“Testing if I am gifted with some super powers that Avengers can recruit me for,” she wrote with the clip on her Instagram Story.

“Sun salutations Rashmi style. #RashmiRocket racing towards the final schedule,” she shared.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Priyanka flouted Covid-19 lockdown rules in the UK by stepping out for a salon appointment. She went to get her hair coloured for the upcoming romantic drama “Text For You”, currently being shot in London.

Sedition case: Ranaut sisters record statement with Mumbai police Mumbai, Jan 8 (IANS): Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel appeared before the Bandra Police on Friday, pursuant to a Bombay High Court order in connection with a sedition case filed against them, a lawyer said.

“Why am I being mentally, emotionally and now physically tortured? I need answers from this nation... I stood for you, its time you stand for me. Jai Hind,” she tweeted.

“If you are anti-India you will find a lot of support, work/rewards, and appreciation. If you are a nationalist then you will have to stand alone, be your own support system and appreciate your own integrity. After hours of grilling at the police station on my way to Bhopal,” Kangana tweeted after her statement was recorded.

It may be recalled that in November 2020, a division bench comprising Justices S.S. Shinde and M.S. Karnik had accepted advocate Rizwan Siddique’s undertaking that the two Ranaut sisters would report to the Mumbai Police on January 8 in

At the moment, the UK is under lockdown amid the Covid-19 crisis, with all the personal care services, including salons and spas, shut.

Her team has stated that “the salon was opened privately for the production”.

“Following government guidance, Priyanka’s hair was coloured for the purpose of the film she is currently shooting in London. The salon was opened privately for the production and everyone involved had been tested and followed both the DCMS working guidelines and the film production regulations,” the statement read.

“As directed by the Bombay HC, they reached the Bandra Police Station at around 1 pm to record their statement,” lawyer Ravish Zamindar, advocate representing the complainant Munawwarali S. A. Sayyed said.

After recording their statement for over two hours, the sisters came out and Kangana tweeted a video statement on her visit to the police station.

It was reported that Priyanka went to the salon with her mother Madhu Chopra and pet dog Diana on Wednesday.

response to the summons served on them.

The court had also barred the two sisters from making any “instigating statements” on social media platforms to the subject matter in the FIR lodged by the police, Zamindar added.

The Bombay High Court orders came on a plea filed by RanautChandel seeking to quash the police FIR, lodged on October 17 on the directions of Bandra Court Metropolitan Magistrate J.Y. Ghule over alleged hateful social media posts made by the duo.

Following the FIR, the sisters were issued summons by the Bandra Police to appear on three different dates which they skipped on various grounds.

After the third summon, they had moved the Bombay HC. “Among the charges are those under Section 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code... besides spreading communal hatred

and falsehoods. The police have already recorded the statement of Sayyed in this connection in October,” Zamindar said.

A Bollywood casting director and fitness trainer, Sayyed had accused Kangana and Rangoli of defaming the film industry, portraying the people working in it in bad light with allegations of nepotism, drug addiction, communal bias, and attempting to drive a wedge between artistes of different communities, calling them murderers, insulting religions, etc. on social media and through their public utterances.

In his complaint, he also charged the Ranaut sisters with seeking to create a ‘Hindu-Muslim divide’ through objectionable comments, citing Rangoli’s remarks like “make the mullahs and secular media stand in line and shoot them down; history may call us Nazis, who cares” to prove his point.

“As I am sure you are aware, Film and TV production is permitted to continue in the UK, and locations can continue to accommodate shoots and recess that are carried out in-line with government guidelines. The exemption paperwork legally permitting her to be there was provided to the police, and they left satisfied,” the statement added.

The Hollywood film “Text For You” is written and directed by Jim Strouse, and the film is an English remake of the Germanlanguage film “SMS Fur Dich”, based on Sofie Cramer’s novel.

The film also stars Sam Heughan.

Pop star and her husband Nick Jonas is expected to make a cameo in the film.

Kareena Kapoor is ‘waiting’ Mumbai, Jan 7 (IANS): Expectant mother Kareena Kapoor Khan is currently in wait mode, going by her post on social media.

Kareena posted a monochrome photograph on Instagram. In the image, she sits on a sofa in a thigh high slit outfit.

“I’m waiting... (heart emoji),” she wrote.

The caption seems cryptic and seems like she awaits the arrival of her second baby.

Kareena’s best friends Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora too dropped comments on the picture.

Malaika wrote: “Am also waiting .......”

“I’m also waiting ....” Amrita said.

Kareena, who is married to actor Saif Ali Khan, gave birth to their first-born, Taimur, in 2016.

She is currently expecting their

second baby, and she often shares photographs of her baby bump on social media.

Kareena and Saif had announced on August 12 that they are expecting their second child.

The actress recently completed her shoot for the upcoming film “Laal Singh Chaddha” co-starring Aamir Khan in Delhi.

Sushant case: Bombay HC hears case filed by late actor’s sisters Mumbai, Jan 7 (IANS): Hearing concluded on a case filed by the sisters of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput at Bombay High Court on Thursday.

“Hearing concluded in the SSR sisters matter. Justice will prevail.

The FIR registered by Rhea likely to be quashed,” tweeted Sushant’s family lawyer Vikas Singh in the

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evening the same day.

Advocate Singh arrived in the city on Wednesday to appear the first time for the physical hearing in the case filed by the deceased actor’s sisters, against an FIR filed by his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. The advocate is hopeful that the FIR registered by Rhea will be quashed.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14 last year. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) took up investigation in the case after Mumbai Police had initially declared the death as suicide.

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