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Three police officer shot dead in central France

By
Jyoti B
-

Three police were shot dead in 
Puy-de-Dome in central France on Wednesday after being called out to a domestic disturbance, sources in the public prosecutor’s office told AFP.

The police officers, including a fourth who was wounded in the incident, were shot by a 48-year-old man as they attempted to rescue a woman, as per the report.

Police approached the house shortly after midnight and were targeted by gunfire. Officials said the woman had been safely rescued. At least seven elite tactical police officers remained on site.

“The greatest precautions are being taken with regard to the dangerousness of the individual,” a source close to the investigation told AFP. Firefighters are also on site attempting to control the blaze.

The prefecture of Puy-de-Dome told AFP that the situation was still developing. The man suspected of carrying out an attack has been found dead, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter.

The interior ministry said the three gendarme officers killed in the incident were aged 21, 37, and 45. A fourth officer, who was wounded, did not have life-threatening injuries, the ministry added in a statement.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin paid tribute to the officers who were killed. “The nation bows down before their courage and commitment,” he wrote on Twitter. “Everything is being done to find the person responsible for these acts.”



Cairn Energy wins investment treaty arbitration against govt over tax dispute

By
Jyoti B
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Cairn Energy has won the arbitration against the Indian government over a tax dispute arising from demand of $1.6 billion from tax department on listing of Indian operations back in 2007.

Cairn Energy PLC is one of Europe’s leading independent oil and gas exploration and development companies and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Cairn has discovered and developed oil and gas reserves in a variety of locations around the world. Cairn Energy has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

The international tribunal ruled that India’s demand was in breach of a India-UK bilateral investment protection pact, and told New Delhi to pay Rs 8,000 crore as damages to the oil company, according to the Business Standard.

The Income Tax department had alleged that Cairn had then made a capital gain of Rs 24,503 crore while restructuring its corporate group.

The Indian government has been asked to pay Cairn Rs 8,000 crore in damages, which include the shares attached by the Income Tax Department in January 2014 and sold in 2018 to partially recover the tax dues. 

Cairn Energy held 4.95 per cent stake in mining major Vedanta Ltd which the Income Tax Department attached after issuing a tax demand to the British firm in 2014.

The government has been asked to pay damages at the share value of Rs 330 in 2014 instead of the Rs 220-240 per share price on which it was actually sold by the Income-Tax Department in 2018, in tranches.

The damages also include Rs 1,590 crore of tax refund due to the British comp.

Cairn Energy’s victory will be a second loss for India in an international arbitration after Vodafone Group Plc won a years-long tax dispute with the Indian government in September over a controversial $3 billion tax demand.

The Indian government’s 2012 budget retrospectively amended the tax code, giving itself the power to go after M&A deals all the way back to 1962 if the underlying asset was in India.

Republic Bharat Fined 20,000 Pounds by UK broadcast regulator

By
Jyoti B
-

The United Kingdom’s broadcast regulator imposed a fine of 20,000 pounds (approximately Rs 19.73 lakh) on Arnab Goswami’s Republic Bharat for promoting hatred and intolerance.

The news channel has been asked to air an apology for the same. 

The UK Broadcast regulator criticised views expressed by Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in the channel’s “Poochta Hai Bharat” programme aired on September 6, 2019, and mentioned that some guests violated its broadcasting norms.

Republic Bharat has been fined for a programme which was related to India’s Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft mission to the moon and “involved a comparison of India’s space exploration and technological advancements compared to Pakistan, and Pakistan’s alleged terrorist activities against Indian targets,” the release said.

The regulator said “the comments made by Goswami and his guests on the dicussuion panel amounted to hate speech against Pakistani people, and derogatory and abusive treatment of Pakistani people”.

The order further noted :

“We were particularly concerned by the fact that the programme broadcast material which included hate speech towards Pakistani people based on their nationality. These statements were broadcast without sufficient challenge and without sufficient context to justify their broadcast. Such material is inherently serious and the seriousness is more pronounced in the context of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan at the time of the broadcast, as described at paragraph 33 above. Based on these factors, we also considered this programme had the clear potential to cause significant offence and harm, in particular to Pakistani people”.

The order added :

“The programme contained statements which amounted to hate speech against, and was abusive and derogatory about, Pakistani people on the basis of their nationality. Under the Equality Act 2010, race is a protected characteristic, and race includes both nationality and ethnic or national origins. These statements would potentially be harmful and highly offensive to any person who did not share the sentiment being expressed by the presenter and his Indian guests. In Ofcom’s view, the potentially harmful and offensive nature of the content was compounded by the political context in which the episode of “Poochta Hai Bharat” was broadcast.

Kisan Diwas: ‘PM Modi will not let the interests of farmers get hurt,’ says Rajnath Singh

By
Shivani Negi
-

Home Minister Rajnath Singh extended wishes on Kisan Diwas or Farmers day on Wednesday and said that government is holding talks with protesting farmers “with full sensitivity”.

“On Farmers’ Day, I greet all annadaatas (farmers) of the country. They have provided the country with food security. Some farmers are agitating against farm laws. The government is holding talks with them with full sensitivity. I hope that they’ll end their agitation soon,” Mr Singh tweeted in Hindi.

Reiterating that the farm reforms will only benefit farmers, Rajnath Singh wrote, “Chaudhary Charan Singh wanted the income of farmers to increase, their crops to get remunerative prices and their honour to be protected. Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew inspiration from him and took several steps for the welfare of farmers. He will not let the interests of farmers to get hurt.”

Farmers Day is observed across the country to mark the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth Prime Minister of India. This year the day holds more significance than ever as it coincides with the 28th straight day of protests led by farmers against the recently introduced controversial agriculture related laws.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also paid tributes to former prime minister on his birth anniversary and said that BJP should stop insulting farmers as they are the pride of the country.

Meanwhile, farmers have urged people to skip 1 meal on Kisan Diwas to pay homage to Chaudhary Charan Singh. Several farmers also visited ”Kisan Ghat” today morning to pay tributes to fifth Prime Minister of India, who was known for his farmer-friendly policies.

Union agriculture ministry has invited farmers for the sixth round of talk today, however, farmers are yet to decided on holding talks with the government. Earlier, after the fifth round of talks, farmers unions have declared that they will not hold any further talks until the Centre agrees on repealing the three laws.

Farm Unions indecisive over Centre’s offer to hold talks

By
Shivani Negi
-

The agitated farmer unions on Tuesday remained indecisive in responding to Centre’s offer for resumption of dialogue to end prolonged deadlock over the controversial farm laws. According to the latest developments, the farmers will discuss the matter among themselves on Wednesday once again and then decide on government’s call for talks.

Meanwhile, Agricultural minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a series of interviews to foreign medias, clearly signaled that the Centre will not take back the laws, however, will consider reforming them after discussion with farmers Unions.

“I hope that they will complete their internal consultations soon and come for the dialogue. We are hopeful of resolving it (farmers’ protest) at the earliest,” said Tomar after meeting some farmer leaders at his office here.

Darshan Pal, Punjab president of Krantikari Kisan Union, told TOI “we aren’t averse to discussions on broad farm reforms if the Centre puts repeal of the laws on its agenda. That’s our core demand and we won’t compromise on it.”

“We call upon Indians living abroad to stage protest in front of Indian embassies. We will also publish 25 lakh pamphlets in Hindi, English and Punjabi, and distribute in villages to mobilise support for our demand,” said Prem Singh Bhangu, president of All India Kisan Federation.

“There is a feeling that any decision has to be taken keeping in view the government’s strategy of putting the blame on farmers for the deadlock,” said a farmer leader associated with one of the organisations.

In other updates related to the Farmers’ agitation, a few farm representatives from Punjab have written to British MPs, urging them to convince PM Boris Johnson to not visit India on Republic Day till the time farmers’ demands were met by the Centre.

Meanwhile, the Centre last week ruled out the possibilty that new farm laws will be put on hold until the impasse with protesting farmers is resolved.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court had suggested the Centre to “assure that no executive action under the new laws” is taken. However, attorney general KK Venugopal expressed Centre’s inability on the same while Solicit General Tushar Mehta said that such suggestion will be tough to implement.

India may approve AstraZeneca-Oxford’s covid-19 vaccine by next week

By
Shivani Negi
-

In a major development, India may approve Oxford/AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine for emergency use by next week after its local manufacturer, that is, Serum Institute of India submitted additional data sought by authorities to ensure efficacy and safety of their vaccine candidate, reuters said in a report.

If the said plan is materialised, India would be the first country to the regulatory approval to the British drugmaker’s vaccine even as Oxford and AstraZeneca continue to examine data.

The report further added that India is also looking forward to approving applications of Pfizer Incs and indigenous Bharat Biotech, who had also sought the permission for approval.

Serum Institute of India, world’s largest vaccine maker by volume, has partnered with UK’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca for manufacturing their vaccine candidate in the country. Besides India, they will also be producing vaccines for other small and middle income countries.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford’s vaccine candidate has advantage over other vaccines as unlike other candidates, it does not require an extremely cold environment to be stored, making it easier to transport. Moreover, it is also very cheaper in comparison to other vaccine candidates.

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had earlier reviewed the three applications on December 9 and sought more information from all the companies, including from Serum Institute of India (SII), in order to approve them for emergency use.

According to the latest report, SII has now provided all the data required for emergency approval.

“Serum is ready,” one of the sourced told reuters. “Initially, we may get around 50 million to 60 million doses.”

India is yet to sign a deal with any company but Serum Institute of India is ready with 50 million doses of vaccines all set to be rolled out in the market. As per SII’s CEO Aadar Poonawalla, the company will be able to produce at least 400 million doses of the vaccine by July 2021.

Globally number of journalist killed doubles this year

By
Jyoti B
-

The number of journalists killed in revenge for his or her work globally has doubled this year, as per report by the New York-based Committee Journalists (CPJ).

CPJ noted that twenty one journalists were killed in 2020, compared to ten within the previous year. The murder of 2 Indian journalists, Rakesh Singh and Shubham Mani Tripathi, each killed in state, were additionally mentioned within the report.

While the total number of killings rose in 2020, the number of deaths related to conflict fell to its lowest level since 2000, according to the CPJ, with waning violence in West Asia and fewer reporters traveling because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Still, while fewer journalists were caught in the crossfire of war in 2020, at least four were killed because of their work in Syria and Afghanistan, according to the CPJ. A fifth killing in Afghanistan on Monday is still being investigated, the group said.

Rizwan stars in Pakistan victory over New Zealand

By
Harshit
-

With Mohammad Rizwan’s impressive knock of 89 runs, Pakistan defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets in the last match of the three-match T20 International series. New Zealand had already won the series after winning both the opening matches.

However, Pakistan will be encouraged by this win ahead of the two-match Test series that begins on December 26. In the absence of Babar Azam, Rizwan, who was opening the innings in this series, scored his best score of T20 International with the help of 10 fours and 3 sixes in 59 balls. His previous high score was 33 not out.

Due to this innings, Pakistan chased 174 runs to win, with 2 balls remaining, 6 wickets 177 runs and made the match in their name. Earlier, after losing the toss, New Zealand scored 173 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. For him, Devon Conway contributed 63 from 45 balls, while wicketkeeper Tim Stiifert contributed 35 from 20 balls and Glenn Phillips contributed 31 runs from 20 balls.

Smith not only a single contender for captaincy says Cricket Australia

By
Harshit
-

Star Australian batsman Steve Smith is yet to be reappointed as Australia’s Test captain. Cricket Australia (CA), the governing body of cricket in the country, believes that ‘some brilliant young leaders’ are coming forward. Smith was removed from the captaincy role after the 2018 ball-tempering scandal in South Africa, and CA appointed Tim Paine as captain. However, there has been speculation recently that Smith may be appointed as the captain again.

When asked about the board’s view of the matter, CA chairman Earl Eddings told ESPNcricinfo, “First of all we have three brilliant captains in the form of Meg Lanning (women’s cricket captain), Aaron Finch and Tim Paine. Some brilliant young leaders are coming forward. So it’s not about Steve Smith assuming responsibility, it’s more about giving responsibility to the best. ‘

Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings said, “Steve Smith is young and a good captain when he was in charge.” Planning is required for any successor. Have we met specifically as a board with the next captain? No, it has not happened.

DDC Polls Result: Gupkar Alliance in lead, BJP giving a tough fight

By
Harshit
-

The counting of votes for the 280 District Development Council seats in Jammu and Kashmir is underway and after the first day of counting the Gupkar alliance is leading on 96 seats while the BJP is ahead in 56 constituencies.

Tomorrow the picture will be more clear and the Union terrority will get its first DCC winner.

The votes will decide the fate of nearly 4,200 candidates for the eight-phase polls held for the first time in the newly formed Union territory.

The polling was held over eight phases beginning November 28 and ending on December 19 as 51 per cent of the 57 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the elections, which were largely peaceful.

Guitar Alliance consists of the Seven Kashmir-centric mainstream political parties, including Farooq Abdulla’s National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party. They contested the polls in an alliance under the tag of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration which is formed after a few months for the restoration of Article 370. Although Congress went alone in the last seven phases and BJP also fought single handedly and they are giving a tough competition to the Gupkar Alliance.

Yuzendra Chahal marries to Dhanashree Verma

By
Neha Kumari
-

Star cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal is married. He made seven rounds with Dhanashree Verma. He gave information about the wedding by posting a picture on Instagram. Chahal got engaged to Dhanshree in August 2020. Dhanashree is a choreographer by profession as well as a doctor. This wedding took place on 22 December in Gurugram. It is known that both of them married Hindu law at Karma Lake Resort.

Chahal wrote with the photo giving information about the wedding, we started with ‘Ek time ka baat hai’ and finally found an opportunity to be ‘always happy’. Dhanashree promised Yuzvendra to stay together and beyond. Dhanashree had said about the engagement that Yuzvendra had proposed to her. He agreed on this. He told Hindustan Times that the two first met in April. The relationship of the two started like a guru-disciple. Chahal wanted to learn something new in the lockdown. He watched videos of Dhanashree on YouTube. In such a situation, the two met and slowly fell in love.

Chahal got engaged to Dhanashree before going to Dubai for IPL 2020. The cricketer shared this information on social media. Dhanashree also went to Dubai during the IPL. Dhanshree was seen supporting the team of RCB during the IPL match.

Yuzvendra Chahal’s wife is a YouTuber and keeps sharing her dance videos on social media. His videos get a lot of likes and comments. Dhanashree is also a dancer and choreographer, she runs her own dance company Dhanashree Verma Company.

CBSE Board Exam 2021 Not to be held in Jan – Feb, confirms Education Minister

By
Jyoti B
-

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal during an interaction with teachers today, said that Class 10 and 12 board exams will be held after February. He added that the exams will be held later, but did not indicate any tentative dates.

While the interaction with teachers  in today’s live webinar Education Minister discussed details of CBSE Board exams that were the primary topic of discussion. Other topics included reduction of the syllabus, the mental health of students, the key role of teachers amid this pandemic, the conduct of JEE mains exam four times, and other related topics. 

In addition to this, Education Minister also ruled out that Board exams would not be held online as not every student, especially those from rural and under privileged background, is still connected to internet and digital platforms and holding exams in online format wouldn’t be fair to them.

As part of the central government initiative to conduct examinations on time amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister has planned a three-way dialogue with the students, parents and teachers across the country.

Authorities have been holding discussions this year with students, parents and teachers regarding the board exams even as schools and colleges across the country are in the process of resuming normal classroom teachings for various classes in December 2020 and January 2021.

Kurkure’s new ad shows Akshay Kumar’s dramatic transformation as he munches on the snack

By
Shivani Negi
-

Kurkure, the snack brand, launched a new campaign titled Ab Laga Masala featuring its brand ambassador Akshay Kumar and actress Kritika Kamra among others.

With the new TVC, the brand urges people to spice things up with kurkure in their otherwise mundane lives. It also promises that the snack will be perfect companion in adding the much required quirky masti in daily life.

Showcasing Kumar in a family set up, the ad features him undergoing multiple transformations as he unleashes different dramatic sides after munching on Kurkure.

Watch the TVC here:


Dilen Gandhi, senior director and category head – foods, PepsiCo India, said, “Through our latest campaign, we aim to inspire our fans and consumers across India to break the monotony and humdrum of life by adding a touch of ‘masala’.”

Senthil Kumar, chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson, India, said, “The team came up with this interesting idea to use Kurkure as a device that unlocks full family entertainment. Extremely relevant in these times when we tend to get bored so easily. Akshay’s superb comic timing and the use of Kurkure as the remote makes the ad memorable and fun to watch.”

“Through my films and roles over the years, I’ve always tried to offer a ‘masaledaar’ experience to my fans. Happy to team up again with Kurkure for the new campaign, where we come together and encourage consumers to brighten their everyday moments with zest and fun,” said Kumar.

Rakul Preet Singh tests positive for covid-19

By
Shivani Negi
-

Actor Rakul Preet Singh on Tuesday said she has been infected with COVID-19 and she is currently in quarantine.

She urged everyone who met her to get themselves tested, while asking everyone to stay safe.

“I’d like to inform everyone that I have tested positive for COVID-19. I have quarantined myself. I am feeling fine and will rest up well so that I can be back at shoot soon. Request everyone who met me to kindly get yourself tested. Thank you and Please stay safe (sic),” Rakul said in a statement posted on her Twitter account.

Rakul Preet Singh had recently appeared on celebrity talk show Sam Jam Samantha, which streams on OTT platform Aha, along with director Krish Jagarlamudi.

She had also joined the shoot of her upcoming film MayDay. Before beginning the shooting, the actress has flown to Maldives to enjoy a vacation with her family.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Rakul was last seen in Telugu movie Manmadhudu 2. Up next, she has Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, Sivakarthikeyan’s sci-fi film Ayaalan, Nithiin’s Check and Ajay Devgn’s MayDay in her pipeline.

2020 year in review: 7 Top political events in India

By
Jyoti B
-

India is country where politics is in veins of every individual. It never fails to grab the attention of people and making top headlines. The year is about to make an end but, surely the spicy political headlines are never ending. So, let’s recall top poltical events of 2020;

1.Protest against Farms Bill 2020:

Since 26th November 2020, the borders of Delhi have been witnessing a huge agitation being carried out by farmers.
The farmers are protesting against 2 Farm Bills that the Rajya Sabha passed calling it ‘Black Law’.

2. GHMC Election 2020:

The recent elections in Hyderabad have created a lot of discussions and speculations. In the GHMC elections, out of the total 150 wards, the TRS won 56, the BJP 48, AIMIM 44 and the Congress two.

3.”Love Jihad” Law in UP:

The anti-religious conversion law, which came into force in the form of an ordinance on November 28, is seen as giving legal teeth to the BJP’s battle against so-called ‘love jihad’, the unproven conspiracy theory that Hindu women are being falsely enticed and converted by Muslim men. 

4.Uddhav Thackeray-Led MVA completes one year:

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi, a coalition of three parties – Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress has completed one year in office amid a roller-coaster ride and everyday criticism from its former ally – the BJP.

5.Bihar Legislative Assembly Election 2020:

The northern state of Bihar which is one of the country’s poorest, has been hard hit by the pandemic. From unexpected alliances and last minute coalitions to post-poll dramas, Bihar Elections is always expected to be anything but ordinary by poll pundits.

6.Actor Kangana Ranaut Vs Maharashtra State: 

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut’s statement on Mumbai police created a political divide. Ms Ranaut locked horns with Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena and its party leaders after she expressed her distrust in the Mumbai Police in view of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. 

7.Kejriwal’s hat-trick in Delhi:

Demonstrations took place across the country, including Delhi, in January to protest against the amended anti-CAA movement. Assembly elections were held in Delhi in February 2020 amid political turmoil on this issue. But polarization did not go on in Delhi and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 62 out of 70 seats.

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