Prolawctor Daily Current Affairs Insights | 17 December 2020

PROLAWCTOR DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS INSIGHTS

LEGAL NEWS

SC to study scope of uniform grounds of maintenance, alimony for all

• Gender-Neutral, Religion-Neutral uniform guidelines are being considered by SC.
• Uniform grounds of divorce across all religions also being considered.

Farmers Protest: Supreme Court suggests forming panel to resolve issue

• Laws had not been violated and legal action would fail.
• But setting up of a committee was proposed.

Married daughters too are eligible for compassionate appointment like married sons: Karnataka HC.

• A married daughter cannot be excluded from a consideration of appointment, this is unconstitutional.
• This creates a division of gender on the same appointments, Karnataka HC.

SC issues notice on pleas to open Delhi’s borders blocked by petitioners, allows farmer organisations to be added; hearing tomorrow.

• Chief Justice of India SA Bobde along with other judges recommended forming a committee.
• Urgent resolution are required as to ensure public order.

Act that provides for capping private hospital rates will be adopted soon in Maharashtra, says health minister.

• After 10 years of passing of the Central government the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, the Maharashtra state authority has now said that it wants on implementing the Act.
• Public health should be state matter, and states need to have their own legislation.

NATIONAL NEWS

FCA, India to be set up as the largest global digital hub outside of North America

• Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will be setting up a global digital hub in Hyderabad by the end of 2021 creating nearly 1,000 technology jobs.
• This investment of $150 million will focus on global IT strategy and will deliver excellence.
• India was a natural choice for the hub because of the “market attractiveness and the country’s position as a leader in IT talent”.

96^th branch of Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital held its inauguration in Salem

• Hospital was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Edapaddi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday at 5 roads junction in Salem.
• District Collector S.A. Raman, Adil Agarwal, CEO and others attended the event.

Delhi HC restrained AIIMS Nurses Union from continuing their strike

• AIIMS Nurses Union calls off strike on Tuesday evening.
• The nurses were against the hospital’s alleged decision to hire nursing officers on contractual basis and also they are paid less.
• AIIMS Director, Randeep Guleria termed the strike as “very inaprropriate” and said that 22 out of 23 demands had been met.

50^th Anniversary celebrations of 1971 war win

• 16^th December is celebrated as Vijay Diwas in India to commemorate its victory over Pakistan in 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
• Prime Minister, Narendra Modi lit the ‘Swarnim Vijay Mashaal’ at National War Memorial.

Things will take time to stabilize between India and China after the Galwan Valley incident: Eastern Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan

• Precautionary deployment has been taken up by the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army during the Ladakh crisis.
• “The Indian Army is prepared to beat any challenge during the winter”, said Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan on the occasion of Vijay Diwas.

Education Minister stated JEE-Mains 2021 to be held from 23-26 Feb, for four times

• Ramesh Pokhriyal said that the JEE-Mains will be in four sessions throughout the year in February, March, April and May.
• The Education Minister has already clarified that there will be no change in the syllabus for medical entrance exam NEET or engineering entrance exam JEE-Main next year.

Toxic Waste discharged into stormwater drain in Cuddalore SIPCOT, alleged Environmentalists

• The direct discharge of untreated toxic sludge into a stormwater drain in Echangadu located in the Cuddalore SIPCOT industrial estate has kicked up a controversy with local residents and environmentalists expressing serious concern over the continuing pollution levels and water quality.
• Members of the environment watchdog SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors (SACEM) have also lodged a complaint with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) seeking action against the units.

Gathering at 50% seating capacity allowed in TN from December 19.

• The TN government announced further relaxations of the COVID-19 lockdown, allowing social, political, educational, cultural, and religious events and gatherings, not exceeding 50% of seating capacity, from December 19.
• Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced the additional relaxations and prior permission must be sought from the respective district collectors or Greater Chennai Police Commissioner for Chennai, for the events where physical distancing norms and other COVID-19 guidelines issued by the government should be followed.

In the seventh phase of DDC polls at Jammu and Kashmir, over 57% voter turnout recorded

• The seventh phase of the District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday saw a total voter turnout of 57.22%, data from the Election Commission showed.
• Elections to the District Development Council is the first electoral exercise to take place in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5 last year and the elected members have no legislative powers and are only responsible for economic development and public welfare of the region.

LDF wins in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala local body polls 2020

• The results from the local body elections in Kerala have firmly placed the CPM-led LDF in the driving seat with wins in more than 500 of the 941 gram panchayats, four of the six corporations, 10 of the 14 district panchayats and 112 of the 152 block panchayats.
• LDF’s major inroads into UDF vote-banks particularly in Thrissur, Ernakulam and Kottayam districts indicate a popular support that goes beyond the CPM’s strict cadre base.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Siddharth Chatterjee appointed as United Nations Resident Coordinator in China

• Senior UN official Siddharth Chatterjee of India appointed as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China.
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made this appointment with the host government’s approval.

Kenyan named among UN environment award winners

• Nzambi Matee, 29, has been named among seven winners of this year United Nations (UN) Environment Programme’s 2020 Young Champions of the Earth award.
• She developed the prototype for a machine that turns discarded plastic into paving stones.
• Matee produces the plastic pavers under her company Gjenge Makers.

Australia to launch WTO appeal over China’s barley tariffs

• Australia to launch a formal appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) seeking a review of China’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on imports of Australian barley, said Minister for Trade Simon Birmingham.

Imran Khan government pushes for early Senate polls to weaken Opposition

• Amid political chaos in Pakistan, the federal government has decided to hold Senate elections in February instead of March 2021.
• The polls are expected to result in the loss of seats for Opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which currently controls the Upper House.

Joe Biden to take oath outside Capitol amid virus restrictions

• President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths of office outside the U.S. Capitol building
• It will take place as inauguration planners seek to craft an event that captures the traditional grandeur of the historic ceremony while complying with COVID-19 protocols.

White house condemns desecration of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Washington

• A violent group of Khalistani separatists desecrated Mahatma Gandhi’s statue during a demonstration by Sikh-American youths in support of farmers protesting against the recently enacted agriculture laws in India.
• White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has described as “appalling” the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue outside the Indian embassy and said his reputation should be respected, especially in the US capital.

Paris city hall fined for naming too many women to top jobs

• Paris city hall has been fined 90,000 euros ($109,408) for having appointed too many women to top positions in 2018.
• Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo denounced the fine as “unfair” and “absurd” during a meeting of the city council.

To Avoid EU privacy rules, Facebook to move UK users to California terms

• Facebook is making the change partly because the EU privacy regime is among the world’s strictest, according to people familiar with the company.
• The EU rules give granular control to users over data about them.
• It will shift all its users in the United Kingdom into user agreements with the corporate headquarters in California

Several U.S. tech firms launch coalition to promote key internet law

• Several technology companies including Snap Inc, Pinterest, Dropbox and eBay announced a coalition on Tuesday that would advocate the benefits of Section 230, a decades-old law protecting internet firms.
• The coalition, Internet Works, said on Tuesday it aims to ensure that policymakers understand “the potential unintended consequences of blunt changes to the law”, including limiting effective content moderation efforts.

BUSINESS NEWS

Export fall 8.7%; trade deficit shrinks

• Declining for the second straight month, India’s exports dipped 8.7% in November to $23.52 billion on account of contraction in shipments at key sectors like petroleum, engineering, chemicals and gems and jewellery.
• Imports declined for the ninth month in a row, slipping 13.3% to $33.39 billion, government data showed.
• Although the trade deficit narrowed from $12.75 billion in November 2019, the deficit widened from $8.78 billion in October.

Market end and flat, Reliance weighs down Indian Shares.

• Indian shares ended flat on Tuesday, recovering from a bout of profit booking earlier in the session following a record-setting rally over the past few weeks, while a fall in shares of Reliance weighed on the indexes.
• The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index ended 0.07% higher at 13,567.85 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.02% higher at 46,263.17.
• Reliance Industries closed 0.9% lower and was the top drag on the Nifty 50.

S&P revises India’s FY21 GDP contraction forecast to 7.7% from 9%

• S&P Global Ratings raised India’s growth projection for the current fiscal to (-) 7.7 per cent from (-) 9 per cent estimated earlier on rising demand and falling COVID infection rates.
• S&P said India is learning to live with the virus, even though the pandemic is far from defeated and reported cases have fallen by more than half from peak levels, to about 40,000 per day.
• “This recovery underscores one of the more striking aspects of the COVID-19 shock – the resilience of manufacturing supply chains. Again, as with demand, some slowing of output momentum has emerged more recently,” S&P said.

Iphone maker Wistron claims conspiracy to hit their expansion plans in India.

• The Karnataka government has said that it is working closely with the company management to ensure that the plant is restarted at the earliest and genuine grievances of the workers are addressed.
• Wistron India Managing Director Sudipto Gupta earlier said in a letter addressed to the Karnataka government that India is a ‘very important market’ for the company going forward.

Starting from next year Infosys may roll out hybrid work model for employees

• As work from home continues to be the new norm after outbreak of the Covid-19, IT services behemoth Infosys is exploring a hybrid work model.
• The company is likely to be adapting to this model beginning next year where employees need not come to office on all days, at least for the next six months.
• After June, depending on the status of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination, it will take a call on the road ahead since people are more used to remote working, it is likely that in future most companies will continue with this hybrid kind of model.

SPORTS NEWS

2023 ODI World Cup Qualifiers to be Hosted by Zimbabwe:-

• According to the revised schedule announced by the ICC, the qualifiers of 2023 ODI world cup will be played between June 18 and July 19.
• India along with 9 other Super League team will directly qualify for the tournament.
• The World Cup League 2 ODIs will begin on March 19 next year and Challenge League schedule has also be announced.

FIFA World Cup will receive a Dry Run from AFC Championship: Qatar Cool:-

• The Stadium cooling technology will help to fight the warm weather of the Gulf, by keeping the mercury scale at about 22 degree Celsius.
• Even after the finals was shifted to winter, the heat worries still wondered but now the situation seems to be handled. 

Boxing Hall of Fame honors Laila Ali and Floyd Mayweather by electing them:-

• Floyd Mayweather reties unbeaten and have also won 11 world titles in 5 weights divisions, he said that this is a matter of great honor.
• Laila Ali is also elected to the international Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum as well; the induction date is finalized for June 2013.

Nadal ties with Federer in tennis, Djokovic Courts Controversy:-

• For the 4^th time, Nadal has won this favorite tournament i.e., French Open, he said he was very well focused on the tournament.
• Djokovic was astonished by the way he is handling the things with Court and his Life.

Real Madrid level with La Liga Laders Real Sociedad, after losing from Karim Benzema:-

• On Tuesday, the Karim won which shot the reigning champion to 3-1 win over Athelic bilbao.
• Which led to dawn in points of Real Madrid and La Liga Leaders Real Sociedad. 

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE AND DEFENCE

In Pristine Bolivian Andes 20 news species found and discovered

• In Pristine Bolivian the scientific journey high and bring 20 new species new to science including Lilliputian frog.
• In this place four rediscovered species also including the devil-eyed frog.
• This scientific journey was led by the environmental groups and the government of capital city la pez.
• In this journey includes 17 scientists who went to the Chawi Grande who, is belonging to the community of Huaylipaya indigenous which is near by La Paz.

The scientists say in UK coronavirus spreading stress has some different variations

• British scientists are trying to established in Southern England the coronavirus is spreading rapidly so, it is a new variant of the virus that causes covid-19 is linked.
•  Some variations, alterations are there which the coronavirus is founded in the exertion.
• The variations include changes to the important spike protein that the SARS – CoV -2 coronavirus is infecting to the human cells, a group of scientists founding the genetics of the virus.

Your pictures is effected by the google photos and that photos to add in 3D

• Next month a new feature is coming by the Google photos and that feature is called Cinematic photos.
• In this feature Create a 3D like effect for some of your images.
• Google will use machine and from that machine to predict an image’s depth and produce a 3D representation of the scene, after for a smooth planning effect which will be animated with the virtual camera.

To get the S-400 missile defense system India is tracking

• India is on tracking to obtain the S-400 missile defense system but it analysis the US decision and this decision to impose sanction on NATO.
• Ally Turkey’s defence industry over the purchase of the Russian System.

There two Pakistani Soldiers were killed by the Indian army along the Loc or Naushrea opposite Jammu & Kashmir

• On Tuesday two Pakistani soldiers were killed along the line of control opposite the sector of Naushrea in Jammu and Kashmir.
• On 13^th December lieutenant Governor Satinder Kumar who is the vice chief of army staff he said that the number of open fire violations in Jammu & Kashmir at the line of control has increased with an advanced and on the other side in the calibre of artillery used to target other civilians.