Prolawctor Daily Current Affairs Insights | 14 December 2020

PROLAWCTOR DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS INSIGHTS

LEGAL NEWS

The main accused in the Hyderabad human trafficking case was arrested by the NIA

• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key accused in a human trafficking case in Hyderabad, officials said on Friday.
• Ruhul Amin Dhali (52), a resident of Pargana in West Bengal, was arrested on Thursday and found evidence that he had received funds from Bangladesh to run a human trafficking network in Hyderabad, NIA officials said.

Mallya says he can’t get his legal fees for court cases in India or Britain, he wants money to sell French property

• Vijay Mallya cannot afford his legal fees for his court cases in India or the UK, nor can he afford the monthly living expenses of £22,500 (Rs. 22 lakhs). One million (14 crores) has been applied to the UK Court Fund Office.
• The Insolvency and Companies Court (ICC) on Friday heard an urgent application by debtor Liquor and Airlines Tycoon seeking 1.5 1.5 million to sell its assets in France, of which 550,000 is required.
• His outstanding legal costs to the barrister representing him in the bankruptcy case.

It is hoped that the Supreme Court will make a decision on mining (in Goa 2-3, said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.)

• A day before the Supreme Court hearing on two reconsideration petitions seeking resumption of mining in Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Sunday that “the court is likely to take sides in two or three Hearings.”
• “The good thing is that the review petitions filed by the government and the mining companies are being taken at the same time,” Sawant told reporters. We hope that this issue will be resolved within two or three (court) dates.

The Yogi government challenged the High Court order in the SC in the Kafil Khan case

• The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has suspended a doctor from Gorakhpur against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
• A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court’s order to repeal the National Security Act against Kafil Khan.
• The arrest of Dr. Kafil Khan in Uttar Pradesh is ‘illegal’, the High Court said in its order dated September 1 attempt was made to incite hatred or violence by the doctor’s speech.

Housewife’s death ‘Loss of future prospects’, Rs 17 lakh to relatives

• The Motor Accident Claims Quantum Tribunal (MACT) last week ordered the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to pay about Rs 17 lakh in compensation for “future potential loss” in the case of the housewife’s death, to the husband and two minor children.
• The woman who was killed in a collision into their two-wheeler at Mankhurd in 2011.
• “Future potential loss” is key when compensating in a motor accident case.
• The tribunal fixed the imaginary salary of the deceased housewife at Rs.5000 per month.

NATIONAL NEWS

Alcohol news in Bihar,  more than 15% male are addicted to alcohol

• The health survey of Bihar, says in its report that the rate of men consuming alcohol has still need to be taken care of.
• Due to the stringent prohibition and excise Act, the rate of alcohol consumption has decreased.

Delhi-Chalo protest, has gone out of hand,  farmers blocked traffic

• The farmer have started picketing toll plazas on highways and borders.
• They have applied a new strategy of blocking traffic.

RTGS facility to start from December 14

• It was announced in October that the Real Time Gross Settlement was to be available till the end of year.
• The availability of RGTS facilities would be provided for 24/7 time.

Tahawwur Rana plea rejected by U.S Court, in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks

• The key accused in the case of the attacks of 26/11; Tahawwur Rana’s plea was rejected.
• He applied for the him to be extradited from the prison to be out of danger of covid-19.

Leader of Congress party has avoided commenting on Pranab Mukherjee’s book

• They have said that it would not be right to make a comment on the book at this point.
• They have also said that the book presents a critical view of politics which must not be commented on.

TRP Scam: Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani arrested

• Vikas Khanchandani, CEO of Republic TV was arrested from his residence on Sunday morning by Mumbai Police’s Crime Intelligence Unit in connection with the alleged TRP scam.
• Mumbai Police had launched an investigation into the alleged TRP manipulation case in October on the basis of a complaint filed by ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council.

Central forces should be immediately deployed in Bengal, says BJP leader 

• Claiming that Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is “banking on violence” to return to power, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday said central forces should be deployed immediately in West Bengal to put an end to the prevailing atmosphere of political violence and terror in the state.
• With Assembly polls due in the state in April-May next year, the BJP Bengal minder appealed to the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections, saying there should not be any place for fear and violence.

BJP national president JP Nadda tests positive for coronavirus

• Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda has tested positive for coronavirus. Nadda informed on Twitter that he is in home isolation.
• Nadda, in a tweet, said he got himself tested on getting initial symptoms of coronavirus and that his reports have come back positive.

Kamal Haasan asks PM Modi to explain need for new Parliament building

• MNM chief Kamal Haasan demanded that PM Narendra Modi explain the rationale behind the construction of a new Parliament building when “half of India is hungry due to coronavirus pandemic triggered the loss of livelihoods”.
• “Who will the new Parliament building, being constructed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore when half of India is hungry due to the coronavirus pandemic triggered the loss of livelihoods, protect?” tweeted Kamal Haasan.

Two Maoists gunned down by security forces in Odisha

• Two Maoists, including a woman, were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in the Gajalmamudi area of Swabhiman Anchal in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Sunday.
• The woman Maoist sustained bullet injuries in the gunfight and died. Two guns, four rounds of bullets, and Maoist articles were recovered from the spot by the security forces.
• Superintendent of Police Malkangiri Rishikesh D Khilari confirmed the death of two ultras during this operation.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

EU envoys summoned by Iran for protesting reporter’s hanging

• Iran on Sunday summoned the German envoy to Tehran after the European Union condemned the execution of an Iranian journalist whose work helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017.
• IRNA said that an Iranian foreign ministry official summoned the German ambassador because of EU statements on the exiled reporter Ruhollah Zam, 47, who was hanged on Saturday.

Shops to be closed in Germany from Dec. 16-Jan. 10, says draft government proposal

• Germany is planning to close most shops from Wednesday until Jan. 10 as it tightens coronavirus restrictions and tries to rein in the spread of the disease.
• It would allow only essential shops such as supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as banks, to remain open.
• Schools will also be basically closed during the period, and employers will be asked to close operations or have employees work from home.

Coronavirus | Chinese COVID-19 vaccine approved by Bahrain for use

• Bahrain said on Sunday it approved the use of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, following its earlier approval of a vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
• The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries.

Chinese capsule begins return to Earth with moon rocks

• A Chinese space capsule bringing back the first moon rocks in more than four decades has begun its return to Earth.
• The Chang’e 5 lunar probe left the moon’s orbit on the morning of December 13 by activating four engines for about 22 minutes, the China National Space Administration said in a social media post.
• The mission landed on the moon earlier this month and collected about 2 kg of samples.

Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in U.S. vandalize by Khalistan supporters

• Members of Khalistani separatists desecrated the statue of Mahatma Gandhi during a protest organised by Sikh-American youths in support of farmers who are protesting against the recently enacted agriculture laws in India.
• Hundreds of Sikhs from in and around Greater Washington DC area, Maryland and Virginia, along with many from other states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina, on Saturday carried out a car rally to the Indian Embassy in downtown Washington DC, where they gathered to express solidarity with the protesting farmers.
• During the protest, many of the pro-Khalistan Sikh youths flashing Kirpans jumped on the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and pasted a poster over it.
• The group was raising anti-India and pro-Khalistan slogans.

BUSINESS NEWS

Nitin Gadkari: The Swadeshi alternative to imports from China must be sought by electric vehicle manufacturers

• Nitin Gadkari says India needs to find local alternatives to parts imported from China for electric vehicles. He made the remark during the 93rd FICCI virtual session.
• The Minister of the Union said that we aim to create employment and to help grow villages and small industries. He also said that the government is taking a step towards recognizing rural entrepreneurs and facilitating them.
• There is a proposal to increase the total turnover of the Indian rural industry from the current Rs 80 thousand crores over the next two years to Rs 2 lakh crore, he said.

24X7 the transaction facility for RTGS begins tomorrow

• Beginning on December 14, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the 24X7 Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) facility. The facility will be used for transactions of great value.
• At present, on all working days of the week the RTGS transaction facility is open to customers from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm. It is to be noted that from July 2019, RBI stopped collecting fees on transactions through NEFT and RTGS.
• RTGS is intended for instant fund transfers of great value, while NEFT is used for transfers of funds of up to Rs 2 lakh.

Rs 20k cr subordinate debt for MSME NPAs: this has been identified by several loan accounts; disbursement in progress

• The scheme is aimed at benefiting 2 lakhs operational MSMEs, which have been stressed and converted to NPA as of 30 April 2020.
• The State Bank of India has so far listed 8,502 stressed or non-performing asset (NPA) MSME accounts. As part of the Rs 3.7-lakh-crore MSME package, the scheme was finalised on June 24, 2020.
• The scheme is aimed at benefiting 2 lakhs operational MSMEs, which have been stressed and converted to NPA as of 30 April 2020. A 7-year moratorium for companies to pay the principal sum is given by the program. The credit in the firm will have to be infused as equity by entrepreneurs or promoters.

The benefit of SoftBank on Door Dash IPO will offset WeWork catastrophe, analysts say,

• Door Dash filed its IPO prospectus with the US Securities and Exchange prior to the IPO.
• SoftBank failed IPO to make $10 billion of Door Dash IPO profit, offsetting WeWork losses. In the last fiscal year, the Japanese conglomerate’s Vision Fund company reported a $17.7 billion loss. SoftBank’s gross operating loss was $12.7 million and its net loss was $9 million.
•  Last month, Door Dash filed its IPO prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States. It posted $1.9 billion in sales for the nine months ended September 30.

HUL, Reliance is leading the top 8 most respected companies to add Rs 1.53 lakh cr in m-cap

• The list of gainers included Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Tata Consultancy Services, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, and etc.
• Last week, eight of the top-10 most valuable companies contributed Rs 1,53,041.36 crore to the market valuation.

SPORTS NEWS

ICC announces rescheduled qualification path to 2022 under-19 men’s WC

• The 33 spots will be decided by the seven regional events starting in June 2021.
• India along with Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Bengal have already qualified by virtue of their top 11 finish in the 2020 edition.

Injured Pak Cricket Team Captain Babar to miss NZ T20s

• Pakistan Cricket Team Captain Babar Azam was ruled out of the three-match T20 series against New Zealand after fracturing his right thumb during a practice session.
• He will not be able to attend practice for at least 12 days.

Dwayne Bravo to come back after retirement

• West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo announced his return to international cricket, a year after he called it quits due to bitter fallout with his country’s board.
• Bravo said that his decision was prompted by the change of guard in the West Indies Cricket Board.

Joshua knocks out Pulev to retain heavyweight titles

• World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua produced a devastating finish to knock out Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev near the end of the ninth round.
• As a result of this knockout, Joshua has retained his IBF, WBO AND WBA belts at Wembley Arena.

Pakistan appoints Mushtaq Ahmed as spin bowling consultant

• Pakistan has appointed former Test leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as spin bowling consultant for a one-year term.
• Mushtaq’s first job will be to work with experienced leg-spinner Yasir Shah at the National Cricket Team in Lahore and get him ready for the second test against Sri Lanka in Karachi.

Starc to rejoin Australia team after family illness

• Fast bowler Mitchell Starc withdrew from the Twenty20 series due to family illness.
• He will rejoin Australia’s squad in Australia on Monday for the first Test against Australia.
• He will travel to Adelaide with several other members of the Australian side and the Indian team on a charter flight.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE AND DEFENCE

Indian defence forces to stock weapons and ammunition for 15-day intense war

• In the middle of a conflict with China, India has taken a significant step by authorising the defence forces to enhance their stocking of weapons and ammunition for a 15-day intense war now. 
• Making use of the extended stocking requirements and the emergency financial powers in the ongoing conflict with China in Eastern Ladakh, the defence forces are expected to spend over Rs 50,000 crore for acquisition of equipment and ammunition from both local and foreign sources. 
  

First Project 17A stealth frigate to be launched on Monday

• P17A ships are guided missile frigates, each of which is 149 metres long, with displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes and a speed of 28 knots.
• Defence PSU GRSE-built first Project 17A stealth frigate, an addition to the naval power of the venerable Indian Navy, will be launched on Monday, an official said here. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat will be the chief guest at the ceremony, he said.  
  
  

Chinese space capsule with 2 kgs moon rocks begins return to Earth

• A Chinese space capsule bringing back the first moon rocks in more than four decades has begun its return to Earth. 
• The Chang’e 5 lunar probe left the moon’s orbit on Sunday morning by activating four engines for about 22 minutes, the China National Space Administration said in a social media post. 
  
  

Norman Abramson, pioneer of wireless computer networks, passes away

• Norman Abramson, one of the pioneers behind wireless computer networks for communication, has died at age 88.
• Abramson is known for creating ALOHAnet, an early wireless network that led to the next-gen technologies being used in modern satellite, phone, and computer networks.

Apple’s new most expensive headphones, most searched smartphones in India, Reliance ‘promises’ 5G revolution and more

• Apple ended the year with a bang as it launched its new wireless headphones
• while Mukesh Ambani announced Reliance Jio’s big 5G plans for 2021. TikTok’s popularity doesn’t seem like dimming whereas Instagram got a new shopping feature.