India News Oct 16-31, 2020; Vol 1 Issue 8

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Atal Tunnel will bring job Committed to Quad vision for free, open opportunities for youth, says Indo-Pacific: India India’s PM

Manali, October 3 (IANS): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3 said that the newlyinaugurated all-weather Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh, that links Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti valley, will bring employment opportunities for the youth of the entire region.

After a decade of sheer hard work of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), India’s Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a 9.02 kmlong horseshoe-shaped twolane tunnel earlier on October 3. It is one of the world’s most

Indian PM, Narendra Modi challenging tunnels and a marvel of engineering motorways.

Continued on P 3

New Delhi/Tokyo, October 6 (IANS): Amidst the Chinese aggression, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the ‘Quad’ consultations in Tokyo on October 6 reiterated that India was committed to the shared vision of the US, Japan and Australia for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Continued on P 3 countries is being held at Tokyo, in the wake of the growing belligerence shown by China since the beginning of this year.

The meeting is being attended

by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and S. Jaishankar.

The foreign ministerial-level meeting of the Quad, an informal strategic group of the four

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar said, “As vibrant and pluralistic democracies

with shared values, our nations have collectively affirmed the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.�

Permanent Migration Program to boost Australia’s jobs, businesses, economy

India’s President, PM pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar

Approximately two thirds of Canberra, October 7: A permanent visas in the 2020-21 government press release program are expected to go to has stated that the Morrison government is focusing Australia’s people already in Australia. Of the permanent Migration Program for remaining visas, it is anticipated keep guiding us in creating a New Delhi, October 2 (IANS) that approximately two thirds will 2020-21 on supporting economic prosperous and compassionate India’s Prime Minister Narendra be granted under the Skill stream recovery, growing Australia’s India.�

Modi on October 2 paid homage and one third under the Family businesses and creating jobs for to Mahatma Gandhi on his 151st Student Visas I SkilledAustralians.

Visas I Tourist Visas Modi also shared a two-minute stream. Migration Program - Skill birth anniversary and wished video hailing the principles of stream Graduate I Business The permanent Migration Migration that the ideals of the FatherTemporary of Gandhi. In the clip, he can be Visas Innovators, investors and job Program will remain at a cap of the Nation remain a guiding heard saying “Gandhiji never Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I with Sponsored Visas creators – those who are going 160,000 places for 2020-21, force helpingFamily in building astream tried to create his influence to grow Australia’s businesses, planning levels of 79,600 places compassionate India. through his life, however, his life Job Ready I Skill Assessments I AAT representation create Australian jobs and allocated in the Skill stream and became an inspiration in itself.�

Modi took to Twitter and wrote, supercharge economic recovery 77,300 places in the Family stream.

He also paid tribute to Mahatma “We bow to beloved Bapu on – will be the target of the Child and Special Eligibility visas Gandhi at the Raj Ghat.

Gandhi Jayanti. There is much government’s skilled visas. will make up the remaining 3,100 to learn from his life and noble places.

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May Bapu’s ideals Continued on Ptime.

3 The right guidance, at the right

will be given to Global Talent, the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) and employer-sponsored visas.

After a successful launch in late 2019, the Global Talent Visa will be expanded from 5,000 to 15,000 places. It will continue to target the best minds from around the world in key sectors, including advanced manufacturing, financial services and Fintech and health. The program will be enhanced by the whole of Government Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce announced in September.

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News from India

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

COVER PAGE STORIES

Atal Tunnel will bring Committed to Quad vision for job opportunities for free, open Indo-Pacific: India youth, says India’s PM Continued from P 1

Continued from P 1 Addressing the public from the snow-clad Sissu town of Lahaul valley, Modi said that the tunnel will boost tourism and ease travelling. “It will connect the youth of this entire region with many employment opportunities.

Some people will run homestays, guesthouses, shops or become guides. Handicrafts, fruits and medicines will also get a boost.”

Modi said that with the construction of the tunnel, the farmers of the region and people associated with horticulture, cattle-rearers, students and traders will be benefitted.

“Earlier, people in areas like Lahaul-Spiti and others were left to struggle on their own. In recent years, work is being done with new thoughts,” he said, in an apparent dig at the erstwhile UPA government.

Besides this, the completion of the Atal Tunnel is a key element in the Defence Ministry’s attempts to make the entire 475 km-long Manali-Keylong-Leh highway, used by the armed forces to

reach forward areas in Ladakh bordering China and Pakistan, motorable almost round the year.

After inaugurating the tunnel, the India Prime Minister said the majestic Atal Tunnel, beneath the lofty Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, would give new strength to India’s border infrastructure.

“It is an example of world-class border connectivity. There have been demands to improve border infrastructure but for a long time, such projects either couldn’t get out of the planning stage or got stuck midway,” Modi said.

Considered a wonder of human perseverance, the Rohtang tunnel, a dream of India’s former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and named after him posthumously, was completed after 10 years of hard work by the BRO with an outlay of Rs 3,200 crore.

The tunnel’s foundation stone was laid by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 28, 2010, in the Solang valley near Manali.

India’s President, PM pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 151 birth anniversary Continued on P 3 Besides Mahatma Gandhi, Modi also paid tribute to India’s former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary saying, he epitomised simplicity and lived for the welfare of our nation.

“Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji was humble and firm. He epitomised simplicity and lived for the welfare of our nation. We remember him on his Jayanti with a deep sense of gratitude for everything he has done for India,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, India’s President Ram Nath Kovind also took to the microblogging website to pay his homage to Mahatma Gandhi and said that people should take lessons from his life, particularly

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He said India remains “committed to upholding the rules-based international order, underpinned by the rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes.”

India’s objective, he said, “remains advancing the security and the economic interests of all countries having legitimate and vital interests in the region.”

This is the second AustraliaIndia-Japan-United States consultations on regional and global issues of common interest.

“The fact that we are meeting here today, in person, despite the global coronavirus pandemic, is a testimony to the importance that these consultations have gained, particularly in recent times,” Jaishankar said.

He expressed satisfaction that the “Indo-Pacific concept has gained increasingly wider acceptance” while recalling the Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative that India tabled at the East Asia Summit last year.

The events of this year, he said, have clearly demonstrated how imperative it is for like-minded countries to coordinate responses to the various challenges that the pandemic has brought to the

when we are facing a pandemic.

“Gandhiji himself never claimed to be a great soul, indeed, he went out of his way to tell the world about his vulnerabilities.

Yet, he is the best example of realising the maximum human

fore. “As we collectively navigate these uncharted waters, we seek to emerge from the pandemic more resilient than ever before,” Jaishankar said.

The Quad discussions will be held on important issues such as connectivity and infrastructure development, security, including counter-terrorism; cyber and maritime security; and the stability and prosperity in the region, an official statement of India’s Ministry of External Affairs said.

Jaishankar, who was on a two-day visit to Tokyo, also called on the newly-appointed Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga, before the Quad meeting began.

Permanent Migration Program to boost Australia’s jobs, businesses, economy Australia is strategically well placed to attract the global talent, given the nation’s relative health and economic success during the pandemic.

Migration Skills Occupation List. This list will be regularly reviewed and updated based on advice from the National Skills Commission.

The number of places available for business investors will also be doubled to 13,500 places.

The BIIP program will be streamlined and there will be changes to investment and residency requirements, ensuring the program is targeted at Australian venture capitals and emerging small and medium size businesses to support the economic recovery.

Migration Program - Family stream

Employer-sponsored visas for those migrants coming to fill a specific skills gap where an Australian worker is not available, will be prioritized over nonsponsored visas with a focus on occupations on the Priority potential,” the President said.

Indian PM Narendra Modi

This, he said, “is a development with considerable promise in that context.”

This constant effort to be a better human being and to be more sensitive towards those around him made him a Mahatma, Kovind said, adding that this path was, of course, extremely difficult. There were many failures along the way. But he continued doggedly, one step at a time.

“Gandhiji was more concerned about his duties than his rights, and took up cudgels on behalf of others -- Dalits, peasants, labourers, women and others.

Gandhiji shows, in great detail,

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The majority of visas within the Family stream will go to partners, with 72,300 places allocated, an increase from 37,118 last year. This will give more certainty to those wanting to settle in Australia with their partners and plan for their futures. It will address nearly all the present applicants awaiting finalization of their visa.

It is expected that 75 per cent of partner visas will go to those already in Australia.

Humanitarian Program The Humanitarian Program will be set at 13,750 places and the number of allocated places will

be a cap rather than a target – in line with the approach taken to the Migration Program.

This cap of 13,750 is in line with last year’s outcome of 13,171 and reflects the global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which will continue to present challenges to delivery in 2020-21.

The government will continue to focus on settlement and integration support for humanitarian entrants. This will include prioritizing supporting people at work and improving English language skills.

In absolute numbers, Australia remains the third most generous humanitarian resettlement country in the world, maintaining its long-term commitment to people who cannot return to their home country because of persecution.

what needs to be done -- by individuals, organisations and nations -- to achieve peaceful coexistence, sustainable development, economic and social equality,” Kovind further said.

He added, “The year-long celebrations of his 150th birth anniversary that culminate today have been an apt occasion to rejuvenate his memories and reorient the moral and ethical foundations of public life.”

Gandhiji has so much more to offer to us if we take lessons from his life, particularly when we are facing a pandemic, he said.

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind “During the outbreak of a deadly plague, he flung himself into health care and sanitation duties that exemplified his selfless service.”

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

NEWS FROM INDIA

Indian, Chinese soldiers brave 74% Indians consider minus 20 degree temperatures news channels as New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): Temperatures at critical mountain peaks and passes in the Himalayas along the disputed India-China border have dropped to minus 20 Degrees Celsius, presenting a fresh challenge to the thousands of troops deployed on both sides.

To add to the woes, for more than a month, soldiers are perched on peaks rising to 17000 feet because a turn-around of all troops is yet to happen owing to the arduous terrain and tough logistics.

On August 29, in a sudden stealth operation carried out mostly under the cover of darkness, India occupied critical heights and mountain passes along the South Bank of the Pangong Tso a glacial lake at 16,000 feet.

“Only food and water are being

reached to these points,” said a senior official.

The six-month-long border dispute between nuclear-armed nations is now turning into a test of endurance and logistics as both sides have dug in.

Soldiers holding on the peaks for more than a month include those from the Special Frontier Force (SFF) - a special force comprising Tibetan refugees raised after the India-China war of 1962.

China, too, has deployed troops a few metres away from Indian position on the heights. The SFF troops are holding 13 critical heights which were never held in the 1962 war and do not even have basic shelter.

“No temporary structures have been built at these heights. There are no roads or infrastructure on

these heights,” added the official.

China, too, is facing logistical issues in holding corresponding positions.

Even in such a bad situation, the troops are on high alert since the People’s Liberation Army has also deployed soldiers a few metres away at some of the critical heights.

There would be no thinning of force at these heights till the time China completely withdraws its troops, said a source.

India and China are engaged in a six-month-long standoff at the LAC. Despite several levels of dialogue, there hasn’t been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues.

entertainment source

New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the new media landscape of India.

According to the recent findings of the IANS CVoter Media Tracker, 74 per cent Indians treat news channels as a source of entertainment rather than real news.

It is well known that social distancing and lockdown measures impacted the production pipeline of general entertainment channels. In the absence of “fresh” creative content, the audience has turned to reality shows like news coverage.

“But the idea of seeking entertainment on the news channels is damaging the

credibility of most of the news brands in more ways than one.

The trustworthiness factor has become more important than ever,” the survey noted.

The survey had a sample size of 5,000 plus respondents from across India covering all the districts in all the states, representing the demographic profile according to the latest census figures.

The interviews were conducted in the last week of September and the first week of October 2020.

The margin of error is +/- 3 per cent at the national level and +/- 5 per cent at the regional levels.

The data is weighted to the known demographic profile.

Bihar NDA seat allocation: BJP Rahul’s ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’ culminates at to contest 121 seats, JD-U 122 Haryana border contest 121 seats while Nitish’s Janata Dal-United ( JD-U) has 122 seats.

Nitish Kumar, Bihar CM and JD-U President Patna, October 6 (IANS): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on October 6 announced the seat-sharing plan among the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the Bihar Assembly election. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will

In a joint NDA press conference, the Chief Minister said that the BJP has been given 121 seats, while the JD-U has got 122 seats. He said that JD-U has given 7 seats to Hindustani Awam Morcha from its quota, while BJP will give seats to Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) from its quota. He said that talks between BJP and VIP are in the final stages.

Nitish said, “We are not concerned with what someone speculates. We are working together and will do so.”

Several leaders, including Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal, BJP Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav, BJP’s Bihar poll in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, JD-U state chief

Vashisht Narayan Singh and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi were present at the joint press meet.

Lashing out at the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Nitish Kumar said that NDA would fight the election on development works done in the last 15 years.

“What was the development in Bihar during 15 years tenure of RJD? There were no roads, no power supply, law and order situation was pathetic with so many massacres across the state.

How many jobs have they given to youth of Bihar during their tenure? Now they question us on jobs,” Nitish said.

Reacting on the alliance with BJP, he said that there is no confusion over seat sharing and selection of candidates.

Four-year-old raped in Hathras, accused held Hathras (UP), Oct 14 (IANS): A four-year-old girl has been allegedly raped by her relative in Sasni in Hathras. The police said the accused has been arrested and a case has been registered.

Circle Officer Ruchi Gupta said that the incident took place on Tuesday and the girl’s condition is stable.

“An information was received at the Sasni police station that a four-year-old girl was raped by her own cousin, who resides in her neighbourhood in Bhootpura,” said Gupta.

“After receiving information about the incident, our team reached the spot. The victim was sent to the hospital for the tests.

We have arrested the accused

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received by Haryana leaders, comprising former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda and state party Chief Kumari Selja.

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A day earlier, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the state government didn’t have any reservation “if Rahul holds tractor rallies and road shows in Haryana, but he would enter the state without crowd”.

Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Patiala (Punjab), October 6 (IANS): The three-day Punjab ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’ of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh culminated on October 6 at the border along Haryana, with a vow by the two leaders to not budge even an inch from their principled stand in support of the farmers, who were “under attack by the Centre’s draconian farm laws”.

After confrontation and heated arguments between Congress leaders and the police on the interstate border, Rahul along with activists were allowed to enter Haryana where they were who was staying near the victim’s house,” Gupta added.

The family of the victim was unwilling to talk about the matter.

The incident came a month after a 19-year-old was allegedly gangraped by four men in Hathras.

She was rushed to a hospital in Aligarh, from where she was shifted to Delhi where she succumbed to her injuries.

The incident triggered protests across the country, forcing the

Before entering Haryana for a one-day tour, at a public rally at Francewala village near Sanaur in Patiala district, the final point of the tractor rally of the Congress leaders, including AICC General Secretary Harish Rawat and state party president Sunil Jakhar, Rahul lashed out at the BJP-led government at the Centre for inflicting atrocities upon atrocities on the people of all sections in the past six years.

The poor have become poorer and the rich are getting richer, he said, slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi of serving the interests of corporate houses at the cost of those of small businessmen, farmers, arhtiyas and farm labourer.

Allahabad High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.

The court pulled up the police and the district administration for hurriedly cremating the victom’s body at the dead of night.

The court said that the act was an “infringement” of her human rights, adding that the victim was at least entitled to a decent cremation in accordance with her religious customs and rituals, which essentially should have been performed by her family.

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NEWS FROM INDIA

Hathras cremation: UP PFI expanding footprints in Northern India: Intel agencies govt cites threat to law New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): Intelligence agencies have warned the government about the expansion of radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in northern India, especially in Delhi, the National Capital Region (NCR) and Uttar Pradesh.

The government has been advised to be more cautious towards foreign funds being received by the outfit with a message that the federation has been instrumental in ‘stoking violence’ as well as anti-India activities in various states in the last seven years.

The agencies have also mentioned in the alert to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that many of its sleeper cell members are residing in Delhi as well as neighbouring Noida and Greater Noida. Besides, they also have expanded their footprint in Uttar Pradesh.

It is learnt that the PFI handlers activate their sleeper cells soon

after they get any chance to trigger any incident in any northIndian states that may lead to violence in India. Besides, the PFI is suspected to have links with the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and has been recruiting members for its group as well as establishing its various sister modules.

The inputs were shared following the arrest of four of its suspected members from Uttar Pradesh on the night of October 5 for allegedly playing a role in igniting violent activities in the recent Hathras case linked to the gangrape of a 19-year-old Dalit girl, which triggered a political outcry across the country.

PFI’s complicity is suspected by the Uttar Pradesh Police which on October 5 nabbed four men -- Atiq-ur Rehman of Muzaffarnagar, Siddique of Malappuram, Masood Ahmed of Bahraich and Alam of Rampur -- at Mathura’s Math toll plaza

on a tip-off while on their way to Hathras from Delhi.

The police said during the interrogation, it came to light that the four had links with the PFI and its associate organisation Campus Front of India.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has referred to “recent incidents” and said “anarchist elements” are trying to trigger communal and caste violence in the state after the Hathras incident.

The PFI, a controversial Keralabased group that was formed in 2006 as a successor to the National Democratic Front (NDF), has come under the scanner of the Union Home Ministry for allegedly instigating demonstrators to clash with Uttar Pradesh Police during the more than one-month-long amended citizenship law protest which started last year and continued till the beginning of this year.

Several youths to take J&K’s biggest govt job exam New Delhi, October 5 (IANS): Around 6 lakh unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir ( J&K) are preparing to appear in the Union Territory’s biggest job examination to be conducted by the J&K Services Selection Board(SSB) in late October or November 2020. While the UT government has started its first employment drive for selection of incumbents for 10,460 Class III and Class IV vacancies, as many as 594,520 candidates have got themselves registered for the examination.

Never before have such huge

numbers of candidates appeared in any job examination in the erstwhile state which was split into the two UTs of J&K and Ladakh in August 2019. Officials say that over 10,000 youth have never been selected in one go for government services in J&K. These posts of different cadres-UT, Division, District, Block-have been referred by the UT government for selection of the most competent candidates and the SSB has notified the vacancies.

The selection process has been changed in view of allegations

of corruption and unfair practices in the past when Heads of Departments or Deputy Commissioners in different districts would hold viva voce of the candidates after a screening.

J&K SSB would make selection only for Class III and other nongazetted vacancies through the three-tier process of screening, written test and viva. The UT regime has dispensed with the screening and the viva as it has decided to pick incumbents only on their performance in the written exam.

India tests anti-submarine weapon successfully New Delhi, October 5 (IANS): India successfully tested an anti-submarine weapon system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on October 5, in a boost to its naval warfare capabilities.

congratulate DRDO and other stakeholders for this significant achievement.”

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO scientists for the feat. He said, “The DRDO has successfully flight tested the Supersonic Missile assisted release of Torpedo, SMART. This will be a major technology breakthrough for stand-off capability in anti-submarine warfare. I

The DRDO said that “supersonic missile-assisted release of torpedo (SMART) has been successfully flight tested at 11:45 hrs from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha.”

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DRDO chairman G. Satheesh Reddy said that SMART is a game changer technology demonstration in antisubmarine warfare.

“All the mission objectives, including missile flight up to the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, release of

Torpedo and deployment of Velocity Reduction Mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly,” DRDO said in a statement.

It also stated that the tracking stations -- Radars, Electro Optical Systems -- along the coast and the telemetry stations, including down range ships monitored all the events.

It is a missile-assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo system for antisubmarine warfare operations far beyond torpedo range. This launch and demonstration is significant in establishing antisubmarine warfare capabilities.

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and order as reason New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court of India that the Hathras gang rapemurder victim was cremated in the night due to intelligence inputs that lakhs of people from the communities of both the woman and the accused along with political workers would assemble at her village, which could lead to a major law and order problem.

The state government also urged the apex court to direct for a CBI probe into the case, claiming that “vested interests” were attempting to ascribe motives to vitiate a fair probe.

The state emphasised that “there cannot be any bad intention on part of anyone to expedite the cremation, except to obviate the potential violent situation resulting from a caste divide planned (on the issue) by certain vested interests”.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde was scheduled to hear a Public Interest Litigation on October 6 for a Central Bureau of Investigation or Special Investigation Team probe into the Hathras case. The state’s affidavit was filed in the court even before it could take up the matter and seek a response from it.

In its affidavit, the state justified the cremation of the victim -who had died on September 29 at a Delhi hospital -- at 2.30 am on

September 30 as there was the “likelihood that the protesters could have turned violent”.

“There was a high alert in the district due to the pronouncement of the Babri Masjid demolition case verdict too,” said the government affidavit.

It said the Hathras district administration had received several intelligence inputs since September 29 morning on the manner in which a dharna was held at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and that “the whole issue was being exploited and a caste and communal colour was being given to it”.

“In such extraordinary and severe circumstances, the district administration took the decision to convince her parents to cremate the body with all religious rites in the night to avoid large-scale violence in the morning... the body of the victim was lying for more than 20 hours after her death and postmortem,” the affidavit added.

The Uttar Pradesh Police allegedly took away the 19-year-old victim’s body from the Delhi hospital on September 29 and drove to her Bulgarhi village in Hathras. The bereaved family urged officials to allow it to take the body home one last time and even tried to stop the ambulance carrying the body.

However, the family alleged, they were locked in their home during the funeral.

‘No rape’ in Hathras case: Forensic report Lucknow, October 6 (IANS): The Department of Forensic Medicine at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College of Aligarh Muslim University has certified that there is no evidence of rape in the case of the 19-year-old Dalit victim in the Hathras case.

(injuries over the neck and the back)”, the certificate says.

The certificate has been submitted with an affidavit by the Uttar Pradesh government in the Supreme Court on October 6.

The families of the accused persons have also been saying that no rape had taken place and the girl was actually beaten up by her brother and the injuries proved fatal.

“There are no signs suggestive of vaginal/anal intercourse. There are evidences of physical assault

The state government has been saying all along that the post mortem report did not confirm rape while the victim’s family insisted that the girl was sexually assaulted.

A number of DRDO laboratories including Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad, Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, Agra, Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) Visakhapatnam have developed the technologies required for SMART.

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

NEWS FROM INDIA

All accused in 1992 Babri Never accepted China’s unilateral 1959 demolition acquitted LAC definition: India repeatedly tried to persuade the ‘kar sewaks’ against taking any action on that day.

The court further said the CBI has failed to substantiate the charges levelled against the 32 accused persons. The court also said that the video recordings submitted to the court were ‘tampered with’.

The judge pointed out that the prosecution could not produce enough evidence against the accused.

All Babri demolition accused acquitted including former Indian Deputy PM L.K. Advani Lucknow, September 30 (IANS): A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court hearing on the Babri mosque demolition case of December 6, 1992, acquitted all the 32 accused on September 30 saying it was spontaneous and not a planned move.

the accused present in court, said, “Sab Ramji ki kripa hai”.

Those acquitted in the case that lasted 28 years include former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, former Union Ministers M.M. Joshi, Uma Bharti, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, among others.

Special CBI judge S.K. Yadav, in his verdict, said that the demolition was not a planned incident but a spontaneous act.

Former BJP MP Vinay Katiyar and Hindu leader Sadhvi Rithambhara, who were among

As soon as the court announced the acquittal of the accused, jubilation broke out outside the court, in Ayodhya and Lucknow where supporters of the leaders were present to celebrate the occasion.

He said that Ashok Singhal and other Sangh Parivar leaders wanted to save the structure as Ram Lalla statues were inside.

The court observed that leaders who were present on the dais

He said that the authenticity of audio, video provided by CBI could not be proven and the audio of the speeches were not clear.

The court also said that those who climbed on the dome were antisocial elements.

The 26 accused who were present in the court on September 30, said that they had always maintained that the demolition was a conspiracy by the then Congress government.

Babri plaintiff, Iqbal Ansari, said in Ayodhya that after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Ram temple last year, the demolition case had lost its relevance.

“I welcome acquittal of the 32 persons by the court. There should be no further dispute on the matter,” he said.

VAIBHAV summit: a virtual platform bringing together Indian diaspora scientists scientific research in raising the productivity of the Indian agricultural sector, he averred the necessity of more scientific research to help Indian farmers further. He went on to state how the idea of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” encompasses global welfare and extolled India’s success in pioneering space reforms which opened new avenues for both industry and academics.

He also laid stress on the need to galvanise the interest of the Indian youth in science

Indian PM Narendra Modi The Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) summit, which brings together domestically residing as well as overseas Indian scientists and researchers to deliberate over collaborative initiatives, was inaugurated on October 2nd via video conferencing by Indian PM, Narendra Modi.

The VAIBHAV summit which commenced on October 2nd will conclude on October 31st and its primary objective is to provide a common platform for all the Indian scientists across the globe working in academic institutes and involved in research activities to collaborate with the intention

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of fortifying academic and science and technology foundation in India for global advancement.

In his opening address, PM Modi thanked all the participating experts for their valuable opinions regarding the significance of greater collaborations among the Indian members of the global scientific and research community. The Prime Minister also referred to the indigenously developed Rotavirus vaccine and the Indian government’s unequivocal support for more development of indigenous vaccines. Acknowledging the contribution of agricultural

There will be a multitude of interactive engagements between the scientists of the Indian diaspora living abroad and those residing within India through webinars and video conferences conducted over the month.

More than 3000 Indian-origin academicians and researchers from over 50 countries are expected to participate in this summit being organized by about 200 academic institutes and science and technology departments, spearheaded by the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Professor K. Vijay Raghavan.

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New Delhi, September 29 (IANS): Warning Beijing against advancing its untenable unilateral interpretation, India on September 29 said that it has never accepted the 1959 definition of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

In response to queries on a recent media report quoting a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement regarding China’s position on the LAC, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava, said, “India has never accepted the so-called unilaterally defined 1959 Line of Actual Control (LAC). This position has been consistent and well known, including to the Chinese side.”

Under various bilateral agreements, including the 1993 Agreement on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the

LAC, the 1996 Agreement on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in the military field, the 2005 Protocol on Implementation of CBMs, the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question, both India and China have committed to clarification and confirmation of the LAC to reach a common understanding of the alignment of the LAC. In fact, the two sides had engaged in an exercise to clarify and confirm the LAC up to 2003, but this process could not proceed further as the Chinese side did not show willingness to pursue it, Srivastava said.

“Therefore, the insistence now of the Chinese side that there is only one LAC is contrary to the solemn commitments made by China in these agreements,” he said.

BrahMos testfired successfully

Bhubaneswar, September 30 (IANS): India on September 30 successfully test-fired an extended- range supersonic cruise missile BrahMos with an indigenous booster from a test facility off the Odisha coast.

The missile was launched around 10.30 am from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore district, sources said.

An Indo-Russian joint venture, BrahMos missile has a strike range of about 400 km.

“Congratulate @DRDO_India on the successful test-firing of an extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. The missile with an indigenous booster will further strengthen India’s defence capability,” tweeted Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

It is the second time that the extended-range version of BrahMos has been test-fired.

BrahMos missile was originally built with a range of 290 km.

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

HATHRAS STORY

Hathras gang rape: Truth sinks to the bottom in a mire of contradictions The Hathras gang rape which transpired on 14th September with the 19-year old victim succumbing 15 days later has without any doubt the echoes of the abominable 2012 Nirbhaya rape case but what makes it even more deplorable is the deluge of contradictions causing the facts to get lost in translation.

The nitty-gritty of the horrific incident On 14th September, 2020, the 19 –year-old victim who hailed from Boolgarhi village in Hathras had gone to collect fodder for animals with her mother when she was allegedly attacked and brutally raped by four upper caste men who tried to strangulate her and also cut her tongue. She died fifteen days later at Safdarjung hospital in Delhi, having sustained serious neck and spinal cord injuries. Late that night, she was cremated and it was following what seemed like a stealthy move on the part of the police to cover up the crime that public outcry over the whole incident began to erupt and parties across the wide political spectrum also became involved.

Rape and caste-based violence not part of the initial narrative When the initial reports began to make the rounds, it was believed that there was only one perpetrator, Sandeep, of the heinous crime who had accosted the girl because of a protracted history of feud between his family and that of the victim. What is surprising is that there was no allegation of rape and that it was being construed that the primary aim of the attacker was to kill the girl because of the long-standing animosity between the families and he might have succeeded too if the girl had not created a commotion causing him to flee the spot. Also, there was no emphasis on the upper caste of the men involved who later on turned out to be Thakurs and that of the deceased girl who was a Dalit. It is believed that it was only after 23rd September that the focus shifted from family feud to a caste-based angle when a certain newspaper highlighted the caste of the victim and the accused which was further fuelled by the Congress party.

The victim went to the Chandpa police station along with her mother and brother where a case was registered but there was neither any mention of rape nor of the attackers being more than one. Also, it is being claimed that the police delayed the filing of

the complaint and it is only when the brother of the victim insisted that a case was filed against the accused Sandeep under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). There is a video of the victim allegedly taken just after the incident in which she can be heard saying that she was strangulated when she defied the attacker’s attempt to rape her but no formal charge was levelled against the attacker/ attackers.

There are also claims that the victim’s mother had found her in a state of undress but had hidden the fact then fearing stigma. The victim was taken to the primary health centre by the police but the doctors there insisted that her condition was serious and the health centre did not have the requisite facilities to administer her proper treatment, so she was taken to Aligarh Muslim University’s JN Medical College and Hospital. This decision was taken at around noon on the day of the incident. However, despite the hospital being a 2 hour-drive away from the primary health centre, it was only after 4 pm that she was officially admitted there.

Victim explicitly mentions rape and names more perpetrators Although the victim did regain consciousness, it was more than evident that her condition had deteriorated over the week following the atrocious act. Her statement was recorded and besides Sandeep she named two more persons who had assaulted her sexually. The police then initiated investigation under the charges of attempt to murder and molestation; Sandeep, the perpetrator originally named was also apprehended by the police. A few days later, the victim gave her last statement before a magistrate and named four persons in total- Sandeep, Luvkush, Ravi and Ramu- and accused them of raping her. It is only at this point that the police filed a case of gang rape and attempt to murder against all the four. They were also successful in arresting the other assailants apart from Sandeep.

However, the Hathras

Superintendent of Police said that no evidence of sexual assault had been found by the medical experts. They also denied the claims of her eyes being gouged out and her spinal cord being severed completely. Even though the doctors at JN Medical College and Hospital conceded that there were blatant signs of force being used, they provided no clarity of rape having occurred and reserved their opinion till the forensic report was made available.

Victim’s demise, late night cremation and the aftermath As the victim’s condition took a turn for the worse, she was shifted to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on September 28, though the Aligarh Muslim University confirmed that they had referred her to AIIMS. Her condition deteriorated and she succumbed to her injuries in the morning next day. Following her death, an additional charge of murder was also levelled against the four accused. Late that night, after the post-mortem, her last rites were performed by her brother and father as per some media reports whereas there are others who reported that no consent was sought from the victim’s family regarding the decision to cremate and that the police compelled them to hasten the cremation.

The family claimed that they wanted to take her body home but were deterred by the police.

The following day, a prominent media house presented a report from the perspective of the accused which completely countered the hitherto believed narrative. The family members of the accused claimed that they had been falsely implicated and that in fact one of the accused was at his work place at the time when the crime occurred which can be substantiated with verifiable evidence.

Contradictory claims galore On September 30, UP CM Yogi Adityanath ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe to look into the matter. In the meantime, videos allegedly showing the victim’s mother accusing only Sandeep and that

CBI team reaches Hathras too only for physically assaulting her daughter began to surface on social media but at the same time rumours about the family being pressurized by the police were equally rampant. It is also believed that the father of the victim began to demand a CBI inquiry but there are also counter claims stating that both the father and the brother of the victim were being “instructed” by someone.

On 1st October, the police reiterated their claim of no rape having occurred and stated that according to the Forensic Science Laboratory report no semen had been found on the victim’s body which corroborated the findings of the post mortem report. The police also asserted that the incident was needlessly being politicized and that the caste angle was unjustly being highlighted just to stir up trouble and incite caste-based violence.

Top Congress leaders enter the fray Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, other top Congress leaders decided to pay a visit to the victim’s family on October 1 but ahead of their visit, Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of four or more, was imposed in Hathras. However, they were detained and sent back to Delhi but they managed to meet the family of the victim two days later. Rahul also claimed that he was lathi-charged by the police on October 1 but nothing could stop him from meeting the aggrieved family. While Rahul and Priyanka bashed the Adityanath government and the police for mishandling the case thus denying justice to the victim and her family, various representatives of the UP government countered these allegations by saying that the opposition leaders were

fanning the fires of caste-based sentimentalities in a bid to malign the government.

SIT probe completed, top police officials suspended The SIT probe concluded on 3rd October and the media which was denied access to the family prior to this was no longer detained. Also, the police refuted the claims of the family’s mobile phones being confiscated. A day prior to the conclusion of the investigation, Adityanath ordered the suspension of some top police officials connected to the investigation of the case and also asked for Narco polygraph tests for the accused, the victim’s family members and even the police officials associated with the case. However, it was reported later on that the family members of the victim allegedly showed reluctance to undergo the test citing ignorance of what the test entails as the reason for their refusal.

Supporters for the upper caste accused In the meantime, the Savarna Samaj and the Bajrang Dal began to come out in support of the upper caste Thakur men in Boolgarhi village claiming that they were innocent and that the family members of the victim had themselves killed her to claim the amount of rupees 10 lakh under the Scheduled Castes/Schedules Tribes Act. CBI takes over investigation On October 10, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation of the case as per the order of the UP CM and on the following day, they registered a case and commenced their probe. As of October 13, the CBI completed its investigation of the crime scene but is yet to reveal its findings.

Given 3-tier security to Hathras family, UP govt tells SC New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS): Seeking a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe in the Dalit woman’s gang rape and murder in Hathras, the Uttar Pradesh government has informed the apex court that the victim’s family has been given three-layered security.

The government also pointed out that the family has also engaged private lawyer to fight their case.

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In an affidavit filed in compliance with apex court directions on October 6, the state’s affidavit provided details of the security arrangements made for the family.

The state government said that it had deployed sufficient policemen to ensure protection to the family members residing in Boolgarhi village, and Closed-Circuit

Television installed to keep round-the-clock surveillance around their house.

The apex court is scheduled to hear the matter on October 15.

“An Inspector General of Police has been made incharge of the security arrangement... he shall supervise the police force and oversee security arrangements on a daily basis,” said the affidavit.

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The state also said that the security deployed in the village had been issued strict instructions regarding their duties and that there was no intrusion in the family’s privacy.

The family members are free to move around and meet the people they want, the affidavit affirmed.

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

Covid-19 affecting mental health adversely: Study Sydney, October 6 (IANS): New research has added to the growing body of evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic is taking a heavy mental health toll even on people who are not directly impacted by the disease.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, found that people in countries with low rates of infection and fatalities -- like Australia at the onset of the pandemic -still experience twice as much depression and anxiety.

These outcomes are largely related to financial stress and disruptions in people’s social lives.

“We already know from past pandemic research that the people who are most affected, such as those who become ill and/or are hospitalized and their careers affected, experience more severe impacts,” said study author Amy Dawel from the Australian National University.

“However, the impacts of Covid-19 on the broader

population in relatively less affected countries are also likely to be substantial.

“Our data show that the byproducts of Covid-19 are affecting populations broadly and the concern is that countries with strong restrictions, who appear to circumvent the worst of Covid-19, may overlook the indirect impacts of the pandemic,” Dawel added.

To capture a snapshot of the population’s mental health just after the first Covid-19 restrictions went into effect, the research team surveyed nearly 1,300 Australian adults.

Since the survey occurred in the early stages of the pandemic, only 36 participants reported having received a Covid-19 diagnosis or having a close contact who had been diagnosed.

There were also relatively few people who had been tested, had self-isolated or who had known anyone who had any of these experiences.

Surprisingly, these cases of Covid-19 contact showed no link

In contrast, financial distress and disruptions in work and social activities were significantly associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as lower psychological well being. However, working from home wasn’t associated with any negative effects.

Higher rates of mental health symptoms were also found among people who were younger, identified themselves as female or who reported having a preexisting mental health condition.

“We hope that these data highlight that the way countries manage Covid-19 is likely to impact their population’s mental health, beyond those most directly affected by the disease,” Dawel said.

Recently, a study published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour found that the excessive use of social media for Covid-19 health information is related to both depression and secondary trauma.

event in 2019, they were insistent on organizing this year’s event despite COVID-19. The Mayor also said that while the number of people visiting the Carnival might fall down due to COVID-19, the 170,000 blooms would go on to colour the city and were all 100% free to see.

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witnessed this year as well.

To attract visitors’ attention and hold on to their interest over 170,000 flowers were planted across Toowoomba’s major parks and public spaces lending a colourful view to the city’s famous annual Carnival of Flowers celebration from 18-27 September. The beauty of these colourful flowers could keep a person glued to them for long.

Incidentally, the Carnival of Flowers was one of the first major events to be staged after the lockdowns were put in place. Still the 2020 Carnival witnessed more than 30 events. All events and areas were well managed and all arrangements were made for the implementation of COVID-safe plans so that the visitors could have a pleasurable experience without worrying over the risks of the COVID infection.

In this respect Mayor Cr Paul Antonio said that after a spectacular 70th anniversary

Coronavirus: NT facility to quarantine returning Aussies

to mental health impact.

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers overcomes COVID blues

The 2020 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers was celebrated from 18-27 September. There was a time initially this year when the pandemic did cast a doubt whether the carnival could go ahead amidst practices such as social distancing, but the organizers went on to do a great job in doing the groundwork with planting of flowers aplenty to make the festival of flowers a success yet again. There is bit of a history to this Carnival as it originated using its reputation as ‘Garden City’ in a bid to promote increased economic activity after World War II. In a similar vein Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers this year is all set to continue its tradition of bringing happiness to many who visit the festival. Crises did not seem to have deterred the celebrations and it certainly proved the point this year. While a reduced number of footfalls were expected this year compared to last year, no one perhaps expected the kind of success it

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

The important attractions of the 2020 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers were the parks and public spaces, including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park. Floral displays, music and parkland entertainment, a ferris wheel, food trucks and twilight tours marked the celebrations in the parks.

As COVID-19 brought about crowd restrictions, the popular Grand Central Floral Parade was transformed into a static installation of decorated floats all across the Grand Central shopping centre.

Moreover, the festivities were characterized by a new regionwide food trail called #trEATS, and also the popular Talking Pub and Foodie Dinner Tours, guided and non-guided walking tours, plus activations at the Spring Bluff Railway Station, Cobb + Co Museum and the most appreciated floral group displays.

The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is a very popular event every year, with an estimated over 106000 people visiting the 2019 festival of flowers in Queens Park alone.

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New Qantas charter flights to repatriate stranded Australians in the United Kingdom and India are expected to start within a week, with the Northern Territory’s Howard Springs facility to be used for overseas hotel quarantine.

The arrangements were set to be discussed and possibly finalised at Friday’s national cabinet meeting after months of “extensive

preparations”.

It is understood there could be eight repatriation flights and an extra 1000 quarantine spots per month at Howard Springs, just outside of Darwin.

The top five locations for Australians overseas are India, Britain, the Philippines, Thailand and South Africa.

Multicultural Australia announces next CEO Multicultural Australia which is dedicated to building a better future for all Queenslanders for more than a decade realizes that the current trying times due to border closures brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic calls for an even greater need to work closely with its clients and communities in Queensland.

The Board of Multicultural Australia which has been working hard to identify a gifted leader who is not only passionate about securing great opportunities for Queensland’s newest arrivals but also ambitious for the organisation that champions them, announced Christine Castley as the next CEO of Multicultural Australia.

Christine is a highly credentialed leader with a strong track record of delivering significant reform and innovation. She is currently the Deputy Director-General at the Department of Premier and Cabinet (Queensland).

Prior to this role, Christine was Deputy-Director for Housing, Homelessness and Sport in the Department of Housing and Public Works. In this role, Christine led major reform, including the development of the Queensland Housing Strategy 2017-2027.

Christine’s appointment as CEO of Multicultural Australia marks a return to an area of personal passion and commitment - the important work of assisting migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum.

Christine was an Immigration Advisor in the 1990s and served as Chair and Member of the Management Committee for the (then) South Brisbane Immigration and Community Legal Service (currently the Refugee and Immigration Legal Service) from 1992-2002 and in

Courtesy_Multicultural Australia website

INDIA NEWS

Christine Castley 2011-2012.

This experience, together with her long-standing work in the social justice sector, reflects Christine’s continuing commitment to equal access to justice and services for everyone.

She has a deep belief that all the members of Multicultural Australia can play a part in helping the most disadvantaged people in the Queensland community, including refugees, migrants and people seeking asylum, to live in safety and prosper while they contribute to our communities.

Christine is a Board Member of the Residential Tenancies Authority in Queensland and a Board Member for the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Adding to her vast professional experience, Christine holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts, Postgraduate Diploma in Arts and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Queensland.

Christine will be taking over her role as the CEO of Multicultural Australia on 2 November 2020.

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INDIA NEWS

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Multicultural community miffed over new language rules for partner Sydney, October 8: There is dismay and anger in Australia’s multicultural community at the government’s recent announcement regarding new language requirements for Partner visa applicants and their permanent resident sponsors.

New partner visa applicants and permanent resident sponsors will be required to have ‘functional level English’.

Applicants will need to be able to demonstrate this through the completion of 500 hours of free English language classes through the Adult Migrant English Program.

The changes will come into

effect in late 2021.In the changes announced for the permanent Migration Program, 72,300 places have been allocated to partners (an increase from 37,118 places last year). The fear now is that it will prioritise applicants and sponsors from English-speaking backgrounds.

The new rules, the government has indicated, are intended for the safety and easy assimilation of New Australians, and to maximise their opportunities in Australia.

The Prime Minister did clarify that “a basic level of English language competency” is sought, to “enable people to engage, to access government services, for

example, to engage with those who are seeking to assist, to access and get the best possible medical treatment to understand what teachers are saying at school, at parent-teacher conferences or to understand their rights at work. We think it’s a very necessary skill and ability that people will need to get the best out of life in Australia and to be protected.”

The multicultural community, who the Prime Minister thanks for their economic contribution every time he speaks to them, is not buying in. Some are going as far as claiming it reeks of White Australia Policy. They are seeing these changes as discriminatory.

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Digital business plan for Australia’s economic recovery Canberra October 7: The Morrison government is investing almost $800 million to enable businesses to take advantage of digital technologies to grow their businesses and create jobs as part of the economic recovery plan. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies by Australian businesses and consumers, which has enabled many to transform their operations and continue to trade through the crisis.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this year’s Budget would support businesses to recover, build back and create more jobs as part of the economic recovery plan. “Many businesses moved online quickly when the pandemic hit, undergoing a decade of

change in months, finding new customers or new ways of doing things,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our Job Maker Digital Business Plan provides significant backing to continue that digital push and expand opportunities for businesses to grow and create more jobs.

“The Plan supports Australia’s economic recovery by removing outdated regulatory barriers, boosting the capability of small businesses and backs the uptake of technology across the economy.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government is investing in Australia’s digital economy to keep businesses and Australians in jobs as part of the economic recovery plan.

Harris Park brawl: Accused to enter Poet and writer Rekha plea in court on separate days Rajvanshi gets Dr Sarojini Sydney, October 7: Of the three men arrested in connection with the Harris Park brawl in August, who were scheduled to appear in court on October 7 after being granted conditional bail, two of the accused have been given court dates later this month to appear before a magistrate and enter their plea.

The two accused are now expected to appear before a magistrate on different dates, one of them on 21 October and the other on 28 October. It has been confirmed that, although unusual in such a case, they will be appearing on different dates.

Baljinder Singh Thukral has been

accused of allegedly threatening or inciting violence on grounds of religion (Section 93Z of the Crimes Act), using a carriage service (his mobile phone) to cause menace, and affray (unlawful violence which could cause others present to fear their safety).

The second accused, Manhar Singh, has been accused of allegedly driving in a dangerous manner and of common assault.

If the two men plead not guilty, it is expected that the case will be further delayed, with court proceedings to take place accordingly.

The third accused, Avon Kanwal, appeared in court on 7 October.

He pled not guilty to charges of allegedly using a carriage service to cause menace or harass.

Kanwal is set to appear in court next on 18 November.

Although Singh and Thukral were apprehended in a swift manner after the brawl, Kanwal was arrested two weeks after the incident.

Since the incident, there has already been an outcry by the Indian community on social media who condemned the incident and demanded that the miscreants be brought to justice.

A budget for multicultural Australia, says PM Sydney, October 7: Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the 2020 Budget is very much a budget for multicultural Australia because it recognises the enterprise of multicultural communities.

Morrison said a lot of measures in the Budget have been introduced to support multicultural communities and citizens who are more likely to start a business.

“They’re more likely to own a business. They’re more likely to employ other Australians. And we’ve seen that across so many different communities. On the social side, there are important things we’re doing to maintain the social cohesion as we keep our country together,” he said addressing the multicultural

ethnic media at an online media conference on October 7 morning.

Ethnic communities have always “demonstrated a level of entrepreneurialism, a level of commitment and a work ethic that will see them best able I think, to take advantage of these opportunities,” Morrison said.

“Australia’s immigrant story is not just about more people creating more demand. It’s about bringing our entrepreneurial spirit to Australia and an entrepreneurial spirit that will see these incentives to employ people to invest and to grow their businesses at a time when others might choose to stand back,” the Prime Minister further said.

Without giving a definite date, Morrison said the country’s borders will eventually be lifted when the government is in a position to do so.

Given there will be vacancies in the program that will ordinarily go to other visa classes, he said the government is creating another 30,000 places in the partner program this year.

However, that is a temporary scenario, he said. “Once we can get more flexible and effective quarantine arrangements in place, then we’ll see what opportunities open up for us.

Of course, we know that the reduced migration intake will have an impact on the Australian economy.

Indian researcher decoding diabetes in Australia Sydney, October 5: Currently, there are about 600,000 Indian migrants in Australia and there is higher prevalence of Diabetes and hospitalization due to its complications among Indian born migrants. Although there are a number of studies done in India, Akram Ahmad realised that there is no such data for Indian

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migrants in Australia.

Akram Ahmad, PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney.

Akram, 32, who hails from UP (India). He has earlier worked as an assistant professor at Teerthankar Mahaveer University, Moradabad (UP) and then as a lecturer at UCSI University,

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His educational and professional background is in pharmacy, not a very common subject to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in. Dr Ahmad, who is one of the most cited researchers, is now studying ways to optimise medication taking in Indian migrants with Type-2 Diabetes.

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Naidu Award Sydney, October 4: Sydney’s own poet and writer Rekha Rajvanshi’s work was recognized at the Global Literary Festival the week before on September 18. She received the prestigious Dr Sarojini Naidu International Award for women 2020, for her contribution to literature in Australia.

Global Literary Festival is organized annually by the Asian Academy of Arts in association with International Women’s Film Forum, Asian Academy of Film and TV and Marwah Studios.

Talented women from around the world are nominated for these annual awards.

The 4th edition of this prestigious award was named after India’s great freedom fighter, national leader and poet Dr Sarojini Naidu (1879 – 1949), also known as ‘Nightingale of India’. Sandeep Marwah – founder, president and the chancellor of AAFT University and the president of the International Chamber of Media and Entertainment industry presented these awards.

Fifteen women were honoured internationally and several other eminent women were recognized nationally. This year, the award ceremony was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Rekha Rajvanshi has been making a significant contribution in the field of literature and arts in Australia for the past 20 years.

Rekha has authored and edited eight books. She is also an accredited translator and was awarded Australia’s prestigious AUSIT Award for translating Aboriginal Dreamtime stories from English into Hindi. A strong supporter of languages, Rekha has taught Hindi at various levels in Australia. From young children to adults at CCE Sydney University, Rekha has taught a range of

Rekha Rajvanshi students. She has also scripted and directed a few Hindi dramas.

Rekha has also been honoured by various organizations in Australia and India. She was invited to attend Sahitya Academy’s IORA poetry festival- WAVES in 2014 and ‘Vishwarang’ Tagore International Festival of Arts and Literature Bhopal in 2019.

To promote literature, languages and arts in Australia, Rekha founded Indian Literary and Art Society of Australia Inc. (ILASA) in 2010. ILASA has been hosting cultural programs in collaboration with the Consulate General of India and Indian High Commission of Sydney.

Through her society, Rekha has provided a wonderful platform for writers and budding poets to meet and exchange ideas. Eminent international writers have addressed ILASA’s gatherings and participated in the Kavisammelans, seminars and art exhibitions in Sydney. ILASA is expanding to other states in Australia and has coordinators in most of the major cities of Australia.

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WORLD

Pakistan, China constructing PM of Pakistan occupied J&K booked for conspiring against nation new missile sites in PoK Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan had said recently that Nawaz Sharif was playing a “dangerous game” by levelling allegations of political interference against the Pakistan Army. He also claimed that India was helping the PML-N leader.

PM of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Haider Khan Islamabad/New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): The Prime Minister of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), Farooq Haider Khan, has been booked in Lahore for “conspiring” against Pakistan by listening to his party leader Nawaz Sharif’s recent online speech, in which he criticised the Pakistan Army.

Sources in Islamabad told IANS that a case was registered on October 5 against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, Farooq Haider Khan and other party leaders at the Shahdara police station in Lahore for “conspiring” against Pakistan and the army.

The FIR was registered under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code related to cyberterrorism, criminal conspiracy to wage war against Pakistan, condemnation of the creation of Pakistan, advocacy of the abolishment of its sovereignty, sedition and promotion of enmity between different groups.

The others who have been booked for participating in the PML-N’s

central executive committee and central working committee meetings recently include Maryam Nawaz, Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Pervez Rashid, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Ataullah Tarar.

According to the Dawn, the FIR stated, “Instead of availing medical treatment in London, Nawaz is carrying out a planned conspiracy to defame the country and its institutions by making inflammatory speeches.”

It alleges that in the speeches made on September 20 and October 1, the former premier supported the policies of neighbouring India so that Pakistan would continue to remain on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) ‘grey list’, the newspaper said.

“The main purpose of Nawaz’s speeches is to isolate Pakistan in front of the international community and to declare it a rogue state,” the FIR said, adding that Nawaz Sharif was doing this to help his “friend” and Indian

Mumbai, October 5 (IANS): Newlyappointed Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai, Zakia Wardak, the first woman to hold the post, paid a courtesy call on Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, officials said here on October 5.

While promising to promote the Chabahar Port route, which is directly linked with Nhava-Sheva Port in Mumbai and Kandla Port in Gujarat, she said certain regulatory hurdles prevent the optimum utilisation of the Chabahar Port.

Expressing her keenness to promote bilateral business relations, Wardak said trade between the two nations can grow significantly with the opening of the Chabahar Port in Iran - located to the south of land-locked Afghanistan.

Koshyari assured that he would use his good offices with India’s Ministry of External Affairs to resolve the bilateral problems and boost trade between the two countries.

Wardak expressed her gratitude to India for help in constructing

In a significant multiparty virtual conference held in Islamabad on September 20, Nawaz Sharif, speaking from London, had hit out at the army, accusing it of installing Imran Khan’s incompetent government, wrecking Pakistan’s economy and foreign relations, censoring the media and indulging in massive corruption.

He had said that it is very important that Pakistan’s armed forces stay away from the governmental system according to the country’s Constitution and founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision, and not interfere with the people’s choice.

“We have made this country a joke in our own eyes and internationally as well,” Sharif had said.

The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was deposed and jailed in a corruption case in Pakistan, has been in the UK for medical treatment since November last year.

The conference was attended

by Pakistan’s main opposition parties, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) headed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): Pakistan is setting up surfaceto-air missile sites with the help of China in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), officials with the knowledge of the matter said on condition of anonymity.

The Chinese and Pakistan armies are reconnoitering the areas along the disputed India-Pakistan border to set up additional military infrastructure.

Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, had said on October 5 that Pakistan and China have increased their bilateral exercises in the recent past.

“There is nothing to suggest collusive threat,” he said on October 5 during an annual press conference in Delhi and added that India is keeping a close watch.

The Indian military has for long flagged the threat of two-front war. With the disputed borders with China and Pakistan active at the same point of time, the armed forces are stretched to the maximum.

A top Indian official said, “Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops were also seen in joint reconnaissance in forward areas at Deolian and Jura in PoK along with Pakistan’s 12

infantry brigade as well as the Minimarg-based forces under Force Commander Northern Areas (FCNA), the division size formation of the Pakistan Army.”

The official said that construction work for installation of surfaceto-air missile defence system is being carried out by the Pakistan Army and the PLA at Pauli Pir near Lasadanna Dhok in PoK. “Approximately 120 Pakistan Army personnel and 25 to 40 civilians are working on the construction site,” said the source, adding that the control room for the system will be located at the headquarters of PoK. “Ten PLA troops, including three officers, will be deployed at the control room,” the source said.

“Similar constructions have also been reported at Chinar village and Chakothi village in Hattian Bala district of PoK,” the source said.

It was further noticed that a road is being constructed by engineers from China from Jaglot to Gauri Kot and is likely to be extended till Gultari.

The PLA troops were also observed in general areas of Jaglot with the Minimarg-based 80 infantry brigade of the FCNA.

Afghanistan’s first woman Consul General in Mumbai keen to promote trade with India

A religious hardliner, Rehman had held the opposition parties responsible for allowing the Imran Khan government to survive and urged them to “take concrete decisions”. the new parliament building in Afghanistan and providing academic scholarships to a large number of students from that country.

Pointing out that she had “grown up in the midst of Indians, especially Sikhs”, in Afghanistan, Wardak said there are “no differences between the people of the two countries”.

Moreover, she complimented Bollywood films for doing a good job of promoting Hindi language which is understood by many in Afghanistan.

Zakia Wardak, Afghanistan’s Consul General with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari Brought together by Bollywood and cricket, India and Afghanistan share traditionally warm and friendly relations in different spheres. India has built around 200 schools there, awards 1,000 scholarships and hosts over 16,000 students here.

In a major highlight in 2016, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had jointly inaugurated the Salma Dam, a hydroelectric and irrigation project, renamed as the Afghan-India Friendship Dam.

Indian Navy conducts separate exercises with Russia, ‘Quad’ countries New Delhi, September 30 (IANS): The Indian Navy has conducted exercises with Russia and ‘Quad’ countries - an informal security forum comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia - in a message to China on getting a wider footprint in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Indo-Pacific region is seen from the west coast of India to the US.

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The Indian Navy carried out a three-day bilateral maritime exercise with Japan in the north Arabian Sea from September 26 to September 28. It was the fourth edition of India-Japan Maritime bilateral exercise JIMEX, which is conducted biennially. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in October 2018 off Visakhapatnam in India.

Naval cooperation between India

and Japan has increased in scope and complexity over the years.

Advanced level of operations and exercises took place during three days. It is indicative of the continued upswing in IndoJapanese defence relations and continued efforts by both governments to work closely for a more secure, open and inclusive global commons, in accordance with international regulations.

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The helicopter carrier of Japan JS Kaga took part in the recent exercise. The Kaga and its sister ship the Izumo are being converted into aircraft carriers that will carry US-built maritime planes, the F35-B. India, Japan, China and South Korea are the countries now involved in what is seen in strategic circles as the Asian carrier race.

Navy carried out passage exercise in the East Indian Ocean Region from September 23 to September 24. The exercise involved participation of HMAS Hobart from the Australian side and Indian naval ships Sahyadri and Karmuk. In addition, an Indian maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters from both sides carried out coordinated exercise.

The Australian Navy and Indian

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Debate organisers mull format changes after Trump-Biden spat

Biden and Trump during the first presidential debate Washington, October 1 (IANS): The organisers of the US presidential debates have said that they are mulling changes to the format in an effort to ensure that the remaining two encounters between President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden are less chaotic, media reports said.

In a statement issued recently, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) said, “The Commission on Presidential Debates sponsors televised debates for the benefit of the American electorate. Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.”

The CPD further said that it was “carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures

shortly”, without elaborating further.

During their first 90-minute presidential debate on the night of September 29 which took a chaotic turn, insults such as “clown”, “liar”, “just shush for a minute” and “keep yapping” took centre-stage as the two rivals tore into each other in the presence of Fox News anchor and moderator Chris Wallace.

The US President frequently interrupted and heckled Biden, ignoring repeated pleas from Wallace, for Trump to stick to his allotted time, CNN reported.

In its statement on September 30, the CPD said it was “grateful to Chris Wallace for the professionalism and skill he brought to last night’s debate”, adding that it “intends to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates”.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has already criticised the format change plans, the BBC reported.

On the night of September 30, the President’s campaign Communications Director Tim Murtaugh said, “They are only doing this because their guy got pummelled last night. President Trump was the dominant force and now Joe Biden is trying to work the refs. They shouldn’t be moving the goalposts and changing the rules in the middle of the game.”

On the contrary, Kate Bedingfield, Deputy Manager for Biden’s campaign, said the former Vice President would participate “under whatever set of rules the commission develops to try to contain Donald Trump’s behaviour”.

The next debate is scheduled to take place on October 15 in Miami.

Will deal with profiteer mafia myself: Imran Khan Islamabad, Oct 14 (IANS): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that he will deal with the profiteer mafia himself as the government came under extreme pressure amid high inflation, with the Opposition making it the main agenda for its anti-PTI campaign.

Qureshi, Senator Shibli Faraz, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Hammad Azhar, Fakhar Imam, Ali Amin Gandapur, Advisers Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Abdul Razak Dawood, Ishrat Hussain, Special Assistants Shahbaz Gill and Muhammad Usman attended the meeting.

According to ‘The News Report’, Khan made the statement on Tuesday while chairing a meeting in the federal capital on the prices of basic commodities, especially wheat and sugar, and also their availability.

Waqar Masood, SBP Governor Reza Baqir, senior officials, Punjab Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Punjab Industries Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal attended the meeting through video link.

The Prime Minister said he was personally monitoring the situation and strict action would be taken against hoarders and profiteers, Geo TV reported.

The availability of wheat in the country and the prices of wheat and flour in different provinces were reviewed and the schedule for the arrival of wheat imported by the government and the private sector was shared.

He said the government machinery would be activated for providing relief to the people.

While approving the proposed measures, he said, “All possible administrative steps would be taken to bring down the prices of basic necessities”.

Federal Minister Shah Mehmood

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A report on wheat and flour prices in different parts of the country from Tiger Force and independent sources was presented during the meeting.

A briefing was given on the administrative measures taken

WORLD

New York town installs Mahatma Gandhi’s statue as tribute

New York, October 7 (IANS): A town in New York has paid tribute to Gandhi’s global role promoting non-violence and peace by installing his bust even as memorials to the Mahatma have come under attack in some places in the US from radical groups.

Amherst received the message of peace embodied in the statue put up through community initiative on Gandhi Jayanti joining several places across the US that have statues honouring the Mahatma.

India’s Consul General in New York Randhir Jaiswal, State Assemblywoman Karen McMahon, county head Mark Poloncarz and Brian Kulpa, who is the equivalent of town mayor, jointly unveiled the bust.

The Council of Heritage and Arts of India (CHAI) spearheaded the effort for installing the bust sculpted by Ram Sutar, well known for his portrayals of Gandhi.

The organisation raised $40,000 for the statue, some of it through GoFundMe, the digital fundraising site.

CHAI Executive Director Sibu Nair told IANS he decided to bring the statue to Amherst because Gandhi’s undying ideology that transcends the physical is

important at a time when the US and the world are divided by hate and violence.

“I thought of taking a small step in our town by making a Gandhi monument” because, he said, “Gandhi is not just the name of a person but it’s an ideology or way of life which never dies. In the current world his message is very important. World is full of hate and violence.”

That message has a special resonance because Gandhi has been drawn into the hate and violence roiling the US and the addition of a statue in Amherst defies the attacks on his image.

Vandals took advantage of protests against brutality in Washington to deface Gandhi’s statues with personal hate messages in June.

Another statue of Gandhi was vandalised in Davies in California.

Petitions have been circulated by radicals and extremists to have the statues on Davies and in Fresno removed.

President Donald Trump’s spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany has denounced what she said were efforts by “radical left-wing mobs” to tear down statues of Gandhi and of American leaders like George Washington.

to ensure stable wheat prices and prevention of stockpiling, and a detailed system for making reliable estimates of supply and demand of basic commodities.

Measures to reduce price gaps between wholesalers and retailers, eliminating exploitation in the market and eliminating stockpiling, smuggling and speculation, as well as making the monitoring system more efficient were discussed. A briefing on new administrative measures was also given.

The meeting was apprised of the release of wheat by the Punjab government on a daily basis. It was told that the Sindh government would start releasing wheat between October 15 and 16.

It was decided that the amount of wheat released by the Punjab government daily would be increased so that ample supply is available in the market. A briefing was also given on sugar availability and imported sugar and its prices.

The meeting was informed that

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan imported sugar would be available to the people at lower rates than the current price. The meeting

was told that the crushing season will start from November 10 in Punjab.

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THE WORLD THIS WEEK

Contributed by National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru*

By Vivek Mishra, Shreya Sinha, Sourina Bej, Rashmi Ramesh and Harini Madhusudan

Chaotic first US Presidential debate

France: New bill to prevent Islamic separatism

On 29 September, President Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden had a heated exchange on the first of three Presidential Debates in Cleveland, Ohio, where they squared off on several topics.

The debate touched upon various issues which are igniting the Presidential race, including the vacant Supreme Court seat, COVID-19, the ongoing protests against racial inequality, healthcare, climate change and mail-in ballots. This was the first of the three debates scheduled ahead of the US elections on 3 November 2020. The debate was chaotic and was criticized the world over. The moderator of the debate, Chris Wallace of the Fox News, was seen struggling to control the debate which was largely full of interruptions from President Trump. Joe Biden has asked the Commission on Presidential Debates to find a way to control the number of interruptions at future debates, and said the way Trump conducted himself at the debate was a “national embarrassment”.

On 2 October 2020, President Emmanuel Macron introduced a bill to defend France’s secular values against what he called Islamic separatism, with the view that the religion is under threat from across the globe. He proclaims that the bill intends to free Islam from any foreign influences in order to rein in the influence of radical Islam in the country and help develop what he called an ‘Islam of France’ compatible with the nation’s republican values.

What happened?

The most noticeable and discussed line coming out of the debate has been Joe Biden’s rather frustrating retort to Trump’s constant hectoring and interruptions, “Will you shut up, man?”. An estimated 73 million viewers followed the first Presidential debate.

What does it mean?

The United States Commission on Presidential Debates has said it would make changes to the debate format after the first debate proved to be chaotic and full of interruptions. This has given rise to a debate within the United States Commission on Presidential Debates on the possible move to gag candidates.

The Republican Party has criticized the prospective move, even as Trump has claimed to have won the first debate.

However, Biden has been ahead of Trump in most national polls since the start of the year and is currently leading in major battleground states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where the Republicans won in 2016.

The next Presidential debate is expected to take place on 15 October in Miami, followed by 22 October 2020. The next debate is a town hall format where real voters are going to have the chance to engage the candidate.

However, uncertainties remain after the President tested positive for the Coronavirus.

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What happened?

In a long-awaited speech on the subject, President Macron also said that the negative influence of Islamism must be eradicated from all public institutions, in a drive to push religion out of the public education and employment sector in France. The measures also include placing stringent limits on home-schooling and increasing the scrutiny of religious schools and at the same time, making all organizations that solicit public funds sign a ‘Charter of Secularism’. While these measures would apply to all communities, they are intended to counter the extremist elements from those who identify themselves as Muslims. He further stated that these measures were important in the context of improving the ability of the French citizens to live together, while eradicating the ill-effects of Islamism, amid the fears of terrorist attacks the country has faced in the recent years.

What does it mean?

Although the law permits people to belong to any faith of their choosing, it would prohibit the outward displays of religious affiliation in public affairs and places of education, in addition to the already banned practice of wearing a hijab. This has created a serious backlash among the Muslim activists as they believe that Macron’s views come across as emboldening the farright, anti-Muslim leftists and threatening the lives of Muslim students by calling for drastic limits on home-schooling despite a global pandemic.

While France is re-evaluating its relationship with its Muslim minority, the largest in Europe, the members of the Muslim community have consistently denounced these acts, describing them as going against the precepts of their religion. A wide majority of Muslims believe that such a law would take away their right to normality and practising their faith without pressure. Macron’s speech addresses a deep-rooted

problem of the French society: its enduring difficulty to integrate the minority communities at large, particularly the Muslim population of immigrants and their descendants. This is likely to further contribute to the existing inequalities and discrimination among the French public, also leading to radicalization and sociological as well as ideological depreciation at the extreme.

Also in the News

Australia and NZ to open their borders partially On 2 October, Australia and New Zealand announced a partial opening of borders to allow travel between the two countries.

Passengers will be able to fly to the Australian cities of Sydney and Darwin without going into quarantine from October 16 if they have spent at least two weeks in parts of New Zealand that are not considered to be a COVID-19 hot spot, and New Zealand will continue to insist on travellers from Australia going into hotel quarantine for two weeks after arrival.

Amnesty International pauses operations in India On 29 September, the Amnesty International closed its operations in India, following the government freezing its bank accounts, bringing its operations to a grounding halt.

WORLD THIS WEEK

edition of the naval exercise JIMEX-20. The primary focus of the exercise was ensuring a high degree of interoperability and joint operational skills through “multi-faceted tactical exercises involving weapon firings, crossdeck helicopter operations and complex surface, anti-submarine and air warfare drills.” JIMEX-20 is the first naval exercise after both countries signed a mutual logistics support agreement in early September.

seen accusing the Holy See of putting its “moral authority” at risk if it renewed an agreement with China on the appointment of bishops. According to the Vatican Secretary of State, the Vatican “asserts (the right to move forward) with a choice that has been thought through, reflected on, prayed over, a choice the pope has made, therefore the freedom to move forward.”

Armenia calls for ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

On 2 October, President Trump tested positive for COVID-19.

The White House stated that the President would continue to work, even as they go into quarantine.

On 2 October, Armenia stated that it was ready to engage with the Organisation for Security and

US President tests positive for COVID-19

Democratic candidate for President of US, Joe Biden and US President, Donald Trump Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to re-establish a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia said it was ready to engage with France, Russia, and the United States “to re-establish a ceasefire regime.” The statement comes a day after the three countries called for an immediate ceasefire in Karabakh. According to reports, nearly 200 have been killed, including more than 30 civilians.

Pompeo urges Vatican not to renew China accord On 1 October, Pompeo met Vatican’s Secretary of State and the Foreign Minister, a visit that seems to have irritated the Vatican over the extension of the China accord. Pompeo was

Due to his appearance alongside Trump, Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden was subjected to the COVID-19 test, and he tested negative. With elections in November, Trump’s quarantine is set to pose further obstacles to the campaign plan.

About the Authors: Dr Vivek Mishra is Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi; Harini Madhusudan and Rashmi BR, PhD Scholars, NIAS; Shreya Sinha PhD Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Sourina Bej, Project Associate, NIAS. *The report has been modified

by India News due to space considerations.

The Amnesty International has accused the government of muzzling its voice for raising concerns over Kashmir, treatment of minorities and the Citizenship Amendment Act. New Delhi issued a statement explaining the need for NGOs to adhere to laws of the host country, particularly with respect to foreign funding and their sources. However, the decision has been criticized by the human rights organizations across the world, the European Union, the US Congress, and the United Kingdom.

India-Japan Naval exercise in the Arabian Sea During 27-29 September, the two Navies of India and Japan participated in the fourth

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French President, Emmanuel Macron

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MAKE IN INDIA

Make in India: Emerging 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).

OIL and GAS World’s fastest-growing energy market India is the 3rd largest energy and oil consumer in the world after China and the US and also the 4th largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

India consumed 213.2 MMT petroleum products and 60,747 MMSCM natural gas. The import dependency of crude oil and LNG during 2018 was 82.59% and 45.89%, respectively. During 2018, petroleum import bill was $ 112 billion, a growth of 27% over $ 88 bn during 2017 - 18, and 23.42% of total gross import of the nation.

India’s projected oil demand is going to grow at CAGR of 4% during 2016 - 2030 against the world average of 1%, though the projected oil demand will be much lower as compared to the US and China.

• 230 billion-barrel O+OEG conventional hydrocarbons in over 3 million sq.km area, spread over 26 sedimentary basins, is available for investors • India aims to reduce oil and gas imports dependence by 10% by 2022 • The demand for petroleum products is estimated to reach 244.960 MT by 2021-22 at a CAGR of 10% • The total number of fuel retail outlets increased from 18,848 (2002) to 64,624 (2019) at a CAGR of 7.5%. State-owned marketing companies are planning to add 78,000 new fuel retail outlets.

• Present share of natural gas in the energy mix of the country is 6%. The aim is to increase it to 15% by 2030 • 12 Biofuel refineries are planned to be opened with an investment of $1.5 billion • India is the 2nd largest consumer of Biogas with 5000 CBG plants to be opened by 2023 under the SATAT scheme • Ethanol blending in petrol will grow from 5% to 20% by 2030 in India 100% FDI allowed in exploration activities of oil and natural gas

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fields under automatic route 49% FDI allowed in petroleum refining by the Public Sector Undertakings (PSU), without any disinvestment or dilution of domestic equity in the existing PSUs under automatic route

Industry Scenario

India has emerged as a refinery hub.

India’s current refining capacity stands at 249 MMTPA, comprising 23 refineries—18 under public sector, 3 under private sector and 2 in a joint venture. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is the largest domestic refiner with a capacity of 80.7 MMTPA. Top three companies – IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Reliance Industries (RIL) contribute around 66.7% of India’s total refining production from FY 2018 - 19.

May 1, 2018. A total of 25 states have achieved 100% household electrification. The ministry of power in 2018-19 had setup an electricity generation target of 1,265 Billion Units (BU). The actual generation (1,249.337 BU) represented an achievement of 98.76% and a growth of about 3.57% from 2017.

to support 100% household electrification.

100% FDI is allowed in the Power sector for generation from all sources (except atomic energy), transmission and distribution of electric energy and Power Trading under the automatic route

India jumps 115 positions to 22nd (2019) from 137th (2014) on World Bank’s Ease of doing business - ‘Getting Electricity’ ranking.

Moreover, India’s power sector is

49% FDI allowed in Power Exchanges registered under the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Power Market) Regulations, 2010 under automatic route.

forecasted to attract investments worth $128.24-135.37 billion between FY19-23.

Industry Scenario

generation of 1250.784 BU for the previous year (2019-20). This target comprises 1138.533 BU thermal; 140.357 BU hydro; 43.880 nuclear; and 7.230 BU import from Bhutan.

Indian power sector is undergoing a significant change that has redefined the industry outlook. Sustained economic growth continues to drive electricity demand in India. The government of India’s focus on attaining ‘Power for all’ has accelerated capacity addition in

At present about 16,788 km natural gas pipeline is operational and about 12,672 km gas pipelines are under development.

India has witnessed a steady increase in production as well as consumption of petroleum products over the years. The production of petroleum products stood at 243.5 MMT during 2016-17 to 262.3 MMT in 2018-19.

Cumulative crude oil production during April-August, 2020 was 12,886.26 TMT. Natural Gas production for the month of April 2020 was 2155 MMSCM as against production target of 2551 MMSCM, showing an achievement of 84.48%.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply is forging ahead on both coasts, with 8 new R-LNG terminals (4 on the west and 4 on the east coast) coming up.

Together with the six existing terminals, overall capacity will reach 74 MMTPA.

THERMAL POWER Stepping up to endless opportunities The government has electrified all unelectrified villages on April 28, 2018 ahead of the deadline

As per the latest key world energy statistics published by the IEA in 2019, India is the 3rd largest producer of electricity in the world and it ranks 106th in terms of per capita consumption in 2017.

Under the scheme Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), with a total Scheme Outlay of $10.21 billion (DDUGJY: $5.79 billion and RE Component: $4.42 billion), projects with total cost of $5.85 billion have been sanctioned in 32 States/UTs. Besides above, additional amount of $1.92 billion has been sanctioned for creation of additional infrastructure

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Highest ever conventional power capacity addition in last three years As of July 2020, India has a total Thermal installed capacity of 231.45 GW. Almost 86% of the thermal power is obtained from coal and the rest from lignite, diesel and gas.

The private sector generates 46.9% of India’s thermal power whereas states and Centre generate 27.9% and 25.3%, respectively. The electricity generation target of conventional sources for the year 2020-21 has been fixed as 1330 Billion Unit (BU). i.e. growth of around 6.33% over actual conventional

the country.

Under the One Nation One Grid • The Transmission Line Capacity has increased to 4,25,071 cKm during FY 2019-20 as compared to 4,13,407 cKm during FY 2018-19 • The addition of Transformation Capacity was 9,67,893 MVA during FY 2019-20 as compared to 8,99,663 MVA during FY 2018-19 • The Inter-Regional Transmission Capacity Addition was 1,02,050 MW during FY 201920 as compared to 99,050 MW during FY 2018-19 Source: INVEST INDIA, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India

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EDITORIAL

Australia and ASEAN: India in Quad: Breaching China’s A relationship with a oceanic cordon sanitaire promising future Dr. Raviprasad Narayanan

Australia and ASEAN’s commitment has revolutionised the standard for international trade and business within the Indo-Pacific region. By understanding the history and relationship between the two parties, the common barriers to trade and economic relationship and the strategies presented to challenge these barriers, this partnership will improve the business and trade relationship of the region.

According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the country’s position and reputation within the ranks of the global economy has established it as a relatively open, trade-exposed economy, defining the changes from other international parties for importation of Australia’s goods and services which has significant implications for the country’s economy. The growing need for international trade has accelerated growth and opportunities for Australian businesses and attracted the resources and attention of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

With an expanding population of over 637 million, Australia and ASEAN are always working together to address and challenge regional issues regarding the improvement of international trade and economics. To help improve the relations between Australia and ASEAN, companies should grasp the skills and talent required to assess the risks and benefits

legal and regulatory framework.

Unexpected regulatory changes can pose a risk to some ASEAN markets. Being mindful of governance in some ASEAN countries, where the impact of corruption poses a challenge, it is being highly recommended that Australian businesses be aware of anti-bribery laws to avoid Australian businesses and individuals from being prosecuted for committing bribery overseas. Additionally, the likelihood of financial risks when associated with upcoming economies can be avoided through planning for these risks by considering the costs and restrictions for ASEAN and Australian markets.

The quadrilateral comprising Australia, India, Japan and the United States is a multilateral ‘experience’ initiating freshness to global security, with China being the main concern. The rise of China in exponential terms, has encouraged the quadrilateral to coalesce and work out common methodologies on security issues.

These issues primarily stem from the South China Sea becoming an arena where Beijing has not ruled out the ‘use of force’ to script an oceanic cordon sanitaire with existing international maritime law protocols being consigned to history.

Across the ASEAN-Australia region, poverty is declining rapidly with businesses needing to pay attention to development and logistical challenges by considering factors such as electricity, water and transport infrastructure in various regional areas and discussing the availability of qualified personnel, local labour laws and local and national governments to handle such issues. Within the Indo-Pacific region, there are several states currently involved in territorial disputes with several ASEAN states facing internal security challenges.

That is why Australian businesses should consider the political instability and security risks by assessing the political situation of the region’s countries along with the risks

The framework of the quadrilateral is of four wellestablished democracies wanting to pool resources and manpower against a single party state where the Communist Party of China (CPC) controls everything – politics, economy, society and foreign policy. Initiation of an alternate framework of financial structures complemented by the vision of weltanschauung (world view) run into established structures where three of the four members of the quadrilateral are heavyweights. The fourth member, India, is perhaps the most zealous in the quadrilateral

Courtesy The Australian

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo with Indian External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar

associated with markets within a diverse region.

To achieve the best possible outcomes for both parties, businesses should inform themselves of regulatory developments so that each ASEAN country has its own

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associated with business activities and take cautious action. ASEAN and Australian markets should put forth an attention to detail mindset and be flexible in their involvement and dealings with individual countries within the region.

to raise China as being a central ‘spoiler’ needing collective redressal. Recent tensions between China and India have drawn global attention to the two nuclear powers in a situation where retreat by one side is gloated by the other as a defeat inflicted.

The emergence of China as a determinant globally, especially East Asia, puzzles, frustrates and encourages the quadrilateral to construct the wherewithal to defang the aggressive intent of China in matters pertaining to security as also the manipulation of existing economic

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arrangements to expand global influence. The ministerial meeting held in Tokyo in early October 2020, was a strong indication of Asia-Pacific security being the focus of attention and speculation on whether an Asian NATO is being planned. The meeting in Tokyo did not allege or accuse China by name, yet, it is that country which is responsible for the quadrilateral to be convened.

In all the members of the quadrilateral, domestic issues play a role in how foreign policy is conducted. The United States is most concerned about the Asia-Pacific going the way of Beijing through economic and financial allurements. Sanctions on bilateral trade with China by the Donald Trump administration owe their origin to campaign promises made at home to create jobs lost and to recreate manufacturing as economic hub.

To Japan, the looming presence of China in economic and strategic terms has eroded post-war buzz

India, on the other hand, have growing trade deficits with China.

In 2017, trade deficit with China was USD 275.8 and India was USD 52 billion. Washington and New Delhi have synchronised ‘economic strangulation’ by China as decisive in bridging erstwhile hesitancies and adopting realpolitik to counter China.

Seminal to India’s active participation in the quadrilateral are embedded issues with strong domestic variables. First, China’s annual trade surplus has stymied domestic economic manufacturing succumbing to cheaper imports from China.

Second, the methodology adopted by China in forcefully expanding its geographical space, violating bilateral compacts and understandings since long, have not found a quiescent New Delhi. Third, China’s stitching together an opposition against India in South Asia has not been ignored in New Delhi, wanting to checkmate China in its illusory fancies of being the central

“New Delhi is crafting a new foreign policy where being an active member of quadrilateral attracts financial capital to India along with deeper security engagements, especially in the maritime realm” making Japanese economy a precursor to produce consumer goods adopting a supply chain mechanism, replicated by others, including China. Beyond its economic success, Japan has created structural institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which, though based in Philippines, is run by Japanese financial largesse. China’s creating a financial architecture with New Development Bank (NDB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund, pose existential nightmares to established multilateral financial institutions, beginning with ADB. Australia, finds China difficult to decipher owing to its growing interference and influence and greed for resources like iron ore, gas and coal that comprise a significant part of their bilateral trade. To India, China is a threat – security primarily. The quadrilateral is an insurance policy against adventurism favoured by Beijing and will act as deterrent enabling sequestering China in its global schema of emerging as the central axis.

Not surprisingly, economics as a determinant plays a significant role in the quadrilateral. For Australia, its largest bilateral trading partner is China with 2019 revealing USD 219 billion plus in trade with trade surplus favouring Canberra. For Tokyo, China is its second largest trading partner and Tokyo’s trade surplus with China (USD 28.6 billion / 2017) is half of Australia’s (USD 53.6 billion / 2017). The United States and

pole in global affairs. Fourth, China has not taken kindly to India ignoring the ‘One Belt One Road’ and ‘Maritime Silk Road Initiative’ that creates a China centric order. Fifth, and most importantly, New Delhi is expressing its international stature by announcing its tradition of being a successful multi-party democracy, abiding by international norms and never expanding territory, instigating civil strife or giving shelter to secessionists. New Delhi is crafting a new foreign policy where being an active member of quadrilateral attracts financial capital to India along with deeper security engagements especially in the maritime realm. To China, the quadrilateral, if a success, would derail China’s plans to control and dominate global trade from South China Sea to the entire Indian Ocean. The latter is where India has interests in maintaining extremely close relations with Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and Madagascar. These island countries have been paid lavish attention by Beijing with even respective domestic politics being influenced.

The quadrilateral is hence, India’s departure from the past and making a future more secure, for itself and the world from shenanigans featuring Chinese characteristics.

Dr Raviprasad Narayanan is an Associate Professor, at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He can be reached at raviprasad. narayanan@gmail.com

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

Are we living in a post-Covid surreal world?

Abhishek Chaturvedi ‘Covid-19 + governance chaos turbo charges digital revolution Monopolistic missions of powerful shangrens of Guangdong, influential billionaires of California, Moscow or Mumbai—who fund favourable political lobbies—are getting turbocharged. This quid pro quo is propelling a virtual megabubble. Oblivious of people’s desperation, it may implode soon under global societal fault-lines or by a furious band of ‘ethical’ hackers. Digital revolution was always in the offing, so was IR 4.0 (Fourth Industrial Revolution) riding on artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and algorithms, turning shop-floors dark and drone-mode, making smart cities smarter and life all virtual. The Covid-19 has been just the perfect governance and socio-economic chaos, creating space for a predatory virtual pillage, a freefor-all laissez faire. Business data during the pandemic reveals how fortunes of leading billionaires have been skyrocketing, even as that of 99% of humanity has tanked.

In US alone, billionaires saw their net worth increase by half a trillion dollars. The vast fortunes of America’s 643 billionaires have soared by an average of 29% since the start of the pandemic. It’s been a mighty unabated killing spree. Jeff Bezos’ (Amazon) personal fortune has already soared by 65%, Elon Musk’s (Tesla) by 274% and Mark Zuckerberg’s (Facebook) by 84%. Similar billionaire bonanza stories are all

across—Canada, Europe, China or India.

And let’s not forget, the gains made by them have come at a time when most governments are busy combating the goliath at home; judiciary and jurisprudence grossly hampered.

Sadly, the soaring fortunes are at the expense of the working class, especially those in frontline jobs, delivery boys risking their lives in the pandemic.

IR 4.0 brings back the ‘big business’ ‘Big business’ first set sail on steam (IR 1.0) in mid-19th century, in IR 2.0 it rode on automotive and large-scale oil production in early 20th. Later in 3.0, it boomed on electronics and IT; and it’s turbocharged now in IR 4.0 on digital.

A sine qua non, ‘small’ isn’t beautiful in this format and must make way, fall in line or perish, even if that’s the majority! Irrespective of the IR, it’s controlled by oligopolistic biggies, the primary sellers—rest buyers and producers—fiercely lobbying against any government interference or regulation.

Entertainment = smart The ‘Big Business’ digital platforms are the new onestop-shop for everything.

Office, business, food, education, healthcare, device, entertainment, media or banking—they own it all. They are the new self-styled ‘censors’ too. Let’s take entertainment.

AV’s being shifted in a big way— virtual, app-driven over-the-top

(OTT). No holds barred, it’s all one-way bank account-linked.

The lockdown has turned them as the masters of new global entertainment. Creativity and content is redefined with some binge watching and hair-raising abstract genres. A big business already, higher the viewership and sign-ups—especially of those labeled under ‘18+’, ‘violence, sex, nudity, abusive language’—more the money for ‘new seasons’. But, that’s not exactly the problem and let’s not be judgmental about the ‘moral’ codes. The Big business has invested leaving the addicted craving for more.

World on edge, conflict is imminent The UN has cautioned on the old faultiness, apparently splitting wide open yet again especially in the Middle East, Central and Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin American countries. Covid-19 has hastened up years of cold war build-up like scenario between the US and China into a tangible reality with both locking horns on every economic or geo-political issue. While none can afford a war, countries like China are mounting pressure in the Pacific Rim and around its hill-locked borders, especially with India.

Consequently, the US, Japan, India and Australia’s defence quad has taken precedence over multi-country business interests vide Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) or BRICS. Falling incomes, savings and mounting debts for most countries, businesses and people are accelerating the downward

spiral and a zooming debt crisis.

It’s a matter of time before Covid-19’s economic stress breaks open the globe with newer fault lines and conflicts.

The social consequences of the concentration of economic power in the hands of those controlling ‘big businesses ’is one of grave concern. Past researches have often revealed predatory effects upon labour, consumers, and investors, prices and competition.

Accusations range from a wide variety of crimes like abuse of the working class to the corruption of politicians and fomenting of wars. Resultant commotions have pushed majorities to the brink, ushered in long-lasting anarchies, scams and led populist regimes to power. And by the time social upheavals pressurize governments to recast laws and policies around tax, trade, environment and labour, a massive damage has already been done.

Way forward It’s time to trash old vanilla flavoured B-School thinking or yes-Prime Minister laced bureaucrat manufacturing academies to more people and grassroots centric design thinking—Emphasize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test,

China’s military game-plan to dominate the Indo-Pacific Dr. Rajiv Nayan Missiles are in news again. The new developments in missile technology are apparently threatening to start a new arms race, and thereby heralding a new missile age in the world. Recently, a London-based think-tank in collaboration with a European government organised a webinar in which global experts and officials participated. This was the second such meeting on missiles which focused on the Asia-Pacific, while the first one discussed the European theatre.

At both the meetings, the hypersonic missile or vehicle emerged as a major threat or challenge for regional powers and international regimes.

Cruise missiles have also figured prominently in both the Asian and European meetings.

In both instances, the role of Ballistic Missile Development for regional stability emerged as key discussion point. Besides, for many countries, even the unregulated Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) proliferation and development is gradually becoming a major area of concern.

Fluid security situation in Asia For a variety of reasons, the

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current century projected as the Asian century is witnessing a fluid security situation in Asia, away from the European theatre which once used to be the epicentre of the cold war rivalry between Soviet Union and the United States. The new Asian security situation is being closely monitored globally, trigged by concerns emanating from the phenomenal rise of China as an assertive world power.

Security analysts and the international community have legitimate reasons to be worried about the new missile developments and deployments, complicating an already precarious geopolitical situation in the region. Now here comes the question: is the ‘new missile age’ the real game changer in Asia or the Indo-Pacific, particularly?

The answer is complex. It can be argued that it is not an alarming situation yet, but it certainly portends to be a game changer.

Unlike in Europe, the lapsing arms control treaties, especially Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, has not triggered so much concern in Asia. But ramifications of the unravelling of the treaties are featuring prominently at various fora.

During the cold war, Europe

feared becoming a theatre of war, including a nuclear war which led to disarmament protests and campaigns to rid the region of short and medium range nuclear weapons and prevent their potential use in a conflict situation.

In Asia, there are theatres simmering with tension now and it is likely that serious concerns may emerge in the West over rising regional tensions in Asia triggered by the short and intermediate-range missiles development and deployments.

It is noteworthy that there is no regional pressure yet to conclude any multilateral treaty in Asia.

Having said that, the end of the Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) treaty has been welcomed in some quarters. The emergent thinking among regional states and strategists is that an aggressive China can only be countered when the United States lifts restrictions on development and deployment of ballistic missiles in the Asian theatres. In addition, East Asia, South East Asia and Australia also need the American presence in shaping the security environment in the Indo-Pacific.

Simultaneously, there is a growing realization that any new missile treaty will be meaningless

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without including the militarily rapidly modernising China, and a proposed trilateral treaty consisting of Russia, the US and China is strongly backed by the international strategic community as the way forward.

Although some are talking about the acquisition of advanced technology by smaller countries in Asia-Pacific to counterbalance China, there is a growing consensus that China is too far ahead in developing new supersonic and cruise missiles, UAV technology and many such systems. It is also aggressively marketing its high-technology intensive products in the global market participating in various defence expos.

China averse to any missile treaty Of course, China remains averse to joining any such treaty for fear of having its missile programmes curbed and falling short of matching the Western

SPECIAL FEATURE wherein IR4.0 could be used as a catalyst to zoom people’s incomes and quality of life. The key is to understand that the socioeconomic growth of the bottom of the pyramid is critical to revive both economy and business.

The success of an organization— government or business—and the well-being of local communities is mutually determined. The most fascinating and relevant strategies evolve from accepting this twoway link.

Well, Covid-19 disruption is a huge opportunity to indulge in some serious strategic thinking and to realign goalposts. Time to assess new baselines at grassroots level, engage in purpose driven research and multi-stakeholder dialogues, community needs assessments and to revive the circular economy driven on IR4.0. It is time also to re-instill faith and handhold sustainable start-ups, social enterprises, community initiatives. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and socio-economic, cultural and environmental realities need a good matchmaking, without negotiating on climate action.

Who wants people banging on factory gates, disrupt work, torch properties or indulge in acts of violence? Can anyone afford a digital catastrophe? Why force it? It is time to seek one’s Social License to Operate (SLO), a critical, though unwritten law, by thinking and working for the wider community.

Abhishek Chaturvedi is Founder of Sustainability Co-creators (SUSCO) and a sustainable development advisor. He can be contacted at abhishek@ suscoadvisory.com military prowess, particularly the US. Available writings on the subject demonstrate that these weapons technologies are considered critical for the Chinese anti-access/area denial capabilities. Although the world is still struggling to define emerging and enabling items, gradually some products are flooding the list of emerging and enabling technologies. China has invested a great deal into technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and space based navigation and integrating them with its missile technology.

It is anticipated that new technologies will make Chinese missiles not only fast and accurate but also lethal and containerised.

China plans to move beyond the Cold War idea of addressing the window of vulnerability and signalling to strengthen second strike capabilities for strategic stability. It shall have its own course to dominate at least in Asia and possibly, the world as a new hegemon. Thus, the Chinese missile developments will create a new insecurity environment in the Indo-Pacific.

Dr Rajiv Nayan is a Senior Research Officer Associate, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.

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EXCLUSIVE FEATURE

Championing the rights of domestic violence victims, meet social worker Jatinder Kaur Brisbane-based social worker and an accredited mental health counsellor, Jatinder Kaur has been championing the rights of domestic violence victims hailing from the culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD). She also assists them profoundly in healing the mental scars resulting from the trauma of being subjected to mental and emotional torture, in many cases protracted, at the hands of their partners or husbands. In 2012-13, she was appointed to the Access and Equity Inquiry which examined the Commonwealth Government program /services in meeting the needs of multicultural communities. In her recent interview with INDIA NEWS writer, Deepika Banerjee, Jatinder Kaur gives an insight into the challenges faced by domestic and family violence victims, and the kind of work she has been doing both as the Director of her consultancy firm, JK Diversity Consultants and the pioneer of the Sahara House model in Brisbane which is the first domestic violence shelter for women of Indian origin in Australia.

Q-1. You have a keen interest in working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD). What kind of work have you been doing with them?

Ans.- I am the Director of JK Diversity Consultants which I established in June 2011 and my firm specializes in working with migrant and refugee communities. My professional career spans 18 years and across various scopes of practice namely, research, child protection, family support, refugee settlement support, domestic violence counselling, policy roles and teaching social work practice.

I have been involved with diverse projects focusing on CALD children involved in child protection system and social workers developing skills in culturally sensitive practice.

I have developed training workshops for professionals so that they can work with diverse clients. Some of my other workshops include working with the CALD and refugee communities in the mental health setting and understanding domestic and family violence across migrant and refugee communities.

I had been working in Government organisations and NGOs but was frustrated that there was lack of cultural responsiveness to the needs of migrant/refugee communities by various professionals, so my objective was to address this gap through training and up-skilling the sector. This was the main

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reason behind the genesis of JK Diversity Consultants.

Q-2. As a social worker as well as a counsellor for people struggling with mental health issues and victims of domestic violence, what kind of help have you been offering to them?

Ans.- In 2017, I established the first Indian women’s domestic violence refuge ‘Women’s Sahara House’ in Brisbane with the support of the Brisbane Sikh Gurdwara. I have advocated for the needs of migrant and refugee women who become victims of family violence. I prepared submissions to the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence in 2015, gave evidence at the Senate Inquiry into dowry abuse public hearing held in Sydney in 2018. I am currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Melbourne which will examine family violence within Indian migrant families in Australia and their intersections with the service system.

I am an accredited mental health social worker and work in private practice. Currently I provide mental health counselling under Medicare from two clinics and tele-health appointments. My mental health therapy services cater to adults, children, young people and senior citizens from all cultural backgrounds. Through my counselling sessions, I assist in the mental healing of people suffering from depression and mood disorders, anxiety, stress and PTSD; chronic illness and injury; alcohol and other substance abuse; refugee trauma, migration and settlement; domestic violence trauma and childhood trauma. Being fluent in both Hindi and Punjabi, I get references of Indian women who are victims of domestic violence, from their general physicians and I really feel glad that I am able to help them start treading again on the path to recovery and hope.

Q-3. What do you feel is the biggest problem that victims of domestic violence encounter in the aftermath of the atrocities to which they have been subjected?

Ans.- The biggest challenge for these women is developing the courage to report to the police about the domestic violence and dowry-related abuse of which they have been hapless victims. They fear that they will be stigmatised, ostracised and their biggest apprehension is the possibility of being deported back to India. Most of the Indian women arrive in Australia on a temporary visa and are dependent on their husbands so it becomes very difficult for them to break free and fend for themselves.

Then, of course, there is the issues of language barrier, as many of them are not fluent in

English. Although the Australian Government introduced the “Family Violence Provision” to ensure that they do not remain in abusive relationships, the various formal requirements of evidentiary proofs are difficult to fulfill which restricts these women from seeking employment and accessing public benefits.

Q-4. What are the biggest challenges that you face generally as a professional and as a social worker? How do you overcome them?

Ans.-That’s a big question. As my profile has increased through media coverage, there are challenges which can hinder my advocacy work like others trying to cause damage to or spread rumours about my professional

emergency accommodation is provided to women and children of Indian heritage (Sikh, Hindu, Muslim or Christian), who have experienced domestic violence and are on temporary visa or have limited income supports. It provides a culturally responsive and trauma informed service.

Sahara House has provided emergency accommodation to 24 Indian women and 15 children over the past three years.

It has taken three years to get to this point and there have been many struggles on the way and many hours of unpaid work to set up Sahara House. We did not receive any Government funding as it was a ‘self-funded DV refuge model’. This capital investment of $ 200,000, which

Jatinder Kaur (centre) with lawyers character (baseless accusations) because I have been successful.

Any success comes with its own challenges and struggles but I believe in facing them head on.

Q-5. Could you throw some light on the kind of social work being done by the Sahara House in Brisbane which is Australia’s first domestic violence shelter for Indian-origin women? How will the recent approval of the government grant of more than $ 200,000 assist this noble initiative?

Ans.-In 2017, the Women’s Sahara House was established as a new community welfare initiative of the Brisbane Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) Inc and is managed by me, to provide social welfare and emergency crisis accommodation for any Indian women affected by domestic and family violence, homelessness or financial hardship across Australia. ‘Sahara’ is a Hindi word which means to “to give support and refuge”. On 22 October 2019, the Women’s Sahara House was granted level 1 accreditation as Residential Service by the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works. The

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comes as a part of the recently announced government’s $60 million Commonwealth Government investment plan to alleviate violence against women and their children, is a significant acknowledgment of the services we provide and recognition of our work/footprint in establishing ‘culturally responsive Domestic Violence Refuge Model’. It will help us to build another threebedroom house, renovate our garage into a studio and counselling room and complete the Tiny House. Eventually we will be able to provide an additional 10 accommodation places for vulnerable women and children seeking shelter.

Q-6. Who all are the founding members and patrons of the Sahara House in Brisbane? How did you come into contact with them?

Ans.- As I mentioned earlier, I developed the ‘Sahara House Model’. I have established partnerships and networks with various bi-lingual professionals of Indian heritage to ensure that we provide culturally responsive service which include, Indian

Jatinder Kaur Police Liasion officers, Mr Ricky Lashand and Ms Amanjot Sharma; Emerson Migration Lawyers , Aishwarya Somal and Sarv Singh who assist with Domestic violence matters in Magistrate Court and Family law-custody; Mr Dhaval Rajendra Mandan, Aventus Migration Services who assists with migration matters; Mr Amrit Prihar (Solicitor), Caxton Street Legal Centre, who assists with legal advice/support and various student social workers who volunteer at Sahara House and complete their social work placement (500 hours).We have partnered with local Domestic Violence services and various charities to assist vulnerable women and children. We are being approached by other states who are keen to explore ‘Sahara House model’ in their cities to support the needs of vulnerable Indian women and children who are impacted by domestic violence.

Q-7. What is the driving force behind your passion for social work?

I am a proud Sikh woman and a social worker. I was raised by three very strong women (my maternal and paternal grandmothers and my mother).

They all had become widows very young and they taught and raised me to become a very strong, resilient woman; to aspire to “do good for others” (in accordance with the Sikh principles of ‘Sarbat Da Balla’), live my life according to truth and integrity, to become educated so that I can have a better life but also help others. My mother was the main breadwinner while my father was a Sikh preacher, so I had very strong role models in my early life. I have a supportive husband and two adult sons who support and recognize the important work I do for our community. I want to promote the key message of ‘Gender Equality’ and its importance to treating women as equals within Indian society.

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WHAT’S ON

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INDIA NEWS

Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

INDIANS IN AUSTRALIA

Minor parties may play a big role in Queensland state elections

By Parminder Singh

Queensland state elections will be held on October 31, 2020 to elect the Queensland Parliament representative for a four-year fixed term. The state of parties at the moment is ALP-48, LNP-38, KAP- 3, Greens-1, One Nation-1, NQ First-1. An NQ First member was expelled from the LNP and he formed NQ First party. To form the government a party needs to win majority of seats or the support of majority of members.

Minimum number required for majority is 47.

In the 2017 election for the 56th Queensland Parliament it was a very close race and many seats were marginal. ALP holds six seats with less than 2% margin.

LNP holds 4 seats with less than 2% margin. Green’s also hold one

by the party that topped the poll on primary votes. Preferences changed the outcome in just nine seats. Labor holds most of its seats in the Greater Brisbane.

LNP is dominant in regional Queensland, Gold Coast and the Sunshine coast. Since 1989 Labor has lost only one election and has been in power for 26 years out of 31 years. The table below shows the analysis of past elections.

victims of the 2019 Townsville Flood, 2017 Cyclone Debbie and the 2011 Brisbane Flood.

In July 1995 the Labor government was returned with 46.73% of the two-party preferred votes. Labor lost a by-election in February 1996 and Rob Borbidge formed the National-Liberal coalition government with the support of an independent.

Pinky Singh is the LNP candidate for McConnel. Pinky Singh has always respected the value of hard work, and the importance of reward for effort. After moving to Australia at the age of 18 years with hard work and perseverance, with her husband Ben, they have helped to build successful small businesses and created jobs for

This year, in the absence of reliable opinion polls no

As a dad to three children with his wife Devi, Palani is committed to education funding. As the former president of The Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ) the peak body representing the Indian diaspora in Queensland, Palani works with multicultural communities.

bus driver who was murdered) following his tragic death in 2016 and acted as a spokesperson for the family in communicating with various government departments and media.

As a mother to three teenage children, Pinky is particularly passionate about helping the next generation and ensuring Queensland reaches its potential.

Navdeep Singh is the Greens candidate for Jordan. He is a Mechanical Engineer with a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Engineering and has worked in technical and management roles both in Australia and overseas. Navdeep started calling Queensland his home in 2007. After declining a job offer from a prestigious

Navdeep moved to Springfield in 2009. He came from an affluent agricultural area of India known as the food bowl. Navdeep is committed to bringing the voices of everyday people to the decision-making table and striking a balance between development and environmental protection.

Nik (Nikhil) Aai Reddy is One Nation candidate for Bancroft. Nik is a family man with government experience and passionate about community service. He was an international student, a skilled migrant and is a very proud Australian. He has worked in the Education sector, the Energy industry, and for both state and federal governments.

seat on less than 2% margin. 33 seats are with 5% or less margin. A small swing of 1% away or towards the major parties can make a huge difference in the election outcome.

The vote-share of minor parties is gradually increasing and that of major parties is decreasing over the years. In the last election minor parties polled 31% of the primary votes. The Greens polled 2.5 % in 2001, and in the last election it polled 10% and won a seat for the first time.

The other important minor party is One Nation. It polled 23% in 1998 and won 11 seats.

However, its vote bank decreased gradually until the last election when it polled 14% of the votes.

One Nation corroded the LNP votes both in 1998 and 2017. One Nation has affected LNP primary vote bank severely. Around 80% of Greens voters give their second preference to Labor whereas nearly 65% of the One Nation voters give their second preference to LNP. In the 2017 election eighty-four of the ninety-three seats were won

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conclusion can be drawn as to which party will win the election.

Know your candidates

locals. Pinky played a critical role assisting the family of the late Manmeet Alisher (the BCC

mining company, he used a small investment to start his own mechanic business.

Having previously run locally in the federal election, he is aware of the many problems that the region is currently facing.

Four Indian origin candidates from four different political parties are trying their luck to be the first Indian-origin persons to be representatives in the Queensland Parliament. These candidates are Palani Thevar for Labor for Maiwar, Pinky Singh for LNP for McConnel, Navdeep Singh for Greens from Jordan and Nik Aai Reddy for One Nation for Bancroft. Below we look at each candidate in the fray.

Palani Thevar is a Labor candidate from Maiwar. There were 37,608 registered voters in 2017 elections in Maiwar. As a social worker, Palani has dedicated his life to helping vulnerable people. He studied social work locally at the University of Queensland. Palani currently works in mental health care support and previously worked in the disability care sector. He has also worked as a Child Safety Support Officer, and as a Trauma Counsellor and Community Recovery Worker to

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INDIANS IN AUSTRALIA

AISECS webinar for international students promises hope post Covid-19 The Australian Indian Sports Educational and Cultural Society’s (AISECS) webinar “Envisioning career pathways and support services out of Covid-19 for International students” conducted on 7th October offered a valuable insight into the career prospects that international students can look forward to now that the mist of uncertainty stemming from the Covid-19 crisis has started lifting to some extent.

AISECS, a non-profit organization founded by Gurnam Singh, a sports entrepreneur and educational activist in 2018, is dedicated to fostering and strengthening the bilateral relations between India and Australia by organizing sports, educational and cultural programmes; and maintains a close relationship with the governments of both countries.

On 7th October, 2020, AISECS hosted the webinar titled, Envisioning career pathways and support services out of Covid-19 for international students to allay the uncertainties and apprehensions plaguing international students regarding potential career opportunities, study pathways and sports services available to them post Covid-19. The panel of guest speakers comprised Manish Gupta, Consul General of India, Sydney; Craig Foster, former Socceroo, human rights advocate and pioneer of the PlayForLives campaign; Peter Mackey, Director of Study NSW and Gurnam Singh, founder of AISECS. Narasimhan Ravi, one of the international

students acted as the moderator for this webinar.

Rational thinking and objectivity key to recovery Highlighting the wave of anxiety and mental health issues among the international students during the initial phases of nationwide lockdown prompted by the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, Manish Gupta, Consul General of India, Sydney talked about the clamour among the panic-stricken Indian students in Australia who wished to go back home. He went on to acknowledge how the coordinated efforts of various community organisations, AISECS being one of them, in bringing the situation under control by providing requisite support to the students facing financial hardships and accommodation related crisis. Exhibiting optimism, he commented upon the much improved ability of the global community to navigate its way through the pandemic by being better equipped now as compared to six months back. With some universities having moved back to face to face learning, testimony to the fact that people have begun to adjust to the new normal, the Consul General feels that rational thinking and objectivity are the keys to recovery. Lauding the efforts of organisations such as Study NSW that have come up with their own support packages for international students, he encouraged existing and potential students to look at the current adversities as a door to new avenues.

He also assured the students that

both the Indian government and the Australian government were working towards feasible steps facilitating the return to Australia of the Indian students who had gone back to India. The Indian government having proposed an air bubble agreement between the two nations is looking forward to its materializing in the imminent future.

Expanding roles and scope of Sports industry “Sports have a profound ability to help lots of people both internally and externally through inter-cultural and inter-faith collaborations. It helps to break down barriers and provides a safe place for people of different ethnicities and religions to collaborate,” said Craig Foster, former Socceroo and pioneer of the PlayForLives Campaign. He is also the Adjunct Professor of Sports and Social Responsibility at Torrens University. Having realized that the Sports industry would be closed down for a considerable time, he started the PlayForLives campaign urging sports professionals to get off the bench and devote themselves into working as volunteers to pack hampers containing essentials for vulnerable members of the community, refugees, homeless people and the elderly. He has also been working with multicultural communities like AISECS as well as the Department of Health and the Federal Government of Australia to connect and engage with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to ensure that everyone has access to the

guidelines for Covid safety.

Emphasising on the radical transformations that the arena of sports has experienced in the wake of the pandemic, he said that the sports industry had to adapt to the new reality and sports organisers and sports professionals even at the grassroots level came up with new ways to interact with their supporters to continue giving them value for their investments.

According to him, students need to stay abreast of the innovations in sports industry and learn new skills; digitization of sports which was already very significant has accelerated and students in the future will need to have a clear understanding of these. New levels of professional competitions were seen in sports without the presence of fans as artificial intelligence was used to provide crowd sounds at precise moments thus, making it evident that the influence of AI and other sophisticated technology will continue even in the post Covidera. He also stated that sports professionals and organisers were bound to become more actively involved in social issues such as human rights which according to him, is another area in which students can have a potential career.

Study NSW’s support packages providing relief to students Study NSW, a government organization, has taken several initiatives such as providing assistance in transitioning to online studies, temporary crisis accommodation support and providing food packages,

to soothe the worries of international students who would otherwise have been left in the lurch. Study NSW Director Peter Mackey gave an overview of the NSW government unit’s crisis accommodation scheme which was initially launched for 12 weeks but now has been extended to 20 weeks. So far, almost 4000 students have received accommodation support under this scheme. Also, 10,000 food packages have been delivered to the students and a recent government approval of 1.2 million dollars will help them in rolling out an additional 50,000 packages. Peter Mackey also explained the procedure and the eligibility criteria to apply under this scheme.

AISECS unique remote internship programmes AISECS founder Gurnam Singh who himself came to Australia as a student and had to face several hardships. Reiterating the essence and the core idea behind the genesis of AISECS, he talked about the five different remote internship programmes launched by the community organization which are open for all aspirants across the group. Spanning 12-15 weeks, these web-friendly internship programmes relating to sports and youth development, information technology, entrepreneurship and leadership programmes, media and marketing, and government and public relations aim to equip the interns with an understanding of management skills by providing one-to-one support.

Queensland remembers India’s father of nation on his 151st birth anniversary The 151st Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated on October 2, at Gandhi Statue, Roma Street, Parkland. The celebrations started at 9 am. Despite Covid restrictions, the celebrations took place smoothly and the guests participated enthusiastically.

Shyam Das, President, Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ) welcomed the guests and addressed the gathering. The occasion was live streamed on India News TV, Facebook and other social media platforms.

Speaking on the occasion the FICQ President emphasized the importance of this occasion. He said,“Mahatma Gandhi practised what he preached. He changed the course of history. Mahatma Gandhi believed in truth, nonviolence, peace and love, and that is what we are celebrating today.

Peace, love and harmony are very important.”

On the occasion, Honorary Consul of India, Brisbane, Archana Singh said,“We are celebrating the 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,

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of whom India can be justifiably proud,and to whom humanity will be eternally grateful as a messiah of hope and peace, humanity and non-violence. He has been an inspiration to so many freedom struggles and civil rights movement throughout the world.

Addressing the gathering, Jim Varghese AM, National Chair, Australia India Business Council, said,“Mahatma Gandhi influenced civilizations, from South Africa to the United States to Europe and Australia to India. His fans include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Barak Obama, and others, particularly over the last 100 years that have acknowledged Mahatma Gandhi’s importance.

His importance in this Covid-19 period is more important because as we are in this period we have to connect with each other. We have to see each other as humanity.

We have to help each other.”

India News and the Institute for Australia India Engagement also participated in the proceedings.

In the evening an online global event ‘Embrace an evening on love-based toleration with

Mahatma Gandhi on Gandhi Jayanti 2020’ was organized.

Gandhi Salt March Limited (GSML) hosted the event, which was supported by AIBC, FICQ, and other associations. The keynote speech at the celebrations was delivered by former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden AM. The speech was delivered after the opening ceremony of the 151st Birth Anniversary celebrations, where the whole world was invited to join the online event as one world family. The event was dedicated to emergency and health workers around the world, who serve humanity daily amidst the COVID19 pandemic.

In his address Mathew Hayden highlighted Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of peace and harmony with oneself and surroundings.

He said that the spirit of gratitude brings happiness and serenity.

To mark the celebrations, two panel discussions were held. Jim VargheseAM, National Chair, Australia India Business Council, hosted the discussions. In the first panel discussion Mathew Hayden, High Commissioner of

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India to Australia A GiteshSarma and Steven Coghill, aboriginal elder, participated. Speaking about Mahatma Gandhi’s message of love, High Commissioner GiteshSarma said that Gandhi practised what we preach.

“Gandhi was a global figure and our foreign policy is influenced

by Mahatma Gandhi,” he said.

“India was one of the first in the UN to speak against Apartheid.

Countries like India and Australia have independently and together given a death blow to systems like Apartheid,” he further said.

SonamKalra, a famous Sufi singer, gave a beautiful rendition of‘Abide with me’ based on Sufi saint Kabirdas.

In the second panel discussion on the topic ‘love and love can transcend hate, Janet Deen AM, Community Volunteer at Muslim Charitable Foundation, Steven Coghill, aboriginal elder, Swami Sadhyojathah, a disciple of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Frank Bennan, a priest, human rights lawyer and academic, participated. Speaking at the discussion Janet said that the Indian subcontinent was all

Gandhi Jayanti celebrations at Gandhi Statue, Roma Street, Parkland India before, but the Partition brought so many hardships. But Mahatma Gandhi was never in favour of the Partition. About Mahatma Gandhi Frank Bennan said that he found Gandhi inspirational in his own way while looking at him through his Christian faith. He also quoted Pope John Paul II when he went to India the second time many years ago, saying, “Gandhi points us to a future where our deep longing to pass through the door of freedom will find its fulfillment because we will pass through that door together.”

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

BUSINESS AND TRADE

Farm laws beneficial for farmers, Tesla to enter India market MSP to continue, says India’s FM next year, says Elon Musk Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 -- were passed by the Parliament last month and have received the President’s assent.

Addressing the media here, Sitharaman said though MSP was there for several products, the focus was more on paddy and wheat and their MSPs were revised upwards every year.

Indian Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman Chennai, October 6 (IANS): India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on October 6 said the minimum support price (MSP) will continue and will not be withdrawn, while contending that for a long time, it had brought in distortion in the cropping pattern across the country.

She also said before bringing

in the three new farm laws, the Central government had held extensive discussions with the farmers’ bodies across the country.

The three farm laws -- the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and

This resulted in a distortion in cropping with farmers, who were growing pulses, millets and oil seeds, shifted to paddy and wheat, resulting in edible oil having to be imported, she added.

Sitharaman said it was in 2014, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the MSP for other crops.

Terming the three farm laws beneficial for the farmers, she said that they have opened up market access to the farmers, giving them more chances and choices.

Queensland to assemble Boeing’s first Australiandeveloped unmanned aircraft Brisbane, October 1: Queensland is poised to take another bold step in aerospace and advanced manufacturing with a historic opportunity to be the final production home for unmanned defence aircraft – the first military aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a visionary new partnership with Boeing Australia means more high-skilled jobs, local supply opportunities and defence industry stimulus as Queensland continues to recover and grow from the COVID downturn.

“The creation of additional new aerospace capability could see unmanned defence aircraft produced here by the middle of the decade, with prototype testing and certification taking place before that,” the Premier said.

“We are carrying out our plan to recover and grow, including into new industries, and it’s very important that we do that not just as a government but with key partnerships.Our investment in this advanced manufacturing project will provide critical skills for suppliers, academia and Boeing, and culminate in Queensland becoming the primary final assembly facility for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, conditional on orders,” the Premier said.

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“Supporting this project is a significant investment in the Queensland defence and manufacturing industries and will strengthen ties between Australia and the global defence market. The unmanned teaming aircraft is Boeing’s first military aircraft to be designed and developed outside the U.S and uses artificial intelligence to extend the capabilities of manned and unmanned platforms,” the Premier added.

Treasurer said.

The first aircraft prototype, called the Loyal Wingman was unveiled with the Royal Australian Air Force in May this year.

Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific president Brendan Nelson said the partnership with the Queensland government to develop an advanced manufacturing capability was a significant milestone for the company.

Treasurer Cameron Dick said the Boeing partnership demonstrated the Palaszczuk government’s commitment to advanced manufacturing.

“Manufacturing is a vital part of the Queensland economy, which is why supporting manufacturing one of the centrepieces of our Unite and Recover Economic Recovery Plan,” the Treasurer said.

“Our government’s longstanding commitment to advanced manufacturing is one of the reasons Queensland is already home to Boeing’s largest workforce outside the United States. Boeing has 1700 staff in Queensland and supports 400 Queensland-based suppliers,” the

“Loyal Wingman will mean even more highly skilled advanced manufacturing jobs, further reinforcing Queensland’s status as a centre for defence industries.

It was precisely to attract projects like this that the Palaszczuk Government developed our 10year Roadmap and Action Plan for Defence Industries – today is proof that plan is delivering for Queensland,” the Treasurer further said.

“It’s one that will build cuttingedge skills to stimulate the innovation ecosystem in Queensland,” he said.

“This includes introducing technologies such as advanced robotics; investment in universities, small-to-medium enterprises and start-up companies; as well as creating global export opportunities for Australia’s supply chain.

This investment could unlock global defence and aerospace opportunities for Queensland to gain future workshare in other Boeing programs,” he added.

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Tesla CEO, Elon Musk New Delhi, October 2 (IANS): Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on October 2 that the electric car maker is finally ready to enter the India market in 2021.

in India” on his Twitter handle.

Musk revealed his plans to bring Tesla cars to India in his response to a Twitter post that asked about the progress on Tesla’s planned entry into India.

In response to a query by a follower who booked the car four years ago, Musk replied that the “launch should hopefully happen soon”. However, the recent tweet gives a more definitive timeline of Tesla’s possible India entry.

This comes at a time when India is ramping up charging infrastructure for electric vehicles with the aim of significantly increasing the proportion of electric vehicles plying on the roads.

“Next year for sure,” Musk said in response to the tweet that posted pictures of T-shirts with “India wants Tesla” and “India loves Tesla” printed on them.

“Thanks for waiting,” he added.

On several occasions earlier, Musk had revealed that he would like to bring Tesla to India, but in a 2018 Twitter post he cited “some challenging government regulations” as a hurdle.

He also criticised the foreign direct investment norms for the delay in the electric car maker’s entry into the Indian market.

“Would love to be in India.

Some challenging government regulations, unfortunately,” Musk had tweeted in response to a Twitter user who wrote “No Tesla

In July this year, he hinted at allowing Tesla’s Indian fans to drive an electric Model 3 “hopefully soon”.

In 2015, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tesla headquarters at Palo Alto, California and met Musk who gave Modi a tour of the company’s electric car plant.

Tesla has not launched any of its electric cars in India or any other country in South Asia yet. The only Asian market where Tesla has a presence is China.

Australian manufacturing industry to be bolstered: Canberra, October 1 (IANS): Prime Minister Scott Morrison on October1 said that the country’s manufacturing industry will be bolstered aiming at helping the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

“Long gone are the days of trying to compete with labour-intensive, low-cost manufacturing economies,” Morrison was quoted as saying in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) news report while speaking at the National Press Club.

“Gone too are any pretentions of protectionism as a viable strategy for domestic manufacturing, that’s not where our future is.

Manufacturing in Australia today has been transformed and will continue to transform,” he added.

The premier also said that his government’s newly-announced

PM Scott Morrison strategy would focus on industries that were already doing well in and “emerging priorities”.

Morrison’s remarks came after he unveiled the JobMaker Digital Business Plan on September 29 which will take advantage of technologies to grow and create jobs as part of the country’s economic recovery plan.

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

EDUCATION

India’s top court favours children’s Schools’ reopening: education in mother tongue SOPs issued for safety; states to take final call However, the Chief Justice said this example may not be appropriate in the matter and for foundation it is very important that the child learns in the mother tongue.

Viswanathan clarified before the bench that he meant that lack of command over English may be an issue when a comparison is drawn with people who have studied in English medium. He informed the bench that choice of studying in Telugu medium has not been taken away. The bench said it will hear the state government’s appeal a week later.

Supreme Court India New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): The Supreme Court of India declined to stay the High Court order which quashed the Andhra Pradesh government order to make English medium mandatory in all government schools from classes I-VI. The top court noted that for foundation it is important that a child learns in the mother tongue.

Senior advocate K.V. Viswanathan, appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government, said the High Court order affects the poor and the marginalised. “All want to study in English medium”, argued Viswanathan before a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V.

Ramasubramanian.

The bench noted that India is the only country where children are taught in foreign languages and there is also conflict of opinion among experts in relation to the medium of instruction.

Viswanathan insisted that English language is necessary for advancement in life and opportunities and if a person is proficient in English then opportunities are not limited for that person.

Viswanathan added that he knows lawyer friends from Tamil Nadu who studied in the vernacular medium, and now they are finding it difficult to argue matters in the top court, as they continue to think in vernacular.

The Andhra Pradesh government had argued that the government’s decision is a progressive measure and there is nothing in the Right to Education Act which says that medium has to be in mother tongue. In the earlier hearing, Viswanathan had said the government undertook a survey and majority of parents desire English medium.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayan, who is on caveat, had opposed the stay on the High Court order and submitted that the state should be fostering its mother tongue. Sankaranarayan argued that the choice is being taken away from parents and children, as Telugu-speaking schools are being replaced with English medium.

Northern Territory set to welcome back international students contribute to the recovery of the NT economy,” the SBS news report quoted Everett as saying in the statement.

Until 2019, the international education industry was worth A$37.6 billion to the Australian economy.

Darwin, October 6 (IANS): Northern Territory (NT) has become the first Australian region to welcome back international students since the country imposed strict border curbs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, the media reported on October 6.

As part of Australia’s first pilot program, at least 70 students will arrive in the region’s capital city of Darwin from Singapore later this month, the Sydney-based Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) said in a news report.

The students will be required to

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quarantine for two weeks at a government facility in Howard Springs before returning to the Charles Darwin University campus (CDU).

In a statement, Andrew Everett, CDU Deputy Vice Chancellor Global Strategy and Advancement, said the students will be travelling on their own expense.

“International students contribute an estimated A$99 million into the NT economy each year and support almost 500 jobs. It is hoped that the success of the pilot will help

Meanwhile, Phil Honeywood, the chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, said, “Any announcement by state or territory government regarding bringing international students back into their state or territory is proof of life for our beleaguered industry and the more we can see these examples happening, the more momentum we can gather and prove to the wide Australian community that it is a very safe way of restarting this important industry for Australia’s future.”

In July 2019, at least 410 international students arrived in the NT in time for the second semester of study, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In the same period this year, there was not even a single

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Indian Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal New Delhi, October 5 (IANS): The states are now free to decide on reopening of schools after October 15 given the current Covid-19 pandemic. In view of this, India’s Ministry of Education has prepared Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the reopening of schools.

The SOPs are on health, cleanliness and safety while emphasis has also been given to teaching and learning keeping in mind social distancing.

India’s Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said, “I hope the states will follow the SOPs. No student will be forced to come to school.”

The Ministry of Education issued the SOPs saying, “Before the schools are opened, every part of the school has to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised. Hand washing and disinfection have to be done. From making the children’s seating plan to the safe transport plan and classrooms, emphasis has also been laid on the provision of time-gap between all arrangements for security at the entry and exit points and the provision of safe living in hostels.”

The SOPs include maintaining six feet gap for social distancing.

Everyone will have to wear masks at all times in areas involving classes, laboratories and sports.

Frequent hand washing and respiratory etiquette have also been emphasised.

Children will not be able to go student due to the pandemic.

Before the health crisis, the NT government had announced that under an international education strategy, some 10,000 students would be able to come to the region by 2025.

Meanwhile, the government of South Australia was also continuing to work on the final details of a pilot plan to bring back up to 300 international students into Adelaide from Singapore.

In a statement to SBS, a spokesperson for the state government said, “Any pilot program requires multiple approvals and the South

to school without the written permission of their parents.

According to the Unlock 5.0 guidelines, SOPs also include the flexibility of attendance. If students want, they can opt for online classes instead of going to school.

There are many things related to the precautions to be taken for preparing and serving midday meals.

Schools have been asked to follow the alternative academic calendar of NCERT. During the evaluation, emphasis has been laid on adopting different formats for learning-based assessment instead of pen and paper tests.

No immediate evaluation will be allowed until 2 to 3 weeks after the schools reopen. Schools have been directed to promote online education. Guidelines related to mental health of students are also given in the SOPs. The Union Ministry of Education said, “The SOPs also enumerate the roles and responsibilities of education departments, heads of schools, teachers and family members in states and Union territories. Based on UNICEF’s guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a check list has also been included in the SOPs for a safe environment in schools.”

In view of the current pandemic situation, the Kejriwal government in Delhi has decided to keep all schools closed till October 31.

Australian government continues to work closely with all relevant parties to ensure international students are welcomed back to the state in a safe and responsible way that meets SA Health’s strict requirements.

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INDIA NEWS

Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

Australian Government approves controversial Narrabri gas project Canberra, September 30 (IANS): In a controversial environmental decision, Australian state authorities have approved the development of a major coal seam gas field.

The Narrabri gas project from energy firm Santos could be one of the biggest in New South Wales (NSW), and provide up to 50 per cent of the state’s gas demand, the BBC reported.

But critics say drilling wells threatens wildlife and water supplies, and increases greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia re-committed to a contentious “gas-led” future recently.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the nation needed more gas supplies as a “transition” source between coal and renewable energy sources. However scientists criticised the focus, saying investment in a fossil fuel hinders Australia’s climate change and emissions reductions progress.

already been earmarked by Canberra this year as a key infrastructure project before its official approval by state planners.

On September 30, the NSW independent planning commission granted “phased approval” to the A$3.6bn (£2bn; $2.5bn) project, which would be located on farm and woodlands in rural northern New South Wales.

More than 95 per cent of the 23,000 public submissions to the commission had opposed the development, which is to run for 25 years.

However, the commission found the project was “in the public interest” and “any negative impacts can be effectively mitigated with strict conditions”.

If fully realised, the project will see the drilling of up to 850 coal seam gas wells on a 95,000 hectare site covering farming land and a known forest habitat for koalas.

year.

The decision has drawn anger and outcry from many sections of the community. Along with environmentalists and traditional Aboriginal owners, droughtaffected farmers in the region had opposed the gas field for the risks it poses to groundwater supplies.

The development still requires federal environmental approval, but the Australian government has said it will streamline that process.

Morrison’s government has focused on expanding gas supplies as a “low emission” energy source.

Gas is typically seen to produce about half the emissions load seen from coal plants, but studies have shown that some measures don’t account for the methane emissions released in the process.

Australia has declined to commit to a net zero emissions goal by 2050 despite public pressure. Its current Paris climate agreement target for 2030 is a 26-28 per cent cut on 2005 levels.

ENERGY & RESOURCES

Morrison rules out committing to net zero emissions target Canberra, September 21 (IANS): Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out committing to a net zero carbon emissions target by 2050 despite describing it as “achievable”.

Speaking to the media recently, Morrison said that Australia would achieve net zero emissions in the second half of the century but said that the target would not be legislated by his government, reports Xinhua news agency.

“I’m more interested in the doing,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

“I know people get very focused on the politics of these commitments, but what I’m focused on is on the technology that delivers lower emissions, lower cost and more jobs. I think those sort of things are achievable with the right investments in the right technology,” he added.

In order to achieve net-zero emissions every tonne of manmade greenhouse gas that is

emitted must be matched by a tonne removed from the atmosphere.

Every Australian state has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 as have more than 70 countries.

Morrison’s comments came ahead of the federal government’s release of the technology roadmap on how the energy industry can reduce emissions.

Earlier in September, Morrison identified the gas industry as key to Australia’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and broadened the mandates of the government’s renewable energy investment agencies to include low-emissions technologies.

He said recently that those moves would help achieve net zero emissions without legislating it.

“Our policy is to achieve that in the second half of this century, and we’ll certainly achieve that,” he said.

Vedanta, Jindal among World leaders call for continued bidders for India’s first commercial coal mine commitments to SDGs allocation The Narrabri gas project had

Scientists estimate the project would release about five million tonnes of greenhouse gases each

conditions for sustainable water management and ensure safer food production.

Until we are able to transform our energy generation systems, the coal fuelled power plants will not only increase CO2 emissions, but will also consume water that would be enough to supply one billion people,” Ader added.

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo United Nations, September 24 (IANS) World leaders have called for continued commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a shared vision to end poverty, rescue the planet and build a peaceful world.

“The effective implementation of the 17 SDGs remains critical to making the multilateral system relevant in addressing the global challenges we face,” Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said while addressing the ongoing 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

He said close attention should be paid to the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, “especially as we mark the beginning of the Decade of Action to deliver the goals and targets of Agenda 2030”.

The 17 SDGs were adopted by all UN member states in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve

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the goals.

“The Agenda 2030 and the SDGs are instruments that fuel the hope of billions of people around the world in achieving the longawaited progress and well-being of all peoples,” Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi told the assembly.

The theme of this year’s general debate is “The future we want, the UN we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism -- confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action”.

The “future we want” lies in the actions of the present; the “UN we need” depends on the posture and responsible action, today and tomorrow, said Nyusi.

“We all know that the majority of the UN’s sustainability goals are unattainable in the absence of appropriate water policy,” Hungarian President Janos Ader said, calling for the need to create

World leaders also called for enhanced efforts to mobilize financing, enhance national implementation and strengthen institutions to achieve the goals by the target date of 2030.

“Talking about peace and security without talking about development is, simply and plainly, wasting time,” said Dominican President Luis Abinader.

Noting that achieving the SDGs requires an “accelerated implementation” with the purposeful commitment of the developed countries, Abinader pledged that “the Dominican Republic will spare no effort with the 2030 Agenda”.

This year’s general debate in its new format has attracted more heads of state and government to attend the event virtually due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic. According to the provisional list of speakers, some 170 heads of state and government are going to make pre-recorded statements.

Last year, 82 heads of state and 43 heads of government spoke from the dark green marble podium.

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Vedanta Group Chairman, Anil Aggarwal New Delhi, September 30 (IANS): The Indian government has received a total of 76 bids from 42 companies, including Vedanta Ltd, JSW Steel and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, for the first commercial coal mine allocation in the country.

Technical bids, consisting of online and offline bid documents were opened on September 30, in the presence of the bidders, as a part of the auction process of 38 coal mines.

The auction process for sale of coal was launched by the Coal Ministry on June 18. The last date of submission of technical bids was on September 29.

The online bids were decrypted and opened electronically in the presence of the bidders.

Subsequently, sealed envelopes, containing offline bid documents,

were also opened in their presence.

The entire process was displayed on the screen for the bidders, an official statement said.

The bids will be evaluated by a multi-disciplinary Technical Evaluation Committee and Technically Qualified Bidders would be short-listed for participation in the electronic auction to be conducted on thee MSTC portal from October 19.

The government has thrown open coal mining to the private sector, ending years of monopoly enjoyed by state-run Coal India Ltd. Under the new reform initiative, companies would be allowed to mine coal for sale in the market. The government will neither determine coal prices nor customers for such mines.

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TOURISM & TRAVEL

UP Tourism to develop sites Speakers, woofers stolen from Sarnath including Kaushambi various ancient and historical sites in Kaushambi can be preserved and developed to boost the district’s tourism potential.

“If the proposal is approved, we plan to add several attractions for tourists, including a majestic meditation centre. Visitors will also be treated to an audio-visual show about the importance of various Buddhist sites in Kaushambi,” said Vishal Gulati, the architect for the project.

Lucknow, October 4 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department plans to develop various tourism sites, including Kaushambi, associated with Buddhism under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme and connect these with the Buddhist Circuit.

Tourism Department Deputy Director Dinesh Singh said a Rs 50-crore proposal in this regard would be submitted to the state government for approval.

The proposal is based on an elaborate survey conducted by different departments like forest,

power, revenue, and tourism of several sites of religious and historical importance.

The Buddhist Circuit follows the footsteps of Gautam Buddha from Lumbini in Nepal where he was born, through Gaya in Bihar where he attained enlightenment, to Sarnath where he gave his first sermon, and Kushinagar where he died.

Gautam Buddha visited Kaushambi town a number of times to deliver sermons to his followers.

The proposal explains how

Public amenities like toilets, restaurants, waiting halls, handicraft markets and shops are also to be constructed for the convenience of visitors.

Other proposed attractions included an open-air theatre, water points, ATM kiosks and currency exchange centres for the convenience of foreign tourists.

“As there is not enough parking space at most places of tourist attractions, the department has proposed to launch its own e-rickshaw service to ferry tourists to the meditation centre,” he said.

Travellers seeking safe and hygienic ‘home away from home’ accommodation: Airbnb at an Airbnb accommodation, working on her new collection.

Additionally, a further 36 per cent of searches have been for stays that are between seven to 27 nights. Combined, the trend for Live Anywhere, accounts for demand across travel segments.

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANSlife): Online searches for accommodations over the past few months are reflecting how consumers are viewing travel in the new normal, and several unique trends are emerging, reveals a report by Airbnb.

kitchens, and outdoor access, are being sought by travellers as they seek to experience life somewhere new, after a long six months of being homebound.

Most are seeking a change of scene to inspire creativity and productivity.

Travellers are understandably seeking heightened reassurances of hygiene and safety, as well as seclusion. There is a growing demand for getaways that are off the beaten track and offer unique experiences -- properties that are closer to nature, ones that have an assortment of outdoor amenities, or are laden with luxury features.

Live anywhere with digital nomads driving the trend: Airbnb’s data suggests that over 20 per cent of all searches within the last three-month period in India, have been for long-term stays (more than 28 nights) at a property. This shows that with access to technology and remote working infrastructure people are willing to relocate to new accommodations for months at a time. This marked interest coincides with an increase in longer-term stays by creatives, authors and entrepreneurs. For example, Designer Masaba Gupta spent months in Goa staying

People want to experience longer stays but in another home, blurring the line between living and travel. Amenities that offer the full flexibility of a home away from home, such as WiFi,

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Reconnecting with nature through unique accommodations such as tree houses, farm stays, lodges and campsites: In the past 90 days, while 45 per cent of searches by travellers were for tree houses.

Searches for barns and farm stays stood at 41 per cent and 34 per cent respectively. With summer coming to a close, many families are exploring breaks with their children, and searches for trips with kids account for nearly a fifth of all searches.

Indian culture is deeply familyoriented and close-knit, and this crisis has connected families and re-established bonds with extended family and friends.

Millennials are also looking at staying at places which are great to photograph and bring them some love on social media.

Clean is the new green with Wi-Fi, kitchens and pools among the most sought-after amenities: A clean place you can call home with great Internet

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Sarnath, Near Varanasi Varanasi, September 25 (IANS): In a shocking incident, the speakers and woofers of the ambitious light and sound show project have been stolen from the high security Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected site of Sarnath’s Dhamekh Stupa in Varanasi.

The Sarnath Police have lodged an FIR against unidentified miscreants in this connection on the complaint of the Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (RNN) project manager.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amit Pathak said that an FIR under section 379 (theft) of Indian Penal Code has been lodged with Sarnath Police and teams have been formed to work out the case at the earliest. The police have also sought CCTV footage from ASI, he said. connectivity makes Airbnb the platform-of-choice for digital nomads. Working from home is translating to working from any home. With remote offices becoming the trend, people want to be connected all the time from anywhere; 23 percent of guests specifically searched for homes with Wi-Fi as a top amenity followed by kitchens and pools.

The sunshine state remains one of the most sought-after tourist destinations amongst travellers: As per traveller wish, Goa continues to be the most searched-for destination for homestays, followed by Lonavala, Shimla and Uttarakhand.

According to search trends from this period, guests travelling to Goa were looking for amenities such as a relaxing pool, gardens, and traditional Portuguese villas -- further, the top 7 most wishlisted homes in India are in Goa. Consumer confidence in travel continues to build: As Indian government opens more travel bubbles with different countries, the sentiment and searches for key destinations such as the USA, UK and UAE are on the rise.

Commenting on these trends,

Contractor Shatrughan Singh, who lodged the complaint on behalf of RNN said, “I along with technical staff had gone to the site to check the speaker boxes following rains when we found some boxes unscrewed and equipment worth Rs 10 lakh, including four speakers of Rs 1.25 lakh each and woofers missing.”

The ASI officials said that the security guards deployed for protecting Dhamekh Stupa and other structures, were monitoring the entry and exit of people engaged by RNN but they had not been authorized to check the articles being carried by them.

The commissioner, Deepak Agarwal, termed the theft incident as ‘shocking’ and said that the project has been completed and is in the phase of trial.

Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager - Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said: “There is a gradual shift in consumer behaviour towards travel. Our recent search trends have pointed to the fact that travellers are looking to explore safe and hygienic accommodations that offer flexibility. Booking trends have shown us that unique stays and large homes have emerged as a choice for family and friends to be together for breaks and longer stay options. We see additional interest in amenities that offer a home away from home, and long-term travel that appeals to a number of individuals and families who want to establish a remote working base outside of their homes. We feel that these trends will continue to drive the market with demand for customer service innovation, and more intimate accommodation formats.”

What is clearly emerging is that while travel as we know it is still on the path of recovery, people are eager to see the world on their own terms and are looking at stays in newer, more intimate formats.

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Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

TOURISM & TRAVEL

Ramp up your Whitsundays experience with Cruise Whitsundays Text and photos: Dr Ram Mohan and Deepika Banerjee

If the Whitsundays are on your list of holiday getaways and you are on the lookout for a tour operator that may offer you value for money in the form of a unique experience, then Cruise Whitsundays, one of the most experienced marine tourism operators, should be among your shortlisted choices. It offers a wide array of day cruises, including visits to the Great Barrier Reef, Whitehaven Beach and island resorts on Hamilton Island and Daydream Island.

Camira Sailing Adventure – one of the most recommended Priced at approximately $ 209 per adult person and $159 per child aged between 4 and 14 years of age, this day cruise is recommended for people who want the real taste of the Whitsunday Islands’ experiencethe sun, the salty air, cool breeze and lofty peaks of the islands with their rocky outcrops and replete

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with greenery and most notably, the azure sea. The day long cruise on board the Camira, a swift 85-feet catamaran, departs from the Airlie beach at 8.15 am with the approximate hour of return being 5.45 pm; and cruises past Whitsunday Island, Daydream Island and Hook islands. On the eastern coast of the Whitsunday Island, the catamaran docks at the northern-most part of the Whitehaven beach. The 7 kilometre arc of gleaming white sand is considered to be Australia’s best beach. Besides a guided hike to the Hill Inlet lookout to admire the vistas of scenic beauty, which legend has it, was the path treaded upon by the Whitsundays’ natives, the Ngaro people; there are plethora of activities such as snorkeling and in general getting awed by the iridescent hues of the coral fish.

Then back on the beach, where the silicon sand is invariably cool to walk on even on the hottest

of days, one can swim and stroll along the beach to one’s heart content. The day at the beach culminates with a barbecue lunch on board the Camira followed by the return journey and if you are lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of flying mackerels and even whales. The operating schedule of the trip is from 4 October to 11 October and then 12 October to 13 December with the cruise days being Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Do not forget to wear sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and protective clothing. In case of a cool or windy day, carrying a light jacket or sweater is equally crucial. Last but not the least, take a camera along unless you want to regret missing the chance to capture some really picturesque views!

Great Barrier Reef full day adventure For all those who are game for an underwater adventure,

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the Cruise Whitsundays’ Great Barrier Reef full day adventure is the one to opt for. Located off the Queensland coast, the Great Barrier Reef is a world heritage site, which one can explore for a full day but the most exciting part of the adventure

and 5.35 pm. The tour is available on all days between 4 October and 11 October but from 12 October to 13 December, the operating schedule includes all days except Mondays and Thursdays. Do remember to bring your credit card if you are planning to enjoy

lies underwater. Among the optional extras, one is the guided snorkeling tour, considered the easiest way to view coral reefs which is offered to both inexperienced and experienced snorkeling enthusiasts. However if getting wet is not your cup of tea, you always have access to an underwater observatory or opt for a ride on a semi-submarine.

But to experience marine life at close proximity snorkeling or scuba diving are definitely recommended. This package also includes buffet lunch and post-lunch, one has some more time to explore the reef. The most striking feature of this adventure tour are the four hours that one can spend at Hardy reef which also happens to be the location of the Reefworld, a multilevel reef facility. All the gear for snorkeling is provided, including wet suits and stringer suits. The per head charges for adults is $ 279 and for kids it is $ 129 but if you go for any of the optional extrasintroductory scuba dive, certified scuba dive or snorkel safari, then there are additional expenses for each. There are three departure options namely, Port of Airlie, Hamilton Island and Daydream Island with the corresponding departure times being 8.00 am, 9.00 am 8.20 am, respectively.

The respective return times are approximately 6.10 pm, 5.00 pm

any of the optional extras. Swim wear, towels, hats, sunscreen and protective clothing must be carried along and of course, bring a camera to capture all the dazzling views.

Hamilton Island Freestyle This customised experience is for those who wish to devote one full day to explore the whole Hamilton Island at their own sweet pace.

If you opt for the day cruise with Popeye’s lunch then charges per head are $ 145 for adults and $ 69 for adults. Unfortunately, the day cruise with Marina Tavern lunch is currently unavailable. The most economical packages among all the Island Escape Day Cruises, it has several free activities such as swimming at Catseye Beach or the main resort pool; hiking to Passage Peak, One Tree Hill or along the South-East Head Trail; and exploring on the island shuttle buses. Other activities but at additional cost include exploring the wild life such as koalas on the island, nine-pin bowling, go-karting, jetboating or mini golf. Though it does not offer any grand buffet or barbecue lunch, one can certainly look forward to a sumptuous lunch of fish and chips at Popeyes. One also has full access to the range of shops, galleries, boutiques and restaurants along the main street of Marina village.

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INDIA NEWS

Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

HEALTH

Modi lauds Ayurveda & Yoga- India lifts restrictions on export of N95 masks based Covid-19 protocol clinical, observational studies to understand the role of AYUSH intervention in mitigation and management of Covid-19.

Indian PM, Narendra Modi New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga, calling it “commendable”.

“Commendable effort, which places emphasis on building immunity, remaining healthy and making the fight against COVID-19 stronger,” he tweeted.

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Ayurveda and Yoga are being tried for immunity purposes.

The National Clinical Management Protocol was released jointly by Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Indian Minister of State in the Ministry of AYUSH Shripad Naik

Indian Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on October 6, virtually.

Earlier, Harsh Vardhan said that experts and other national research organisations have prepared the Protocol for management of Covid-19 as per the Report & Recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Committee which will further strengthen the fight against Covid-19.

Naik said AYUSH Ministry had set up an Interdisciplinary AYUSH Research and Development Task Force with a group of senior experts to formulate and develop strategies for this initiative.

This brings in uniformity and consistency in the Ayush-based responses to the pandemic across the country. It also helps state and UT governments to plan and incorporate these solutions into the Covid-19 management activities being deployed on the ground.

India on October 6 reported 61,267 fresh infections of the novel coronavirus, taking the case tally to 66,85,082, health officials said.

This is the lowest daily spike since August.

Though the cases are increasing, the recovery rate is 84.34 per cent in India which is less than Chile that has over 92 per cent cure rate, while the US that tops the Covid-19 cases in the world has around 33 per cent recovery rate.

The fatality rate has come down to 1.55 per cent, the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India said.

He said that the Ministry of AYUSH has undertaken many

Sharing Covid-19 vaccine a global responsibility: PM Canberra, September 27 (IANS): While virtually addressing the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that members of the world body have a “moral responsibility” to share an effective Covid-19 vaccine.

He made the remarks on September 26 via video-link.

“Whoever finds the vaccine must share it. This is a global responsibility, and it’s a moral responsibility, for a vaccine to be shared far and wide,” Morrison was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in a news report.

“Some might see short-term

advantage, or even profit. I assure you to anyone who may think along those lines, humanity will have a very long memory and be a very, very severe judge.”

The Prime Minister pledged to share with the world any discoveries made in the country’s three local Covid-19 vaccine trials.

“If we find the vaccine we will share it. That’s the pledge we all must make,” he said.

Australia has spent A$6 million to help fund the research and development of potential vaccines from the Doherty Institute, the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the University of Sydney.

there is a “clear mandate” for Australian-led efforts to push for an international probe into the origins of the coronavirus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.

“Australia strongly advocated for this review to identify the zoonotic source of the Covid-19 virus and how it was transmitted to humans,” the ABC news report cited the Prime Minister as saying.

“This virus has inflicted a calamity on our world and its peoples. We must do all we can to understand what happened for no other purpose than to prevent it from happening again.”

Meanwhile, Morrison also said

New Delhi, October 6 (IANS): India’s Union Commerce Ministry has lifted the restrictions on export of N95 masks. Post the decision, masks of all categories can be exported from India.

“The export policy of N-95/ FFP-2 masks or its equivalent is amended from ‘restricted’ to ‘free’ category making all types of masks freely exportable,” a notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said.

In August, the Indian government had allowed the export of N95 masks, up to a limit of 50 lakh units per month.

Earlier, exports were totally barred to cater to the domestic demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The domestic production of masks and PPE overalls has significantly increased in the past six months, and sector players have been asking the Indian government to lift the curbs on exports.

Indian Commerce and Industry and Railways Minister, Piyush Goyal Commenting on the decision, India’s Union Minister for Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal tweeted, “India is Making for the World: N95 & FFP2 Masks can now be exported freely to countries across the world.” “’Make in India’ is spurring economic growth and employment while helping the world battle COVID-19.”

Covid-19: Oxford to study anti-inflammatory drug London, October 1 (IANS): Researchers at the University of Oxford are starting a new study to explore the effectiveness of the anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drug adalimumab as a treatment for patients with Covid-19 in the community, especially care homes.

The AVID-CC trial, which will be conducted by the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU), will enrol up to 750 patients from community care settings throughout the UK. Anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs have been in widespread use for over 20 years for a range of inflammatory conditions.

Recent studies of patients with Covid-19 have shown that patients already taking anti-TNF drugs for inflammatory bowel disease and inflammatory arthritis are less likely to be admitted to hospital.

The same was not observed for patients taking other anti-

inflammatory drugs.

The availability of biosimilar versions of biological treatments has been an important step forward in driving down costs, making the anti-TNF treatment affordable and accessible if the trial is successful.

“The observed potential of antiTNF drugs has prompted us to conduct a study in patients in community care to see whether treatment with the anti-TNF drug adalimumab reduces the progression to severe or critical disease or death in Covid-19 patients,” said study author Duncan Richards from the University of Oxford.

The study is funded by the Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, an initiative set up by Wellcome, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Mastercard, with support from an array of public and philanthropic donors.

Yet to take final decision on Sputnik V trials: Vardhan New Delhi, October 4 (IANS): India’s Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan clarified on October 4 that the government is yet to take a final decision on phase-3 trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine candidate Sputnik V. “This issue is still under consideration and no final decision on Sputnik V vaccine developed by Russia has been taken as yet,” he stated while addressing his social media

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audience during his weekly programme ‘Sunday Samvaad’.

The clarification by the minister has come after a pharmaceutical giant, which partnered with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund in September to conduct final trials and distribution of the Sputnik V, sought permission for the same from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on October 2.

Hyderabad-based drug maker Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) had partnered the Russian Direct

Investment Fund (RDIF) last month to conduct final-stage human trials and distribution of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine in India. On October 2, the DRL had applied to the DCGI for permission to conduct the phase-3 human clinical trials of Sputnik. Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF will supply Dr Reddy’s 100 million doses of the vaccine, the firm had said last month.

in controversy. The Russian government registered Sputnik V as a COVID-19 vaccine without conducting final clinical trials.

Besides, the phase I and II of the trials involved merely 76 participants. The Indian scientists and medical experts are also of the opinion that the Indian government should conduct phase-2 trials of the vaccine to prove its safety and efficacy.

The trials of Sputnik V are mired

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INDIA NEWS

Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

BOOKS & LITERATURE

Delhi Deputy CM launches Coffee table book on Gandhi Speaking at the launch Sisodia said, “This book cannot fulfil the void created by the absence of Bapu but can certainly make us think, give us ideas, give us a glimpse of his philosophy.”

“There are several untouched aspects of history in this book, a lot of photographs, epigraphs, and several other details about Delhi which we usually do not get to see,” Sisodia said.

Delhi Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia New Delhi, October 2 (IANS): Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia launched a coffee table book “Bapu - The

Unforgettable” on the 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2.

He further said, “In today’s times when there are a lot of stories about social decline, we are in dire need of Gandhian philosophies. If Gandhi ji would have been here today, he would have been playing a crucial role in directing us towards the

upliftment of our society.”

this historic city for 720 days.

Manish Sisodia congratulated the art and culture department and the archives and said that time and again the Art and Culture department has been organizing events showcasing the unknown events of Bapu’s life.

Mahatma Gandhi founded some of the prominent institutions in Delhi such as Harijan Sevak Sangh (Kingsway Camp), Khadi Ashram (Narela), Valmiki Basti, and also inaugurated Modern School, Lakshminarayan Temple, and Hindustan Times.

The archives department has also been working with the same zeal and enthusiasm as it was working before the pandemic.

Gandhi had a strong relationship with the capital city Delhi.

Though his birth and education were in Porbander, Gujarat, and he used the tool of non-violence for the first time in South Africa, yet from 1915 to 1948, he visited Delhi eighty times and stayed in

A webinar on Footprints of Gandhi Ji in Delhi was also inaugurated by Sisodia where the key speakers were Manisha Saxena, Secretary (Archives/ ACL), Mohammad A. Abid, Special Secretary (ACL), Sucheta Mahajan ( JNU), Sohail Hashmi (Heritage Walker) and Rajmani Srivastava (Retd Assistant Director, NAI).

‘India a civilizational state re-architecting the Republic’ New Delhi, September 24 (IANS): India is a Civilizational State engaged in a “grand undertaking to re-architect” the Republic.

It should make a “clean break” from its “socialistic, feudal past” to maintain the momentum and should stake claim to be a world power, says a new book on the country’s journey as it approaches the 75th year of its Independence, even as it calls for course corrections in the areas of governance, bureaucracy, foreign policy and the judiciary.

“India is today attempting to achieve economic growth with individual freedom-expanding social change in a grand undertaking to re-architect the Republic. This India will be more secure, equal and prosperous, seeking a greater sway in world affairs,” Harish Madhusudan and Rajeev Mantri write in “A New Idea Of India” (Westland).

Noted economist Sanjeev Sanyal, in the Foreword, has described the book as “an important stop in India’s intellectual evolution”, a process that for six decades “has been dominated almost entirely by ideas and ideologies derived exclusively from various shades of the Left”.

The new way forward, the authors state, is a “clean break from the socialistic, feudal past” that is “just not the correct policy prescription for India but also makes for good politics”, something that “for reasons of dynastic politics and inertia”, most of India’s opposition parties have so far been slow to respond to the changed context”.

Depreciating that a “section of the Indian intelligentsia” have “gone so far” as to proclaim that “India should not become a superpower”, the authors assert, “At home to a sixth of all humanity, India can and should stake claim to be a world power.

For India to succeed and all Indians to thrive and prosper, it falls upon our leaders to both recognise that there is an intense desire for a better tomorrow

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among India’s billion plus people , and to draw lessons from the mistakes made in the past.”

skills”, as recommended by a parliamentary panel, the book says.

This tide of heightened aspirations “has created a singularity, exerting insurmountable forces that are crushing and inescapable.

Without deep introspection, the cynics long accustomed to shaping India’s self-image and direction will be unable to emerge from the singularity they find themselves in. India, in fact, would be best served if there was an intellectual and political consensus on the criticality of economic growth and individual rights , along with the recognition that India is a Civilizational State that can lead to a new universalism without homogenising humanity”, the authors maintain.

It noted in this context that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had, in February 2020, implemented a comprehensive restructuring of the ministry, initiating long-overdue administrative reforms necessary to align it with India’s changed trade and security objectives.

Contending that a “civilizational republic” - a democratic polity based on the rule of law that is, in turn, rooted in India’s millennia-old pluralistic ethos - is the “surest guarantee” for a prosperous future, the authors add, for good measure, “India is the only civilizational republic in the world today. While China is often described as a civilizational state, and correctly so, it is not a democratic republic”.

What course corrections are required?

In the area of foreign policy, the book says, the size of the country’s diplomatic corps “is tiny” compared to its global ambitions - there are only 2,700 staff members and 912 Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers, with countries like China (4,500), Japan (5,700), France (6,000) and the US (20,000) way ahead.

Not only should India ramp up its diplomatic strength, the selection process needs to be revamped with a separate exam to select foreign (service) officers assessing them on “parameters such as international aptitude, curiosity about the world, knowledge or demonstrated interest in foreign affairs and communications

But then, the IFS is not the only civil service facing capacity constraints. A staggering 1,449 IAS posts -- 22 per cent of the sanctioned strength -- and 970 IPS posts -- 19.94 of the sanctioned strength -- are lying vacant.

“As for police forces across the country, over five lakh posts are vacant, with the highest around 1.80 lakh -- being in Uttar Pradesh (India’s largest by population and the most significant politically).

Why is it surprising then, that there is no rule of law and any group can extract special benefits from the state based on its potential for violence,” the authors ask.

Then, the brief of the civil service is to execute the policy of the government of the day. “The argument that the bureaucracy acts as a check on the whims and fancies (even corrupt proclivities) of politicians isn’t sound. That’s not their job, but that of other institutions entrusted specifically with the task of maintaining transparency,” the book says.

It also speaks of the need for bureaucrats to be given ample time to develop expertise based on their interest and governmental needs. For instance, after every bureaucratic reshuffle, it’s quite common, for example, that the urban development secretary has taken charge as the home secretary, the information and broadcasting secretary is shifted to personnel and training and the steel secretary has moved to the finance ministry.

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“Such a system, based primarily on generalists, does not allow officers to build domain expertise and is highly detrimental to the administrative efficiency,” the authors write.

As for governance, the book states it rather pithily, “The truth is that almost India’s half of ministries could vanish tomorrow and nobody would miss them”.

Why has it come to such a pass?

“Ministries have to be literally invented to accommodate leaders and, when required, coalition partners. This situation also arises as India’s polity is also restricted when it comes to internal democracy.”

“Who Judges the Judges”, the book asks and points to the telling example of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), whose creation had been approved by both houses of Parliament, ratified by 16 state legislatures and finally assented to by the President of India. The Supreme Court, however, struck

it down 4-1 on the ground that it violated the “basic structure” of the Constitution - but did not recommend or suggest a better framework.

The current Collegium system of appointments, the book says, “has given rise to nepotistic tendencies in the judiciary which the Constitution makers would never have fathomed - the rot is so deep that it competes with the scourge of dynastic politics, but while the latter has been widely critiqued and has to pass frequent electoral tests, the lack of public knowledge about the extent of dynastic sway in the legal world has saved the judicial establishment from scrutiny”.

There have been rare instances, though. Of the 28 incumbent Supreme Court judges, Outlook magazine reported in 2016, 11 “had either judges or legal luminaries as relatives”.

Read this book- it provides you much to ponder over.

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INDIA NEWS

Oct 16-31, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 8

3 held for betting on IPL match Chandigarh, October 5 (IANS) Haryana Police on October 5 said it has arrested three people in Rewari on charges of betting on an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders.

A police spokesperson said acting on a tip-off a raid was conducted at a flat in Manchanda Society, where three people were found betting on the IPL match.

The police have seized Rs 5,71,900 in cash, 12 phones, a laptop

and two notepads from their possession.

The accused have been identified as Karan Singh, Om Parkash and Mohit.

Tussle between Channel 7, CA puts India’s Test tour of Australia in danger Sydney, October 6 (IANS): India’s Test tour of Australia could be in jeopardy if the tussle between Channel Seven and Cricket Australia (CA) over annual broadcasting fees is not resolved.

Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported that Seven West Media, owner of Channel 7, took CA into arbitration on October 6 morning and has threatened to pull out of the deal.

According to SMH, Seven’s managing director James Warburton had already threatened to drop a push for a discount and head to the courts to terminate its six-year deal worth AUD 450 million.

The case has been lodged

at Australian Chamber for International and Commercial Arbitration and Seven seeks an expert to determine the rights value of the series. A decision against them could cost CA millions of dollars.

Channel Seven had originally sought a cut in annual fees for this summer after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) forced a change in their tour schedule, bringing the white-ball series to the start of the season, the change of dates for the Tests, with only one Test before Christmas and the final Test finishing in mid-January when the holiday season ends and many people are back at work.

There are some other issues related the Big Bash League too.

As per the original schedule, the T20Is were to take place in October, as a pre-cursor to World T20, and the Tests were to start on December 3. The ODI series was to happen around mid-January. However, Covid-19 forced a change in plans from BCCI, which scheduled IPL in September after the World T20 was postponed to next year. The Tests are now expected to start on December 17 while the ODIs and T20Is reportedly precede the Tests. However, CA is yet to officially release the schedule.

Seven West Media’s Channel 7, a free-to-air channel, holds the rights for Test series whereas Foxtel, a pay channel, holds the rights for the white ball series.

The latter is not in any doubt.

SPORTS

Women’s ODI: Australia decimate New Zealand to secure record-equalling win Brisbane, October 7 (IANS): Australia women registered a record-equalling win in the third and final ODI against New Zealand, defeating the visitors by a mammoth margin of 232 runs - their biggest win against the White Ferns -- to complete a clean sweep in the Rose Bowl series.

In the absence of both Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry, Australia on October 7 probably produced their most comprehensive performance of the past fortnight at the Allan Border Field.

Batting first, they piled up a total of 325/5 in their allotted 50 riding on brilliant innings from stand-in skipper Rachael Haynes (96) and Alyssa Healy (87).

Annabel Sutherland (35 off 56 balls), Ashleigh Gardner (34 off 20), Beth Mooney (29 off 19) and Tahlia McGrath (29* off 11) also made valuable contributions to help the hosts post their highestever total against the White Ferns.

Amelia Kerr was the only New

Zealand bowler who could show some promise with the ball as she returned with figures of 3/50 from her full quota of 10 overs.

Australia then effectively ended the run chase, picking up four wickets inside 15 overs, including star pair Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr for golden ducks.

They eventually bowled out New Zealand for 93 in the 27th over and equalled the world record for 21 consecutive ODI victories. In 2003, Ricky Ponting’s Australian men’s team had recorded 21 consecutive ODI wins.

Amy Satterthwaite was the only batswoman who could show some resistance as she top scored for the visitors with a knock of 41runs for which she consumed 49 balls.

Megan Schutt, Jess Jonassen, Gardner and Sophie Molineux picked two wickets each for the hosts and starred with the ball.

The New Zealand team failed to win even a single match on the tour, having earlier faced 0-3 defeat in the T20I series.

IPL 13: Ashwin’s ‘first & final’ warning Former Cricketer Dean Jones’ one last after not ‘Mankading’ Finch Dubai, October 6 (IANS): Delhi Capitals off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who restrained himself from ‘Mankading’ Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Aaron Finch, has stated that this was the “first and final warning” of IPL 2020 and he won’t stop himself from running out a batsman at the non-strikers’ end in the remaining part of the tournament.

stepping outside the crease a little too early. The incident happened before the fourth delivery of the third over, the off-spinner held onto the ball and did not complete the delivery, instead pointing out to the Australian batter at the non-striker’s end that he could have gotten him out.

“Let’s make it clear!!! First and final warning for 2020. I am making it official and don’t blame me later on. Ricky Ponting, #runout #nonstriker, Aaron Finch and I are good buddies by the way,” Ashwin said in a tweet.

England batsman Buttler was ‘Mankaded’ by Ashwin at a crucial moment in last year’s IPL season during a match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals.

The manner of the dismissal had created ripples across the cricketing fraternity and beyond, with many former greats of the game lambasting the Indian off-

On October 5, during RCB’s chase of 197, Ashwin stopped short of his run-up to warn Finch about

M

elbourne, October 7 (IANS): A private memorial service to celebrate the life of former Australian cricketer Dean Jones was held recently at the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Dean, who was part of the Star Sports commentary panel for the 13th Indian Premier League (IPL) edition being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), died in a Mumbai hotel after suffering a cardiac arrest on September 24.

His wife Jane, daughters Isabella and Phoebe and Jones’ siblings were among a group of 10 to

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Following the incident, Delhi Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting was seen with a wry smile across his face in the dugout.

attend the small ceremony at a funeral parlour because of Covid-19 restrictions.

A hearse carrying Jones’ handmade Indian coffin adorned with the Australian flag and a floral 324 arrangement showcasing Deano’s Australian Test cap number, took one last lap of the iconic cricket ground, according to the official MCG website. The number was also his highest first-class score achieved for Victoria against South Australia on the MCG in the 1994/95 Sheffield Shield season.

“We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of love for Dean

spinner for breaching the ‘spirit of the game’.

Before the start of this year’s IPL, Ponting had a chat with Ashwin over the issue of Mankading -- something which the former Australian skipper doesn’t approve.

lap at MCG

After that, Ashwin came out with an alternative for ‘Mankading’ mode of dismissal and suggested the introduction of a “free ball” for bowlers if non-strikers back up too far.

“Make it a free ball for the bowler.

If the batsman gets out of that ball, the batting team will be docked 5 runs. Free hit adds to the drama for a batter, let’s give a chance to the bowlers too,” Ashwin had tweeted.

and can’t thank everyone enough for their support and for sharing their memories with us,” Jane said.

“It has been an awful time to navigate as a family, but I could not have thought of a more fitting place to say goodbye to my husband than under the lights of his beloved MCG. What better way to honour him than with the music of his friends Elton John and INXS echoing throughout the empty stadium,” she added.

Meanwhile, former Australia captain Michael Clarke said Jones deserved a “full house standing”.

“He deserved a full house

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standing and applauding. RIP great man,” Clarke tweeted on October 7.

Dean’s friend and writer Chris Driscoll also penned a poem in honour of the former Australian batsman: “Hold him tenderly, O’Mother India For he was our favourite son Place gently the zinc white ash on his resting forehead Anoint him in Linseed oil Place old willow by his side We wait for him, for his return.

No full breath drawn Shallow gasps and disbelief This force of nature, impervious to all assault But not our grief

Stumps are called The bails removed Player 324, no more to prove Zinc cream, his baggy green The Ashes Tests Champion of Champions Now lay him to his rest As we hold him tenderly in our hearts forever.”

Prof Deano featured in 52 Tests, scoring 3,631 runs at an average of 46.55. In 164 ODIs, he made 6,068 runs, at 44.61, with seven hundreds and 46 fifties. One of his most memorable Test innings came in 1986, when in the heat and humidity of Chennai, he battled exhaustion and illness to make a heroic 210 in what would be only the second tied Test ever.

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Sushant Singh Rajput’s family casts doubt on AIIMS’ report and boastful conclusion from insufficient evidence,” the legal team said.

Raising questions, the letter said that AIIMS was not to do a post-mortem but only to express its opinion on an autopsy report submitted by Mumbai’s Cooper Hospital as the AIIMS did not get to examine Sushant’s body and thus form a firsthand opinion about the cause of death.

Sushant Singh Rajput New Delhi, October 7 (IANS): A week after the AIIMS-Delhi submitted its report to the CBI in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case to rule out murder, the legal team of Sushant’s family has written to CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla to claim that the medico-legal report by the AIIMS medical board was “faulty”.

In the letter, the legal team represented by Varun Singh said, “I have been reading in the media about the forensic report submitted by the AIIMS to the CBI with regard to the opinion expressed by the agency in the

matter of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death on June 14. I have also seen some doctors on the AIIMS team come on TV and make statements with regard to the forensic examination done by the team.”

The letter said that despite several efforts to get a copy of the report, there was no response from AIIMS board head Dr Sudhir Gupta. “I am accordingly writing this letter on the premise that the news report regarding the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) opinion is correct.”

“The leaked report, if correct, amounts to drawing a biased

“Dr Sudhir Gupta has been giving media interviews about the sensitive case right from Day One, questioning Cooper Hospital doctors for the ‘dubious’ autopsy and Maharashtra Police for a hurried post-mortem and contamination and nonpreservation of the scene of crime,” the letter added.

The letter also pointed to various other infirmities like the postmortem done at the Mumbai hospital in the night without any Magistrate’s order for such an exercise, no videotaping of autopsy, and non-preservation of sufficient viscera for future examination.

In the letter, the legal team said that Cooper Hospital doctors’ post-mortem report did not

Bombay High Court grants bail to Rhea Chakraborty application and kept his ruling in reserve, pronounced the order in the morning of October 7.

Arrested on September 9 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug related case, Rhea has spent 28 days in custody till date.

She was sent to extended judicial custody by a Special NDPS Court till October 20 on October 6.

Welcoming the court order, Maneshinde said, “Truth and justice have prevailed and ultimately the submissions on facts and law have been accepted

by Justice Kotwal”.

Rhea Chakraborty Mumbai, October 7 (IANS): The Bombay High Court on October 7 granted conditional bail of Rs one lakh to Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty, her lawyer Satish Maneshinde said here.

Justice S.V. Kotwal, who had completed the hearing in her bail

“The arrest and custody of Rhea was totally unwarranted and beyond the reach of law. The hounding and witch hunt by three Central agencies -- the CBI, ED and NCB -- of Rhea should come to an end. We remain committed to the truth. ‘Satya Meva Jayate’,” said Maneshinde.

Rhea, along with 19 others, including Showik, were arrested during August-September by the

mention injuries on the body and thus no opinion on the cause of such injuries. “The protocol necessary to be observed in such post-mortems was not followed, as opined by several forensic experts from all over the world,” the legal team observed.

“There were several other infirmities that could be pointed out by a genuine forensic examination but, somehow, the same were left out by the AIIMS team, as expressed by one of the doctors in his interview telecast by a TV channel,” the letter read.

The legal team also raised questions on the conduct of Dr Sudhir Gupta.

“The conduct of Dr Gupta is unethical, unprofessional, and in contravention of government service conduct rules and MCI guidelines. This criminal misadventure on his part has undermined the public trust in a premier institution like AIIMS.” “It has created doubts in the minds of millions of people about the fairness of investigation,” it further added.

The legal team asserted that the AIIMS report, if at all, could have only specified the cause of death,

Payal had a meeting with National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma

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on October 6 regarding her allegation against Kashyap.

After the meeting, she posted photographs of the meeting on Instagram and Twitter. “I thank @sharmarekha ma’am the @ NCWIndia with the bottom of my heart for standing by me. When some women chose to take sides

“The CBI may also inquire into the circumstances that led Dr Gupta to indulge in such unprofessional conduct that threatens to jeopardise the course of investigation and help wrongdoers escape the clutches of law.

It is requested only such medical report that is true appraisal of available evidence is relied upon and not the present one that patently seems to be a fictional concoction to help the culprits,” said the legal team.

The AIIMS panel report questioned the absence of timing of death in the Cooper Hospital’s autopsy report and pointed towards dimly-lit postmortem room at the Mumbai hospital, sources said, adding that poisoning angle too was ruled out.

Sushant’s autopsy was done by three Cooper Hospital doctors on June 14 night.

The CBI officials have remained tight-lipped on the AIIMS report.

Playing Bond a beautiful, amazing thing: Daniel Craig

NCB in connection with the drugs angle which surfaced during the investigations of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case.

Among those nabbed include the Chakraborty siblings, Sushant’s staffers Dipesh Sawant, Samuel Miranda, several drug peddlers, suppliers and persons linked with the film industry.

The others who were arrested till September-end are: Abbas Lakhani, Karan Arora, Zaid Vilatra, Abdul Basit Parihar, Kaizan Ebrahim, Anuj Keswani, Ankush Arenja, Kamarjeet Singh Anand, Sanket Patel, Sandeep Gupta, Aftab Ansari, Dwyane Fernandes, Suryadeep Malhotra, Chris Costa, Rahil Vishram and Kshitij R. Prasad.

Some of the accused have been granted bail. Others remain in custody for varying periods as the NCB probe continues along with questioning of several leading actresses.

Daniel Craig Los Angeles, October 6 (IANS): Hollywood star Daniel Craig is all set to play James Bond for a final time, and he has an advice for the actor who will take over his job as the dapper British spy who habitually saves the world.

Craig has portrayed Bond over five films, from “Casino Royale” in 2006 to the upcoming “No Time To Die”.

During an interview on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon”, he was asked what advice would

Payal Ghosh calls Anurag Kashyap a ‘vulture’ Mumbai, October 6 (IANS): Actress Payal Ghosh, who recently levelled MeToo allegation against Anurag Kashyap, has called the filmmaker a vulture without mentioning his name.

that is, by hanging and could not have gone on to say that it was a case of suicide because that is something which only the CBI can decide after complete investigation.

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Craig replied, “It’s a beautiful, amazing thing. I don’t know what else to say, really,” adding, “Leave it better than when you found it.”

“No Time To Die” was scheduled to release this year but the film got delayed owing to the COVID outbreak.

After initially being postponed to November, the film has again been rescheduled for release on April 2, 2021.

ADVERTISE WITH US Call us:

of a vulture, the organisation stood by me.. #DilSeThankYou,” the actress captioned.

On October 5, Payal submitted a letter to Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh seeking Y-level security for her lawyer and herself.

he give to the next Bond, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Payal Ghosh

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Ayushmann sweats it Cheat day pumps are an unbelievable feeling, says Tiger out for role of athlete Mumbai, October 6 (IANS): Bollywood action hero Tiger Shroff, who is heavily into fitness, has revealed his cheat day mantra when it comes to working out.

Tiger took to Instagram, where he shared a new workout video.

In the clip, Tiger is seen doing working on his biceps using dumbbells.

“Cheat day pumps are an unbelievable feeling,” he wrote alongside the image.

Tiger Shroff

Tiger recently flaunted his muscular back in a social media

post. He posted a monochrome picture on Instagram, standing at the balcony with his back towards the camera.

The actor is currently riding high on the success of his debut single “Unbelievable”, which he launched last month. The video of the song, helmed by “Student Of The Year 2” director Punit Malhotra, shows Tiger as a hotel staff member romancing a colleague.

Introducing the song, Tiger has spoken of how he was influenced

by Michael Jackson while growing up.

Bigg Boss 14’s Pavitra Punia should be named Apavitra: Ex-boyfriend Paras Chhabra house this season.

In reaction, alleging that Pavitra had lied in their relationship, Paras added that he found out she was married only when her husband sent him a message.

He added that he subsequently came to know of more “shocking” details about her.

Actress Pavitra Punia Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS): Actor and Bigg Boss 13 contestant Paras Chhabra says his ex-girlfriend Pavitra Punia, who is a housemate on the reality show this season, should be named as Apavitra (impure) because of her nature.

Paras claimed that Pavitra was married when they briefly dated and she hid the fact from him, adding that he ended his relationship with her because she was cheating on him.

Paras’ comments came as a reaction to Pavitra’s recent statement, in which she said that if he had any self-respect he wouldn’t join her in the Bigg Boss

“I got to know that before entering the Bigg Boss house Pavitra said very distasteful things about me. Firstly, I think her name Pavitra (pure) is wrong. She should be named as Apavitra (impure) because of her nature. Before the show, she told everyone that I am a cheater and a liar but on the first day of the show, she confessed that she was double-dating me. What kind of a girl is she? I never revealed the reason for the break-up but she was double-dating, and that’s why I ended my relationship with her,” Paras said.

“Plus, she was married. If you are married why do you need to be in another relationship? In one of her interviews, she said that I am the biggest regret of her life.

I would like to ask her if I am the biggest regret of her life then why was she were in a relationship with me despite being a married woman?” he added.

In the previous episode of the ongoing season 14, a glimpse of Pavitra Punia and Eijaz Khan showed her getting cosy with him while he seemed uncomfortable.

In a viral video chat with Rubina Dilaik, Pavitra says she sees loneliness in Eijaz and therefore feels emotionally connected with him. She adds that she tried everything to develop a bond with Eijaz but he doesn’t reciprocate.

Pavitra then gets emotional and breaks down, saying that she can’t afford to lose him.

Reacting to the particular development, Paras said: “If a love angle is emerging in the show between Eijaz and Pavitra, I will pray for Eijaz bhai because if he gets in a relationship with Pavitra, his life will be ruined. He is a good actor and he has done some good shows on television, so I feel he should stay away from such people as Pavitra.”

‘Bigg Boss 14’ housemates copying past contestants: Mahira Sharma Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS): Actress and Bigg Boss 13 contestant Mahira Sharma feels contestants of the ongoing season 14 of the controversial reality show lack originality and have not been able to establish connection with the audience.

“The previous seasons of ‘Bigg Boss’ were good but our season (season 13) was one of the biggest hits. We didn’t copy anyone in the show. This season, people are copying contestants of previous seasons. When you start copying someone, people don’t enjoy the show. When you do original things -- whether it is a fight, romance or a friendship -- the audience connects with you.

Otherwise, it doesn’t look good on

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screen,” Mahira told IANS. “I don’t think any season will be able to scale the popularity of the 13th season of ‘Bigg Boss’ because it had a unique concept and good contestants. When contestants of the show start showing their true personality, the show will do well,” she added.

To boost prospects of the current season, the makers have incorporated three popular past season contestants -- Sidharth Shukla, Gauahar Khan and Hina Khan -- as Toofani Seniors, whose job is to mentor the season 14 housemates. In fact, most of the big moments on season 14 so far have happened due to Sidharth’s manipulations.

Ayushmann Khurrana Mumbai, October 6 (IANS): Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana is undergoing drastic physical transformation for his upcoming romantic drama co-starring Vaani Kapoor and directed by Abhishek Kapoor.

The actor on October 6 posted an Instagram picture, where he is seen lifting weights. His face remains concealed in the snapshot.

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The actor will be seen playing an athlete in the upcoming film, which is pitched as a progressive love story. The yet-untitled film is set in north India and shooting begins in October.

It is slated to release worldwide in theatres next year.

Mumbai Police to crack down on social media trolls

Mumbai, October 6 (IANS): Brutally targeted from various quarters after the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the Mumbai Police has now decided to hit back at the invisible army of social media trolls on various platforms, an official said here on October 6.

Cyber Cell Deputy Commissioner of Police Rashmi Karandikar said that several social media account holders are trolling the Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook using abusive language against him and the police force.

“Most of these accounts are fake... We will be taking action against all these fake account holders. Last month, another FIR was registered against a culprit who used a morphed image of the official Twitter account of the city Police Commissioner,” Karandikar said, adding a probe is underway in both matters.

Mahira Sharma

“It’s going to be a different me in this different film. Movie prep going strong @gattukapoor,” Ayushmann wrote.

The developments came around 110 days after Sushant Singh’s death, coinciding with the AIIMS’ report that has ruled out all speculation alleging the actor was

murdered.

The AIIMS’ report was widely welcomed by the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress who decried the manner in which “the state government and Mumbai Police were sought to be maligned” in the matter.

“We are not at all surprised by this... It was also the finding of the Cooper Hospital team,” Singh reacted to the AIIMS conclusions, while the MVA partners have demanded a SIT probe into the entire trolling business.

Police sources said that there may be around 80,000-1,00,000 such ‘fake accounts’ created on various social media platforms after the actor’s death June 14 and some are allegedly being shut down now.

As per the Cyber Police’s preliminary analysis, the slanderous or abusive posts were uploaded from India and even several countries in Europe, Scandinavia, south-east Asia and other global locations targeting the Mumbai Police.

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