Six hours allocated for Citizenship (Amendment) Bill debate in Rajya Sabha
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, passed by the Lok Sabha on December 9 , will be taken up for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha on December 11. Six hours have been allocated to debate the Bill to grant citizenship to undocumented non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who came to India before December 31, 2014. The Bill has to be passed by both the Houses of the Parliament to become a law.
Sena to oppose Citizenship Bill in Rajya Sabha, seeks clarity on queries
In a political somersault, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on December 10 that the Shiv Sena would oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha till there was clarity on the queries posed by the party during the debate in the Lok Sabha. On December, the Sena had voted with the government on the Bill .
Electoral bonds: RBI didn’t stop SBI role, says Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had not objected to the issuance of electoral bonds through the State Bank of India (SBI). Replying to a supplementary during the Question Hour on electoral bonds through the SBI, the Finance Minister said that being a stakeholder, the RBI was involved in extensive consultations with the government at the stage of conceptualisation.
India proposes extended deadline for commitments at climate summit
India on Tuesday proposed that developed countries make good commitments on providing finance to developing countries by 2023, instead of 2020. “It is time for reflection and assessment as we near the end of the pre-2020 period. Has the developed world delivered on its promises? Unfortunately, annexed [developed] countries have not met their Kyoto Protocol targets... I propose that we have three more years to fulfill the pre-2020 commitments till the global stock take takes places for bridging emission gaps,” Union Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar said in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday.
Concerned over situation in Kashmir, important to restore normalcy: EU envoy Ugo Astuto
The European Union remains “concerned” about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and its position has not changed in the months since the government’s decision on Article 370, the newly appointed EU Ambassador said here on Tuesday. Speaking to journalists Ambassador Ugo Astuto also said the EU was following the current debate in Parliament over the Citizenship Amendment Bill and hoped that India’s constitutional traditions would be upheld.
RCEP decision not last minute: Piyush Goyal
India’s decision to leave the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was not taken at the last minute, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told Parliament, in a statement, on Tuesday while defending the government’s decision to quit the 16-nation Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among the ASEAN and other countries.
Former judges, writers, actors and activists among 720 prominent people who speak against Citizenship Bill and NRC
More than 720 writers, actors and activists have spoken out against both the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the NPR-NRC, calling them “ill-conceived.” In a statement signed by Justices P.B. Sawant (SC retd.), Hosbet Suresh (Bombay HC retd.) and B.G. Kolse Patil (ex-Bombay HC), and Javed Akhtar, Harsh Mander, Aparna Sen and Swami Agnivesh, among others, the group said: “We must unequivocally reject CAB 2019 and at the same time in the same breath, NPR/NRC.”
Violence against women often stems from failure on fundamental duties: President
President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday said the failings in human rights, like in cases of violence against women, often stemmed from the failings in fulfilling fundamental duties. The President was speaking at a National Human Rights Commission's event to observe Human Rights Day in New Delhi.
Hyderabad vet rape and murder case: Bodies of accused shifted to government hospital
The bodies of four men accused in the rape and murder of the Telangana woman veterinarian, who were killed in an alleged exchange of fire with the police on December 6, were on Tuesday shifted to the State-run Gandhi Hospital here from Mahabubnagar district. The bodies of the four people were brought here and are preserved in the mortuary of Gandhi Hospital on Tuesday,” a senior hospital official said.
Narendra Modi’s tweet on BJP Lok Sabha election victory India’s most liked in 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, the biggest moments that shaped the year for Indians were also the ones that made the most noise on Twitter as those events were unfolding. As the mammoth seven-phase long General Election spread over 39 days drew to a close in May and gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a second term, a tweet from him celebrating his party's victory and promising the country "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas, Sabka Vishwaas" garnered 11.7 lakh retweets and 4.2 lakh likes.
Trump meets with Russian official as impeachment advances
President Donald Trump met Tuesday with the Russian Foreign Minister at the White House just hours after articles of impeachment were unveiled against him and a day after a Justice Department watchdog report declared the FBI was justified in opening an investigation into ties between Moscow and Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Jair Bolsonaro calls Greta Thunberg a ‘brat’
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday called young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg a “brat” after she expressed concern about the slayings of indigenous Brazilians in the Amazon. Mr. Bolsonaro questioned the coverage news media have given Thunberg, 16, who on Sunday tweeted a link to a story about the murder of two indigenous people in Brazil’s Maranhao State. “Greta said that the Indians died because they were defending the Amazon,” Mr. Bolsonaro told a group of journalists. “It’s impressive that the press is giving space to a brat like that,” he added, using the Portuguese word “pirralha.”
Peter Handke and Olga Tokarczuk receive Nobel Literature Prizes amid protest
Author Peter Handke received his Nobel Literature Prize on Tuesday amid criticism of him in Sweden and abroad as an apologist for Serb war crimes in the 1990s. Representatives of seven countries boycotted the awards ceremony in protest, as did a member of the Swedish Academy that chooses the literature prize winner. A member of the committee that nominates candidates for the prize resigned his post. Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Croatia, North Macedonia, Turkey and Afghanistan boycotted the awards ceremony and some of those country’s leaders denounced the prize.
Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hails role of Eritrea as he receives Nobel Peace Prize
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hailed the role played by ex-foe Eritrea in the Nobel Peace Prize he collected on Tuesday for his efforts to resolve the long-running conflict between the two neighbours. “I accept this award on behalf of Ethiopians and Eritreans, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of peace,” Mr. Abiy said after he received the prestigious award in a formal ceremony at Oslo's City Hall.
Ind vs WI ODI | Mayank Agarwal likely to replace injured Shikhar Dhawan
India’s Test opener Mayank Agarwal is likely to replace Shikhar Dhawan in the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies after the senior batsman failed to recover from his knee injury. India will play three ODIs against the West Indies in Chennai (December 15), Visakhapatnam (December 18) and Cuttack (December 22). Dhawan sustained a deep gash on his knee during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game and was subsequently ruled out of the three-match T20 series where Sanju Samson came in as a replacement.
South Asian Games | India signs off with a record haul of 312 medals
India ended its South Asian Games campaign with a best-ever medal haul of 312 and finish on top for the 13th time-in-a-row, in the regional multi-sporting event, here on Tuesday. India collected 174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze after 10 days of competitions to surpass the 309 it had won in the previous edition at home in 2016. But the number of gold India won this time was 15 less than the previous edition.
